Canadian Politics

cincybearcat

dignin wrote:

cincybearcat wrote:

You Canadians are weird!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/29/world/ame ... ?hpt=hp_t3

ummmmm.....weird knows no political borders.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/artic ... identified

Oh thanks, I didn't know that. :roll: Hahaha, man people here are nuts.

lukin2006

How to lose $260K at Tim Hortons: Let the government run it and pay staff $28/hour


http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/30 ... e-critics/

Like I've always said the government couldn't run a hotdog stand at a profit or organize a 1 car funeral...I'm sure glad I never waste my time voting...

Drowned Out

Alberta's number one enemy (sic) is coming for a visit, but our fearless leader Redford has a prior engagement - selling out our country's resources to globalists and warmongers.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le2448097/

Alberta takes offense to Mulcair ahead of his visit

Foes, allies and cautious tour-guides await Thomas Mulcair on his Alberta visit – just after the release of a report supporting the views that landed the NDP leader in hot water.

Mr. Mulcair has long been an outspoken critic of the oil sands, but triggered a war of words with three Western premiers this month by saying Canada’s energy sector has driven up the dollar, overheated the economy and hurt the manufacturing sector

Academics are split on the issue, but the premiers – none of them New Democrats – nonetheless fired back at Mr. Mulcair, whose trip was announced shortly after.

The first item in his whirlwind schedule was a meeting late Wednesday with Alberta NDP leader Brian Mason. Early on Thursday, Mr. Mulcair and three other New Democrat MPs will tour Suncor Energy’s open-pit mine, one of the first major projects in the oil sands, dating back four decades. Later on Thursday, he’ll meet with the local mayor before returning to Edmonton to visit the Legislature – where he was called “Alberta’s number one enemy” this week.

It will be Mr. Mulcair’s first visit to what he has derided as the “tar sands” and called “dirty oil.” Suncor declined to comment on its tour.

The mayor of the region, for one, doesn’t like what the NDP leader has said, but agreed to meet with him anyway.

“I think it was more of a disappointment for me, because it’s a national leader making some pretty aggressive comments about something I’m not sure he has the best understanding of,” Mayor Melissa Blake said.

Mr. Mulcair said he never sought to attack the West, calling the notion a “straw man” set up by his political foes.

“This whole discussion is about breaking the boom-and-bust cycle, having sustainable development, looking at the environmental, economic and social aspects of the equation, coming up with a pan-Canadian vision. There are people in the West who believe in that as well,” he said.

Among those he won’t meet is Alberta Premier Alison Redford. She’ll be at the secretive, invitation-only Bilderberg conference in Virginia. Her deputy premier will host Mr. Mulcair, and Ms. Redford is under fire for skipping out.

“Where are this Premier’s priorities? Is it to stand here, in Alberta, and defend our most important industry from bullies like Thomas Mulcair? Or is it to attend secret cocktail parties on the taxpayer dime and let the bully have open season,” provincial Opposition Leader Danielle Smith said after calling Mr. Mulcair “Alberta’s number one enemy.”

Mr. Mason said he agrees with most of what his federal counterpart has said about the energy sector’s effect on the broader economy. “It’s a difference in emphasis rather than substance,” the provincial NDP leader said.

A report on Wednesday by the Calgary-based Pembina Institute backed Mr. Mulcair, saying Canada’s economy has “oil sands fever.” Another report, by the right-wing Macdonald-Laurier Institute think tank, dismissed fears.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said this week he hopes the trip is a learning experience for Mr. Mulcair, but added: “I have my doubts, frankly.” Ms. Redford has said Mr. Mulcair needs to “inform himself.” Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said he hopes Mr. Mulcair is “mugged by reality” during his visit.

Such comments amount to conservatives “taking advantage of the controversy in order to try and damage the NDP,” Mr. Mason said. But he hopes this is all just the beginning. “I’m hoping he’ll come back to Alberta again.”

Drowned Out

cincybearcat wrote:

You Canadians are weird!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/29/world/ame ... ?hpt=hp_t3

This story is so fucked up. Supposedly there could be four or more body parts still in the mail system!
The guy videotaped the murder and dismemberment (and sexual acts with the body)....and posted them online.
He warned of more killings to come, and allegedly fled to France....he has multiple alliases, and has written blog posts about how to disappear without a trace....there's also speculation he dated Karla Homolka.

lukin2006

Drowned Out wrote:

Alberta's number one enemy is coming for a visit, but our fearless leader Redford has a prior engagement - selling out our country's resources to globalists and warmongers.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le2448097/

Alberta takes offense to Mulcair ahead of his visit

Foes, allies and cautious tour-guides await Thomas Mulcair on his Alberta visit – just after the release of a report supporting the views that landed the NDP leader in hot water.

Mr. Mulcair has long been an outspoken critic of the oil sands, but triggered a war of words with three Western premiers this month by saying Canada’s energy sector has driven up the dollar, overheated the economy and hurt the manufacturing sector

Academics are split on the issue, but the premiers – none of them New Democrats – nonetheless fired back at Mr. Mulcair, whose trip was announced shortly after.

The first item in his whirlwind schedule was a meeting late Wednesday with Alberta NDP leader Brian Mason. Early on Thursday, Mr. Mulcair and three other New Democrat MPs will tour Suncor Energy’s open-pit mine, one of the first major projects in the oil sands, dating back four decades. Later on Thursday, he’ll meet with the local mayor before returning to Edmonton to visit the Legislature – where he was called “Alberta’s number one enemy” this week.

It will be Mr. Mulcair’s first visit to what he has derided as the “tar sands” and called “dirty oil.” Suncor declined to comment on its tour.

The mayor of the region, for one, doesn’t like what the NDP leader has said, but agreed to meet with him anyway.

“I think it was more of a disappointment for me, because it’s a national leader making some pretty aggressive comments about something I’m not sure he has the best understanding of,” Mayor Melissa Blake said.

Mr. Mulcair said he never sought to attack the West, calling the notion a “straw man” set up by his political foes.

“This whole discussion is about breaking the boom-and-bust cycle, having sustainable development, looking at the environmental, economic and social aspects of the equation, coming up with a pan-Canadian vision. There are people in the West who believe in that as well,” he said.

Among those he won’t meet is Alberta Premier Alison Redford. She’ll be at the secretive, invitation-only Bilderberg conference in Virginia. Her deputy premier will host Mr. Mulcair, and Ms. Redford is under fire for skipping out.

“Where are this Premier’s priorities? Is it to stand here, in Alberta, and defend our most important industry from bullies like Thomas Mulcair? Or is it to attend secret cocktail parties on the taxpayer dime and let the bully have open season,” provincial Opposition Leader Danielle Smith said after calling Mr. Mulcair “Alberta’s number one enemy.”

Mr. Mason said he agrees with most of what his federal counterpart has said about the energy sector’s effect on the broader economy. “It’s a difference in emphasis rather than substance,” the provincial NDP leader said.

A report on Wednesday by the Calgary-based Pembina Institute backed Mr. Mulcair, saying Canada’s economy has “oil sands fever.” Another report, by the right-wing Macdonald-Laurier Institute think tank, dismissed fears.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said this week he hopes the trip is a learning experience for Mr. Mulcair, but added: “I have my doubts, frankly.” Ms. Redford has said Mr. Mulcair needs to “inform himself.” Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said he hopes Mr. Mulcair is “mugged by reality” during his visit.

Such comments amount to conservatives “taking advantage of the controversy in order to try and damage the NDP,” Mr. Mason said. But he hopes this is all just the beginning. “I’m hoping he’ll come back to Alberta again.”

Now admittedly I don't follow Mulcair all that much nor do I follow much about the oil sands...question has anybody put solutions forward or do they just want them to stop mining the tar sands? Because my guess is if they want the mining stopped completely that will not happen.

lukin2006

Has anybody given serious thought what would happen to Canada's economy if Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan economies suddenly tanked...I love some people here in Ontario they rag on the tar sands but don't offer solutions...if there are any...our province has totally tanked under McGuinty and Duncan (and some after 8 years still blame the previous government). In Ontario the so called green energy jobs are not materializing like McGuinty said...because I guess he didn't realize that the US just don't have the money to buy that stuff, European countries aren't buying that stuff and countries like China and India are burning coal.

My guess is the Federal Government gets a fair share from the oil that helps pay social programs...but I guess they can just magically pay like we do in Ontario.

Not to mention how many people livelihoods are now dependent upon the work from all parts of Canada.

Did these other provinces rag on Ontario and Quebec back in the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's when our manufacturing was dropping pollutants on our lakes , streams and farmland?

dignin

lukin2006 wrote:

Now admittedly I don't follow Mulcair all that much nor do I follow much about the oil sands...question has anybody put solutions forward or do they just want them to stop mining the tar sands? Because my guess is if they want the mining stopped completely that will not happen.

Here ya go,maybe this can shed a little light

Reality check: The NDP and the oilsands By
Shannon Phillips Keith McLaughlin Keith Gardner

Contrary to recent headlines, the NDP and Tom Mulcair do not want to shut down the oil sands. The NDP is not attacking Western Canada. The NDP is not trying to divide Canadians by pitting East against West.

The headlines are another example of the tantrums Conservative premiers, federal Conservatives, and the oil lobby throw every time an alternative model of oil sands development is proposed. Let’s be clear: Tom Mulcair and the NDP are talking about putting Albertans and Canadians first - not the oil companies - when it comes to developing the oil sands.

The NDP proposes a practical and legitimate alternative to resource development. This alternative deserves a grown-up conversation. Canadians deserve better than hysteria, smears, and hyperbole.

Here’s what is at stake. A range of credible voices - from conservative economists to former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed - share Tom Mulcair’s view that runaway development in the oil sands is not in our interest. We ought to pace development, taking on fewer projects at a time. The benefits of slowing development far outweigh the risks. A slower pace of development allows Alberta’s infrastructure and health and education systems to keep up. It slows the skyrocketing cost of living and labour market pressures. A slower pace of development means we keep more good-paying jobs in Alberta, too: with fewer projects on the books, we would be able to upgrade and refine more bitumen in our province, rather than shipping the jobs to Texas or China.

A slower pace of development also takes the heat off our currency, ensuring we slow the decline of the manufacturing sector, both in Alberta and the rest of Canada.

The Alberta NDP is also saying we need to ensure we get full value from the oil sands. That means having yet another grown-up conversation: this time about royalties. We’re the only party that talks about how Alberta needs to increase our royalties to levels charged in other oil-producing areas. More appropriate royalties has the effect of slowing the stampede to our currency, mitigating job losses in other parts of the country. Better royalties allow us to save and invest in a green economy, which is the best way to show leadership and ensure all of Canada can be put on a more sustainable path to long-term prosperity.

Conservative Premiers, the Harper government, and the oil lobby do not want to have any conversation about their development model in the oil sands. They ask us to sign off on pulling the bitumen out of the ground as fast as possible and shipping it out without any regard for the jobs leaving the country or the value we get from the resource. This benefits the international oil companies, not Canadians. In fact, two-thirds of oil sands companies are foreign-owned. Conservatives in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC have reacted with such bullying childishness to Tom Mulcair because the questions he is asking threaten oil companies’ massive profits and privilege.

Conservative hysteria, smears, and hyperbole (whether from Alison Redford, local PC MLAs, or the Harper government) are strategies designed to silence legitimate alternatives. This strategy protects foreign-owned oil companies’ interests, not Canadians’ or Albertans’. The NDP, on the other hand, advocates a position that puts sustainable development and Canadians’ long-term economic prosperity at the centre of the conversation.

We are young, proud New Democrats, and represent a new generation of NDP activism in Lethbridge. We are concerned recent headlines mislead the people of Lethbridge with respect to what our party stands for. We’ll say it again: the NDP is not anti-oil sands. We want an economy that works for all of us, and we believe oil sands wealth belongs to Albertans first. If we take that approach, all Canadians can benefit from our enormous natural resource endowment. Our party wants to build a more inclusive and united Canada; we are not interested in cynical political games.

We are interested in a mature political conversation about the oil sands. We invite Conservatives at all levels of government to join us.

Shannon Phillips was the Alberta NDP candidate in the 2012 provincial election in Lethbridge West.
Keith McLaughlin is the former VP Academic of the U of L Students’ Union, a former editor of the U of L Meliorist newspaper, and the former Vice-Chair of the Council of Alberta University Students.
Keith Gardner was a manager on the 2012 Lethbridge West campaign, a former editor of the U of L Meliorist newspaper, and a former board member for the U of L Public Interest Research Group.

dignin

^^^
this was an op-ed piece sent to the Lethbridge Herald in response to articles written about Mulcairs motives with respect to Alberta and the oilsands (tarsands). They would not print it, but did interview my friend Shannon for another article

lukin2006

dignin wrote:

lukin2006 wrote:

Now admittedly I don't follow Mulcair all that much nor do I follow much about the oil sands...question has anybody put solutions forward or do they just want them to stop mining the tar sands? Because my guess is if they want the mining stopped completely that will not happen.

Here ya go,maybe this can shed a little light

Reality check: The NDP and the oilsands By
Shannon Phillips Keith McLaughlin Keith Gardner

Contrary to recent headlines, the NDP and Tom Mulcair do not want to shut down the oil sands. The NDP is not attacking Western Canada. The NDP is not trying to divide Canadians by pitting East against West.

The headlines are another example of the tantrums Conservative premiers, federal Conservatives, and the oil lobby throw every time an alternative model of oil sands development is proposed. Let’s be clear: Tom Mulcair and the NDP are talking about putting Albertans and Canadians first - not the oil companies - when it comes to developing the oil sands.

The NDP proposes a practical and legitimate alternative to resource development. This alternative deserves a grown-up conversation. Canadians deserve better than hysteria, smears, and hyperbole.

Here’s what is at stake. A range of credible voices - from conservative economists to former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed - share Tom Mulcair’s view that runaway development in the oil sands is not in our interest. We ought to pace development, taking on fewer projects at a time. The benefits of slowing development far outweigh the risks. A slower pace of development allows Alberta’s infrastructure and health and education systems to keep up. It slows the skyrocketing cost of living and labour market pressures. A slower pace of development means we keep more good-paying jobs in Alberta, too: with fewer projects on the books, we would be able to upgrade and refine more bitumen in our province, rather than shipping the jobs to Texas or China.

A slower pace of development also takes the heat off our currency, ensuring we slow the decline of the manufacturing sector, both in Alberta and the rest of Canada.

The Alberta NDP is also saying we need to ensure we get full value from the oil sands. That means having yet another grown-up conversation: this time about royalties. We’re the only party that talks about how Alberta needs to increase our royalties to levels charged in other oil-producing areas. More appropriate royalties has the effect of slowing the stampede to our currency, mitigating job losses in other parts of the country. Better royalties allow us to save and invest in a green economy, which is the best way to show leadership and ensure all of Canada can be put on a more sustainable path to long-term prosperity.

Conservative Premiers, the Harper government, and the oil lobby do not want to have any conversation about their development model in the oil sands. They ask us to sign off on pulling the bitumen out of the ground as fast as possible and shipping it out without any regard for the jobs leaving the country or the value we get from the resource. This benefits the international oil companies, not Canadians. In fact, two-thirds of oil sands companies are foreign-owned. Conservatives in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC have reacted with such bullying childishness to Tom Mulcair because the questions he is asking threaten oil companies’ massive profits and privilege.

Conservative hysteria, smears, and hyperbole (whether from Alison Redford, local PC MLAs, or the Harper government) are strategies designed to silence legitimate alternatives. This strategy protects foreign-owned oil companies’ interests, not Canadians’ or Albertans’. The NDP, on the other hand, advocates a position that puts sustainable development and Canadians’ long-term economic prosperity at the centre of the conversation.

We are young, proud New Democrats, and represent a new generation of NDP activism in Lethbridge. We are concerned recent headlines mislead the people of Lethbridge with respect to what our party stands for. We’ll say it again: the NDP is not anti-oil sands. We want an economy that works for all of us, and we believe oil sands wealth belongs to Albertans first. If we take that approach, all Canadians can benefit from our enormous natural resource endowment. Our party wants to build a more inclusive and united Canada; we are not interested in cynical political games.

We are interested in a mature political conversation about the oil sands. We invite Conservatives at all levels of government to join us.

Shannon Phillips was the Alberta NDP candidate in the 2012 provincial election in Lethbridge West.
Keith McLaughlin is the former VP Academic of the U of L Students’ Union, a former editor of the U of L Meliorist newspaper, and the former Vice-Chair of the Council of Alberta University Students.
Keith Gardner was a manager on the 2012 Lethbridge West campaign, a former editor of the U of L Meliorist newspaper, and a former board member for the U of L Public Interest Research Group.

Thank you for posting...so often yo hear about the problem but nobody proposes solutions.

polaris_x

it goes to show how absurd the discussion is at a national level ... there is no critical thinking anymore ... the reality is that this boom in alberta is not good for everyone ... and when you look at it holistically, it's actually really bad for everyone unless you are big oil ...

lukin2006

polaris_x wrote:

it goes to show how absurd the discussion is at a national level ... there is no critical thinking anymore ... the reality is that this boom in alberta is not good for everyone ... and when you look at it holistically, it's actually really bad for everyone unless you are big oil ...

The energy sector is probably the only part of the Canadian economy doing really well...well unless you count wal mart etc.

And if anyone seriously thinks Alberta is going to shut down the tar sands is dreaming.

I suggest that many people in Alberta other than Big Oil is quite happy and are benefiting from the jobs being created...not to mention the many people that went to Alberta seeking work from parts of the country like Ontario so they could work at jobs other wal mart.

polaris_x

lukin2006 wrote:

The energy sector is probably the only part of the Canadian economy doing really well...well unless you count wal mart etc.

And if anyone seriously thinks Alberta is going to shut down the tar sands is dreaming.

I suggest that many people in Alberta other than Big Oil is quite happy and are benefiting from the jobs being created...not to mention the many people that went to Alberta seeking work from parts of the country like Ontario so they could work at jobs other wal mart.

it's doing well because of certain conditions and factors (see price of oil at a ridiculous amount because of threats of war and a monopoly and subsidies) ... and it does well at the expense of other sectors ... yes, alberta's economy is doing well now ... because they are prepared to exploit the land for all its worth ... every economy can boom if short term thinking is the only thing at play ...

alberta used to be a province that had everything in check ... yet, they are running a deficit ... how is that such a booming economy with all that it has going for it is running a deficit!?? ... it's because the growth is not translating across the board ...the obligations the province has to support the profits of big oil outweigh their returns ...

Idris

polaris_x wrote:

Idris wrote:

Anonymous helps push Quebec protests online

http://www.canada.com/technology/Anonymous+helps+push+Quebec+protests+online/6668139/story.html

pretty crazy what these folks have done in the name of liberties from where they originated from ...

The Latest,

Anonymous hacking campaign in Quebec draws attention of Montreal police

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/internet-activists-hack-personal-f1-fans-publish-details-171751408.html

MONTREAL - Montreal police have opened an investigation into the campaign of online disruption being waged by the activist group Anonymous against a growing list of targets in Quebec.

The group has sent an ominously worded email to more than 100 people who bought tickets to the June 7-10 Grand Prix weekend in Montreal, warning that their visit to Montreal could be disrupted by violent acts.

"If you intend to use a car, know that your road may be barricaded," reads a document described as a 'Notice to Grand Prix Visitors.'

"If you want to stay in a hotel, know that we may enter it. If you seek to withdraw money from a bank, know that the shattering glass may sting. If you plan on watching a race, know that your view may be obscured, not by exhaust fumes but by the smoke of the fires we set. Know that the evacuation order may not come fast enough."

lukin2006

polaris_x wrote:

lukin2006 wrote:

The energy sector is probably the only part of the Canadian economy doing really well...well unless you count wal mart etc.

And if anyone seriously thinks Alberta is going to shut down the tar sands is dreaming.

I suggest that many people in Alberta other than Big Oil is quite happy and are benefiting from the jobs being created...not to mention the many people that went to Alberta seeking work from parts of the country like Ontario so they could work at jobs other wal mart.

it's doing well because of certain conditions and factors (see price of oil at a ridiculous amount because of threats of war and a monopoly and subsidies) ... and it does well at the expense of other sectors ... yes, alberta's economy is doing well now ... because they are prepared to exploit the land for all its worth ... every economy can boom if short term thinking is the only thing at play ...

alberta used to be a province that had everything in check ... yet, they are running a deficit ... how is that such a booming economy with all that it has going for it is running a deficit!?? ... it's because the growth is not translating across the board ...the obligations the province has to support the profits of big oil outweigh their returns ...

I understand what your saying....I'm just saying that they are not going to stop mining...so if there are cleaner ways to mine it then that should be done.

People want jobs...not Wal Mart jobs either...jobs with good pay so they take care of there families...it doesn't matter if you or I like it, these jobs pay well and create many good paying spinoff jobs.

One thing about mining they can't take the mines to China...maybe the product once out of the ground they can....but a good portion of the work is done in Canada.

Even McGuinty is talking mining the north.

I know it may only be short term...

lukin2006

What do you think polaris...good idea or bad?

Toronto tosses bags out with the ‘bag tax’

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/06 ... ping-bags/

polaris_x

lukin2006 wrote:

What do you think polaris...good idea or bad?

Toronto tosses bags out with the ‘bag tax’

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/06 ... ping-bags/

i obviously love the idea ... i just find it hilarious how it happened ...

Ford wants to get rid of a tax that he admittedly says works so he brings it up in council only to have one of his ALLIES propose this ban! ...

lukin2006

polaris_x wrote:

lukin2006 wrote:

What do you think polaris...good idea or bad?

Toronto tosses bags out with the ‘bag tax’

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/06 ... ping-bags/

i obviously love the idea ... i just find it hilarious how it happened ...

Ford wants to get rid of a tax that he admittedly says works so he brings it up in council only to have one of his ALLIES propose this ban! ...

I thought it was funny...and realistically you can only be the class clown for so long before even your allies start to roll their eyes at you.

I see no reason why they can't be banned...

polaris_x

rae not seeking liberal leadership ... i think this is in the best interests of the party ... conservatives will hammer his record in ontario and voters aren't going to be able to filter the warranted criticism to the just outrageous ...

lukin2006

Probably good news for the country...he would never get elected PM...and most former premiers do not do well as federal leaders.

My personal opinion is quite simply his financial record and the social contract...

I'm no fan of any politician that runs massive deficits...just imagine if these deficits were never allowed to occur...ever...we would be in tremendous shape provincially and federally. Meanwhile these politicians run massive deficits that accumulate and we are left to pay for many decades after they've left office.

As far as I'm concerned these debts accumulated by the governments should be split up and handed to the the parties who were responsible for these debts.

Just sickening...these debts are accumulated so these politicians can bring in pet projects that we can not afford...like all day kindergarten.

As for the social contract...that was just outright shameful...

polaris_x

i don't want to get into the whole rae legacy again but i just want to point out that rae took over with a $700 million deficit and the north american economy going into shits thanks to the first gulf war ...

read this ...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le1314254/