Another pig from the trough

Federal Human Resources Minister, Diane Finley, yanked her snout out of the gravy-train trough in Ottawa long enough to grunt out the Conservative government’s reason for opposing raising Employment Insurance payments for folks who are losing their jobs during this economic mess we are all finding ourselves in these days. “We do not want to make it lucrative for them to stay home and get paid for it,” slobbered the Minister before she slapped her face back into the swill-tank. Yeah, that’s right, Diane, that’s a great view of the average Canadian worker. Lazy and just waiting for his or her job to end so s/he can kick back and live of the fat of the land, E.I.-wise.

I can picture his Canada that exists in the “brain” of Minister Diane Finley. A Canada where every time another 1000, 2000 or 3000 Canadians lose their jobs everybody within earshot is deafened by the howls of joy. Apparently the common thought held by these newly unemployed is, “time to sit in front of the new flat-screen with a 2-4 of brew and a carton of darts and watch hockey all the live-long day! Ya-hoo! Happy days are here again!” Hmmm…

Maybe that is how life is in Diane’s own family, or perhaps in her riding of Haldimand-Norfolk in southern Ontario, but out here in the real world things are a little different. Many of the people I know who have lost their jobs recently are devastated. You see, Diane, when one place shuts down throwing X number of people out of work, another place does not automatically open up to reabsorb them back into the workforce. And that especially does not happen when the economy is going for a big dump like it is now. As I see it now, Diane, if you and I were to look into the eyes of someone who was newly unemployed, who had just lost a job that they had held for DECADES, then I would see someone who had just had their world ripped apart. You apparently would see someone who is ready to live the easy E.I life. Yeah, that is officer thinking there, Diane. Good compassion, as long as “compassion” means “contempt”.

Canadians have noticed that the only time that all of Parliament is on the same page is when they get together to vote themselves pay raises. Now that sounds pretty lucrative to me, having control of your own pay like that, but then this is where I am sure that Minister Diane shines. You know, when she breaks party lines to vote against any pay raises for Ministers of Parliament. Right, Diane, right?

No, I didn’t really think so.

Anyway… Humourceros