[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Barrister]

Not sure how much you guys are interested in Alberta politics...

A fair bit, actually. Thanks for posting

And Kenney has kicked a couple of anti-vax wackos out of caucus.  But Jean still has a following and not allowing him to even run could be seen as a slap in the face to former Wildrose members and supporters (which does include me).

Where do you come down in this?

Will you feel slapped in the face if Kenney doesn't sign the papers, or will you think it's the right move? Do you think doubling down on the Wildrose base and the lifting of Covid related restrictions is the way to go, or do you think staying strong on Covid measures and avoiding steering towards the Wildrose is the way to go?

I'm unsure.

I definitely feel that we need to "stay strong" on covid measures right now (and Kenney is not even hinting restrictions will be lifted).  I respect Brian Jean as a man of integrity - but he's been very open now that his running in that riding is with the intention to get Jason Kenney removed as leader.  I think that kind of open infighting is even more likely to doom the party in the next election.  As disappointed as I have been at times with the Kenney government I do not want another NDP government, having seen up close what that means for the Justice portfolio.

I would have thought that Kenney should only sign Jean's papers after a clear understanding that any disputes happen behind closed doors, but Jean has made that seemingly impossible.

[Jacob]

So Jean is the man of integrity coming for Kenney, who is compromised, but at a bad time. So the sensible thing for Kenney is to deny Jean, which will lead to turmoil which is probably harmful to the UCP (unless Jean takes Kenney out quickly and cleanly, giving sufficient time for a rebuild and refresh).

On another Albertan topic... I recently saw a bit of coverage of the two new mayors of Calgary and Edmonton. Do they represent any significant changes or trends in Albertan politics, in your opinion?

[Barrister]

On another Albertan topic... I recently saw a bit of coverage of the two new mayors of Calgary and Edmonton. Do they represent any significant changes or trends in Albertan politics, in your opinion?

I'll answer this.

It's only a continuation of a trend.  Both mayors are progressive and follow the tradition of their progressive predecessors.

I did not vote for Sohi, but Sohi was definitely seen as Iverson's successor.

[Jacob]

To what degree is there rancour between the progressive city governments and the conservative provincial government, and to what degree do they work together to deal with bread and butter issues, leaving ideological clashes aside?

In BC, while there's occasional grumbling it seems to me that municipal and provincial governments don't get into too much ideologically driven sniping and conflict.

[Barrister]

To what degree is there rancour between the progressive city governments and the conservative provincial government, and to what degree do they work together to deal with bread and butter issues, leaving ideological clashes aside?

In BC, while there's occasional grumbling it seems to me that municipal and provincial governments don't get into too much ideologically driven sniping and conflict.

There's definitely some sniping that happens, but both sides know they need each other.

For the UCP, while their heartland might be in the rural areas, they know they can't win without suburban voters.  For the mayors, they know financially they need to play nice with the province.

And it gets complicated.  I'm represented provincially by the NDP, but federally by the Conservatives.  Generally speaking the same area.

[PRC]

Jean has reason to be bitter about Kenney, has criticized him as BB mentioned, and his presence is likely a real threat to Kenny, and to Rachel Notley as well.

Do you mean he's a threat to Notley because he'll improve the UCP's chances of winning? Or is this about his jokes about violence?

Definitely meant a threat to Notley because he may improve the UCP's chances of winning in the next Provincial election. 

Kenney is a lost cause and political poison for the UCP at this point.  If Jean comes in, rallies enough support and Kenney is ousted, resigns or quietly goes off into the night then a re-unified UCP with a fresh face, familiar to many Albertans may have enough of a clean slate to easily win the next election. 

Maybe Kenney fights on and has enough support in the party while Jean has his own support faction and the infighting dooms them all in the next election.  One can only hope. 

The UCP has been a disaster for Alberta, except perhaps the Justice portfolio, on every other level their incompetence has been laughable and unfortunately the consequences have been dire.  Education, healthcare, natural resource management, watershed management, Provincial parks... are all worse off under the UCP than the NDP or the previous PCs.

A "worst Premier in Canadian history" contest would have Jason Kenney winning in a landslide. 

[PRC]

On another Albertan topic... I recently saw a bit of coverage of the two new mayors of Calgary and Edmonton. Do they represent any significant changes or trends in Albertan politics, in your opinion?

I'll answer this.

It's only a continuation of a trend.  Both mayors are progressive and follow the tradition of their progressive predecessors.

I did not vote for Sohi, but Sohi was definitely seen as Iverson's successor.

Same in Calgary.  Jyoti Gondek is definitely seen as Naheed Nenshi's progressive successor.  She is also super qualified for the job, having previously served as a councilor, has a Ph.D. in urban sociology along with a few other related degrees, and a long list of board experience in multiple associations and community committee experience.

[viper37]

I'm reminded of John Crosbie and that tequilla song he did for Sheila Copps:

  Pass the Tequila, Sheila, and lay down and love me again

It was pretty scandalous then...2010?? Imagine if that happened today. 

she retired from politics in 2003.

[Josephus]

I'm reminded of John Crosbie and that tequilla song he did for Sheila Copps:

  Pass the Tequila, Sheila, and lay down and love me again

It was pretty scandalous then...2010?? Imagine if that happened today. 

she retired from politics in 2003.

Yeah, had a brain fart.

[crazy canuck]

I'm reminded of John Crosbie and that tequilla song he did for Sheila Copps:

  Pass the Tequila, Sheila, and lay down and love me again

It was pretty scandalous then...2010?? Imagine if that happened today. 

she retired from politics in 2003.

Yeah, had a brain fart.

It happened in the late 80s. 

Time flies as we get old   

[HVC]

I'm reminded of John Crosbie and that tequilla song he did for Sheila Copps:

  Pass the Tequila, Sheila, and lay down and love me again

It was pretty scandalous then...2010?? Imagine if that happened today. 

she retired from politics in 2003.

Yeah, had a brain fart.

I had a in person Drunk sheila sighting when i was a little kid. she was doing a PR bar crawl and my parents owned a bar.

[Josephus]

I'm reminded of John Crosbie and that tequilla song he did for Sheila Copps:

  Pass the Tequila, Sheila, and lay down and love me again

It was pretty scandalous then...2010?? Imagine if that happened today. 

she retired from politics in 2003.

Yeah, had a brain fart.

I had a in person Drunk sheila sighting when i was a little kid. she was doing a PR bar crawl and my parents owned a bar.

Did you get pics?

[HVC]

This was the mid 90s and I'd have been... 10? So unfortunately no lol

[Zoupa]

I'm pretty sure none of this made any headlines in the ROC, so here's example #289592 of Canada's disregard for francophones:

(I went to the trouble of translating the original from french to english. Oh the irony).

https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/chroniques/2021-11-04/speak-white-air-canada.php

Speak White, Air Canada

Can you redo that in English ?

Air Canada boss Michael Rousseau is even worse than we thought.

He spent 14 years in Montreal. He runs a carrier subject to the Official Languages Act. But in front of the media, he was not able to say something like "Sorry, I don't speak French". Or even the classic: Sorry, I don't speak French.

He doesn't care about French.

At least Mr. Rousseau is in the right place. He respects the usual Air Canada policy: indifference to French, and contempt for those who want to protect it.

In an interview with my colleague Jean-Philippe Décarie, he tells us that his mother and his wife are French-speaking. He says he doesn't have enough time to learn their language.

I don't want to interfere in his private life. But at least he is tenacious... It takes tenacity to be so immune to French, to never let yourself be contaminated by the local TV or radio, to not address your employees in their language, to cover your ears when people speak that suspicious dialect.

I know travelers who memorize a phrase of politeness when they stay abroad. For example: Mi dispiace non parlo italiano or Entschuldigung, ich spreche kein Deutsch.

Mr. Rousseau must not have had time to learn Google Translate. Perhaps he was too busy counting his millions in bonuses, which he pocketed while begging for public funds, refusing to reimburse his clients and laying off his employees (the Trudeau government eventually demanded reimbursement for flights and bonuses).

***

Michael Rousseau was invited by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM). It had been known for several days that his speech would be in English. The president of the CCMM admitted his discomfort.

In defending the boss of Air Canada, he continues a rich tradition.

In 1976, the Commissioner of Official Languages wrote: "After seven years and some 371 complaints and 232 recommendations, it is no longer clear what improvements should be proposed.

Nothing has changed since then. Following privatization, every commissioner took legal action against the carrier.

The complaints are still pouring in. How can we expect the boss, who doesn't even try to pretend to speak French, to care?

Air Canada has already challenged the powers of the Commissioner. It is also criticizing customers who want their rights respected. Complainants are being accused of intolerance because they ask to be served in their language.

Air Canada also lacks candour. Last year, the company told the Journal de Montréal that its boss "speaks functional French, which he is continually improving. This was not true. Mr. Rousseau was not even able to read a short statement in French for the media. And this, even though he had seen the controversy coming for several days.

He just read a few prepared words for the business elite.

Air Canada is used to these linguistic storms. Those quaint francophones complain, then a few hours pass and everything is forgotten, it's business as usual. And the sanctions? Nothing to frighten. They are few and far between.

As long as the shareholders are making money, everything is fine. How can you complain when your pockets are full?

***

The worst part of Mr. Rousseau's answer is his compliment to Montrealers.

According to him, it is to the credit of the city that he was allowed to live there for more than a decade without speaking the official language ("It's a testament to the city of Montreal").

He is pleased that it is possible to live only in English in the city. And he suggests that true openness means stepping aside. It's not even bilingualism anymore, where Montrealers switch from one language to another. It is a crushing.

English-speaking Montrealers are proposing a bilingual city project. I hope they will remind us that this has nothing to do with linguistic mixing. Mr. Rousseau's proposal is more a return to a sad past when two languages lived in parallel, in separate universes, and one counted more than the other.

The mythical unilingual English-speaking cashier at the Eaton's no longer exists, but her boss is doing well.

At Air Canada, the policy remains the same. French? Yes sir, no problem!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[HVC]

I understand, empathize, and want to correct issues where you can't get service in French. That's unacceptable. But what does it matter what language the Ceo speaks? Sounds more like someone complaining that he lived in Montreal and didn't learn French. The Fucker, I guess.