Canadian Politics

[Noeller]

12 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

Not when the Alberta Liberals aren't siphoning significant votes away from the NDP it doesn't.  Again, an NDP government that governs more like a Liberal government.

This is purely anecdotal, but I feel like the AB Party is siphoning more votes than the provincial Libs..... most people don't even know we have a provincial Lib party out here.  But the point remains that it's the NDP vs the UCP, period.

Edited December 2, 2022 by Noeller

[SpeedFlex27]

1 hour ago, JCon said:

Only the poorest and those without coverage. 

 

The implementation is horrible and was forced by the NDP but it is geared at those who cannot afford it. 

I hope they expand it as part of our universal healthcare. But, I hope they expand it to include a LOT of things it doesn't currently cover. 

If we have universal heath care then we need to have universal coverage pharmaceutical & dental for all instead of just a small percentage of the population. 

7 minutes ago, Noeller said:

This is purely anecdotal, but I feel like the AB Party is siphoning more votes than the provincial Libs..... most people don't even know we have a provincial Lib party out here.  But the point remains that it's the NDP vs the UCP, period.

Tha AB Party is totally a non factor. They have historically polled at or near 2%, They should favour voters like me but they're invisible.  

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/emergencies-act-pmo-texts-redact-1.6672405

Quote

Lawyers for "Freedom Convoy" organizers have won their bid to get access to unredacted versions of 20 documents at the Public Order Emergency Act.

Lawyer Brendan Miller applied to have the public inquiry release information in government documents that it had blacked-out, arguing the information should not be protected by parliamentary privilege.

Commissioner Paul Rouleau says the Government of Canada has agreed to release the unredacted documents.

The documents include written notes and text exchanges that belong to the prime minister's staff.

Today marks the final day of seven weeks of commission fact-finding and policy hearings, and the commissioner and his team have until early February to produce their final report.

That means any new information is unlikely to be put to witnesses, but can be considered by the commissioner and included in written arguments by the various groups that took part in the commission.

Probably a non-starter. It'll be funny to see the clownvoyers try and spin this news, though.

[17to85]

Yeah the Alberta liberal party is an empty husk. The Alberta Party has more claim to being the 3rd party than the liberals at this point but even they are struggling to find their place. The wildrose take over of the PCs caused a big shift in the political landscape in Alberta and the remaining parties are still trying to sort themselves out. There are a lot of politically homeless people out here.

[Wideleft]

14 minutes ago, Noeller said:

This is purely anecdotal, but I feel like the AB Party is siphoning more votes than the provincial Libs..... most people don't even know we have a provincial Lib party out here.  But the point remains that it's the NDP vs the UCP, period.

And that's a function of people voting against a party and being smart enough to know which party has the best chance of defeating them.

Edited December 2, 2022 by Wideleft

[17to85]

5 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

And that's a function of people voting against a party and being smart enough to know which party has the best chance of defeating them.

The demise of the AB Liberals started well before. Lots of them jumped ship and got behind Redford. The all that went to hell and they gave thr NDP a chance and honestly it probably only works because of Rachel Notley being maybe the most pragmatic political leader in the country. 

Alberta Party had a real shot to grow but got hit by the shrapnel of the pc/ucp merger where some of the pcs fell in there and wrecked the place.

[Wideleft]

According to Canada Polling, there are only 3 provinces (Ontario, PEI, Nova Scotia) that have 3 parties polling at or above 20%.  The Federal NDP are polling below 20% (19.5).  We should just admit that we really only have a 2 party system in practical terms.  Not doing so only helps the Cons.

https://canadianpolling.ca/

[JCon]

Just now, Wideleft said:

According to Canada Polling, there are only 3 provinces (Ontario, PEI, Nova Scotia) that have 3 parties polling at or above 20%.  The Federal NDP are polling below 20% (19.5).  We should just admit that we really only have a 2 party system in practical terms.  Not doing so only helps the Cons.

https://canadianpolling.ca/

We are definitely not a two-party federal system. And, there are plenty of old small-C conservatives that vote Liberal but would never if they adopted more NDP policies. Eliminating the third party would push us towards the failed-state US system. 

[Wideleft]

11 minutes ago, JCon said:

We are definitely not a two-party federal system. And, there are plenty of old small-C conservatives that vote Liberal but would never if they adopted more NDP policies. Eliminating the third party would push us towards the failed-state US system. 

I could say the same thing about a Conservative majority under PP.

[Fatty Liver]

25 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Yeah the Alberta liberal party is an empty husk. The Alberta Party has more claim to being the 3rd party than the liberals at this point but even they are struggling to find their place. The wildrose take over of the PCs caused a big shift in the political landscape in Alberta and the remaining parties are still trying to sort themselves out. There are a lot of politically homeless people out here.

I expect after the next Alberta election a new PC party will begin to reform with Harper's guidance and they will finally cleave off their ties to the far right lunatics Smith is currently representing.  If the NDP trounce the UCP in May, this will be enough to revert to the AB. norm and put them in contention for the following election.  The Wild Rose will probably reform with Brian Jean at it's head and Smith will return to talk-radio where she belongs.

[17to85]

Which is why the solution is for the obvious break up of the conservatives is the preferred choice.

Just now, Fatty Liver said:

expect after the next Alberta election a new PC party will begin to reform with Harper's guidance and they will finally cleave off their ties to the far right lunatics

Except Harper was far friendlier with Smith and the Wildrose party than he ever was with the PCs.

But no if the NDP manage to win,  God willing, I do expect the ucp to fracture. 

[Wideleft]

12 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

I expect after the next Alberta election a new PC party will begin to reform with Harper's guidance and they will finally cleave off their ties to the far right lunatics Smith is currently representing.  If the NDP trounce the UCP in May, this will be enough to revert to the AB. norm and put them in contention for the following election.  The Wild Rose will probably reform with Brian Jean at it's head and Smith will return to talk-radio where she belongs.

Harper IS the far right lunatic.  He helped Orban get elected for crying out loud.

[SpeedFlex27]

I'm no constitutional expert but I don't know why Alberta doesn't just do what Quebec does. Just use the Not Withstanding Clause to opt out of laws we don't like like such as gun control, climate change legislation, etc. I know why Smith wants an AB pension plan, to collect our income taxes & form a provincial police force as well as control immigration. Smith wants a firewall around Alberta. Have things in place in the event that the government actually attempts separation down the road. 

[Mark H.]

The NWC has a 5 year limit.  I assume people want to play with their guns...a little longer...

[Tracker]

18 hours ago, Wideleft said:

I could say the same thing about a Conservative majority under PP.

The current federal PC is a shotgun marriage held together only by the hope of gaining power and rewarding themselves for fooling their voters again. As has happened time and again, this unholy alliance will fail.

[Fatty Liver]

18 hours ago, Wideleft said:

Harper IS the far right lunatic.  He helped Orban get elected for crying out loud.

Too you and me sure, but for many Albertans he is regarded as "the best PM Canada ever had".

Edited December 3, 2022 by Fatty Liver

[Noeller]

34 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Too you and me sure, but for many Albertans he is regarded as "the best PM Canada ever had".

This is really true. There was talk not long ago about naming the Calgary airport after him. He is worshipped here. 

[rebusrankin]

An interesting piece that many articles are ignoring when it comes to the new act in Alberta is the no consultation with Indigenous Peoples. Seen a few chiefs on the news and they are opposed to this act and there are real questions about how the act is a violation of treaty rights.

[Wideleft]

1 hour ago, rebusrankin said:

An interesting piece that many articles are ignoring when it comes to the new act in Alberta is the no consultation with Indigenous Peoples. Seen a few chiefs on the news and they are opposed to this act and there are real questions about how the act is a violation of treaty rights.

 

 

[SpeedFlex27]

4 hours ago, Tracker said:

The current federal PC is a shotgun marriage held together only by the hope of gaining power and rewarding themselves for fooling their voters again. As has happened time and again, this unholy alliance will fail.

And how would you describe the marriage between the federal Liberals & NDP? The only way Singh can even sniff at power is propping up the Liberals. As I said before, he's a rube. His party is dying as the Liberals move to the left even more. 

[17to85]

13 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

And how would you describe the marriage between the federal Liberals & NDP? The only way Singh can even sniff at power is propping up the Liberals. As I said before, he's a rube. His party is dying as the Liberals move to the left even more. 

It's a deal struck in a minority situation 

[Mark H.]

Let's not forget, the NDP were fairly large part of Harper's majority, in 2011.  

They voted to overthrow the Liberal minority, and then were able to gain enough votes to form the official opposition

Some of the PC wins were due to NDP/Liberal vote splitting

 

[Tracker]

17 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

And how would you describe the marriage between the federal Liberals & NDP? The only way Singh can even sniff at power is propping up the Liberals. As I said before, he's a rube. His party is dying as the Liberals move to the left even more. 

I suggest that there is far less difference between the Liberals and NDP than there is between the Reformers and old-line PCers. Moreover, both the Liberals and NDP have enough sense to compromise if the circumstances warrant- that's how we got Medicare and the Canada Pension plan, to name but two. The degree of fanaticism on the extreme right precludes any such beyond posturing some moderation for electoral purposes.

[Tracker]

2 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Let's not forget, the NDP were fairly large part of Harper's majority, in 2011.  

They voted to overthrow the Liberal minority, and then were able to gain enough votes to form the official opposition

Some of the PC wins were due to NDP/Liberal vote splitting

 

Agreed. The Liberals were unwilling to accept the NDP's demands and the NDP thought they had a shot at a minority government. Harper presented himself (falsely) as a moderate small-c conservative and fooled a lot of people.

[SpeedFlex27]

13 minutes ago, Tracker said:

I suggest that there is far less difference between the Liberals and NDP than there is between the Reformers and old-line PCers. Moreover, both the Liberals and NDP have enough sense to compromise if the circumstances warrant- that's how we got Medicare and the Canada Pension plan, to name but two. The degree of fanaticism on the extreme right precludes any such beyond posturing some moderation for electoral purposes.

Moderates like me don't like far the right or far left. Other than politics, both aren't alternatives I want to discusss.