Canada General Discussion (2019-)

[King of Kensington]

If you go back to the Chretien era, the Annex and Riverdale were NDP strongholds.  In part it's because Toronto's inner city was less wealthy and gentrified back then.  But Chretien was much more "neutral" on cultural issues, and the gap between the NDP and Liberals on the left/right spectrum was much bigger than today (due to the leftward shift of the Liberals).  Also Trinity-Spadina and Danforth were represented by old-school conservative machine Liberals who did better with the ethnic working classes (a much larger group then than now) and didn't appeal much to culturally liberal professionals.

[King of Kensington]

In the 60s, Dief was the archetypal "Red Tory": culturally conservative and communitarian.  It only later became associated with "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" business types or whatever.

[King of Kensington]

Yes, he had a strong progressive streak as well.

In the 1950s, Bay Street was "the right" and Dief was the populist-"left" within the PC Party.

https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1953/12/1/will-diefenbaker-lead-the-tories

[King of Kensington]

In which a Toronto based Boomer writing in the Globe and Mail says that Nova Scotia raising property taxes on his 2nd home threatens national unity.

This is why everyone not from Toronto resents Toronto.

FTR I know the village where the author says his 2nd home is, and it's within easy commuting distance of Halifax. Yet he's making it out like he's saving the economy of some isolated hamlet.

https://twitter.com/joneisener/status/1517622237611843586?t=_2oE6xVD9kny4R-x-65Y...

For context Eastern Passage is a working class neighbourhood maybe 30 minutes from downtown Halifax in rush hour. Author is saying the rough equivalent of "it's hard to find a job in isolated Mississauga"

Noah Richler ran for the NDP in 2015 (I guess it's in line with Mulcairism though?)

[King of Kensington]

I see the conditions for the NDP sweeping Calgary/Edmonton as present no matter what happens in the UCP leadership race since, whoever wins, be it Jean, Danielle Smith, etc., is guaranteed to be to Kenney's right, a fact which is just gonna give Notley even more room to appeal to swing voters in general &, really, 2008 Alberta Liberal-2012 PC-2015 NDP-2019 non-NDP voters in particular; polling already shows the NDP leading in Calgary, the Kingmaker of Alberta, no matter the UCP leader.

The urban/rural gap is growing in Alberta.  Calgary isn't really the "Cowtown" or bastion of reactionary suburban conservatism it was a generation ago.

[King of Kensington]

Interesting Twitter thread:  Albertans are a bit more conservative than the Canadian general population, but not dramatically so.

https://twitter.com/parkinac/status/1528033478490705922

[King of Kensington]

NDP is running an attack ad against Poilievre, as they feel as he's cutting into the working class base:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/who-is-the-real-pierre-poilievre-ndp-launch-attack-ad-against-new-conservative-leader-1.6075829

[King of Kensington]

Winnipeg MP and former natural resources minister Jim Carr has died.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jim-carr-death-1.6683004

[King of Kensington]

Abacus: 37-27-19

https://abacusdata.ca/conservative-lead-drops-to-10-over-liberals/

[King of Kensington]

With Liberals trying to compare Poilievre to Trump, one poll by Abacus showed approximately 1 in 6 Liberal and 1 in 7 NDP voters would vote for Trump if in US.  Who the heck would these be?  I can see why maybe some who voted for two parties in past would support Trump, but cannot understand why anyone who still votes for them would prefer Trump over Biden.  I mean a Conservative voter wanting Biden to win that I can see.  Heck even a PPC voter favouring Biden seems more plausible (albeit unlikely) than a Liberal or NDP who favours Trump.

Low-information voters and/or contrarians.