Canada General Discussion

[Hash]

Anybody could see that Fantino was a full-of-sh**t idiot from day one. It's also disgusting that stupid fraud Bev Oda is still allowed anywhere near cabinet. But Steve has never been one for accountability.

[RogueBeaver]

He doesn't gaffe but is completely ineffective in the House. Dunno what he's like as an administrator, given that his job is a rather pointless one (like literally half the Cabinet posts). Then one remembers another infamous Tory occupant of that post... Pierre Sevigny, and I'm not talking about Munsinger either.

Oda: Apparently she's a good administrator but horrible communicator. Nonetheless, I agree that she shouldn't be in Cabinet- even before NOT.

Other women who I think will do well: Rempel, Glover and Adams.

[Хahar 🤔]

One of the more interesting things about the 2011 election results was the way the Liberals were killed in Quebec outside Montreal Island. If they have no appeal outside the city, that's not good news for them; even if they rebound in the polls there, that lack of appeal gives them a definite ceiling. There are ridings where they got the sort of numbers that the NDP got in Quebec fifteen years ago.

I think the West will be important for the NDP at the next election, even more than Quebec. The Tories can keep winning by enormous margins in Alberta, but the rest of the Prairies are different, and the NDP is the only real opposition party there. Saskatchewan in particular is one place where I would expect big NDP gains in 2015; the NDP would gain a few seats right away assuming that a fair map is drawn, and voters there won't be voting against a provincial NDP government (like in Manitoba and Nova Scotia this last election), since the SaskTories ought to still be in power.

[RogueBeaver]

The Montreal thing is not new- the same happened in 2006/8. Trudeau is spot-on when he said that the Grits need to make a "values voters" (my paraphrase) pitch to Quebec. That doesn't mean whining about the registry ad infinitum. IMO it means reminding Quebecers that socially, they're on the same team and economically, Brisonism is the best way of sustaining the badly creaking Quebec (Orange) Model.

NDP: West is irrelevant for now. If they lose Quebec then they're back in 3rd no matter what.

Messaging aside, the Pelciquistes are weak for 3 reasons. 1) Organization. 2) Money. 3) Time Investment. When Coderre pulled that idiotic stunt 3 years ago (which nearly got him expelled from caucus for rank insubordination), Iggy stripped him of all the lieutenant's traditional powers except that of caucus liaison to the Pelciquiste executive. Unelected bureaucrats whom the electorate has never heard of are the ones operating what's left.

Coderre was replaced by Garneau, who's a nice guy but has no fundraising or organizational ability- plus absolutely no power over the bureaucrats. Hell, he nearly lost his own seat to a poteau.

Fundraising: No one donates to losers.

Time Investment: All the time was spent on candidate recruitment and almost nothing on actually developing constituency organizations. You find some grassroots activists who have organizational ability, create a nucleus, and come out to support them once in a while. Spend time touring the province, listen to voters. It took Harper 3 years just to get 10 seats. Rae has promised to spend a lot of time here this year, so he's doing that part right.


Coderre could have done this stuff, but did the exact opposite and bungled it. Garneau has also failed, and doesn't have the assertive personality required for this job (Previous holders include Lapierre, Ouellet, Lalonde, Marchand- alphas all). The only one who has the skills and knows what needs to be done... is the only one who Rae doesn't trust. A pity, but that's the way things are.

[MaxQue]

To give an idea of the problems of the Liberals, they had found a good candidate for my riding in 2008 (a former mayor of the main city), but, as they refused to commit money for his campaign, he declined.

Usually, those kinds of details doesn't go public, but they decided to write his name on the Liberal website anyways and saying to local media than he was their candidate.

He wasn't happy of that and didn't ran..

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Senator Boisvenu (a stupid guy whose daughters has been killed and became a "victims rights campaigner", even if he doesn't make consensus at all, because he doesn't give a damn about victims, he only cares about vengeance and honestly needs a therapy, not a policital office) said than "each murderer should have a rope in his cell".

I think he should retire and take a therapy and stop tarnishing his name in the public place, because it looks pathetic and quite sad.

I'm more upset that he took back his good idea

[RogueBeaver]

Pensions, staged citizenship ceremonies, crime and Gateway. Nothing particularly interesting.

[MaxQue]

What is Gateway? I follow things, but it is remembering me nothing. I suppose it i called another way in French?

Or that is the oleoduc project in BC?

[Hatman 🍁]

That's the pipeline debacle.

[RogueBeaver]

Gateway is the pipeline through northern BC.

Oh, and Pat Martin dropped another F-bomb on Twitter, this one directed at Boisvenu.

CSD: Yep, that's Coderre all right.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

That's the pipeline debacle.

Interesting terminology. I wonder what'd happen in Harper tried to ram it though the house.

[RogueBeaver]

Toronto-Danforth scheduled for March 12.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/by-election-in-laytons-riding-scheduled-for-march-12/article2327105/

[RogueBeaver]

TO-Danforth pushed back to March 19.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1127004--toronto-danforth-by-election-delayed-a-week

[RogueBeaver]

Pensions, pensions, Caterpillar, pensions, hidden agenda.

[RogueBeaver]

Pensions, pensions, Caterpillar, pensions, hidden agenda.

[Hash]

Some retarded Purgatory blowhard also compared Allan Rock to Adolf Hitler. Words can't express my love for this oh-so-unifying government.

[RogueBeaver]

Pensions, hidden agenda, pensions, aboriginal education.

Notable exchanges: cheap mutual shots by Rae and MacKay.

[cinyc]

2011 Census Data released.

Calgary and Edmonton grew fastest, followed by Saskatoon.  Saskatchewan grew for the first time in over a decade, as did Newfoundland and Labrador.  Tories hold most of the most overpopulated ridings.

[RogueBeaver]

Puh-leeze. Though there are some pro-choicers personally opposed to abortion in that caucus, most prominently Trudeau.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-fear-pro-lifers-trying-to-take-over-weakened-federal-party/article2331586/singlepage/#articlecontent

[RogueBeaver]

Pensions, military procurement, pensions, Sino-Canadian trade.

Notable exchanges: Same as yesterday.

[RogueBeaver]

Still vile trolling no matter how you cut it.

http://www.canada.com/news/Tandt%2BLiberals%2Bunderestimate%2Bgruff%2Brural%2BTory%2Bwith%2Bground/6128220/story.html

[RogueBeaver]

Can any Ontarians decipher this OPC inside baseball?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/adam-radwanski/leadership-review-wont-be-hudaks-top-concern-at-pc-convention/article2333738/

After running a campaign worthy of Rick Perry's presidential bid, probation is the very least Hudak deserves.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1128295--cohn-hudak-will-win-pc-vote-but-stay-on-probation

We know that Dalton. Tell us whether you'll be the wimphand or the whiphand. Personally I expect the former.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1128970--potential-labour-strife-looms-in-ontario-deficit-fight-dalton-mcguinty-warns

[RogueBeaver]

Two elections away, and quite possibly a non-Tory government.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/changes-to-oas-wont-take-effect-before-2020-flaherty-says/article2334314/

[RogueBeaver]

That new poll has Tories 36, NDP 28, Grits 26. In Quebec a 4-way tie: Grits 28, NDP 25, Tories 24, BQ 20.

Can someone do some maps and/or projections if they have the time?

[Хahar 🤔]

Those numbers smell fishy, Quebec in particular. You're in Quebec; what do you make of them?