73 Comments
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Bill's avatar

Pierre is eminently unlikable. It didn't matter when he was going against Trudeau, but it matters now. He is good at memes, and that is fun and entertaining, but it doesn't bode well for governance.

The Conservative Maga bloc is making a lot of noise and doubling down lately, just read the comments anywhere. They are in the same category as Han Dong, but they have more influence.

The Liberals deserve to be out of office for a generation, but the Conservatives aren't ready for prime time, once again, I despair for my nation.

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Craig Yirush's avatar

Love how your subjective impression of him is transmuted into objective fact. You may find him unlikeable; many Canadians don’t. I find Carney to be a slimey corporate shill, but at least I am objective enough to realize I’m in a minority.

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B–'s avatar

I’m with you.

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Sean Cummings's avatar

For me, he is extremely unlikeable.

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Eric Yendall's avatar

I suggest you read Carney's book 'Value(s). published 2022. If you think Canada needs a leader of that mind set in the face of a rapidly changing Trumpian world I would suggest he and those Liberals inhabiting the 'Carney' bump are sadly deluded. Carney is Trudeau on steroids.

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Eric Yendall's avatar

Carney, Trudeau on steroids. Like Trudeau, he is well past his shelf life. Whether Poilievre is 'likeable' or not, is totally irrelevant. He is now the best hope we have for emerging from the economic destruction caused by the ideological ravings of the liberal machine with which Carney is clearly associated. He is the PM now because the Liberal machine put him there. His cabinet is similarly made up of Trudeau bag carriers. He must now carry the weight of the Trudeau years.

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Gavin's avatar

Yes, he certainly seems to be weighed down heavily by it.

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Milo Hrnić's avatar

Canadians instinctively hate anyone who disrupts consensus and causes conflict. It's in the bones of Canadian culture. It has to be that way to keep Canada, a multicultural way too big nation together. The problem is what happens when the money runs out...

Canada gives off a lot of Balkans in the late 80s energy. When the money ran out it all fell apart fast.

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Shirley Blair's avatar

Like-ability is not the hallmark of leadership. It takes competence and a good measure of common sense. It doesn’t take a genius to see the sleight of hand, ending the consumer carbon tax and replacing it with a border adjustment that the consumer will pay. Poilievre is right to push back against nonsense like this.

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Britannicus's avatar

Always an interesting discussion. Thank you!

PEDANTRY ALERT: In this context, when our Prime Minister is meeting the monarch, that is not the King of England nor of Great Britain but the King of Canada. No matter how it enrages Quebeckers (and others). Cheers.

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Bill's avatar

King of England is his side gig.

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Kent's avatar

True, but that's who the Prime Minister of Canada got to meet.

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Bob McInnis's avatar

The trip overseas seemed like a nabob returning to the monarchs for his marching orders. I upchucked watching the Canadian PM bow and sniffle before the aristocrat's.

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Doreen Mullins's avatar

Potentially a great podcast. But far too wordy and lengthy for me. Only so many hours in the day and too many sources to keep current up with. Thanks for the 3 week trial. Have to add I do prefer to listen to fewer f-bombs.

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Matt Gurney's avatar

Thanks for trying us out!

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John Hilton's avatar

My wife thought the same thing but personally, I enjoy the podcast and would not have you change a thing (and I’m the one who is paying so you haven’t lost anything).

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Ryan and Jen's avatar

I generally get sad when they don't hit their weekly quota of f-bombs, but they seem to be doing a pretty good job as of late.

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Milo Hrnić's avatar

You know you're Canadian when fuck bothers people more than being lied to by politicians.

Canadians think their tolerance of hypocrisy is normal but it really isn't. It's "nice" and not in the good way.

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Dennis's avatar

I appreciate The Line's reporting and discussion. I recently upgraded to paid, but I'm not sure how long that will last, for same reason as Doreen. I wish it were more concise, less chatty. And when referencing last week's or last month's issues, there's no need for a recap that runs three or four or ... sentences. The people who are paying attention know. I found myself thinking, even saying, "Okay, okay, let's get on with it."

Again, I appreciate your reporting, but as above, "only so many hours in the day". Meant to be constructive. FWIW.

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Ronald Robinson's avatar

I'm getting so I listen to snippets of pod cast or skip it all together. Matt and Jen do go off on tangents, its kind of like Wednesday night "book club" with my buddies at the bar....lots of words and venting but nothing enlightening. And totally agree with the too many F bombs, and one is too many. Surely the English language has other words that can convey emotion....or are we at a point were F bombs are socially acceptable norm amongst friends and family. I do enjoy the interviews of On The Line, the guests are very enlightening.

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Chris Engelman's avatar

“or are we at a point were F bombs are socially acceptable norm amongst friends and family.”

Might be a generational thing, but this 40 something says yes. Yes we are.

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Gord Androsoff's avatar

I was thinking the same before I ventured to the comments section. My memory is when I signed up a couple of years ago the podcast was more succinct. It would be more digestible if it was under an hour.

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John Bower's avatar

Doreen, apparently you and I are cut from the same cloth. I've mentioned the f bombs on several ocassions and firmly believe that they have a place but need to be used in strict moderation or they just get annoying. Tjhere are so many words in the English language yet we sink to F.

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Kent's avatar

My perspective on the F-bombs is that they indicate that the brain in control of the mouth uttering them is struggling to articulate its point effectively. Alas, it seems that I am in the minority on this one.

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Marcel's avatar

Re: Alberta Secessionism

Born and bred Edmontonian here, actual millenial but honorary Gen X'r. From where I stand there isn't any true secession movement in Alberta, outside of the Convoy crowd types. That's probably not any more than 10% of the population. Yes, there's a larger group of less hardcore types who have bought some of what Danielle's been selling and who may say in casual conversation that if us poor, benighted Albertans don't get everything we ask for from the Feds that they'd consider voting to leave Federation.

But as soon as you engage with them on how utterly idiotic that move would be (oh great, we're landlocked with a hostile foreign power in every direction now!) and that it would almost certainly lead to absorption/annexation into the US, most of them will concede that yeah it's silly but those damn Laurentian elites are so infuriating that saying they want to separate just makes them feel better.

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Milo Hrnić's avatar

The Alberta on its own separatist meme is dead, but the Alberta as part of the US meme has never been bigger. You need to keep up ;)

30% without even a concerted push and money thrown at it is one billionaire caring away from a big real thing.

That said, revolutions and separatism are never democratic projects. They always come from the top down and the influential in Alberta just don't care enough. Everyone who is anyone in Alberta either has a 2nd passport or property in another country. They leave when they've had enough, not fight.

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miles.mcstylez's avatar

Apparently 30% of Albertans said they'd be open to leaving Canada and voluntarily joining the USA, so your estimate is low.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/liberal-response-to-trump-tariffs-could-break-the-country-apart

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Marcel's avatar

Guess it depends on how the question is asked, as its 15% here: https://globalnews.ca/news/11093694/canadians-supporting-51st-state/

Basically a bunch of weirdos on the fringe. The last of the convoyers. Just leave if you're so "patriotic" to the wrong country.

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miles.mcstylez's avatar

Hard to be patriotic to a post-national economic zone with no core identity, which is what the federal government has spent the past decade insisting Canada is (that and a colonialist stain on Turtle Island)

https://milesmcstylez.substack.com/p/canada-should-not-be-the-51st-state

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John's avatar

I’m getting much more appreciative of your podcasts now that I discovered I can use 1.5x (1.75 x for Matt; 1.25 x for Jen) speed to get to your points before my mind starts to wander.

Not sure if PP realizes he can no longer sell his beer and steak and potato policies by saying they’re not Pepsi and poutine. Now he is competing with tea and cucumber sandwiches (with the crusts properly cut off).

One area is Canadian disarmament. Carney just approved Natalie Provost as a Liberal candidate. Ms Provost is a rabid antigun fanatic who in the area of gun confiscation makes Steven Guilbeault's anti pipeline policies seem positively anemic. So there you go “Canadians don’t need guns” again. The image of storm troopers knocking down farmhouse doors in search of uncle Bob's .22 ( maybe using the now unemployed Covid mall ninjas for the purpose) could be useful to PP. A good image would be a beaten to death and raped young woman clutching a judicial restraining order. But that would be too effective for a tea and crumpet campaign Elections Canada would disallow it (I assume they have the same censorship powers that the rest of the Canadian government has).

Against the backdrop of “I’m not Trump more than you are”) if PP could cultivate his working class support that in his case is sincere, that would also be a great asset. An image of his competitor replacing JT's fleur de lys themed silk underpants with his Union Jack ones might help here.

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NotoriousSceptic's avatar

In here you are on a merciless roll. Good. I will adopt the use of speed.

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gs's avatar

You guys banged on for quite a while about how wrong Danielle Smith is to note that if Canada does just a few more wrong things to Alberta, separatist notions are going to gain steam... and let's be crystal clear - she has NEVER said there is CURRENTLY a vast separatist movement in Alberta.

...and then you both went on to note that "of course" there are paths which could easily lead to an increase in separatist intentions in Alberta.

Why is it different when you say it?

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John Hilton's avatar

I think Danielle Smith is unfairly being demonized over the issue with Trump. The only point that she has made is that you can’t really win a tariff war with these guys (numerous economists have said the same thing, but they aren’t called anti-Canadian) and that restricting oil and other resources to try to send a message is counterproductive. Doug Ford just proved her right yet no one has noticed.

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xtremeleafan's avatar

Pierre Poilievre is also a rookie never having run for Prime Minister before. Pierre Poilievre doesn't have the support required in Ontario and absolutely is despised in Quebec. Even Doug Ford wants nothing to do with him. He is done...

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John's avatar

That Pierre Polievre along with Pierre and Justin Trudeau are despised in Quebec is par for the course. Anyone with a French name who associates with the Canadian English is considered a traitor and automatically despised in Quebec. It’s like the WWII Vichy government in France. The Nazis were sent home. But the French supporters of the Germans were hunted down and executed.

“Even Doug Ford”. Doug Ford has his nose firmly epoxied to the PM’s butt. ( JT and now MK). After a few months he turned his back on the conservative voters who elected him the first time and has carbon copied and praised Liberal policies ever since.

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Shirley Blair's avatar

Do stop! Doug Ford sucks up to whoever is in power for help with his EV battery subsidies. He’s an opportunist and he’ll never have my vote again. I’ll sit out the next provincial election if he’s running.

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Eric Yendall's avatar

Your headline is something I expect to see on YouTube, not on The Line. There is nothing to suggest what it says. The campaign is only just starting; the new Carney bubble cannot last. You can do better than that and not appear as a shill for the Liberal Party

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Milo Hrnić's avatar

Any man who has ever tried to get laid recognizes what the Liberals are doing. You tell her (him?) what they want to hear. That requires one not to respect the other so much that you aren't above doing that. Also, they recognize that everyone wants to be lied to in their own way.

Scam artists know this. They know that the easiest people to scam are those that folks think you are one of them. That's why small towns, ethnic communities and churches are rife with scammers. The Liberals know their people just want a reason to vote for them, even after everything. It's also why the same words and deeds don't work in Prairie Canada outside visible minority communities, Liberals are the outsiders.

The issue with the Conservatives among their non-business crowd and the NDP is that they actually believe the bullshit like "the customer is always right." The Liberals push those people out. The Liberals treat campaigns as a sales call and government like running an organization, as they should.

You have to also acknowledge the fact that in Canada the Conservatives just wouldn't be able to get away with being like that because the amount of folks who consider them "our people" are smaller and based outside the centre of power. The Liberals are "our people" among the media and decision makers back east in a way even the NDP never will be. It's identity and class politics.

This is why even in Calgary the "majority visible minority 1st generation newcomer" ridings are Liberal. (There are a few in the north). Their people are in the power structure.

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Andrew Whittington's avatar

The question of who can deal with Trump is in my opinion mostly irrelevant, since Trump will do what he wants and nothing any Prime Minister of Canada does will change that. What does matter is the response the leadership of the country has to this new reality. Ignore what they say and look to their beliefs; a leopard cannot easily change his spots. What each leader will do is in their policy documents, how they will achieve it is in their ethos. Choose wisely...

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John Hilton's avatar

I know this is after the podcast, but I think the liberals are starting to make a big mistake. The allure of Carney is that he is economically wise and will be the best one to guide us through the US issues. The first thing they announce today is an expansion of the dental program. Not to say I don’t like teeth, but that is more down the alley of Trudeau increasing entitlements than one that is dealing with a national emergency. We already have massive deficits before military and economic improvements. It looks like they aren’t being serious about where we are.

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Greg's avatar

The Line is turning into a Liberal talking point.

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Greg's avatar

Belief demonstrates itself modestly but when it appears you understand. I don’t mind differences of opinion but when the commentators journey into propaganda you are offended. I will stick with Northern Perspective during this essential election.

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Dean's avatar

I read recently that as a “caretaker” PM the unwritten rules say “no international trips, no legislative work”. ??? And if the Carbon tax was really run down to zero then why did gas at the pumps not drop 17 cents a litre?

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Davey J's avatar

Because it will be dropped from gasoline on April 1st for anyone on the federal carbon tax program.

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B–'s avatar

Still listening, but so far so good. Here's an interesting bit on Carney and what he's been up to very recently https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/2024-12/2024-12-13-Sustainability-Shakedown-Report.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawJLNENleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQ9yyWymmTMvwkT5mpz40hOISdNLwWEDyFh7HQ_YBl2Jp_6EmlsvukuH7A_aem_KwrbPLcDZCf8zobBaG6AjA

On the bright side, with a multimillionaire as a PM, maybe Mr Singh will abandon his fight against the uber rich :-D

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Ryan and Jen's avatar

Perhaps they can compare Rolexes

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Davey J's avatar

lol. Mr Singh is going to have a hard time winning his own riding in this election. I wouldnt be surprised if it just goes Liberal. He lost a lot of respect with the way he handled JT and the NDP is going to be in for a hard reckoning

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John Ottens's avatar

Suh-SEH-shn.

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Matt B.'s avatar

You are wrong on CASA vs. SACA, at least when it comes to Spanish. "Saca" can mean "get something out of something", which sounds like a plausible NDP objective.

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