[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[crazy canuck]

I wonder how many of those patients really need them for purely medical reasons, and there is no viable alterntive 

there are other, viable alternatives.  But pot users being pot users, they complain it is not as good.  Meaning, it doesn't give a buzz like pot.  So, some stupid doctors decided to listen to them.  There are always people like that, with a bleeding heart. And now, we subsidize drug users for their hobby while we cut on other needed drugs because we can't afford everything.

No.  That is not the issue.

The issue is that the government approved mail order suppliers do not produce enough pot to fill the number of prescriptions.  Therefore in order to obtain the medical pot patients are forced to fill their proscriptions in the grey market.

Another issue recently addressed by SCC is that the government mail order program only provides dried product which can only be smoked.  The government will no doubt drag its heels on implementing the latest rebuke from the SCC.

[crazy canuck]

There's a subsidy?

In Quebec, and maybe other provinces, there is a public insurance for legal drugs.
In any case, your private premiums, wich can be partly deduced from your income tax, take into account the costs of all medications offered in the country.

So, I end up paying for pot users so they get their fix.  And I have to either suffer in silence or pay an outrageous price for the drugs I need because they often are not covered.

So you should be in favour of a system which reduces that cost. 

[Josephus]

NDP are polling better according to new results.

One can only hope, if elected, they will act as swfitly and decisively as their Albertan cousins.

[crazy canuck]

NDP are polling better according to new results.

One can only hope, if elected, they will act as swfitly and decisively as their Albertan cousins.

Even more significant the NDP numbers are growing while the Conservative numbers are shrinking.  More evidence of the new phenomenon in Canadian politics we were discussing upthread.

[Rex Francorum]

I have voted 9 times, 4 Federally & 5 Provincially.

Federal Elections :

2004 : Bloc Québécois
2006 : Bloc Québécois
2008 : Liberal Party*
2011 : NDP

Provincial Elections ;

2003 : UFP - Commies
2007 : ADQ - Right Wing afa Quebec is concern
2008 : Liberal Party*
2012 : Parti Québécois
2014 : Parti Québécois


*I am really unsure of the 2008 élections but I remember that after 2006 I decided that I wasn't voting BQ again.

Liberals? Heresy

My voting history is:

Provincial
1989 Liberal Party (Yeah, heresy, but I was 18 and not much informed about politics).
1994 Parti québécois (I was a party worker that summer)
1998 Parti québécois
2003 Action démocratique du Québec ( I switched because I was disappointed of the PQ stand on the balance of the budget and the payment of the debt)
2007 Action démocratique du Québec
2008 Parti québécois (Not too sure if I voted PQ or ADQ here. I remember I disliked the hard right swing the party had at that time. Too much for my taste.
2012 Parti québécois
2014 Parti québécois

Federal
1993 Bloc québécois
1997 Bloc québécois
2000 Bloc québécois
2004 Bloc québécois
2006 Bloc québécois
2008 Bloc québécois
2011 Bloc québécois
2015 Not voting this year.

[Malthus]

There's a subsidy?

In Quebec, and maybe other provinces, there is a public insurance for legal drugs.
In any case, your private premiums, wich can be partly deduced from your income tax, take into account the costs of all medications offered in the country.

So, I end up paying for pot users so they get their fix.  And I have to either suffer in silence or pay an outrageous price for the drugs I need because they often are not covered.

Is medical pot a listed drug product? Only listed products are reimbursed under provincial health insurance systems.

I couldn't find it here, but then, I don't know what terms are used to describe it.

http://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/en/regie/legal-publications/Pages/list-medications.aspx

[Valmy]

Why aren't you voting?

[viper37]

NDP are polling better according to new results.

One can only hope, if elected, they will act as swfitly and decisively as their Albertan cousins.

Even more significant the NDP numbers are growing while the Conservative numbers are shrinking.  More evidence of the new phenomenon in Canadian politics we were discussing upthread.

Don't worry, BB assured me the Conservatives need change nothing.  In fact, he'll bet something that the NDP will never win.

[viper37]

There's a subsidy?

In Quebec, and maybe other provinces, there is a public insurance for legal drugs.
In any case, your private premiums, wich can be partly deduced from your income tax, take into account the costs of all medications offered in the country.

So, I end up paying for pot users so they get their fix.  And I have to either suffer in silence or pay an outrageous price for the drugs I need because they often are not covered.

Is medical pot a listed drug product? Only listed products are reimbursed under provincial health insurance systems.

I couldn't find it here, but then, I don't know what terms are used to describe it.

http://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/en/regie/legal-publications/Pages/list-medications.aspx

I'm pretty sure marijuana pills are reimbursed.  The herb is not paid by the public service, could be refunded by private health insurance.  But it will come to that, eventually.  The pot lobby is strong.

[viper37]

Liberals? Heresy
My voting history is:

Provincial
1994 Parti québécois
1998 Parti québécois
2003 Action démocratique du Québec
2007 Action démocratique du Québec
2008 Action démocratique du Québec
2012 Coallition Avenir Québec
2014 Coallition Avenir Québec

Federal
1993 Bloc québécois
1997 Did not vote
2000 Did not vote
2004 Conservative Party of Canada
2006 Conservative Party of Canada
2008 Conservative Party of Canada
2011 Conservative Party of Canada
2015 Probably not voting this year.

[Valmy]

What is up with the voting boycotts?

[crazy canuck]

2015 Not voting this year.

Why?

[Barrister]

NDP are polling better according to new results.

One can only hope, if elected, they will act as swfitly and decisively as their Albertan cousins.

Even more significant the NDP numbers are growing while the Conservative numbers are shrinking.  More evidence of the new phenomenon in Canadian politics we were discussing upthread.

Don't worry, BB assured me the Conservatives need change nothing.  In fact, he'll bet something that the NDP will never win.

I wouldn't make that bet.  I'm still picking bits of hat out of my teeth months later...

[crazy canuck]

By the way, I still haven't received my beer.

[viper37]

What is up with the voting boycotts?

Wich party should I vote for?

Let's examine my rational choices, those that matter, i.e. those that stand a chance to have a candidate or party make it to the House of Commons.

Bloc Québécois
It used to be a party to would represent Quebecers and fight for our issues at the Federal level, defending the interests of the province against an ever encroaching Federal government.  I do not hold centralization as a viable model for Canada, or even for very large States.  Over the years, meaning, as soon as Lucien Bouchard left, and especially after the Conservatives won their first election, they became inscreasingly socialist, defending leftist ideas and opposing any kind of rightwing idea on principle, even if they were good for Quebec.

Liberal Party of Canada
Ultra-federalist party that seeks to centralize all power in Ottawa and let Ontario decide what is good for Canada, notwithstanding regionial distincitiveness.  They are the party that sacrificed Lake Meech Accord just because Trudeau did not want someone else doing what he could not, bringing Quebec to sign the Constitution in honor and dignity.  And now we have his son, with the intellect of his mother and the charisma of his father to lead that party.  Plus, he's a moron.

New Democratic Party
I went in details a few post above about how they are socialist morons that stinks of hypocrisy and have no idea on how to govern the country.  Their proposals as simplistically populists aimed at pleasing their hard core communist fans and would damage our economy.  Things are already tough as they are here since the PQ got to govern the province, I don't need other morons at the other government level, I may not survive, and I do want to read the end of your AAR.

Conservative Party of Canada
Unfortunately, they talk a lot, but they don't act.  They cater about the oil interests of Alberta so much that they forget how much of a nuisance it is to forcefully keep alive an innefficient industry at the cost of all others.
There is an hostility towards science and scientists that I have a lot of trouble accepting anymore.  I could cope with it for a time, but I have trouble with my conscience.  I want a rational, pragmatical government.  I don't want reactionaries, to my left or to my right, taking knee jerk reaction because they believe God is on their side.  Their latest tax reform is simply meant to be mean toward the next government wich likely not be them, it is deprived of any economical sense.  I want taxes to be lowered for everyone, not just a tiny group.  I want an end to corporate subsidies, especially the ones we hear, report after report, that they are totally ineffictive at reaching their objectives.

Monarchy.  Didn't we talk enough about that?  It's a silly governing system.  It gives some people the right to govern you because of their birth, not because of their merith and it sets a very bad example.  There's one thing in living with it because it's too hard to change, but it's another to encourage such a parasitic system.

The senate.  Yes, BB will tell you they tried to reform it.  The truth is, they knew they needed the province's consent to do it, in other words, they needed to amend the Constitution, they couldn't do it by themselves.  They got their hand slapped by the Supreme Court.  Now they're crying.  We hear about all kind of unjustified Senate expenses, waste of money, personal expenses passed on the Senate's account by Senators from all parties (well, there are two...).  Unclear rules.  Lack of accountability.  Lots of people are outraged.  Lots of people calling for the Senate to be abolished, others insisting on a reform.  I'd swear I'm reading the papers from 1990.  It was the exact same thing then, and it was reported in the media because the Conservatives were a doomed government.  We didn't hear much of it during the Liberal's reign because nobody really cared and the media weren't interested in destabilizing a leftist government until the sponsorship scandal came to light, and by then Chrétien was gone anyway.

Back in the late 80s, early 90s, a new political party/movement appeared in the west.  Hostility for the French population aside, they promoted a Senate reform.  Elected Senate.  Equal Senate.  Effective Senate.  The same people who are in government now and are afraid of acting.

Canada has a lot of problems. The Conservatives put band-aid on some of these problems. the core problems aren't fixed, the provinces are still at the mercy of a centralized federal government.  And right now, we are waisting time and money in court to fix peacemal issues instead of solving the problems once and for all.

I want my government to act with leadership, not wait for the train to come and pass.  Now is the time to act while they could have popular support.  It's not easy. If it was, it wouldn't be a Constitution, but it can be done if they at least try.

Then there's this little matter of the robo-call issues at the last election.  Pinning it on a junior party member to make him a scapegoat.  That was without honor.  Electing honorless people is against my principles.

Kyoto.  I've adressed that as part of my general science comment, but more specifically, we are losing money and opportunities here.  We could be a leader, instead, we are dragging others.  I believe, as a society, we should push forward, not wait for others to pull us, and for that, we need a government with strong leadership.  That is simply not the Conservative Party of Canada.

Of course, I suppose that's what it means to be Conservative these days.  It's not about balancing the budget, making the government more efficient at doing what it does, it is simply about resisting any change, any kind of change by any means necessary.  And that is not for me.

I don't much care for religion.  I don't much care about having a religious figure as Head of State, but I could live with that.
However, having public policies affected by that and sticking to the past rather than looking ahead and basing public policies on what a religious text says, I am totally against.

So, whom am I supposed to vote for?  A communist, an idiot, an hypocrite, or someone whose making us lose money by sticking to what the Bible says is good for us?  I expect pragmatism from my government, and I ain't seeing it.