Federal Government & Politics II

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

Among other things, Poilievre openly attempts to discredit media outlets (prefacing responses to questions from CP reporters with "You're a tax funded mouthpiece to the PMO"), cast doubt on election results (insinuating that China helped the Liberals actually win elections), and distorting events (re: the PM and blackface, calls Trudeau "someone who spent the first half of his adult life as a practicing racist"). The Conservative party itself also posts and retweets misleading information, such as this recent tweet that again seeks to sow distrust.

Meh. That's all small potatoes compared to 2015 being the last FPTP election, for one example.

Unlike Trudeau, Poilievre hasn't yet had the opportunity to really lie to us. This ties back into the argument put forward last page that many people would, all things considered, logically rather take their chances with "unknown quantity who may or may not turn out to be shit" than reelect "known piece of shit". Trudeau is a liar who breaks firm and crystal clear electoral promises; Poilievre isn't (yet).

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Build.It

If that kettle happens to be a high-earning public sector worker who spends his entire tax-funded workday on an internet forum, and then has the audacity to complain that corporations like mine don't pay enough tax? Then yes, expect me to be condescending as well.

In all fairness, corporations like yours and mine enjoy fairly low tax rates, don't you agree? It's one of the (few) reasons to not decamp completely to another country

[casper]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Ah yes, BC Hydro that pillar of rational gov't ownership:

Les Leyne: We're nearing the bottom of B.C. Hydro's bag of tricks to keep rates low
B.C. Hydro needs an ocean of new money sooner rather than later.
Les Leyne
Mar 6, 2024

There may or may not be parades and jubilation when the “electricity affordability credit” starts showing up seven months before the October provincial election, BC United MLA Mike de Jong noted on Tuesday (sardonically).

It amounts to about $100 for one year only — 25 cents a day — so they won’t be long parades. And a quiet cabinet order signed a few weeks ago to do with how rate hikes are tied to inflation further dampens the excitement about the one-off credit.

De Jong asked Energy Minister Josie Osborne about it in the legislature and got nowhere. She dwelled on the credit instead.

“The B.C. electricity affordability credit is nothing to laugh at.” She later deflected by slamming the previous B.C. Liberal government’s record of managing electricity rates.

It’s a story that goes back generations. An enormous amount of work goes into planning electricity rates. Much of it is on hiding, disguising, minimizing and pushing them off into the future.

Instead of explaining the cabinet order, Osborne cited the Liberal record as a negative. But it’s clear the NDP government has learned a lot from the Ponzi-adjacent shell games played in the past. That knowledge will be useful in the short-term, given the current situation.

B.C. Hydro needs an ocean of new money sooner rather than later. Revenues dropped by a billion dollars last year due to drought and the corporation posted an operating loss that was papered over with money taken from deferral accounts. The drought is still considered critical. There’s a minimum of $36 billion worth of building to do, Site C to pay for, and the clean energy drive is a legal imperative that requires everything be done at double-quick time.....(bold mine)

https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/...es-low-8402828

I will let you in on secret. Utilities that mostly generate their power from hydro are adversely impacted by drought. Despite the government in power and any secret rain dances they do around the cabinet table in secret it has little impact on how much rain there is.

Thankfully unlike many areas it is not that bad.

BC Hydro needs to build more generating capacity. Those are long-term investments. That is a positive. If we can build it before we need and sell power to the US for a few years that is even better. We will get the Americans to pay the bills.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Gresto

I'm not equating Polyester with Dump. Dump is several orders of magnitude more execrable and pernicious, but they trade in the same politics of bitterness and misanthropy.

These are the two available sides of the coin: politics of bitterness and misanthropy on one side, politics of kumbaya and open borders and +2M New Suckers Per Year and record homelessness and record food bank use thanks to the Great Scheme of Wage Depression and Landlord Enrichment.

Personally, I don't mind the Scheme THAT much as I greatly benefit from anthropo-packing my properties (rents have been skyrocketing so much lately, it almost feels unfair not sharing some of the incoming $ with Justin personally) but I understand why the Renter-For-Life Classes (Younger Millennials and Gen Z) would become misanthropic. Can't blame them, honestly.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Build.It

Edit: I've asked for my account to be suspended for 2 months so I stop getting distracted by the forum. See everyone in May, or later.

You don't have to quit cold turkey, you can try progressive withdrawal. How about you limit yourself to one post every second day? Then you'd have to use it carefully, and you couldn't really "pick fights" with other users (i.e. the kind of back and forth that is actually "a distraction").

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by casper

I will let you in on secret. Utilities that mostly generate their power from hydro are adversely impacted by drought. Despite the government in power and any secret rain dances they do around the cabinet table in secret it has little impact on how much rain there is.

Thankfully unlike many areas it is not that bad.

BC Hydro needs to build more generating capacity. Those are long-term investments. That is a positive. If we can build it before we need and sell power to the US for a few years that is even better. We will get the Americans to pay the bills.

The drought has nothing to do with the NDP capriciously giving back a pointless and random $100 per ratepayer. Or before them the B.C. Liberals diverting money that should have been used for reinvestment to fudge their budget deficit figures.

As to building new Hydro are you living in La La Land or B.C.? Our UNDRIP loving govt has pretty much made sure there will be no more large hydro projects.

[Hecate]

Originally Posted by Dougler306

Cough cough, well you really dropped the ball and did a horrible job with the arrivcan app. Absolutely ripped us taxpayer's off millions....the several cancelled covid contracts that we signed onto and paid into that never
came to light. If your valued in your position for your private sector experience as you say, I would say the opposite. You allow the gov to be ripped off and you get side deals, or a business your apart gets gov contracts just like most other liberal party members.

BURN!

And probably all true.

The only people still supporting the liberals are either directly or indirectly working for the government and benefiting off the exploitation of Canadian taxpayers. The only people I know voting NDP or liberal are teachers.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

The drought has nothing to do with the NDP capriciously giving back a pointless and random $100 per ratepayer. Or before them the B.C. Liberals diverting money that should have been used for reinvestment to fudge their budget deficit figures.

As to building new Hydro are you living in La La Land or B.C.? Our UNDRIP loving govt has pretty much made sure there will be no more large hydro projects.

The statement was 'BC Hydro needs to build more generating capacity'. Just because the name of the organisation is 'BC Hydro', doesn't mean they can't invest in (or buy power from) other non-carbon sources like wind, solar, or even untried sources (for BC) like geothermal or tidal.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Changing City

The statement was 'BC Hydro needs to build more generating capacity'. Just because the name of the organisation is 'BC Hydro', doesn't mean they can't invest in (or buy power from) other non-carbon sources like wind, solar, or even untried sources (for BC) like geothermal or tidal.

I believe they were getting ready to do a call for proposals for third-party producers under long-term contract to BC Hydro. All of it non-carbon.

-- Update..

Looks like it is coming.

https://www.bchydro.com/work-with-us...sultation.html

The federal government, through the Canadian Infrastructure Bank has agreed to make loans available to all winning bidders. I would expect all of these to be clean green projects.

As we know the federal conservatives are against the concept of the Canadian Infrastructure Bank and one of their polices is to wind down the bank. After all it plays a significant role in getting green projects off the ground in Canada. We can't have that can we in an economy dominated by the oil sector.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by lio45

Meh. That's all small potatoes compared to 2015 being the last FPTP election, for one example.

Unlike Trudeau, Poilievre hasn't yet had the opportunity to really lie to us. This ties back into the argument put forward last page that many people would, all things considered, logically rather take their chances with "unknown quantity who may or may not turn out to be shit" than reelect "known piece of shit". Trudeau is a liar who breaks firm and crystal clear electoral promises; Poilievre isn't (yet).

Was that a disappointment? Yes, but it was a broken political promise; we've certainly seen many of those over the years from all levels of government. To me, that is very, very different from willfully damaging people's faith in our media, our electoral system, and other standards of society.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Hecate

BURN!

And probably all true.

The only people still supporting the liberals are either directly or indirectly working for the government and benefiting off the exploitation of Canadian taxpayers. The only people I know voting NDP or liberal are teachers.

Sorry to burst your stereotype bubble but I don’t work for the government and am not a teacher. If you want to go that route though I’ll say most Napoleon sized pickup drivers with middle fingers and swear words plastering their windows vote conservative.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by thewave46

Ah yes. My desires:

1. Balance government budgets with eye to expected future expenditures given our demographic transition. This keeps the money men happy, so they keep rolling over our substantial debt fairly cheaply. Even better if we can retire some of that debt. Let the people pick their poison with how they do that. No more 'We load this problem onto tomorrow' via debt. Choose either low taxes and low services, or higher taxes and services. Not 'low taxes and high services until the money becomes a problem and then it's high taxes and low services until we get our shit together.'

2. Make a choice as to pursue and industrial and accompanying housing strategy or not. If we're doing an industrial strategy, great, bring in the people to make that happen with a plan to house them. If we're doing free-market resources and non-housing strategy only, trim immigration in line with the expectation. If we're going to be a high-cost producer of mostly non-renewable resources so be it, but if the bottom falls out of that, there will be somewhat fewer angry unemployed people.

3. Engage with the world or hole up in our little bastion. Drop the sanctimony at world forums with no engagement on the ground. So invest in Global Affairs to make a proper foreign affairs department along with investment in the Armed Forces if doing the former, drop the sanctimony and retreat to our hidey-hole if the latter.

There's more, but those are a few big ones.

Mostly I just want honesty and decisions made. A lot to ask, I know.

That sounds solid. Maybe you should run for PM? I'd vote for you.

Without trying to sound nostalgic (I'm a realist and know that the past wasn't always great), it seems like we could really use another Mulroney or Chrétien, not that they were perfect, but definitely head and shoulders above the current crop on so many levels.

Meanwhile, I worry that we may likely continue down the road toward WWE-style politics and discourse - with its associated lack of honesty and decision-making - things are not looking rosy to say the least.

Anyhow, thanks for being the adult in the room. It's honestly quite refreshing.

[Acajack]

Agreed. Thewave is one of the best posters on here.

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

That sounds solid. Maybe you should run for PM? I'd vote for you.

Without trying to sound nostalgic (I'm a realist and know that the past wasn't always great), it seems like we could really use another Mulroney or Chrétien, not that they were perfect, but definitely head and shoulders above the current crop on so many levels.

Meanwhile, I worry that we may likely continue down the road toward WWE-style politics and discourse - with its associated lack of honesty and decision-making - things are not looking rosy to say the least.

Anyhow, thanks for being the adult in the room. It's honestly quite refreshing.

[J81]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

We... do not need Adderall. We needed Trudeau in 2015. We needed Chretien in 1993.

We didn't need Harper in 2006, we needed a change. Similar to now.

As it turns out we didnt need Trudeau in 2015 either. Another Liberal or nothing voter who if im not mistaken, and please correct me if im wrong, is employed in the public sector? Most public sector employees will bitch all day about how trudeaus policies are negatively affecting them everyday and yet will still vote for them because they want to keep their cushy government jobs.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by J81

As it turns out we didnt need Trudeau in 2015 either. Another Liberal or nothing voter who if im not mistaken, and please correct me if im wrong, is employed in the public sector? Most public sector employees will bitch all day about how trudeaus policies are negatively affecting them everyday and yet will still vote for them because they want to keep their cushy government jobs.

Public sector workers have benefitted under Trudeau in the sense that there are way more of them. I am not sure they have benefitted individually. Public sector wages have not kept up with inflation and have certainly not kept with the cost of housing. Working conditions have deteriorated significantly, with many public service workers now forced into some sort of hotdesking arrangements. There have been problems with the payroll, problems with the health plan, etc.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by thewave46

Ah yes. My desires:

Not quoting the whole post as to not clutter things up, but in agreement as well. Uncontrolled deficit spending is much more important that debt (which no developed nation will ever pay off). Emphasis on uncontrolled - temporary deficits can be fine if there's a solid fiscal plan that puts creditors at ease.

I'm generally in favour of higher tax for higher services, but it shouldn't just be increased spending on means-tested programs that benefit few and have high levels of administration. I've done enough work on these at a lower level to know that they are rarely worthwhile even if the optics theoretically prevent access by those who don't really need them. Spending for spending's sake benefits nobody.

Resources are something that we have in spades, so in favour of managing them in a responsible way that sets us up for the future, benefits the maximum number of Canadians and prepares for eventual phase-out. While I don't think things are currently as dire as some, don't continue the route of growing the economy through an underpaid and underhoused service-class to maintain lifestyles of a segment of the population. As with many of our policies things just don't add up.

Problem is I don't see *any* political party (at least that I can vote for) that's proposing a vision to set things on track, even if it's not in my "preferred" direction.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Public sector workers have benefitted under Trudeau in the sense that there are way more of them. I am not sure they have benefitted individually. Public sector wages have not kept up with inflation and have certainly not kept with the cost of housing. Working conditions have deteriorated significantly, with many public service workers now forced into some sort of hotdesking arrangements. There have been problems with the payroll, problems with the health plan, etc.

Indeed. The idea of the public sector as a guaranteed path to an upper-middle class lifestyle doesn't really jive with the current reality. Particularly in high-cost locations.

[Hecate]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Public sector workers have benefitted under Trudeau in the sense that there are way more of them. I am not sure they have benefitted individually. Public sector wages have not kept up with inflation and have certainly not kept with the cost of housing. Working conditions have deteriorated significantly, with many public service workers now forced into some sort of hotdesking arrangements. There have been problems with the payroll, problems with the health plan, etc.

Yet for all those problems, they still realize how good they have it. Lots of six figure incomes on the federal payroll, plus’s benefits, sick pay you can accumulate, vacation, pensions, Yada yada yada… They know how good they have it. And the average public servants are making more than the average Canadian. Lots more buffer room for the rising cost of living compared to the average Canadian.

And let’s be real, what’s a passport office clerk going to do outside of that environment. McDonald’s? A cleaning job? Home Depot. Cause that’s the skill set required to work at a passport office.

Same with teachers. Where in the real world are they going to earn a comparable salary to teaching with the skills they have? Nowhere.

If the government was so bad to work for so many people wouldn’t be fighting to get onto the gravy train.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Hecate

Yet for all those problems, they still realize how good they have it. Lots of six figure incomes on the federal payroll, plus’s benefits, sick pay you can accumulate, vacation, pensions, Yada yada yada… They know how good they have it. And the average public servants are making more than the average Canadian. Lots more buffer room for the rising cost of living compared to the average Canadian.

And let’s be real, what’s a passport office clerk going to do outside of that environment. McDonald’s? A cleaning job? Home Depot. Cause that’s the skill set required to work at a passport office.

Same with teachers. Where in the real world are they going to earn a comparable salary to teaching with the skills they have? Nowhere.

If the government was so bad to work for so many people wouldn’t be fighting to get onto the gravy train.

Agree with you regarding your typical government clerk, but, I wouldn't cast any shade on teachers. A good teacher is worth their weight in gold.

Same with researchers in federal scientific facilities, foreign service and intelligence officers etc.

But, given the number of clerical positions in the federal civil service, there is still a lot of waste there..........

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Public sector workers have benefitted under Trudeau in the sense that there are way more of them. I am not sure they have benefitted individually. Public sector wages have not kept up with inflation and have certainly not kept with the cost of housing. Working conditions have deteriorated significantly, with many public service workers now forced into some sort of hotdesking arrangements. There have been problems with the payroll, problems with the health plan, etc.

Many are likely to lose their jobs and/or have salaries frozen and benefits reduced under a PP government. Despite that many I talk to socially are looking forward to the new government. They are either selfless or naive.