We Still Have a Government, Right?: Canadian Politics 2020

It's been a day.

I've heard so many times today that this is the first time the Capitol building has been stormed since 1812. I know I should know this, but was that us?

define "us"

It was british north america yes, which would later become Canada.

Figured as much. Well, at least we're not being called out by name.

Can you guys come back

that's a revisionist misnomer

in 1812, united kingdom did not officially call it "british north america" (it took on this name much later after the durham report)

it was the province of upper canada and the province of lower canada, both with their own political agenda and culturally different

robert ross, who led the british troops to washington, d.c., was an irish man who pledged allegiance to the uk and was part of the british army

Enh, I’ll take it.

goin ham

https://www.tracesofwar.com/upload/5906190801160239.jpg

It was the British army, which wasnt composed of people purely from the North American colonies (all of whom would have identified their nationality as British)

it is interesting the role the war of 1812 plays in the formation of canadian identity, retrospectively at least. while it is a somewhat marginal, not particularly well-remembered part of the napoleonic wars in the uk.

isaac brock received a statue in the uk before horatio nelson, but i doubt hardly anyone would have heard of him now there, but nelson must be one of hte best remembered pre-20th century figures

it's kind of interesting. there are a few theories out there, but you'll always find people opposing different ones and picking their favourite

sticking to the facts, you have to remember most english-speaking "canada" at that time were british loyalists. the american loyalists who fled to "canada" at the time were also compensated quite well by the british empire. it was only quebec that didn't want to be part of the rebels or the british side or the american side, because of their religious difference. the british empire played their cards well with canada and managed to fill an icy, desolate land with mostly loyalists, though

that combined with very few truly canadian victories on the world stage drives some people to "appreciate" or "memorialize" the small part canadians had in defending the british empire and their territories

bring in socioeconomics and the cultural war into the mix and things get wackier

@van horn street, setting aside the "parents need to work"/economy stuff, there's just the fact that kids suffer serious longterm detrimental effects from the closure of schools

Getting back to this, I am just going to say that I am very much relieved that primary schools are going to open Monday as planned. I have a daughter in second grade who missed almost half of her first grade last year. Remote learning is very difficult at that age and I feel that she is nowhere near the level of where she should be normally in second grade. If schools closed for an extended time I can't help but feel that it would have long term consequences. And obviously there are a bunch of kids whose situation is much worse than my daughter's.

I also have a son who is in first year of secondary school (7th grade) and for him remote learning works reasonably well (not ideal, but at least seems to be working), so would not have a strong objection to pushing back the opening of high schools (though here also, I am sure that many kids will be much more affected by this than others).

Yup

It’s the high schools I’m complaining about!

It's an almost impossible call. But--my bias conceded--if you give teachers some vaccine priority (not the front of the line by any means, but midway, at least), it becomes much easier.

I’m not a parent so take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt but I think the lockdown would be more effective if there were fewer exceptions. As it stands, we are still implementing half-measures that will call for further lockdowns in the near rather than distant future, which feels shortsighted, including from a psychopedagogical perspective. I very much agree with Rima Elkouri’s take: https://lp.ca/zO4URa

Schools out in Ontario till Jan. 25.

https://www.cp24.com/news/elementary-school-students-in-southern-ontario-won-t-return-to-classrooms-until-jan-25-1.5257418

Can’t remember if I’ve posted this before, but it seems especially relevant ATM. A School of Public Policy paper on authoritarian populism in Canada: https://bit.ly/2XrT82p

only 32 cases of the flu in canada between april and december 2020

This seems 100% responsible and can not possibly end badly

https://www.conservative.ca/cpc/election-rigging/

hire a goddamn proofreader you idiots

Are Tories really disappointed that electoral reform didn't pan out? What promises do they feel Trudeau has deceived us on?

No, they are not. They get their ideas from below and try to fit them into situations up here in often nonsensical ways

Well that disappeared quickly

Wait, was there originally something at that link? I thought it was just a gag.

Btw, I realize you probably meant they get their ideas from the US but I'm going to continue imagining that "from below" meant that Tories get their ideas from Hell.

See the original URL. Something about new rules for pre-election spending and claims of "election rigging" by the LPC. Clearly NOGL this week

*NAGL

that 404 message is a great example of how they blame Justin Trudeau for their own fuckups

that 404 is especially hilarious in context

If anyone's curious...
https://web.archive.org/web/20210108164145/https://www.conservative.ca/cpc/election-rigging/

Wow, that’s just pathetic.

Btw, I realize you probably meant they get their ideas from the US but I'm going to continue imagining that "from below" meant that Tories get their ideas from Hell.

I'd like to appeal to my fellow Canadians to see if we can get the number of new answers on this thread from the current 71 up to 3666, to compete with the US politics thread.

Can we target1/10 of their posts, just to rep by pop?

I'd be happy with just having Canadians post as much in this thread as they do in that thread

Past few days I’ve seen a LOT of “that couldn’t happen here” in CanPol social media. The “election rigging” page (apparently a forgotten artifact from 2018, ginned up from this little nothingburger: https://fb.watch/2Usjw5HT0y) is a concrete reminder that the CPC is nothing more than an arm of the global conservative movement, organized and funded by the IDU, the same people that brought you such hits as Trump! Bolsonaro! and Borexit! not to mention such fan-favourite deep cuts as The United Conservative Party of Alberta! and the “Take Back City Hall” gang that’s poisoning your next municipal election!

BUT WAIT

THERE’S MORE

Does the IDU fund political parties? Also o_O that parties like the BJP are part of a "global alliance of the centre-right" chaired by Stephen Harper.

I do worry about our next municipal election. Centre-left, developer-friendly but mostly OK Jim Watson has been mayor for the last 11 years, and for 3 before that, and usually faces little serious opposition, but light rail has been such a mind-boggling disaster that it's like he's been begging for someone to take the job off his hands.

that CPC allegation of election rigging is sickening.

I'd like to appeal to my fellow Canadians to see if we can get the number of new answers on this thread from the current 71 up to 3666, to compete with the US politics thread.

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, January 8, 2021 3:33 PM (two hours ago)

Is there some sort of grant program involved here or...?

Btw, I realize you probably meant they get their ideas from the US but I'm going to continue imagining that "from below" meant that Tories get their ideas from Hell.

lmao

I was definitely lazy about the IDU connection & their role, need to do more research, but the picture that’s coming together in my head (which I must test before spouting off about it on SM lest I look like more of an idiot than I actually am) is of an org that funnels money into getting cons elected wherever & however it can. Public face: centre-right. Private face: jackboots & dark money.

Looking forward to The Right Honourable Jordan Peterson.

So in Montreal there's a curfew at 8pm but also homeless shelters have to kick out all the users by 9h30.

But yes after what happened on the Capitol I kinda decided that for my mental health it would be better if I just focused on my own country.

Yeah, I’m trying to maintain focus in the right order (I think: provincial, municipal, federal, USA, global?) but the US election & aftermath have way too many repercussions here — and are too frankly riveting — to ignore.

I did have a good couple months attending NDP volunteer orientation, delivering lit for the progressive municipal candidate in my ward, writing letters to my asshole MLA etc & have been almost successfully keeping it local on Twitter, but the coup de twats in DC shook it up a bit

coup de twats is excelsior

Clem do you support canadian hate speech regulations? On paper they're much stricter than the first amendment protections in the US?