Canadian politics- "to work! We have a government to defeat!"

[Fragile Bird]

10 hours ago, Aemon Stark said:

I think there's reasonable arguments both ways concerning the number of councillors. However, that is something that can be considered for the next election in 2022, not during the period of the current election where the candidate registration deadline has already passed. And not essentially because Doug Ford made an arbitrary decision. So much for his "experienced" cabinet offering some moderation. 

Also outside Ontario, provincial legislators are usually called MLAs (or MNAs in Quebec and MHAs in NL). 

Yeah, I know, but MPP is the Ontario term and I'm in Ontario and, I guess, too lazy to say MLAs, MNAs and MHAs which would actually be the correct thing to say.

It's not MLA everywhere in Canada. It's MNA in Quebec (Member of the National Assembly), and tsk tsk, I am shocked at you, it's MHA in Newfoundland and Labrador, Member of the House of Assembly!

I totally agree any changes to Toronto's council should be done for the next election and not dumped on the city without notice. I was only pointing out that this has been argued about for twenty years or more.

8 hours ago, maarsen said:

The proper term in Ontario is MLA also. Nobody seems to use it though.

No, it's not. MPP is the proper term for Ontario, as set out by statute before WW II. MLA is actually a term from before Confederation, but Ontario had no official designation until the late 30s.

[Aemon Stark]

8 hours ago, Casablanca Birdie said:

It's not MLA everywhere in Canada. It's MNA in Quebec (Member of the National Assembly), and tsk tsk, I am shocked at you, it's MHA in Newfoundland and Labrador, Member of the House of Assembly!

Hah. Reread my post! 

8 hours ago, Casablanca Birdie said:

I totally agree any changes to Toronto's council should be done for the next election and not dumped on the city without notice. I was only pointing out that this has been argued about for twenty years or more.

It's just all the more rich since Doug Ford did nothing with his time on council other than enable his brother to get drunk, piss in gas station parking lots, hang out with gang members and even smoke crack with said gang members. He certainly contributed to the "dysfunction" and "circus" that is Toronto City Council. If he wants to fix those problems, ranked ballots and/or term limits would do a lot more to get rid of the dysfunctional dead wood in that chamber. 

[Fragile Bird]

5 hours ago, Aemon Stark said:

Hah. Reread my post! 

[HexMachina]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45079682

Saudi Arabia to expel Canadian ambassador and block future trade/investment with Canada

[Fragile Bird]

On 8/6/2018 at 6:23 AM, HelenaExMachina said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45079682

Saudi Arabia to expel Canadian ambassador and block future trade/investment with Canada

You really have to wonder what the hell is going on in Saudi heads. Do they think a scorched earth policy towards Canada will scare other countries?

They have ordered 15,000 students to leave schools in Canada, people seeking medical treatment in Canada, and have recalled their ambassador. In addition, they are dumping all their investments here. They are also not buying any food from Canada. On the bright side, previous PM Harper dismantled the rules requiring wheat sales through the wheat marketing board and refused to sell it to farmers, selling it to the Saudis instead. At least the farmers should be able to buy it back now.

[Fragile Bird]

More on Saudi students: the largest number of foreign medical students in Canada are Saudi. McGill medical school seems to have specialized in training them - 327 students were registered at the school in the 2017-2018 academic term. 225 out of 1250 residents at the McGill Health Centre and at Jewish General are Saudi. In Toronto, 216 out of 3250 residents are Saudi.

Being ordered to leave Canada and finish their medical training elsewhere is going to be very disruptive for them, to say the least. Getting positions as residents is tough everywhere. 

And while commentators are talking about the dollar hit to schools, I assume the spaces at medical school will be snapped up by both Canadians studying in foreign schools and other foreigners, like Americans.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

You feisty Canadians need to be nicer to U.S. ally Saudi Arabia! You’re already a security threat to us. Don’t make it worse. You’ve been warned!

All hail the red hats!

[maarsen]

3 hours ago, Casablanca Birdie said:

More on Saudi students: the largest number of foreign medical students in Canada are Saudi. McGill medical school seems to have specialized in training them - 327 students were registered at the school in the 2017-2018 academic term. 225 out of 1250 residents at the McGill Health Centre and at Jewish General are Saudi. In Toronto, 216 out of 3250 residents are Saudi.

Being ordered to leave Canada and finish their medical training elsewhere is going to be very disruptive for them, to say the least. Getting positions as residents is tough everywhere. 

And while commentators are talking about the dollar hit to schools, I assume the spaces at medical school will be snapped up by both Canadians studying in foreign schools and other foreigners, like Americans.

Foreign trained doctors need to have a Canadian medical residency to get a licence to practice here.  All those open spot are sure to be filled very fast by people actually willing to live and work here. You have to wonder how many Saudi doctors will decide to stay here and not return when ordered to.

[Aemon Stark]

On 8/9/2018 at 10:03 AM, Casablanca Birdie said:

And while commentators are talking about the dollar hit to schools, I assume the spaces at medical school will be snapped up by both Canadians studying in foreign schools and other foreigners, like Americans.

It's fairly awful for the Saudi residents. These aren't really spaces so much as they represent possible training capacity. They're wholly funded by the Saudi government (and then some!) so when the Saudis pull out, so does the funding and the spaces. 

21 hours ago, maarsen said:

Foreign trained doctors need to have a Canadian medical residency to get a licence to practice here.  All those open spot are sure to be filled very fast by people actually willing to live and work here. You have to wonder how many Saudi doctors will decide to stay here and not return when ordered to.

I think it would be interesting to offer PR status or extended visas or something. The problem is that Canadian schools were not actually paying for these spots at all, so they'll be out of a job once the Saudi government pulls out. It's always been something of a cash cow for certain medical faculties. 

[Paladin of Ice]

On 8/8/2018 at 7:27 PM, Casablanca Birdie said:

You really have to wonder what the hell is going on in Saudi heads. Do they think a scorched earth policy towards Canada will scare other countries?

They have ordered 15,000 students to leave schools in Canada, people seeking medical treatment in Canada, and have recalled their ambassador. In addition, they are dumping all their investments here. They are also not buying any food from Canada. On the bright side, previous PM Harper dismantled the rules requiring wheat sales through the wheat marketing board and refused to sell it to farmers, selling it to the Saudis instead. At least the farmers should be able to buy it back now.

The rumor I hear is that Bin Salman recently got embarrassed and lost a few points with the current King, he’s trying to focus everyone on an outside enemy (even if one has to be created) so he doesn’t lose his position and support.

[Erik of Hazelfield]

I think it’s a bloody shame that neither the EU nor the US have sided with Canada in this diplomatic fight. If we let dictators bully democratic countries by taking extreme measures like this as punishment for a small (and very reasonable) tweet, then we embolden them. Not that I expected more from the current US administration but the EU should stand with Canada here. Call up some ambassadors, hint that some business might be in danger, something. Let the Saudis know that this behaviour is not ok and will cost them more than they think.

[Fragile Bird]

So we are in fact at war with the US.

Trump in an ‘off the record’ conversation told reporters from Bloomberg, who I assume he thought would sympathize, that any deal made with Canada would be to the advantage of the US.

He told reporters that Canada was working very hard but everything suggested by Canadians was then countermanded by US trade negotiators. Trump said he kept a photo of the Chevrolet Impala, manufactured in Oshawa, at his desk to remind himself to grind down Canada with threats of tariffs.

The Bloomberg reporters apparently told Toronto Star reporters and Canadian negotiators opened discussions this morning raising the secret conversation with American negotiators, blowing up the trade talks.

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Casablanca Birdie said:

So we are in fact at war with the US.

Trump in an ‘off the record’ conversation told reporters from Bloomberg, who I assume he thought would sympathize, that any deal made with Canada would be to the advantage of the US.

He told reporters that Canada was working very hard but everything suggested by Canadians was then countermanded by US trade negotiators. Trump said he kept a photo of the Chevrolet Impala, manufactured in Oshawa, at his desk to remind himself to grind down Canada with threats of tariffs.

The Bloomberg reporters apparently told Toronto Star reporters and Canadian negotiators opened discussions this morning raising the secret conversation with American negotiators, blowing up the trade talks.

 

Trump will probably blink if he thinks a deal can be reached after his “hard” deadline.

Also, can Trump make a bilateral deal that affects NAFTA with Mexico if Canada doesn’t agree to it?

I don’t want us to have to 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Well I don't know if I'm right or wrong, wise @Casablanca Birdie. On the one hand, the talks will continue past today, but on the other it sounds like Canada is saying Trump isn't negotiating in good faith which might cause them to walk away.

Stay tuned!

[maarsen]

On 8/31/2018 at 7:00 PM, SpaceForce Tywin et al. said:

Well I don't know if I'm right or wrong, wise @Casablanca Birdie. On the one hand, the talks will continue past today, but on the other it sounds like Canada is saying Trump isn't negotiating in good faith which might cause them to walk away.

Stay tuned!

I think everyone understands that Trump has never negotiated in good faith. 

[Aemon Stark]

So... thoughts on Doug Ford's attempts at arbitrary rule?

Ford announced Monday that he would take the rare step of invoking Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms after an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that his provincial government's legislation to cut the number of Toronto city councillors was unconstitutional. 

Section 33 — known as the notwithstanding clause — allows for premiers or prime ministers to override rulings on legislation that judges have determined would violate sections of the charter for a five-year period.

Pierre Trudeau opposed the clause, but reluctantly acquiesced to its inclusion in order to get a deal on the Constitution Act of 1982, which wrested control of Canada's Constitution from Britain.

I don't even really know where to begin with all this. The number of councillors in a particular city is a matter of reasonable debate, but changing it during an election is unprecedented interference. 

[maarsen]

I never liked the notwithstanding clause ever since it came in. It basically makes the Constitution useless. I hope enough people think the same as me and vote out the Conservative party at the first chance we get. 

Nothing pisses me of more than bullying behaviour. Doug Ford will regret this till the end of his days and I sure as hell will be reminding everyone of his stupidity and ignorance at every opportunity I get. 

[Aemon Stark]

He's an asshole. If I'd been running against him, I'd have called up HBO and John Oliver and got permission to run his bit on Doug from the mayoral election: 

 

[kairparavel]

A year after the passing of Gord Downie we have legal pot. It'll be interesting to see how the whole thing works while we're in Montreal this weekend. 

[Martell Spy]

Did you defeat your government yet?  Congrats on the legal pot.