[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[crazy canuck]

Non issue beyond right wing talking points.

The Globe and Mail podcast recently had a good segment on this topic.  The economist they interviewed said that in historic terms the inflation we have now is very modest and governments in the past would have been thrilled to have such a low inflation rate.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the-decibel/article-are-worries-about-inflation-inflated/

[Barrister]

Non issue beyond right wing talking points.

I am shocked that this is your take.

[Jacob]

I am shocked that this is your take.

That was my reaction to your response as well

That said, it'd be interesting to look at the economist analysis that leads to the current inflation being a cause for concern.

[HVC]

Given that we're keeping the interest rate so low i'm not surprised inflation is high(er). Raise the interest rates and you help fix inflation, plus the housing market. Downside is economic downturn. So, you know, every option sucks lol

[crazy canuck]

Non issue beyond right wing talking points.

I am shocked that this is your take.

I was not shocked that your take was essentially a repetition of the Conservative's  talking points.

[Savonarola]

For those of you living in the GTA; how big a story has the TTC ransomware attack been?  Has it disrupted service?

It's been a major issue for us.  All our meetings and testing have been cancelled and we can't get e-mails into or out of TTC.  I was surprised by this since the cybersecurity requirements for the train communication network are very strict.

[Jacob]

I was not shocked that your take was essentially a repetition of the Conservative's  talking points.

It seems like inflation is increasing globally... not sure how reasonable it is to blame Trudeau. I mean, it could be good politics if it sticks even if it's not exactly good economic analysis.

That said, O'Toole moving Covid-sceptics and social conservatives to the back bench seems like an indication he's going to continue moving towards the centre. From my POV that's a positive for the party. If "your economic woes are Trudeau's fault" gets traction, that's a reasonable play for the Conservatives the next time around if the dubious right-wing fringe has been out of focus for long enough (and hasn't triggered a caucus revolt or Reform v 2.0, of course).

[viper37]

Non issue beyond right wing talking points.

The Globe and Mail podcast recently had a good segment on this topic.  The economist they interviewed said that in historic terms the inflation we have now is very modest and governments in the past would have been thrilled to have such a low inflation rate.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the-decibel/article-are-worries-about-inflation-inflated/

Historical inflation rates:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/271247/inflation-rate-in-canada/

The main problem is that official inflation is currently under-valued.  There are some major differences between what StatsCan is reporting and the real prices consumer pay for basic stuff like grocery products.  I'm guessing StatsCan will revise its method within a year or two, but having inflation at 4-5% while my wages don't increase that much is worrying.

[Zoupa]

Yeah this was reported in English media a little while ago. My initial reaction was along the lines of what I've seen here... "so what, leave the guy alone." I am particularly unsympathetic to the notion that it's an "insult" for someone to live in Montreal and not speak French.

But as per CC's argument I've come around to recognizing that it matters for the CEO of Air Canada. I agree that Air Canada's CEO should be bilingual. As such, AC should've appointed a bilingual CEO or, if not, the CEO should be making a solid effort to learn French upon getting the job.

The CEO of Air Denmark lives in Copenhagen for 15 years. His mother is Danish. His wife is Danish. He does not speak Danish. He speaks German, including when addressing Copenhagen's chamber of commerce. His company has a shitty record of offering services in Danish to his Danish customers.

A-OK?

[Josephus]

Absolutely concerned.  We'll see how much of an issue it is.

Some of it is certainly supply constraints.  We've been dealing with these for the entire pandemic (remember when you couldn't buy, oh, yeast?).

Funny you would think yeast. First thing that would come to mind for most people is, oh, toilet paper.

[Barrister]

Absolutely concerned.  We'll see how much of an issue it is.

Some of it is certainly supply constraints.  We've been dealing with these for the entire pandemic (remember when you couldn't buy, oh, yeast?).

Funny you would think yeast. First thing that would come to mind for most people is, oh, toilet paper.

Yeah but TP was the first thing to go, and kind of obvious.

A yeast shortage was not something I would have ever expected, although it made sense in hindsight.

[HVC]

For those of you living in the GTA; how big a story has the TTC ransomware attack been?  Has it disrupted service?

It's been a major issue for us.  All our meetings and testing have been cancelled and we can't get e-mails into or out of TTC.  I was surprised by this since the cybersecurity requirements for the train communication network are very strict.

some disruption for like a day, but after that the average rider wasn't affected, i don't think.

[Josephus]

Absolutely concerned.  We'll see how much of an issue it is.

Some of it is certainly supply constraints.  We've been dealing with these for the entire pandemic (remember when you couldn't buy, oh, yeast?).

Funny you would think yeast. First thing that would come to mind for most people is, oh, toilet paper.

Yeah but TP was the first thing to go, and kind of obvious.

A yeast shortage was not something I would have ever expected, although it made sense in hindsight.

I remember in, like April 2020 or so, at the height of the start of this pandemic. I walked into my local grocery store, after waiting in line outside for 30 minutes, and walking around and seeing so many bare shelves. It ranks as one of the most surreal moments of my life.

[Jacob]

The CEO of Air Denmark lives in Copenhagen for 15 years. His mother is Danish. His wife is Danish. He does not speak Danish. He speaks German, including when addressing Copenhagen's chamber of commerce. His company has a shitty record of offering services in Danish to his Danish customers.

A-OK?

The Danish airline hypothetical is reasonably apt because insofar as Denmark has a national carrier it's SAS, which is pan-Scandinavian airline and thus also involves more than one language. The current CEO is Dutch and - as far as I know speaks neither Danish, Norwegian, nor Swedish. Insofar as being served in Danish/ Swedish/ Norwegian you can expect the gate agents to speak the local language and possible the others (but it's not guaranteed). Similarly, you can expect the air crew to speak one of the official languages, but they're unlikely to speak all of them.

When it comes to individuals living in Denmark speaking Danish, I can say that I personally don't really care. At the same time I know that the Danish state and section of the public really does and there are significant resources available to help people learn the language. I don't believe I've heard of a controversy involving a leader speakin

To be clear, it don't really have an issue with the expectation to learn and speak French (or Danish, in the hypothetical). It's the whole "it's an insult" thing I find unsympathetic.

[garbon]

From SAS press release. I don't think it undercuts what you are saying, I just like to find information.

Language skills: Dutch native, fluent English & Spanish, basic understanding of Italian, French & Swedish.