Canadian Federal Election

[logicbomb]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I am increasingly disappointed in both parties. At what point do Canadians stop being impressed by governments throwing our own money (debt more like it) at us? If we had the money, perhaps OK, but we don't. They are just making a bad situation worse, imo.

All 3 candidates (it's a stretch saying the NDP is a viable party) are terrible and offer nothing in terms of groundbreaking policies. The country is just rallying around Carney because he's showing to be the most competent figure to deal with Trump the next 4 years.

It's really unfortunate Trump took over cause it's been a massive distraction from the issues plaguing this country. Gen Z and Millennials are screwed when it comes to job and career growth. Record number of foodbank users. Crap infrastructure and lack of housing. Crime and a broken judicial system. This country is absolutely in the shitter and all the headlines are about Donald Trump.

The takeaway is we are still going to keep immigration levels at 500,000+ in addition to TFW's, International Students, along with other backdoor avenues to PR (family reunification, asylum seekers). There's little pressure on both parties to relook at the numbers and increase enforcement for rule breakers. PP and Carney are proponents of bringing in an influx of cheap labour and more people in general to artificially prop up the economy. PP is the biggest joke of a candidate I've seen...one minute he speaks to the media about bringing in sane immigration numbers and the next he's at a neighborhood event telling supporters he will increase avenues to PR. What a tool.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

He is out of his depth as Premier and got re-elected twice. He would be the backroom boys dream candidate. A blank slate on many issues.

We could certainly see party members looking to back a winner and by 2029 any Conservative leader would seem to have at least even odds to beat the Liberals after 14 years.

Now that Canadian PMs don't need to speak French (much) anymore, maybe Dougie has a shot!

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Now that Canadian PMs don't need to speak French (much) anymore, maybe Dougie has a shot!

He doesn't need Quebec so totally possible. Traditionally Ontario and especially Atlantic Canada wanted to make sure a Conservative leader wouldn't alienate Quebec too much but can see that concern fading as you say.

But this election is certainly not over yet!

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Now that Canadian PMs don't need to speak French (much) anymore, maybe Dougie has a shot!

Acajack continues with promotion of the only single core competency that truly matters.

Does the candidate speak French? How well does he speak French?? Is his accent annoying???

This trumps all other competencies, including experience , aptitude, training and personality. It is the only thing that truly matters,

It doesn't matter that Carney is open to speaking French (no matter how badly).

Ii doesn't matter that he is open to improving his French (and likely could since he has some previous experience in the language.

The mere fact he is an anglophone, not from Quebec, and with imperfect mastery of French means he is completely unqualified, no matter how well meaning he is.

Maybe we should get Maxime Bernier to be our PM and chief negotiator with The Donald. At least he can speak French. Nothing else apparently matters.......

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Maybe we should get Maxime Bernier to be our PM and chief negotiator with The Donald. At least he can speak French. Nothing else apparently matters.......

Actually have you heard Maxime Bernier speak English?

Better than Mark Carney's French but still not great.

Just yankin you guys' chain. A bit.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

He doesn't need Quebec so totally possible. Traditionally Ontario and especially Atlantic Canada wanted to make sure a Conservative leader wouldn't alienate Quebec too much but can see that concern fading as you say.

But this election is certainly not over yet!

I've been holding back a bit because people here aren't friendly to those who rain on the Mark Carney coronation parade, but I've been seeing some chatter on other channels about the parallels between Mark Carney and Kamala Harris.

How maybe like her it's possible that he is peaking too soon.

Both were also kind of parachuted into the role and campaign with little preparation (Harris) or experience (Carney) for it.

The initial main advantage of both seems to be that they *aren't* The Other Bad Guy.

Though I'd add though that Carney has one big advantage in that the campaign here is much shorter than what Harris had to fight. Even if the air starts coming out of his tires he still has a good chance to make it over the finish line.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Acajack continues with promotion of the only single core competency that truly matters.

Does the candidate speak French? How well does he speak French?? Is his accent annoying???

This trumps all other competencies, including experience , aptitude, training and personality. It is the only thing that truly matters,

It doesn't matter that Carney is open to speaking French (no matter how badly).

Ii doesn't matter that he is open to improving his French (and likely could since he has some previous experience in the language.

The mere fact he is an anglophone, not from Quebec, and with imperfect mastery of French means he is completely unqualified, no matter how well meaning he is.

Maybe we should get Maxime Bernier to be our PM and chief negotiator with The Donald. At least he can speak French. Nothing else apparently matters.......

The ignore button tends to come in handy, at times.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

The ignore button tends to come in handy, at times.

Nice.

Cachez ce sein que je ne saurais voir.

[rousseau]

I have to remonstrate with myself whenever I'm surprised by politics. Because it's unfathomable, even at the best of times. Forget about proprieties against mixed metaphors, we're long past that now: monkey wrench Trump is seemingly saving the Liberals' bacon from what, up until about two minutes ago, was the utterly damning case against them.

Namely, this:



and this:

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I have to remonstrate with myself whenever I'm surprised by politics. Because it's unfathomable, even at the best of times. Forget about proprieties against mixed metaphors, we're long past that now: monkey wrench Trump is seemingly saving the Liberals' bacon from what, up until about two minutes ago, was the utterly damning case against them.

...

I believe that, at one time, that's what was called a load of hooey.

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I just drove through Forest Hill, which was full of PC campaign signs. No other signs. A few other hoods I drove through also had a lot of PC signs (1/3 of the homes). I haven't seen any other signs from other parties except 1 or two NDP signs today.

I'm going to give my takeaway from this.

1- Obviously, the PC party hit the ground running faster and are the first party in Toronto to get the signs on supporters' lawns.

2- Ya the few areas I drove through had a fairly large amount of PC signs, but that might also mean only tiny pockets of Toronto still support the PC party, at least at this moment.

I drove through Forest Hill yesterday as well, oddly enough. Google took me on a random route back to our office in Mississauga. I noticed the signs as well - apparently there was a byelection in Toronto-St. Paul last summer and the PC candidate pulled off an upset. They likely had a lot of the infrastructure and supplies ready from that and were able to hit the ground running.

It wasn't a huge margin that he won by so it will be interesting to see whether Don Stewart is able to win it again as the political climate is radically different 6 months later. It looks like Leslie Church will be running again for the Liberals.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I believe that, at one time, that's what was called a load of hooey.

Uh, okay. Not sure where that came from. Sure, they're anecdotes, but they're downstream of data/studies.

For example, I waited 14 15 months for an appointment with a respirologist to test for apnea. Waited another six months for the actual sleep study test. Now I have to wait two more months for the test results to come out.

This is news to you?

(Edited, just checked the dates--it was 15 months, not 14!)

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Uh, okay. Not sure where that came from. Sure, they're anecdotes, but they're downstream of data/studies.

For example, I waited 14 months for an appointment with a respirologist to test for apnea. Waited another six months for the actual sleep study test. Now I have to wait two more months for the test results to come out.

This is news to you?

Yup. My waits were three months, three months (moved up due to a cancellation, so only two months), and one week.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Uh, okay. Not sure where that came from. Sure, they're anecdotes, but they're downstream of data/studies.

For example, I waited 14 months for an appointment with a respirologist to test for apnea. Waited another six months for the actual sleep study test. Now I have to wait two more months for the test results to come out.

This is news to you?

Now is not the time to talk down Canada. We need to be wrapping ourselves in the flag, ideally tight enough to cut off circulation to the parts of the brain that control executive function. Canadian's are looking for a positive message to go along with the euphoria that comes with asphyxiation, not this negativity. Please go sit in a corner and reflect on how you're ruining a perfectly good vibe.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Your article doesn't show the actual tweets. From my memory they were jokes with the exception of being against gay marriage and gay priests they weren't political positions though sure making light of the Niqab probably suggests certain positions.

Here's a sampler.

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Ontario PC candidate Andrew Lawton: gender and racial discrimination should be legal: "I think if someone wants to open a business and only hire people of one race...I think they should have that right."

Really, is this the best candidate that the Conservatives could get?

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by theman23

Now is not the time to talk down Canada. We need to be wrapping ourselves in the flag, ideally tight enough to cut off circulation to the parts of the brain that control executive function. Canadian's are looking for a positive message to go along with the euphoria that comes with asphyxiation, not this negativity. Please go sit in a corner and reflect on how you're ruining a perfectly good vibe.

It's getting so hard to keep up. So the settler colonialism based on genocide that continues to this day was bad, but the country defending itself against Trump's economic warfare is good?

I guess Canada is Schrödinger's post-national state.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Here's a sampler.


Really, is this the best candidate that the Conservatives could get?

I applaud Mr.Lawton's honesty. It's no secret that the CPC base hate homosexuals and Muslims.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Uh, okay. Not sure where that came from. Sure, they're anecdotes, but they're downstream of data/studies.

Some at least are fairly obviously true experiences for meaningful demographics. For example, the house poor vs. rent one is obviously true of a lot of people in a lot of markets just based on average house prices compared to average incomes.

I tend to group the race-based employment ones more in the culture war bucket but I suspect it is true in specific niche domains, like if you're trying to get certain kinds of arts funding or awards. But this phenomenon is maybe 1/1000 as important as housing.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Uh, okay. Not sure where that came from. Sure, they're anecdotes, but they're downstream of data/studies.

For example, I waited 14 15 months for an appointment with a respirologist to test for apnea. Waited another six months for the actual sleep study test. Now I have to wait two more months for the test results to come out.

This is news to you?

(Edited, just checked the dates--it was 15 months, not 14!)

Reelecting Ford, the person truly responsible for the Ontario healthcare system was an obvious mistake. My experience has greatly improved in BC under the NDP. I finally found a family doctor because they changed the payment structure. Plus the opening of Primary/Urgent care centres means I’m never more than a few hours away from help in my neighbourhood.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I've been holding back a bit because people here aren't friendly to those who rain on the Mark Carney coronation parade, but I've been seeing some chatter on other channels about the parallels between Mark Carney and Kamala Harris.

Carney has no racial or gender bias working against him. He looks like a stock photo of a Canadian Prime Minister. Canada is less conservative overall. Most importantly, Carney wasn’t working alongside Trudeau as his understudy.