[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Grey Fox]

I hope Coward Blaney makes it to the final round.

[viper37]

He's also running on being the only francophone in the race.

Steven Blaney is francophone.  I don't know if Pierre Lemieux is a franco-Ontarian or totally assimilated.

[viper37]

I hope Coward Blaney makes it to the final round.

what is it you all have against Blaney?

[Grey Fox]

I hope Coward Blaney makes it to the final round.

what is it you all have against Blaney?

Dude went into hiding! after the Parliament attack for weeks. That's not leadership material.

Lemieux doesn't speak french.

[viper37]

I hope Coward Blaney makes it to the final round.

what is it you all have against Blaney?

Dude went into hiding! after the Parliament attack for weeks. That's not leadership material.

I don't remember that.  Do you have any link?

[Barrister]

I'm going to my local PC constituency association meeting tonight to vote for the pro-Kenney delegates.

Brief AAR:

Drive out to the Ellerslie Rugby club.  I'm told to get there 15-30 minutes early, but it turns out that they kicked out everyone who got there early, and had us line up outside as we registered and got our ballots.  Good thing the weather was warm.  Then of course they ran out of ballots, and we had to wait while they got more made up.

Very large turnout, I think.  Probably 2-300 people there, for just one riding.  Pretty poorly organized - didn't get started until at least a half hour after the starting time.  Crowd was reasonably diverse - mostly white and older, but decant number of young people, and fair number of south asians in particular, and a smattering of other backgrounds/skin colours.

So you were given a list of 30+ delegates, but the constituency has 15 delegates to elect.  But very confusingly, a number of those spots are reserved for people on the board of directors, or who might be youth members.  But they told us just to vote for 14, because one position had been acclaimed (and said if you voted for 15 your ballot would be spoiled).  People outside were handing out voting guides - one was for Jason Kenney with a list of 15 delegates.  The other was a "Party Renewal" list (aka Anyone But Kenney).  I couldn't help but notice two names were on both lists.

My very informal read was that Kenney supporters made up the majority of the crowd, but I didn't wait around to try and find out the results.

It was interesting.  I haven't been to a big political party public meeting since 1999-2000 or so.  I miss them.

[PRC]

You should run for office Beeb.

[Barrister]

You should run for office Beeb.

I'd have to take leave without pay during the campaign, and take a pay cut as an elected politician.

Plus I'm not exactly an inspiring public speaker, although with enough years in court I'm competent enough.

[Josephus]

You should run for office Beeb.

I'd have to take leave without pay during the campaign, and take a pay cut as an elected politician.

Plus I'm not exactly an inspiring public speaker, although with enough years in court I'm competent enough.

I'll write your speeches. First one is free.

[Admiral Yi]

What do you guys think of the thesis that oratorical ability is neither common nor particularly valued in Canadian politics?

[Barrister]

What do you guys think of the thesis that oratorical ability is neither common nor particularly valued in Canadian politics?

I think it's crap.

Trudeau can give a pretty good speech, as empty and vacuous as it might wind up being.  Chretien and Mulroney also could give a mean speech in their own way.

Harper was workmanlike, but part of the reason people never really warmed to him is he wasn't much of an orator.

[HVC]

Cretein was spirited, if a bit hard to under stand. Harper wasn't the best, and I basically forgot about Paul Martin. So if my sample size of 4, two were above average ( Trudeau and Cretein).

[viper37]

Lemieux doesn't speak french.

he got B/B+ on his French score card by the journalists for his aptitude in French.  For an Ontarian, that's pretty good.

[viper37]

Cretein was spirited, if a bit hard to under stand.

Really?  I never noticed.

[Zoupa]

The Conservative debate in french was absolutely incredible to watch. Maybe 3 or 4 out of a dozen candidates could be considered vaguely fluent. Props to the ones that are learning I guess, but for the rest jesus christ allmighty. Shameful.

And that little twat O'leary announcing his candidacy the day following the debate... Dude was born and raised in Montreal, doesn't speak a word of french. What a coward. Although maybe that's a positive out west in Trumpland.