[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Josephus]

We need BB here to weigh in on the new CFL rules

[crazy canuck]

We have a CFL thread, but that has been long dormant.

I like that missed field goals will no longer be rewarded.  I also like that punters will need to be more precise in the placement of their kicks (no more just booming it out of the endzone to get a point).

Also, they have increased the chances of a fan favourite occurring. Dueling punts at the end of a game, where one team punts it into the endzone and the receiving team needs to punt it back out or risk getting tackled in the endzone and concede the single point. 

[crazy canuck]

The fiscal position of BC has gone from surplus in 2022 of 3 Billion to a deficit this year of 11.6 Billion and that is after accounting for the big class action settlement funds from the Tabacco companies. But for that the deficit this year would be $14.3-billion.

So what is the explanation for all of this.  The Globe editorial board thinks it is because of the change in leadership of the governing NDP that occurred in 2022. Then Premier Horgan had to step away because of cancer (which took his life shortly after that).

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/519974dc5e28f762a87fb14c1570523f4fb873adfcfcb945043907ccc3c41650/IJNS42HHLFEU5CE4UDLVMCP6PM/

[Bauer]

Why am I not surprised, but the last election was one hot mess without really a decent alternative.

[crazy canuck]

Yep, and continues to be so

[Bauer]

The thing that really irritated me last time about the BC cons was their budget plan.  It had no basis in reality and likely would have led to an even worse situation than Eby.

Their whole forecast was based on BC achieving growth levels similar to Alberta.

[Jacob]

The stories I expect to hear to defend that are:

• Some of this is the impact of Trump's trade war.
• Some of it is due to one-off infrastructure investments intended to set us up for growth, rather than being structural deficts.

How valid are those points?

[crazy canuck]

The stories I expect to hear to defend that are:

• Some of this is the impact of Trump's trade war.
• Some of it is due to one-off infrastructure investments intended to set us up for growth, rather than being structural deficts.

How valid are those points?

No, not at all.  The increase in the deficit over last year is just over 600 million. And that is mainly because of the decrease in carbon tax revenue.  The growth in the deficit after the Horgan years happened before the Trump election.  Also, there has been no infrastructure spending by the Province this year - or certainly none that would contribute meaningfully to the deficit.

edit -  I just noticed at the end of the Review published by the Province - capital spending is actually decreasing.

edit 2 - I was wrong about the increase, that 600 million is the amount it is over what had been budgeted.  But the point remains that the increase of the deficit after the Horgan years mainly occurred prior to January of this year.

[Josephus]

So Canada Post is back on strike.

[Jacob]

Thanks CC.

[Grey Fox]

Having a bigger deficit than Québec is a good sign you should raise taxes. By a lot.

[crazy canuck]

Having a bigger deficit than Québec is a good sign you should raise taxes. By a lot.

We have a higher marginal tax rate than you.  So taxation is not the issue - it's whatever the government has been spending money on since 2022.

[Grey Fox]

Having a bigger deficit than Québec is a good sign you should raise taxes. By a lot.

We have a higher marginal tax rate than you.  So taxation is not the issue - it's whatever the government has been spending money on since 2022.

Wow. What are you guys doing with the money?

[crazy canuck]

Having a bigger deficit than Québec is a good sign you should raise taxes. By a lot.

We have a higher marginal tax rate than you.  So taxation is not the issue - it's whatever the government has been spending money on since 2022.

Wow. What are you guys doing with the money?

That is the everyone's question

[Bauer]

Since this is the BC NDP we're talking about, the spending increase almost certainly means the bureaucracy is increasing without getting much substance out of it.  At least the Trudeau gov pretending to be wanting to invest in infrastructure.

You'd think in this day and age we would have better and more timely reporting tracking where gov spending was going.