[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[crazy canuck]

Budget day in BC.  Taxes going up a bit on people earning more than 220k.  Modest spending increased and modest assumptions about increasing revenues with a continued balanced budget.  Economic growth projected to be modest but still the highest in Canada.

[viper37]

What could be accomplished by such a thing? 

From a governance point of view: show that tou are the PM of all Canadians, not just the PM of CLP voters.  Show that you are willing to engage in dialogue with people who have diametrically opposed view to yours.

From a political point of view: show that your adversary is a belligerent intent only on the use of force agaisnt canadian citizens while you tried to offer reasonable compromises.

[viper37]

This is the outcome of Justin Trudeau's disastrous sloganeering

National Post is higly critical of Trudeau.  Shocking. 

But they are mostly on point.

[crazy canuck]

What could be accomplished by such a thing? 

From a governance point of view: show that tou are the PM of all Canadians, not just the PM of CLP voters.  Show that you are willing to engage in dialogue with people who have diametrically opposed view to yours.

From a political point of view: show that your adversary is a belligerent intent only on the use of force agaisnt canadian citizens while you tried to offer reasonable compromises.

I think Scheer already did a fine job demonstrating just that this morning.  Trudeau doesn't him now.

[viper37]

And I remain convinced that Trudeau only listens to people who think like him, and this crisis will drag along until we have a severe shortage of food in our supermarkets and medications in our drugstores.

[Grey Fox]

And I remain convinced that Trudeau only listens to people who think like him, and this crisis will drag along until we have a severe shortage of food in our supermarkets and medications in our drugstores.

We deserve it.

[Malthus]

This current crisis is a bit of a puzzler - Trudeau literally cannot satisfy the Heriditary Chiefs, as this would go against the decisions made by the Elected Chiefs; he's committed to negotiations, yet the Heriditary Chiefs will not meet with him until their demands are satisfied, and what can he negotiate with? He can't just give them what they want.

Meanwhile, the example set has led to all sorts of other protests all over the country, with a laundry-list of grievances - mostly I think a response to genuine ongoing significant problems, to which the current government has mouthed all the right slogans but provided little in the way of concrete actions. Other than that task force which came up with a widely-derided conclusion that the violence done to native women was a deliberate "genocide", thereby performing the "useful" function of stoking native anger while providing little in the way practicable solutions.

Basically, this government has raised political capital by raising native hopes of substantive change for the better, and pandering to native fears of ongoing victimization, but without actually providing much by way of action on the many and grievous problems afflicting various native groups; it now finds itself in the position of having to defuse a significant crisis, which it cannot do without disappointing one native side or the other (as either the pipeline is built or it is not built). If it gives in to the demonstrators on the pipeline, it thereby guarantees that there will be more demonstrations, as there are lots of other significant grievances out there; and the non-native public's patience for endless blockades is likely to grow thin ... and this is a minority government. Trudeau offers more talk, but the other side is likely to view talk with skepticism (as noted, they refuse to even meet him).

Meanwhile, VIA has just announced it has laid off 1000 workers ...

[Barrister]

This current crisis is a bit of a puzzler - Trudeau literally cannot satisfy the Heriditary Chiefs, as this would go against the decisions made by the Elected Chiefs; he's committed to negotiations, yet the Heriditary Chiefs will not meet with him until their demands are satisfied, and what can he negotiate with? He can't just give them what they want.

It's not as if the company itself hasn't made numerous attempts to negotiate with the Hereditary chiefs.  From the injunction lawsuit:

[58]        It is not disputed that the plaintiff engaged in consultation with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and the Office of the Wet'suwet'en over a number of years, through in-person meetings and other interactions.  The plaintiff discussed issues raised by the Office of the Wet'suwet'en and the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and submits that it attempted to address concerns regarding the Pipeline Project.
[59]        The Office of the Wet'suwet'en participated in the Environmental Assessment Office's Working Group for the Pipeline Project and actively proposed an alternate McDonnell Lake route for the Pipeline Project.  The plaintiff explored and considered the proposed alternate route but ultimately rejected it for various reasons, including inappropriateness for the diameter of the pipeline, increased cost, the desire to avoid urban areas and greater adverse environmental impacts.  The plaintiff determined that it was not able to re-route the Pipeline Project through Sections 7 and 8.
[60]        Since 2014, the Office of the Wet'suwet'en has expressed opposition to the project on behalf of 12 of the 13 Houses and indicated that the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs opposed the granting of the Environmental Assessment Office and Oil and Gas Commission permits on various grounds.  Offers by the plaintiff to negotiate agreements with the Office of the Wet'suwet'en have not been accepted.
[61]        The plaintiff made repeated attempts to consult directly with Dark House and offered to provide information and discuss the concerns of Dark House regarding the Pipeline Project and ways to mitigate the potential impacts to Dark House territory.  Dark House was invited to participate in the Environmental Assessment Office's Working Group for the Pipeline Project but refused to do so.
[62]        Dark House has not participated in formal consultation processes with the plaintiff but has expressed, through its representatives, its opposition to the Pipeline Project.  Ms. Huson, in her capacity as spokesperson for Dark House, refused all offers by the plaintiff to meet to discuss the Pipeline Project prior to the commencement of construction.  She refused to provide any substantive comments to the Environmental Assessment Office or the Oil and Gas Commission regarding permit applications and did not accept the plaintiff's offers to provide capacity funding for consultation purposes.
[63]        Ms. Huson's only responses have been to state her opposition to the Pipeline Project and that she would not permit the plaintiff to access the territory past the Bridge Blockade.

https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2019/2019bcsc2264/2019bcsc2264.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAMV2V0J3N1d2V0J2VuAAAAAAE&resultIndex=4

[Barrister]

Apparently a group of concerned citizens have gone and taken down the camp blocking rails near Edmonton.  Didn't look like there was any violence.

[crazy canuck]

Yep, they have made a mess of it.  I wonder how long this government can stand.  They have angered everyone and pleased no one on this issue.

[Grey Fox]

No one is angry here.

Quebec remembers Oka.

[crazy canuck]

No one is angry here.

Quebec remembers Oka.

Angered everyone involved with the issue

[viper37]

No one is angry here.

Quebec remembers Oka

because you're not affected yet.

[Grey Fox]

No one is angry here.

Quebec remembers Oka

because you're not affected yet.

Why would that change anything? I already live in a world full of inconvenience, I have 2 kids. I will adapt.

[Barrister]

So there was a discussion on the US election thread about health care, whether our system was socialist or not, and how much control the government has (vs the doctors).

Well it just so happens that today the Alberta gov't unilaterally cancelled the master agreement with the Alberta Medical Association and will introduce a new agreement effective April 1 - all over the objections of doctors.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-government-doctors-pay-ama-agreement-1.5470352