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ocrumsprug posted:I would prefer the monarchy to go, however I don't mind Elizabeth as she (perhaps ironically) knows her place. As long as she quietly continues to sign whatever parliament puts in front of her, she is just as good as any other figurehead head of state. About that. Turns out british governments have been secretly consulting the royal family on bills before presenting them, effectively according them a secret veto. On bills related to tuition fees, child rights, paternity pay, or national insurance. That has limited relevance to canadian affairs, of course, since the Queen plays zero role in our system and there doesn't exist a tradition of consulting the GG on bills, but this particular Queen isn't a particularly good example of knowing her place and political non-interference.
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May 31, 2013 15:52
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Fine-able Offense posted:You don't need to go to Australia to find that kind of thing. The King-Byng affair and the Gough Whitlam dismissal are very different. Byng acted entirely properly - he refused to dissolve the House while there was a credible alternative government who could command the confidence of the House. What Kerr did was proactively reach out to the opposition leader and dismiss a sitting PM without that PM having resigned or lost a vote of confidence. One of those two things is fine. The other really, really isn't.
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May 31, 2013 16:04
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Dallan Invictus posted:(I'm a monarchist, if not a particularly fervent one as my reasons mostly boil down to "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" and a burning dislike for the idea of turning what is effectively a patriotic symbol/figurehead and/or Nationalism Escape Valve into another football for partisan electoral politics.) I don't understand this argument at all. The monarch's duties are all entirely devolved to the GG already, and our governments have been remarkably adult and non-partisan (Ray Hnatyshyn aside) in their appointments. If we become a republic with the exact same institutions and wite-out applied to everywhere it says "her majesty's" in our laws, I don't see why suddenly PMs would start appointing Patrick Brazeaus to the GG spot rather than the David Johnstons and Michaëlle Jeans they've been appointing up to now. The actual political stakes of the position wouldn't be any higher than they are now, and I don't expect our GGs would go on the money.
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May 31, 2013 22:03
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Special Kei posted:*SNIP* 1. This would absolutely require a constitutional amendment. Senators are constitutionally entitled to their jobs until they're 75 and can't be compelled to retire. 2. This proposal would institutionalize gridlock to a worse degree than in the US. Look at those number: any bill would need to be agreed to by the CPC, and two or three of the opposition parties. The Senate has the power to reject bills, but not to make the government fall, so we'd just spend our lives waiting for the CPC, LPC, and NDP to agree on policy. A government couldn't just dissolve Parliament and bring the question to the people, either, because the opposition would always have control of the Senate in this system. 3. For some reason, it also gives the pivotal role to the third party and marginalizes the official opposition. A bill could be passed in the Senate by LPC+NDP, LPC+BQ, LPC+GPC, or NDP+BQ+GPC. The NDP would have a lot of seats in the House, where those seats are useless, and fewer seats in the Senate, where they would be useless. Conversely, the LPC gets few seats in the House but more seats in the Senate. This isn't a quirk of this particular parliament, either - the third party is always underrepresented in the HoC, and the second party is almost always overrepresented. This proposal makes the third party more powerful than the official opposition.
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Jun 1, 2013 16:35
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This January, new election financing laws in Québec has lowered the donation ceiling to 100$ from 3000$. We now have fundraising results for the first four months. PQ: 290 833 $ QS 54 894 $  PLQ 39 508 $ CAQ 23 025 $ The PLQ was in a leadership race until mid-March, but holy those numbers are devastating for the Liberals and the CAQ.
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Jun 1, 2013 17:39
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Paper Jam Dipper posted:"Le Soleil (Quebec City) [39] - Recommended voting for the best local candidate." Look at the article. "Vote for the best local candidate. Oh and aren't our local Conservative MPs nice?"
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Jun 3, 2013 00:24
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Blade_of_tyshalle posted:When I realized that about the Liberal logo, I thought it was pretty bitchin'. None of the other logos come close, especially not this turd. My favourite thing about the Canadian Alliance logo is that it got ripped off by a mexican party.  (Also Tim Hortons could've kept the apostrophe by having its name in Québec be Les Restaurants Tim Horton's or something, it's really no big deal.)
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Jun 4, 2013 18:14
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bunnyofdoom posted:Exactly. It's boring. What. By number, it's Ontario - 500,000. By percentage, it's New Brunswick, about a third. Manitoba also has a significant french population. Saskatchewan, really not.
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Jun 4, 2013 20:34
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Ceciltron posted:This is probably the most interesting question that merits inquiry. Personally, I feel the latter is the mask of the former. I've looked into it, and it turns out that there's a crucifix hanging over the Assemblée Nationale speaker. It's racism!
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Jun 5, 2013 01:36
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Ceciltron posted:Have any of the other parties commented yet? I can't wait to see everyone try to out-neutral each other. The other two parties have taken a firm position in favour of letting children play soccer.
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Jun 5, 2013 01:44
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Mr. Wynand posted:Who from the NDP actually spoke out against this and what did they actually say? I don't see any actual quotes or names in the article. Also who exactly is Brigitte Frot, she does not exist in Wikipedia, and this story is obscuring whatever government page she might be listed on in google. Matt Dubé, sports critic. He's "clarified" his position since on Twitter: "Clarification: While we want FIFA to justify ban, the important is for youth to play. We said that in our letter to them MONTHS ago."
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Jun 5, 2013 02:01
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Mr. Wynand posted:How is he the quote for the federal NDP? Is he Her Majesty's Opposition's Sports Critic? Is he also an MP? What am I missing here? MP for Chambly. Critic for Sports for Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mostly a "look, we're giving responsibilities to our young MPs!" thing. The Québec Soccer Federation is not a governmental agency. The federal government can't do anything about this.
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Jun 5, 2013 02:06
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This interview with E-May is just...  quote:Elizabeth May scans the menu for something she likes. But all she sees is a bunch of poisoned fish, so she settles on the crispy goat cheese salad. And then she calls Harper "not Canadian", which I'm sure she thinks is helpful.
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Jun 5, 2013 15:06
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May is anti-abortion in her personal life, in that she wouldn't get an abortion herself and would try to discourage a friend from seeking one. She's pro-choice as a matter of policy.
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Jun 5, 2013 16:36
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The "unelected and illegitimate" line gets trotted out every single time there's a leadership transition in the governing party. It's dishonest and disingenuous, but it's not particularly suprising or disgusting.
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Jun 6, 2013 19:18
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Independent MPs: the best MPs.quote:Edmonton East MP Peter Goldring today is expected to hear a verdict today on a charge that he refused to provide a breath sample after a 2011 roadside stop.
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Jun 6, 2013 19:22
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vyelkin posted:Maybe the telecomms industry can be next. THE COMMISSIONER OF COMPETITION v. ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. THE COMMISSIONER OF COMPETITION v. GLOBALIVE WIRELESS MANAGEMENT CORP. ETC. THE COMMISSIONER OF COMPETITION v. SHAW COMMUNICATIONS INC. All filed today.
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Jun 6, 2013 22:17
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Team THEOLOGY posted:What surprises me is you think every party opposition or otherwise don't have exactly the same or similar funds at the discretion of their PL and CoS. I'm not sure if its naivety or wilful blindness. Other parties do it piecemeal and submit expenses to the party as they go. The CoS doesn't have carte blanche to a secret fund. If this was all above board, why was the fund kept secret even from people in PMO?
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Jun 6, 2013 23:12
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Getting backed into defending something you don't really believe in because of tribal loyalties is a thing that happens, and I feel like a huge rear end in a top hat every time it happens to me.Stephen Harper posted:Peter Goldring beat his charge for refusing to provide a breath sample and is now back in the Conservative caucus.
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Jun 6, 2013 23:52
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Fine-able Offense posted:Nothing major, just passing a normal law. Passing a normal law could only set a maximum term for parliaments and parliamentary sessions, but the prerogative of the governor general to dissolve or prorogue the House would not be affected, meaning the PM could still do either at any time. Meaningful reform of either would need a constitutional amendment, but neither are actually really big problems.
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Jun 7, 2013 02:14
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Pshaw, that's yesterday's Weird Scoop. The new hotness today is a mysterious fall from a 5th floor balcony. quote:Two weeks after a Fort McMurray man was arrested and charged in a murder that has become linked with the alleged Toronto Mayor Rob Ford drug video, police say the Alberta man’s former home was the scene of a bizarre incident where a man allegedly fell from a fifth-floor balcony.
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Jun 7, 2013 16:51
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There was the time Peter MacKay won the PC leadership by signing an agreement with David Orchard saying he'd never merge with the Alliance, and then did it five months later. And the time he retasked a CF helicopter to pick him up from a fishing trip. And the time he called Belinda Stronach a dog. And the hilariously bungled F-35 imbroglio.
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Jun 7, 2013 18:45
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bunnyofdoom posted:So far we've had in the past day, the Liberal, Con and Green party people call this thread out on being an echo chamber that just shits on anybody other than the NDP, but ignores the NDP being objectively lovely, like supporting the Quebec Soccer Turban Ban, or that they literally had to ammend their constitution to be treat party volunteers decently,or their half-baked idea of defunding the senate. (Which besides being unconstitutional as gently caress, relies on the senate agreeing to work for free to pass legislation.) "supporting the Quebec Soccer Turban Ban" - not true "they literally had to ammend their constitution to be treat party volunteers decently" - literally not true "half-baked idea of defunding the senate" - yeah that was pretty dumb.
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Jun 11, 2013 17:40
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You're going to have to explain how a riding association proposing to put a code of conduct in place, probably in response to some local incidents, and that resolution not having made it to the convention floor, is the same thing as the party (literally!) having to amend its constitution because staff was treating volunteers badly. And nobody in Québec cares about the Senate. The party supports abolishing the Senate, but decided to put forward a dumb, populist, pandering proposal for no reason other than pandering.
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Jun 11, 2013 17:53
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tripwood posted:That's a pretty absolutist comment. There are lots of people who view the senate as an outdated, costly partisan and corrupt tool of the politically powerful in Québec. We are swimming in corruption right now so the public is thirsting for justice against the well-connected rich. When I say "people don't care about the Senate", I mean "people don't care what happens to the Senate". The idea that Québec is attached to having 24 Senators and would fight a serious attempt at abolition is absurd, but that's what Guy DeBorgore was implying.
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Jun 11, 2013 18:15
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Fine-able Offense posted:The Senate, right now, today, does good and useful things for the Canadian people. I know this because I've testified before Senate committees, worked with Senators on important issues, and actually arsed myself to learn about what it is and how it works before making GBS threads all over myself in public on the topic. Now, granted, it's also horrifically corrupt, hamstrung, and outdated, but that right there is a case for reform rather than abolition. Coincidentally, reform is the thing that is actually possible without a constitutional amendment and a nearly-guaranteed court challenge. There is no meaningful reform of the Senate that can be done wihtout a constitutional amendment and a nearly-guaranteed court challenge. Better accounting and control of senators' expenses isn't senate reform.
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Jun 11, 2013 20:57
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*From the chairmanship of the secretive internal economy committee. So not a meaningful resignation at all!
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Jun 11, 2013 21:46
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Wow. He should really feel free to act like this in public more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui2PLjOEeCo
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Jun 12, 2013 04:54
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Helsing posted:Getting the media to talk about Trudeau's speaking fees is better than having the media talk about Trudeau's idea for reforming parliament. I really think its about that simple, though I invite somebody who is more familiar with the current strategic thinking of the NDP to weigh in as they would be in a better position to judge. 60% of the population didn't vote for the CPC. The next two years will be an unofficial primary between the LPC and NDP to stake out a position as The Alternative To Stephen Harper. Tarring JT fits in there.
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Jun 12, 2013 19:01
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We argued about random alcohol and drug testing at work here at some point. Abella continues to be the best justice on the Court. quote:The Supreme Court of Canada says an employer who wants to impose random alcohol testing on unionized workers in a dangerous work environment must show it is a reasonable move.
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Jun 14, 2013 16:57
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What now, Toronto?  Getting the old regime's number 2 to serve as interim mayor, especially Applebaum specifically (he's a turd), was always going to be fraught with risk. It's been clear he was getting investigated for corruption for 6 months or so. Reminder: As of now, our credible candidates for mayor are: Mélanie Joly, PR exec and organiser for JT's leadership campaign. Marcel Côté, management consultant who said last year that the mafia was more democratic than student associations. Richard Bergeron, left-wing urbanist and potential truther. Denis Coderre, Denis Coderre.
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Jun 17, 2013 12:34
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9/11 and moon landing truther. I really hope Projet will jettison him and someone else will take his place as mayoral candidate, but enh, I'll vote for him.
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Jun 17, 2013 12:46
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Applebaum is getting charged on 14 counts, including fraud, breach of trust, conspiracy, receiving kickbacks, and corruption. The 2011 CPC candidate in Mount Royal also got arrested, 5 charges.
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Jun 17, 2013 15:03
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Around 2008, a few journalists working for Radio-Canada, La Presse, and Le Devoir started seriously investigating the construction industry in Montréal and the suburbs, and they found Very Bad Things. The opposition, at first mostly the ADQ, started clamouring for a public inquiry into what looked like systemic corruption. The government resisted for two years, and then created the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit, a special police unit (with hundreds of employees) dedicated to rooting out corruption in public life. These guys are the ones who have been going around arresting people. (The unit was meant to be an alternative to a public inquiry, something the government could point at and say "we couldn't possibly hold a public inquiry while there are police investigations going on." Six months later, they gave in to public pressure and help the inquiry anyway.)
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Jun 17, 2013 15:17
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The Dark One posted:Has Harel been reduced to fringe candidate status at this point? She's desperately looking for a way to drop out honourably. She'll probably run on a joint ticket with Marcel Côté, with her being designated as head of the executive committee.
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Jun 17, 2013 19:57
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 Brent Rathgeber posted:Overall, I have no regrets. By resigning from the CPC Caucus, more doors have opened for me than closed. There is speculative talk about starting a new political party and even reviving old ones. I have been offered speaking gigs (albeit no one has offered me $20,000)! I would welcome the opportunity to address university students or anyone else who is interested in democratic reform, especially the current imbalance between the executive and legislative branches of government. I am not interested in leading a party; I am, however, interested in contributing to a discussion on how to improve our parliamentary democracy. That discussion is desperately needed. (Clearly he means the United Farmers.)
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Jun 17, 2013 20:48
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A day where both Bob Rae and Jean-Martin Aussant leave politics is a good day.
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Jun 19, 2013 17:15
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tripwood posted:What's wrong with JMA? I don't have a lot of time for sovereigntists so radical they would declare independence without holding a referendum.
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Jun 19, 2013 18:20
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You have to figure every single Liberal in the GTA will be gunning for that seat. Kennedy (well-liked by Trudeau), MHF, Mark Holland, Deb Coyne. Those four range from "pretty good MP" (Kennedy, Holland) to "better than Smitherman".
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Jun 19, 2013 19:17
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Help.quote:Toronto Centre will likely be the bigger fight and an important gauge of newly elected leader Justin Trudeau’s appeal with voters in Toronto and its suburbs, where the Conservatives made a breakthrough in 2011.  If Zach Paikin is ever elected to the House, I'm done with this country. Just finished. e: oh he's hosting a little shindig. 
Pinterest Mom fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Jun 21, 2013 |
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Jun 21, 2013 20:57
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