By Asaf Rashid, Halifax Media Co-op

The year 2009 was a roller-coaster, marked by the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were being lost nearly every month of 2009 in the U.S., and in Canada, many tens of thousands were lost monthly, with January 2009 seeing a record 129,000 workers purged. Canada's gap between the rich and poor is now at the worst level ever. Over the whole world, millions of jobs were lost as companies bled workers from their bodies in order to save weight to try and survive the fall with less damage. In China, there were 40 million jobs lost in January alone, a consequence of the bust in U.S. consumption.

Julie Michaud, NB Media Co-op
Wednesday, 09 December 2009
http://www.nbmediacoop.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=670:coalition-against-the-sale-of-nb-power-grows-its-ranks&catid=96:politics&Itemid=197

Members of the Coalition of New Brunswickers: NB Power Not For Sale held signs and waved at passing motorists in Fredericton on December 4th.December 4th marked the launch of the Fredericton Branch of the Coalition of New Brunswickers: NB Power Not For Sale.

Approximately 20 people braved the cold at the corner of Regent and Prospect streets to hold signs and banners indicating their opposition to the proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec. The din of horns from passing cars indicated that they were not alone in their opposition to the deal.

NB Power Not for Sale!

Panelists have been confirmed.

Media has been notified.

Announcements of the summit will be on the radio concentrating in the Moncton area and CBC public service announcements.

Advertisements are in the four provincial dailies today and tomorrow.

Now all we need is to fill the ballroom at the *Delta Beauséjour* in Moncton on *Wednesday, December 9th , 2009 -- 10:00-4:00 p.m.

*Note:* An opening rally will occur at 9:30-10:00 am in front of the Assumption Building on Main Street, adjacent to the Delta Beauséjour.

Carpool, Hitch-a-ride, Call a friend

Folks are being encouraged to rally in support of the NB Power workers tomorrow at this event.

Thierry Vandal will be speaking to NB Power head office employees at Wilmot Church, right next to their head office at 3:00PM today, Tues, Dec. 8 in Fredericton.

Rally time & location --

Time: 2:30PM, Tuesday, December 8

Location: Wilmot Church, 473 King St., Fredericton

CBC, Saturday, November 28, 2009
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/11/28/nb-nbpower-industrial.html

Myth #1 This is a good deal for New Brunswickers.
The government signed this deal without even looking for a better price or deal where New Brunswick would retain control of NB Power and the decision-making process.

Myth #2 The government is telling New Brunswickers that NB Power’s situation is dire and urgent and that its debt is a burden on New Brunswick.
The Provincial Auditor General and all the major bond rating agencies have said that selling NB Power will have little or no impact on the Province’s credit rating. In fact, the government has never had to pay NBPower’s debt, the utility pays their own debt. NB Power has paid off over $1.3 Billion of it’s debt in the last five years, while also paying the province over $500 million in taxes and profits.

The Canadian Press: http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=306802&sc=621

Last year, the federal government conducted a very quick and quiet review of our post office called the Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review (CPCSR). The government did not hold public hearings during the CPCSR and is not consulting with the public on CPCSR report recommendations.

The CPCSR report, which was released in April 2009, recommended against postal deregulation, but with the exception that international letters be removed from Canada Post's exclusive privilege to handle letters. The government accepted this recommendation in June 2009 when it introduced Bill C-44.

The report also recommended that Canada Post's universal service obligation be defined in a clear 'contract' or 'service charter' between the Government of Canada and Canada Post to clarify expectations and responsibilities relating to service. In September 2009, the government announced a very short and somewhat vague Canadian Postal Service Charter.

Institute of Public Administration of Canada: upholding or subverting the public interest?
Friday, 11 September 2009
By Marylynn Côté and Julie Michaud

The Institute of Public Administration of Canada recently held its national conference at the Delta Hotel in Fredericton. Some question whether the organization really seeks to uphold the public interest.Fredericton – From August 23rd to August 26th, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) held its national conference at the Delta Hotel in Fredericton. The association of public servants, academics, and others interested in public administration advocates that “public employees should seek to serve the public interest by upholding both the letter and the spirit of the laws established by the legislature or council and of the regulations and directions made pursuant to these laws.”

OTTAWA, Aug. 14 /CNW Telbec/ - Opponents of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)are celebrating a preliminary victory in reaction to the announcement on the official U.S. government SPP website that the pact "is no longer an active initiative" says the Council of Canadians. Two years after the controversial SPP summit in Montebello - where police agents provocateurs were exposed trying to subvert the peaceful protest there - opponents of the
SPP have succeeded in making the initiative politically poisonous for governments to support.

While the 'deactivation' of the SPP is a significant victory, the Council of Canadians cautions that opponents of deep integration must remain vigilant, given that many of the SPP's key priorities - energy integration, regulatory convergence, security policy harmonization - cropped up in the final leaders' declaration from the Guadalajara summit this week.