[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Jacob]

Now that the tight communications control over government scientists is over the media is following up on the research of those scientists.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/three-scientists-on-the-research-they-couldnt-discuss-to-media-under-harper/article27244717/

Also the Justice Minister was on a local radio show this morning where she announced the government appeal regarding the Niqab would be dropped today and that there was a comprehensive review under way to determine what other appeals should also be stopped.


And one other opinion piece in the Globe that I thought was particularly important in noting the effect the change in government has already had and will continue to have.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/canadas-new-foreign-policy-the-end-of-ideological-fantasies/article27248484/

Looks like we're getting our coast guard station back too

[Barrister]

Now that the tight communications control over government scientists is over the media is following up on the research of those scientists.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/three-scientists-on-the-research-they-couldnt-discuss-to-media-under-harper/article27244717/

Also the Justice Minister was on a local radio show this morning where she announced the government appeal regarding the Niqab would be dropped today and that there was a comprehensive review under way to determine what other appeals should also be stopped.


And one other opinion piece in the Globe that I thought was particularly important in noting the effect the change in government has already had and will continue to have.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/canadas-new-foreign-policy-the-end-of-ideological-fantasies/article27248484/

Looks like we're getting our coast guard station back too

Don't count on it just yet...

Gee, those Liberal promises are already disappearing. The new Veterans Affairs Minister, Kent Hehr says Canadians must have misheard if they think the Liberals are committed to re-opening the nine veterans offices they explicitly promised to re-open during the campaign. "We made a commitment to go back and look at this situation and reopen many of the offices and look to the areas that need them the most," Hehr told The Chronicle Herald in Halifax. That might mean re-opening some, but it's no guarantee. "Look, we're going to reopen offices, we're going to get veterans the help they need, but let's do it with reason and common sense and hard numbers," he said. Asked whether he could guarantee the Sydney, Nova Scotia office would re-open, he told the paper it would be "ludicrous" to do so.

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/liberals-start-backing-off-on-pledge-to-veterans-and-other-reasons-to-fear-for-humanity

Plus they've already started the usual song-and-dance that the prior government left the cupboard "bare", which is a standard tactic used by new governments of all stripes to get out of their election promises...

[viper37]

Justin spoke on Friday.  He allowed exactly one question from the journalists.  That is real change.  Harper allowed for 3.

Anyway.  As expected, he was clueless, speechless. Without anyone to pull the cords, he's totally empty.

[crazy canuck]

One thing is certain, his first big off script test happened very quickly.  Probably better he said nothing.  Less chance of screwing up in similar fashion to that Mansbridge interview he did a couple years back.  At least he learned from that experience.

[Barrister]

Any chance he reverses course and keeps the fighter jets in the middle east?  He certainly has the perfect excuse to back off on that promise.

[Josephus]

Any chance he reverses course and keeps the fighter jets in the middle east?  He certainly has the perfect excuse to back off on that promise.

i think he probably wants to now, but needs to save face.

The best thing that can happen to him is that France invokes Article 5 of NATO and turns this into a NATO war, then Trudeau can shrug and say, "I'm tied to alliance commitments."

[crazy canuck]

Any chance he reverses course and keeps the fighter jets in the middle east?  He certainly has the perfect excuse to back off on that promise.

i think he probably wants to now, but needs to save face.

The best thing that can happen to him is that France invokes Article 5 of NATO and turns this into a NATO war, then Trudeau can shrug and say, "I'm tied to alliance commitments."

Agreed

[viper37]

Any chance he reverses course and keeps the fighter jets in the middle east?  He certainly has the perfect excuse to back off on that promise.

he and his foreign affairs minister (Dion) both said they wouldn't back off on that.  Canada is semi-officially out of the war.  Apparently, because we only contribute to 2% of the bombings, so it's a good excuse to pretend we do something while we really aren't.
Somehow, this is different than Canada contributing for a small fraction of the greenhouse gazes worldwide and having to do a lot of work to reduce our emissions.
I guess there are different 2%.

In any case, it would require more than just bombings, it would require troops on the ground, fighting a war.  Is Canadian opinion ready for that?  I doubt it.

Given there's a momentum for war now, not doing anything would probably be called courageous by Liberal supporters.  So, no, Canada will not reverse its stupid decision, and even if article 5 is invoked, Trudeau will drag his feet.

[Grey Fox]

It sucks.

[crazy canuck]

Any chance he reverses course and keeps the fighter jets in the middle east?  He certainly has the perfect excuse to back off on that promise.

he and his foreign affairs minister (Dion) both said they wouldn't back off on that.  Canada is semi-officially out of the war.  Apparently, because we only contribute to 2% of the bombings, so it's a good excuse to pretend we do something while we really aren't.
Somehow, this is different than Canada contributing for a small fraction of the greenhouse gazes worldwide and having to do a lot of work to reduce our emissions.
I guess there are different 2%.

In any case, it would require more than just bombings, it would require troops on the ground, fighting a war.  Is Canadian opinion ready for that?  I doubt it.

Given there's a momentum for war now, not doing anything would probably be called courageous by Liberal supporters.  So, no, Canada will not reverse its stupid decision, and even if article 5 is invoked, Trudeau will drag his feet.

Nothing has yet changed regarding the bombing missions.  They are still being conducted as before.  Yes Trudeau has confirmed he will pull Canada out of that role but he has yet to do it.  On the other hand you appear to be agreeing with the logic of the Liberal strategy.  Our role in the air war is rather insignificant so there is no real purpose in continuing it.  Also ironically your position about needing more boots on the ground is exactly what the Liberal strategy calls for.  They have committed to put troops in the area to train Kurdish and Iraqi troops.  There are of course big risks with this strategy that the Conservatives were not willing to take.  Putting our troops near the fight increasing the chances they will be involved in the fighting even if they are there ostensibly only to train others.  Also, the chances of Canada being drawn into a ground war increases once we commit to this course of action.

[Savonarola]

Liberal MP Linda Lapointe deletes photos of her 'unacceptable' Halloween costume
Laurin Liu, the riding's former MP and a Chinese-Canadian, calls the outfit shocking and offensive



A Liberal MP is apologizing after posting photos on Facebook of herself wearing a Halloween costume based on an Asian ethnic stereotype.

The photos show Linda Lapointe, the newly elected MP for Montreal's Rivière-des-Mille-Îles riding, wearing a stereotypical Asian hat and robe. The images disappeared from Lapointe's Facebook page on Monday afternoon, shortly after CBC News reached out to ask about them.

"For me, Halloween has always been a chance to celebrate with family and friends. It is in this spirit that I chose my costume," Lapointe told CBC News in an email.

"I regret if my choice offended anyone, but it was not at all my intention."

She said purchased the outfit during one of her trips to China.

The photos were first posted to Lapointe's Facebook page on Nov. 1 from a Halloween party she attended. They resurfaced Monday in an emotional French-language Facebook post by Laurin Liu, the Montreal riding's former NDP MP and a Chinese-Canadian.

Liu, who was a member of the 2011 election's young "McGill Four" group, was defeated by Lapointe in October.

In her post, Liu called Lapointe's costume "unacceptable," which she repeated in an email to CBC News. She said the photos made her feel "shocked and offended."

"I can't imagine how a little girl would feel on Halloween upon seeing her MP wearing a costume based on an ethnic stereotype of her culture," she said.

"It's 2015. It's unacceptable to dress up as another culture, on Halloween or any other day. Pleading ignorance doesn't excuse the fact that her actions further stigmatized Chinese-Canadians. I am not sure she understands how hurtful her actions were, and if she does, I want her work in Parliament to reflect cultural inclusion and tolerance."

There has been much debate over the cultural correctness of Halloween costumes, with some deeming cultural costumes controversial and others calling them racist.

Tsk Tsk

[Valmy]

That is shocking and offensive? I thought she would at least be dressed up yellow face committing suicide or something.

What exact stigma does wearing that put on Chinese-Canadians? Their ancestors wore hats?

[Jacob]

That is shocking and offensive? I thought she would at least be dressed up yellow face committing suicide or something.

What exact stigma does wearing that put on Chinese-Canadians? Their ancestors wore hats?

The idea is that treating an ethnicity as a costume is offensive. Independently of that, depictions of ethnicities relying on clumsy stereotypes are rather gauche. Not going to argue for or against it here, but that's where it's coming from.

On another note, is committing suicide a stereotype for Chinese people in your part of the world?

[crazy canuck]

On another note, is committing suicide a stereotype for Chinese people in your part of the world?

Yeah, I didn't understand that reference at all.

[Valmy]

That is shocking and offensive? I thought she would at least be dressed up yellow face committing suicide or something.

What exact stigma does wearing that put on Chinese-Canadians? Their ancestors wore hats?

The idea is that treating an ethnicity as a costume is offensive. Independently of that, depictions of ethnicities relying on clumsy stereotypes are rather gauche. Not going to argue for or against it here, but that's where it's coming from.

On another note, is committing suicide a stereotype for Chinese people in your part of the world?

Nope. But it just said Asian so I was thinking of some really offensive Asian stereotype. But hey didn't the lady in Miss Saigon off herself? It doesn't just extend to the Japanese. But I admit I suck at racist stereotypes, I rarely know any of them and who they apply to.

So dressing up like Ghengis Khan = okay since that is a specific person but dressing up like a Mongol Warrior = offensive? Or is it best just to avoid dressing up like people all together? Yet another reason I hate Halloween and never dress up. Worst holiday ever.