[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[viper37]

Federal scene.  What we already knew: the RCMP did not need the emergency powers to clear the blockade.  It was a gross abuse by the Federal government.  When a future Conservative govt will use such powers to clear peaceful leftist protesters, some people will cry about injustice.

Trudeau government knew RCMP didn't need Emergencies Act to clear Ottawa 'Freedom Convoy' blockade, RCMP commissioner tells inquiry

[Grey Fox]

I don't know how else they could compel the towing industry to help?

[HVC]

If Canada breaks up Quebec is going to miss those sweet, sweet equalization payments

Don't care.  One more reason to leave these Lib-NDP province-trampling centralized government. 

I was joking, but now I'm curious. Why is getting money a reason to leave?

[Barrister]

Take an area I am comfortable with: criminal law.  The courts have been striking down mandatory minimum sentences right and left

Why?

Why are courts striking down mandatory minimums?

The basic reasoning is that they violate section 12 of the Charter - the right against cruel and unusual punishment.

Let me take the first example off the top of my head: section 95 of the criminal code makes it an offence to carry a loaded, prohibited or restricted firearm.  It carries a 3 year mandatory minimum sentence.  The Supreme Court of Canada in a case called R v Nur struck down the three year minimum, but in the case of Mr. Nur himself upheld the sentence of three years.

The court held that in some theoretical circumstances a person who had very little "moral blameworthiness" could get caught up in the 3 year minimum.  For example a legal owner of a handgun (a restricted firearm) might transport their handgun to a legal destination like a firing range, but forget to unload it.

That frankly is a stupid standard.  It ignores the fact that police and prosecutors always have discretion in laying charges.  If you try hard enough you can come up with some far-fetched scenario for almost any crime.

[Barrister]

Alberta Provincial Police

Again, this is perfectly lawful.  Heck you can go back 20 years or more and see Stephen Harper advocating for it.  Ontario and Quebec have their own police forces.

I am more concerned about the part where Notley says the government will used the social security funds to fund the creation of the provincial police force.  Are these wild accusations?

No, I think she said something like that.

Not that Smith is going to take money from CPP directly.  But rather that since an Alberta pension plan would cost less money (due to our younger population) she would use the savings to pay for an Alberta police force, rather than by reducing pension plan premiums.

[viper37]

If Canada breaks up Quebec is going to miss those sweet, sweet equalization payments

Don't care.  One more reason to leave these Lib-NDP province-trampling centralized government. 

I was joking, but now I'm curious. Why is getting money a reason to leave?

Fear will keep people in line.

It's a scare tactic used by the Federalists and a smear tactict among many used by Quebec haters in Canada that constantly comes back, and it's even used in internal debates.  I'm getting tired of it.

[viper37]

No, I think she said something like that.

Not that Smith is going to take money from CPP directly.  But rather that since an Alberta pension plan would cost less money (due to our younger population) she would use the savings to pay for an Alberta police force, rather than by reducing pension plan premiums.

Ok, I understand better.

[Barrister]

Fear will keep people in line.

It's a scare tactic used by the Federalists and a smear tactict among many used by Quebec haters in Canada that constantly comes back, and it's even used in internal debates.  I'm getting tired of it.

Whether or not you're tired of it doesn't make it any less true.

I can't track down the exact amount of money but Quebec receives in excess of $10 billion per year in equalization.

[HVC]

If Canada breaks up Quebec is going to miss those sweet, sweet equalization payments

Don't care.  One more reason to leave these Lib-NDP province-trampling centralized government. 

I was joking, but now I'm curious. Why is getting money a reason to leave?

Fear will keep people in line.

It's a scare tactic used by the Federalists and a smear tactict among many used by Quebec haters in Canada that constantly comes back, and it's even used in internal debates.  I'm getting tired of it.

You can just stop taking the payment and stay in the country, that works too . Just raise the federal income tax to the same as the rest of Canada, that would go a long way.

[HVC]

Fear will keep people in line.

It's a scare tactic used by the Federalists and a smear tactict among many used by Quebec haters in Canada that constantly comes back, and it's even used in internal debates.  I'm getting tired of it.

Whether or not you're tired of it doesn't make it any less true.

I can't track down the exact amount of money but Quebec receives in excess of $10 billion per year in equalization.

Tried looking it up, and Wikipedia has a chart tracking from 2010 to 2022. Also has a quote from Kenney which states   "Quebec has received equalization money every year of the program, totaling 221 billion dollars or 51 per cent of all payments." (To the end of 2018 I would assume, based on the date of the quote).

[Barrister]

Tried looking it up, and Wikipedia has a chart tracking from 2010 to 2022. Also has a quote from Kenney which states   "Quebec has received equalization money every year of the program, totaling 221 billion dollars or 51 per cent of all payments." (To the end of 2018 I would assume, based on the date of the quote).

While equalization always bothers a few cranks in Alberta, I think for the most part Albertans don't mind helping out the rest of Canada (in particular because so many of us came from elsewhere).

But what does always stick in the craw of Albertans is when other provinces try to stop pipelines and other resource developments with one hand, yet happily take the equalization money generated in part by those resource developments.

[Jacob]

So Xi Jinping apparently "scolded" Trudeau with the cameras rolling. Allegedly because Trudeau publicly "shared details" of their conversation in a way the Xi disapproved of.

I'm not clear on what those details are. Do any of you know?

[Grey Fox]

Xi can fuck off but apparently their conversation on Chinese ingérence in our elections was "leaked" too quickly for China's media control.

[Sheilbh]

So Xi Jinping apparently "scolded" Trudeau with the cameras rolling. Allegedly because Trudeau publicly "shared details" of their conversation in a way the Xi disapproved of.

I'm not clear on what those details are. Do any of you know?

Posted the link in the China thread for the clip:
https://twitter.com/AnnieClaireBO/status/1592784639474929665?s=20&t=sWfqMEQq9yvsa2NNG-dqbg

With this detail:

Charles Burton
@cburton001
Xi says 否則這個結果不好說了 which was not translated. It is a menacing threat to Trudeau: "otherwise it is hard to say what will happen"

From what I can tell it's that Trudeau's team briefed about raising China interfering in Canada's political process - which wasn't in the agreed read-outs. I would have thought China would quite like public statements about interfering in internal politics, but apparently that's one way.

[Jacob]

Yeah I have all kinds of analysis of the shades of potential meaning of Xi's statement, and the clip of course. I also have Trudeau's response. What I don't know is what Trudeau allegedly spoke about in public that Xi would like to be kept less public. And given that it was apparently public, I'd like to know what it was.

Basically depending on what it was there's a scale that runs from "well, I can kind of see Xi's point of view, but he needs to be less of a twat" on one end, through "fuck you Xi, you're a shitty evil dictator but I guess that's par for the course" in the middle, to "I guess we better step up anti-Chinese actions because that was completely uncalled for" on the other end.

If Xi's outburst is because Trudeau spoke about Canadian findings that Chinese have interfered in Canadian politics, then Xi can triple fuck off.