Canada General Discussion

[Marokai Backbeat]

Quebec Dipper backbencher defects to the Grits. She represents the Strangler's old riding. IIRC this is the first defection since Blair Wilson's 4 years ago.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/01/10/pol-lib-rae-coderre.html

'Les électeurs ont voté pour Jack Layton. Jack Layton est mort.'

Jesus Christ. You stay classy, Mme St-Denis.

Yeah, pretty gross. Good riddance.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Electoral reform is, like, too complicated.

[Marokai Backbeat]

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http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1166296--ontario-budget-mcguinty-agrees-to-horwath-s-tax-the-rich-scheme

A hearty congratulations to Horwath.

[Marokai Backbeat]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/05/14/bc-ndp-poll.html

"Free enterprise coalition"? Really?

[Marokai Backbeat]

Considering everything goin' on in that budget, just calling it a "budget" is almost completely disingenuous.

[Marokai Backbeat]

We just severed diplomatic relations with Iran.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/09/07/pol-baird-canada-iran-embassy.html

America should have done this. Can we switch your Harper for our Obama?

We severed diplomatic relations with Iran over thirty years ago. Under Jimmy Carter.

[Marokai Backbeat]

The MP pension reform will be in the omnibus.

http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/359625/le-projet-de-loi-omnibus-federal-incluera-la-reforme-des-retraites-des-deputes

Why legislate at any other time when you can just throw everything in omnibus budget bills!

[Marokai Backbeat]

Unfortunately this is probably the best time the Ontario Liberals have to just go for broke and call an election. It makes sense, if it happens.

[Marokai Backbeat]

The PLQ is a horror movie villain that never dies.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Those numbers aren't that good for anyone, really.

[Marokai Backbeat]

On books, of all things.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Good: Quebec opposition parties will kill or at least force some serious concessions on the PQ's "secularism charter." Hopefully this thing is killed.

Random question for the uninformed and non-french: What exactly does this so-called "secularism charter" actually do, and why?

[Marokai Backbeat]

A plurality of Canadians (46-42) support intervention in Syria: http://htl.li/oC58P

Including a plurality of young people (49-40). Interestingly Quebec is most in support (52-37) while Alberta is most against (37-49).

Also interestingly, support among NDPers is the highest among the three parties (47-35); Tories disagree the most (45-48).

Whether it's here on Atlas, in America, the UK, and France, or anywhere else, I always get a kick out of how bizarre the lines of support and opposition are re: intervention in Syria.

[Marokai Backbeat]

And Mulcair continues to pull the NDP rightwards. I'm almost hoping the NDP loses big time in 2015 so that he'll get the boot.

I'm not even sure why so many ostensibly center-left politicians are so afraid of touching this issue, when it is so obviously something they could get away with and has widespread support among the kind of voters they need to get and keep. At this point, on this issue and others, Mulcair is well on his way to making the NDP as bland as the Liberals.

[Marokai Backbeat]

According to an Ipsos poll from May, 88% of Canadians support raising taxes on "the rich" (defined by most people as someone making 200k or more) and 89% of Canadians support an additional "millionaire's tax." This poll from 2012 registered similar nation-wide levels of support for raising taxes on the wealthy. Ontario specifically supports raising taxes on 500k+ers, and British Columbia supports more taxes on the wealthy as well. You can find poll results like this practically everywhere, not just in Canada. Backing off from any personal income tax hikes is straight-up wimpy and stupidly throwing away an excellent opportunity.

There seems to be a very serious disconnect because what the public wants re: taxes on the top-earners and what political parties across the board have the balls to actually implement.

[Marokai Backbeat]

(Sorry for derailing this is a bit, Rogue.)

And NDP will be given coverage where they can constantly repeat the figure in question and refute it. The end result from this line of argument is to not propose anything left-wing and egalitarian, lest the all-powerful media ruin you. That sort of cowardice has essentially already allowed them that. The rich being taxed properly is widely popular and no media lies that can easily be corrected will change that.

The NDP ran on higher tax rates in the past. They were also a perennial 3rd place party.

If the American Democrats can successfully run on "hey perhaps we should increase the top tax rate by a percentage or two, maybe" certainly the NDP can effectively campaign on that. It's such an easy pander (I use that word in a positive sense) that I don't know why more parties don't actually go through with it. There is more widespread agreement on taxes in public opinion than on possibly any other controversial issue in politics, but you'd never know that if you only watched how parties performed in government.

The NDP's refusal to do so is especially disappointing considering Mulcair's wussying out on other issues (marijuana, climate change policy) that at this point it feels like every time Mulcair is given the option to stand his ground on certain attacks, or differentiate the NDP from the Liberals, he chooses the most boring option. That the NDP is being out-maneuvered on pot by the Liberal Party should just be embarassing. The only issue he's been consistently decent on since becoming leader has been Senate reform; an issue that's going nowhere.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I love, love, love, love that it has turned out to be real. This is one of my favorite news stories in years.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I feel like "Trudeau is complaining that journalists are being too critical" has become a constant thing at this point. What does he expect reporters to do, hand-feed him grapes?