[Advisors] Conservative position on CAP

[James Van Leeuwen]

Partisanship is a cornerstone of Conservative governance, not just a =
tactic.

The Conservatives don't value CAP because they don't value CAP site =
users.

Few will ever vote Conservative, never mind make a political =
contribution.

Nor will Conservative voters be influenced by negative media coverage =
relating to CAP... they expect it.

The Conservative political franchise is safe.


The only value they apparently find in CAP are the opportunities for =
youth interns, who might become more productive in the narrow =
Conservative sense of the word.

This all might be difficult for the CAP site community to accept, but =
they can hardly afford false hope.

The Conservatives are done with this, and have moved on to other policy =
objectives.

Their rationale is flawed, but nevertheless politically unassailable.

"CAP has fulfilled its role."

Most Canadians and virtually all Conservative voters will accept this =
rationale.

The Conservatives won't be saving CAP.

JvL


P.S.:=20

A brief dispatch from the wellspring of modern Canadian Conservatism.

Alberta has a provincial election coming up on the 23rd.

I attended an All Candidates Forum this evening for my rural southwest =
riding.=20

There were 130 people in attendance.

I estimated their average age at 63, give or take two years.

They were trying to decide which brand of Conservative to vote for.=20

Progressive Conservative (small 'c', wilted and stale), or Wildrose =
Alliance (big 'C', bouncy and fresh).=20

This is the Conservative voter base, the very foundation of their =
franchise.


How do we engage and mobilize rural youth.







On 2012-04-11, at 10:30 PM, michael gurstein wrote:

>=20
> The official line of the Harper government on CAP.
>=20
> M
>=20
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From:  <gerald.keddy@parl.gc.ca>
> Date: Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 2:40 PM
> Subject: CAP
> To: davidjmurdoch@gmail.com
>=20
>=20
> Dear Mr. Murdoch,
>=20
> Thank you for your correspondence regarding the Community Access =
Program
> (CAP.) I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me =
and
> hope that my response will help answer any questions that you may =
have.
>=20
> The Community Access Program was launched in 1995 when the Internet =
was at
> its infancy and has successfully met its objectives. It was then
> increasingly evident that the Internet would be critical to Canada=92s =
future
> competitiveness and the objective was to encourage participation in =
the
> knowledge-based economy by maximizing the accessibility of computers =
and the
> Internet at public access points across Canada, such as at public =
libraries.
>=20
> In 1995, only 40 percent of Canadian households had a computer and =
only
> about 10 percent of these had Internet access.  In contrast, in 2010 =
about
> 79 percent of Canadians had access to the Internet at home.  Today =
with the
> advent of smart phones, many Canadians have such access to the =
Internet in
> their hands.
>=20
> Federal funding will continue to support youth internships at =
community
> Internet sites. This will provide young Canadians with vital skills =
and work
> experience needed to make a successful transition to the workplace =
while
> contributing to job creation.
>=20
> To assist more young people gain skills and work experience, Industry =
Canada
> will continue to receive $10.2 million a year from the government=92s =
Youth
> Employment Strategy (YES) to fund youth internships. Former =
CAP-supported
> sites will continue to be eligible to benefit from this funding. =
Schools,
> libraries and not-for-profit learning organizations that require =
access to
> technology can continue to benefit from other federal initiatives such =
as
> the Computers for Schools Program.
>=20
> CAP has fulfilled its role. Now, the key is to ensure first rate =
networks
> are in place across Canada. That=92s why our government is ensuring =
high-speed
> broadband to 98% of Canadian households.
>=20
> Thank you again for your correspondence regarding the Community Access
> Program. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel =
free to
> contact me.
>=20
> Sincerely,
>=20
> Gerald Keddy MP
>=20
> South Shore =96 St Margaret=92s
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> --=20
> David Murdoch Consulting davidmurdoch.ca
>    East River, Nova Scotia Phone: (902) 275-2309
> _______________________________________________
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>=20
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>=20
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