BLOG MyyyyyAsssss

For many years now I have had this philosophy about politicians. "I admire and respect a few, but for the most part I have no use for these egomanicial grandstanders. They turn my stomach."
With that in mind, here's what a few of these stomach-turners had to say in Parliament and in the press:
Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice:
Source: www.thestar.com
Prentice said Ontario is solely responsible for paying the costs of occupation — now pegged at $40 million for policing, business compensation and the purchase of the disputed land.
“The Constitution is very clear. Property and civil rights, the administration of justice and policing are all provincial responsibilities,” Prentice said in an interview.
“What’s missing here is the justification for the province to say this is a federal obligation to pay for this. While the federal government has responsibility for Indians, that doesn’t override provincial law.”
Prentice said he’s been working hard to end the “oldest land claim in Canada,” appointing fact finders, negotiators and meeting with key provincial and aboriginal leaders to help sort out the dispute.
“I’m prepared to discuss the issues in a serious way with (the province) any time they choose, but I’m not going to be part of a media circus and political grandstanding about the issue,” he said.

Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory:
Source: canada.com
Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory has insisted that McGuinty needs to show more “spine“ in his dealing with the situation.
“Mr. McGuinty should be calling the people in from the First Nations community and from the rest of the Caledonia area and saying to them that he will not continue negotiating the land claim until there is an orderly withdrawal from the land and until the lawless behaviour stops on all sides and that's that.“
“Then I think that they would leave the land on an orderly basis and we'd be able to get on with settling the claim.“
Tory did not say what he would do if the aboriginal protesters refused to leave the land.

Ontario Indian Affairs Minister David Ramsay:
Source: City Tv
"It's too bad that they're not taking the situation seriously," he responded after coming back to Toronto. "I know there's a lot of political rhetoric going on, but I really thought that Jim Prentice was going to keep this meeting because we both thought it was very important to reach a resolution."

CTV News reported Nov 1st on the issue to date:

Mayor: politicians playing games over land dispute
Politicians need to stop acting like children and resolve a long-simmering aboriginal land dispute in Caledonia, Ont., the town's mayor said Wednesday.
"They are just playing games right now," Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer told The Canadian Press. "We're in the middle. We're the ones suffering."
Trainer added she would "like them to stop acting like children. I wish they would quit holding Caledonia residents as hostages. It's pretty frustrating."
Her comments came a day after Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice cancelled a meeting with David Ramsay, Ontario's aboriginal affairs minister, about ending the standoff. Prentice said he was unwilling to keep the appointment because of "political grandstanding" by Ontario politicians.
"They were ratcheting up the political rhetoric on the Caledonia issue," Prentice told CTV's Mike Duffy Live.
"I've said all along I'm prepared to sit down and have a serious discussion on these issues, and I've had serious discussions before. But I'm not interested in grandstanding and I'm not interested in publicity stunts."
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had demanded the federal government "step up to the plate" and resolve the dispute, although the land in question was purchased by the province.
Ramsay travelled to Ottawa Tuesday night with a list of costs run up by the province during the land occupation by members of the Six Nations.
But Prentice cancelled the 7 p.m. appointment with the provincial minister.
"We were led into the minister's office, and the federal bureaucrats were there, and we started up a conversation," said Ramsay. I guess it was a few minutes after that when the minister's chief of staff came in and said there wouldn't be a meeting."
Deirdra McCracken, a spokesperson for Prentice, said the minister felt it would be better to reschedule the meeting "when there is an atmosphere more conducive to constructive discussions that will lead to progress in resolving the dispute."
The Ontario government says it has spent close to $40 million since February when the occupation of a disputed tract of land began. Included in that figure is $12 million to purchase the property back from a property developer and $15 million going to the OPP.
Ramsay said he was "disappointed" Prentice called off the meeting, especially since he argued it's up to the federal government to resolve land claims.
"The province has neither the authority nor the power to settle a land claim, so it's up to the federal government," said Ramsay. "And quite frankly, to move these negotiations along, the federal government really needs to bring more vigor to these talks."
He was supported by Premier Dalton McGuinty who said three-way talks have been dragging.
"I'd like to see the federal government acknowledge that we have a situation in Caledonia, which the provincial government cannot address," McGuinty said.
"The Six Nations community would be the very first to tell you that."
No date has been set for another meeting between Ramsay and Prentice.