[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[crazy canuck]

What does democratic institutions do?

My guess is that is going to be the ministry spearheading the electoral reform and perhaps dealing with the senate

She is the one who will get to say:

"The Canadian Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. I've just dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of...whatever it represented...has been swept away."

She is going to have to do a lot of work with the Provinces before they get to do that.  What I had in mind is that, as a technical matter, the Liberals currently have no Liberal members in the Senate.  As a result there is, as a technical matter, no one in the Senate who can introduce legislation for Senate approval.  I am not sure how they are going to work around this problem.  Or the problem that unless the Liberals appoint Senators to a large number of vacant seats iirc the Conservatives have a majority in the Senate.

Somebody didn't get a reference.

I got it.  But it didn't make sense in this context. 

[viper37]

That's under 40, the previous cabinet where more people need to be thanked.

That's 30 ministers plus the Prime Minister.  That is not counting the additions of secretaries of State, and other "non limousine ministers" that will be added.  If you count all these for the Cons, you will need to count them when the Libs add them.  The Cons started at 27 people total, finished at 40.

[Valmy]

I got it.  But it didn't make sense in this context. 

I just know if I was going to dissolve a Senate I would want to say that while I did it.

[crazy canuck]

I got it.  But it didn't make sense in this context. 

I just know if I was going to dissolve a Senate I would want to say that while I did it.

[viper37]

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
The Honourable Marc Garneau Minister of Transport
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
The Honourable James Gordon Carr Minister of Natural Resources
The Honourable Catherine McKenna Minister of Environment and Climate Change
The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
The Honourable Patricia A. Hajdu Minister of Status of Women
The Honourable Bardish Chagger Minister of Small Business and Tourism

These are extras that have no real use at the Federal level.  Everything these people are supposed to do should be handled exclusively by the provinces.  We'd save a ton of money.

The Honourable Jane Philpott Minister of Health

Another dubious ministry in the Fed gov.  Health care is a provincial responsibility.  The provinces could very well form their own association of Ministers to coordonate their efforts when needed.  As it is now, you have different set of rules between the Federals and the province, so we import stuff that we are forbidden to produce.  Silly.

The Honourable Maryam Monsef Minister of Democratic Institutions

This is the worst bs job since nothing will change.  In any case, it should be a temporary office, not a permanent one.

The Honourable Navdeep Singh Bains Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

Again, this should be left to the provinces, with the budget that goes with it, of course.

The Honourable Mélanie Joly Minister of Canadian Heritage

Not really a hard job to do.  Wake up in the morning, sing "God save the Queen", distribute portrait of her Majesty in all public offices, voilà, job done!

[crazy canuck]

Then I have no idea why you voted Conservative.  You should have voted separatist. 

[viper37]

The Ministry for Canadian Heritage. That is the dream post right there.

I presume it involves in part arguing with enraged folks from Quebec and First Nations ... 

They're the ones distributing Canada flags for every 1st of July in Canada.  Without their hard work, all Quebec citizens would turn to seperatism, as was shown during Harper's reigh... oh wait, that did not happen!

[viper37]

The Honourable Catherine McKenna Minister of Environment and Climate Change - this is I think my favourite appointment and my favourite departmental name change.  Its sends the strong message that there is no longer any doubt about what the main task of this ministry will be.

McKenna is trained as a human rights and social justice lawyer

how does she have the qualifications to tackle the issue?

[Grey Fox]

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
The Honourable Marc Garneau Minister of Transport
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
The Honourable James Gordon Carr Minister of Natural Resources
The Honourable Catherine McKenna Minister of Environment and Climate Change
The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
The Honourable Patricia A. Hajdu Minister of Status of Women
The Honourable Bardish Chagger Minister of Small Business and Tourism

These are extras that have no real use at the Federal level.  Everything these people are supposed to do should be handled exclusively by the provinces.  We'd save a ton of money.

The Honourable Jane Philpott Minister of Health

Another dubious ministry in the Fed gov.  Health care is a provincial responsibility.  The provinces could very well form their own association of Ministers to coordonate their efforts when needed.  As it is now, you have different set of rules between the Federals and the province, so we import stuff that we are forbidden to produce.  Silly.

The Honourable Maryam Monsef Minister of Democratic Institutions

This is the worst bs job since nothing will change.  In any case, it should be a temporary office, not a permanent one.

The Honourable Navdeep Singh Bains Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

Again, this should be left to the provinces, with the budget that goes with it, of course.

The Honourable Mélanie Joly Minister of Canadian Heritage

Not really a hard job to do.  Wake up in the morning, sing "God save the Queen", distribute portrait of her Majesty in all public offices, voilà, job done!

That's just not true.

[Barrister]

The Honourable Catherine McKenna Minister of Environment and Climate Change - this is I think my favourite appointment and my favourite departmental name change.  Its sends the strong message that there is no longer any doubt about what the main task of this ministry will be.

McKenna is trained as a human rights and social justice lawyer

how does she have the qualifications to tackle the issue?

Being a lawyer is great training for anything.

[crazy canuck]

That's just not true.

But he is on a roll. 

[viper37]

I think however that the CBC / artistic community is much more sympathetic to a Liberal government than a Conservative one.  I mean the media coverage of Trudeau's swearing in has been much more positive to fawning than what I remember in 2006.

As long as the Liberals do follow through on their promises to increase CBC and arts funding I think this portfolio is indeed a fairly cushy one for a Liberal minister.

Much more so than Finance or Environment...

Bureaucrats in high position of authority are overwhelmingly Liberal and medias just hate Harper, willing to invent anything about him, like that fake scandal about Harper not resigning after the election and paralyzing the whole transition process.

[crazy canuck]

The Honourable Catherine McKenna Minister of Environment and Climate Change - this is I think my favourite appointment and my favourite departmental name change.  Its sends the strong message that there is no longer any doubt about what the main task of this ministry will be.

McKenna is trained as a human rights and social justice lawyer

how does she have the qualifications to tackle the issue?

Being a lawyer is great training for anything.

Yes, plus all the other things she has done.  The description of "human rights and social justice lawyer" may be a description of some of the work she has done over the years but it isn't exactly an accurate summary of her CV either. 

[viper37]

I think CBC fawning over the Liberals - or the NDP had they won - makes plenty of sense given that the CBC was on the verge of liquidating a significant amount of their functional real-estate (studios etc) to survive the latest rounds of cuts from Harper. People tend to have somewhat positive feelings towards the people they perceive as saving their jobs and valuing their contributions.

I'll tell you the same story I'v told over&over.

The first government to cut the CBC was Mulroney.  They forced the CBC to employ one technical team for both French&English network.  It was terrible.  the quality of information would be severly handicapped by journalists unable to coordinate appropriately their efforts with their technicians and cameraman.

Do you think the CBC's coverage of events was worst in the late 90s and 2000s than the early 90s?

Why is it that a private radio station can create a show with 3 people while the CBC requires at least 8?

The CBC english network has always relied on mostly american tv shows to fill its schedule, leaving inovation to the French branch.  Why is it so important that CBC be the one to air American shows instead of Global?

[viper37]

Then I have no idea why you voted Conservative.  You should have voted separatist. 

A seperatist would decree all of the 31 one to be unwanted extras