My war in former Yugoslavia memories include my grandparents neighbours (two door down) stealing their appliances, doors and even windows before the "irregular soldiers" blew up their house. I still have a bit of trauma about that.
(It's why I believe anyone who thinks only soliders and police should be allowed to own guns is at best an irresponsible human being)
Yugoslavia was also a multiethnic federation with huge equalization, debt and general incompetence issues with one ethnic group running everything that mattered for their benefit. They also made language and ethnicity rules that disqualified everyone but their ethnic group from the good federal jobs. But Canada doesn't have turbofolk and does have a confrontation adverse culture so there is that.
Canadians have absolutely no understanding of how ugly war can be, and how ugly people are in the right circumstances. That's a good thing. I'm convinced the only reason Canada still exists is because Canadians are so laid back and easy going. The issue is how will Canadians react when the inevitable crisis comes?
They’ll react like everyone else when the lawlessness mode kicks in. Look at the craziness in the US cities when the pissed off mobs loot, shoot, set buildings & cars on fire.
Look at how churches were burned in Canada when people got mad about the ‘Kelowna mass grave’ which wasn’t ever proven. A mere suspicion.
And very recently, all those sweet, kind Cdns turning in their neighbours when, omg, COVID rules said no one was allowed to have visitors. It was like nazi Germany - turn in anyone perceived as breaking (Trudeau’s) gov’t rules. Your neighbours definitely did not have your back.
You think that was "lawless" what occured in the US? You just prove my point, Canadians don't even know what they don't know about civil conflict. The culture to the core is doing whatever it takes to avoid conflict and confrontation, no matter how much poorer we become than peer nations.
Not 'mass grave', but rather possible unmarked graves - there's a difference. And it hasn't been 'proven' yet, because that would involve excavating which is not an easy process.
Nor do I believe there was an 'epidemic' of people turning in their neighbours for breaking COVID rules. Not saying it didn't happen in some instances, but certainly not on a wide scale. And those COVID restriction were mandated by Provincial Health Authorities.
Just one point, initially, it was ‘the mass grave story’ in the media, which triggered the arson activity - and it has changed incrementally to where it became unmarked graves, then a possible cemetery, and most recently, ‘tree roots’ showing up as anomalies.
Tell me you don't know a lot about history without telling me you don't know a lot about history.
Good grief man, NOTHING we have experienced in Canada is even REMOTELY close to what went down in Nazi Germany even before the Second World War broke out.
Your goto cybersecurity expert, David Shipley is golden. I want to hear more from that guy. I’ve replayed that section 3 times now ‘cause it’s taking that long for me to get the implication of that confirmed dollar level of fraud ($200 million). I believe him when he says ‘decisions were made.” How do you pay an individual a $40 million tax refund without some kind of a review? Is it stupidly or collusion? I want Mr. Shipley asking the questions.
He's a regular on Gurney's Sirius XM radio show. But yeah, I'm a fan. He's been on my "figure out where I can find more content from this guy" list for a while.
Mitch's answer about why war rooms can respond immediately and governments are weeks behind - I think this explains much of our current predicament. Why is the CRA fraud scandal unfolding the way it is? Sprawling bureaucracy where power is devolved and responsibility is diffused so that nobody is in charge, nobody is accountable, and nobody has the power to make decisions or take corrective action
I like the convention of the PM asking for an undated letter of resignation from every cabinet minister that she will accept when the Minister is found to be incompetent or unethical.
I think this is a splendid idea in the hands of an ethical PM / PMO, but with our current ethically challenged PM / PMO....well let's just say the JWR and other exits from cabinet would have happened instantly if this convention were in place, on the convenience of avoiding a long drawn out scandal when ministers did not follow the bidding of their boss(es).
If a cabinet minister is found to be incompetent or unethical **the Prime Minister can fire them**. Actually, the Prime Minister can fire them for no reason at all.
It is the conventions, or virtues, of humility and honour that are missing in government and business today. This is why our society is crumbling before our eyes.
On Jen's experience, historically when there has been attacks on US soil, ie. 9/11 and Pearl Harbour, the US has not stopped until the other side has been dead or unconditionally surrendered. It is hard to see how this is substantially different for Israel. The Japanese at least surrendered when the inevitable end point was revealed to save civilians.
One of the best ever. Jen your part was hard and right on the money I think. Thank you for all the efforts. And it really brings to the forefront exactly how naive and confessed North Americans are about war - real war on their own soil. Unless you came from else ware you can not even come close to the reality of it.
Matt - please do more on this CRA junk. My goodness how can they be so incompetent
Excellent podcast. I agree that fixed election dates have been terrible for Canada. We're basically in an annoying US-type campaign cycle, minus the two-year blitz that they have (and JT really hasn't stopped campaigning since 2013).
Interesting to hear Jen Gerson speak about some of the devastated Israeli communities near Gaza left in the state they were found in on or after October 7, 2023. It reminded me of the opening and closing of "The World At War" documentary series, with Sir Laurence Olivier narrating the day that members of the SS 'Das Reich' Second Panzer Division, making their way up to Normandy, where the D Day landings were already well underway, entered the French commune of Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10, 1944, wiping out 643 of its inhabitants, including 247 children, with only 6 survivors emerging from that massacre. The SS carried this out, apparently, in retribution for the death of their commander by French partisans (Maquis).
While a new village was built next to it, the original site that was Oradour-sur-Glane remains as the SS murderers left it on that fateful day, a memorial and museum to the destruction of war.
And yet, here we are today, 80 years later. History repeating.
The bit of the CRA was very interesting, but it doesn't seem like a cyber-security problem. Unless I missed something, the problem is with the CRA and their *processes* and overall security, rather than cyber-security in particular. It's fraud that the CRA is falling for, not someone stealing their bank password and transferring the money off-shore.
Or have I missed something?
If I've summed it up correctly, then it's more worrying because you can't fix it with tech. You need to fix the whole CRA.
And yes, as a country we SHOULD be hopping mad about this and I think the fact that we're not says something about how resigned we are to the inevitability of failure.
Jenn/Matt -not sure if this the right contact path to suggest a topic - no obvious path on LINE website.
My topic - would you report on the issue of the next election date and it's role in including or excluding the last batch of MP who would lose their pensions. Will Trudeau use this to keep the NDP supporting the Liberals? Is there a possibility they may change The Elections Act to ensure pensions for these members - includes a large number of Liberals also. What do you two think about this issue - appears to be flying under the radar. Changes should definitely not be made to impact current members but should change be made they must apply to future members only. thanks and look forward to your & others comments
Absolutely enjoyed this one. Mana for the brain lol. The last bit was a refreshing and interesting discussion…love the openness of it. Well done & hopefully Jen is back safe & sound.
Your comments about no one in Canada having trauma and fears for their safety like those experienced by people in other countries completely disregarded the experiences of Indigenous Canadians and the violence and racism that they have suffered and continue to be affected by. I think an apology is called for.
My war in former Yugoslavia memories include my grandparents neighbours (two door down) stealing their appliances, doors and even windows before the "irregular soldiers" blew up their house. I still have a bit of trauma about that.
(It's why I believe anyone who thinks only soliders and police should be allowed to own guns is at best an irresponsible human being)
Yugoslavia was also a multiethnic federation with huge equalization, debt and general incompetence issues with one ethnic group running everything that mattered for their benefit. They also made language and ethnicity rules that disqualified everyone but their ethnic group from the good federal jobs. But Canada doesn't have turbofolk and does have a confrontation adverse culture so there is that.
Canadians have absolutely no understanding of how ugly war can be, and how ugly people are in the right circumstances. That's a good thing. I'm convinced the only reason Canada still exists is because Canadians are so laid back and easy going. The issue is how will Canadians react when the inevitable crisis comes?
They’ll react like everyone else when the lawlessness mode kicks in. Look at the craziness in the US cities when the pissed off mobs loot, shoot, set buildings & cars on fire.
Look at how churches were burned in Canada when people got mad about the ‘Kelowna mass grave’ which wasn’t ever proven. A mere suspicion.
And very recently, all those sweet, kind Cdns turning in their neighbours when, omg, COVID rules said no one was allowed to have visitors. It was like nazi Germany - turn in anyone perceived as breaking (Trudeau’s) gov’t rules. Your neighbours definitely did not have your back.
Cdns can be as nasty as anyone else.
You think that was "lawless" what occured in the US? You just prove my point, Canadians don't even know what they don't know about civil conflict. The culture to the core is doing whatever it takes to avoid conflict and confrontation, no matter how much poorer we become than peer nations.
Not 'mass grave', but rather possible unmarked graves - there's a difference. And it hasn't been 'proven' yet, because that would involve excavating which is not an easy process.
Nor do I believe there was an 'epidemic' of people turning in their neighbours for breaking COVID rules. Not saying it didn't happen in some instances, but certainly not on a wide scale. And those COVID restriction were mandated by Provincial Health Authorities.
Just one point, initially, it was ‘the mass grave story’ in the media, which triggered the arson activity - and it has changed incrementally to where it became unmarked graves, then a possible cemetery, and most recently, ‘tree roots’ showing up as anomalies.
We don’t need to have a thread wherein we disagree about literally every controversial Canadian news story for the last five years all at once.
> It was like nazi Germany
Tell me you don't know a lot about history without telling me you don't know a lot about history.
Good grief man, NOTHING we have experienced in Canada is even REMOTELY close to what went down in Nazi Germany even before the Second World War broke out.
Your goto cybersecurity expert, David Shipley is golden. I want to hear more from that guy. I’ve replayed that section 3 times now ‘cause it’s taking that long for me to get the implication of that confirmed dollar level of fraud ($200 million). I believe him when he says ‘decisions were made.” How do you pay an individual a $40 million tax refund without some kind of a review? Is it stupidly or collusion? I want Mr. Shipley asking the questions.
Stupidity or collusion? Methinks both. Stupidity in allowing it to happen and collusion at a minimum in the coverup.
He's a regular on Gurney's Sirius XM radio show. But yeah, I'm a fan. He's been on my "figure out where I can find more content from this guy" list for a while.
Mitch's answer about why war rooms can respond immediately and governments are weeks behind - I think this explains much of our current predicament. Why is the CRA fraud scandal unfolding the way it is? Sprawling bureaucracy where power is devolved and responsibility is diffused so that nobody is in charge, nobody is accountable, and nobody has the power to make decisions or take corrective action
I like the convention of the PM asking for an undated letter of resignation from every cabinet minister that she will accept when the Minister is found to be incompetent or unethical.
I think this is a splendid idea in the hands of an ethical PM / PMO, but with our current ethically challenged PM / PMO....well let's just say the JWR and other exits from cabinet would have happened instantly if this convention were in place, on the convenience of avoiding a long drawn out scandal when ministers did not follow the bidding of their boss(es).
It's also an unnecessary convention.
If a cabinet minister is found to be incompetent or unethical **the Prime Minister can fire them**. Actually, the Prime Minister can fire them for no reason at all.
It is the conventions, or virtues, of humility and honour that are missing in government and business today. This is why our society is crumbling before our eyes.
On Jen's experience, historically when there has been attacks on US soil, ie. 9/11 and Pearl Harbour, the US has not stopped until the other side has been dead or unconditionally surrendered. It is hard to see how this is substantially different for Israel. The Japanese at least surrendered when the inevitable end point was revealed to save civilians.
One of the best ever. Jen your part was hard and right on the money I think. Thank you for all the efforts. And it really brings to the forefront exactly how naive and confessed North Americans are about war - real war on their own soil. Unless you came from else ware you can not even come close to the reality of it.
Matt - please do more on this CRA junk. My goodness how can they be so incompetent
Excellent podcast. I agree that fixed election dates have been terrible for Canada. We're basically in an annoying US-type campaign cycle, minus the two-year blitz that they have (and JT really hasn't stopped campaigning since 2013).
Second good podcast with Matt today. Or at least that I listened to today.
Terrific episode. Three interesting segments
Terrific episode. My favourite podcast of the week.
Interesting to hear Jen Gerson speak about some of the devastated Israeli communities near Gaza left in the state they were found in on or after October 7, 2023. It reminded me of the opening and closing of "The World At War" documentary series, with Sir Laurence Olivier narrating the day that members of the SS 'Das Reich' Second Panzer Division, making their way up to Normandy, where the D Day landings were already well underway, entered the French commune of Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10, 1944, wiping out 643 of its inhabitants, including 247 children, with only 6 survivors emerging from that massacre. The SS carried this out, apparently, in retribution for the death of their commander by French partisans (Maquis).
While a new village was built next to it, the original site that was Oradour-sur-Glane remains as the SS murderers left it on that fateful day, a memorial and museum to the destruction of war.
And yet, here we are today, 80 years later. History repeating.
The bit of the CRA was very interesting, but it doesn't seem like a cyber-security problem. Unless I missed something, the problem is with the CRA and their *processes* and overall security, rather than cyber-security in particular. It's fraud that the CRA is falling for, not someone stealing their bank password and transferring the money off-shore.
Or have I missed something?
If I've summed it up correctly, then it's more worrying because you can't fix it with tech. You need to fix the whole CRA.
And yes, as a country we SHOULD be hopping mad about this and I think the fact that we're not says something about how resigned we are to the inevitability of failure.
Jenn/Matt -not sure if this the right contact path to suggest a topic - no obvious path on LINE website.
My topic - would you report on the issue of the next election date and it's role in including or excluding the last batch of MP who would lose their pensions. Will Trudeau use this to keep the NDP supporting the Liberals? Is there a possibility they may change The Elections Act to ensure pensions for these members - includes a large number of Liberals also. What do you two think about this issue - appears to be flying under the radar. Changes should definitely not be made to impact current members but should change be made they must apply to future members only. thanks and look forward to your & others comments
Absolutely enjoyed this one. Mana for the brain lol. The last bit was a refreshing and interesting discussion…love the openness of it. Well done & hopefully Jen is back safe & sound.
Your comments about no one in Canada having trauma and fears for their safety like those experienced by people in other countries completely disregarded the experiences of Indigenous Canadians and the violence and racism that they have suffered and continue to be affected by. I think an apology is called for.
Don’t like audio. Especially if it’s long.
Oh well.
Kinda missing on the concept.