I heard on the news that Micheal Ignatieff has promised to name only bilingual judges to the Supreme Court, as it should be in an officially bilingual country where the only province with a majority of french speakers have been recognized as a nation inside Canada.
Conservatives will lose most of their candidates in the next election, unless they start acting and stop reacting. Where has gone the initiative demonstrated by this government in its first mandate?
I hear that even Albertans now prefer the Libs to the Cons. Sad day for our country. Sad day for my nation.
Supreme court doesn't have all bilingual judges already? I feel shame for our nation. :sad: I doubt though that the cons will lose candidates. Their candidates may lose bigger than they think in an election if Iggy can wait for the right time (which is not this fucking summer! what polls are you talking of? The last I saw Iggy had a slight edge on Harper. Which means squat in an election.
Is he: Canadian Scipio?
No relation.
Methinks our friend viper might be slightly skewed by the fact that he lives in Quebec. It might seem hopeless in Quebec, but that's just because the population of Quebec is steadfastly opposed to the Conservative Party on general principle.
At any rate, it's summer time. It doesn't matter what happens right now.
I love Ignatieff so this makes me very happy.
Quote from: viper37 on June 10, 2009, 12:13:53 PM
I hear that even Albertans now prefer the Libs to the Cons. Sad day for our country. Sad day for my nation.
Last poll I saw, only Quebec preferred Count Ignatieff to Sweater Steven.
But nationally, the parties are much closer. neither party would be able to form a majority.
and nobody really wants another election.
follow the link:
http://www.ctv.ca/mar/photo.html?pname=http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20090608/600_strategic_poll_0906084.jpg&win_width=795.0&description=Strategic%20Counsel%20Poll%20June%207&slug=tsc_poll_090608
Quote from: Sheilbh on June 10, 2009, 12:54:35 PM
I love Ignatieff so this makes me very happy.
he supports torture, but he doesn't call it that. the Cons can't hammer him on that one, because they feel the same way.
anyhow, you can have him.
Quote from: Sheilbh on June 10, 2009, 12:54:35 PM
I love Ignatieff so this makes me very happy.
This is the problem with Ignatieff in a nutshell: the further away he is geographically, the more people like him.
His actual constituents somewhat resent him, as he was in essence parachuted into his riding, displacing a popular incumbent. As far as I know, he's done nothing whatsoever in his actual riding (my riding, BTW). He's above such petty concerns.
Quote from: Neil on June 10, 2009, 12:25:09 PM
Methinks our friend viper might be slightly skewed by the fact that he lives in Quebec. It might seem hopeless in Quebec, but that's just because the population of Quebec is steadfastly opposed to the Conservative Party on general principle.
At any rate, it's summer time. It doesn't matter what happens right now.
the story in Quebec in the Conservative meltdown. but that's an old story now.
the new electoral frontier is Ontario, where tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs, homes, monster trucks, and HDTV's because of the economy. it's volatile.
Quote from: saskganesh on June 10, 2009, 01:16:13 PM
he supports torture, but he doesn't call it that. the Cons can't hammer him on that one, because they feel the same way.
Damn :(
It's all Borden's fault anyway. [At the federal level atleast]
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on June 10, 2009, 12:17:19 PM
Supreme court doesn't have all bilingual judges already? I feel shame for our nation. :sad:
No we don't, and Harper recently appointed a unilingual anglophone for the position, wich was a mistake.
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I doubt though that the cons will lose candidates. Their candidates may lose bigger than they think in an election if Iggy can wait for the right time (which is not this fucking summer! what polls are you talking of? The last I saw Iggy had a slight edge on Harper. Which means squat in an election.
The latest polls indicate a constant increase for Ignatieff since he arrived. And with that kind of promises, he can deflect part of the attacks from the Conservatives, namely that he is "foreigner with no understanding of the country" and he can ease the fears of Quebec from a centralizing government
à la Trudeau with just a few more moves like that.
The Conservatives, when bowing down to the opposition and amplifying our deficit tenfold have alienated part of their base all accros the country and meanwhile, they don't really try to do anything to regain popular favour.
Quote from: Neil on June 10, 2009, 12:25:09 PM
Methinks our friend viper might be slightly skewed by the fact that he lives in Quebec. It might seem hopeless in Quebec, but that's just because the population of Quebec is steadfastly opposed to the Conservative Party on general principle.
, it's summer time. It doesn't matter what happens right now.
That's partly true. I mean, the part about Quebec being steadfastly opposed to the Conservative Party on general principle is 100% true for many places. However, the Conservatives did make some gain in the wider Quebec city area and could have expanded their base by rallying the nationalists, the way Mulroney did (brown enveloppes are not mandatory though ;) ).
However, without Quebec and with 4-5 political parties it's impossible for this party to ever hope a majority. Ontario sided with Harper this time, but I suspect they'll return to the Libs by the next election, despite all the money they've been throwing at the province.
I suspect that if Iggy suggests that all judges should be bilinqual anywhere outside of Quebec if will suffer a political price for such silly pandering. Why shouldn't we be choosing the best legal minds instead of the best linguists? FYI I would not object to a unilingual French speaker being appointed if they were demonstrated to be the best choice.
So far Iggy is shaping up to be what I feared he would be. All style and no substance. I had some hope that he would come out of his coronation in Vancouver with solid policies. But I am coming to view him as merely an political opportunist who doesn't actually have a plan other then to become PM.
As a result Canadian politics will continue to be devoid of real policy discussion and will continue to be a battle of personality waged between those who call Harper "sweater wearing Steve" and those who call Iggy the "foreigner who doesnt care about you".
Quote from: viper37 on June 10, 2009, 02:32:13 PM
Ontario sided with Harper this time, but I suspect they'll return to the Libs by the next election, despite all the money they've been throwing at the province.
Ontario is the new Quebec. :cry:
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 10, 2009, 03:02:56 PM
I suspect that if Iggy suggests that all judges should be bilinqual anywhere outside of Quebec if will suffer a political price for such silly pandering. Why shouldn't we be choosing the best legal minds instead of the best linguists? FYI I would not object to a unilingual French speaker being appointed if they were demonstrated to be the best choice.
A unilingual French speaker would never go beyond municipal court.
Judges are appointed by the Federal government, it's unlikely a unilingual candidate would rise above the ranks.
As to why there should be bilingual judges, we have discussed that a few months ago, on the old Languish, IIRC.
And this is the kind of measure that won't cost a single vote in ROC for the Libs while making gains in Quebec and other french speaking areas. A few rednecks areas might be pissed off, and the die hard Conservatives won't like it at all, but overall, the Canadian population will feel it's a good gesture to enforce the meaning of that official language act so often ignored.
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So far Iggy is shaping up to be what I feared he would be. All style and no substance. I had some hope that he would come out of his coronation in Vancouver with solid policies. But I am coming to view him as merely an political opportunist who doesn't actually have a plan other then to become PM.
Oh, I share you opinion on this. So far, I've seen nothing that would convince me he's different from any other Liberal Party leader. But that's what people like, style over substance. The most popular politicians are those who don't make too much waves in their day to day action. Just look at Obama. Same policies as Bush with a few minor changes, yet everyone loves him.
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As a result Canadian politics will continue to be devoid of real policy discussion and will continue to be a battle of personality waged between those who call Harper "sweater wearing Steve" and those who call Iggy the "foreigner who doesnt care about you".
It's up to Harper&co to demonstrate they form a better alternative. They are in power right now, there are still some things they can do despite the limitations imposed upon by the leftists. It never stopped Harper in his first mandate, but as soon as he got elected again, it seemed to stop dead in its track.
While I understand how pissed off the Conservatives (and Harper in particular) might be of being considered the greatest evil of all evil in Quebec after doing so much, but still, they shouldn't drop the towel.
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 10, 2009, 03:04:17 PM
Quote from: viper37 on June 10, 2009, 02:32:13 PM
Ontario sided with Harper this time, but I suspect they'll return to the Libs by the next election, despite all the money they've been throwing at the province.
Ontario is the new Quebec. :cry:
Well, they made a wide turn to the left...
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 10, 2009, 03:04:17 PM
Quote from: viper37 on June 10, 2009, 02:32:13 PM
Ontario sided with Harper this time, but I suspect they'll return to the Libs by the next election, despite all the money they've been throwing at the province.
Ontario is the new Quebec. :cry:
Actually, that's an interesting and useful point. Quebec has gone and made itself much less relevant than it used to be. Voting for a third party will do that. Heaven knows that the West was ignored until they returned to the Tory fold.
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 10, 2009, 03:04:17 PM
Quote from: viper37 on June 10, 2009, 02:32:13 PM
Ontario sided with Harper this time, but I suspect they'll return to the Libs by the next election, despite all the money they've been throwing at the province.
Ontario is the new Quebec. :cry:
yes it is.
John Baird told Toronto to Fuck Off this week. He immediately apologised.
This gaffe will hurt the Cons in the GTA (where they are weak), but it could very well help them everywhere else, including the 905, where the Cons are stronger.
another factor in play: at the moment, Premier McGuinty has no effective opposition. So any "punish the government" sentiment will be extended to Ottawa-Harper instead.
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 10, 2009, 03:02:56 PMWhy shouldn't we be choosing the best legal minds instead of the best linguists? FYI I would not object to a unilingual French speaker being appointed if they were demonstrated to be the best choice.
I think it's simple. You're either a bilingual nation or you're two nations with two language that have been cobbled together by history. But then, as I've argued with BBoy, I think that every civil servant should be bilingual.
Quote from: Sheilbh on June 12, 2009, 07:11:59 PM
I think it's simple. You're either a bilingual nation or you're two nations with two language that have been cobbled together by history. But then, as I've argued with BBoy, I think that every civil servant should be bilingual.
The problem is that English Canada thinks of Canada as a bilingual nation while Quebec believes Canada is two nations; both won't act upon what they actually profess...
Quote from: Sheilbh on June 12, 2009, 07:11:59 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 10, 2009, 03:02:56 PMWhy shouldn't we be choosing the best legal minds instead of the best linguists? FYI I would not object to a unilingual French speaker being appointed if they were demonstrated to be the best choice.
I think it's simple. You're either a bilingual nation or you're two nations with two language that have been cobbled together by history. But then, as I've argued with BBoy, I think that every civil servant should be bilingual.
That might be true if one of the languages wasn't English. Trying to argue that there's any real parity between English and French is ridiculous, even in Canada. French is a serviceable language, but it's something of an artifact. English is the One Language.
Quote from: Oexmelin on June 12, 2009, 07:18:09 PM
Quote from: Sheilbh on June 12, 2009, 07:11:59 PM
I think it's simple. You're either a bilingual nation or you're two nations with two language that have been cobbled together by history. But then, as I've argued with BBoy, I think that every civil servant should be bilingual.
The problem is that English Canada thinks of Canada as a bilingual nation while Quebec believes Canada is two nations; both won't act upon what they actually profess...
Or maybe it's just that the majority of people in Canada feel that the national idea/nation-state isn't such a big deal.
Quote from: Neil on June 12, 2009, 07:24:04 PM
Or maybe it's just that the majority of people in Canada feel that the national idea/nation-state isn't such a big deal.
That's perhaps what is being repeated - but I do not think it is quite true. It is of the brand of small-states nationalism, which, when compared with the US, seems quite tame, but it is there nonetheless.
Quote from: Oexmelin on June 12, 2009, 07:35:48 PM
Quote from: Neil on June 12, 2009, 07:24:04 PM
Or maybe it's just that the majority of people in Canada feel that the national idea/nation-state isn't such a big deal.
That's perhaps what is being repeated - but I do not think it is quite true. It is of the brand of small-states nationalism, which, when compared with the US, seems quite tame, but it is there nonetheless.
Oh, I have no doubt that Balkantards exist, I'm just saying that last time there was a test, they went down in flames.