Canadian Federal Politics Thread v5

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Stranger

I reside in the Battle River Crowfoot riding. I voted for him. I wouldn't say the residents or my town are uneducated. I'd say the 80% vote count exactly reflects the riding. We have different priorities than an inner city or suburban community would and that's ok.

Stranger - if you're willing to share, what made you vote for Pollievre over someone like Bonnie Critchley, who lives in the riding and who likely has a better understanding of and connection to your riding?

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Stranger

I reside in the Battle River Crowfoot riding. I voted for him. I wouldn't say the residents or my town are uneducated. I'd say the 80% vote count exactly reflects the riding. We have different priorities than an inner city or suburban community would and that's ok.

We never see any politician come through our small town. Pierre came to our hometown of 400 people. Had coffee in the restaurant. Stopped in the village office and visited a few businesses. I know he likely won't be back. That's completely normal for our area.

To say we are pathetic or a bunch of backwater hicks isn't fair to rural people. There are lots of vey kind, hardworking average people out here. Many I'm sure you'd be proud to call a neighbor or friend if you got to know them.

I don't think anyone is disputing that, almost everyone I know who lives in a small town is the shirt-off-their-back type, but they also all vote blue every single time. And when pressed on why, all they can muster is some form of "Liberals bad". So why vote for Pierre? What is he going to do for your town that's better than what someone who actually lives there might accomplish?

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

What have the NDP prioritized versus the Conservatives or Liberals that you think should align with a rural riding like this?

Off the top of my head, the biggest thing is the NDP prioritization of people/workers over corporations and billionaires.

Rural areas are largely made up of lower income people / workers and have very few billionaires. Most corporations acting in rural areas are doing so at the expense of the locals, either by buying up their land or driving them out of business.

If you look at the proposed tax breaks from the 3 parties in the last election:

• The NDP cut taxes primarily from the poorest and middle brackets (and increased taxes on the rich)
• The Liberals proposed a spread of tax cuts that benefited rich people more than poor but it was better than the Conservative plan
• The Conservatives proposed tax cuts that primarily benefited people making 7+ figures (trickle down economics) and their cuts were so dramatic that many people questioned how they were going to pay for anything

The Liberals and Conservatives are both looking at cutting government services that rural people use / rely on. The conservatives have talked about eliminating CBC and Canada Post, both of which would impact rural people the hardest as they have the fewest (or none) alternatives.

On the other hand, the NDP proposed expanding EI, protecting universal health care, dental care, pharma, CBC, Canada Post, etc.

Considering most rural people make less money and need more help accessing services, it blows my mind that so many of them support a party that sacrifice them on the alter of money.

Also, how the parties interact with worker unions. Both the Liberals and Conservatives are fast to try and smash unions and break strikes in order to appease the corporations. Just look at the most recent Air Canada strike, the Liberals were lightning fast to issue a back to work order. The NDP are backed by unions and are unlikely to abuse government powers to force a union back to work on behalf of the corporation.

Now, the NDP are not perfect. They are starting to act a bit too much like Liberal-lite instead of doubling down on being the party of the people.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

You can though. Voters in one riding can, and have forever, have very different priorities than voters in another riding. In this specific case, voters in East-Central Alberta have different priorities than voters in an Ottawa suburb.

To say those voters are pathetic is detached from reality.

Originally Posted by The National Post

Battle River —Crowfoot resident Lance Neilson told the National Post he was taken aback by the throng of voters who showed up to support Poilievre on election day.

“That was the longest line I’ve ever been in to vote here,” said Neilson. “I don’t think other parts of Canada understand what this represents to us. No one is leaving this to chance.”

Separatism and internal dissent fizzle as Poilievre coasts to victory in rural Alberta

There's nothing detached from reality about it; this loser was only airdropped into their riding because it was such a sure thing that these dipsh-ts would vote for the colour blue. That's all the political calculus that needed to be done in deciding where to run PP in a byelection: "Given 'F-ck Trudeau Carney, Own the Libs' is a personality to these people, can we count on these f-cks to vote for us? Yes/No" That's it.

Originally Posted by Stranger

We never see any politician come through our small town.

You ditched the politician you had who lived there and thumbed your nose at the independent that also lived there to vote for an outsider who picked your riding because you were an easy win.

Originally Posted by Stranger

Pierre came to our hometown of 400 people. Had coffee in the restaurant. Stopped in the village office and visited a few businesses. I know he likely won't be back.

Yeah dude -- because he used you.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Wolven

Off the top of my head, the biggest thing is the NDP prioritization of people/workers over corporations and billionaires.

Rural areas are largely made up of lower income people / workers and have very few billionaires. Most corporations acting in rural areas are doing so at the expense of the locals, either by buying up their land or driving them out of business.

If you look at the proposed tax breaks from the 3 parties in the last election:

• The NDP cut taxes primarily from the poorest and middle brackets (and increased taxes on the rich)
• The Liberals proposed a spread of tax cuts that benefited rich people more than poor but it was better than the Conservative plan
• The Conservatives proposed tax cuts that primarily benefited people making 7+ figures (trickle down economics) and their cuts were so dramatic that many people questioned how they were going to pay for anything

The Liberals and Conservatives are both looking at cutting government services that rural people use / rely on. The conservatives have talked about eliminating CBC and Canada Post, both of which would impact rural people the hardest as they have the fewest (or none) alternatives.

On the other hand, the NDP proposed expanding EI, protecting universal health care, dental care, pharma, CBC, Canada Post, etc.

Considering most rural people make less money and need more help accessing services, it blows my mind that so many of them support a party that sacrifice them on the alter of money.

Also, how the parties interact with worker unions. Both the Liberals and Conservatives are fast to try and smash unions and break strikes in order to appease the corporations. Just look at the most recent Air Canada strike, the Liberals were lightning fast to issue a back to work order. The NDP are backed by unions and are unlikely to abuse government powers to force a union back to work on behalf of the corporation.

Now, the NDP are not perfect. They are starting to act a bit too much like Liberal-lite instead of doubling down on being the party of the people.

I think think what matters the most to rural Albertans, and this is a heavy generalization, is jobs. While I think the items you've mentioned (health care, dental care, pharma, CBC, Canada Post) are not insignificant, they pale in comparison.

Rural jobs consist primarily of agriculture, oil & gas, and the trades that support those industries.

People can say that these people are "own the libs" uneducated dipsh-ts, but rightly or wrongly, they identify the Conservatives as the only party that is taking their most important concern seriously.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I'm pretty sure Poilievre could support policies that crush that riding's economic fortunes, but they'll still vote for him cause he also did 10 Lib-owning things.

Owning the Libs is such a profitable thing!

Too bad covid wasn't stronger. The planet would be a much smarter place today.

[Stranger]

Originally Posted by Muta

Stranger - if you're willing to share, what made you vote for Pollievre over someone like Bonnie Critchley, who lives in the riding and who likely has a better understanding of and connection to your riding?

Right now my biggest issue is the Chinese canola tariffs. I liked a lot of Bonnie’s stances, but I’m not sure an independent MP will have the same voice in parliament that the Conservatives will have.

The tariffs are hurting farmers. As it stands right now due to the latest drop in Canola prices our farm stands to lose over $100,000. It’s one of the issues that rarely gets brought up in the media.

[Blaster86]

The follow up question is, as a one issue voter what has the CPC said they will do to combat these tariffs? This is an actual question as I have no idea in regards to this tariff and the political work happening behind it.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Stranger

Right now my biggest issue is the Chinese canola tariffs. I liked a lot of Bonnie’s stances, but I’m not sure an independent MP will have the same voice in parliament that the Conservatives will have.

The tariffs are hurting farmers. As it stands right now due to the latest drop in Canola prices our farm stands to lose over $100,000. It’s one of the issues that rarely gets brought up in the media.

We need to remove the tarrifs from the Chinese electric cars asap!

[Stranger]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

The follow up question is, as a one issue voter what has the CPC said they will do to combat these tariffs? This is an actual question as I have no idea in regards to this tariff and the political work happening behind it.

The Conservatives had been calling to use some of the money brought in from Canada’s EV tariffs to compensate farmers. The Liberals hadn’t really acknowledged the new tariffs on Canola. Now they say they are working on something. I don’t agree with the Canadian tariff on EVs either. If we are headed to a society that relies on electric vehicles we need to have affordable options in Canada for people to purchase.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by Stranger

I reside in the Battle River Crowfoot riding. I voted for him. I wouldn't say the residents or my town are uneducated. I'd say the 80% vote count exactly reflects the riding. We have different priorities than an inner city or suburban community would and that's ok.

We never see any politician come through our small town. Pierre came to our hometown of 400 people. Had coffee in the restaurant. Stopped in the village office and visited a few businesses. I know he likely won't be back. That's completely normal for our area.

To say we are pathetic or a bunch of backwater hicks isn't fair to rural people. There are lots of vey kind, hardworking average people out here. Many I'm sure you'd be proud to call a neighbor or friend if you got to know them.

The thing is, as leader, Mark Carney is doing things that are now in the best interest of rural voters that support traditional industries, keeping Canada whole, and enabling minorities and vulnerable populations to find an equal and inclusive footing. Poilievre and this current iteration of CPC is more akin to the destructive s### show we have already released on ourselves with the UCP.

Your priorities are similar or the same to most Canadians.

Voting for him because he had a cup of coffee in your town once and waves a blue flag isn't exactly going to get you invited to any Mensa meetings.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

I don’t disagree that management quality is the #1 driver of productivity, low performers exist in any setting. But some accountability is built into the environment itself. Remote work makes performance binary: you’re either hitting KPIs or not. In-office, managers can spot bad habits (or promising effort) much earlier, before they show up in results. And when people know their work ethic is visible, that social pressure raises the floor for the whole team. In sales especially, it’s harder to gauge where your team really stands remotely, because you’re forced to judge almost entirely off numbers, and numbers don’t always tell the whole story. Flexible hybrid is the best of both worlds in my experience, there’s no requirement to work a certain amount of days at home or at the office and it’s completely up to the employee on a daily basis, but there’s some expectation that they are around the office from time to time.

Great post and I agree with you completely. Flex hybrid is what works best in my experience. Organizations that have performance numbers be the biggest driver of promotions is a prime setting for putting the wrong kind of people in leader positions. I'm biased because I'm a 10 minute walk from our downtown office in Toronto on Bay and King, but I wouldn't be able to WFH every day. I suspect that those who spend some time regularly in the office would on average see better overall performance results and higher rates of bonuses and promotions.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I think think what matters the most to rural Albertans, and this is a heavy generalization, is jobs. While I think the items you've mentioned (health care, dental care, pharma, CBC, Canada Post) are not insignificant, they pale in comparison.

Rural jobs consist primarily of agriculture, oil & gas, and the trades that support those industries.

People can say that these people are "own the libs" uneducated dipsh-ts, but rightly or wrongly, they identify the Conservatives as the only party that is taking their most important concern seriously.

Yes and that is a big part of the con job. The Conservative party is not prioritizing workers or jobs they are prioritizing corporations and profits. They convince people that if we pander to corporations enough then the corporations will make more jobs (trickle down economics). But that is a lie, what the corporations do instead is give bigger bonuses to their executives and report profits to their shareholders (often while laying off workers).

Another example in the difference in approaches. When asked how to address the cost of living, the NDP suggested income tax cuts for low income earners and slashing the GST on essentials (home energy bills, cellular & internet bills, children's clothing, prepared meals from grocery stores). The Conservatives would never do anything like that because the GST cut really only benefits people who struggle to pay for those things and has zero benefits for rich people.

The Conservatives (and Liberals) wanted to focus on income tax cuts and capital gains tax cuts because they could then save low income families $1000 while they help millionaires save hundreds of thousands.

Personally, I feel that the bigger reason most rural people align with the Conservatives is because the Conservatives give more space to religion.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Stranger

The Conservatives had been calling to use some of the money brought in from Canada’s EV tariffs to compensate farmers. The Liberals hadn’t really acknowledged the new tariffs on Canola. Now they say they are working on something. I don’t agree with the Canadian tariff on EVs either. If we are headed to a society that relies on electric vehicles we need to have affordable options in Canada for people to purchase.

I think a big part of the Chinese EV tariff is the security aspect of the conversation. Reports came out this year from cyber security experts that identified kill switches in Chinese made solar panel inverters.

If China is willing to put kill switches into inverters to have the ability to mess with our power grids then I would be very concerned about what they could do with control over a fast moving vehicle in a crowded street.

Taking the money to support Project Arrow and building 100% Canadian EVs that are safe and secure from bad actors around the world would be a bigger priority for me.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Stranger

Right now my biggest issue is the Chinese canola tariffs. I liked a lot of Bonnie’s stances, but I’m not sure an independent MP will have the same voice in parliament that the Conservatives will have.

The tariffs are hurting farmers. As it stands right now due to the latest drop in Canola prices our farm stands to lose over $100,000. It’s one of the issues that rarely gets brought up in the media.

Are you concerned with conservative politicians general stances against seed oils?
RFK Jr is claiming they are poisons and looking to ban them in the US.

Poilievre is talking about backing farmers but would most likely follow the US lead on issues like this based on his history.
Especially as the growing misinformation about something like seed oils spreads to the large portion of their voter base.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Are you concerned with conservative politicians general stances against seed oils?
RFK Jr is claiming they are poisons and looking to ban them in the US.

Poilievre is talking about backing farmers but would most likely follow the US lead on issues like this based on his history.
Especially as the growing misinformation about something like seed oils spreads to the large portion of their voter base.

China just put a 75% tariff on canola from Canada as well. It's the year to #### on Canada apparently.

[puffnstuff]

Too bad there wasnt a Liberal candidate in that riding by-election, imagine having a local voice inside the ruling party...

[activeStick]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1957701095553396838

[Fuzz]

with the canola thing, is this something the wheat board would have been helpful in managing and moving to alternate markets, or are farmers able to use other services to do that? I have no idea how this works. Are they better or worse of in a situation like this without the old system?

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

China just put a 75% tariff on canola from Canada as well. It's the year to #### on Canada apparently.

As a retaliation for Canada putting a 100% tariff on their EV's, why we are defending Tesla's market for them beats the heck out of me