~*Official Canada Thread of Good Governance and Unnecessary Apologizing*~

[Remarkableriots]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-53494561

Quote

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), in place since 2004, requires refugee claimants to request protection in the first safe country they reach.

But on Wednesday, a judge declared the deal unconstitutional due to the chance that the US will imprison the migrants.

The ruling marks a major victory for Canadian immigration activists.

Lawyers for refugees who had been turned away at the Canadian border had challenged the agreement, arguing that the US did not qualify as "safe" for asylum seekers.

 

[CitizenVectron]

Trudeau announces end of CERB program, transition to normal (but expanded) EI

 

Will happen at the end of September:

 

Quote

The federal government plans to transition recipients of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to the Employment Insurance (EI) program as the $80-billion coronavirus aid program wraps up this fall, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday.

 

Ottawa will also create a “transitional, parallel benefit” that is similar to EI for people who don’t qualify for the unemployment benefit, such as contract and gig workers.

 

“It will include access to training, and being able to work more hours and earn more money while receiving the benefit,” Trudeau said.

 

“We intend to cover every Canadian who is looking for work with a better, 21st-century EI system.”

 

The last scheduled CERB pay period is set to end on Sept. 26. The taxable, personal income benefit — launched in early April — provides $2,000 every four weeks to eligible applicants who lost work or their jobs due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as of mid-March.

 

It's good that they are expanding EI permanently to better cover self-employed and gig workers. They are also extending the caregiver benefit to provide paid, government sick leave for people who get sick or take care of someone who is sick, if they don't already have paid sick leave through their workplace.

 

 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

[chakoo]

5 hours ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

I've been talking about this for a while. It's really starting to accelerate this year. Thanks to trump's recent fuckups (tik tok), don't be shocked if companies don't start establishing themselves as "Canadian companies" first.

[chakoo]

Incase the tweet does not load properly, you're looking for ryan reynolds response to getting the message out.

[chakoo]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bill-morneau-justin-trudeau-decision-1.5689890

 

=/

[BloodyHell]

10 hours ago, chakoo said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bill-morneau-justin-trudeau-decision-1.5689890

 

=/

I don’t know much about this, I read a few articles when I would see them pop up,  but it sounds like he did the right thing. Unlike our shit country, its good that your politicians step down when they get caught in ethics scandals. Would you prefer to have American politics where everyone just grifts for decades until voted out?

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

42 minutes ago, BloodyHell said:

Would you prefer to have American politics where everyone just grifts for decades until voted out?

Speaking of grifters

Pandemic is not over, despite things being not bad right now in NY

[chakoo]

https://www.wired.com/story/immigrant-tech-workers-american-dream-canada/

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Trudeau accused of attempting to cover up scandal by proroguing parliament

Quote

Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is facing accusations that his decision to prorogue parliament is little more than an attempt to cover up an ethics scandal – and walk away from his duties during a pivotal moment in the pandemic.

 

On Tuesday afternoon, Trudeau asked Julie Payette, governor general, to prematurely end the current parliamentary session. He vowed to resume on 23 September with a speech from the throne, followed by a confidence vote.

 

The move to “reset” the government because of Covid comes amid committee investigations into the WE charity affair, in which Trudeau and former finance minister Bill Morneau face accusations of an improper financial relationship with the international development organization. Both men have apologized for not recusing themselves amid apparent conflicts of interest.

 

[Jason]

Governor General's disregard for RCMP security detail driving up costs, sources say

Extra officer assigned on trips abroad due to Julie Payette's attempts to slip away

 

Quote

Gov. Gen. Julie Payette's disregard for the Mounties paid to protect her has resulted in added security risks and unnecessary taxpayer costs, according to RCMP and Rideau Hall sources.

 

Payette's secrecy and resistance to working with the RCMP routinely sends her protective detail scrambling to fulfil last-minute requests and drives up spending on overtime, hotel and plane tickets, multiple sources told CBC News. 

 

Payette has even made repeated attempts to slip away from her protectors in Canada and abroad, sources say. The force has also had to apologize for her behaviour to foreign security abroad because she treated them so poorly, said sources. 

 

The latest revelations come as the Governor General's office is under an extraordinary workplace review by the Privy Council Office after CBC News reported claims Payette has belittled, berated and publicly humiliated employees. She's also under fire for spending more than $250,000 on renovation projects for her desire for privacy, though after three years in office she still hasn't moved into her official residence.

 

Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, now list a litany of avoidable expenses that left taxpayers on the hook. They include:

• RCMP paying double or triple the price for flights abroad because Payette hadn't decided if she was going on personal or work trips until the last minute. Some international flights have cost up to $12,000. 
• Hotel rooms with a $400 price tag sitting empty near the Citadelle — her second official residence in Quebec City — because Payette suddenly decided she wanted to go to her cottage north of Montreal, but it was too late to cancel the original booking.
• The cost of an additional officer — ranging from an estimated $4,000 to $15,000 per week — on international trips to guard Payette's door because of her repeated attempts to slip away from her protective detail. 

 

[BloodyHell]

9 minutes ago, Emperor Diocletian II said:

Trudeau accused of attempting to cover up scandal by proroguing parliament

 

Apparently this Payette lady is currently mired in scandal as well right now. Something with her security, but I don’t know the details of how that works. I just saw it linked in another story.

[BloodyHell]

Just now, Jason said:

Governor General's disregard for RCMP security detail driving up costs, sources say

Extra officer assigned on trips abroad due to Julie Payette's attempts to slip away

 

 

And there it is 

[chakoo]

11 minutes ago, Jason said:

Governor General's disregard for RCMP security detail driving up costs, sources say

Extra officer assigned on trips abroad due to Julie Payette's attempts to slip away

[CitizenVectron]

59 minutes ago, Emperor Diocletian II said:

Trudeau accused of attempting to cover up scandal by proroguing parliament

 

 

The funny thing is that the other parties are TERRIFIED of an election right now. No one has money (or leader) and even with the WE scandal the Liberals have a clear lead.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

I hate you so much Canada. This is so good.

[chakoo]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/simple-drug-possession-change-1.5657423

 

[silentbob]

My cousin’s friend who is a cop was told (along with his fellow officers) to not arrest people who were growing more then the 4 legal marijuana plants in their backyards. They were told to tell them to cover the plants up or move them out of view of the complaining/tattletale neighbour. With the pandemic happening they were told the arrest weren’t needed and that people might need it to get through this 2nd wave hits. Maybe rumblings of this were being pass down through the grapevines 

[chakoo]

The US is building its northern border wall fence 

 

 

[CitizenVectron]

I laughed at first...but I kind of get it, it would reduce cars crossing the ditch. Except...if they really wanted to, I don't think cutting the cables on a 2-foot high fence is going to be that big of a deal, if anyone in Canada actually wanted to get into the US right now.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

 

[CitizenVectron]

Trudeau considered best to recover economy, handle COVID-19, and care for Canadians, by wide margins:

 

https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2020/08/25/trudeau-considered-best-to-manage-pandemic-revive-economy-poll-suggests-2/#.X0T8wbL3rxP.twitter

 

 

Quote

 if there were an election today, 38 per cent of decided voters said they'd support Trudeau's Liberals, compared to 30 per cent for the Conservatives, 18 per cent for the NDP and six per cent for the Greens

 

Quote

Respondents rated Trudeau by a significant margin as the most decisive, intelligent, and charismatic leader and the best communicator. He was also deemed the most caring and compassionate

 

Quote

On the issues that would likely dominate an election campaign in the fall, Trudeau enjoyed a substantial lead over rival leaders. (The Greens, who are in the midst of a leadership contest were not included in these questions).

 

He was seen as the leader who'd do the best job getting Canada's pandemic-ravaged economy back on track by 30 per cent, compared to 20 per cent for O'Toole, 11 per cent for Singh and just three per cent for Blanchet.

 

He was rated the best leader to manage the federal deficit, projected to hit almost $350 billion this year due to the pandemic (27 per cent to O'Toole's 23 per cent, Singh's nine per cent and Blanchet's three per cent).

 

He was also rated the leader who'd do the best job caring for Canadians hurt by the pandemic (35 per cent to O'Toole's 13 per cent, Singh's 19 per cent and Blanchet's four per cent)

 

And he was seen by far as the leader who would best keep Canadians safe from a second wave of the deadly coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (39 per cent to O'Toole's 13 per cent, Singh's 12 per cent and Blanchet's three per cent)

 

I expect these numbers to go up even higher with the announcement in September of the reformed social safety net that he is planning as his legacy piece. Even though his father served as PM for four terms, I am starting to suspect that Trudeau Jr may only run in one more, and then hand off the torch to a successor (probably Chrystia Freeland). Being PM can't be fun, and he has a young family. But who knows! If the choice is him or O'Toole...then I hope Trudeau keeps running and winning.

 

Perhaps most importantly:

 

Quote

Seventy-six per cent said they remain very or somewhat satisfied with the measures the federal Liberal government has taken to deal with the pandemic

 

[AbsolutSurgen]

 

 

[CitizenVectron]

So a new national poll is out in Canada, and shows the Liberals and Conservatives tied at 35%. However, if you dig deep, it shows something that many began to suspect with the last election: The Conservative Party has become a regional party, and has lost all vote efficiency.

 

 

 

Basically, the Conservatives dominate the western prairie provinces. The issue? They already win almost all the seats there, so the increased margins do nothing for them. Meanwhile, the Liberals winning by 5-10% in Ontario and Quebec give them enough votes to guarantee government. The Liberals have also become the dominant party in the Maritimes.

 

This is also a Conservative-leaning pollster. Most other national polls show the Liberals around 38-40%, with the Conservatives between 30-35%. Effectively, Trudeau could win an easy majority if his government falls. Some suspect he is going to try and trigger the opposition into killing his government for that exact reason. 

 

 

[Jason]

52 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

Some suspect he is going to try and trigger the opposition into killing his government for that exact reason. 

 

Currently a minority or coalition government?

[AbsolutSurgen]

John Ivison: Free-spending Trudeau government floats into choppy seas without fiscal anchor

Quote

The problem for the Conservatives is that spending, such as the $2 billion Trudeau announced this week to help provinces re-open schools safely, is extremely popular. The prime minister may have been “putting on a show”, as one provincial official put it, but he understands that in tough times, voters turn to the Liberals to take the anxiety out of everyday life.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper recalled that his experience after the 2008/09 financial crisis was that ending programs – even those meant to be temporary – met with serious intransigence.

But Trudeau is set to take the line of least resistance by maintaining, and even expanding, programs.

Canadians should be on high alert this fall.

It may not be until it’s too late that voters re-learn why it’s called a “debt trap” – borrowed money is easy to acquire but hard to retire.

Meantime, Freeland’s attempt to close the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” risks creating a new class of Canadians – the “have-not-paid-fors”.

The economic reality of running an $400B annual deficit is staggering.  The reality is that giving "free money" to people is extremely popular, and the consequences are unlikely to be felt for at least a year.

Combine that with the unfortunate decision of the Conservatives selecting a social-conservative for their leader, and it doesn't look good for fiscal responsibility going forward.

[AbsolutSurgen]

3 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Currently a minority or coalition government?

Minority.

[CitizenVectron]

11 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Currently a minority or coalition government?

 

Minority, but because it's so close, they only need one of the three major opposition parties to survive. Ideologically the NDP and Bloc are close enough to the Liberals to keep them alive for as long as either party sees benefit.

 

8 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

John Ivison: Free-spending Trudeau government floats into choppy seas without fiscal anchor

The economic reality of running an $400B annual deficit is staggering.  The reality is that giving "free money" to people is extremely popular, and the consequences are unlikely to be felt for at least a year.

Combine that with the unfortunate decision of the Conservatives selecting a social-conservative for their leader, and it doesn't look good for fiscal responsibility going forward.

 

The thing is...there is no other option. If the government doesn't keep 1-2 million people afloat, then they will effectively become homeless. All nations are spending like this, and the world will be fine. The cost of borrowing against yourself (as a nation that can print money) is very small, long-term, especially with interest rates so low. 

 

The trick is to make sure you are not one of the last nations to economically recover and fall behind the curve worldwide. Also the National Post is a conservative rag, and Ivison isn't much better.

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

2 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

Minority, but because it's so close, they only need one of the three major opposition parties to survive. Ideologically the NDP and Bloc are close enough to the Liberals to keep them alive for as long as either party sees benefit.

 

 

The thing is...there is no other option. If the government doesn't keep 1-2 million people afloat, then they will effectively become homeless. All nations are spending like this, and the world will be fine. The cost of borrowing against yourself (as a nation that can print money) is very small, long-term, especially with interest rates so low. 

 

The trick is to make sure you are not one of the last nations to economically recover and fall behind the curve worldwide.

The nutso thing is that this is literally the ideal time to run deficits, and it's nowhere near time to let off the gas.

[AbsolutSurgen]

1 minute ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

Minority, but because it's so close, they only need one of the three major opposition parties to survive. Ideologically the NDP and Bloc are close enough to the Liberals to keep them alive for as long as either party sees benefit.

 

 

The thing is...there is no other option. If the government doesn't keep 1-2 million people afloat, then they will effectively become homeless. All nations are spending like this, and the world will be fine. The cost of borrowing against yourself (as a nation that can print money) is very small, long-term, especially with interest rates so low. 

 

The trick is to make sure you are not one of the last nations to economically recover and fall behind the curve worldwide.

They needed to do something -- which is different than saying they had to do what they did.  I believe history will show that much of the money they spend was spent inefficiently and/or wasted.  Having your Finance Minister resign with no notice is a sign of this.

[AbsolutSurgen]

54 minutes ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

The nutso thing is that this is literally the ideal time to run deficits, and it's nowhere near time to let off the gas.

1)  It is the right time to run a deficit.

2)  The concern is whether the deficit is too high, and whether the money is being spent efficiently/effectively.

3)  The best time to run a significant deficit is when we are out of the COVID-19 restrictions, and we can spend ourselves out of this depression.

[CitizenVectron]

1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

They needed to do something -- which is different than saying they had to do what they did.  I believe history will show that much of the money they spend was spent inefficiently and/or wasted.  Having your Finance Minister resign with no notice is a sign of this.

 

From what I understand, Morneau actually wanted to spend less, but Trudeau and Freeland wanted more. His actual resignation was more closely related to the WE scandal than to CERB, which has been overwhelmingly popular.

 

29 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

1)  It is the right time to run a deficit.

2)  The concern is whether the deficit is too high, and whether the money is being spent efficiently/effectively.

3)  The best time to run a significant deficit is when we are out of the COVID-19 restrictions, and we can spend ourselves out of this depression.

 

The thing is, the vast majority of spending right now is simply keeping people in their houses and buying food. How would you propose curtailing this? As people get their jobs back (mostly due to the CEWS program subsidizing businesses on the edge of ruin) then CERB payments go down. But if CEWS ends, CERB payments go back up, or just regular EI. If the government doesn't spend in one way, it's just going to have to spend in another as parts of the economy fail.

[AbsolutSurgen]

27 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

From what I understand, Morneau actually wanted to spend less, but Trudeau and Freeland wanted more. His actual resignation was more closely related to the WE scandal than to CERB, which has been overwhelmingly popular.

 

 

The thing is, the vast majority of spending right now is simply keeping people in their houses and buying food. How would you propose curtailing this? As people get their jobs back (mostly due to the CEWS program subsidizing businesses on the edge of ruin) then CERB payments go down. But if CEWS ends, CERB payments go back up, or just regular EI. If the government doesn't spend in one way, it's just going to have to spend in another as parts of the economy fail.

CERB is overwhelmingly popular -- in fact, when a government decides to give money to people, it usually is overwhelmingly popular.  Until it comes to actually pay for it.

Yes, Morneau wanted to spend less.  And from what I understand, there is a non-trivial portion of the Liberal caucus that agreed with him.

 

The direct support to individuals and business was extremely generous, easy to get, and went on (and will go on) for a long time.  It certainly went far beyond providing what was needed to simply keep people in their houses and buying food. 

 

David Dodge isn't a Conservative Party hack, and as an economist has been pretty supportive of deficit spending, if it is done the right way, for the right reasons.  The concern right now, from him, and many other economists is that we are spending way too much, ignoring the economic reality, and putting too much of a debt burden on future generations.  We are running a tremendous risk, that will only realize themselves when interest rates start to increase.

[CitizenVectron]

1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

CERB is overwhelmingly popular -- in fact, when a government decides to give money to people, it usually is overwhelmingly popular.  Until it comes to actually pay for it.

Yes, Morneau wanted to spend less.  And from what I understand, there is a non-trivial portion of the Liberal caucus that agreed with him.

 

The direct support to individuals and business was extremely generous, easy to get, and went on (and will go on) for a long time.  It certainly went far beyond providing what was needed to simply keep people in their houses and buying food. 

 

David Dodge isn't a Conservative Party hack, and as an economist has been pretty supportive of deficit spending, if it is done the right way, for the right reasons.  The concern right now, from him, and many other economists is that we are spending way too much, ignoring the economic reality, and putting too much of a debt burden on future generations.  We are running a tremendous risk, that will only realize themselves when interest rates start to increase.

 

I would ask, though: What is the alternative? $2,000/mo is not generous for the vast majority of people. And that's before taxes. What do we do when the economy collapses because we let 2 million+ people lose their jobs and homes, and it continues to spiral, lowering tax revenue, etc? 

[Jason]

2 hours ago, CitizenVectron said:

The thing is, the vast majority of spending right now is simply keeping people in their houses and buying food. How would you propose curtailing this? As people get their jobs back (mostly due to the CEWS program subsidizing businesses on the edge of ruin) then CERB payments go down. But if CEWS ends, CERB payments go back up, or just regular EI. If the government doesn't spend in one way, it's just going to have to spend in another as parts of the economy fail.

 

Also, people not being able to spend money on things like mortgage payments and food also implodes the economy.