Federal Government & Politics II

[lio45]

Important lifesaving advice for millions of Canadians: be aware of your city’s garbage collection schedule, and make sure you go sleep somewhere else on that one night per 2 weeks your home gets lifted and emptied by the collecting truck (typically very early in the morning).

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...mion-a-ordures

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by lio45

Important lifesaving advice for millions of Canadians: be aware of your city’s garbage collection schedule, and make sure you go sleep somewhere else on that one night per 2 weeks your home gets lifted and emptied by the collecting truck (typically very early in the morning).

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...mion-a-ordures

The truck driver told the homeless man that he was the sixth person that he had picked up and transported while doing waste pickup. You know life isn't good when you're willing to sleep in a garbage dumpster. When I worked at McDonald's I used to find people in the dumpster when I did garbage runs. Back then it was only Indigenous people from up North who had addiction issues and often alcohol. Today you get the opioid ones who come not from just up North but all over and locally and half are white. Back then you could call the police and action would be taken. Today you call the cops and they refuse to do anything or are too busy.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Loco101

The truck driver told the homeless man that he was the sixth person that he had picked up and transported while doing waste pickup. You know life isn't good when you're willing to sleep in a garbage dumpster. When I worked at McDonald's I used to find people in the dumpster when I did garbage runs. Back then it was only Indigenous people from up North who had addiction issues and often alcohol. Today you get the opioid ones who come not from just up North but all over and locally and half are white. Back then you could call the police and action would be taken. Today you call the cops and they refuse to do anything or are too busy.

Opioids are a major problem in Canada and the US.

I don't know why Canada. The Europeans don't have near the same problem we have. Number of studies attribute that to Europe having universal health care and therefore less reliance on pain management medication, better access to no-cost addition treatment, and GP being employees of the system doing a better job as gate keeper on access to opioids.

Canada should in principle not be as bad as the US in this area. Not certain what else is at play.

That said, it does not explain Canada.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by casper

Opioids are a major problem in Canada and the US.

I don't know why Canada. The Europeans don't have near the same problem we have. Number of studies attribute that to Europe having universal health care and therefore less reliance on pain management medication, better access to no-cost addition treatment, and GP being employees of the system doing a better job as gate keeper on access to opioids.

Canada should in principle not be as bad as the US in this area. Not certain what else is at play.

That said, it does not explain Canada.

The UK (which I guess is not Europe any more) has its own opioid alternate problem with the use of nitazenes. They were only added to the Class A drug list in March, and are thought to have caused many recent deaths. Illicit drug users in the UK still had ready access to heroin until very recently, but Afghanistan has banned the harvesting of opium poppies, and dealers are now seeking out alternatives, and found a Chinese supply of articicial opioids (which, like fentanyl, are far more likely to lead to death). Apparently Europe is still getting access to heroin, but that's likely to change if the Afghan production remains effectively closed down.

Canada and the US have had access to artificial opioids for longer, (around 10 years) and supply is generally fentanyl or an analogue, which used to come from China, but now is more likely come from Mexico, or be manufactured domestically (and there were labs found in the Fraser Valley in 2022 and 2023). In Canada around 50% of recent deaths have detected methamphetamine or cocaine as well as fentanyl in over 75% of deaths, so dealers are often mixing potentially lethal drugs in a cocktail.

[acottawa]

An unnamed national security advisor was apparently keeping CSIS reports on election interference off Trudeau’s desk.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nsi...csis-1.7216076

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by acottawa

An unnamed national security advisor was apparently keeping CSIS reports on election interference off Trudeau’s desk.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nsi...csis-1.7216076

Mr Rigby, we have a bus we'd like you to see ...

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Mr Rigby, we have a bus we'd like you to see ...

Is he to ride the bus out of town, or simply be thrown under it?

[casper]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Is he to ride the bus out of town, or simply be thrown under it?

Great caution is required when crossing the street when a campaign buss is coming at full speed.

Sounds like both CSIS and the national security advisor are not in alignment but both are correct.

If the quote is true: "The prime minister's national security intelligence adviser (NSIA), however, viewed the reports as "recounting standard diplomatic activity,"".

Yes, based on news reports from other countries, campaign interference does sounds like standard diplomatic activities for China and Russia.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Is he to ride the bus out of town, or simply be thrown under it?

As in "Mind your step. Ooops! How dreadful!". Although since he's now retired and gone on to multiple NGOs, I don't know if he'll mind all that much. But new retired means he's also got room to slap back, if he cares to.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Mr Rigby, we have a bus we'd like you to see ...

Or Jodie Thomas?

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

Or Jodie Thomas?

I think it was Rigby at the time in question, but I could be mistook.

[Hecate]

Wrong thread

[Loco101]

Doug Ford is worried about PP and the CPC winning the next election. There is talk behind the scenes that he is considering an early election call even though his government was re-elected in 2022. That would mean a provincial election in late 2024 or the first half of 2025.

Doug Ford was asked about calling on early election. ‘Stay tuned,’ he says

Link: https://www.thestar.com/politics/pro...9a58f2dd8.html

Progressive Conservative insiders, speaking confidentially in order to discuss internal deliberations, say the premier is concerned about budget cuts a future federal Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre might foist upon the province.

Ford, who works closely with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals on many shared priorities, is worried there could be reduced transfer payments to Ontario and a scrapping of the federal-provincial electric-vehicle subsidies strategy that is a cornerstone of Ontario industrial policy.

[ssiguy]

Of course Ford is worried about a Tory win in Ottawa.

Ontarians have a time honoured and near flawless record of voting gov't into Queen's Park that are the opposite of which party is governing in Ottawa. Provincial and federal politicians both know this political truth and hence call elections with that reality in mind. Ford will want to strike while the iron is hot aka while Trudeau & Liberals still reign in Ottawa.

Ford know that PP will not {despite wanting to} withdraw support from all these auto investments in Ontario as it will kill him in the province. It does, however, make for a good excuse for Ford to drop the writ before he gets a fellow Tory in Ottawa as he is fully aware that would send him right to the unemployment lines.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Doug Ford is worried about PP and the CPC winning the next election. There is talk behind the scenes that he is considering an early election call even though his government was re-elected in 2022. That would mean a provincial election in late 2024 or the first half of 2025.

Doug Ford was asked about calling on early election. ‘Stay tuned,’ he says

Link: https://www.thestar.com/politics/pro...9a58f2dd8.html

Progressive Conservative insiders, speaking confidentially in order to discuss internal deliberations, say the premier is concerned about budget cuts a future federal Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre might foist upon the province.

Ford, who works closely with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals on many shared priorities, is worried there could be reduced transfer payments to Ontario and a scrapping of the federal-provincial electric-vehicle subsidies strategy that is a cornerstone of Ontario industrial policy.

There's some logic there from the OPC point of view. Ontario voters have a long tendency to use federal or provincial votes to express anger at the other level, to some extent. I suspect PP's strategy as PM is going to be to "move fast and break things" in the first year or two. Quickly balance the budget with aggressive cuts that will trigger a fair amount of backlash, then as their term ends push through some tax cuts to get re-elected. Something like that.

If this is how things go, Ford will be trying to get re-elected right around the same time PP's government is in the peak of the "move fast and break things" phase, meaning any frustrations the public has with Ottawa will be taken out on Ford. Getting re-elected in 2024 or 2025 results in the OPC facing the electorate the following time in 2028 or 2029, around the same time PP will face re-election too.

Thing is, from the POV of the general public who's not really into the political intrigue, an early election just looks stupid and unnecessary. There isn't really a sellable reason for it.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Thing is, from the POV of the general public who's not really into the political intrigue, an early election just looks stupid and unnecessary. There isn't really a sellable reason for it.

I can't wait to see what the compelling reason Doug comes up with to justify an early election. It's not like there is parliamentary gridlock or anything, he can do whatever he wants. He might want to look back at David Peterson in 1990 how well the very early election worked out for him.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Of course Ford is worried about a Tory win in Ottawa.

Ontarians have a time honoured and near flawless record of voting gov't into Queen's Park that are the opposite of which party is governing in Ottawa. Provincial and federal politicians both know this political truth and hence call elections with that reality in mind. Ford will want to strike while the iron is hot aka while Trudeau & Liberals still reign in Ottawa.

Ford know that PP will not {despite wanting to} withdraw support from all these auto investments in Ontario as it will kill him in the province. It does, however, make for a good excuse for Ford to drop the writ before he gets a fellow Tory in Ottawa as he is fully aware that would send him right to the unemployment lines.

I put a little less faith in that theory of Ontario voters going opposite provincially and federally. I think it's more a coincidental thing based on how long certain recent Ontario governments have been in office compared to the federal government. The Liberals have only won 8 elections since the start of the 20th century and only 5 of those have been in recent history when Peterson finally won in 1987. A better leader for the PCPO in 1985 would have kept them in power through the federal Mulroney years. In 2004, Ontario voted Liberal federally by a long shot, a year after electing a Liberal provincial government, and also in 2006 by a smaller margin both by seats and percentage of the vote.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

There's some logic there from the OPC point of view. Ontario voters have a long tendency to use federal or provincial votes to express anger at the other level, to some extent. I suspect PP's strategy as PM is going to be to "move fast and break things" in the first year or two. Quickly balance the budget with aggressive cuts that will trigger a fair amount of backlash, then as their term ends push through some tax cuts to get re-elected. Something like that.

If this is how things go, Ford will be trying to get re-elected right around the same time PP's government is in the peak of the "move fast and break things" phase, meaning any frustrations the public has with Ottawa will be taken out on Ford. Getting re-elected in 2024 or 2025 results in the OPC facing the electorate the following time in 2028 or 2029, around the same time PP will face re-election too.

Thing is, from the POV of the general public who's not really into the political intrigue, an early election just looks stupid and unnecessary. There isn't really a sellable reason for it.

Yes I think this is all good analysis. If he plans to go early it also explains the Beer Store thing happening early. This fall would be a good time and bring him to 2028. An early call is certainly a risk but with Federal Liberals at 20% and yet having the chance to throw them out it seems like a safer bet than on schedule.

[Acajack]

Not sure what to make of it but the latest Léger has the Cons and Bloc now even in Quebec, almost tied with the Liberals as well.

https://x.com/338Canada/status/1795795360515870819

[MonctonRad]

Very interesting.

Voters in Quebec may have decided that PP is going to win the next election, and want to have a few more seats in the government benches.

This is sort of a bellweather thing. Will JT take the hint???

Sadly, not likely..........