Re: Trudeau
 

It's hard to think of a duller topic than a Canadian election. Trudeau will win. O'Toole pandering to the anti-vaxxers sinks his party. The NDP don't have support east of Ontario. The francophone neo-fascist doesn't have a prayer because most neo-fascists in Canada are anglophone and therefore hate him.

Re: Trudeau
 

The Quebecois have their own brand of fascism and don't need any help from O'Toole. He was the one who started psuedo-campaigning in press releases months ago so can't throw shade at Trudeau for biting and calling an election (a bad time for it, imo), but now the big reveal is he'd spend more than spendthrift Trudeau and scrap the universal child care plan. I don't see that winning him many votes.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/con...form-1.6142319

Re: Trudeau
 

Ever met the hangers on/sycophants or fart catchers or mandarins involved in the inner machinations of federal/provincial or local politics?. Now that is a serious collection of dull people.

Re: Trudeau
 

Worth keeping in mind that the NDP was formed in Saskatchewan. The real issue is FPTP - the right is unified where as the left/centre left is split and feel like they have to strategically vote.

Re: Trudeau
 

The right isn't unified. It has two broad factions, traditional conservatives, we might call them the Orchard faction (small government, lower taxes, social conservatism but not to point of dictating what people can do with their bodies, pro-social health care) and frothing loons, the Kenney faction, (anti-vax, pro-big business to the extent of privatizing healthcare, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, pro-gun). Harper balanced the factions, despite himself being a creature of the religious right. O'Toole panders to the nutters, for example, opposing vaccine requirements for Federal employees. A pro-illness stance isn't saleable, Canada isn't Florida, there's widespread education in Canada.

It may be that there are people inclined to vote NDP who will vote Liberal because the local Conservative is of the frothing loon faction. If one choice is Derek Sloan then, of course, people will vote against him rather than for someone. There can't be many places though where it one would strategically switch from the Liberal candidate to the NDP one.

Re: Trudeau
 

It's a Canadian election so WGAF? Whichever party is voted in you know the average taxpayer will get screwed. Paying off the debt in 10 years yeah that's fantasy right there. $10 dollar a day childcare more fantasy. Hitting the Paris Agreement on green house gases yeah more fantasy. Having the Trans Canada highway double lanes all the way yeah right. Ever driven from Falcon Lake Manitoba to Sault St Marie?

Re: Trudeau
 

I took a very bumpy Hwy 11 back in the 80's and the load of antique furniture I had headed for Quebec got a foot shorter, it was brutal back then with few passing lanes, but no idea about now. Imagine the cost of twinning the highway through all those rocks!

Re: Trudeau
 

I'll bite...

What about those federal employees that can't take the vacation due to other conditions? Are they to be fired (assuming of course that they cannot work from home)? If you make an exception for them, how can you justify not making an exception for others?

Isn't Kenny gay? Please provide me with any evidence you can in support of your assertion that he is anti-vax, wishes to privatize healthcare, (to the extent that it would undermine front line services - preferring the linen to be cleaned by private companies is not, I would suggest, what most people would mean by "privatizing healthcare"), anti-gay, or anti-immigrant. As a weapon owner yourself, does he hold a position on firearms that is any different to yours? Does that make you a frothing loon too?

Re: Trudeau
 

If they can demonstrate a medical condition then they can have the daily nasal swab. The issue is only whether, or not, by default, people should be required to be vaccinated. There likely aren't a significant number of people in that situation so I don't think it matters who pays.

Will have to come back to the rest of it. Noting that Kenney is an exemplar of frothing lunacy not necessarily a supporter of every policy of the mad fringe.

Re: Trudeau
 

This is Canada. What is good for one, is good for all, otherwise the discrimination police will be all over it. That being the case, I would imagine that those that don't want to have the injection would have to be provided the ability to have a daily nasal swab, would they not?

As we all know, from a purely economic perspective, the pandemic was the best thing to happen to the government. Their profligacy prior to has been dwarfed by what they have spent as a result of, and no one will ask them to account for the debt they incurred prior to.

Carbon emissions are higher now then they were in 2015, so it will be difficult to argue that he has any environmental credentials at all, and his pursuit of the pharmacare industry prior to was the reason that, at least Pfizer, have stated that Canada was unable to produce the vaccinations itself. He has shown that he is happy to throw those in his party that do not agree with him under the bus and, other than providing lots of money to those with children (see debt above) what has he actually achieved in his 6 years in office?

While I don't imagine that another party will form a majority, I would be very surprised if the Liberals do and I believe that it will be a lot closer than the media is predicting. If only the Tories could find a leader with an ounce of personality, I believe that Trudeau would be dust.

I am simply happy that I am close to retirement so that some other poor soles can be responsible for the repayment, or the interest payments, of the debt. It would appear that all parties wish to outspend the others and, that being the case, I can't see any of them having the balls to impose the tax increases that they will have to.

Re: Trudeau
 

Maybe, if so he's a bit self-hating:

"Kenney and his United Conservatives have an uneasy relationship with Alberta’s gay community and have been denied permission to march in recent Pride parades.

The party is currently deliberating the fate of high-profile party member John Carpay, who publicly compared the pride rainbow flag to the Nazi swastika.

The United Conservatives have taken issue with the province’s policy mandating gay-straight alliances in schools, particularly the law stating that parents not be told if a child joins such a group."
https://globalnews.ca/news/4738041/j...ghts-comments/
https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/upl...0&h=379&crop=1 Jason Kenney says he regrets comments on gay hospital visitation rights | Globalnews.ca
Jason Kenney and his United Conservatives have an uneasy relationship with Alberta's gay community and have been denied permission to march in recent Pride parades.
globalnews.ca 

Re: Trudeau
 

I got as far as seeking citations for this, perhaps better stated as "careless with public health" than anti-vax, when I came across these pictures:

Alberta will not bring in vaccine passports, premier says | CBC News

OK, I concede. He flames like Reggie Dwight.

Re: Trudeau
 

Organizations can discriminate against people on the basis of their opinions, for example, one cannot attend the UofT without proof of vaccination. A choice not to vaccinate is a choice not to work (at least where I expect to). Medical reasons are another matter. Not banning the unvaccinated risks a strike by the healthy people so it's just the sensible thing for an employer to do.


I'm not arguing that Mr. Dress Up is a good Prime Minister or that the record of the government is impressive. TBH I haven't noticed what they've done or not done. I think the Liberals will win because there's no credible opposition. I agree that having a leader would make the Tories contenders. At the least they could then provide a functioning opposition.

Re: Trudeau
 

The gay-straight alliance issue was very nuanced, far more than that article suggests. Calgary Pride also banned the police from attending their parades. I accept that he made some comments decades ago that some may find offensive.

Re: Trudeau
 

I believe that alleging that someone is anti vaccine would require a comment along the lines of "... people should not obtain the vaccine.." rather than a statement that a vaccine passport should not be mandatory.