Canada General Discussion: Trudeau II

[DC Al Fine]

Trudeau could teach those jerks on the streets of Miami a thing or two about proper decorum when a famous world leader dies. When was the last time anyone anywhere danced around in public because someone died? Its not done for anyone else but I guess Cuban refugees are allowed a free pass.

I recall that happened when Margaret Thatcher died. And let's get real here. The man was a dictator who censored the press, and executed dissidents. The level of decorum is different.

[DC Al Fine]

I forgot about Thatcher, it's true there was some uncouth behavior when she died but that was all online, unless there was a conga line through the streets of Sheffield or Glasgow that wasn't reported in the US.

Maybe it's different for Trudeau because he or his father met Castro, not sure what the history is there. It's easy to criticize someone but if you had a relationship with them, in passing or not, the first response might not be to call him a murderous dictator, even if that's the truth.

It's not even that. I get that he's a world leader and he can't just go and damn Castro to hell. I'd be happy to settle for something mealy mouthed like President Obama's statement, but PM Trudeau's was a bridge too far.

[DC Al Fine]

I forgot about Thatcher, it's true there was some uncouth behavior when she died but that was all online, unless there was a conga line through the streets of Sheffield or Glasgow that wasn't reported in the US.

Maybe it's different for Trudeau because he or his father met Castro, not sure what the history is there. It's easy to criticize someone but if you had a relationship with them, in passing or not, the first response might not be to call him a murderous dictator, even if that's the truth.

It's not even that. I get that he's a world leader and he can't just go and damn Castro to hell. I'd be happy to settle for something mealy mouthed like President Obama's statement, but PM Trudeau's was a bridge too far.

Since when aren't eulogies 'Wasn't he a wonderful person, blah, blah, blah" nonsense?

It was the exact same thing when the vile POS Antonin Scalia died.

In my opinion, in terms of abusing their positions, Scalia was every bit as bad and as evil as Fidel Castro was.

Yet, for instance, here in the Atlas Forum nobody was allowed to write at the time of Scalia's death anything along the lines of: "Wonderful news that this POS Scalia is dead.  I know he's going to rot in Hell where he belongs for all eternity."

Trudeau's comments were nonsensical but the effusive praise about the pond scum Scalia were also equally nonsensical.

That's right. I forgot when Scalia seized power in a bloody revolution, executed dissidents and put people in forced labour camps.

Good grief, this false equivalency is foolish.

[DC Al Fine]

I am scoffing Adam, because I think the idea of functional equivalency between positions is an absurd premise. What functional equivalence is there to setting up a concentration camp in other professions? There is none, because heads of state operate at a whole different level from the rest of us.

[DC Al Fine]

Scarpaleggia to Le Devoir: yes we committed to electoral reform, but we wanted a ranked ballot and no one else did.

Just curious Hatman, do you prefer FPTP or IRV?

[DC Al Fine]

The Nova Scotia government has sorta, kinda locked teachers out, starting Monday.

Tl;dr

Union wants roughly $170 million in changes to working conditions (e.g. hiring staff to enter data into report systems, do photocopying etc.) This is a ~14% increase in the education budget. Government is pushing budgetary restraint and balked at this. The Union implemented work to rule, and the government has responded by closing schools... but the teachers are still getting paid and are supposed to show up to work, and teach empty classrooms I guess. The Liberals will be introducing back to work legislation on Monday.

Basically, this is the latest in a long string of examples of the Atlantic provinces crappy fiscal situation.

[DC Al Fine]

Well for one the pipeline is unlikely to be used to suppress Saudi dissidents.

[DC Al Fine]

Well for one the pipeline is unlikely to be used to suppress Saudi dissidents.

And global warming won't lead to a lot of deaths?  So, deaths caused by government is bad but deaths caused by environmental destruction isn't?

Are murder, manslaughter and death due to negligence morally the same? That's the issue with equivocating rising sea levels and some poor Shia guy getting shot in the back of the head.

[DC Al Fine]

Potential Cabinet shuffle in the New Year.

Hmm, wonder who will be the Grits O'Connor or Bernier. My guess is Monsef.

[DC Al Fine]

NBNDP leader Dominic Cardy quits after being fragged by the hard left.

Kind of surprised NBNDP even has a hard left. New Brunswick has got to be the least hospitable province for any sort of radical left, except maybe PEI. It has no big cities, no tradition of mining/farmer activism, and no arch-reactionary tradition to antagonize the left.

[DC Al Fine]

Maybe I should've just said left. He even quit the party!

Oh, I'm not quibbling with how you characterized it. I just mean I'm surprised their left had much of a presence at all in NB. I guess David Coon will be the left's standard bearer next time.

[DC Al Fine]

NBNDP leader Dominic Cardy quits after being fragged by the hard left.

Kind of surprised NBNDP even has a hard left. New Brunswick has got to be the least hospitable province for any sort of radical left, except maybe PEI. It has no big cities, no tradition of mining/farmer activism, and no arch-reactionary tradition to antagonize the left.

Well, if you read correctly, there is nothing about the "hard left".

It's just annoying unions who refused a leader who wasn't doing their bidding 100% of time.

Ok, point still stands. Factional battles are something relevant parties should do The NB NDP should all be singing the chorus to Living on a Prayer, not engaging in factional battles.

Whoa, we're half way there
Whoa, livin' on a prayer
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear
Whoa, livin' on a prayer

Meh. Whatever. He doesn't strike me as being very committed. Third wayism has been discredited anyways. I'm not suggesting the NDP make a hard left in the province, but there are some issues it can get behind, like fracking for example. Helped get the Greens elected a seat.

What are your thoughts on people who say the Tories (or GOP for that matter) have to moderate to ever stand a chance against Trudeau? There's a refrain from a certain sort of progressive that the right must always moderate and the left lost because they were in the mushy middle. Not asking this as a gotcha question. Just curious.

[DC Al Fine]

Found on Facebook this report about the government fiscal projections:

http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/01/04/buried-government-report-reveals-looming-fiscal-crisis

First, i don't know how accurate the "Ottawa Sun" is, or if it is even accurate, but how bad can this government report be to the Libs and for Trudeau policies?

LOL! It's not. It's tabloid trash.

As for the report itself, it's somewhat alarming, but the projections are so far out that they are near useless. Small changes in assumptions could have huge effects on the results down the line. Essentially, Trudeau's fiscal policies are limiting future governments' flexibility but the fed's fiscal house is in ok shape.

The bigger problem in Canada is the provincial governments, many of which face aging populations and have limited abilities to raise new revenue or make cuts to spending.

[DC Al Fine]

Joe Oliver has lost the York Centre PC nomination. So far Calandra's the only former MP to secure a PC nomination.

Didn't Daryl Kramp win his nomination? Or am I misremembering that?

[DC Al Fine]

Ah, so the Liberal honeymoon has finally ended. Most of their loss has been to the Conservatives. They'll need to make real accomplishments (the internal trade deal helps, maybe they should start Harper-style national propaganda campaign), and hope O'Leary wins the CPC leadership. They probably already have hours of attack ad footage ready to air.

I believe a recent poll showed O'Leary is the most electable candidate, while Bernier and Leitch did poorly.

Most electable or highest name recognition? A lot of those polls are effectively the latter.

[DC Al Fine]

ELECTORAL "REFORM" IS DEAD!

Eh, can't even be bothered to make a snarky remark about Trudeau on this one. Meh.

[DC Al Fine]

Here are some interesting charts from MacLean's about Quebec, ROC and the USA's attitudes towards civil liberties.





ROC is pretty well in line with the USA, with the exception of banning headscarfs. Quebec is the outlier of course.

[DC Al Fine]

That would be a great chart to stick in instinctive America bashers' faces.

Quite so, although it wold confirm the biases of our instinctive Quebec bashers

The mosque monitoring and headscarf bans are particularly worrying. How on earth can we claim to be 'progressive' and want to monitor minority religions and tell them what to wear?!

[DC Al Fine]

That would be a great chart to stick in instinctive America bashers' faces.

Quite so, although it wold confirm the biases of our instinctive Quebec bashers

The mosque monitoring and headscarf bans are particularly worrying. How on earth can we claim to be 'progressive' and want to monitor minority religions and tell them what to wear?!

Tbh I think the regions most ripe for seizure by the populist right is the Atlantic provinces imo.

Interesting take. Could you elaborate? I'm a bit skeptical given the total flop by right wing populists in the past here.

[DC Al Fine]

I love how Forum tries to spin a 416 tie as good news for Wynne. Last poll that had similar 416 # also had Brown +19 provincewide.

Why are pollsters so foolish when it comes to electoral commentary? Hatman is literally the only person I've heard who both works for a polling firm and understands political geography well.

[DC Al Fine]

The McNeil government is imposing a contract on Nova Scotia Teachers Union. The union has been working to rule but has been threatening to strike if the contract is imposed. An interesting wrinkle in this case is the fight between the union leadership and membership, which has voted down leadership recommended deals three times.

[DC Al Fine]

Here's another example of pundits knowing nothing of political geography.

Ignore McParland's main point (which is fine) and focus on what he says about political geography: 

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Ignoring McParland's main point (which is fine), lets take a look at what's wrong with his political geography:

1) It's a pretty universal trend that the party in power underperforms in 'midterm' elections. The Tories have been out of power for a year in a half. Give it time. The Liberals had few provincial governments at this point in Mulroney and Harper's administrations

2) B.C and Quebec's conservative situations are complicated to say the least. As every Dipper knows, BC Liberal does not equal federal Liberal.

3) Citing Jason freaking Kenney as an example of how bad the Tories have it is silly to the least.

[DC Al Fine]

I'm a New Traditional, what a surprise

[DC Al Fine]

Wynne will try slashing hydro by 25% this year.

If anyone needed a sign that the government is in trouble, there it is.

[DC Al Fine]

Budget 2 weeks from tomorrow will focus on skills training and needless to say there's a political strategy too.

Will be interesting to see how many tax credits are scaled back or axed completely.