[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Barrister]

The people around Carney are the people around Trudeau.


But I'd be shocked if we see a significant change between a Carney government and a Trudeau one.

I know Trudeau's current advisors sided with Carney, out of spite toward Freeland because they see her as a betrayor.

Still, he's a smart guy.  Much smarter than Poilièvre who can do only one thing: throw insults.

Like I said, I'm gonna wait and see.

So with Poilievre - he never held a senior cabinet portfolio, so we'll see how he does.  But I disagree he can only "throw insults".  For a non-lawyer I've been very impressed how he could conduct a questioning in parliamentary committees - and in hos he handles himself under questioning as well.  He seems like a pretty sharp guy.

[viper37]

You don't notice a certain pattern when it comes to Liberal leaders?  How many times does U of T / Laval / Harvard / Oxford come up?

At the age these politicians are, there weren't many schools offering post graduate or master degrees for their relevant fields.

Nonsense.  All the major Canadian universities are over a century old.  Yet it's always U of T / Laval.  Tons of universities around the world - but it's always Harvard / Oxford.

I'm talking about Quebec Francophone universities.

Laval is one, HEC is another.

Université de Montréal and Laval are the oldest ones.  Attached to UdM are Polytechnique (engineering) and HEC (Hautes-Études Commerciales) for business admin.


These are the 2 universities offering the most masters programs in Quebec.

[HVC]

I'm enjoying Viper unintentionally turning into a liberal . Soon he shall become a rabid anti separatist   

[viper37]

1) I'm enjoying Viper unintentionally turning into a liberal .

2) Soon he shall become a rabid anti separatist   

1) PP does not give me a choice.  I hate him for that.

2) Do not push it

[HVC]

1) PP does not give me a choice.  I hate him for that.

Guess northern Trump is good for something if he can get more people to turn from the dark side

Hopefully he doesn't F up too bad.

2) Do not push it

Fair

[Admiral Yi]

Now unlike Trump - who sees corruption and wonders how he can get his share - the "elite" don't see it as corruption.  Instead it's "whatever is good for Power Corp. / Desmarais family, is good for the Liberal Party, is good for Canada".  It's why Canada has so much of its economy tied up in a small number of firms - only five big banks, only 2 telecommunications companies, only two grocery chains, only two pharmacy chains (one of which is owned by a grocery chain), and so on.

What's the causal link that transforms these thoughts into uncompetitive markets?

[Barrister]

Now unlike Trump - who sees corruption and wonders how he can get his share - the "elite" don't see it as corruption.  Instead it's "whatever is good for Power Corp. / Desmarais family, is good for the Liberal Party, is good for Canada".  It's why Canada has so much of its economy tied up in a small number of firms - only five big banks, only 2 telecommunications companies, only two grocery chains, only two pharmacy chains (one of which is owned by a grocery chain), and so on.

What's the causal link that transforms these thoughts into uncompetitive markets?

So let's say you're Wells Fargo.  Or Verizon.  (to cover off Big Banks and Telecoms).

Banks are regulated under the Bank Act.  Schedule I Banks are banks located in Canada, primarily owned by Canadians.  Those are the Big 5 Banks.  They have a completely different regulatory environment than Schedule II or III banks, which are either foreign-owned subsidiaries, or foreign banks operating in Canada.

The CRTC regulates telecoms.  Telecoms can not be majority-owned by foreign corporations.

Now this is all sold under the rubric of "national sovereignty".  Which may well be true - but it sure works great at protecting Canadian banks and telecoms from competition.

All of which means - Wells Fargo would not be allowed to buy a Canadian Schedule I bank.  Verizon would not be allowed to buy a Canadian telecom.

Grocery is slightly different (fuck - all sectors are different).  At least in grocery we have Walmart and Costco as reasonably major players.  But still the Competition Act would certainly disallow any foreign company from buying a Canadian grocery chain.

It goes back to "what's good for the Rogers/Westons/Big Banks is good for Canada" thinking.  And thus laws are passed that protect those companies, even if not by name.

And the markets aren't "uncompetitive".  They're just less competitive than the US.  We pay much higher rates for cell phone service, as one example - because competition is only between two companies.

But at least we have two telecoms with headquarters in Canada.

[viper37]

We pay much higher rates for cell phone service, as one example - because competition is only between two companies.

Not for long, the way things are going.  They'll be catching up on us very soon, I believe...

[viper37]

Christy Clark opts out of Liberal leadership race in order to run for NDP leader next year


It's from the Beaverton

I really, really liked that won.

For our non Canadian friends, Christy Clark is a Liberal who took her Conservative Party membership card to vote for Jean Charest against Pierre Poilièvre. There's nothing really wrong in that, it happens.  

However, she was asked during a live interview (on the CBC, the one the Conservatives wants to defund ) if she ever had a CPC membership card and her answer was: "no, never, though I do not put pas them to manufacture a fake one" and the journaliste immediately confronted her with the fact the CPC sent them a copy of her membership card.    She had to retract herself on X.

[HVC]

The whole protecting sovereign telecommunications thing would seem a lot more plausible and less transparently false if they didn't keep letting the big boys swallow up their competition

[Admiral Yi]

Thanks for the response Beeb.

Now what I don't get is how that ties to corruption and the liberal party.  I thought there was pretty broad consensus in Canada for protecting domestic companies from foreign competition.  And your description doesn't explain how incumbents are protected from domestic competition.

[HVC]

They're protected from domestic competition by allowing them to become monopolies. Every time a company gets big enough to be a threat they buy them. Government puts on a big show of a trial (not proper term, but I forget what it's actually called) to protect customers... and then let's the takeover happen anyway.