Canada's federal election: Monday, September 20, 2021

TMX should be one of the major campaign issues for the NDP. If anything shows the Liberal hypocrisy on climate chaos action it is this policy of building a pipeline for the dirtiest carbon on the planet so that we can make money to pay for economic transition to a green economy. It is not only environmentally absurd the economics are also totally out to lunch. The NDP should eat them on this and should just hammer on it and hammer on it and hammer on it until Canadians wake up and demand the government stop this madness.

NorthReport wrote:

 

Now for Canada's mainstream media take.

The Liberal and Conservative campaigns limp out of the starting gate

 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/federal-election-2021/don-martin-the-lib...

I read that article (by Don Martin, incidentally) and I was LOLing at his description of the NDP campaign.

Don Martin wrote:

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh oozes more genuine sincerity than both of the above combined, but his bid is built on a pablum-in-every-pot platform which leaves his party as a potential spoiler and not a serious contender.

Pondering wrote:

I found this from June:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-dysfunctional-parliament-1.6075659

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is painting Parliament as a place of "toxicity" and "obstructionism" opposed to his minority government's agenda, fuelling growing speculation about a possible election call later this year.

The Liberals' budget implementation bill is among the pieces of legislation being debated in the House of Commons, which is set to break for summer on Wednesday.

With time running out to get outstanding bills passed, Trudeau and his ministers have been calling out Opposition Conservatives for using procedural tactics to delay votes.

On Tuesday, Trudeau said his government's push to ban conversion therapy and enshrine Canada's goal to get to net-zero emissions by mid-century — both introduced last fall — can happen with the help of the Bloc Quebecois and NDP.

So the accusation was not make in the context of calling or needing an election.

Hahaha.

Yeah definitely no context of prepping for an election. Are you honestly serious?

We've had this conversation before. I am willing to accept you at face value when you say you are not a Liberal and that you just find Liberal talking points and spin VERY convincing, perhaps due to where you are and who you talk to. But you have to realize, that's your own bias, most people don't uncritically accept the Liberals' version of everything. Where I am from the Liberals have no chance of being elected-why should my riding's representative be infereior to yours just because your riding likes the Liberal party which is unable to get even 40% of the support of voing Canadians? That isn't a functional democracy.

All of the analysis in June was that Trudea was signalling that he was going to call an early election.

CBC

The clearest sign Canadians were headed for a snap summer vote may have come in June, when Trudeau vented about what he called the "toxicity and obstructionism" in the House of Commons. He accused the opposition of stalling government bills, including one to ban conversion therapy.

The headlines that followed Trudeau's description of a dysfunctional Parliament were similar to those in the summer of 2008 — before another prime minister leading a minority government went to the polls early.

You still haven't answered the questions I asked you:

1) Were you also applauding the GG obeying Harper in blocking Dion from forming a coalition government because Harper had more seats and the GG shouldn't 'interfere' in politics?

2) If the Parliament that is so 'obstuctionist' and 'toxic' is similar after the election, what should happen to make it work? Do you think the MPs that the majority of Canadians elect should have less power than a minority of Liberal SuperMPs? I think Trudeau will have to step down-he would have caused an election because he didn't want to work with the Parliament Canadians voted for only to have Canadians support a similar Parliament. If we live in a democracy, there should be consequences. Making a minority of reperesentatives Super-MPs just because that party has a plurality is not democratic.

melovesproles wrote:

 Yeah definitely no context of prepping for an election. Are you honestly serious?  

That isn't what I said. I said it is not the reason he will present to the Canadian public to justify the election. And it isn't.

Questions from the media repeatedly asked Trudeau to justify why an election was necessary despite having strong support in Parliament.

“With this pivotal, consequential moment – who wouldn’t want a say? Who wouldn’t want their chance to decide where our country goes from here?

“Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back better.”

He's right. Canadians didn't vote for massive deficits. He did not and does not have a mandate for his economic plan. 

melovesproles wrote:

 1) Were you also applauding the GG obeying Harper in blocking Dion from forming a coalition government because Harper had more seats and the GG shouldn't 'interfere' in politics?  

No but I understood why she had to agree to his request. To refuse would have caused a constitutional crisis. 

melovesproles wrote:

 We've had this conversation before. I am willing to accept you at face value when you say you are not a Liberal and that you just find Liberal talking points and spin VERY convincing, perhaps due to where you are and who you talk to. But you have to realize, that's your own bias, most people don't uncritically accept the Liberals' version of everything.  

I don't buy anything the Liberals say. That has nothing to do with how voters will react to Trudeau's election call. I'm sure many people voting Liberal think he is an ass. That does not mean they are likely to punish him for calling an election. 

One thing will guide swing voters this election. Who is promising what and can they deliver. 

The Conservatives have terrible messaging. All of it offends one group or another. I don't believe they were ever as low as 23. whatever but I think their numbers are going to drop from where they are now. They will lose seats.

The NDP has a reasonable argument for what the NDP has accomplished this parliament, so they have an argument for why voters should give the NDP seats. I just don't think it's going to be strong enough to stop Trudeau. 

The Liberals have a bag full of goodies to hand out to everyone. They are asking for approval to hand them out in the form of a majority. 

melovesproles wrote:

 Where I am from the Liberals have no chance of being elected-why should my riding's representative be infereior to yours just because your riding likes the Liberal party which is unable to get even 40% of the support of voing Canadians? That isn't a functional democracy.  

I support PR. I can't have Lascaris as PM so I would be delighted for Singh to be our next PM. 

melovesproles wrote:

 2) If the Parliament that is so 'obstuctionist' and 'toxic' is similar after the election, what should happen to make it work? Do you think the MPs that the majority of Canadians elect should have less power than a minority of Liberal SuperMPs?  

No. I think our MPs are virtually powerless as are most of our Cabinet Ministers who apparently rarely get to speak with the PM. I think parties wield way too much power over MPs and that PR won't change it.

melovesproles wrote:

 I think Trudeau will have to step down-he would have caused an election because he didn't want to work with the Parliament Canadians voted for only to have Canadians support a similar Parliament. If we live in a democracy, there should be consequences. Making a minority of reperesentatives Super-MPs just because that party has a plurality is not democratic.

If enough people vote for him to win the election then there is no reason for him to step down. If he gets another minority it means people still support him but not enough to give him a majority. He would still be the victor. If he were to step down another Liberal would become PM that nobody voted for as PM. Then by convention we would have to have another election. 

When I say what I think will happen it isn't what I want to see happen. It's just how I see the situation unfolding. I think the campaigns are going to be boring and won't matter much. If they do matter I think they will help Trudeau not hinder him. 

The short campaign will help him too and the fact that people are busy with summer and school starting up. Even more people will just tune in September 10th or beyond. It's not that complicated. If you are a swing voter you look at the platforms and leaders and pick one based on your top three issues. 

Trudeau is well-seasoned now. He will not defend himself. He will stick to his talking points answering with them even if it has nothing to do with the question he was asked or the comment that was made. 

NorthReport wrote:

Singh hit the right notes at his presser this morning talking about fighting for working people and forcing Trudeau to double the CERB payments, $10 child care and taxing the ultra rich

I can't disagree more. He is trying to out do the Liberal's on their home turf. Their spin doctors have honed the messages on child care since the '90's. Yes the party got a few concessions during the budget talks but the Liberal message is that you can get more if you make Trudeau a dictator.

Wake me up when he starts talking about the environmental catastrophe happening in the riding he represents. People are getting arrested in his riding trying to stop TMX. Does he stand with the citizens of Burnaby and all their locally elected municipal leaders and all the indigenous nations that claim they have never ceded their rights. How about the students and workers at SFU who are facing real risks from this mega industrial project in the heart of the city he parachuted in to represent.