OCTOBER 2012

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 10:27 PM

subject Syrie et Iran: John Baird est cinglant envers l’ONU; Tory MP Rob Anders sorry for saying Mulcair hastened Jack Layton’s death

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived another Monday. And I’m loving the contrasts:

From your party: Big announcement on Cutting Red Tape “Our Government’s actions stand in stark contrast to the plans of Mr. Mulcair and the NDP. While we help free up businesses so that they can create jobs and growth, they continue to promote their $21 billion carbon tax which would increase the costs of electricity, gas, groceries and everything else.

Canadians can rest assured that our Government is focused on helping the economy attract more jobs and growth.”

And then the Greens: “It was devastating to see the damage our lack of response to climate change is causing first hand, and it was more upsetting to return to Ottawa only to see Elizabeth May shouted down while asking a question about the need for climate action.

While Europe is acting to introduce carbon taxes and discussing tariffs on exports from countries like Canada who lack emission reduction plans, the NDP and Conservatives continue to distract from the real issue with constant bickering.

Only Elizabeth May and the Greens continue to focus on the climate crisis and to bring attention to the importance of acting now.

Low income people are often most impacted by floods, as they lack insurance and support when houses and belongings are ruined by high waters. Climate change will mean more hardship for these families.”

It’s like we live in two different worlds, isn’t it?

No change on the bathroom, except for that I worked on the plaster a bit. Our landlord not returning my calls or responding to messages. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 8:25 PM

subject Harper et Marois au Sommet de la Francophonie: pas de duel en vue; Growing (really) old together: Couples living together into later stages of life

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived the fourteen hours in the car MTL-SJ via the US of A on Friday, then survived drinking too much red wine on an empty stomach (was probably the first house guest to vomit numerous times in the night at Into the Wild), then survived an afternoon of paintball while hungover on Saturday (which included a twisted knee which cancelled any Saint John Everyday Goalie performances), and then survived Thanksgiving family dinner on Sunday, and a big friends-with-babies get-together today. Tomorrow we fly out to Vancouver for the Institutions by Artists conference. I have lots of reading to catch up on.

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Oct 11, 2012 at 12:27 AM

subject Pollution de l’air: Ottawa et les provinces sur le point de signer une entente; U.K. police investigate whether 2 arrested in Syria probe involved in journalist kidnappings

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I am surviving Vancouver.

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 9:55 PM

subject Musée des civilisations: l’opposition se méfie; McGuinty walked away because he had to

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived another Monday, as well as almost one week in Vancouver. I survived the East Side, goaltending in the rain, the Burrard Motor Inn and the Institutions by Artists conference. I survived goaltending on the beach and in Stanley Park. I survived a visit to Bob Rennie’s private collection in the Wing Sang building. I dropped almost $300 for a new pair of Fluevog boots.

I can’s get into details at the moment, but I received mail from the CRA asking for receipts for my political donations, and the Papineau EDA has received a request from Elections Canada asking about the first name of a donor. I have no record of this individual, so may prove difficult to track down. Might be time to call a meeting, a real meeting.

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 11:25 PM

subject L’opposition dénonce la décision de McGuinty de proroger le parlement; Debate 2: Obama finds fighting form against Romney

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. My knee still hurts from the paintball last week. I can’t fold it up all the way, it feels like it is somewhat detached.

Worked on some Everyday Goalie videos. Might upload some tonight.

(Binders Full of Women!)

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Oct 21, 2012 at 9:42 PM

subject Le directeur parlementaire du budget fera appel aux tribunaux cette semaine; Israeli navy takes control of activist boat bound for Gaza, Canadian in custody

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived the weekend, and a final big push since Friday to bring the upstairs bathroom to near-completion. Rose had a shower in there tonight, despite the fact we don’t have a shower curtain yet. But the shower works, the sink works, the toilet works, the mirrors and vanity are installed, towel racks installed, it is painted, caulked and silicone and even has a 4″ vinyl baseboard. Saturday morning we went to Home Despot as a family to pick up odds n ends. I painted the radiator with high-heat resistant spray paint and it looks like new. Today we had a little get-together, play date with Femke and Louis, Ruby-Jean, Etienne, Sarah, Pat and Bree. Claudine made an excellent curried squash soup and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. The kids had a blast. She’s off now to watch an episode of La banquise, special because tonight Kent’s 94-year old grandmother is the contestant (in case you don’t get a chance to see it, she wins).  I’m finishing the dishes and then going to bed to read the New Yorker. I’m into a good fiction piece that makes me cringe, about the life of a guy just turned forty and his diary entries describing his life, finances and three kids. Makes me apprehensive a little about the future, and how we’ll be as parents to Rose when she is 13. Ten years from now. Do you think I’ll still be writing to you?

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 9:32 PM

subject Des médailles royales à deux criminelles pro-vie; Coroner refuses further delay in inquest of mentally ill teen Ashley Smith’s prison death

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived another Monday and now, another Tuesday. The Thomas Demand show still not finalized; he wants it all, we can’t really do it all. “All” includes 4 floors of wallpaper, a suite of 8 large-scale photographs, 3 35mm film projections, 2 HD projections, 1 2K projection, multiple custom screens and probably more.

It is nice to use the new shower, I am trying to get Rose to not mind getting water in her eyes.

We might watch a documentary on the painter Serge Lemoyne, so I will leave you with an email I received from Thomas Mulcair.

-chris

(English follows)

Je vous écris afin de répondre à vos préoccupations concernant l’Accord sur la promotion et la protection des investissements étrangers (APIE) Canada-Chine.

Comme vous l’avez fait remarquer, cet accord modifie la politique canadienne assurant la divulgation adéquate des renseignements au public et la transparence des arbitrages. Il pourrait avoir des effets négatifs sur la capacité du gouvernement à établir des politiques dans l’intérêt du public et il expose les contribuables canadiens à des litiges ou à des préjudices coûteux. En plus de cela, il ne permet pas la réalisation d’une pleine réciprocité pour les investisseurs canadiens.

Malgré le fait qu’un débat public et une étude approfondie de cet accord aient été réclamés maintes fois, le gouvernement conservateur refuse toujours de le soumettre à un examen du public. Cela est irresponsable étant donné qu’il est prévu que le traité soit en vigueur pendant au moins 31 ans.

C’est pourquoi le NPD présente une autre motion demandant au Comité du commerce international de la Chambre des communes de mener une analyse exhaustive de cet accord et exhortant le gouvernement à repousser la date de ratification de cet accord jusqu’à ce que nous ayons reçu l’avis d’intervenants de divers secteurs.

Nous vous demandons votre aide. S’il vous plaît, écrivez aux députés conservateurs membres du Comité du commerce international et demandez-leur d’appuyer le report de la ratification de cet accord et de voter pour l’adoption de cette motion.

La motion du porte-parole du NPD en matière de commerce international, Don Davies, sera débattue en Chambre le jeudi 25 octobre. Pour lire le contenu complet de cette motion et pour en savoir plus sur les mesures prises par le NPD au sujet de l’APIE, veuillez cliquer ici : http://www.dondavies.ca/canada-china-fipa-fr/

QUE PUIS-JE FAIRE?

Écrivez aux députés conservateurs membres du Comité permanent du commerce international et demandez-leur d’appuyer cette motion :

Rob Merrifield rob.merrifield@parl.gc.ca
Ron Cannan ron.cannan@parl.gc.ca
Russ Hiebert russ.hiebert@parl.gc.ca
Ed Holder ed.holder@parl.gc.ca
Gerald Keddy gerald.keddy@parl.gc.ca
Bev Shipley bev.shipley@parl.gc.ca
Devinder Shory devinder.shory@parl.gc.ca

C’est comme toujours un grand plaisir de vous informer au sujet des efforts que nous déployons dans le but que tous les accords commerciaux soient conclus dans l’intérêt de tous les Canadiens.

Cordialement,

Thomas Mulcair, député (Outremont)
Chef de l’Opposition officielle
Nouveau Parti démocratique du Canada

Suivez M.Mulcair sur Facebook et sur Twitter
www.facebook.com/ThomasMulcair
www.twitter.com/ThomasMulcair

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 11:22 PM

subject Le directeur parlementaire du budget veut clarifier son mandat; The Canadian government – less accountable with less accounting

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived another day at work, a trip to the storage facilities to borrow some clamps, picking Rose up from day care and getting some groceries from the market, making supper, bath time, story time and bedtime, gluing the plywood panels for our kitchen table together, piecing into place the D-300 trim around the toilet, first coat of plaster around the toilet and some Facebook.

Last night we watched Election. Tonight Clo is watching Goodbye Lenin. This afternoon Rose watched a bit of Toy Story and the Muppets. Yesterday Dean introduced me to Gangnam Style as it became the most-watched Youtube video clip ever. Today Ai Wei Wei parodied it.

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 11:20 PM

subject Justin Trudeau est contre une nouvelle loi 101 renforcée; Hurricane Sandy whips Bahamas after killing 21 elsewhere

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived speaking to the City of Montreal today regarding an overdue parking ticket. We missed a court date and so are now charged an additional $67 dollars on top of the $40 ticket. I can’t work it off in community service because I have a job. I can pay in installments but the amount of money we pay in parking violations makes me go a little insane. It seriously makes me want to go postal. Way to build loyalty in your brand, City of Montreal. You’re really making me want to stay here.

Worked on some Everyday Goalie video editing tonight after Clo came home, and installed a light switch in the very front entryway. A new double-size New Yorker arrived today with a theme of politics. Their editorial board is strongly endorsing Obama. If you were a US citizen who would you vote for?

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Oct 27, 2012 at 10:30 PM

subject John Baird accuse un rapporteur de l’ONU d’être anti-israélien; Too close to call as Romney, Obama head into campaign’s final full week

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived a visit to the Quinn Farm yesterday with Rose, Femke, Sarah and Sarah W. This is the same farm that Rose went to with her daycare for apple-picking. This time we went for pumpkins. The girls were really happy to spend the whole day together. Etienne came over after work and we ordered souvlakies from a Greek restaurant he knows deep in a residential section of Park Ex.

This morning the family went to Home Despot to get some more tiles and rent a tile saw, as the home improvements continue, this time tiling around the stove in the kitchen. Also sanded the edges to the new dining room table, and Clo added a beeswax finish. looks hot. We had falafels for lunch at le Panthere Verte. Rose loves falafels!

Here’s a letter I found on a David Suzuki site about the FIPPA agreement (I also listened this morning to a debate about it on the CBC radio program The House) :

“I am deeply concerned about the lack of democratic process to examine the Canada – China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. This 31- year agreement has not passed the test of our parliamentary committees, and has not been debated in the House of Commons or between the federal government and provincial leaders. The terms of this agreement are not in Canada’s national interest, and require serious consideration before they are approved. Previously, the federal government has discussed trade agreements of this scope with provinces and within parliament. The departure from Canadian political tradition makes the lack of a debate or vote especially disturbing. I urge you to take action and make sure that Canada does not enter this agreement without further close examination of the long-term ramifications for our environment and legal liabilities.”

It sounds a bit like you are trying to make it ridiculously easy for Chinese films to be able to do whatever they would like with Canada’s natural resources. What’s wrong with a little parliamentary debate? Why hog-tie the hands of a generation? Why 31 years, exactly? You’ve got a majority so it’ll pass no matter what, just be brazen and let it all hang out as you go for it!

Here’s a funny Facebook exchange going on right now:

Chris Lloyd near Montreal :

  • getting a little bit tired of writing to the PM

Like · ·  · Share

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 10:42 PM

subject Abolition du registre des armes: les économies réalisées sont inconnues; Stephen Harper readies for all-out trade push with India

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived pumpkin carving at a Pop Montreal event, another visit to home Despot, and more apartment renovations. I am especially proud of myself for surviving a grouting session and doing a fairly good job. much better than my attempts in the bathroom. Currently I am waiting for a paintbrush to thaw a bit more before I add touch ups to the counter tops. I also started priming over the wood cabinets in the kitchen, beginning an eventual transformation to white. It lightens the space already. The tile around the stove is really nice. If we owned the place we’d tile all the back splashes…but we don’t, and so will just make tiny little improvements within our budget.

Due to the Facebook discussion last night I offered to tell you about the story of when I had many, many stitches in my ass. It was during high school, I think grade eleven. I was with my friends Matt and Alex out for a joyride in Alex’s parents’ car four days after he received his drivers licence. We thought it would be fun for me in the back seat to moon cars as we passed on the highway. Then wouldn’t you know it Alex, who laughs a lot, loses control of the car and skids off the highway and rolls the car a couple times in the ditch. All the windows get smashed. I wasn’t wearing a seat belt or my pants, and ended up sitting in a pile of glass on the roof of the car. I pulled my pants up and went to sit in a police car and passed out, re-living the crash all over again. Matt shakes me awake because I was making weird noises. I had bled through my pants all over the back seat of the cruiser. The cop takes us to the hospital which was only a few minutes away. I become quite the spectacle as for the next few hours many other doctors and nurses come by to see my hamburger ass as all the bits of glass are removed and stitches sewn. I couldn’t sit down for a week. And there you have it. Please excuse me if I had already told you this story.

It’s a metaphor for the 1%.

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 31, 2012 at 10:48 AM

subject Jim Flaherty ouvert à amender son superprojet de loi; Tories deny sitting on extradition request for businessman

Dear Stephen,

I believe that the future of our citizens, their towns and cities, and indeed, the nation itself depends on a rich, vibrant and diverse arts and heritage community. The viability of cities greatly depends on their cultural opportunities. Our artists are inventive and generous. But the arts can flourish only when they have adequate, stable, sustained investment.

I ask that you support the following two requests:

1. That the government renew investments in the Canada Funds that it announced in 2009. Of the $120 million or so that the government invests in these programs annually, nearly $80 million (or 2/3 of the total) is coming up for renewal and we believe it is critical that this level of funding be renewed.

2. That the Government of Canada maintain funding levels to the arts through the Canada Council for the Arts at $181 million in fiscal year 2013-2014 and that consideration be given to raising this investment to $300 million per year as circumstances permit.

In Budget 2012, the Government of Canada recognized the role that the arts play in a productive economy by sustaining investment in the arts through the Canada Council for the Arts, and key programs at the Department of Canadian Heritage. We are grateful for this investment.

The arts define us. They give depth and meaning to our lives. Their intrinsic values celebrate our humanity, broaden our horizons, demonstrate our openness.

Stable, adequate federal funding ensures continuity at a time when the arts community, like other drivers of Canada’s economy, continues to face challenges rooted in global economic uncertainty. Increased investment in arts and culture over the long term will lead to greater productivity within the sector, broader access to arts and culture for Canadians, and extended reach into international markets for Canadian cultural products.

It is our contention that our sector can make an even greater contribution to economic recovery and growth with sustained—and, over time—increased strategic investment in Canadian arts and culture.

-chris