Canadian Politics

"He can't win" has never been an acknowledgement of reality. It has always been a way for lazy or purity leftists to get out of having to vote.

Trump is doubling down on his demands for the dismantlement of our dairy supply management system; which Trudeau has listed as a red line he won't cross.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-trudeau-supply-management-gig-up-1.4699550

Maybe if certain US states weren't so reckless in allowing overproduction; they wouldn't be having price issues. And an American president bitching about subsidies is hilarious; given how much Washington and the states help out various industries at home.

NAFTA is at serious risk, but its a good thing that the Canada-US FTA can't really be upended without Congressional approval.

edited 9th Jun '18 11:30:19 AM by Rationalinsanity

on a scale of 0-100 how screwed are we?

Canada or just Ontario?

We finally got rid of the confusingly conservative Liberals in BC and we are like doing ok. For instance. (other than the pipeline).

The whole tariff thing. How bad of a hit will our dollar take?

Big thing to watch is companies losing business, employment suffering, and cost of living rising.

Fortunately, we can put the same pressure on key US industries.

edited 9th Jun '18 7:52:20 PM by Rationalinsanity

Oh yeah that will effect the economy.

Ok but with Trump at the helm I don't think any of our tariffs will matter in the face of America.

They'll help lower and stabilize the costs of Canadian products, and pressure Congress to act.

I'm curious as to how the trade dispute with the US is likely to affect Canada's politics. Is Trudeau likely to gain or lose popularity because of his, er, recent spat with Trump?

If anything, it will probably boost his numbers slightly. Playing to anti-Americanism/standing up to an unpopular President has never hurt a Canadian PM, and his Conservative opponents can't really attack him on this file without coming across as pro-Trump/pro-American. You know you've got unity when the likes of Jason Kenny and Doug Ford are speaking out in favor of Trudeau. And even the Premiers who oppose him won't dare take Trump's side in this, or suggest that we concede.

And I'm pretty sure that the US will get the bulk of the blame when the pain of the tariffs starts rolling in.

I will say this; thank fuck that it isn't Harper dealing with Trump right now. He would have sold most of the country down the river by now.

edited 10th Jun '18 4:03:17 PM by Rationalinsanity

To be fair, even Harper has come out of his silence since he left office to condemn Trump's actions over the weekend.

He and his advisers have been suggesting capitulation for months now.

An unexpected casualty from the trade war between the USA and us,

Scheer has removed Maxime Bernier from his Shadow cabinet. Bernier had supported the abolition of Canada’s supply management system that puts rules on the sale of dairy, eggs and poultry. With that system being one of Trump's stick up his ass and the majority of Canadians rallying around that as a positive, it seems Bernier's views aren't welcomed.

Incidently, said views also probably cost him the Leadership of the Conservatives in the first place, so there's that.

Bernier had uploaded to his personal website his book chapter criticizing supply management, which Trump has demanded be dismantled in trade talks.

edited 12th Jun '18 7:02:43 PM by Ghilz

Probably has more to do with the fact that he published stuff directly critiquing his leader and the leadership process he lost than the trade conflict itself. Party line will upheld, etc, etc. Business as usual, in any party.

Might have a little bit to do with that race/diversity based spat he got into with a Liberal MP, or that's more of a sign that "Mad Max" can't keep his mouth shut enough for the brass' liking.

Still, wonder if they'll be able to marginalize him for long, he did have a following among the rank and file.

Update: Scheer has confirmed that it was Bernier's insubordination, not the looming trade conflict, that was behind his exile to the backbenches.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/bernier-s-lack-of-loyalty-not-supply-management-behind-demotion-scheer-1.3972050

Newest Angus Reid poll has Trudeau surging 12 points in approval since his March numbers putting him at 52% approval. The pollsters credit the tussle with Trump.

Trinity Western lost its SCC case, and provincial law societies can refuse to accredit potential graduates on the basis that the school discriminates against LGBT people and unmarried couples.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trinity-western-supreme-court-decision-1.4707240

No Canadian PM has ever taken political hits for standing up to a US President, especially a Republican. And considering that Trump's approval in Canada was in the high teens before the tariffs came down....

edited 15th Jun '18 11:27:43 AM by Rationalinsanity

The guy from the school who goes "Not allowing our discriminatory school to be accredited is a loss for diversity" in the article practically deserves applaud for the feat of mental gymnastic he must've accomplished to come with such a stupid statement with a straight face to the press.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/20/canada-legalises-cannabis-senate-vote

Congratulations Canada on this good development and be sure to enjoy all the money from US university students travelling there to buy marijuana with no concerns.

edited 20th Jun '18 3:48:55 AM by Grafite

We really had no choice but to legalize it, too many people use it and in several jurisdictions small amounts were de facto decriminalized anyway. The grey/black market are all over the place. This allows us to hopefully take in some of the spoils, regulate it once we get the details right, and conduct reputable research on it regarding its impact on mental health, impaired driving (the biggest issue here from my point of view) and so forth. Ideally, we'll understand cannabis to the same extent that we grasp alcohol now.

I suspect that border enforcement on both sides will be on the look out for any buds coming across the border, and again that already happens.

I can't see the situation getting any worse from this law, consumption wise. People who want to smoke weed already do so, at least now they have an option of going for a product that won't be laced with something else, and the money can go to offsetting the social and health costs.

edited 20th Jun '18 3:29:34 AM by Rationalinsanity

They didn't pass regulations for marijuana use along with the bill, like prohibiting driving under the influence? That's seriously rash if true.

edited 20th Jun '18 6:12:07 AM by Grafite

Driving under the influence of cannabis is already illegal, though the testing is iffy right now. Driving while having cannabis in your system is not a specific offense, yet. An update bill to the Criminal Code, including extensive charges to impaired driving, testing measures, and specific cannabis offenses, is in progress but the Senate is holding some elements of it up. That bill will go into force instantly, whereas legalization can be delayed for a few weeks as required. Kinda strange when Conservative Senators (a few of their retired compatriots have called them it), who pride themselves as tough on crime, insist on gutting expanded police powers for roadside drug and alcohol screening.

Honestly, now the ball passes to the provinces to ensure a safe and stable supply that is competitively priced. That's going to take some time and effort, and some (including the absolutely illustrious government of my home province) aren't shaping up very well.

edited 20th Jun '18 4:22:15 AM by Rationalinsanity

I'm actually really disapointed by the way the Liberals went around doing this. The Senate had made a suggestion for a bunch of amendments to the bill (Over 40 of them), some very interesting (Forcing Private companies selling Marijuana to divulge all financial interest from outside Canada, to be able to see those who are getting financed via fiscal paradises by organized crime - something several media investigation have shown is already happening). Another would clearly dictate what the provinces can and cannot legislate on regarding marijuana.

The Liberals adopted none of the amendments, and the Senators decided to not fight for them. The end result is the obvious holes in the law - Quebec for example now has a provincial and federal law that have different scopes, and it's basically guaranteed to lead to a long ass legal battle all the way to the supreme court to decide which one has precedence all at the citizens' expense. And all coz the Liberals are in a rush to pass this through rather than do it properly.

edited 20th Jun '18 5:16:10 AM by Ghilz