OTTAWA, RICHMOND, B.C. and TORONTO — The federal government is moving to backstop the Canadian banks' capacity to lend money in an acknowledgment that not even the country's sturdy banking system is immune to the global financial crisis.

A plan originally earmarked for Friday morning would see the government assume some mortgages currently held by the banks by giving them to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp., a Crown corporation. In turn, the banks might receive CMHC paper – possibly bonds – against which they could use as collateral for their own loans from other banks.

In recent weeks, the big banks have faced a sharp rise in the cost of borrowing money in international markets to cover Canadian mortgages – a situation that puts them at risk of losing ever-increasing amounts of money on one of their core businesses.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and the banks say no bailout is on the table and the plan falls short of an intervention, but sources told The Globe and Mail Ottawa now recognizes the fast-changing economic landscape requires action to help the banks access cheaper funds to fuel lending.

With the double whammy of the last days of an election combining with the global economic slowdown, the federal government and senior bank executives are hypersensitive. The Conservative Party has been insisting throughout the election campaign that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. But in the past 24 hours a new reality has set in.

Mr. Flaherty, who is expected to be in Washington Friday at an emergency G7 session of finance ministers, had been preparing to make the announcement of a banking plan Thursday, but after word leaked Wednesday night, the plans were delayed, sources say, in an illustration of how important it is for the government to try to control the message.

Pressure from the banks is growing, with executives arguing their sector needs federal help immediately to ease their credit pressure.

Banks want it right now but the Harper government has to reconcile calls for immediate assistance with its insistence the Canadian banking system requires no extraordinary measures.

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The development of a pipeline network and refineries around the Great Lakes to process Alberta bitumen "could cause irreversible" environmental damage to the region, says a new report that traces the tendrils of Alberta's oilsands developments across the continent.

There are currently 17 refinery projects either being "considered, planned, applied for, approved or developed" around the Great Lakes, according to the report, How the Oil Sands Got to the Great Lakes, released Wednesday.

The report, commissioned by the University of Toronto's Munk Centre program on water issues, warns that little is known about the environmental impact on the Great Lakes given the level of greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption that comes with the refining process.
There are currently 17 refinery projects either being 'considered, planned, applied for, approved or developed' around the Great Lakes, according to the report, How the Oil Sands Got to the Great Lakes, released Wednesday.
There are currently 17 refinery projects either being 'considered, planned, applied for, approved or developed' around the Great Lakes, according to the report, How the Oil Sands Got to the Great Lakes, released Wednesday.

"We are paying more attention at the oilsands end, but not where the oil gets to and what happens there," said David Israelson, the report's author. "The other big issue is climate change and this means exponential increase in greenhouse gas emissions before you put a drop in your car."

Dubbing it a "pollution delivery system," the report said the thousands-kilometres-long pipeline complex used to ferry Athabasca bitumen from source to refinery could bring "2.3 million tonnes" of greenhouse gas emissions to the centre of North America every year.

"It will also bring new, large-scale sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions - the building blocks of acid rain - as well as fine particulate matter, which is responsible for premature deaths," said the report. "Pipeline and refinery expansion applications are being made and approved right now with little general awareness of the potential long-term damage to the Great Lakes environment."

Bitumen is a tar-like heavy hydrocarbon that is removed from Alberta's oilsands and upgraded into synthetic crude oil.

Environmental groups were quick to back the report's findings. Justin Duncan, a lawyer with Ecojustice, said the federal government needs to revise its entire approach to oilsands

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Canadian Conservative Information Arts, Success & Broken Promises
Another active Impact Canada forum member † Darkness †, who is posting information regarding the positive side of the Harper lead Conservatives, with a lil' bit of an 'titude I might add.

http://www.myspace.com/imagesandwordscom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENjaU6bjN1c

† Darkness †

THINGS NOT COVERED IN THE VIDEO:

Accountability Act - passed April 11, 2006

Age of consent from 14 to 16 effective May 1, 2008

Agent Orange compensation package of $96 million $20,000 to all veterans and civilians who lived within 5 kilometers of CFB Gagetown in N.B. between 1966 and 1967 with illnesses associated with exposure

Apology to Native people by Government of Canada on June 11, 2008 for residential school abuses

Automative Innovation Fund of $250 million over five years (or $50 million a year) to developing greener, more fuel efficient vehicles

Border guards armed

Canada Employment Credit of $1000.00

Chinese Head Tax - government apology on June 22, 2006

Chinese immigrant provision of $20,000 to every individual and/or surviving spouses who paid the head tax plus a $24 million towards anhistorical recognition program

Community Development Trust - $1 billion to help communities suffering from manufacturing and forestry industry slowdowns and unemployment

Environmental plan Turning the Corner released on April 26, 2007 to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants while balancing the needs of the environment and the economy, plus update on March 10, 2008 following public consultation.

Food Labelling Initiative - to clarify and modernize labelling on food products, including Product of Canada and Made in Canada claims to be fully in effect following consultations by December 31, 2008

GIS - Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors changed to allow for higher earned income

Homelessness Partnering Strategy $269.6 million over two years from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2009

Homeless Research Demonstration Projects - In February 2008, Harper government allocated $110 million to the Mental Health Commission of Canada to find ways to help the growing number of homeless people who have a mental illness

Hydrogen Highway - Created a $1.5 billon trust as part of a network of partners for hydrogen fuelling stations for fuel celled buses and vehicles in British Columbia

Immigration & Refugee Protection Act changes - to shorten time taken to immigrate to Canada - fully approved by parliament on June 18, 2008

Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement

Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission established (IRSTRC) with Justice Harry Laforme as Chair - with commission to begin on June 1st, 2008

Kids sport tax credit (up to $500 per child)

Land Claim Agreements - a total of 54 were settled up to and including 2008

Lobbying Act - passed July 2, 2008

Medical Alert Bracelets for Children - free of charge

Mental Health Commission of Canada - established and incorporated as a non-profit corporation in March of 2007

Military spending increased to a post-war peak, including the delivery of four C-17 Globe Master strategic airlift aircraft

Money laundering crack down on organized crime and terrorists

Nahanni National Park expanded by 5000 square kilometres

National Museums - $98 million for capital infrastructure projects over five years, with some urgent repairs starting immediately

National Vehicle Scrappage - an environmental program by EcoAction to get vehicles 1995 or older off the road - started immediately and to be fully in effect by January 1st, 2009

Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement

Ombudsman for Victims of Crime established

Ontario-Canada Infrastructure Agreement for $6.2 billion starting immediately

Poland - Youth Mobility Agreement signed on July 14, 2008 that allows youth from either country to work and travel for up to one year

Public transit tax credits

Quebecois as a nation - a motion to confirm Quebec within a united Canada

Restored citizenship for last Canadian involved in WWI

Saskatchewan Carbon Capture Storage Project

Save a Million Lives international program for people affected by poverty

Savings Account that is tax free

Softwood Lumber Agreement (Bill C-24)

Street racing crack down

Students exempted from taxation for scholarships, bursaries and fellowships

Student improvements to financing programs with 2008 budget of $123 million with 2008, starting in 2009 following the expiration of the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation

Tackling Violent Crime Act

Tax Back Guarantee - a plan to use interest sayings from national debt repayments to reduce personal income taxes, each and every year

Taxpayers Bill of Rights

Taxpayers Ombudsman

Ukranian & Eastern European immigants - $10 million to educate Canadians about the internment in Canadian work camps during WWI

Universal Child Care Benefit - $1200.00 per year for every child under age six

Universal Child Care Plan

Visa requirements lifted for up to six month visits - to Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania and Hungary

This peice was written by † Darkness †

www.myspace.com/impactcanada

Here is some information concerning the Wooo Oh my gosh .. 'Oh snap! 'Oh no he di'nt' cuts to the federal funding cuts. Here is a snippit form the comments on this page. http://election.globaltv.com/topstorydetail.aspx?sectionid=223&postid=47627

What Harper said...

'He argued that most Canadians, including Quebecers, understand some cuts are necessary in a slumping economy.

'When the NDP runs an ad like that, it just shows the extreme side of the NDP, a side of the NDP that has no serious economic program at all for the country, just a whole bunch of promises without limit, without any idea of how they're going to pay for them,' Harper said.'

Comments...

...

David Rymes says:
I know people who wash dishes , drive taxi ect
live the life and walk in my shoes and then you can talk. but then again I see you may need some cash to pay for Peter McKay's big spending !

Oh forgive me for not giving into your bully tactics.
are you now going to say I am week for not giving into you.

Kim Campbell former PC PM had it correct when she warned Steven Harper not to be a bully.

AND

...

Ed says:
Why all the crying they got 8% more than they had before. How much does your pay cheque go up? Most tax paying people are lucky to get the rate of inflation!Which was much less than 8%. The arts are still being funded by the government. I wish my job was funded by the government!

SO the comments pretty much go on after the first one in SUPPORT of Stephen Harper making cuts to the arts.

Now, this is where you can really dig in and get some information about the Cons of the current Conservative leadership.

Here is some information and an opportunity to download a free book.

http://trustbreaker.blogspot.com/

This is called the Real Harper Record (individual chapters from the online book)

http://pacificfreepress.com/content/view/3098/1

'The 47 writers, researchers and analysts who have co-written this book probe into every aspect of the Harper minority government's administration. From the economy to the environment, from social programs to foreign policy, from health care to tax cuts, from the Afghanistan mission to the tar sands, from free trade to deep integration, and to many other areas of this government's record, the authors have dug out the facts and analyzed them. '

Peace thanks for stopping by

LA/ME

I wouldn't call it unforgivable, I call it smart politics on behalf of the Liberals. They enticed May to run in a riding she realistically had a low chance of winning. A riding where the NDP finished second by a few thousand votes over the Liberals. By pulling their candidate it gave May hope that she might be able to run and win in her own riding instead of running in a more winnable riding (B.C. or Ontario). The Liberals probably knew that the NDP would be the real benefactors, as it would only take (as BADH points out) less than 1/2 of the orphaned Liberal vote to swing NDP, possibly unseat McKay. So no McKay, no May...the Liberals definitely benefit greatly, while the NDP tags along for the ride.

1.Talk to G

2. Then take the 3 transmitters,yellow duck, and the blue print that is on the wall.

3. Go to the ski lodge and grab all the find four pieces they are on the steps, under the big phone thingy on the stool,and on the ledge next to the window

4. Then go upstairs and grab all the find four pieces and the string. The find four pieces are on the box,on the other box with a grey box on top of that box,on a table with a old music player,on a table with a typewriter, and in a little corner. the string is next to the yellow,green, and blue rug.

5. Then go downstairs and give the penguins the find four pieces.

6. Now go to the forest and grab the little sticks

7. Then combine the sticks with the blueprint then the string with the blueprint/stick kite 

8. Now go to the mountain and also attach the transmitter to the kite. After that drag the kite onto the big pole

9.Go to the Plaza and click the penguins. Then the blue puffle will blow a bubble and it will pop on them. they will ask for help just click the piece thats stuck to the middle of them. They will give you gum.

10. Attach the gum onto the yellow duck

11. Now go to the Dock

12. Talk to the guy and he wants help with his boat. Just pull the brown handle out as far as it lets you go and he will let you use the pump

13. Use the pump with the duck and pump it. It will eventually blow all the way up.

14.  Attach the transmitter to the duck and go to the Ice Burg

15. Now put the duck into the water

16.Go to the mine shack and talk to the guy

17. Click the wood on the side of the building to start a little mini game

18. To beat it move the wood pieces so that the left side of the pipe is going down

19. Now click the cart and you will go into another mini game

20. To beat this one just weld over the cracks

21. Put a transmitter into the cart then click the cart and it will go down the track.

22. Answer your phone and go to the HQ

23. Talk to G then take the binoculars

24. Go to the ski lodge again then click the door that says " gone fishing"

25. Go to the right till you see a big frozen pond.

26. Click the binoculars and click the other side of the pond

27. Watch Herbert and Klutzy

28. Talk to G

29. Go to the other side of the pond (where herbert and klutzy were)and pick up the spy phone

30. Now attach it to the binoculars

31. Finally put that on the second grayish-green tree on the left ( it has no trees touching it)

32. Now go to the HQ

33. Talk to G

34. Watch the secret video

35. get your rewards!!!!

Here is a picture of them

And if you didn't do the part where you get the find four pieces and give it the the penguins I think you don't get the chocolates.

See Ya,

Snash1338

Comment your answers. Here they are:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Ok comment what you think the answers are.

Another thing is what was your favorite room? Mine was the dance club.

So everyone comment on what you think the answers are and what your favorite room was (here is mine).

Also there is the new mission out called "Operation Hide and Seek".I will get the instructions in a little bit so check back soon (I like to figure missions out myself).

See Ya,

Snash1338