Federal Politics – Page 68 – Babel-on-the-Bay

So far, so what?

September 20, 2019 by Peter Lowry

The dispatches from the front line of the current election strife are mostly about stupidity, compounded by incompetence. Despite the usual whining, scratching and digging up old pictures of each other, the kids are playing by the rules.

Justin Trudeau and his liberals are establishing a traditional campaign ground game. The leader flits about the country, offering bribes with our own money to vote for him and apologizing for once being young and stupid. It makes you wonder how many times you can ask for a second chance?

As you would expect, the conservatives and ‘Chuckles’ Scheer are still getting their roles straight. Chuckles is the lonely pedlar from the Prairies offering a mixed bag of goodies to the rubes.

The NDP’s Jagmeet Singh is counting on his Sikh friends to at least win Brampton in Ontario for his socialists—anything else is up in the air.

And Elizabeth May and her greens are trying to get used to all the media attention.

There is no point in looking at the polls yet. Not everyone can be in the position they hoped to be at. We were expecting more movement in the green support but those figures have remained flat. There seems to be some delay factor built into the pollsters’ algorithms.

The conservatives got the usual early start in the lawn sign pollution. They know that for every unordered lawn sign torn and thrown in the garbage, one will be left standing, no matter if the homeowner cannot vote—it helps the conservative candidate look strong, at first.

In addition, the first of the conservative four-color literature has gone out introducing Chuckles and their new candidates. The liberals are still cleaning out their new riding campaign offices and ordering their signs. ‘Where to find a competent campaign manager?’ is still the liberal question of the day. Not so the NDP as they try to find some supporter with a garage that can be turned into cheap storage for signs and a make-shift campaign office. And the greenies are sitting at home, wondering what to do next.

On the national scene, the liberals are preaching and reaching to the middle class. They have met the attack ads head-on by refusing to join in a four-party love fest called a debate and got away with it.

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We can do that ourselves, thank you.

September 19, 2019 by Peter Lowry

This ongoing concern for foreign countries interfering with our federal election is more of a joke than a threat. It is not that it could not happen, but why bother? What would be the mythical country’s objective? Why would they, for example, prefer one of our leaders over another? This is not something that any country would be so foolish to do for practice.

Frankly, we can screw up this election ourselves without any outside help. As it stands at this juncture, the liberals and the conservatives are doing more damage to each other and themselves than any foreigner could do for them. And the NDP and the greens are warring with each other as well as fighting the older parties for the crumbs from the table.

While the telecom companies love to tell the public that telecommunications just vanish into a cloud to re-emerge some seconds later in another part of the world, the World Wide Web has finite, defined transmission channels that connect the countries of the International Telecommunications Union.

Many Canadians are unaware that Canada is not just a member of what are known as the Five Eyes, the five countries that regularly police material being communicated around the world. Canada originated the capability when it developed the secret Hydra installation on the north shore of Lake Ontario, early in the Second World War. Canada provided the intelligence gathered to the Allies to give them a leg up in winning the war and the Ottawa based Canadian Communications Security establishment of today takes second place to no country in its special telecommunications reading capabilities.

And besides, the only country that would possibly benefit from controlling a Canadian election would be the United States of America. And if congress ever found out that the Trump White House had ordered such manipulations, they would jump on the opportunity to impeach him. Why not? They want to impeach him for something!

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Singh seeks separatist support.

September 18, 2019 by Peter Lowry

The NDP’s leader Jagmeet Singh must be desperate. In a province that discriminates against people such as him because of his turban, he is pandering to the péquiste to try to keep a few of the Quebec seats won by the NDP in the 2015 election. The party had fallen from 59 seats in Quebec in 2011 to 16 in 2015 and is concerned that it might have no seats in the province as a result of the 2019 election.

To try to stop the erosion of support, Singh issued an 11-page platform just for Quebec the other day. He promised a further effort to downplay the use of English in the province. This included taking away the rights of federally incorporated companies in Quebec to operate outside the province’s draconian language laws.

The platform included the right for Quebec to reject participation in programs such as Pharmacare and be financially compensated by Ottawa to subsidize its own such program. This is despite the point of Pharmacare being to enable the single customer to make the best deals to lower the cost of pharmaceuticals.

The most ridiculous promise in this program was that the federal NDP would work towards Quebec signing in on the Canadian constitution, under any conditions it wanted. The point of the Canadian federation is that the federal authority has its direct responsibilities and the provinces provide the services to their provinces. This has evolved over the past 150 plus years into an effective co-dependency and it works. It is an arrangement that depends on goodwill and common goals.

The platform showed a lack of diplomacy and long-term thinking on the part of the NDPers who framed it. There is a world of difference between holding out an olive branch and capitulation. It is regretful that Mr. Singh is not as sensitive to the history of Canada’s French-English relations as he might be to his ancestors’ trials in the Punjab state in the Indian subcontinent.

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It’s Tory Tax Tuck Time.

September 17, 2019 by Peter Lowry

We hardly got through the first week of the federal election before the conservatives brought out their usual election chestnut. It is time to promise lower taxes. It would hardly be a Canadian election without it. And, as usual, this bribe will not even pay for your drive-though Tim’s on the way to work.

And, as is also usual, the tax goes to the rich and poor alike. The conservatives never discriminate against their rich friends. The only problem is the rich might not notice the minor uptick in their annual refund. Nor would they really care.

But what is really concerning in all this B.S. is the flip side. By that, we mean; where the money for this tax tuck will come from? In making the big announcement, ‘Chuckles’ Scheer made it clear that he is not going to cut any core services to flesh out the $6 billion this tax cut will eventually take out of government revenues. All you know is that you might have to forget the bridges or fire-fighting airplanes that the money might have provided Canadians.

While the generosity of this questionable bonanza seems mute, it is a wonder that some Canadian voters like it. It must be what makes their effort to elect some of these mean-spirited conservatives worthwhile. It puts something in their pocket.

And when you look at it in relationship to the total federal government budget, it certainly does not mean a hill of beans to the voters.

But look at it in terms of government spending and it can mean something. It could go a ways in supporting a national Pharmacare program in step with Medicare. It could mean more long-range patrol aircraft to assure our borders in the north. It could help modernize our national policing under the RCMP. It would help pay for our current refurbishing of our parliament buildings.

It makes you wonder why these Neanderthals even want to go to Ottawa. They do not believe in having a government that can be meaningful for Canadians. They do not even care about Canadians. They do care about themselves and their ideology. We certainly should not be electing conservatives.

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Ms. May has the bit in her teeth.

September 16, 2019 by Peter Lowry

Elizabeth May must have promised her bathroom mirror that come hell or high water, she was going to improve her green party’s position in parliament. And she has the chance in this election. It is based on a mix of factors. Nobody thinks it will be easy but it is not just hope.

There is no question that there is a serious concern for the environment this time around. How Andrew Scheer and the conservatives can continue to ignore global warming is the secret of this election. After years in the wilderness, the green party message of saving our world is getting through. It is just too bad that the party does pratfalls on other aspects of its agenda.

It also helps considerably that the greens are moving in to benefit from the expected collapse of the new democrats. Jagmeet Singh is leading the socialists to nowhere. He should have thought about where he wanted to take the party before encouraging all his Sikh friends in B.C. and Ontario to swamp the low membership of the NDP. It was a hollow win. Without a plan, it is very hard to raise money. Without money, it is very hard to run a very strong campaign. And if you cannot afford to charter an airplane, you are really going to find out how big this country is.

Ms. May’s major problem is that the party behind her is a mixed bag. There are separatists running for the party in Quebec. Most of the platform stuff for candidates to reference is motherhood. There is nothing particularly exciting. This party has a plan for the environment but has no very clear plans beyond that.

Mind you, Ms. May continues to impress the public. Media people who are paid to assess politicians are not always as positive. They report that she is sometimes off the wall. I watched her during the special committee hearings in Ottawa looking at how we vote and I saw a dogged and determined person asking more adult questions. I rated her and the liberal party committee chair as the more competent participants.

At this point in the campaign, Ms. May seems to have gained the most momentum. Her first obstacle is Jagmeet Singh of the NDP. He has shown some energy and still stands in the way of the greens taking over third place. It is the byplay in this election that provides a background to the battle between the conservatives and liberals.

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Andrew Scheer woos the 905.

September 15, 2019 by Peter Lowry

Meet Andrew Scheer, leader of the conservatives and ambassador to the 905 ridings of Ontario from the more peaceful, less frantic reaches of Prairie conservatism. The 905 region is also known as the Golden Horseshoe that wraps around the City of Toronto. It is also home to much of the wealth that drives Toronto. The conservatives have to win this area to win enough seats to form a government again in Ottawa.

Scheer assures us that his conservatism is not much like the bombastic conservatism of Doug Ford at Queen’s Park. He probably has a point that he is not much like Mr. Ford. He lacks the charisma.

We hardly knew Mr. Scheer when he was picked as the least contentious, and least interfering speaker of the house of commons after the 2011 election. It was a parliament that had the first majority conservative government in Ottawa in many years.

And it was when Hell broke lose. It was the least orderly parliament in many years. It suffered from too many cheap shots and catcalls. Questions to conservatives went unanswered or simply drew insults. That parliament passed questionable and often undemocratic bills without being given time for proper consideration. It was a record low point in foreign affairs. It was a house needing a good house keeper, not Andrew Scheer.

But once the public had done with the Harper government, it was Andrew Scheer who won enough support to be the new conservative leader. Of 13 leadership hopefuls, he was the least likely to do anything. And he did little but carp.

And he is now out there on the hustings—mostly in the 905—telling Canadians that it is time for them to get ahead—because they can be sure that a Prairie conservative does not believe in the government helping its citizens.

Don’t ask this conservative to add Pharmacare to Medicare. He is certainly not interested in doing anything about our endangered environment. Oh sure, he makes promises, because he wants you to elect him. Don’t count on him coming through with anything meaningful. He wants to help his friends, the conservative premiers. He wants to help the rich. Like all conservative ideologues he is a mean-spirited person. He is also a social conservative, do not ask him about women’s rights.

I call him ‘Chuckles.’ He is a clown.

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Confounding Confusion for Canadians.

September 14, 2019 by Peter Lowry

It was a common event the other day as I sat in the barber’s chair, the barber wielding scissors and comb. The barber knew of my interest in politics and quickly turned the usually desultory conversation to the October election. Those awaiting their turn chimed in. You could quickly determine the various political leanings.

But what I have been hearing lately is more of denial. People are questioning their own patterns. So what, if the last three generations of their family voted conservative? Why should they have to conform? Same with liberals. Same with socialists. People are questioning their roots. They are looking for something else.

They might not admit it but I think they are looking for leadership. Their only problem is when they buy into an offer of leadership, they are being let down. Look at all the Americans who bought into the message that Donald Trump could restore their pride in America, and make the country great again. How is he doing so far?

And it is not just in the Americas. Vladimir Putin in Russia, Boris Johnson in the United Kingdom are as bad as the petty dictators in Central and South America. And then there is Kim Jon-Un in North Korea and the list of countries taking willful directions goes on.

We Canadians will all fight like hell to protect our democracy and then we will elect an incompetent, vindictive blusterer such as Doug Ford as premier in Ontario. We have no excuse. We let it happen.

And are all Canadians as selfish and mean-spirited as premier Jason Kenney who misleads Alberta? He denies concern for our world as it seeks to destroy us with fires and winds and global warming. You have a hard time believing that the brimstone of the tar sands is the cause of so much dissention between us.

In the barber shop, we seemed to all agree that leadership was lacking. We want the best as our representative, our MP. In a democracy, the real leadership should come from the citizens.

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They’re At Post!

September 11, 2019 by Peter Lowry

Finally. This never-ending scrabbling for political position has a finite finish line. The free-for-all has focus and Elections Canada is in charge. Like with stewards at the track, there are rules to be observed.

It is an election like no other in Canadian history. It is not the politicians who have changed. It is the voters. There is a distrust and unease on all sides. We are seeing olive branches offered by traditional conservatives. Concern is on the face of liberals. Socialists look in wonder at their NDP. Is Green the color of Canada?

These are not the parties of John A. Macdonald, William Lyon Mackenzie King or Tommy Douglas. No party talks of tradition. And, yet, are they ideologues? And how likely are their promises: “Yes, Mommy, I’ll be good.” Do they have an agenda for Canadians?

Is the bitterness to be directed from Alberta? Are the fools running Ontario? Will the Atlantic provinces hold promise? And who will be the bête noir of Quebec? Will ‘beautiful’ B.C. be bountiful?

There will be no morning line at the track today. What prognosticator has the polls or prescience to prove anything? The sense of this election is deep in the gut and there is many a bellyache. The Trudeau liberals will defend their record—such as it is. The conservatives will be defensive of their woefully inadequate leader. The NDP will try to win with some stalwart old-timers. Elizabeth May will keep looking behind her, in hopes that some partisans will be there.

But there is hope. All politics is local. Here in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, we are still gerrymandered in aid of the rural conservatives. We have another empty suit conservative to consider and the usual suspects from NDP and Greens. The liberal is different, aggressive, daring and honourable. I will bet on him but not his leader.

I am expecting the possibility of a liberal minority. It is as good a bet as any.

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Some of us have fun with politics.

September 8, 2019 by Peter Lowry

It was sad the other day to read both Susan Delacourt and Chantal Hébert of the Toronto Star and their dour take on the upcoming federal election. The ladies are two of Canada’s most astute reporters on things political and here they were being pessimistic this early.

I was particularly disturbed by Chantal’s dark take on the state of politics in Quebec. I thought we were both on the same train through la belle province as the liberals fight the good fight against the forces of evil, separation and the far right. We both seem to agree that Maxime Bernier will fold his libertarian tent and retire to the Beauce after proving nothing with his bigotry in this election.

But I expect those polls that show a resurgent Bloc Québécois are just hiding some parked votes that Trudeau can easily reap on election day. There is really no other route for the Quebec vote this time around.

I am also concerned about Susan Delacourt. I have always appreciated her sense of humour. Sure, she can criticize me for using nicknames for some of the sillier politicians. She is the one being paid the big bucks for her opinion. I have to work hard for the laughs my writing affords me. Just wait until she is retired. (Tomorrow?)

I hardly use nicknames for the serious politicos. You cannot convince me that conservative leader ‘Chuckles’ Scheer is not a clown. The desperate attempts of the conservative brain trust to cast him as serious are wearing thin on far more Canadians than just yours truly!

And please tell me how else we are expected to counter the sad-sack situation on the prairies? The exploitation of the tar sands for the benefit of foreign-owned oil companies is doing nobody any good and the lies spewed by their bought and paid for provincial politicians disgrace all Canadians. I think decent politicians should just fly over the prairies this election.

British Columbia is always a pleasure to visit. That province is only dangerous for politicians who want to complete the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

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The Substitute.

September 7, 2019 by Peter Lowry

It happens. You have all your nominations completed and one of your candidates drops out. That happens for any of hundreds of reasons. It could be anything from illness, bankruptcy or just cold feet. Your party needs a substitute candidate and there is no time left to be democratic about it.

I don’t think I have ever seen it as bad as today’s new democratic party situation. With less than two weeks until the writ of election has to come down, the NDP knew they needed close to 100 more candidates across Canada and then they lose as many as a dozen of their previous candidates in New Brunswick (in 2015) to the Green party.

In most cases when the party becomes desperate, the NDP looks to the riding executive and usually it is the riding president who allows his or her name to stand for the honour of the party. They print a few signs, attend a few all-candidate meetings and (usually) lose gracefully.

But not always. There were some surprise wins in Quebec for the NDP in the 2011 federal election. The credit for that goes to the then leader Jack Layton, who died shortly afterwards.

The classic turnaround in the substitute situation was in the 1974 federal election when the East York liberal candidate had to bow out. The party executive in Toronto looked around and realized they had recently hired a promising young man from East York as the Ontario party’s executive director. David Collenette was told to go home and be the party’s candidate.

David not only did what he was told but he won the election. He also won more elections than he lost over the next 30 years and served in the cabinets of three liberal prime ministers. He served the party well.

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