Here is a depressing news related to my previous post on retirement saving.  An RBC survey found that only 35% of Canadians will contribute to RRSP in 2009.  Worse, 45% of those above 55 are not doing any retirement planning whatsoever.  Worse yet, 32% of Canadians have not even started saving for retirement yet.

It’s the realm of Federal (or at least Provincial) government but I am a big fan of some forced savings in this case (CPP and Old Age won’t cut it). 

No one will deny the need to handle the current economic crises. However, it seems like Harper and Company are choosing to ignore the long term future of the country. Here’s an article from the Globe and Mail that shows what I’ve been saying for months has actually started happening :-

One of Canada’s top AIDS researchers is moving to the United States, taking as many as 25 scientists on his team with him.

The University of Montreal’s Rafick-Pierre Sékaly says he is leaving in part because of federal cuts in science funding and hopes his departure will be a wake-up call.

“I hope it will trigger some kind of movement that will foster a deep soul searching and investment,” he said in an interview.

He expects to more than double his $3.5-million research budget in his new position as scientific director of the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Florida, but will also keep a lab going at the University of Montreal.

The move to the U.S. was motivated in part by his concern for the talented young researchers who are part of his team. They are starting their careers and are anxious about their futures here, Dr. Sékaly says. The young scientists, he adds, will have far more opportunity in the U.S., where President Barack Obama included $10-billion for medical research in his economic stimulus package.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, on the other hand, cut funding for basic research in its stimulus budget, trimming $148-million from the three agencies that fund university-based research.

Those cuts exacerbated a funding crunch that had left many scientists scrambling to find money to keep their research programs running. Young scientists are hit particularly hard, says Dr. Sékaly.

“Right now, the funding is not there. They are going to fund you, but they are going to fund you at levels that will not allow you to be highly competitive. If you are not highly competitive, you are done,” he says.

As well, many universities have instituted hiring freezes, which makes it difficult for young scientists to get jobs. Canada risks losing almost a complete generation of fresh talent to the United States, where Mr. Obama’s commitment to science is a dream come true for researchers, Dr. Sékaly says

“This is something we would like to have our government here follow with the same vision.” ….

[Full article: here ] This is sad. The government is spending tens of billions of dollars trying to protect yesterday’s manufacturing and construction jobs. What about tomorrow’s knowledge-based jobs? But then again, what do you expect from an administration that appoints a science minister who isn’t much of a believer in science and evidence in the first place. Sad indeed.

For those who do not know, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom guarantees the right of Canadians to travel to Canada.  Yet a Canadian citizen is forced to live in the lobby of Canadian embassy in Sudan for 11 months because of a blatant violation of the rights of a Canadian.

Here is the background.  A Canadian citizen, Abousfian Abdelrazik, got placed in the UN Security Council blacklist by the Bush administration.  We all know Bush administration’s record of fairness and protecting civil liberties (I am being sarcastic).  Canada did the right thing by investigating and both RCMP and CSIS cleared him of any wrongdoing.  So that should be it, right?  Not for our government.

First the Harper government refused to issue Abdelrazik a passport so he could travel home. Then they said they would issue a passport if he could get a flight home.  He booked a flight.  So the Foreign Minister insisted that he must pay for the ticket, in full, in order to get a passport.  170 Canadians donated money for the ticket, allowing him to actually pay for the ticket.  And now the Foreign Minister goes back on his word, and insists that Abdelrazik must somehow remove himself from the UN list (and impossible ask) before he can be issued a passport.  Never mind the fact that the UN blacklist contains a specific exemption for citizens to return home.  As I mentioned, Canadian charter of rights also provides all citizens with an unfettered right of return. 

NDP MPs claim racism is at play, and as much as I hate to agree with NDP, it does sound fishy.  Anyone remembers Brenda Martin?  A Canadian who got stuck in Mexico?  Our government was happy to help Branda return.  But her last name was “Martin”, not “Abdelrazik”.  Apparently that makes a difference for this government.

The scary thing is that a single person (Foreign Minister) can practically force a citizen into exile without any due process whatsoever.  In this case the government shouldn’t be able to drag its feet and appeal, the minister should instead be dragged to court instead.  Noone except a judge after due process should be able to impose such a huge punishment on someone. 

So now this individual is forced to live in the hallways of Canadian embassy, but cannot return home because his government refuses to accept his rights and liberties.

We really do live in sad times.  It’s pathetic when a minister (a public servant I might add) just decides to ignore a right guaranteed by Canadian Charter of Rights without giving any explanation whatsoever.  Isn’t this the sort of abuse the Charter was supposed to prevent?  I would hate to live in a country where people are more Canadian or less Canadian based on their names or the colour of their skins.  It’s pathetic.