Canadian Federal Politics Thread v5

[Muta]

The UCP have created massive divide and distress, and have parroted the dangerous right wing rhetoric of the extreme elements from down south. They've gutted healthcare, attacked education and teachers, and have now banned books, which is an undemocratic as you can possibly get. They've catered to big corporate and foreign interests at the expense of regular Albertans and our land and innovative industries, have literally given billions of our dollars away to virtue-signalling pet projects (Keystone, War Room, Tylenol, etc.). They're trying to implement crappy and unnecssary policies like an APP and a provincial police force - things that the majority of Albertans don't want. They subtly (but constantly) stoke the flames of separation, they inaccurately and incorrectly blame the federal government for everything and use them as a convenient scapegoat to hide their own misdeeds, they are now trying to manipulate municipal politics (which is not even in their jurisdiction). They are constantly embroiled in corruption scandals, and now Marlaina is making subtle racist overtones about immigration into our province (even though her party is the one that started the Alberta is Calling campaign). On top of that, the UCP cannot manage money and finances well - like at all - despite claiming they're the fiscally responsible choice.

The UCP is the worst government in the history of Alberta, and likely Canada. They have convinced conservatives that they're still the party that they've always been, and they're constantly embarassing this province on the national and international levels.

This is a Canadian politics thread, but since we're talking about the UCP here we are. Pollievre is an annoying and angry populist and it's disgusting that he's allowed to parachute into the riding he is running in. Conservative voters should demand better. There's a reason why Carney won - and ironically, he's the most progressive conservative than anyone in the federal party right now, and governing as such.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Slava

This exactly why I used a Fraser Institute piece. When it comes to the Liberals or NDP you guys are fond of their hit pieces and now that the shoe is on the other foot, you think it’s a bad source.

I actually have no issue with it because I think many sources have merit on certain topics and various times. But who am I to argue with the powerhouse users like Fuzz and Pepsifree who demonize the Frasier Institute as not being a suitable source for discussions here at CP.

[Fuzz]

I don't post stuff from the Pembina institute for the same reasons. We know they have agendas, we know(at least the FI) produces misleading information,and has in the past provided information that indicates they either don't know how marginal tax rates work, or do, but ignore that to push an angle. Why you'd put any trust or give any weight to their reports without a deep dive to understand exactly what it is they are actually communicating is beyond me.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I actually have no issue with it because I think many sources have merit on certain topics and various times. But who am I to argue with the powerhouse users like Fuzz and Pepsifree who demonize the Frasier Institute as not being a suitable source for discussions here at CP.

Just have some media literacy and you wouldn’t feel so attacked by someone criticizing sources you for some reason have ingrained into your personality.

[GullFoss]

Originally Posted by Slava

This exactly why I used a Fraser Institute piece. When it comes to the Liberals or NDP you guys are fond of their hit pieces and now that the shoe is on the other foot, you think it’s a bad source.

And Gull, I’m fine to use their track record. Their budget this year has a large deficit, and it looks worse going forward. That’s without tariffs, and this is the result of bad management. The reality is that energy prices are good, and they have spent too much money. Instead of a legitimate plan to bring this budget to balance though, we have a government that is giving away millions of dollars in healthcare scandals and the budget is bad enough that their own MLAs have questioned it.

Probably more concerning though, is where in the world is it all going?! The healthcare sector is begging for more money. The education system continues to cry out for assistance. Those are the two largest provincial responsibilities, and yet the budget isn’t balanced. Smith and her government have no answer, and somehow you’re making the argument that this is good financial management and people should laud this?

I just linked to CBC article how they posted an $8b-$9b surplus in 2024-25. Are you referring to 2025-26?

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

To be fair Ford is quite far right. He has largely the same strategy as Smith in Alberta. Sell parks, cronyism, privatize healthcare, support Trump (which he’s since dropped), cut education.

It’s actually remarkable Ontario keeps supporting him. He really is Marlaina lite with better media skills.

He actually tries to hide it though. And showing that it’s working masterfully. He will take every chance he can to “rah rah Canada”, but quietly he’s working on selling off the entire province.

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

The consensus around here is that the Frasier Institute is garbage though and they shouldn't be trusted for anything.

Well here and everywhere.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fraser-institute/

[Slava]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

I just linked to CBC article how they posted an $8b-$9b surplus in 2024-25. Are you referring to 2025-26?

Yeah, the current budget where they have no hope of balancing it unless oil prices are far above what they project.

[GullFoss]

Originally Posted by Slava

Yeah, the current budget where they have no hope of balancing it unless oil prices are far above what they project.

They have a $4b contingency line item in the budget vs a deficit of $5b. So a net deficit of $1b, which isn't going to be statistically significant in a budget like this given all the pricing assumptions in play.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

They have a $4b contingency line item in the budget vs a deficit of $5b. So a net deficit of $1b, which isn't going to be statistically significant in a budget like this given all the pricing assumptions in play.

Sure, as long as they’re are no tariff impacts or they don’t spend the money for its intended use.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Me thinks his deck of cards is lacking a few key pieces.

I'd love to know what that is based on, what experience.

My dad fell in late June and broke 5 ribs, punctured a lung and some internal bleeding.

He was in Foothills for 21/2 weeks and now in a Rehab hospital.

Anyone that has been dealing with the Health Care System knows or can see that is it stretched to the point of breaking.

The workers are doing their best, but it's ####ing lean lean times

[Fuzz]

It's been lean times for at least 15 years. Unfortunately unless you need it, you don't actually realize how it's been running in crisis mode for so long. The people are mostly great, but I can see how they struggle to provide adequate care given the absolute crap they have to deal with on a daily basis.


But the budget surplus is fantastic, so they must be doing things right.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Slava

I’m incredibly confused with the idea that the Smith government is somehow paying down the debt. This is a government that despite the good prices for oil, has shown no financial acumen in anyway. They haven’t balanced the budget. Last year they touted a balanced budget, but it was literally because they borrowed enough money to put them into a positive position. It’s embarrassing. And this is during times when things are good!

That’s not even getting into their social policies and other misgivings I would have. Just looking at them from a pure financial perspective, it’s a complete joke. I know that some posters are waiting for this…but they borrowed for operations, and that’s a cardinal sin where there is no coming back from. It was ridiculous when the NDP did this, but at least they were contending with a massive decline in oil prices. What’s the UCP excuse? It’s just pure incompetence and policy failure.

Right!? They literally borrowed to "balance" the budget, yet people believe she balanced the budget.

The UCP's balanced budget is like paying your credit card off with another credit card so that you can go buy another boat.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by BigThief

Well here and everywhere.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fraser-institute/

Is there a rating system for fact- checkers?

Edit: actually, yes

https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.ed...iven-approach/

[Locke]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Is there a rating system for fact- checkers?

Not to mention, that website looks like a child made it on his mom's computer in 1996. Did he have to port it over from Geocities?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I'd love to know what that is based on, what experience.

My dad fell in late June and broke 5 ribs, punctured a lung and some internal bleeding.

He was in Foothills for 21/2 weeks and now in a Rehab hospital.

Anyone that has been dealing with the Health Care System knows or can see that is it stretched to the point of breaking.

The workers are doing their best, but it's ####ing lean lean times

Every province is facing a health care capacity crisis, and ER wait times are increasing everywhere.

Median length of ER stay before being discharged or admitted to hospital in Alberta is 3 hours and 48 minutes. In Ontario it’s 4 hours, in B.C., it’s 4 hours and 13 minutes, and in Quebec it’s 5 hours and 23 minutes.

https://www.iedm.org/canadians-are-w...mergency-room/

Aging populations are relentlessly driving up demand for health care. Health care budgets are going up, but not fast enough. The remedy is increased taxation, but the voting public hates that. So here we are.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by BigThief

Well here and everywhere.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fraser-institute/

That's the conclusion you draw from that page?

Their critique is this:

Overall, we rate Fraser Institute as strongly Right-Center biased based on policy positions that favor business and Mixed for factual reporting due to false and misleading claims regarding global warming.

Being Right-Center biased "on policy positions that favor business" is not itself a reason to disqualify a source entirely, any more than being Left-Center biased 'on policy positions that favor labour unions' would be. It just means you should consider the perspectives that run counter to this source's implicit bias, which is why having a variety of sources to aggregate from is valuable.

For the latter, "Mixed for factual reporting due to false and misleading claims regarding global warming" says to me that you should be very skeptical of claims they make regarding climate change. For anything else (the other half of the 'mixed' rating), hold it in uncertainty until you can verify. Any technical or scientific claim deserves verification. Fraser Institute also hasn't failed a fact-check in the past five years (as of their page update in Dec 2024); this isn't blanket approval, but definitely runs counter to the idea that they cannot be trusted on any subject, ever.

Such a rating is no justification to entirely reject a source out of hand. Their numbers might be bang on, but you should critically appraise the opinion behind what you're reading, as you should with any source, even (and especially) those that tend to fit your own personal political biases.

[Regorium]

Fraser Institute is misleading but not untruthful.

Especially regarding articles on taxation, they will add in loosely calculated numbers and horrible assumptions like how everyone has to pay corporate tax (due to corporate tax being passed down to consumers), and how the negative effects on the economy of carbon tax is actually like 28% increased tax. Leading to an article headline of us paying 120% in tax and how we need a Conservative government.

It's just really marginal methodology, but it is transparent if you're willing to dig in. It takes significant time to work through their assumptions and figure out what they're trying to say, but it's not completely false.

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by Locke

Not to mention, that website looks like a child made it on his mom's computer in 1996. Did he have to port it over from Geocities?

Another sick reference

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Every province is facing a health care capacity crisis, and ER wait times are increasing everywhere.

Median length of ER stay before being discharged or admitted to hospital in Alberta is 3 hours and 48 minutes. In Ontario it’s 4 hours, in B.C., it’s 4 hours and 13 minutes, and in Quebec it’s 5 hours and 23 minutes.

https://www.iedm.org/canadians-are-w...mergency-room/

Aging populations are relentlessly driving up demand for health care. Health care budgets are going up, but not fast enough. The remedy is increased taxation, but the voting public hates that. So here we are.

As is importing 100s of thousands new Canadians each year. Almost a perfect storm.