FFS The Line! I joined your service hoping (and getting for the most part) insightful reporting, not shameless political advertising from some shill. I thought you were trying to rise above the nauseating spinfest that regurgitates out of these hucksters. I'll be thrilled when you return us to your normally scheduled programming :)
More subscribers means more reporters which means more stories. Tell all your friends. It might not be perfect all the time, but this is as good as it's going to get.
I liked the argument which this article provided, I might have even agreed with it. But I think you make a good point, the tone of this article was officious. It was less insightful and more this is what we want you to think.
Still, I kinda of like the argument that the article makes: we are here to govern, not campaign. The idealism is attractive. And the possibility of stability it promises is tempting.
At the same time, it reinforces the view of the Liberal party as the natural governing party and that they are pragmatic. Right? They aren't into poetry, they are into prose.
So I think on the one hand, the author succeeds in some thoughtfulness. Or he almost succeeds. On the other hand, as others have said, there is a PR vibe which makes it lose it's authenticity.
To be clear, not all PR is bad, we all speak this language at times. But in this case it just bugs me.
Nope, not looking for an echo chamber, and happy for them to keep my money for what they have already provided - just hoping that they maintain standards. Speaking of fake names, Captain Ron... :)...
They will not give you your money back as I already asked. You pay and if you no longer like what you read, to bad. That is fine as there are many places with real journalists who do real journalism and they do have a different opinion than others. Funny thing about that today in Canada, if you do not follow the Government narrative you will be removed. You must follow the dictate of Justin Trudeau. They will be dictating on the internet and all places soon. Totalitarianisms is like that.
I thought the point of an election was for the electorate to send a representative to sit in Parliament. But apparently it's not about the electorate, it's about the politicians.
As it has always been(well, I think Chretien was the one who really started the trend of the PM running the country). have we really had a good PM since Lester Pearson?
I think that Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney and Jean Chretien, for all their respective flaws, were "good" PMs. JT and his immediate predecessor, not so much (because the former is just too polarizing and focused on the optics of his self-described progressive policies, while the latter was remarkably cavalier in his disdain for the public service--which surely does need reform, but surely didn't need to have its administrative / clerical capabilities so severely undermined by Mr Harper.
Pierre is the father of our current debt crisis. Mulroney just made it worse. Chretien and Martin downloaded their costs to the provinces to fix their balance sheets. harper and JT are pathetic. However, it's our fault because we happily took every cookie these fools offered, happily ignoring reality as they bought us with our kids futures.
They may have done good things while in charge, but they spent money they didn't have. Last I checked, every single Canadian owes $76000 in government debt...and no party has a plan to address it. Just a new measure relative to GDP so they can keep ignoring it. As you can tell, on this issue, I'm way past cynical. On fiscal responsibility, they're all useless.
Fair dinkum comment; Canadians probably should be reminded that in the early 20th C, Argentina was reputedly considered to be a more attractive destination for investment than Canada. Since then, Argentina's erratic governance (and lack of fiscal probity) have ruined the country.
We're never so far from the precipice as to be beyond the possibility of falling off it.
All of the people involved are elected MPs. They’re just agreeing that they should work with each other instead of trying to yell louder than the other. I honestly cannot understand the anger/worry over this
The author of the article said the point of elections was to win. I was taking issue with that statement. I think the point of an election should be to give the voters a voice, or representation in the House of Commons. Further to your comment, while it's true that all of the people involved are elected MP's, it would be quite naive to think that currently any of our elected MP's truly works on behalf of the electorate. It is all very partisan and really just an effort to grab the levers of power and hold onto them. I'm hoping one day we can have proportional representation so that MP's will actually have to earn and keep our vote. I think the best outcome outside of that would be to have several regional parties (like the Bloc, or the Saskatchewan Party for example) that worked solely in the interests of their constituents. Then we could have something like PR without it being formally adopted. Something that none of the major parties are likely to do while in power.
The Conservatives are the official opposition. What part of opposition is it you don’t get? Them being the official opposition makes it their job to hold the Government to account. Some how Trudeau and his corrupt government managed to destroy the word democracy. Trudeau shuttered Parliament for two years and never allowed our democracy to function but through zoom calls with Liberal moderators that just shut any conversation they did not like down! You must be getting paid as one of Trudeau’s story tellers as you troll this page like one. How much does Trudeau offer for those positions. Asking for a friend?
Obviously you have not been watching the review in Parliament. Its there that this is all coming forward and has brought the retraction of stories written by Corporate Media that were false. FINTRAC found little foreign funding and it was in fact regular Canadians who were funding the convoy. Hence the story of foreign interference and Trumpism was untrue. The arson story was not related to the convoy and the police in Ottawa came forward with this, along with the fact no loaded guns were found in any vehicles. I am perfectly sane sir, it all those who believed the story being pushed by the Corporate media and acted on by the weak governing bodies in Ottawa, that were negligent. May I suggest some further reading for your narrow ideology and belief in what you read in the Corporate News that makes you so quick to bring damming judgement on your fellow Canadians. You come to The Line for alternative news and yet you swallow the Corporate media's stories. Rupa Subramanya who writes for the National Post, lives in Ottawa and spent time with the protesters asking why they were there and writing about it. Imagine that a reporter of news looking into both sides of the story. She did an amazing job. Many investigative journalist of old recognize the paid corporate media for exactly what they are, story tellers, as did the protesters and hence their rejection of them. It is you who is living in delusion and lies sir, with the aid of that corporate media you so believe. Why do you think they are not printing stories on their pervasively evil commentary of the charade they participated in and aided in for Trudeau to use the Emergency act against protesters. Its all open to the public and you too can watch the Liberals story telling right on your own television. Funny I thought you would be glued to it so you could reaffirm the lies you believed. They are still hunting for any reason to have brought this act in and will continue to in order to find fault as there was no reason for the act to be brought in. Period. Never in my life did I expect to see such outrageous actions by any Government in Canada and to think any of my fellow Canadian's would believed this was a necessity, is even worse.
It's amazing how these things get misinterpreted. Read my comments. I said nothing either for or against the current agreement between the Liberals and NDP. Nothing. I said I felt that elections should be a mechanism for giving voice to the public and that they shouldn't be just about winning. You might note from reading my comments that I'm pretty disgusted with all of the partisan sniping from all parties. I also don't feel that elected MP's do a good job of representing the voters. None of them. Everything is controlled from the top down and the caucus are just a bunch of nodding heads that go along with whatever the leader says.
After all the lies that have been pushed to get the emergency act brought in against the protest in Ottawa aided by mainstream media that fabricated stories that were misinformation and theories made on assumptions . That Trudeau and Singh then repeated in parliament to get the emergency act put in should have shown all Canadians just hoe much evil intent both the Liberals and NDP have. They had no choice but to get together for support as they would both have been removed for corruption of the rule of law, the complete destruction of the charter of Rights and the Constitution of Canada. The only way they could survive was to band together Now they can control the Parliament and dictate that they will not have any investigations into this except ones they rule over.
Trudeau acted not on facts but his own assumptions and then denigrated protesters. He should be removed as should Singh. The Stories are being retracted from lame stream media and proven untrue. Everyone of them. Yet on they go digging for any bone they can pick off the truckers for any petty thing they can find. How these people sleep at night knowing what they did, is an amazing feat in itself. Corrupt to their very core with no souls at all, none of them ! It was lies, all lies. Of course who is paying attention now that we have Russia invading Ukraine.
Captain Ron, You are not obligated to read it. I am angry enough with the garbage I have had to read from people that are supposed professional journalists and then hear from those that believe the outright lies that it is I who live in a fairyland. I am angry, tired, and sick of anyone that deems themselves even past journalists. You have no moral authority to dictate what I write. Please just move on before I swear.
Andrew it is a coalition. And who cares. The NDP have been propping up the Liberals and there was no need for the last election because the NDP would never have voted against the Liberals. It was a cynical try for a majority by a narcissist. This really changes very little other than allowing the Liberals to subsume the NDP platform and probably many of their voters. I believe this will be the end of the NDP as a political force. The Liberals will no longer have to fear the NDP splitting the left wing vote. This should give the Conservatives the middle and right, but they are too busy shooting each other in the feet to notice.
I would add the NDP have not been propping up the Liberals, they are propping up the "corrupt, unethical" Liberals who ignore democratic principles.
If Singh and the NDP, or this author, feel that cooperating with this group to create "stability" is win, that's pathetic really. The willingness of the NDP to look past the conduct of this group and Trudeau in particular, is treasonous. If the NDP was propping up a Liberal minority that acted ethically, embraced democracy and was putting the best interests of Canadians first, I can accept the coalition/partnership/whatever even though I disagree with many of their policies.
But that's not the case here.
If Singh had any sense morals and right versus wrong, he'd move the NDP to the right and claim the left of center territory held by the Liberals with a more similar platform rather than letting the NDP platform be subsumed by the Liberals and propping them up. Then he'd campaign on being an ethical and honest alternative to the corrupt Trudeau/Liberals; a group that fully embraces democracy.
This reads like a PR fluff piece for the Libs. I'd like to see any evidence that any of these social programs - at an inordinate cost to the taxpayer - has improved any lives of Canadian citizens since 2015. I'd also like to see evidence that telling young people to sit on their butt and collect CERB for months at a time, is a much better idea than asking them to work in their community for the same period of time, at a local shelter or a local hospital and have their work funded by the Feds. Socialism does *not*, as the author intimates *better lives* (we have history on our side to prove that point). Under that system, government over reach leads to controlling people's lives through a growing dependency on the State...all the while eschewing the very institutions which add value to people's lives, such as community, church, volunteer work, knowing our neighbours, etc...the same values which built our country. By pooh poohing involvement in these very institutions, people now withdraw into their homes and are left to bow down and pray at the only institution that's left in their lives: the government. Perhaps this author prefers to live in this Totalitarian State. I suggest then he go live in Venezuela for a while and report back in 6 months about how fabulous his life has become. What a shoddy piece. If this is a vision for Canada, I'm not buying it.
Well said. I thought the Line was a credible news source. If it’s an organ for this distorted government then I’ll just save my subscription money and listen to the CBC which I pay for every day….
Wasn't that the whole idea? Send everyone home for a while COVID is running rampant and we learn something about so as not to completely wipe out the country's healthcare system? The local hospitals didn't want them.....for that exact reason. the entire idea was to reduce contacts outside of the house.
We've had government-sponsored social programs since Tommy Douglas. It's not like they're a new idea. The problem is that governments started using the lie of deficit financing to pay for promises to keep themselves in power...every party did it. Our accomplishment is wiping out our kid's futures in a mere 50 years of inept irresponsible fiscal policy...that we have continued to vote for. Governments kept making up new GDP related statistics to justify the insanity of funding day to day programs with borrowed money. Then, when a real emergency came along, the cupboard was already empty.
Prayer may make you feel good; that's where its use ends. In the same vein, faith is a wonderful thing...until you impose it on someone else. People don't know their neighbours because in most cases, both parents work full time because few can live on one salary...so we have strangers raise our kids...the most important job we'll ever have.
But here's the question I find no one willing to answer.....what social programs are you prepared to give up merely to balance the budget? There are no more "efficiencies" left to be found after 40 years of politicians promising to find them to cut costs. We're about to spend another $20 billion on long-overdue fighter jets. That won't help the balance sheet. We're not broke just because of JT, who got stuck with a crisis unlike any in the last 100 years, and overall, handled it pretty well. But it doesn't change that we're broke. maybe it's time for the so-called leaders who grasp so hard at power to address that reality, and explain how the crisis gets stopped...much less reversed.
Paying teenagers to sit and do nothing is a far cry from involving them in Katimavik or dropping off meals for the elderly who are housebound. The fallout from that will be abysmal. Your analysis indicates you’ve bought into the rhetoric the Libs have (not so) masterfully tried to sell to an unsuspecting electorate. Some of us aren’t buying the bullshit.
I've never heard of Katimavik. It looks to be a good idea. But it wouldn't fly in the early days of Covid-19. That was why there was CERB and yes there were teenagers who received it. I don't understand why you think teenagers shouldn't get CERB when young adults a year or two older is ok? Why are teens less deserving when they cannot go to their jobs, humble as they may be? Why should teens get roped into delivering meals to the elderly/housebound? Are they supposed to borrow their parents car and put gas in it too just to impress you that they are not doing nothing. Who would have made the meals that need delivering? Who would organise the kids into groups so there is no overlap (you don't want any elder getting more than their fair share, no matter what their appetite or medical condition may be). What would you have these teens do at a shelter? The mind boggles. As has been pointed out they were not wanted at hospitals. Hospitals don't have candy-stripers anymore do they? If they did, they'd be sent home too. So you would have some kids do essentially forced labour while others could continue to sit on their butts because they didn't get volunteered?
Of all the people who collected CERB and have to pay taxes on it too, by the way, why pick on teens? And why do you think that it's only teens who sat on their butts and did nothing? Maybe they sat around face-timing each other to discuss the joys of socialism? Maybe they were planning to travel once Covid backed off. Maybe they wanted to travel to Venezuela. You have been there. What spots would you recommend they visit while there?
"...government over reach leads to controlling people's lives through a growing dependency on the State...all the while eschewing the very institutions which add value to people's lives, such as community, church, volunteer work, knowing our neighbours, etc..." Nice rhetoric you've got there. Will you be running in 2025? I would posit that you do not know your constituency.
Lou my vision is shaped by my 2 teen age kids. While they went out and secured 3 jobs between the 2 of them in May 2020 - while their classmates sat on their ass and played golf all summer long while collecting a paycheque from the Feds - and subsequently *haven’t had* to pay a lot of it back despite what the Libs promised - tell me what lesson was learned by all involved. We ask young people to help because typically most have the energy, inclination and wherewithal to do so. It’s called being a good citizen…an invaluable lesson that many of us learned to the path of adulthood in our community. It’s called giving back and paying it forward. I’m sorry this is lost on you, but it explains the general malaise our society is experiencing. Thanks for proving my point.
Sounds like you raised great kids. You also have to remember that early on in COVID, a lot of places didn't want any volunteers. Interactions were kept to a minimum. We'll see if the feds catch up with those that cheated the system.
Interesting. I do not know a single kid who plays golf. Many other things but not golf. So you know what a bunch of lazy sloths their classmates/friends are from your 2 kids? OK then.
Personally I do not think forcing people to work for free does anything towards "good citizenhood". I think you must be misremembering being a teen. (Here I deleted what I wrote regarding my kids and the ones I work with as I see no reason to share with you. You have already implied that some things are lost on me so you can have the trophy).
Your kids with their 3 jobs are getting paid, yes? Being volunteered is not an invaluable lesson. I'm curious as to how you know that those golfing kids haven't had to pay a lot of their CERB back.
Giving back and paying it forward most adults understand. We do learn to not hold it over our kids heads to the point of taring almost all of them with the same brush, across the country based on your 2 kids. Stop shaming the rest of them. It's not very "good citizen" of you.
What general malaise? While no where is perfect I have to disagree with you on that. It's no longer Mayberry if it ever was and I occasionally have despaired over what I see happening but more often than not things work out fine, it was never as bad as reported, clever and innovated ideas take hold. It may not be the way you and I remember things but it is good.
You and I are not going to agree on forced labour of kids. But you have to admit that getting them out and about in the early days of a pandemic before we knew what was what & how variants can vary, just so they qualify for their CERB cheque is just nasty. And again, why teens? Why not rag on everyone else who got a cheque. No "good citizen" building necessary there? You don't have much of a point.
Now you assume teens and 20-year-olds have cars, gas money, and insurance money to drive around volunteering? Great idea. Your suggestion suggests you live in some alternate reality. But it's cute that you think Katimavik could have handled an influx of 500000 20-year-olds.
They don’t need a car to help an elderly neighbour or help out at the local food bank by taking the bus. Being pedantic won’t further your argument. When we have to debate the benefits of volunteer work for young people, our society is in worse trouble than we could possibly imagine. You're making my argument stronger. Enjoy your evening.
Our foodbank didn't want extra volunteers. They said no. I agree that there are huge benefits in volunteering. But the kids already know what their future looks like, and it's our fault. Have a nice night.
The organisations in this small part of the world have waiting lists of potential volunteers. The nearby high school work experience coordinator tears their hair out trying to help youngsters find places. It's not a simple task no matter where you live.
there were multiple agencies everywhere looking for volunteers to help with volunteer work everywhere, along with numerous jobs that were begging kids to apply between the ages of 16-21. Nitpicking invalidates your claims. Yes, it's absolutely the parent's fault by encouraging their kids NOT to do anything and instead stay home, collect their CERB cheques for doing sweet diddly and getting completely overwhelmed with anxiety by tuning into their phones 24/7. I can assure you a great number of kids were absolutely out in the community helping out where and when they could during this time period. You reap what you sow, and government responds accordingly.
Well, where I live you need a car. Not everybody lives in suburbia. Just a note - non-profit organisations don't take just any old soul these days. They are not like what you are probably envisioning and have not been for decades. Non-profits need to establish who their potential volunteers are, train them, provide a safe working environment, and all those things that employers of paid staff need. The ideas that you espouse are sweet but not where we are these days, although there are bound to be groups who operate in a `relaxed' fashion, it's not wise.
"allegedly victims of government discrimination". Wow. I'm s=not sure where to even start with that one. I assume that settlement is much like the Khadr case. Settle it now or it will cost us far more in court.
I am not one who is prepared to suggest one cent is taken away from First nations considering virtually every story they've been telling for years keep coming true. I think we've taken more than enough from our First Nations.
The indigenous file gets fixed when the Indian Act gets repealed.....and maybe when they all have drinkable water.
So you're suggesting that what happened didn't happen? You're OK with kids effectively being kidnapped and sent to foster homes by the government and don't think that some compensation is deserved?
Why? Where is the correlation between that statistic and any changes met under the Libs coming into power? Or are they out of poverty due to initiatives under the previous government? And at what cost did that come to the debt burden of government and the average taxpayer? Was the cost justified and accounted for and what are the measures used to determine if, indeed, their lives are “better”? Causation and correlation are 2 very different things. Be careful how to interpret data and then draw conclusions from that.
You tell us. What did the previous federal government, under Harper, do to reduce poverty in Canada in their 9 years? Stats Canada is usually considered a trusted source. Remember when the head guy quit because Harper was pushing for re-jigged census forms, none of them good. Bad totalitarian look there.
Correlation vs causation Lou. Show me where there is a causation that the spending on social programs under the Libs led to a reduction of poverty. And also...that it improved the lives of those involved. Also show me what standards of measurement were used to support your analysis. I'll wait.
That doesn't make it less of a coalition, partnership, agreement, arrangement, ... It still meets the definition of coalition, even if it falls short of being a coalition government.
I didn't say I was trying to justify a conservative narrative any more than I would say that you are trying to justify a liberal or NDP narrative.
The author is described in the piece as a "Liberal strategist" who has "crafted strategic communications materials and advice for local candidates and central campaigns". That isn't a criticism, but I do think it gives context to the purpose of his piece.
In his piece, he states "As for it being a coalition, a coalition government requires that members of at least two parties sit in cabinet". It's cute. Start of with "As for being a coalition" then explain what a "coalition government" is not. Slight of hand, switch and bait, ... This guy should be providing strategic communications for Liberals. Wait...
Anyway, I agree with him and that this isn't a coalition government. But I still think it meets the definition of "coalition".
He may have tried, but he also seems to have failed in his challenge. It's still a coalition and I don't think you have made a point to make me think otherwise.
You could try a Tru-Anon style tactic and declare the debate over and calling everyone who disagrees with you names.
But without the negative ad hominem twitter attacks what else can the Conservatives possibly do? Surely you don’t suggest they would actively participate in the national governing process and propose meaningful center right alternatives… crazy talk.
I really don't think the NDP/Lib agreement is a big deal, beyond providing some mushy sense that we aren't likely to go to a snap election any time soon. That benefits all the parties as none seem to be ready to fight another election and the electorate, who doesn't seem to be in the mood for another election.
From a Conservative point of view, it does allow the party to move out of shouty/engaging/campaign mode and into providing well-reasoned alternative proposals to those of the government's (an actual opposition). Rather than getting their undergarments in a knot about 'coalitions', how about telling Canadians what you would do to address the concerns about pharmacare and dental coverage? If you don't want to see the government take on those programs, what do you propose? Something more targeted towards lower income folks? Something else? This is a concern for a lot of lower and middle-income Canadians who don't have supplimentary insurance (usually through an employer).
If they were smart, they'd use this time to calmly and ceaselessly outline a Conservative way to address these concerns. They'd point out that big government programs tend to start with lots of promise, then slowly get less effective as they stop being the new and shiney thing and governments look to spend budget elsewhere. That the pandemic has pointed out weaknesses in our existing health care system that probably are a high priority to address. This would be a great time to stop shouting stupid slogans and actually articulate how Conservatives would provide a policy alternative, what it would acutally look like for voters, and why it is better.
The fact that they are adding dental and pharma care to a crumbling health system might aid a few people as most Provinces already offer programs through Provincial Health Insurance. They are available through the majority of government or corporate insurance as well. I suppose that the clean teeth and medication might aid in keeping more Canadians alive and out of our already over run and over burdened health care system. Which is a plus.
The pandemic has shown every Canadian that the actual state of Healthcare in Canada is a mess. Throwing a few billion to the Provinces to shorten the surgeries backed up from the pandemic aids in cleaning up some back log but it does not reduce wait times, add more beds, more resources, or any front line workers, to aid the crumbling system or improve anything with in it. They are throwing money at it just to get it back to its original dysfunctional self. If the money was put to making a functioning, less bureaucratic healthcare system, we would be all further ahead. Instead they just add up more debt, throw in more taxes, more everything, to over taxed taxpayers for more dysfunctional government run everything.
We have housing shortages, a boom in sales, causing a rise in costs so high that Canadians can not afford to ever buy a house. This causes higher rentals and higher costs to all Canadians. Groceries are becoming unaffordable as is heating your home if you are one of the lucky one who bought one before the Liberals took office. I guess you can get your teeth cleaned but can not afford to get to the dentist office or feed your family. Its all OK because, hey, medication can take care of all that.
No problem sir. I aim to provide truth and reality as I do not live in a fairy tale and unicorn world. The facts may not be difficult for dreamers or the uninformed to ignore but the Pandemic really showed the country just how broken this system is. Reality bites and those who continually bury their heads in the sand to ignore it are not doing themselves or their fellow citizens any favours. The only way to fix problems is to openly discuss and bring them to the attention of all Canadians in hopes for a change toward a better future for Healthcare. The people have a right to timely medical intervention, especially considering we have no alternative services to aid us for medical surgery in Canada.
Due to misinformation people in Canada were under some grand illusion that our Health Care was optimal, regardless of the falling ratings and wait times. That has nothing to do with healthcare workers and everything to do with bad management and bureaucratic waste! We have a massive deficit and interests rates have no option but to rise due to the lockdowns and the over printing of money. We have a Prime Minister that does not bother himself with monetary policy and it shows. As those interests rates rise, he continues spending money we do not have without batting an eye. Those people pushing for more spending, like Jagmeet Singh, will decimate this country with debt that will take many generations to repay through high taxation. High taxation keeps people from investing and participating in our economy and sends investors looking for more fertile and less expensive grounds. The policies and spending of this Government will, has, made it unaffordable for the majority of people. Yet you have turned this into some silly notion I am denigrating healthcare workers, who themselves know it has everything to do with the politicizing of everything within. Government has no place in Healthcare. Funding it is one thing but involving themselves in procurement and appointments of board members overseeing the institutions is what has made it a massive failure. They work for votes, not for efficiency, or the best outcomes. That is why it is such a mess. Its why everything to do with Government is a mess and the last thing we need is more Government run anything.
Marylou, you bring up some valid issues, but I disagree that most Canadians think our healthcare system is optimal. They don’t, it isn’t, and healthcare needs a serious over-haul.
What I hear from you is bitter disappointment in the Canada of today. We need people to question and raise hell when necessary. Complacent Canadians need to become more aware.
You are so overwhelmed by your terrible evaluation of the Canadian govt. I am not being facetious - what first steps would you take to effect positive change?
For a while I dug the vibe on The Line's comments, but they lately resemble every other comments page. Not good. I like this article though. I hope some of the other commenters will try in better faith to understand the argument being made instead of just angrily reacting.
What scares me about the big promises of dental and prescription plans is this government has done nothing to shake up the bloated inefficient system we are saddled with. There are health systems in Europe and elsewhere that function much better than ours, but the left won't even entertain incorporating proven ideas from elsewhere, because our system is as close to being God as the left can conceive, and everyone knows God is perfect. While many will welcome dental and prescription plans, I can't imagine how this government will avoid making those equally inefficient and horribly costly.
Well, yes, one could say that the definition of socialism specifies government ownership of the means of production, but then what word would one use to define government appropriation of production, the latter case being what transpires in Canada.
ICBC was a generous cash cow when the BC Libs (actually con, reform, social credit, whatever leftovers) ran it. Originally brought in by the NDP and it worked well for years. Now that the LINOs are out of the picture things are running smoothly again and their insurance premiums are lower than they ever were.
Yes. The Lib-NDP agreement is not a coalition, it’s not undemocratic and it isn’t socialism by any proper and accurate definition. Those are only knee-jerk criticisms from an insecure and threatened CPC. The Tories are hurting because it is a left-wing block manoeuvre that they can’t negotiate or out-manoeuvre. Unless they did the same with the Bloc Québécois which is politically almost impossible. Although Charest would be the only one to possibly pull it off, I find it highly doubtful. Tories need to learn the political centre is their only path to power with our electorate and our regional differences and parliamentary composition of ridings. If they keep failing to learn that, they will keep loosing and we will be stuck with basically what we have. The Harperites used to claim that Justin “just wasn’t ready.” While that wasn’t necessarily untrue (do you want a PM to actually strategically lead in the national interest or just mind the shop) it’s also clear the Tories are not unified enough or empathetic to of the majority of the electorate’s concerns to successfully form government.
FFS The Line! I joined your service hoping (and getting for the most part) insightful reporting, not shameless political advertising from some shill. I thought you were trying to rise above the nauseating spinfest that regurgitates out of these hucksters. I'll be thrilled when you return us to your normally scheduled programming :)
More subscribers means more reporters which means more stories. Tell all your friends. It might not be perfect all the time, but this is as good as it's going to get.
I liked the argument which this article provided, I might have even agreed with it. But I think you make a good point, the tone of this article was officious. It was less insightful and more this is what we want you to think.
Still, I kinda of like the argument that the article makes: we are here to govern, not campaign. The idealism is attractive. And the possibility of stability it promises is tempting.
At the same time, it reinforces the view of the Liberal party as the natural governing party and that they are pragmatic. Right? They aren't into poetry, they are into prose.
So I think on the one hand, the author succeeds in some thoughtfulness. Or he almost succeeds. On the other hand, as others have said, there is a PR vibe which makes it lose it's authenticity.
To be clear, not all PR is bad, we all speak this language at times. But in this case it just bugs me.
Anyway, I think we need more poetry.
Nope, not looking for an echo chamber, and happy for them to keep my money for what they have already provided - just hoping that they maintain standards. Speaking of fake names, Captain Ron... :)...
I'm no the FN guy - just someone trying to stay informed in today's avalanche of infotainment...
They will not give you your money back as I already asked. You pay and if you no longer like what you read, to bad. That is fine as there are many places with real journalists who do real journalism and they do have a different opinion than others. Funny thing about that today in Canada, if you do not follow the Government narrative you will be removed. You must follow the dictate of Justin Trudeau. They will be dictating on the internet and all places soon. Totalitarianisms is like that.
Too funny! at least you made me laugh.
I thought the point of an election was for the electorate to send a representative to sit in Parliament. But apparently it's not about the electorate, it's about the politicians.
It used to be. Now it's determining which party will staff the PMO.
As it has always been(well, I think Chretien was the one who really started the trend of the PM running the country). have we really had a good PM since Lester Pearson?
I think that Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney and Jean Chretien, for all their respective flaws, were "good" PMs. JT and his immediate predecessor, not so much (because the former is just too polarizing and focused on the optics of his self-described progressive policies, while the latter was remarkably cavalier in his disdain for the public service--which surely does need reform, but surely didn't need to have its administrative / clerical capabilities so severely undermined by Mr Harper.
Pierre is the father of our current debt crisis. Mulroney just made it worse. Chretien and Martin downloaded their costs to the provinces to fix their balance sheets. harper and JT are pathetic. However, it's our fault because we happily took every cookie these fools offered, happily ignoring reality as they bought us with our kids futures.
They may have done good things while in charge, but they spent money they didn't have. Last I checked, every single Canadian owes $76000 in government debt...and no party has a plan to address it. Just a new measure relative to GDP so they can keep ignoring it. As you can tell, on this issue, I'm way past cynical. On fiscal responsibility, they're all useless.
Fair dinkum comment; Canadians probably should be reminded that in the early 20th C, Argentina was reputedly considered to be a more attractive destination for investment than Canada. Since then, Argentina's erratic governance (and lack of fiscal probity) have ruined the country.
We're never so far from the precipice as to be beyond the possibility of falling off it.
All of the people involved are elected MPs. They’re just agreeing that they should work with each other instead of trying to yell louder than the other. I honestly cannot understand the anger/worry over this
The author of the article said the point of elections was to win. I was taking issue with that statement. I think the point of an election should be to give the voters a voice, or representation in the House of Commons. Further to your comment, while it's true that all of the people involved are elected MP's, it would be quite naive to think that currently any of our elected MP's truly works on behalf of the electorate. It is all very partisan and really just an effort to grab the levers of power and hold onto them. I'm hoping one day we can have proportional representation so that MP's will actually have to earn and keep our vote. I think the best outcome outside of that would be to have several regional parties (like the Bloc, or the Saskatchewan Party for example) that worked solely in the interests of their constituents. Then we could have something like PR without it being formally adopted. Something that none of the major parties are likely to do while in power.
What? Just sit?
The Conservatives are the official opposition. What part of opposition is it you don’t get? Them being the official opposition makes it their job to hold the Government to account. Some how Trudeau and his corrupt government managed to destroy the word democracy. Trudeau shuttered Parliament for two years and never allowed our democracy to function but through zoom calls with Liberal moderators that just shut any conversation they did not like down! You must be getting paid as one of Trudeau’s story tellers as you troll this page like one. How much does Trudeau offer for those positions. Asking for a friend?
Obviously you have not been watching the review in Parliament. Its there that this is all coming forward and has brought the retraction of stories written by Corporate Media that were false. FINTRAC found little foreign funding and it was in fact regular Canadians who were funding the convoy. Hence the story of foreign interference and Trumpism was untrue. The arson story was not related to the convoy and the police in Ottawa came forward with this, along with the fact no loaded guns were found in any vehicles. I am perfectly sane sir, it all those who believed the story being pushed by the Corporate media and acted on by the weak governing bodies in Ottawa, that were negligent. May I suggest some further reading for your narrow ideology and belief in what you read in the Corporate News that makes you so quick to bring damming judgement on your fellow Canadians. You come to The Line for alternative news and yet you swallow the Corporate media's stories. Rupa Subramanya who writes for the National Post, lives in Ottawa and spent time with the protesters asking why they were there and writing about it. Imagine that a reporter of news looking into both sides of the story. She did an amazing job. Many investigative journalist of old recognize the paid corporate media for exactly what they are, story tellers, as did the protesters and hence their rejection of them. It is you who is living in delusion and lies sir, with the aid of that corporate media you so believe. Why do you think they are not printing stories on their pervasively evil commentary of the charade they participated in and aided in for Trudeau to use the Emergency act against protesters. Its all open to the public and you too can watch the Liberals story telling right on your own television. Funny I thought you would be glued to it so you could reaffirm the lies you believed. They are still hunting for any reason to have brought this act in and will continue to in order to find fault as there was no reason for the act to be brought in. Period. Never in my life did I expect to see such outrageous actions by any Government in Canada and to think any of my fellow Canadian's would believed this was a necessity, is even worse.
It's amazing how these things get misinterpreted. Read my comments. I said nothing either for or against the current agreement between the Liberals and NDP. Nothing. I said I felt that elections should be a mechanism for giving voice to the public and that they shouldn't be just about winning. You might note from reading my comments that I'm pretty disgusted with all of the partisan sniping from all parties. I also don't feel that elected MP's do a good job of representing the voters. None of them. Everything is controlled from the top down and the caucus are just a bunch of nodding heads that go along with whatever the leader says.
After all the lies that have been pushed to get the emergency act brought in against the protest in Ottawa aided by mainstream media that fabricated stories that were misinformation and theories made on assumptions . That Trudeau and Singh then repeated in parliament to get the emergency act put in should have shown all Canadians just hoe much evil intent both the Liberals and NDP have. They had no choice but to get together for support as they would both have been removed for corruption of the rule of law, the complete destruction of the charter of Rights and the Constitution of Canada. The only way they could survive was to band together Now they can control the Parliament and dictate that they will not have any investigations into this except ones they rule over.
Trudeau acted not on facts but his own assumptions and then denigrated protesters. He should be removed as should Singh. The Stories are being retracted from lame stream media and proven untrue. Everyone of them. Yet on they go digging for any bone they can pick off the truckers for any petty thing they can find. How these people sleep at night knowing what they did, is an amazing feat in itself. Corrupt to their very core with no souls at all, none of them ! It was lies, all lies. Of course who is paying attention now that we have Russia invading Ukraine.
Captain Ron, You are not obligated to read it. I am angry enough with the garbage I have had to read from people that are supposed professional journalists and then hear from those that believe the outright lies that it is I who live in a fairyland. I am angry, tired, and sick of anyone that deems themselves even past journalists. You have no moral authority to dictate what I write. Please just move on before I swear.
Andrew it is a coalition. And who cares. The NDP have been propping up the Liberals and there was no need for the last election because the NDP would never have voted against the Liberals. It was a cynical try for a majority by a narcissist. This really changes very little other than allowing the Liberals to subsume the NDP platform and probably many of their voters. I believe this will be the end of the NDP as a political force. The Liberals will no longer have to fear the NDP splitting the left wing vote. This should give the Conservatives the middle and right, but they are too busy shooting each other in the feet to notice.
I would add the NDP have not been propping up the Liberals, they are propping up the "corrupt, unethical" Liberals who ignore democratic principles.
If Singh and the NDP, or this author, feel that cooperating with this group to create "stability" is win, that's pathetic really. The willingness of the NDP to look past the conduct of this group and Trudeau in particular, is treasonous. If the NDP was propping up a Liberal minority that acted ethically, embraced democracy and was putting the best interests of Canadians first, I can accept the coalition/partnership/whatever even though I disagree with many of their policies.
But that's not the case here.
If Singh had any sense morals and right versus wrong, he'd move the NDP to the right and claim the left of center territory held by the Liberals with a more similar platform rather than letting the NDP platform be subsumed by the Liberals and propping them up. Then he'd campaign on being an ethical and honest alternative to the corrupt Trudeau/Liberals; a group that fully embraces democracy.
This reads like a PR fluff piece for the Libs. I'd like to see any evidence that any of these social programs - at an inordinate cost to the taxpayer - has improved any lives of Canadian citizens since 2015. I'd also like to see evidence that telling young people to sit on their butt and collect CERB for months at a time, is a much better idea than asking them to work in their community for the same period of time, at a local shelter or a local hospital and have their work funded by the Feds. Socialism does *not*, as the author intimates *better lives* (we have history on our side to prove that point). Under that system, government over reach leads to controlling people's lives through a growing dependency on the State...all the while eschewing the very institutions which add value to people's lives, such as community, church, volunteer work, knowing our neighbours, etc...the same values which built our country. By pooh poohing involvement in these very institutions, people now withdraw into their homes and are left to bow down and pray at the only institution that's left in their lives: the government. Perhaps this author prefers to live in this Totalitarian State. I suggest then he go live in Venezuela for a while and report back in 6 months about how fabulous his life has become. What a shoddy piece. If this is a vision for Canada, I'm not buying it.
Well said. I thought the Line was a credible news source. If it’s an organ for this distorted government then I’ll just save my subscription money and listen to the CBC which I pay for every day….
Wasn't that the whole idea? Send everyone home for a while COVID is running rampant and we learn something about so as not to completely wipe out the country's healthcare system? The local hospitals didn't want them.....for that exact reason. the entire idea was to reduce contacts outside of the house.
We've had government-sponsored social programs since Tommy Douglas. It's not like they're a new idea. The problem is that governments started using the lie of deficit financing to pay for promises to keep themselves in power...every party did it. Our accomplishment is wiping out our kid's futures in a mere 50 years of inept irresponsible fiscal policy...that we have continued to vote for. Governments kept making up new GDP related statistics to justify the insanity of funding day to day programs with borrowed money. Then, when a real emergency came along, the cupboard was already empty.
Prayer may make you feel good; that's where its use ends. In the same vein, faith is a wonderful thing...until you impose it on someone else. People don't know their neighbours because in most cases, both parents work full time because few can live on one salary...so we have strangers raise our kids...the most important job we'll ever have.
But here's the question I find no one willing to answer.....what social programs are you prepared to give up merely to balance the budget? There are no more "efficiencies" left to be found after 40 years of politicians promising to find them to cut costs. We're about to spend another $20 billion on long-overdue fighter jets. That won't help the balance sheet. We're not broke just because of JT, who got stuck with a crisis unlike any in the last 100 years, and overall, handled it pretty well. But it doesn't change that we're broke. maybe it's time for the so-called leaders who grasp so hard at power to address that reality, and explain how the crisis gets stopped...much less reversed.
Paying teenagers to sit and do nothing is a far cry from involving them in Katimavik or dropping off meals for the elderly who are housebound. The fallout from that will be abysmal. Your analysis indicates you’ve bought into the rhetoric the Libs have (not so) masterfully tried to sell to an unsuspecting electorate. Some of us aren’t buying the bullshit.
I've never heard of Katimavik. It looks to be a good idea. But it wouldn't fly in the early days of Covid-19. That was why there was CERB and yes there were teenagers who received it. I don't understand why you think teenagers shouldn't get CERB when young adults a year or two older is ok? Why are teens less deserving when they cannot go to their jobs, humble as they may be? Why should teens get roped into delivering meals to the elderly/housebound? Are they supposed to borrow their parents car and put gas in it too just to impress you that they are not doing nothing. Who would have made the meals that need delivering? Who would organise the kids into groups so there is no overlap (you don't want any elder getting more than their fair share, no matter what their appetite or medical condition may be). What would you have these teens do at a shelter? The mind boggles. As has been pointed out they were not wanted at hospitals. Hospitals don't have candy-stripers anymore do they? If they did, they'd be sent home too. So you would have some kids do essentially forced labour while others could continue to sit on their butts because they didn't get volunteered?
Of all the people who collected CERB and have to pay taxes on it too, by the way, why pick on teens? And why do you think that it's only teens who sat on their butts and did nothing? Maybe they sat around face-timing each other to discuss the joys of socialism? Maybe they were planning to travel once Covid backed off. Maybe they wanted to travel to Venezuela. You have been there. What spots would you recommend they visit while there?
"...government over reach leads to controlling people's lives through a growing dependency on the State...all the while eschewing the very institutions which add value to people's lives, such as community, church, volunteer work, knowing our neighbours, etc..." Nice rhetoric you've got there. Will you be running in 2025? I would posit that you do not know your constituency.
Lou my vision is shaped by my 2 teen age kids. While they went out and secured 3 jobs between the 2 of them in May 2020 - while their classmates sat on their ass and played golf all summer long while collecting a paycheque from the Feds - and subsequently *haven’t had* to pay a lot of it back despite what the Libs promised - tell me what lesson was learned by all involved. We ask young people to help because typically most have the energy, inclination and wherewithal to do so. It’s called being a good citizen…an invaluable lesson that many of us learned to the path of adulthood in our community. It’s called giving back and paying it forward. I’m sorry this is lost on you, but it explains the general malaise our society is experiencing. Thanks for proving my point.
Sounds like you raised great kids. You also have to remember that early on in COVID, a lot of places didn't want any volunteers. Interactions were kept to a minimum. We'll see if the feds catch up with those that cheated the system.
Interesting. I do not know a single kid who plays golf. Many other things but not golf. So you know what a bunch of lazy sloths their classmates/friends are from your 2 kids? OK then.
Personally I do not think forcing people to work for free does anything towards "good citizenhood". I think you must be misremembering being a teen. (Here I deleted what I wrote regarding my kids and the ones I work with as I see no reason to share with you. You have already implied that some things are lost on me so you can have the trophy).
Your kids with their 3 jobs are getting paid, yes? Being volunteered is not an invaluable lesson. I'm curious as to how you know that those golfing kids haven't had to pay a lot of their CERB back.
Giving back and paying it forward most adults understand. We do learn to not hold it over our kids heads to the point of taring almost all of them with the same brush, across the country based on your 2 kids. Stop shaming the rest of them. It's not very "good citizen" of you.
What general malaise? While no where is perfect I have to disagree with you on that. It's no longer Mayberry if it ever was and I occasionally have despaired over what I see happening but more often than not things work out fine, it was never as bad as reported, clever and innovated ideas take hold. It may not be the way you and I remember things but it is good.
You and I are not going to agree on forced labour of kids. But you have to admit that getting them out and about in the early days of a pandemic before we knew what was what & how variants can vary, just so they qualify for their CERB cheque is just nasty. And again, why teens? Why not rag on everyone else who got a cheque. No "good citizen" building necessary there? You don't have much of a point.
So volunteering for the benefit of the community is now branded as "forced labour". Nighty night Comrade.
Now you assume teens and 20-year-olds have cars, gas money, and insurance money to drive around volunteering? Great idea. Your suggestion suggests you live in some alternate reality. But it's cute that you think Katimavik could have handled an influx of 500000 20-year-olds.
They don’t need a car to help an elderly neighbour or help out at the local food bank by taking the bus. Being pedantic won’t further your argument. When we have to debate the benefits of volunteer work for young people, our society is in worse trouble than we could possibly imagine. You're making my argument stronger. Enjoy your evening.
Our foodbank didn't want extra volunteers. They said no. I agree that there are huge benefits in volunteering. But the kids already know what their future looks like, and it's our fault. Have a nice night.
The organisations in this small part of the world have waiting lists of potential volunteers. The nearby high school work experience coordinator tears their hair out trying to help youngsters find places. It's not a simple task no matter where you live.
there were multiple agencies everywhere looking for volunteers to help with volunteer work everywhere, along with numerous jobs that were begging kids to apply between the ages of 16-21. Nitpicking invalidates your claims. Yes, it's absolutely the parent's fault by encouraging their kids NOT to do anything and instead stay home, collect their CERB cheques for doing sweet diddly and getting completely overwhelmed with anxiety by tuning into their phones 24/7. I can assure you a great number of kids were absolutely out in the community helping out where and when they could during this time period. You reap what you sow, and government responds accordingly.
Well, where I live you need a car. Not everybody lives in suburbia. Just a note - non-profit organisations don't take just any old soul these days. They are not like what you are probably envisioning and have not been for decades. Non-profits need to establish who their potential volunteers are, train them, provide a safe working environment, and all those things that employers of paid staff need. The ideas that you espouse are sweet but not where we are these days, although there are bound to be groups who operate in a `relaxed' fashion, it's not wise.
"allegedly victims of government discrimination". Wow. I'm s=not sure where to even start with that one. I assume that settlement is much like the Khadr case. Settle it now or it will cost us far more in court.
I am not one who is prepared to suggest one cent is taken away from First nations considering virtually every story they've been telling for years keep coming true. I think we've taken more than enough from our First Nations.
The indigenous file gets fixed when the Indian Act gets repealed.....and maybe when they all have drinkable water.
So you're suggesting that what happened didn't happen? You're OK with kids effectively being kidnapped and sent to foster homes by the government and don't think that some compensation is deserved?
Are we reading the same article? Or are you just riffing off of the word "socialism".
Why? Where is the correlation between that statistic and any changes met under the Libs coming into power? Or are they out of poverty due to initiatives under the previous government? And at what cost did that come to the debt burden of government and the average taxpayer? Was the cost justified and accounted for and what are the measures used to determine if, indeed, their lives are “better”? Causation and correlation are 2 very different things. Be careful how to interpret data and then draw conclusions from that.
You tell us. What did the previous federal government, under Harper, do to reduce poverty in Canada in their 9 years? Stats Canada is usually considered a trusted source. Remember when the head guy quit because Harper was pushing for re-jigged census forms, none of them good. Bad totalitarian look there.
Correlation vs causation Lou. Show me where there is a causation that the spending on social programs under the Libs led to a reduction of poverty. And also...that it improved the lives of those involved. Also show me what standards of measurement were used to support your analysis. I'll wait.
Oh Terry. If looking up a stat which is neither here nor there is your idea of "research", it sure explains a lot. Have a nice day.
For two years the Liberals have had to balance every decision against a return to the campaign trail? Ba ha ha ha ha
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coalition
Looks like a coalition to me. Granted, not a coalition government, but a coalition none the less.
It's non-binding and either side can break it anytime they want. It's basically carved in Jello.
That doesn't make it less of a coalition, partnership, agreement, arrangement, ... It still meets the definition of coalition, even if it falls short of being a coalition government.
True enough. I'm just not sure it really matters.
Sir, I will concede that point!
I didn't say I was trying to justify a conservative narrative any more than I would say that you are trying to justify a liberal or NDP narrative.
The author is described in the piece as a "Liberal strategist" who has "crafted strategic communications materials and advice for local candidates and central campaigns". That isn't a criticism, but I do think it gives context to the purpose of his piece.
In his piece, he states "As for it being a coalition, a coalition government requires that members of at least two parties sit in cabinet". It's cute. Start of with "As for being a coalition" then explain what a "coalition government" is not. Slight of hand, switch and bait, ... This guy should be providing strategic communications for Liberals. Wait...
Anyway, I agree with him and that this isn't a coalition government. But I still think it meets the definition of "coalition".
He may have tried, but he also seems to have failed in his challenge. It's still a coalition and I don't think you have made a point to make me think otherwise.
You could try a Tru-Anon style tactic and declare the debate over and calling everyone who disagrees with you names.
Lyle, dear. Your rapier is blunt, your pencil in need of sharpening and your (limited) wit dull.
I can point to faults in all parties. Not just my favourite one. Can you?
You do realize that both of us can have differing opinions without either of us being right, don’t you?
Bahhhhhaaaahhhaaaa
Lyle, dear. I haven’t heard back from you. Are you ok?
From the electorate's point of view the purpose of an election is to "throw the bums out".
But without the negative ad hominem twitter attacks what else can the Conservatives possibly do? Surely you don’t suggest they would actively participate in the national governing process and propose meaningful center right alternatives… crazy talk.
I really don't think the NDP/Lib agreement is a big deal, beyond providing some mushy sense that we aren't likely to go to a snap election any time soon. That benefits all the parties as none seem to be ready to fight another election and the electorate, who doesn't seem to be in the mood for another election.
From a Conservative point of view, it does allow the party to move out of shouty/engaging/campaign mode and into providing well-reasoned alternative proposals to those of the government's (an actual opposition). Rather than getting their undergarments in a knot about 'coalitions', how about telling Canadians what you would do to address the concerns about pharmacare and dental coverage? If you don't want to see the government take on those programs, what do you propose? Something more targeted towards lower income folks? Something else? This is a concern for a lot of lower and middle-income Canadians who don't have supplimentary insurance (usually through an employer).
If they were smart, they'd use this time to calmly and ceaselessly outline a Conservative way to address these concerns. They'd point out that big government programs tend to start with lots of promise, then slowly get less effective as they stop being the new and shiney thing and governments look to spend budget elsewhere. That the pandemic has pointed out weaknesses in our existing health care system that probably are a high priority to address. This would be a great time to stop shouting stupid slogans and actually articulate how Conservatives would provide a policy alternative, what it would acutally look like for voters, and why it is better.
The fact that they are adding dental and pharma care to a crumbling health system might aid a few people as most Provinces already offer programs through Provincial Health Insurance. They are available through the majority of government or corporate insurance as well. I suppose that the clean teeth and medication might aid in keeping more Canadians alive and out of our already over run and over burdened health care system. Which is a plus.
The pandemic has shown every Canadian that the actual state of Healthcare in Canada is a mess. Throwing a few billion to the Provinces to shorten the surgeries backed up from the pandemic aids in cleaning up some back log but it does not reduce wait times, add more beds, more resources, or any front line workers, to aid the crumbling system or improve anything with in it. They are throwing money at it just to get it back to its original dysfunctional self. If the money was put to making a functioning, less bureaucratic healthcare system, we would be all further ahead. Instead they just add up more debt, throw in more taxes, more everything, to over taxed taxpayers for more dysfunctional government run everything.
We have housing shortages, a boom in sales, causing a rise in costs so high that Canadians can not afford to ever buy a house. This causes higher rentals and higher costs to all Canadians. Groceries are becoming unaffordable as is heating your home if you are one of the lucky one who bought one before the Liberals took office. I guess you can get your teeth cleaned but can not afford to get to the dentist office or feed your family. Its all OK because, hey, medication can take care of all that.
Woe is me. Doom and gloom. Everything is awful. Thanks Marylou.
No problem sir. I aim to provide truth and reality as I do not live in a fairy tale and unicorn world. The facts may not be difficult for dreamers or the uninformed to ignore but the Pandemic really showed the country just how broken this system is. Reality bites and those who continually bury their heads in the sand to ignore it are not doing themselves or their fellow citizens any favours. The only way to fix problems is to openly discuss and bring them to the attention of all Canadians in hopes for a change toward a better future for Healthcare. The people have a right to timely medical intervention, especially considering we have no alternative services to aid us for medical surgery in Canada.
Kick 'em when they are down...that's the way to get some productivity out of 'em.
Do you really think you are telling people anything they do not already know?
Due to misinformation people in Canada were under some grand illusion that our Health Care was optimal, regardless of the falling ratings and wait times. That has nothing to do with healthcare workers and everything to do with bad management and bureaucratic waste! We have a massive deficit and interests rates have no option but to rise due to the lockdowns and the over printing of money. We have a Prime Minister that does not bother himself with monetary policy and it shows. As those interests rates rise, he continues spending money we do not have without batting an eye. Those people pushing for more spending, like Jagmeet Singh, will decimate this country with debt that will take many generations to repay through high taxation. High taxation keeps people from investing and participating in our economy and sends investors looking for more fertile and less expensive grounds. The policies and spending of this Government will, has, made it unaffordable for the majority of people. Yet you have turned this into some silly notion I am denigrating healthcare workers, who themselves know it has everything to do with the politicizing of everything within. Government has no place in Healthcare. Funding it is one thing but involving themselves in procurement and appointments of board members overseeing the institutions is what has made it a massive failure. They work for votes, not for efficiency, or the best outcomes. That is why it is such a mess. Its why everything to do with Government is a mess and the last thing we need is more Government run anything.
Marylou, you bring up some valid issues, but I disagree that most Canadians think our healthcare system is optimal. They don’t, it isn’t, and healthcare needs a serious over-haul.
What I hear from you is bitter disappointment in the Canada of today. We need people to question and raise hell when necessary. Complacent Canadians need to become more aware.
You are so overwhelmed by your terrible evaluation of the Canadian govt. I am not being facetious - what first steps would you take to effect positive change?
To which, Health Care or the Governments of the Day in Ottawa?
For a while I dug the vibe on The Line's comments, but they lately resemble every other comments page. Not good. I like this article though. I hope some of the other commenters will try in better faith to understand the argument being made instead of just angrily reacting.
What scares me about the big promises of dental and prescription plans is this government has done nothing to shake up the bloated inefficient system we are saddled with. There are health systems in Europe and elsewhere that function much better than ours, but the left won't even entertain incorporating proven ideas from elsewhere, because our system is as close to being God as the left can conceive, and everyone knows God is perfect. While many will welcome dental and prescription plans, I can't imagine how this government will avoid making those equally inefficient and horribly costly.
This article is exactly right, on every point. Thanks.
Perhaps young Andrew is not as “plugged in” as he ought before showing off his lack of grasp re: Federal politics?
Well, yes, one could say that the definition of socialism specifies government ownership of the means of production, but then what word would one use to define government appropriation of production, the latter case being what transpires in Canada.
Are you of the opinion that government programs are crowd-funded?
Provincial takeovers of electrical utilities
Provincial takeover of hospitals
Provincial takeover of telephone networks (most have since been privatized)
Provincial takeover of auto insurance in provinces like BC and SK
Failed federal attempt to nationalize the energy in the early 80's
ICBC was a generous cash cow when the BC Libs (actually con, reform, social credit, whatever leftovers) ran it. Originally brought in by the NDP and it worked well for years. Now that the LINOs are out of the picture things are running smoothly again and their insurance premiums are lower than they ever were.
A national daycare program is a partial government takeover of the child care sector
Yes. The Lib-NDP agreement is not a coalition, it’s not undemocratic and it isn’t socialism by any proper and accurate definition. Those are only knee-jerk criticisms from an insecure and threatened CPC. The Tories are hurting because it is a left-wing block manoeuvre that they can’t negotiate or out-manoeuvre. Unless they did the same with the Bloc Québécois which is politically almost impossible. Although Charest would be the only one to possibly pull it off, I find it highly doubtful. Tories need to learn the political centre is their only path to power with our electorate and our regional differences and parliamentary composition of ridings. If they keep failing to learn that, they will keep loosing and we will be stuck with basically what we have. The Harperites used to claim that Justin “just wasn’t ready.” While that wasn’t necessarily untrue (do you want a PM to actually strategically lead in the national interest or just mind the shop) it’s also clear the Tories are not unified enough or empathetic to of the majority of the electorate’s concerns to successfully form government.