Canadian Politics Thread

ambler wrote:

There are distinct dangers to that approach. The self-styled liberal left in Britain, which are more authoritarian than any other sizable political group I can think of, routinely referred to Margaret Thatcher as a fascist in her time in office, which was not only untrue, but blinded people to the true nature of fascism.

I agree with you entirely with you on this, amb, especially the section I've bolded. It's like when you compare your enemy to Hitler, it's not just an insult to your enemy, but it's an insult to Hitler -- in that Hitler worked very hard to be that evil and the guy you're comparing him to doesn't even come close.

Oddly enough, Ignatieff was the only candidate I knew much about as he was well known in the UK back in the day. From what I've read, Harper seems intent on changing Canada from a liberal welfare state into a global power more befitting its economic status. That inevitably means higher military spending, which is never popular in a recession.

BTW, is it true that the intellectual clout behind Harper is Jenni Byrne? If so, it's hard to believe that Harper is anti-women as Cat claims.

ambler wrote:

BTW, is it true that the intellectual clout behind Harper is Jenni Byrne?

Not so much the intellectual clout as the political clout. To say she was a close advisor would be an understatement.

When he calls people who stand up for themselves and others who rely on some funding in order to ensure equality... when he calls those people "left-wing fringe groups"... and most of those groups include women, then yea, I say he is anti-women.

As much as going on about his flaws satisfies something in me, it also distracts me from what really needs to be done. So, I will leave you, ambler, to do your own research on the man if you so wish. What you think of him is not my business.

The focus now is to make sure that the Liberals still have a party in four years and that the NDP use what clout they have to modify the things the government wants to happen.

I informed my boss this week that I will not refer in writing or in speech to the Canadian Government as the Harper Government. That should be the first thing that the powers that be change. The fact that he was insistent on that while replacing photos of past prime minsters in the government halls with photos of himself gives me the creeps. Someone needs to rein him in a bit.

retrokitty wrote:

I will leave you, ambler, to do your own research on the man if you so wish. What you think of him is not my business.

Yet you seem to think that what you think of him is everybody's business. All I did was call you out on your assertions and you've provided no evidence to back up any of them.

Besides, Harper has a point. Canada is the world's ninth or tenth biggest economy yet it hardly figures on the world stage. Something wrong there.

You quoted me but left out the sentence before what you quoted which stated that concentrating on harper's flaws distracts me from what needs to be done now. Therefore, I said that you could do your own research. There is so much online about harper that I don't feel the need to post article after article on what he's done in the past four to ten years.

I don't think what I think is everyone's business. Those that are interested will read and engage. Those that are not, won't.

ambler wrote:

Yet you seem to think that what you think of him is everybody's business.

Well, this is a forum after all.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

ambler wrote:

Yet you seem to think that what you think of him is everybody's business.

Well, this is a forum after all.

Of course. That's my point. So why quote selectively to make it look as though I'm saying the opposite? This was the full exchange:

ambler wrote:

retrokitty wrote:

What you think of him is not my business.

Yet you seem to think that what you think of him is everybody's business.

So she thinks we should pay attention to her views, but has no interest in listening to anyone else's. That's not how a debate works.

ambler wrote:

So she thinks we should pay attention to her views, but has no interest in listening to anyone else's. That's not how a debate works.

Ah, sorry, I thought you were trying to say that she shouldn't have made her initial post decrying Harper in the first place. Nevermind then.

I don't think people should pay attention to my views any more than anyone else's here. I share them and whoever is interested can talk about them with me; those that are not interested in my views won't. Or so one would think.

It's not my business/responsibility to convince you of anything and I stated that I was not going to spend more time on harper when there is so much on him that is easily found on the net if you are interested. That you don't know much about him and/or don't believe what I say without links doesn't really concern me. I'm not interested in setting up shop and debating this here. That's all.

I' ve been away for a while, but I must I say skipped down the street, when I got home last Monday May 2nd and saw a Conservative Majority governement and the Liberal Party in shambles, and 9 new Conservative Party members elected in Toronto and all at the expense of the Liberals.
All my favourite Liberals were defeated including useless former Leaf GM Ken Dryden. Skipped right into the local pub where the local riding association members were raising their glasses. They even gave me two free beers and lots of free food, even though I hardly did anything on the campaign but hang around the office.
This massive Conservative victory combined with the Rob Ford wipeout of the Liberal candidate in the Toronto Mayor elections last fall is the most wonderful news ever.

Here's to four years of sanity in both both Ottawa and Toronto City Hall. :)

quote="ambler"]
As an uninformed observer, I say top marks to Harper for defending Israel (is that what you meant by racist?) and zero marks for that record deficit. How did that happen? Must be that Masters in Economics. ;) [/quote]
Fear not young Ambler,Harper is the only one that can be trusted with the economy. He was forced into a "stimulus" spending party back in 2009 because he had a minority government and the Liberals were screaming for "stimulus' spending, as they are wont to do, so he played ball to keep the peace basically.
The Canadian economy has recovered nicely from the global recession. Harper is commited to reducing the deficit, hopefully gone in 4 or 5 years.
Corporate tax reductions look good to go which is good for everyone. ( lefties don't understand that money circulating in the economy is far more usefull than being tied up in the sinkhole that is government bureaucracy and wasteful "programs" catering to entitledinterest groups.)
Now that he doesn't have to cater to Liberal caterwalling, he can implement sane small c conservative economic policies, sensible sane immigration policy, foreign policy. You name it. Canada is in very good shape right now.
If the Liberals had been elected. Shudder. We'd be looking at Universal Day Care, Cap and Trade among other horrors. We'd be Greece or Portugal within 4 years.
Harper might be the best Prime Minister we've ever had. He's immune to hype. He promotes sane sensible non-nanny-state government that will allow us to all get on with our lives in peace..
Liberals like to say he was in "contempt of parliament" What a joke. More like, he was in contempt of the Liberal Pary of Canada. Good for Harper :cheers:

Canada is open for business. The sun is shining brighter. Birds are chirping. The forces of Planet Pluto have suffered a major defeat. And here in Toronto with the Mayor elections last fall, the forces of sanity exacted payback for the former liberal administration's banning of the glorious Toronto raised, Miss Universe from the public square. Such a disgrace.
Miss Universe is smiling.

retrokitty wrote:

When he calls people who stand up for themselves and others who rely on some funding in order to ensure equality... when he calls those people "left-wing fringe groups"... and most of those groups include women, then yea, I say he is anti-women.

This is a good example of a logical fallacy, though I can't remember which one. Probably 'fallacy of generalisation'?

Damn you Canucks. We're still stuck with our Red-Green minority government and their impending, unmandated tax on carbon dioxide. Not fair.

CJB wrote:

Damn you Canucks. We're still stuck with our Red-Green minority government and their impending, unmandated tax on carbon dioxide. Not fair.

I feel for you. I really do. We are safe here now from cap and trade or carbon credits and other such economy, standard-of-living crushing nonsense. Actually whats going on might be a mixed blessing for you. There is no way to make any economic sense of cap and trade,carbon credits, carbon taxes etc. These are failed policies that do zilch to reduce pollution but serve to help impoverish the citizeny by acting as a tax on everything whilst lining the pockets of champagne liberals and other green gangsters.
Any party that campaigns on this garbage can be shot full of holes and easily defeated, so if Pluto forces in Australia are looking to wave this flag- let them. They'll end up waving a white flag.

I think Australia's conservatives can be heartened that the centre-right government of the ninth largest economy has abandoned plans for a CO2 tax. This blunts the arguments of a certain republican troublemaker and turncoat who wants to derail the Opposition so he can make a few quid off carbon trading. He pointed to the UK's Libservatives as a source of inspiration whilst ignoring Canada's Conservatives. One path is clearly the more succesful one for the Australian centre-right to follow.

CJB wrote:

I. One path is clearly the more succesful one for the Australian centre-right to follow.

Very happy to have helped blaze the trail. It was a slow steady process exposing the Liberal beast here. First Harper knocked them down to a minority. Then he built two successive minority governments- the second stronger than the former and finally a majority mandate. He's steadily improved his seat count over 4 elections.
Meanwhile the Liberals had 5 plus years to offer up an alternative and they were found lacking. When all you got is big government nanny-state garbage like universal daycare, cap and trade, "contempt of parliament" fear-mongering, you've got nothing for people that are just trying to pay their bills and keep government out of their wallet.
If conservatives stick to basic conservative principles such as limited government, individual liberty and the promotion of a market economy, they can get elected anywhere. Cap and trade and carbon taxes fly in the face of all three planks. A sensible defence and law and order policy helps too.

Just hope the Pluto forces hoist that "climate change" flag. They'll be reduced to unelectable green slime from outer space.



The 1968 sci-fi "classic" featuring one Luciana Paluzzi as the lead Slime fighting girl! That's her in the bubble suit bravely battling the Pluto forces Green Slime invaders.

So Harper's decided there'll be no more public funding for political parties based on how many votes they get. Parties can only run if they receive donations. We're turning into America. This is to save taxpayers money, apparently. TAX CUTS, THAT'S ALL I WANT NOM NOM NOM.

But you know what would save us even more money? If they abolished the f***ing Senate. He just appointed three defeated Conservatives to the Senate. What a slap in the face to the public who didn't elect them.

Should the public should be shelling out tens of millions of dollars every year to bankroll Political Parties.
I think that's a no-brainer. Poliitcal parties can do their own fundraising. They provide no public service.

Yes tax cuts are always a great idea, both corporate and personal.There is no greater expense you will pay in your life than the taxman. The tax burden in Canada is oppressive and that's for everyone. Nothing kills the economy and one's standard of living better than burdensome taxation.
George Bush at least had the sense to not tax anyone making less than 40,000/yr. In Canada no such policy.
But Canada's biggest problem is runaway spending. The cost of government is out of control not to mention sovereign debt which is crushing Europe.. Harper has got to find a way to reduce the size of the public service and that is a huge chore as bureaucrats plant roots for life, not to mention all their enablers on the left, who think everyone should work for the government.

=== As for the Senate, Harper is simply playing hardball as the Liberals did. While the Senate exists, stack it with your own people.
If you want to call him out, call him out down the road, on failing to advance Senate reform. Either by moving to an elected Senate or outright abolition. Harpers says he is commited to 8 year terms for elected Senators so we'll have to see how diligently he moves on that file. He'll probably meet resistance from both oppostion parties not to mention Senators themselves.

RIP Jack Layton.

Louis Armstrong wrote:

RIP Jack Layton.

I think you and I are the only two that noticed.
Yes, terrible that such an energetic and likeable politico died so young.

tiffanywint wrote:

Louis Armstrong wrote:

RIP Jack Layton.

I think you and I are the only two that noticed.
Yes, terrible that such an energetic and likeable politico died so young.

Me three. I didn't expect to be as saddened by his passing as I eventually was. His optimism was really contagious.

Surely something's happened in the world of Canadian politics?

Sharky wrote:

Surely something's happened in the world of Canadian politics?

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club fired their coach. That's about all the noteworthy political news so far this year.

GeneralGogol wrote:

Sharky wrote:

Surely something's happened in the world of Canadian politics?

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club fired their coach. That's about all the noteworthy political news so far this year.

Yep thats about it! Leaf GM Brian Burke and uber-loud commentator Don Cherry are having a big fight, over hockey naturally. That pretty much dominates the public discourse.

We worry about stuff that matters in this country.

Anything of interest... yet?