Attitudes to Government.
 

I have noticed a big difference in the Government of Canada and that of the UK, that I think many potential immigrants fail to realise till they have been here for a while.

While bearing a superficial likeness to UK Government, Canada's is almost totally different.

Yes we have the Queen as Head of State, Yes we have a Parliamentary system of Government, Yes we have similar Laws.

BUT

Canadian Government works from the Bottom UP, unlike the UK which works from the Top Down.

The Federal Government has very little direct effect on my life, other than deciding some taxes (not all) I have to Pay.

The main Governments that effects my life are Provincial and City.

The City supplies:- Police, Ambulance, Fire, Garbage, Zoning, By-Laws, + other general stuff.

The Province:- Health Care and related services, Provincial Court, Court of Queens Bench, Appeal Court + other general stuff.

I hear far less “Political” discussion here than in the UK, unless it is around a very contriversail issue or election time.

What do you all think?

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

I would tend to agree, as a current municipal government employee. Back in the UK, we had reams and reams of government guidance to follow, not to mention everything we did was target driven, so everything just became a process to meet the targets. Here, in the same role, there is no federal government guidance and provincial guidance amounts to a couple of pages of vague text! The local politicians have much more say in how they run things and the local community where I work is pretty tuned in to the daily goings on at their local municipality and are on first name terms with councillors.

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

I've heard more here in Toronto, but people are concerned it seems more with local issues rather than foreign policy.

None of the Canadians I've asked though, tell me that they vote.

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

Thats exactly what I was getting at, its great to hear it from someone in the know.

Politics here is really important, but only at the local level, our local Councillors, as well as the Provincial Legislators all attend the local Chamber of Commerce meetings, buts its all in a very relaxed way.

Sally (my wife) and I recently met the Lt.Governor of Manitoba for the first time, Hello "Sally & Stewart" he says (he must have been briefed on our names etc) "the wife and I will have to come and have Fish & Chips at The Brit, I've heard they're the best" we then had a really relaxed chat, I just could not see this happening in the UK if we had been introduced to The Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.

Its so different from the UK, but at first I expected it to be the same. :o

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

Spot on. But I'd add that out West there's a general apathy to the workings of big government, it's far far way on t'other side of the country (often a cause for some, but not much, lambasting).

Peole here are much more likely to fret over having their snowmobile tuned up than politics of any shape. Which is kinda refreshing because every politician is a self serving wanker, innit.

R.

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

kinda refreshing until you realize that the self serving wankers are all off self serving and usually with our tax money...

I find that the average Canadians disinterest in politics has resulted in a vastly increased level of incompetence in government at all levels
Nobody cares and as a result nobody bothers to hold anybody accountable, unless they really go out of their way to be really stupid (the one thing Canadian politicians are good at)

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

Rather like the EU, then.

Rather like the UK, then.

Rather like the UK, then.

All governments tend towards incompetence and graft, but so far the government here in Saskatchewan seems to do just about everything better than the government did in Surrey.

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

In general, most Canadians are really laid back. The odd thing will really rile them, and they will let the politicians know about it. The every day problems facing both nations are the same though. Taxed to death, high food and gas prices, which no government will interfere with. Health and education woes, and the general deterioration of society. No matter which party is in power, and no matter who leads them, politicians are all the same. They govern us with their own agendas, reacting to our ire only when pressurized. What we the people all need is a mechanism to ensure accountability, transparency and a means to ensure that the nation is properly managed without the game of politics. Preston Manning once said "those of you who fail to become involved in the politics of your country, are destined to be governed by those who do". It is a pity that we don"t rise up to challenge more often, and let these rulers know that they work for us.

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

Canadian politics must be the most boring on earth! I am a very 'new' Canadian however, many of my Canadian friends concur...big time! When our poiticians do bestir themselves sufficiantly to get worked up about something it's usually of little or no significance to most other than the politicians making all the noise in the first place.

As for Mike Duffy Live....quite possibly the most self serving pathetic non confrontational , sycopaphantic political programme in the civilised world...or at they say in the West of Scotland...'utter pish'! :zzz:

Oh for a really 'go for the jugular' interview with one of our many 'cock up' ministers etc. Won't happen though. First time Mike Duffy does that, they will throw the dolly out of the pram and Mike will have no one willing to face hard questions again. Result, no TV show. Mmmmm Not such a bad thing after all! :cool:

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

A curious feature of government as applied to Toronto is that it's completely unrepresentative. The government, at all levels, is largely comprised of fat straight white men born in Canada to two parents born in Canada. The population at large is everything but that. I see some merit in this situation in that I don't know what the f-s-w-m-b-i-C-etc would otherwise do for a living but having an overwhelming majority of Canadians in government over a city where most people are foreign isn't democratic.

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

You dissing my hommies man!!!!!!!

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

I'd vote for a s-g-b-w-b-o-C but I don't have that option.

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

Largely, and of course you do speak of the eastern bloc. Out West where all maner of strangeness occurs, we had Svend Robinson (Google the rogue), a gay fella who (allegedly your honour) stole a gold ring of some several thousand dollars value.

UK migrants will be well informed to know that roguish behaviour is as bad, if not worse than that of the UK, but actually offers a little more in the way of entertainment from our inept elected bods.

R.

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

I've no need to google the Svend saga was National News. See, nothing much ever happens!

Re: Attitudes to Government.
 

Well at least you don't have "fast ferries" in the eastern bloc. Or bingogate. Or dubious garden centre/real estate sales.

We got all the fun of the fair !!! :unsure:

http://www1.vancouver.com/things_to_...dals/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...tical_scandals

This bumbling ineptitude occurs even closer to home:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Harvey

In terms of entertainment, it beats TV, for sure.

R.