[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Josephus]

I once used a Laurentian student card to sneak into a bar when I was 17.  I was afraid they'd ask me where Laurentian was, cuz I had no idea.

Fun fact - with me on this night out was a young Ezra Levant.

I totally see it. 

[Barrister]

If you don't call him a fascist now, you are just lying to yourself.

I had a favourable impression of Levant throughout the 90s (I ran into him a couple more times at Reform Party events), but broke with him a long time ago.

Heck I remember getting a fundraising email from his organization in oh probably 2001-2002, writing back to remove me from this list and I don't know how you got it, for Ezra to write back himself pointing out I'd given it to him.

He's clearly in the particularly stupid head space of us-Fox News inspired "reporting", but what specifically about him makes him a fascist?

[crazy canuck]

Not sure what he is doing now, but back in 17-18 the Conservatives cut ties with his media platform in part because it showed material from fascist groups.

[crazy canuck]

We should start a pool on when the Liberals will call the election they say they don't want to call. 

Given the 3rd wave and Tam's comments that we have reached the highest point... I don't think they'll use the budget as a pretext, so it's gonna be next fall.

I think they are going to table the budget and run on it, promising to implement it if elected.

3 weeks ago, I'm sure that was the plan.  Now...  Not so sure.  I notice they did not attack the NDP this week-end, not once.  Zip, nada, no mention of the NDP.  It leads me to believe they still want to make a deal with them to get this budget to pass the vote.

BC just announced the lockdown will go another 30 days, and others are probably doing the same - so yeah, I think you are right.

[Barrister]

To go back to straight politics for a moment, very interesting election result in Yukon this week.  It was a double-tie.

Yukon Party (centre-right) was leading or elected in 8 ridings.  So were the Liberals.  NDP was leading or elected in 2.

Then there's the Vuntut Gwitchin riding, which covers Yukon's far north, mostly the community of Old Crow.  In Vuntut Gwitchin there's also a tie, with 78 votes each for the Liberals and NDP.

VG will go to a recount, and then potentially a judicial recount.  If still tied (and remember we're not talking about a lot of votes here) it sounds like they're draw lots to determine the winner.

In the end it's a minority either way, and the Liberals as incumbents get first shot to form government either way.  Just not a result you see often.

https://www.whitehorsestar.com/News/it-s-a-very-interesting-decision-by-yukoners-dixon

[crazy canuck]

A new example for the every vote counts mantra.

[Barrister]

A new example for the every vote counts mantra.

If you live in a riding where only 156 people voted 

Here's a fun factoid: CBC's election website lists the results for the 3 main parties, plus independents and Greens.  Independents won 26 votes.  The Greens got zero votes - because the Green Party did not run any candidates.  So why the hell did CBC even list them?  I'm pretty sure the Social Credit party also got zero votes...

[garbon]

Now Canada has naked MPs?

[Grey Fox]

A fit one too!

[Barrister]

Conservatives announce plan to replace Liberal carbon tax with a lower levy of their own

Proposal would see levy from fuel purchases go into personal savings accounts
David Cochrane, Salimah Shivji, Aaron Wherry · CBC News · Posted: Apr 15, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago


Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole unveiled a climate plan today which will put a price on carbon for consumers.

But instead of the Liberal carbon-tax-and-rebate system, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole is proposing to charge a levy on fuel purchases and use the money to fund personalized savings accounts which Canadians can use for environmentally friendly purchases.

Under O'Toole's plan — which CBC News obtained a copy of Wednesday — Canadians would pay a carbon levy, initially amounting to $20 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions, every time they buy hydrocarbon-based fuels, such as gasoline.

But instead of channeling that money into direct rebates to Canadian households, as is the case currently, the Conservatives would divert it to "personal low carbon savings accounts."

[More in the article itself]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carbon-tax-conservatives-1.5988407

So there you go - Conservatives propose a carbon "pricing mechanism".

It's not terrible, but it does seem more like it's designed to try to sell Conservative voters on the idea of a carbon tax, rather than being designed to be the best policy.

[viper37]

it seems awfully complicated to implement.

People are apparently confused by simple directives like "stay at home, avoid non essential travels, avec non essential gatherings", I can't see them understanding the goal of that green savings account.  And what will ultimately be considered green or not may vary from year to year.

[Oexmelin]

It's not terrible, but it does seem more like it's designed to try to sell Conservative voters on the idea of a carbon tax, rather than being designed to be the best policy.

Fair assessment, which is in itself an indictment of the Conservative voters. I think it's trying to square the circle of liberal criticism, selling the idea to the Conservative voters, and deflecting criticism re: environmentalism.

[Jacob]

Fair assessment, which is in itself an indictment of the Conservative voters. I think it's trying to square the circle of liberal criticism, selling the idea to the Conservative voters, and deflecting criticism re: environmentalism.

Sounds about right. Not an easy problem to solve.

[crazy canuck]

It's not terrible, but it does seem more like it's designed to try to sell Conservative voters on the idea of a carbon tax, rather than being designed to be the best policy.

Fair assessment, which is in itself an indictment of the Conservative voters. I think it's trying to square the circle of liberal criticism, selling the idea to the Conservative voters, and deflecting criticism re: environmentalism.

Yes.  Also, this is weaker than what Conservative think tanks were proposing back when a purely market based solution might have had a chance of working.  We are now well past that point.

[Malthus]

Now Canada has naked MPs?

He just wanted to prove he was not a cat.