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 :)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.