[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Barrister]

IN politics - it's as much the appearance of impropriety, as impropriety itself.

If you're taking money from China, and you can't prove it's completely innocent, then you might as well be guilty.

[Barrister]

Troubling update on the BC story, the constituency office of the former minister was vandalized.

I was curious why you were so quick to dismiss anti-semitism as a factor in this story.  To be clear - not from Premier Eby - but from Robinson's critics, many of whom were muslim.

Here's an opinion piece (by Rahim Mohamed) questioning that very fact:

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rahim-mohamed-selina-robinsons-ouster-shows-ndp-has-no-place-for-jews-who-dont-submit

[crazy canuck]

IN politics - it's as much the appearance of impropriety, as impropriety itself.

If you're taking money from China, and you can't prove it's completely innocent, then you might as well be guilty.

I agree, that is what makes the finding of "can't rule out" so damning.  And, again, why what I found surprising is that so little money can be tempting enough to take the risk.

[crazy canuck]

Troubling update on the BC story, the constituency office of the former minister was vandalized.

I was curious why you were so quick to dismiss anti-semitism as a factor in this story.  To be clear - not from Premier Eby - but from Robinson's critics, many of whom were muslim.

Here's an opinion piece (by Rahim Mohamed) questioning that very fact:

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rahim-mohamed-selina-robinsons-ouster-shows-ndp-has-no-place-for-jews-who-dont-submit

It is the role of opinion pieces to raise those sorts of questions.  You will note that the piece does not deal with any of the facts I have already explained to you as being the basis for why I say the suggestion is not supported by the facts.

[Barrister]

It is the role of opinion pieces to raise those sorts of questions.  You will note that the piece does not deal with any of the facts I have already explained to you as being the basis for why I say the suggestion is not supported by the facts.

And your opinion is unchanged after the vandalism to her office?

[Jacob]

I think vandalism is driven by the vandals' sense of (self-)righteous anger, not by the specific content of the ideology that drives that anger.

That said, if there were elements of the vandalism that suggests anti-semitism - directly or implicitly - that's more indicative.

[Barrister]

Found this in the Twitter fever-swamps, but the basis of the allegation appears to be true:

-a private members bill submitted by NDP MP Charlie Angus would ban all fossil fuel advertising.  Seemingly you couldn't even advertise to buy gas for your car.  I guess the idea is to treat fossil fuels like cigarettes.

https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-372/first-reading

I fully recognize private members bills rarely come up for a vote, and even more rarely pass - but this still seems pretty out there.

[Jacob]

Is fossil fuel advertising much of a thing?

[Barrister]

Is fossil fuel advertising much of a thing?

Sure!

How many times have you seen an ad for a gas station?

Probably not a thing in BC, but you also see ads for different natural gas providers as well here in Alberta.

And yes - you do sometimes see advocacy pro-oil-and-gas-industry ads as well.  Government of Alberta put out a bunch last year.

[Jacob]

I honestly don't recall seeing an ad for a gas station, but that's probably just the Vancouver market.

Driving along the highway I've seen some. And yeah, if the bill would ban all of those that'd be pretty daft as it's pretty useful to know where the gas stations are when driving cross country.

For some reason I was thinking BC NDP rather than federal... but yeah, it seems like way for Angus to score some points with green constituencies via pointless posturing. I'm not convinced it's the kind of thing that's useful for the federal NDP to push, though I don't know how much it'll cost them - or Angus.

[crazy canuck]

It is the role of opinion pieces to raise those sorts of questions.  You will note that the piece does not deal with any of the facts I have already explained to you as being the basis for why I say the suggestion is not supported by the facts.

And your opinion is unchanged after the vandalism to her office?

Yes, I think there is a difference between the groups who were raising concerns about what she had said, which I remind you included the Jewish group who hosted the event, and the people who later vandalized her office.

[crazy canuck]

Is fossil fuel advertising much of a thing?

Sure!

How many times have you seen an ad for a gas station?

Probably not a thing in BC, but you also see ads for different natural gas providers as well here in Alberta.

And yes - you do sometimes see advocacy pro-oil-and-gas-industry ads as well.  Government of Alberta put out a bunch last year.

If you read the proposed legislation the absurdity you identify does not exist.  Instead it is clearly aimed at the adds from fossil fuel companies claiming that their activities are good or at least less damaging to the enviornment.

False promotion
7 (1) It is prohibited for a person to promote a fossil fuel or the production of a fossil fuel in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive with respect to or that is likely to create an erroneous impression about the characteristics, health or environmental effects or health or environmental hazards of the fossil fuel, its production or the emissions that result from its production or use.

8 It is prohibited for a person to promote a fossil fuel or the production of a fossil fuel

(a) in a manner that states or suggests that the fossil fuel, its production or its emissions are less harmful than other fossil fuels, their production or their emissions;

(b) in a manner that states or suggests that a fossil fuel or the practices of a producer or of the fossil fuel industry would lead to positive outcomes in relation to the environment, the health of Canadians, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples or the Canadian or global economy; or

(c) by using terms, expressions, logos, symbols or illustrations that are prohibited by the regulations.

[Grey Fox]

https://twitter.com/HBuzzetti/status/1755244071302341057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1755244071302341057%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=

Hélène Buzzetti
@HBuzzetti
Le chef conservateur @PierrePoilievre
 affirme qu'il s'oppose aux bloqueurs de puberté pour les mineurs. C'est la première fois qu'il se prononce.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poilievre-transgender-puberty-blockers-1.7107486

PP is saying he's against puberty blockers for minors.


Le gros bon senss, encroaching on provincial matters.

[crazy canuck]

Once again I apologize for not being able to speak both of our official languages.  What is that about?

[Grey Fox]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poilievre-transgender-puberty-blockers-1.7107486

PP is saying he's against puberty blockers for minors.