06.28.2021 11:30 AM

Ottawa: still full of shit

16 Comments

  1. Maureen says:

    Sadly, that is so true.

  2. irreversable road map to freedom says:

    I don’t think its a male / female thing. No one cares about anyone in that cabinet anymore.

  3. Doug says:

    Speaking of full of shit…

    Surprised that Mark Miller’s comment that dismissed the exchange between Jody Wilson-Raybould and Carolyn Bennett as an “interpersonal issue” didn’t garner more attention. He basically dismissed the incident as a cat fight, using a Trudeau like insincere, breathless tone. Perhaps the Liberal cabinet has access to the same method acting coach as the leader?

  4. Pedant says:

    There was a lot of bluster over the past few months of putting Carney up against Poilièvre. It seems the Liberals have thought better of it. Carney might have been able to pull it off but not without a bruising battle. Poilièvre is battled-hardened, Carney not so much.

  5. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    That’s politics. Like all the other people who leave, five minutes after she advised the PM, she was already ancient history.

  6. Phil in London says:

    Stephane Dion, Micheal Ignatieff, were both leaders of the Liberal party, both were star candidates recruited by the party and both won a seat vacated by a women. They both were somehow anointed as the next Liberal Prime Minister and I just can’t find a lot on the internet about their many successes holding that office.

    In both cases a woman seemingly stepped aside to make way for the next king. Does that make for genderism or coincidence?

    I can’t see why this winning formula can’t work again?

    While they are still the only major political movement in Canada that has not elected a woman leader, I won’t crucify the Liberals here, nor the media, this woman put up with abuse that is beyond any level of decency in politics.

    However, she was largely condemned for her beliefs
    1) climate change (her harshest critics would say climate change extremism)
    2) liberal openness in government being more transparent than not actually living up to that standard.
    3) the liberal leader, I don’t recall her standing up when JWR and others were being thrown under the bus?

    I’m willing to condemn her reign of error as that of an incompetent liberal cultist, nothing male of female about it.

    You gotta know that the rumour mill in Ottawa has been looking for a place to plunk Carney since well the day they came up with the rumour he was interested in running under the red rag.

    I find it hard to believe that if David McGuinty had made a similar announcement his Liberal Bastion would have been a great place to promote a Carney bid for a seat and eventual leadership run.

    • Phil in London says:

      Oh yeah, to Ottawa being full of shit. Agreed!

      • Doug says:

        … and should be defunded. I’m increasingly of the opinion that the only path forward is retreat of the Canadian Federal state:
        -large decreases in federal income tax rates with the provinces assuming the vacated tax room
        -full retreat of the federal government from health and education
        -exit of federal participation from urban infrastructure. The feds should only fund infrastructure at ports of entry, on its own land holdings and in support of automation to reduce its own operational costs

        • Phil in London says:

          Retreat? Sounds more like the formal surrender of the Canadian Federal state. Why don’t we reduce provincial powers and taxes too? Let our municipalities lead.

          Not sure we’re still on topic but I think there is some momentum to this thinking. I think/worry that a united Canada may be a thing of the past.in fact the breakup may be well underway. but…

          I believe there is a collection of states not far from here that have fought an internal war over state’s rights. Maybe we should think this one through.

          • Doug says:

            The Canadian Federal state has always searched for relevancy. It has protected industries such as financial services, telecom, media, airlines and dairy while straying into provincial jurisidiction like healthcare, all in the name of promoting a national identity. None of this has been effective because no amount of centralizing oversight can counter reality: a geographically distributed country will little shared history will never have common interests, and trading with the rest of the world is more efficient than trading internally. Instead, the Feds should focus in areas where Provinces cannot deliver: border security, national transportation corridors, a national securities regulator, defence, minimizing barriers to movement of resources within the country (including pipelines).

            Invoking the US Civil War is highly disingenuous. A federal exit from health and education would not lead to military conflict, nor is opposition to Federalism somehow linked to slavery.

            I suspect that you live in Laurentian Canada, or work in the public sector or in a protected industry. As much as political spinmasters try to frame Canadian politics as a battle between social conservatives and enlightened liberals, the real battle is between technocrats and those who accept that Canadian government policy cannot sustainably change much of anything. Jen Gerson articulates this sentiment well from her post in The Line (along with Warren’s site, one of the most interesting for commentary on Canadian politics): https://theline.substack.com/p/jen-gerson-choose-wisely-what-holidays

            It is behind a paywall, but I am posting the following excerpt that should conform to the principles of fair use:

            “Among liberals orientated to the Ottawa-Toronto-Montreal triad, it has traditionally gone without saying that a unifying Canadian mythology is a good thing. Institutions and habits that centralize power, and narratives and symbols that weave a universal story about our shared Canadian identity and values are sacrosanct.

            If you are among this crew, you are always going to express frustration with our messy federalism; contempt for rogue premiers, and horror at any action that is perceived to undermine our shared virtues. Take, for example, the reaction to Ontario premier’s decision to invoke the notwithstanding clause to override a court ruling that would impose new restrictions on pre-writ spending limits. The Charter is holy writ — except for the part that allows provinces to override it.

            This is the dominant ideological viewpoint of the country. But it is not the only one.

            The other — western-tilting conservatism — sees that urban triad as a remote, almost imperial power. The stereotypes and symbols of Canadiana are a geographic artifact that feel affected, hollow, even foreign.”

  7. Peter Williams says:

    Trudeau and Freeland say Admiral should be fired, cause he golfed with Gen Vance. Not firing him sends a message to women.

    https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6086335?

    Hey Justin, fire your minister of Defence (aka Mr I don’t want to know anything about sexual misconduct).

    Hey Liberals… get rid of the gropenfuhrer. Isn’t groping women worse than playing golf?

  8. Phil in London says:

    Doug you suspect I 1) “ live in Laurentian Canada” Strike one believe me London is not in Laurentian Canada and it is surrounded by a ton of right of centre rural area which is my home. 2) “or work in the public sector” Strike 2 I am self-employed 3) “or in a protected industry.” Strike 3 as far as what I do, I don’t believe I need to post my resume here.

    I respect your opinion and I also agree with many points you make.

    What I am saying, if we want to have that loose federation described by you, how do we do so? Frankly I do think if we dismantled this shipwreck too quickly that there could be disastrous ends.

    For many different reasons America did have an awful civil war, many argue it was a case of state’s rights. I think it is safe to say the truth about that war -the core issue – was racism. My humble opinion is that states’ rights helped sow the seeds of that division. It is my concern over divisive politics that worries me as to how this Canada experiment ends or continues.

    I am neither supporting a united Canada in my comments nor fomenting the demise of a government. I simply don’t know how the alternative plays out. Again, I fear if we do so too quickly and too recklessly that there is a big loud earth shattering kaboom.

    I also fear that if central Canada, the Laurentians as you call it, don’t soon start truly listening to Western issues that Kaboom may be much louder. That Toronto, Ottawa Montreal Triad of liberals truly has no clue that places like London, Ontario exist. I am not certain they don’t view the west as their colonies rather than their equals. So we agree on a lot that is wrong, I am just looking around and saying where the hell do we start?

  9. Doug says:

    Federal retreat from health and education would be a great start. Both rely on physical delivery of service (maybe education less so over time), and the benefits are mostly local meaning that the costs should be born locally and local governments held accountable. Federal funding or other involvement makes no sense. I already mentioned some of the others: opening telecom, air travel and agriculture (mainly dairy and poultry) to comeptition, ending protection of the Laurentian based media empires, gradually allowing more competition in financial services. Longer term, I would like to see true representation by population in the Commons, a Triple E Senate and some measure to contain the Supreme Court led scope creep in federal jurisdiction. Of course none of this will every happen due the Consititution’s fatally flawed ammending formula, the implied requirement to favor Quebec interests in all federal policy and many of the other tragically awful legacies of PET.

    I have come and gone from Calgary several times. Over the combined 30 years or so that I lived there, the federal government felt like an absentee landlord, largely out of sight and out of mind except for the substantial portion of my earnings it collected. I struggled to appreciate what the Feds did to improve my life of that of others in the region.

    I was a big fan of the Reform Party back in my teens and twenties and perhaps that is why I find equating local control with the US Civil War or racism so offensive. The Liberal spinmasters of the era often invoked racism as Reform’s true motiviation in its attempt to deflect from Reform promoting the heresy of reigning in federal spending and more literal interpretation of the delineation between Federal and Provincial jurisdiction.

    • Phil in London says:

      Doug I too was a young reformer after making the mistake (once) of voting for Chrétien. I realize our moderator here can’t see it but that man was extremely divisive (and successfully so). Willing to alienate the west to win strong mandates in Quebec, doesn’t that sound familiar?

      An elected senate, a parliament more balanced on population, and staying out of provincial jurisdiction would be welcome here! I also think a better alignment of provinces could be useful. The Atlantic provinces lack the population to be separate and distinct. Just look at PEI having four seats and a lock on a senate seat. Don’t even get me started on Quebec the lone holdout to constitution has a seemingly guaranteed number of seats in both senate and parliament.

      On the other hand “AlbSaskaToba” could likely attract parts off BC and northern Ontario and form one pretty indomitable province on its own to compete with the Ontario and Quebec giants.

      Reform successes in returning conservatives to conservatism was based on grass roots support. That grass never got watered much here where I live more aptly, PCs who could not see the path to power insisted on splitting the vote in Ontario. Meanwhile Preston Manning moved into Stornaway, the bingo hall he promised to close and Reformers did not give up their gold plated pensions.

      I just can’t see there are enough people who don’t want the liberal handouts. That’s why as you say the middle doesn’t represent most of Canada.

      The Harper strategy to move the middle was the way to go but somehow it moved to the middle once given the coveted majority. That was the time to act like a slightly right of centre government. I think Harper was smart enough to realize there was not enough bench strength so he closed ranks.

      I guess I’m more in line with you than most here, I think I’ve capitulated to the reality of what we face. Not much will change till everything changes and that’s where my fear is. I truly did mot mean to fan flames about extremism. I think we could be an extremely competitive in which to live, I’m just not sure most of us have the confidence to look after ourselves without the big hand of government ALWAYS being there to pick us up.

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