Dynasty, s3: Canadian Politics 2018

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-speech-indigenous-rights-1.4534679

So the verdict in the trial over the killing of Colten Boushie has spurred the liberals to do something, what it will be remains to be seen.

There are no second acts in Canadian lives. Unless you really hurry.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pc-leadership-committee-approves-patrick-brown-candidacy-1.4544843

I hope he wins, if only because it would be the most hilariously pointless outcome

this ontario PC race is a hilarious clusterfuck, but if 2016 is any indication hilarious clusterfucks will lead to Premier Doug Ford

Totally possible. The Ontario PCs have proven themselves to be good at losing elections, though.

A lot of the new federal budget sounds like it might be good: investment in conservation, rural broadband, reviewing dismissed sexual assault cases in particular. It'll all depend on what actually gets done with the money, though. Still seems a little incredible to remember that the same party were vicious deficit hawks just 20 years ago.

I'm mostly just sad at what a shambles the provincial and federal NDP are. I would be taking joy in how badly the Tories are fucking up otherwise.

I can cut the federal party some slack given that Singh has only been leader for five months; I do expect some real leadership from him, especially on pharmacare. I'll admit that I often drift out of Ontario provincial politics over the last couple of years but I honestly don't really have much of a sense of what the Ontario NDP is about at this point (other than wanting to distance themselves from Bob Rae's government of over 20 years ago, and for the wrong reasons). My sense is that both parties had been moving significantly to the centre and then were caught off guard when the Liberals tacked a little to the left?

Which - imo, Ontario Liberals have done a lot right and a lot wrong and a credible left alternative could be worthwhile!

Yes, exactly. My sense is provincial NDP have been so bloodless for so long that the slight left tack by the Libs has left them shaken.

I thought this was a pretty good overview of a strange blind spot in Canadian politics: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/atwal-sikh-trudeau-conservatives-1.4559830

Wow @ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-government-drug-funding-1.3395871

Waiting around for this PC result, which will decide how tricky my vote will be in the election (i.e., whether or not Ford wins). How in the hell can you be late announcing the results when no actual voting took place today?

1) Malfunctioning voting machine--surprise; 2) Half-a-percent difference, presumably between Ford and Elliott.

Why are they fussing then? Doesn't that mean they have to go to a second ballot?

Love this photo (from last year).

http://tvo.org/sites/default/files/blog-thumbnails/Brian_and_Caroline_Mulroney.jpg

They're saying she's last on the first ballot.

finding this very confusing

I think Rob Ford will be our largest province's next premier, which might pause Canadian smugness about Trump for about 45 seconds

why would ford winning make your voting decision tricky?

BREAKING: A senior official with direct knowledge of the results tells me that Doug Ford won the Ontario PC leadership race in the initial count and that Christine Elliott is demanding a recount. #onpoli #pcpoldr. pic.twitter.com/urSPg4s4bJ

— Mike Crawley (@CBCQueensPark) March 10, 2018

love to live in H E L L W O R L D

If Mulroney had won, the thread title would have become even more apt.

why would ford winning make your voting decision tricky?

If Mulroney had won--which I guess was never realistic--I would have just voted NDP (somewhat reluctantly; I pretty much always vote Liberal) and not given a second thought to strategic voting or whatever; she seems like a fairly mushy centrist. With Ford, though--who I truly despise--I'll wait and see what's what come election week. Wynne is so unpopular, that it probably won't make a difference, I'll still vote NDP. But if somehow she rallied and it were close between Wynne and Ford, I'd have to consider voting Wynne--which, as a teacher, I swore I'd never do again after she screwed us a couple of years ago.

I left the house at 4:30 for a movie downtown, just got back. Glad I didn't miss anything...what a joke.

Ugh.

I absolutely do not get why a party poised to win an election--even after the Patrick Brown circus--would hand things over to a guy as volatile and divisive as Ford, never mind the baggage he brings in because of his brother. I know--Trump. He won. My mystification means nothing with the electorate today.

I may again see if there's a close riding here and volunteer with some NDP candidate (which worked out so well last time...).

god this would be a FANTASTIC time for the provincial NDP to not be a milquetoast non-entity

Something I don't understand: how do you conduct a multi-ballot nomination in advance? Were voters filling out cards that had all the possible scenarios for a second, third, and fourth ballot?

I love that the PCs were finally kicked out so that the ballroom could be prepped for a (not gay, sadly) wedding.

darkest timeline strikes again. the PC fuckfaces have the next one in the bag, they could have nominated that serial killer dude and it would not have made much of a difference. my only hope about four beers in is that they are held to a minority and eventually eat doug ford alive

clem is your riding now NDP or Lib? I think volunteering is always a good idea. And if I was in Ontario I think I would have to vote strategically, even tho it could be confusing who actually has the best chance in a given riding. God bless FPTP

I think the PC used a ranked ballot that couldn't be changed after each round of voting. Apparently lots of the Mulroney voters didn't bother listing a second choice, which could have swung it away from Ford.

I'm Etobicoke Centre, currently Liberal (and Liberal since 2003). Because of my animus towards Wynne mentioned above, I wouldn't want to volunteer for a Liberal candidate. If I do volunteer, then, I'll go out of riding.

(xpost) That makes sense. It really doesn't acknowledge the back-and-forth of an open convention, though--for the reason you mention, and also just the emotion of the moment. I'd like to think enough people would have been scared off by the reality of we're-about-to-elect-Ford to give them pause on that third ballot.

even besides the typo ("overcrwoding") this is a pretty lackluster statement out of the gate

https://www.ontariondp.ca/news/cut-and-privatize-ford-stark-contrast-andrea-horwath

Was hoping for a messy, weeks-long protraction, but not to be.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-christine-elliott-meeting-1.4571798

Brutal!: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/03/10/brutal-canada-has-outsmarted-our-politicians-for-decades-trump-says.html

Lol: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-trump-boasts-that-he-made-up-trade-facts-in-meeting-with-trudeau/

That Trump, what a card!

Howarth's NDP looking to roll out a pleasingly progressive set of priorities. Wynne's response makes pretty clear the Libs don't consider them much of a threat.

https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/03/17/ndp-promises-to-give-ontario-full-dental-coverage-repay-student-loans.html

Indeed, she's gonna have to do a hell of a job selling ON voters on the NDP as a viable option.

https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/03/17/progressive-conservatives-driving-towards-majority-government-poll-suggests.html

I don't know if it's a bad habit that's exacerbated by living in Quebec or if it's simply because I'm fed up with all things political of late, but I can't bring myself to truly care for what goes on in other provinces, except maybe Ontario every now and then (et encore…). Alberta, for instance, feels like a different country to me, no doubt for misguided reasons. Is this indifference as prevalent in the rest of Canada?

I think so, yes. My impression is that we all experience pretty extreme political alienation from each other. Whereas in the States, there's a sense of triumph among progressives when progressives triumph in local elections even in distant states. (If I'm wrong on either point, lurkers, please feel free to disabuse me of either statement.)

I get what you're saying, but the alienation strikes me as more deliberate here, i.e. 'we have in nothing in common with the ROC so let them deal with their own problems'. Of course, federal issues are much harder to ignore, even in separatist circles.

To be fair, we haven't had anything as spectacular as, say, Roy Moore vs. Doug Jones (let's keep it that way).

We also have yet to face a true, national economic crisis (for quite a while, anyway). when that inevitably happens we'll prove just how reactionary we can get.

If ever there was a leader born to be brought down by sudden, roiling instability their approach is utterly insufficient in the face of, it's JT.

I’ve been in Canada for nearly four years and one major difference from the US is not having a two-party system really changes the flavor and intensity of politics.

Simon, I'm of a pessimistic nature, to say the least, but I can't help but see such statements as wishful eschatological thinking on the part of the left no less than the right, both of which seek the 'I told you so!' moment a crisis would inevitably impel. At the back of my mind, I am always comparing Canada's situation with that of my country of origin (Romania). We could be doing far better, no question about it, but we could also be doing, far, far worse. Although JT is mediocre in many ways, I'll take Canadian mediocrity over its equivalents almost everywhere else in the world, especially right now.

(With sea level as a baseline, the Mariana Trench's abyssal depth trumps Mt. Everest's height.)

I didn't mean my statement to come off as optimistic!

All I'm saying is, our relatively comfy political spectrum hasn't faced a truly dire test in quite a while.

For sure. And I've no doubt we'll see some truly ugly racist/sexist/homophobic, etc. bullshit come out of the woodwork when that happens (and it will, as no country is ever completely exempt). Harper and his cronies flirted with it a fair amount when they were in power and we'll probably get a foretaste of its return here in Quebec once the CAQ gets elected (they're outperforming everyone in the polls).