Canadian Politics

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Jim Basillie on political inertia.

Too little and too late for this election, I think.  Jim is right.  The parties are still thinking of jobs in the mid-1900s, with factories employing thousands and don't seem to have caught up to the idea that this kind of production facility is dead, dead, dead.

Jobs must now come from innovation, and we are not exactly slouches in that regard in spite of the fact that the pols are not on board.  Say what you like about the fate of Blackberry, they are the outfit that brought the mobile phone market into existence almost single-handed.

Remember that a prophet is usually denigrated in his own land.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Late breaking news:  I used the advanced poll which opened today.  It was noted by the poll personnel that while it wasn't tremendously busy it was steady.  When I arrived the line up to vote was 2 deep.  When I left is was more like 6 deep.  Time about 1:30 p.m.

  Edited October 9, 2015 by A Nonny Moose  
Additional topic.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Role of the Governor General in a minority result.

And the Queen has the same powers in the U.K. if it came to a tie in a vote in the U.K.  Sometimes the 'head of state' is more than a ceremonial figure, but turns out to be the court of last resort.

[Haljackey 17,403]

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

^Brilliant.  Welcome home to Sussex Drive, Justin.

[MilitantRadical 2,844]

lol - and we think American politics are ridiculous. Thanks for the reality check John.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

If you think our circus is fun, just look to the south.  Only two rings, but it is the biggest show on earth.

Besides, while the pundits are concentrating on the main rings (three) there are a couple of side shows playing out in the hinterlands.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

A Liberal Majority!

Threw the bums out!

Democracy in action, folks.  The Liberal Party of Canada moves from third place with 34 seats to a nice firm majority with 185 seats (more or less).  A majority is 170 seats, so the son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau (15th Prime Minister) gets to move into 24 Sussex Drive, his boyhood home, as Prime Minister of Canada.  The NDP moves to its traditional position of third place, and the Conservative Party of Canada becomes the Official Opposition.

What happens to the utterly failed leaders of the two losing parties is up in the air at the time of writing.  IMHO both should resign and the parties should have prompt leadership conventions.

Mr. Harper shot his bolt.  The electors simply didn't want the same old, same old again.  I believe this was an example of strategic voting.  The electors decided that the Conservatives had overplayed their hand and had become a burden.  The NDP has never been in power, so the electorate chose the devil they knew, the Liberals.  The old guard will now take position in the East Block of the Parliament.

[Googlefluff 55]

Very pleased with tonight's results. I just turned 18 in September so this would have been my first vote, but unfortunately I just moved to a new province and don't yet have any ID with my new address on it. But no matter, there's always next time!

  Edited October 20, 2015 by Googlefluff  

[RipRap 4,400]

Very glad how the results turned out, but I wasn't expecting to have the Liberals take the majority and take 185 seats. 

More news:
Harper steps down

Just about time now, I've been here for 8 years and Canada has changed a lot during Harper's tenure.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

 

Just about time now, I've been here for 8 years and Canada has changed a lot during Harper's tenure.

Time for a strategic advance to a previously prepared position.  What happens now to some of that police-state legislation that the Con$ jammed through will be interesting.  Watch for intentions in the Speech from the Throne.

[Haljackey 17,403]

While I am happy with the result, I would have preferred a minority. Keeps the government more accountable and if they really screw up, we can vote them out.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

The fat is in the fire with the majority.  Some things said in the campaign should become part of the Speech from the Throne.  Trudeaumania means we are stuck with them for five years.

[Sabretooth78 808]

Congrats on ousting your copy of GWB!

Regarding "Mul-care".  Yikes.  That brought back visions of Al Gore on an MTV debate whereon he said "You can call me Al" in a sad attempt to appear hip to pop culture.  I'm convinced that remark alone cost him the election.  And his subsequent political career and credibility as well, it would seem.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

"call me Al" puts me in mind of a line from the depression song Brother Can You Spare a Dime.  Here's the first verse to remind people:

"Once I built a railroad, mighty fine,
"All the trains were on time.
"Once I built a railroad, now its gone.
"Brother, can you spare a dime?"

Anyway, the main issue now is the new government.  The Cabinet will be announced and sworn in November 4th, and after that Parliament has to be called, the Speech From the Throne will define the government policy for the legislative term, and things will get going.  Meanwhile, Justin has a couple of junkets to attend: The G20 where he gets to officially meet and greet; and the Climate conference where I hope he is good at dodging.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Have the Liberals said some new words on winning?

Several international observers are asking "Gee whiz!  How did that happen?"

Well, in a word, the Canadian electorate happened.  The prior time out, the Conservatives asked for a majority and got it.  They acted like a bull in a china shop, and so were given a comeuppance.  Only their deeply embedded rural strength prevented them from winding up in third place.

The Liberals vaulted from third place to a majority this time due to reaction to the Conservatives trying to emulate the Third Reich. 

The Liberals were in third place because of the Quebec-based Sponsorship scandal of some 10 years ago when they were in power.  The NDP nearly defeated everyone, but their charismatic leader, Jack Layton, died of cancer well before this election and their current lacklustre leader just didn't have it.  Besides, many Ontario voters, with a big chunk of the seats in the House of Commons, have very sour memories of the NDP Ontario government of Bob Rae (now a gLiberal).  After the Ontario fiasco, the NDP will be back in the wilderness for a very long time.

The Liberals have a very charismatic leader in Justin Trudeau who will become Prime Minister on this coming Wednesday.  The Liberals were the only party that did not get down in the gutter and sling mud at the others during the campaign.  Conventional wisdom that says negative ads work turned out to be false.  People are simply tired of all that BS and nobody was taken in by it.  In the action, the Maritime Provinces went Liberal en masse.  Not one Conservative nor NDP seat in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.  Pretty grim for people like Peter McKay and family who are the staunch conservatives in Nova Scotia and none of the people got a seat.

Why?  Strategic voting, that's why.  It was "anyone but conservative" all across the country, and the NDP just doesn't ring the bell.  By default, the only good strategy was to vote Liberal.

After Harper got his majority he showed his true colours by muzzling not only his cabinet, but also senior civil servants and scientists, and ran everything through the Prime Minister's Office gestapo.  He didn't delegate.  When one of his ministers got in trouble, instead of dating the undated resignation in his desk drawer for that person and getting a new minister, he toughed it out to keep his appointed puppet.  Too much trouble to train a new dummy.

Mr. Trudeau has said that he will disband this little coterie and get back to real governing.  I truly hope so.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Currently, I am watching the CBC Broadcast of the Swearing In Ceremony of the new government at Rideau Hall.  No mob  scene (there are a few thousand people on the grounds watching on big screens), no key note address, no fuss, no bother.  Just a lot of oath taking.  If you are a newbie, you have to swear a loyalty oath to the Queen, another one to become a member of the Privy Council (for life).  If you are an old hand or a new minister you also have to swear an oath to perform your office in the cabinet.  This all happens in the main ballroom of Rideau Hall, which is the seat of the Crown (Governor General's residence).

So, after this ceremony, the ministers, if they were not already members, become members of the Privy Council for Canada for life and get to attach the initials P.C. after their name.  So you get people like Marc Garneau, Capt. RCN (retired), P.C. for example.  Capt. Garneau was Canada's first man in space and retired from the Royal Canadian Navy with field rank.  He is now Minister of Transport.  No rocket ships, just trains, planes and roads.

Mr. Trudeau kept his word.  The cabinet of 31 has 15 women and 16 men.  He had a plethora of old guard and new members to chose from and with wide talent and experience.  Seems like a pretty good mix.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/full-list-of-justin-trudeau-s-cabinet-1.3300699

The PM kept a couple of portfolios to himself -- Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth -- The first is hardly surprising since he has to go to the G20 almost at once and he needs the provinces on side, and the Paris environment conference as well.

Update:  After the bureaucratic fooferaw was completed (you know, signing the wedding certificate, etc.) and the official photograph, Mr. Trudeau held a brief press conference outside Rideau Hall in which he adroitly fielded questions from the press while saying practically nothing (he had nothing to say at this point), then he did a walk about, wandering through the crowd giving much concern to his security detail.  Mr. Harper would never have done either of these things.  You see, he was aloof, and we don't need any more loofs.

First cabinet meeting this afternoon.  No. 1 agenda item, when to call Parliament back.

  Edited November 4, 2015 by A Nonny Moose  
update

[timmie 988]

In the first poll since the elections, 55% of Canadians indicated they would vote for the Liberals (NDP only at 12%). It's only a poll, but that's an incredible number. 72% of the voters indicate they are happy with the results of the election.

I must say that I'm baffled. I can't imagine something like this would be possible in the Belgian political system. If a party gets more than 30%, that's considered extraordinary here. Probably the difference between FPTP and a proportional system.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Actually, the difference is that the Liberals are seen to be delivering on their election promises that were made to a highly pissed off electorate.  They got in on a strategic vote based on the cry Anyone But Conservative (ABC) and the fact that the third party (NDP) has a very bad track record in government (Ontario).

The Liberals are talking about reforming the electoral system, but FPTP has worked for us for decades, and it is hard to justify changing it.  There will have to be a referendum on it, and I think FPTP will win.  No matter what the poly-sci pundits think, it's not broken and need not be fixed.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Mr. Trudeau made a campaign promise to withdraw our fighter jets from the Iran/Syria conflict.  The mandate from the Conservatives only runs until April, so why get excited?  The PM has also said that we would take whatever steps were deemed necessary.

Now the PM is not a military man, but his minister of defense is.  No doubt all of this will be considered by the general staff, and the minister will certainly understand these considerations and advise the PM accordingly.

We have ground troops over there, theoretically training the Peshmerga and others.  One of the best training methods in a theatre of war is by example, so let us hope we have sent our very best (JTF2) elements to train the allies not only in general military methods but also in stealth and terror (terror is a two-way street).

If you were an ISIS fighter and woke up one morning with a note on your chest that said (in Arabic, of course) "You are next" then discovered that both men on either side of you were gruesomely dead, would you want to continue fighting or would you run away?

  Edited November 16, 2015 by A Nonny Moose  
grammar fix

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

The Halifax International Security Conference (annual event).

OK, now we've done the business, let's take a nice 5 Kilometre run to clear our heads.  Pick up your tee-shirt at the door.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

New Government Agenda for a short Parliamentary Session (before Christmas Break)

Short and sweet, five sections of what the government expects to do.  Some things will happen as early as Monday through Budgetary Orders (Interim measures pending budgetary legislation).  If you want to you can use the link above to access the full text.  I watched the speech, and was amazed that they managed to get so much into so few words.  Looks like a quick take off with the landing much, much later.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Indigenous Peoples and the Government of Canada.

And hot off the press at CBC.

OK, it's get with us on this because we are going to give you what you wanted and what the laws of Canada specify.

It is time for the "Indigenous peoples" to become Canadians.  If they want to be separate nations, they'll find that this would only hold them back.  They can be separate in culture, even language, but must be real Canadians instead of descendents of people who were had by the colonists.  The time to redress old wounds is past, and this is now the time for final healing.

[MilitantRadical 2,844]

Indigenous Peoples and the Government of Canada.

And hot off the press at CBC.

OK, it's get with us on this because we are going to give you what you wanted and what the laws of Canada specify.

It is time for the "Indigenous peoples" to become Canadians.  If they want to be separate nations, they'll find that this would only hold them back.  They can be separate in culture, even language, but must be real Canadians instead of descendents of people who were had by the colonists.  The time to redress old wounds is past, and this is now the time for final healing.

Can you define what you mean by "real Canadians"?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Indigenous Peoples and the Government of Canada.

And hot off the press at CBC.

OK, it's get with us on this because we are going to give you what you wanted and what the laws of Canada specify.

It is time for the "Indigenous peoples" to become Canadians.  If they want to be separate nations, they'll find that this would only hold them back.  They can be separate in culture, even language, but must be real Canadians instead of descendents of people who were had by the colonists.  The time to redress old wounds is past, and this is now the time for final healing.

Can you define what you mean by "real Canadians"?

Sure.  Either born in this country or naturalized by our immigration laws.  Most if not all our indigenous people were born here.  The idea of a 'status Indian' was for another time.  We need to be one people.  All this fooferaw is expensive and unnecessary.

[MilitantRadical 2,844]

Oh so you mean gain official status as Canadians.

  Edited December 8, 2015 by MilitantRadical  

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Actually, they have official status as Canadians.  Somebody, probably their own administration is denying the facts.  I am sick to death of all the silly pandering to these people who have been certainly downtrodden and treated like children for more than a century.  We need to:

1. Treat their adults like adults;
2. Make sure their children are treated no different than ours;
3. And most of all, crack down on racism in outfits like the RCMP.  There is not such thing as "just an Indian" and I'm sick of the idea.

[MilitantRadical 2,844]

19 hours ago, A Nonny Moose said:

^ That kind of thinking gave us an NDP government (very socialist, tax and spend) government in Ontario a few years back.  It was a disaster and I am not sure we've recovered from it yet.

What 5 years under Bob Rae in the 90ies? Was it that bad? I can barely remember. I was 10 when he was voted out. I remember the Harris years being pretty bad (from the point of view of a kid - i had no real political awareness at the time). There was a pretty big teacher's strike. McGuinty's reign wasn't great either, a lot of corruption swept under the rug and he resigned because of it (imo).

On 10/12/2015 at 7:00 PM, A Nonny Moose said:

Actually, they have official status as Canadians.  Somebody, probably their own administration is denying the facts.  I am sick to death of all the silly pandering to these people who have been certainly downtrodden and treated like children for more than a century.  We need to:

1. Treat their adults like adults;
2. Make sure their children are treated no different than ours;
3. And most of all, crack down on racism in outfits like the RCMP.  There is not such thing as "just an Indian" and I'm sick of the idea.

On that we can pretty much agree.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

^ Interesting that the censor routine obliterated the verb c-r-a-c-k.  I think that's a little overkill, folks.  Lose Mrs. Grundy.

 

  Edited December 17, 2015 by Cyclone Boom  
Agreed, especially in this context. The filter has been removed.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Foo! Donald!

And it is likely that we will accept even more as time goes on.  We are short of people, especially ones who want to live in freedom and work.  So many of these displaced people are either professional, tradesmen or university students that we are having a hard time picking only a few.  Our anti-terror mechanisms will weed out any bad apples either before they arrive or soon afterwards.  By their fruits, we will know them.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Eric Grenier apologizes to Clement Moore.

Mr. Grenier is CBC's political pollster par excellence.