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Because, hey, Canada needs some love as well.

Now, then, as a Yank to the Canadians, what has Stephen Harper done as Prime Minister, what were the top parties and how did the general election turn out this year?

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#6076: Mar 19th 2025 at 10:47:28 AM

As I've discussed in the politics thread, I wonder if this will encourage parties to sack unpopular leaders in the future, not just in Canada but also elsewhere, rather than sticking with them because connections/fear of being seen as weak/unstable.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#6077: Mar 19th 2025 at 1:06:31 PM

TBH. Trudeau is a repeat of his dad. His father went the same way, tanking in the polls, leaving right before the election, and the new guy lead the Liberals to their (at the time) worst defeat to Mulroney. I figure Trudeau Sr. Probably felt he always could've done better had he stayed than handed off to Turner.

So I can kind of imagine why Trudeau Jr stayed for so long, he didn't want a repeat of when dad left.

But also thank god he's gone.

Edited by Ghilz on Mar 19th 2025 at 4:06:48 AM

Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6078: Mar 20th 2025 at 6:06:38 AM

Only thing I'll say (and I didn't pay much attention when I was studying my BA) is that Trudeau Jr. could've done better in other things aside from personal stunts that he did.


An interview with poli scientist Philippe Lagasse (I know him BTW) on the three scenarios where the US could try and "change things" with Trump around and the need for Canada to change to reflect current geopolitical norms.

He does argue that if criticism of Canada as a vassal state is there, especially when it was tight with the UK and the US...

Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#6079: Mar 20th 2025 at 6:35:44 AM

Seems Carney is to announce elections Sunday with the vote on the 28th of April.

Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#6080: Mar 20th 2025 at 3:02:03 PM

Toronto Star reporting that Poilievre called Doug Ford for help with his campaign and Ford declined. If true, this is the funniest thing ever.

Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#6081: Mar 20th 2025 at 3:43:58 PM

Furthermore, Trump is currently pretending to want the Liberals to win the next elections in a laughably transparent attempt to help Poilievre.

Risa123 Since: Dec, 2021 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#6082: Mar 21st 2025 at 2:25:43 AM

[up] What would that even do ? Canada is under economic assault for no proper reason. Not just the Canadian Liberals.

phantom1 Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#6083: Mar 22nd 2025 at 8:23:33 PM

It helps with some Conservative die-hards he nonetheless don't like Trump because he is threatening to annex Canada (like my dad unfortunately) but I think they would look for any excuse to vote for Pollieve and why he's good.

Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6084: Mar 23rd 2025 at 1:14:14 AM

https://web.archive.org/web/20250320202344/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-lockheed-martin-offers-to-create-jobs-in-canada-if-ottawa-commits-to/

LM's "persuading" Ottawa to accept the offer for F-35s with jobs being created in Canada to make the other F-35s.

I know Carney's throwing it in doubt.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#6085: Mar 23rd 2025 at 2:19:04 AM

Why do I get the impression that "begging" is a better word?

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Risa123 Since: Dec, 2021 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#6086: Mar 23rd 2025 at 2:37:51 AM

@phantom1 Well, that issue I have here. It does not seem that Conservatives have any more reason to be conciliatory towards US. So why would they want Conservatives to win.

phantom1 Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#6087: Mar 23rd 2025 at 7:12:25 AM

Because they fell for Trump's line about not liking Pollieve and wanting the Liberals to win, because they want for a way to have the Conservatives to win and for them to stand up to the States.

Risa123 Since: Dec, 2021 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#6088: Mar 23rd 2025 at 7:15:28 AM

[up] Thanks and sorry if I got you thumbed by my stupidity.

Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6089: Mar 23rd 2025 at 7:18:19 AM

[up][up][up]

LM's likely trying to get a contract since Portugal is not getting F-35s due to uncertainties on who's in the WH.

Plus that jet's the biggest political dilemma after the Conservatives said that they'll get it.

Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#6090: Mar 23rd 2025 at 9:52:56 AM

I think Pollieve is still highly unpopular isn't he?

Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#6091: Mar 23rd 2025 at 10:22:36 AM

He's not beating the Maple Maga accusations, that's for sure.

That said, before Trump started his rethoric of annexing Canada, the Conservatives were in full swing to win the next elections. The Liberals have since then successfully galvanized the population and portrayed themselves as the best counter US imperialism.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#6092: Mar 23rd 2025 at 10:56:16 AM

Although if the timing of poll movements is indicative, Trudeau retiring might have played a bigger role in the Liberal recovery.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Galadriel Since: Feb, 2015
#6093: Mar 23rd 2025 at 11:02:20 AM

Polievre’s still got 36-38% support in most polls (and the Liberals are mostly at 38-40%). That’s a decline from Polievre having support in the low 40s before Trudeay resigned and Carney became PM, but a lot of the Liberal gains in support are pulling from the NDP and Bloc, rather than a total Conservative collapse.

EDIT: Election is called for April 28.

Edited by Galadriel on Mar 23rd 2025 at 12:00:36 PM

Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6094: Mar 23rd 2025 at 9:40:27 PM

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/2025/03/22/snowbird-detour

Since the Snowbirds are facing the "inform CBP if you're staying in the US for more than 30 days" issue, Mexico's an alternative...

The article raised the issue of Mexican security.

Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#6096: Mar 24th 2025 at 7:49:45 PM

Not sure that would help even if he did. Considering they've already been delayed several times now and his chances are already going down the drain.

Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6097: Mar 26th 2025 at 4:58:06 AM

https://nagystephen.com/2025/03/26/why-a-domestic-economy-upgrade-trumps-diversification-stephen-nagy-for-inside-policy/

Professor Nagy of International Christian University in Japan (I know him BTW) argues that the Canadian economy should be upgraded rather than rely on diversification:

He got consulted by Ottawa a few times on geopolitical issues in Asia.

His points:

The evidence overwhelmingly supports the latter approach in which Canada reduces interprovincial trade barriers and regulations, builds infrastructure to move energy and other resources within Canada, and invests in Canadian human capital and relationships with the US to maximize synergies, stakeholder buy-in and mutual benefit.

The knee-jerk reaction to blame Trump’s economic nationalism misses a crucial point: America’s retreat from championing global free trade began well before his unorthodox political ascendance in 2016. The Obama administration’s signature Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) faced mounting bipartisan skepticism before Trump withdrew from it in 2017. Hillary Clinton, during her presidential campaign, explicitly stated she would oppose the deal, reversing her earlier support. “I will stop any trade deal that kills jobs or holds down wages, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” Clinton declared during a campaign speech in Michigan in August 2016.

When President Joe Biden took office, rather than resurrect the TPP, his administration proposed the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Unlike traditional trade agreements, the IPEF conspicuously omitted market access provisions while emphasizing supply chain resilience and environmental standards. During the IPEF ministerial meeting in Los Angeles in September 2022, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai specifically noted that the framework “moves beyond the traditional model” of free trade agreements.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet fundamentally misunderstood these shifts, leading to a series of diplomatic missteps that have damaged Canada-US relations. Most damaging has been a pattern of public rhetoric dismissive of both Trump personally and his MAGA supporters more broadly.

In June 2018, following the G7 summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, Trudeau declared in a press conference that Canada “will not be pushed around” by the United States, characterizing Trump’s tariffs as “insulting.” This prompted Trump to withdraw his endorsement of the summit’s joint statement and label Trudeau as “very dishonest and weak” on Twitter.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland repeatedly aligned the MAGA movement with authoritarianism. In an August 2022 speech at the Brookings Institution, she characterized Trump supporters as part of a global “anti-democratic movement.” In October 2023, she went further, drawing parallels between MAGA and authoritarian regimes like Russia and China. These statements resonate poorly with nearly half of American voters who supported Trump in recent elections and are borderline disinformation with such exaggerated mischaracterizations of American voters.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne was caught on camera in December 2022 referring to Trump’s policies as “deranged” while speaking with European counterparts. The video, which social media users circulated widely, further inflamed tensions between the administrations.

The economic relationship between Canada and the US represents perhaps the most thoroughly integrated bilateral commercial partnership in the world. The statistics alone tell a compelling story: daily two-way trade exceeds $3 billion, supporting approximately 2.7 million Canadian jobs – roughly one-in-six workers in the country.

First, Canada must dismantle internal trade barriers that fragment its domestic market. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimates these interprovincial trade barriers cost the economy $130 billion annually – nearly 7 per cent of GDP. Harmonizing regulations and procurement practices would create a more efficient national market better positioned to integrate with the US economy.

Second, Canada should leverage its critical mineral resources – including lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements – as strategic assets for North American supply chain security. The Minerals Security Partnership launched in 2022 provides a framework for such co-operation, but Canada has yet to fully capitalize on its geological advantages.

Third, Ottawa should accelerate east-west energy infrastructure development to enhance continental energy security. The proposed Energy East pipeline, which would have transported Western Canadian crude to Eastern refineries, fell victim to regulatory hurdles in 2017. Reviving such projects would reduce Eastern Canada’s dependence on imported oil while creating more resilient North American energy networks.

Finally, Canada should position itself as a key contributor to emerging technology initiatives. Trump’s proposed $500 billion AI infrastructure investment represents an opportunity for Canadian AI researchers and companies to integrate more deeply into US innovation ecosystems.

The path to Canadian prosperity lies not in economic decoupling from the US but in strategic modernization within the North American context. The integrated nature of the two economies – built over generations through geographic proximity, shared values, and complementary capabilities – represents a competitive advantage too valuable to abandon.

Edited by Ominae on Mar 26th 2025 at 9:02:10 AM

Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#6099: Mar 26th 2025 at 7:28:48 AM

Stephen Nagy, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the International Christian University. On the merits, it seems like this analysis assumes too much rationality.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#6100: Mar 26th 2025 at 9:02:58 AM

I'm not surprised. He does think that despite Trump's going all "51st state", which he doesn't like last I heard, Professor Nagy suggests that we need to be rational in dealing with the WH.


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