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[Ether_Snake]

What does it matter that some politician in the Liberal or NDP is a former potential sort of maybe separatists? You think there's a conspiracy to secretly take over the other parties or something? Trudeau once said separatism could be acceptable considering Harper's politics.

"And I always say that if I ever believed Canada was really the Canada of Stephen Harper and we were going against abortion and going against gay marriage, and we were going backward in 10,000 different ways, maybe I'd think of wanting to make Quebec a country."

I know the secret handshake, I can tell you, he is part of our conspiracy!

Sovereignty will always be an option for Quebec, and an option any nation should have. That doesn't mean one has to promote it at the expense of federalism, it just means if things don't work out we have an exit option. If Canada is no longer a country of balance policies and ideals, makes sense to stop trying to pretend an elephant is a mule. If I was a politician on the federal level I would be pro-federalism, but not if we are stuck with conservatives for another decade, especially when the party cheats its way into power, and wastes our money away to fill its buddies' pockets. There's a limit.

 

[gutter_trash]

looks like the Left intelligentsia in Toronto-Center didn't capitalize for Thomas Mulcair hehe

good job Justin

 

[firehawk12]

Downtown Toronto is pretty centre anyway.

Honestly, I think the test will be whether they can win Toronto-Danforth, now that Layton is becoming a bit of a distant memory, and Trinity-Spadina, assuming Chow retires and makes a mayoral run.

The news is that the one riding in Manitoba was close I suppose. But it looks like most Conservatives don't care about the Senate scandal, which is unfortunate.

 

[gutter_trash]

looks like a Con win in Brandon-Souris meh

Conservatives 2011 - 2013

Brandon Souris 63.73 – 44.1
Provencher 70.6 – 58.1
Bourassa 8.82 – 4.7
Toronto Centre 22.64 – 8.8

a drop across the board

*edit yeah it's a bielection and usually has a lower voter tunrout

 

[matthewwhatever]

I'm a little disappointed the Liberals weren't able to pull it off in Brandon, but that was still pretty close. And for them to come in a strong -- even if not particularly close -- second in Provencher might be a reason for optimism in the next federal election.

Though Kevin Lamoureux wasn't exactly a harbinger of good news in 2010/2011, so it's probably wise to not read too much into by-election results.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

looks like the Left intelligentsia in Toronto-Center didn't capitalize for Thomas Mulcair hehe

good job Justin

It was still a healthy boost. I would credit that to McQuaig more than Mulcair though, she's an awesome candidate that speaks my language: affordability, jobs, inequality. Hopefully she runs provincially and replaces Glen hey-I've-got-a-NEW-transit-plan Murray.

 

[maharg]

It was still a healthy boost. I would credit that to McQuaig more than Mulcair though, she's an awesome candidate that speaks my language: affordability, jobs, inequality. Hopefully she runs provincially and replaces Glen hey-I've-got-a-NEW-transit-plan Murray.

Was gonna say that I thought the next federal election should be before the next ontario provincial election, but wow they're actually scheduled to be in the same month. That's gonna suck for you guys in Ontario.

 

[CitizenVectron]

looks like the Left intelligentsia in Toronto-Center didn't capitalize for Thomas Mulcair hehe

good job Justin

So now you're railing against intellectuals as well? That's a very Conservative-style move. Please leave the Liberal Party so people don't associate it with people like you.

 

[firehawk12]

Was gonna say that I thought the next federal election should be before the next ontario provincial election, but wow they're actually scheduled to be in the same month. That's gonna suck for you guys in Ontario.

If we were American, we'd find a way to save money and just have them both on the same day. lol

 

[gabbo]

Was gonna say that I thought the next federal election should be before the next ontario provincial election, but wow they're actually scheduled to be in the same month. That's gonna suck for you guys in Ontario.

We vote like we buy, in bulk.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

The Economist: Canada not cool any more

 

[gutter_trash]

How are we supposed to get out Harper greeting cards now?

 

[CitizenVectron]

If you think this decision was orchestrated by Harper then you are delusional. This type of downgrading of service has been pushed by management at Canada Post for years due to massively falling demand. People are sending less letters but all other costs continue to rise. You either have to raise prices incredibly high, cut services massively, or fall somewhere in between (like this move did).

This move just continues the trend that Liberal governments started with the removal of Saturday delivery, and from 1-2 day delivery to 3-5 day delivery. All governments have been moving this way, and the US will as well, soon enough.

It's not political, it's economic.

 

[gutter_trash]

If you think this decision was orchestrated by Harper then you are delusional. This type of downgrading of service has been pushed by management at Canada Post for years due to massively falling demand. People are sending less letters but all other costs continue to rise. You either have to raise prices incredibly high, cut services massively, or fall somewhere in between (like this move did).

This move just continues the trend that Liberal governments started with the removal of Saturday delivery, and from 1-2 day delivery to 3-5 day delivery. All governments have been moving this way, and the US will as well, soon enough.

It's not political, it's economic.

there other ways to cut costs then to resort to this choice though, so many other options.

as a city guy, I don't see how a street box can be setup like the burbs. It won't work

 

[fallout]

This is generally the attitude that I dislike in politics: Everything party X does is bad.

 

[killer rin]

there other ways to cut costs then to resort to this choice though, so many other options.

as a city guy, I don't see how a street box can be setup like the burbs. It won't work

I still fail to see how this is bad. Its good. It saves money, a good portion of the country already does it. The boxes tend to be well designed and are durable.

The only inconvenience is a 30 second walk to your box (or grab it when coming come from work) or a trip to the post office 5 minutes away by car once or twice a year.

Really people are complaining because its change and its hardwired into the human brain to hate change.

 

[gabbo]

I still fail to see how this is bad. Its good. It saves money, a good portion of the country already does it. The boxes tend to be well designed and are durable.

The only inconvenience is a 30 second walk to your box (or grab it when coming come from work) or a trip to the post office 5 minutes away by car once or twice a year.

Really people are complaining because its change and its hardwired into the human brain to hate change.

From what I've heard the community boxes aren't the most secure

 

[speculawyer]

Hey Canadians . . . help me out here. I was talking to a Canadian the other day and she told me that Quebec wanted to leave Canada . . . OK, fine, I knew that. And I could even cite the Meech Lake Accord.

But she said that Quebec has wanted to leave Canada . . . and join the USA. Wait . . . what? Is that true? I had never heard that before. I can't imagine Americans dealing with a French speaking state.

 

[firehawk12]

I remember reading that there was an American contingency to perhaps send soldiers to Quebec to guarantee their sovereignty if they did separate, but nothing in terms of Quebec joining America. I'm not sure what they'd gain from doing that, other than perhaps the Americans perhaps having a weaker form of Federalism than Canada.

 

[maharg]

I remember reading that there was an American contingency to perhaps send soldiers to Quebec to guarantee their sovereignty if they did separate, but nothing in terms of Quebec joining America. I'm not sure what they'd gain from doing that, other than perhaps the Americans perhaps having a weaker form of Federalism than Canada.

I'll definitely defer to the people who actually live in Quebec, but I've heard the idea floated before and it's for exactly that reason. That said the language and signage laws that Quebec has would never stand in the US with its stronger guarantees on freedom of speech.

 

[firehawk12]

I'll definitely defer to the people who actually live in Quebec, but I've heard the idea floated before and it's for exactly that reason. That said the language and signage laws that Quebec has would never stand in the US with its stronger guarantees on freedom of speech.

Yeah, in fact, Bill 101 would probably be unconstitutional in the US.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Hey Canadians . . . help me out here. I was talking to a Canadian the other day and she told me that Quebec wanted to leave Canada . . . OK, fine, I knew that. And I could even cite the Meech Lake Accord.

But she said that Quebec has wanted to leave Canada . . . and join the USA. Wait . . . what? Is that true? I had never heard that before. I can't imagine Americans dealing with a French speaking state.

Are you sure she's not talking about history or some horror story lol

In the past, the Crown was afraid that Quebec would join the Revolutionaries and rebel. That's why the French (Quebeckers) had so much autonomy for a colony. I can't think of any modern movement in Quebec that wants to join the US.

 

[maharg]

It's worth noting that in so far as there is a secessionist movement in Alberta (it exists but is very very small and arguably just an opportunistic attempt to obtain benefits Quebec is perceived to have attained through threat of secession) it is much more likely to be followed by the idea of joining the US rather than just going alone.

So that's another thing that might be confusing the matter.

 

[gabbo]

It's worth noting that in so far as there is a secessionist movement in Alberta (it exists but is very very small and arguably just an opportunistic attempt to obtain benefits Quebec is perceived to have attained through threat of secession) it is much more likely to be followed by the idea of joining the US rather than just going alone.

So that's another thing that might be confusing the matter.

Given the history of the Canadian West, that's not too surprising.

 

[speculawyer]

It's worth noting that in so far as there is a secessionist movement in Alberta (it exists but is very very small and arguably just an opportunistic attempt to obtain benefits Quebec is perceived to have attained through threat of secession) it is much more likely to be followed by the idea of joining the US rather than just going alone.

So that's another thing that might be confusing the matter.

Yeah, I could see Alberta. Another bunch of oil drillers going for low regulation.

But Quebec joining the USA? That seems crazy.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Canada closing door on North Korean refugees

How embarrassing.

 

[firehawk12]

"North Koreans are the same as South Koreans, so why don't they just move there instead?"

Although, given that they come here more than the US, one has to wonder if the Americans don't already have similar rules in place.

I remember that the North Koreans who regularly climb into the Canadian embassy in China are typically sent to South Korea though, so I suppose there's precedent of some sorts.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Yeah, I could see Alberta. Another bunch of oil drillers going for low regulation.

But Quebec joining the USA? That seems crazy.

It's bullshit. Now does the US and some in Western Canada want Quebec to separate from Canada so Quebec can stop meddling in pro-environmental politics so it can basically end up with a country of Yes-men to its energy-related demands? Probably. Harper seems to be on that side.

edit: About the North Korean thing, shouldn't those people be accepted by South Korea? The reasoning seems to make sense to me. I rarely agree with them but logically anyone who asks for refugee status from NK should be allowed in SK. It's basically the conservatives sayings they don't recognize NK as being a place people can be sent back to, so if you make a claim as refugee status from NK, you are really saying SK won't accept you. So whatever the case may be, SK should be the ones accepting the refugees.

 

[Complex Shadow]

Canada closing door on North Korean refugees

How embarrassing.

oh common. north korea is no place to raise a baby. just my opinion.

 

[gabbo]

Canada closing door on North Korean refugees

How embarrassing.

What in the ever-loving hell is Chris Alexander doing?

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

"North Koreans are the same as South Koreans, so why don't they just move there instead?"

Although, given that they come here more than the US, one has to wonder if the Americans don't already have similar rules in place.

I remember that the North Koreans who regularly climb into the Canadian embassy in China are typically sent to South Korea though, so I suppose there's precedent of some sorts.

They don't go to the US because of negative perceptions of that country, and yes, Canada is generally seen as the 'easy' country.

edit: About the North Korean thing, shouldn't those people be accepted by South Korea? The reasoning seems to make sense to me. I rarely agree with them but logically anyone who asks for refugee status from NK should be allowed in SK. It's basically the conservatives sayings they don't recognize NK as being a place people can be sent back to, so if you make a claim as refugee status from NK, you are really saying SK won't accept you. So whatever the case may be, SK should be the ones accepting the refugees.

It says in the article that North Koreans are viewed suspiciously as spies and enemies.

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_South_Korea#Discrimination_against_North_Korean_defectors

Northerners have high unemployment rates as Southerners see them as unprepared for living in capitalist society, and the children are often bullied in school for their Northern heritage.

 

[maharg]

It's bullshit. Now does the US and some in Western Canada want Quebec to separate from Canada so Quebec can stop meddling in pro-environmental politics so it can basically end up with a country of Yes-men to its energy-related demands? Probably. Harper seems to be on that side.

This is completely incomprehensible. What are you even talking about here?

 

[gutter_trash]

I still fail to see how this is bad. Its good. It saves money, a good portion of the country already does it. The boxes tend to be well designed and are durable.

The only inconvenience is a 30 second walk to your box (or grab it when coming come from work) or a trip to the post office 5 minutes away by car once or twice a year.

Really people are complaining because its change and its hardwired into the human brain to hate change.

what part of the word ''city' do you not get? I'm not talking about small towns or burbs

I'm talking Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal. Where will you put those boxes? They won't fit, there are soooo many people living in those cities with apartments and condos.

+Canada Post doesn't own street property, they will have to deal with cities that have no spaces for anything.

then you forget about bums, crooks, junkies, fraudsters who will crack open those boxes.

it does not work in a ''real'' city

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Let's see what happens instead of saying this or that is impossible. I'm sure Canada Post knows more than any of us.

Btw many high-rise buildings already have community boxes; you put them inside the building. All the new post-80s condos in Toronto have one, and that's a lot of condos.

 

[zedge]

what part of the word ''city' do you not get? I'm not talking about small towns or burbs

I'm talking Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal. Where will you put those boxes? They won't fit, there are soooo many people living in those cities with apartments and condos.

+Canada Post doesn't own street property, they will have to deal with cities that have no spaces for anything.

then you forget about bums, crooks, junkies, fraudsters who will crack open those boxes.

it does not work in a ''real'' city

Huh? Apartments and condos already have their own mail boxes. This is more single family houses ect. Most new suburban areas already have these super mail boxes.

 

[Fuzzy]

Huh? Apartments and condos already have their own mail boxes. This is more single family houses ect. Most new suburban areas already have these super mail boxes.

The only real problem areas will be in the older parts of the city where there's almost no space on the street. There are many streets where there's only a narrow sidewalk between people's houses and the street.

 

[zedge]

The only real problem areas will be in the older parts of the city where there's almost no space on the street. There are many streets where there's only a narrow sidewalk between people's houses and the street.

True. Perhaps they will pay a home owner to use some of their property. I'm sure they have something figured out for this but who knows.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Merry Christmas! Minister for Industry: child hunger and poverty not government's responsibility

 

[killer rin]

True. Perhaps they will pay a home owner to use some of their property. I'm sure they have something figured out for this but who knows.

I'm pretty sure that the Government owns up to a meter (or two) from the curb. That's what they would use.

 

[Fuzzy]

I'm pretty sure that the Government owns up to a meter (or two) from the curb. That's what they would use.

Municipal does, not Federal. Looks like cities could make some money. :lol

 

[Boogie]

This is completely incomprehensible. What are you even talking about here?

Lol, you responded to an Ether Snake post on Quebec and/or sovereignty.

Now you have to drink a shot.

 

[Sibylus]

Chief spy watchdog working for Enbridge since 2011 (Matthew Millar, VancObv)

But the ethics commissioner's office refused further comment on Strahl's alleged conflict of interest, saying "the Conflict of Interest Act prohibits our Office from divulging any information regarding specifics."

“Mary Dawson is negligent and does nothing to enforce the rules," Democracy Watch board member Duff Conacher said."The Commissioner of Lobbying isn’t doing a good job either. Both entities are useless.”

In November, the Vancouver Observer found that CSIS and the National Energy Board coordinated with local police and the RCMP to monitor pipeline critics during the Enbridge Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel hearings.

Conacher called Strahl's lobbying "problematic" given that "CSIS is investigating the people who oppose Enbridge, and that Enbridge has sponsored CSIS".

“We need a full examination by ethics commissioner Mary Dawson into whether he used any information gained as a member of the Privy Council," said Conacher.

"There is a definite conflict. The fact that Strahl is on a federal committee and he is interacting with cabinet, all intertwined with a federal government agenda on pipelines, is wrong”.

The Official Opposition released a press release condemning Strahl's double duties as Enbridge lobbyist and watchdog for a federal spy agency that was recently monitoring pipeline opponents.

“Canadians were already concerned about the federal government using CSIS and the Canada Revenue Agency to target environmental groups and charities. Now we learn the Chair of CSIS’ civilian oversight Committee is a paid pipeline lobbyist,” said NDP MP Nathan Cullen.

“This just further undermines people’s confidence in the fairness of the pipeline approval process.”

Best oversight that money can buy!

 

[firehawk12]

You'd think after that weird scandal with the doctor from Montreal who was on the CSIS thing who then fled to some island in the Caribbean they would make sure this shit wouldn't happen again.

 

[gabbo]

You'd think after that weird scandal with the doctor from Montreal who was on the CSIS thing who then fled to some island in the Caribbean they would make sure this shit wouldn't happen again.

'What we don't know won't hurt us/we're safer this way/they have a lot of rugs to sweep under' seems to be the mentality.

 

[A More Normal Bird]

Greetings to my frozen Northern Hemisphere equivalents! I know very little about your politics and was wondering what your opinions were on this piece:Australia and Canada: A Conservative Bromance. Not so much on the specifics it mentions, but more on the general brand of conservatism and political strategies in your country. It seems a little lightweight as it's a short piece, but I do agree with the writer that both Abbott and Howard (the leaders he claims Harper resembles/emulates) were/are very effective at creating a sort of popular right wing politics, in a way that say, the Republicans in the US seem to have a bit more trouble with.

The writer ends the article with a quote from Howard, "once a government looks as though it doesn’t stand for something and has lost its way philosophically, it’s only a matter of time before the public vote it out.” While this seems like an obvious risk when a party dilutes or ignores its base philosophies for the sake of votes, I'd argue that in Howard's case the problem was the opposite: though the public didn't seem to care about his cash-splashes on middle class welfare as long as surpluses kept coming, once his government got very comfortable and gained control of the senate they started introducing right wing policies that may have been truer to their ideology, but were deeply unpopular and lost them an election. Do you think the quote has any relevance to the Canadian situation?

Cheers.

 

[firehawk12]

Greetings to my frozen Northern Hemisphere equivalents! I know very little about your politics and was wondering what your opinions were on this piece:Australia and Canada: A Conservative Bromance. Not so much on the specifics it mentions, but more on the general brand of conservatism and political strategies in your country. It seems a little lightweight as it's a short piece, but I do agree with the writer that both Abbott and Howard (the leaders he claims Harper resembles/emulates) were/are very effective at creating a sort of popular right wing politics, in a way that say, the Republicans in the US seem to have a bit more trouble with.

The writer ends the article with a quote from Howard, "once a government looks as though it doesn’t stand for something and has lost its way philosophically, it’s only a matter of time before the public vote it out.” While this seems like an obvious risk when a party dilutes or ignores its base philosophies for the sake of votes, I'd argue that in Howard's case the problem was the opposite: though the public didn't seem to care about his cash-splashes on middle class welfare as long as surpluses kept coming, once his government got very comfortable and gained control of the senate they started introducing right wing policies that may have been truer to their ideology, but were deeply unpopular and lost them an election. Do you think the quote has any relevance to the Canadian situation?

Cheers.

They've both worked together very closely and share many similar policies, but ultimately both parties have benefited from an imploding opposition. He was right in that Harper basically used a Howard speech verbatim and they've both sent people to monitor each other's election processes.

The problem with Conservative populism is that you essentially run out of people to blame once you're in power for a long time. Every scandal that Harper has survived so far is one of his own making. It's not the lefty commie Liberals who overspent and lost billions of dollars and appointed cronies into positions of powers, it's their own party. When that happens, all that's left to do is have someone take over - even someone as dry as Kevin Rudd, in your case.

Unfortunately, while we have two human beings as opposition leaders, they are going to cannibalize each other and give Harper a default win. Abbott probably wishes that the Australian Greens were more of a factor in the lower chamber. lol

 

[gutter_trash]

Meanwhile in Quebec's debate on the ''Charter of Values'', here is one testimony that stands out during the audience hearings from the lowest common denominator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhFfkxTrkbw

 

[A More Normal Bird]

They've both worked together very closely and share many similar policies, but ultimately both parties have benefited from an imploding opposition. He was right in that Harper basically used a Howard speech verbatim and they've both sent people to monitor each other's election processes.

The problem with Conservative populism is that you essentially run out of people to blame once you're in power for a long time. Every scandal that Harper has survived so far is one of his own making. It's not the lefty commie Liberals who overspent and lost billions of dollars and appointed cronies into positions of powers, it's their own party. When that happens, all that's left to do is have someone take over - even someone as dry as Kevin Rudd, in your case.

Unfortunately, while we have two human beings as opposition leaders, they are going to cannibalize each other and give Harper a default win. Abbott probably wishes that the Australian Greens were more of a factor in the lower chamber. lol

Cheers. Sounds like you guys need preferential/instant run-off voting.

 

[Azih]

Nah, we need a system like the Australian Senate. IRV has the same problems that the current system does as in most cases the two systems elect the same people.

 

[firehawk12]

Cheers. Sounds like you guys need preferential/instant run-off voting.

Nah, we need a system like the Australian Senate. IRV has the same problems that the current system does as in most cases the two systems elect the same people.

I just want *anything* other than FPTP. I don't care if it's just die rolls at this point.