Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?x...30E6E717033046


Why do all her press releases sound like an angry marmot screaming into a microphone set to 11? Why is this a press release, and not a "we are looking to discuss with the government issues around immigration numbers to Alberta"? She always jumps to the last step.

This is going to go over very poorly with some members of her caucus who are heavy into Ukraine support right now.

Also hilarious in the context of Alberta is calling...

I actually don't understand this at all, unless she's just taking marching orders from the CPC now... She has a strong rural ukrainian population base who are very eager to help ukrainian refugees north and east of Edmonton. Talk like this could definitely shake them.

[Reggie Dunlop]

[Locke]

I hate to say this because I'm usually in favour of immigration but in this instance I kind of have to agree.

I wouldnt use the term 'can't afford it' because I feel that is callous and inaccurate, but rather I'd frame it as:

"Our social systems are stretched to the breaking point as is and cannot accommodate more users."

It has nothing to do with immigrants or where they're from, our social structures just got their teeth kicked in from COVID and the last thing they need is additional flow-through.

We cant house the people we have, we can barely care for the people already here, we'd actually be doing these immigrants a disservice.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Locke

I hate to say this because I'm usually in favour of immigration but in this instance I kind of have to agree.

I wouldnt use the term 'can't afford it' because I feel that is callous and inaccurate, but rather I'd frame it as:

"Our social systems are stretched to the breaking point as is and cannot accommodate more users."

It has nothing to do with immigrants or where they're from, our social structures just got their teeth kicked in from COVID and the last thing they need is additional flow-through.

We cant house the people we have, we can barely care for the people already here, we'd actually be doing these immigrants a disservice.

Sure, but this would have a lot more weight if the government actually used it's powers and surplus cash to improve the social system instead of removing any social support they can get away with. The same government who previously spent millions of dollars urging people to move here from around the world.

I don't disagree that we need to change elements of the immigration system, but it's similar to the American thread where the guy was picking on Kamala for lying. OK, but the biggest liar ever is right there beside her...
OK Danielle, but you know you probably have more to do with stretching said social system to it's breaking point than any immigrants have.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Sure, but this would have a lot more weight if the government actually used it's powers and surplus cash to improve the social system instead of removing any social support they can get away with. The same government who previously spent millions of dollars urging people to move here from around the world.

I don't disagree that we need to change elements of the immigration system, but it's similar to the American thread where the guy was picking on Kamala for lying. OK, but the biggest liar ever is right there beside her...
OK Danielle, but you know you probably have more to do with stretching said social system to it's breaking point than any immigrants have.

Oh, no question! I'd love to have more immigrants! But can our Social Services handle the influx?

For me its all about sustainability.

[iggy_oi]

“Bringing in more immigrants strains public services for everyone and that’s supposed to be our job”

- UCP

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by wireframe

Part of the problem is that it's no longer hard to move into Canada on a temporary basis and then seek permanent residency from there. Temporary foreign worker and student is a programs have expanded dramatically since covid and both offer a path to permanent residency. Immigration was and still is hard but the huge influx of people comes from shortcuts around the immigration procedure.


I know this because my entire team at work have immigrated to Canada for the job and they are frustrated at all the other fake students short-cutting the process. Apparently, Uber drivers openly tell my Indian colleague that they got in through the "fake student trick" because he's also Indian (he immigrated through the normal channel).



Danielle Smith still stinks but she's bringing this up because it's a real pain point for many Canadians struggling to find work or housing as population surges.

Yea I consider myself a very liberal person, but the temporary foreign worker program needs to be scrapped. The abuse as an easy entry point for migrants is rampant, and it's destroying the entry level job market. If you run a business and can't find any workers, then raise your salaries. If you can't do that without going under, then maybe your business shouldn't be a thing. That's just how a free market works

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Yea I consider myself a very liberal person, but the temporary foreign worker program needs to be scrapped. The abuse as an easy entry point for migrants is rampant, and it's destroying the entry level job market. If you run a business and can't find any workers, then raise your salaries. If you can't do that without going under, then maybe your business shouldn't be a thing. That's just how capitalism works

Theres just more to it than that though.

Now, I'm not what you'd consider an 'entry-level employer' for the most part, but I pay pretty well and I can barely find people to work.

Now the TFW program doesnt really work for me, so I cant comment on that, but finding employees is pretty damned tough at times!

Yes its being abused, but I dont think its being abused all that much at the expense of the Canadian worker.

Thats not the immigrants' fault or necessarily the employer's fault. Its a systemic issue.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Locke

Theres just more to it than that though.

Now, I'm not what you'd consider an 'entry-level employer' for the most part, but I pay pretty well and I can barely find people to work.

Now the TFW program doesnt really work for me, so I cant comment on that, but finding employees is pretty damned tough at times!

Yes its being abused, but I dont think its being abused all that much at the expense of the Canadian worker.

Thats not the immigrants' fault or necessarily the employer's fault. Its a systemic issue.

This isn't a knock on you, but I've seen that same phrase repeated by a lot of business owners, and most of the time what they consider to be "paying well" is about 10 years out of date with the rapid rise in rent and inflation in the last half-decade

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

This isn't a knock on you, but I've seen that same phrase repeated by a lot of business owners, and most of the time what they consider to be "paying well" is about 10 years out of date with the rapid rise in rent and inflation in the last half-decade

Thats a fair point. But its not like I'm hiring people on Minimum Wage or anything. The fact is, as an employer I cant control the average cost of living even if I'm paying a generous wage.

Unfortunately if an employee comes to me and says: "I cant live on this, I need more!"

I pay the same cost of living. Plus all of the operating costs of maintaining a business. I'm not yachting in the Bahamas or anything on the backs of their labour.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

People in Alberta have been conditioned - for generations - to think taxes are the devil and the be-all, end-all of personal prosperity. And yet they have no idea how much the common good and community needs to be well-oiled to fuel their modern lives, and how little they realize the cost of living is being hijacked by private and corporate interests.

The 'business can do no wrong' mentality is still very much engrained in Alberta culture, including those at the top of the government you all pay for.

So are you for giving more money to the government? I probably already give half. How much would be enough.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

This isn't a knock on you, but I've seen that same phrase repeated by a lot of business owners, and most of the time what they consider to be "paying well" is about 10 years out of date with the rapid rise in rent and inflation in the last half-decade

Guess they aren’t forced to take the job. No?

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Cons using taxpayer dollars to enrich cons is a tale as old as time.

Oh boy. So you are saying Liberal insiders haven’t fed at the trough over the last 10 years.

Good lord. I have to go back to the hockey side.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Goriders

So are you for giving more money to the government? I probably already give half. How much would be enough.

Lmao half.

They could probably cough up the war room, red tape reduction council, claw back the 1.2b wasted on the pipeline to nowhere, and dozens of other ideological blunders and sycophant-enriching moneysinks and your taxes wouldn't move 1 iota.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Locke

I hate to say this because I'm usually in favour of immigration but in this instance I kind of have to agree.

I wouldnt use the term 'can't afford it' because I feel that is callous and inaccurate, but rather I'd frame it as:

"Our social systems are stretched to the breaking point as is and cannot accommodate more users."

It has nothing to do with immigrants or where they're from, our social structures just got their teeth kicked in from COVID and the last thing they need is additional flow-through.

We cant house the people we have, we can barely care for the people already here, we'd actually be doing these immigrants a disservice.

There has to be infrastructure and employment to support the influx of new people or you just end up with inevitable societal issues.

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by Locke

Thats a fair point. But its not like I'm hiring people on Minimum Wage or anything. The fact is, as an employer I cant control the average cost of living even if I'm paying a generous wage.

Unfortunately if an employee comes to me and says: "I cant live on this, I need more!"

I pay the same cost of living. Plus all of the operating costs of maintaining a business. I'm not yachting in the Bahamas or anything on the backs of their labour.

Cost of living is somewhere around $23.65/hr in the Calgary region. Good for you for making an effort to keep your employees out of poverty. Keep in mind that most companies don't make this effort, and don't plan for the rising cost of living.

When you go to the supermarket, every single worker, at every single store is making less than a living wage. From new cashier to veteran supervisor. Only the managers make more. And many have degrees and experience. It's a straight up ####ty world at the moment.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Guess they aren’t forced to take the job. No?

No, they aren't. And in a healthy economy that should force businesses to make themselves more attractive to prospective employees. But right now they can just latch onto the government teat instead and get rewarded with TFWs that they can exploit

[Regorium]

Originally Posted by Goriders

So are you for giving more money to the government? I probably already give half. How much would be enough.

Have you actually calculated what you pay in taxes or are you parroting Fraser Institute talking points?

[Torture]

Can't have it both ways Smith.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1834347710213673125

https://twitter.com/user/status/1834359608481100045

[Ozy_Flame]

I mean, does she only want one type of immigrant? Ukrainians?

Also, she's saying 200k people to the province last year, and this is after that had a multi-million dollar campaign to invite people to move to Alberta. And she's saying that asylum seekers are the problem? In that Tweet she complained that 200k is like taking in two Red Deers.

Isn't this what you wanted, Marlaina? Or are you saying you only want certain types of people in your province? You wanted everyone to move there, now that it worked, you're complaining?

Can't have it both ways indeed. What a disastrous political strategy and inept Premier. Just amateur hour with her and band of clowns.