Federal Government & Politics II

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Hecate

Well Canada has been doing very little when it comes to forestry management. There’s lots that could be done to prevent fires from reaching inhabited areas that would need evacuations.

And honestly how do you unite a people that have never been more divided? I’m in my 40’s and no kids, at one point I’d have supported mandatory service. But not anymore. In manitoba we have wonderful commemorative Liscence plates with a bloody red hand print for missing and murdered indigenous women. I’m reminded of how wonderful this country really is every time I see them. Anymore statues of Queen Victoria or sir John A. we can destroy? Lol honestly I’d love to see Queen Victoria’s statue at the Manitoba legislature restored. It never deserved to be beheaded and toppled.

I think you mean "Canadian provinces and territories", which are responsible for forest management.

[Marty_Mcfly]

MPs 'wittingly' took part in foreign interference: national security committee

OTTAWA - Soon after they were elected, some Canadian members of Parliament began "wittingly assisting" foreign state actors, says a report released Monday -- including sending confidential information to Indian officials.

The report from a committee of MPs and senators with top security clearance says Canadian spy agencies produced a body of intelligence showing foreign actors cultivated relationships with both MPs and senators.

...

The report cites what it says is a particularly concerning case of an unnamed MP who maintained a relationship with a foreign intelligence officer.

It says the "then-member of Parliament" sought to arrange a meeting with a senior intelligence official in another country and "proactively" gave the intelligence officer information that was provided in confidence.

...

Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement that the government disagrees with aspects of the report, including how pieces of intelligence were interpreted.

Asked about the allegation that an MP sought a meeting with a foreign intelligence officer, LeBlanc told reporters that "certain information doesn't have the caveats that some of the intelligence documents that we would see have."

LeBlanc said he wouldn't speak about specific elements of the report that involve individuals. He also declined to answer when asked whether the MPs in the report who are accused of helping other states are still sitting in Parliament.

...

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/mps-...ttee-1.6911673

Ah treason, not very often we get to see you here in Canada.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Hecate

Well Canada has been doing very little when it comes to forestry management. There’s lots that could be done to prevent fires from reaching inhabited areas that would need evacuations.

Ontario has done a lot. Alberta not so much.

[Black Star]

The fact that trudeau can still show his face anywhere in Canada is a moral stain on this Nation that will simply never wash away until this clown is gone.
The Key stone cop hates Canada.....He has proved this sentiment in numerous ways throughout his disastrous tenure as PM. He is not a smart fella.... He encapsulates every undesirable trait that a human being could possess.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Ontario has done a lot. Alberta not so much.

Can you expand on this?

At first glance, both provinces do proactive measures, like prescribed burns, in a comparable fashion, (Cdn Forest Fire Db, Ontario 2024, Alberta 2024), annual budgets are similar based on the forested areas - ~150M vs 250M and both maintain similar fleets and crews.

Given this, I am curious as to why you make this statement?

[Truenorth00]

I watched this documentary on the situation in the UK. And it really strikes me like Canada is in the early stages of the same disease:

• Video Link

[Acajack]

We've discussed this topic ad nauseam on here in the past.

Why socially liberal Quebec refuses to go “woke”


https://thehub.ca/2024/06/03/elie-ca...snt-gone-woke/

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Acajack

We've discussed this topic ad nauseam on here in the past.

Why socially liberal Quebec refuses to go “woke”


https://thehub.ca/2024/06/03/elie-ca...snt-gone-woke/

The main reason is nationalism and patriotism, which Quebec has in spades (at least provincially).

Woketarianism is inherently anti-patriotic. It promotes individualism of expression to the extreme (and in an in your face way that can be intrusive).

Identity politics is the inverse of herd like nationalism.

[Acajack]

Immigration Minister says he wants to lower language requirements (in English or French) for newcomers, calling them "onerous"

https://x.com/therealmrbench/status/1797766900832960604

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

The main reason is nationalism and patriotism, which Quebec has in spades (at least provincially).

Woketarianism is inherently anti-patriotic. It promotes individualism of expression to the extreme (and in an in your face way that can be intrusive).

Identity politics is the inverse of herd like nationalism.

This seems like a good quick answer for why. But there is more some of which is taboo to discuss.

For example there is also the fact that Quebec is the most openly racist part of Canada. I am anti-woke myself but we have to admit a lot of the anti-woke movement is people who want to keep being racist. Quebec wants to reject the other and different and consider white christian society as superior. As is often the case this maybe comes from being a former inferior society that managed to turn the tables. English was domininant and used the same arguments about inherant laziness, inferior cultural practices, etc that Quebecers will use about Arabs or Haitan culture.

Another factor I see at least in Ottawa in the public service crowds is French Canadians used to be the unpriveldeged group benefitting from quotas. This benefit has been supplanted now and visible minorities and women are the current groups in vogue to be promoted soley or partially on their group idenitity. Francophones rightly point out they have more disadvanatge certainly than a white woman from Rockcliffe or Forest Hill. Working in your second language is aboslutely more difficult and still is a requirement for most of the public service. If you include Francophones the whole thing breaks down though as you are left with only 20% white male Anglophones not eligible for promotion. I don't know how niche this conversation is in Quebec society.

Lastly as the article alludes to Quebec is seperated and inherantly rejects US influence in a way English Canada doesn't.

[ConundrumNL]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

I watched this documentary on the situation in the UK. And it really strikes me like Canada is in the early stages of the same disease:

• Video Link

Haven't had the chance to watch yet, but BritMonkey makes good content. My gut says most of the Western democracies are in some stage of what's impacting the UK.

What's interesting is the disease doesn't seem to related to the political leanings of the party in power, the UK seems poised to kick the CONs to curb and go Labour, Canada the opposite.

People seem largely sick of whomever is in power and blame them for their ills, although I'm skeptical any of the current options will provide meaningful changes (UK or Canada). It's almost like the problems are systemic and not tied to a single ideology.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Another factor I see at least in Ottawa in the public service crowds is French Canadians used to be the unpriveldeged group benefitting from quotas. This benefit has been supplanted now and visible minorities and women are the current groups in vogue to be promoted soley or partially on their group idenitity. Francophones rightly point out they have more disadvanatge certainly than a white woman from Rockcliffe or Forest Hill. Working in your second language is aboslutely more difficult and still is a requirement for most of the public service. If you include Francophones the whole thing breaks down though as you are left with only 20% white male Anglophones not eligible for promotion. I don't know how niche this conversation is in Quebec society.
.

Bilingualism in the federal public service is generally considered to be a joke or masquerade by anyone who pays attention to politics anywhere in Quebec, but as you say it's really a niche issue in the wider scheme of things which involves a gazillion other issues. Gatineau only has about 4% of Quebec's total population and of course federal public servants are an even tinier fraction of that.

[acottawa]

^^I wonder how much demographics plays a role.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

This seems like a good quick answer for why. But there is more some of which is taboo to discuss.

For example there is also the fact that Quebec is the most openly racist part of Canada. I am anti-woke myself but we have to admit a lot of the anti-woke movement is people who want to keep being racist. Quebec wants to reject the other and different and consider white christian society as superior. As is often the case this maybe comes from being a former inferior society that managed to turn the tables. English was domininant and used the same arguments about inherant laziness, inferior cultural practices, etc that Quebecers will use about Arabs or Haitan culture.
.

I think a better take is that Quebecers, contrary to Anglo-Canadians, don't live in constant fear of having every single thing they say construed as racist and being accused thereof. So they think what they think and say what they think, and if someone thinks that's racist, they don't give a shit.

Polls show that racist attitudes in Quebec are about the same or even lower than certain parts of the ROC, and of course hate crimes are also lower in Quebec than in the ROC.

But sure, people do tend to be more outspoken here. That's for sure.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Immigration Minister says he wants to lower language requirements (in English or French) for newcomers, calling them "onerous"

https://x.com/therealmrbench/status/1797766900832960604

I really want to know their reasoning. Do we have high quality immigrants that can't pass TOEFL or DELF?

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I think a better take is that Quebecers, contrary to Anglo-Canadians, don't live in constant fear of having every single thing they say construed as racist and being accused thereof. So they think what they think and say what they think, and if someone thinks that's racist, they don't give a shit.

Polls show that racist attitudes in Quebec are about the same or even lower than certain parts of the ROC, and of course hate crimes are also lower in Quebec than in the ROC.

But sure, people do tend to be more outspoken here. That's for sure.

It is hard to poll give that what is racist is such a broad term at this point with many experts claiming treaing everyone equally is racist.

It can't be proven definitievely but it feels like along with Alberta Quebec would be up there in racist attitudes. Maybe a better way to say it would be racist feel more emboldened in Quebec so they can be anti-woke and say things that would get them cancelled elsewhere. This helps the non racist anti woke not have to worry as much.

Originally Posted by Acajack

Bilingualism in the federal public service is generally considered to be a joke or masquerade by anyone who pays attention to politics anywhere in Quebec, but as you say it's really a niche issue in the wider scheme of things which involves a gazillion other issues. Gatineau only has about 4% of Quebec's total population and of course federal public servants are an even tinier fraction of that.

It has some political cache or governments wouldn't focus on it. Certainly the Gatineau riding isn't in doubt. But I guess it is more the sybolism and barometer for wider bilingulism which is important to broader Quebec society. And of course providing proper french service, tweets etc is an issue that resonates broadly.

[kool maudit]

The balancing of identity politics in places like Quebec is interesting. In some places, like Catalonia, the traditional regional identity meshes quite seamlessly with the strident social liberalism of the 2010s. The same is true in Scotland.

In Quebec, it seems mixed, as it has the social liberalism of a post-Catholic society but seemingly refuses to fully accommodate the new Anglosphere style, perhaps because on some level it is known to be this.

Ireland seems to be in the process of rejecting the latter after a long period of Scotland/Catalonia-style accommodation, with immigration as the flashpoint.

[kool maudit]

It is not totally uncommon for social liberalism to fragment unpredictably, either, like when people make "social liberals" a defensively positioned in-group with ethnic undertones, like Pim Fortuyn.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

I really want to know their reasoning. Do we have high quality immigrants that can't pass TOEFL or DELF?

Well we don't need general labourers to pass academic language tests. At least not in English. Of course we aren't bringing in very many people who want to do labour but maybe this test is a barrier to that and the government has a plan to destroy provincial unions and bring down construction costs? Certainly we need healhcare workers and most of the other shortages we have to speak English or French fluently.

Politically it feels like the increasing craziness from Liberals on immigration is designed to bait the Cons into being the anit immigration party. Either that or it's total incompetance and indifference.

[kool maudit]

Immigration has been the favoured sterility fix since the late '80s, at least in the think tank circles from which it trickled down. Canada was probably one of the very few (less than five, I bet) countries where this* enjoyed majority popular support. I wonder if this is still the case? Sweden was one once, but isn't any longer.

(* at the levels that wound up occurring)