[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[viper37]

As to whether Canada "would" do so, that i cannot say.

We already skirmished with the Spanyards (water cannons) and the Danes (flag battles).  We've crushed the Russkies at hockey more than ounce, I say let 'em come with their tiny army!

[Malthus]

This hasn't been a good week for senator Mike Duffy.

First, he is charged with 31 counts of various forms of fraud and breach of trust:

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mike-duffy-faces-31-charges-after-months-long-rcmp-probe/article19660020/?service=mobile&cmpid=rss1

Second, in other Duffy news, a 30 year old woman in Peru is claiming to be Mike's love-child, born of a brief liaison between Mike and her mother in Ottawa back in the 80s, before her mother was deported from Canada because she was alleged to be a drug smuggler:

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mike-duffy-is-my-father-peruvian-woman-alleges/article19634403/?service=mobile

[crazy canuck]

He should have kept to is news show gig.

[Josephus]

Hey BB, I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Franklin expedition intersted you.

Here's a new story

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/07/27/biggest_search_party_yet_for_franklins_lost_ships.html

[crazy canuck]

Apparently a bunch of Viper clones are challenging the requirement that they swear allegiance to the Queen before becoming citizens.  Since the Queen of Canada is our Head of State as represented by the Govenor General,  I am not sure how they are going to pull this off but it will be interesting to see the way this plays out in the Courts.

An update on this story.  The constututional challenge failed both in the Trial Court and now the Court of Appeal.  Basically for the reasons we discussed when the challenge was brought.

[viper37]

Sadly, Ontario tramples religious freedom by forcing it's non Anglican citizens to swear an oath of fealty to the head of a foreign religion   How fascists of them   Almost as bad as forcing people to not wear religious signs while working in public.

They want to appeal to the Supreme court though.  I wonder if the SC will even take the case, just to dismiss it later on.

Also, in the news, Ottawa still refuses to re-become an officially bilingual city.  I see they proudly keep the canadian tradition of trempling francophone's right
At least in Montreal, the anglo got to keep their bilingual unilingual english cities instead of being merged into the greater city.

[Jacob]

The court has spoken: a Conservative staffer has been found guilty in the case of the misleading robocalls in Guelph. The court or prosecutor has not spoken on whether other people are implicated:

Outside the court in Guelph, Crown prosecutor Croft Michaelson said he was pleased with the verdict and the judge's reasons, but would not directly address Hearn's belief that Sona might not have acted alone.

"We focus on one case at a time," Michaelson said when asked if he expected other trials. "I don't want to comment on what may or may not happen in the future."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/michael-sona-guilty-in-robocalls-trial-1.2735676?cmp=rss

What do you guys think? How big a deal is this? How harshly should Mr. Sona be punished? What, if any, are the larger implications for Canadian politics?

[Jacob]

*bump* for the morning crowd

[viper37]

Larger implications for canadian politics = 0.  That is, until they can find someone higher ranked in the party to be accused.

If Sona knows something, he should have talked the moment it became clear no one in the party would support him.  I'm reasonably certain he did not act alone, he is way too low ranked for that.  It requires someone with a bit more contacts than a junior volunteer, someone able to coordinate this action in more than one riding.

[Malthus]

Sona takes the fall.

The larger message is that the Conservatives remain increasingly tired and dictatorial, the Liberals remain tied to unlikely and usuitable leaders, and the NDP remains unelectable. In short, not much of significance has changed ...

[Valmy]

The court has spoken: a Conservative staffer has been found guilty in the case of the misleading robocalls in Guelph.

He must have been a Ghibelline.

[Neil]

Sona takes the fall.

The larger message is that the Conservatives remain increasingly tired and dictatorial, the Liberals remain tied to unlikely and usuitable leaders, and the NDP remains unelectable. In short, not much of significance has changed ...

The more I think about it, the more it reminds me of the late 1990s.

[Jacob]

Hey CC - what's your take on the teachers strike?

[Josephus]

Too quiet in here.

Wonder what ever happened to this chick?

[Jacob]

... still interested in CC's take on the (now aftermath of the) teacher's strike