It seems to me the Liberals have never recovered from losing the 2006 election and have carried that mindset into this last election loss. They, along with other opposition parties, have an inward focus which is getting in the way of their effectiveness as Members of Parliament.

All of them promised to think of Canada first and work together to make Canada fiscally strong. Partisanship was out of the question in this parliament. That thought lasted about four days. The shouting across the floor has started and it is as it was before – blame the Conservatives for all the woes. Refer back to the past, where each time they do, it becomes even more rosy than the visit before and etched in denial.

Truth is this.  Canada is the envy of the world. How did this happen?   It happened because the Conservative Government managed the finances well, making it possible for Canada to be less of the victim the rest of the world may experience. None of the opposition has ever acknowledged this fact.   They are more content to slam the government and fill their buckets with stones to throw within the next few days.

There is no apparent leader within any of the opposition parties capable of compromise and working together. They will let Canadians down in very short order. Any group that has the envy of being in power as their main focus should never be given it. Any group who shows no sign of a plan in which Canada comes first before themselves, should ever be in power.

The Conservatives were elected twice by the people of Canada. Mr. Flaherty is the legitimate keeper of the purse. He has set a course which has kept us on track and he has more plans. Many of the plans have already been set in motion prior to this economic review.

He is right when he said “Canadians pay taxes so government can provide essential services. They trust the people they elect to serve society with that money, not serve themselves.”

Politicians know very well that the people are to be protected from any more financial harm. They know they must set an example. Money has to be shaved from obvious areas. The payment to political parties is paid by the taxpayers. That had to be stopped. Money can be gleaned there and within the public service. An agreement was recently reached with public servants. Their acceptance is to be applauded. Politicians should take note of it and follow suit.

Some government assets will probably be sold soon, to the tune of approximately $2.3 billion. That is a good move.

What is the oppostion doing?

They have focused on one aspect of the fiscal cuts and are screaming about it. That one aspect is to cut off all money paid to the party that originates from taxpayers money. They have stepped into their sandboxes and are plotting. Their aim is to destroy what Canadians just mandated and either force an election or form a coalition government that no Canadian wants.

We could see this magnify quickly as Mr. Flaherty is introducing a Bill in parliament on Monday which is a confidence bill.

What the opposition parties have not taken into consideration is all the work that has been put in place before this review. They prefer to scream that nothing is being done.

They ignore the fact that to do the job right the government needs to take time to research and compare. Mr Flaherty has already hinted that a fiscal package is in the works and that a federal budget could come in January.

You would think all opposition members would be happy with these measures already introduced:

-A clamp-down on discretionary spending for ministers and deputy ministers on travel, hospitality, conferences, exchanges and professional services, including polling and consultants.

-Capping public service raises, including for politicians, to 2.3 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent annually the next three years.

-Tying future equalization payments to growth of the economy saving an estimated $7 billion over two years.

-Accelerating program spending review to find more savings in departments.

-The sale of $2.3 billion in Crown assets next year and $1.1 billion in 2010-2011.

- another $700 million injected to provide additional credit in the corporate world and infrastructure payments.

- pension plans were addressed and more of an explanation given to seniors on how much of a percentage they can withdraw from retirement savings.

Do not believe for one second that any member of the opposition has your best interest at heart Canada. They do not. Unfortunately they are looking out for themselves at our expense.