Canada PoliERA |OT 2| Time Is a Flat Circle
- Thread starter Caz
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Pretty much. I just finished reading through the budget (all ~200 pages of it) and it's a hell of a thing. The overall tone sounds like the author typed it with one hand while the other was down their pants.
Mackinnon is referenced 45 times: they loved that report. One of my tables actually made its way into the budget, too, although the formatting was completely destroyed in the process and I'm somehow more annoyed at that than how it was used.
Some "highlights" that I noted as I went through:
Anti-Energy is still somehow a thing.
- $2.5 million is budgeted for the public inquiry into foreign funding of anti-energy campaigns
- Alberta's energy sector is a global leader in environmental standards, labour standards and technological innovation, but the energy industry – and spreading lies and disinformation about Alberta's energy sector provincial revenues – have been compromised by the actions of groups.
- $80 million supporting the Canadian Energy Centre to respond in real-time to misinformation about Alberta's energy industry
The ministry of Agriculture will also achieve savings of $34.1 million over four years by transitioning to a framework of producer and industry-led research. Because who better than to perform research that may lead to regulation than the industry itself?
Ministry of Culture et al is ditching screen-based production grants for films. Except it's not - it's going to become a film tax credit. In this budget that shows up as a savings, even if it's also a loss in revenue.
By ending the regulated electricity price cap, we are saving taxpayers millions while maintaining consumer choice.
"The government savings are passed directly onto you, the consumer, who are free to choose from the same number of offerings as before, only they're now more expensive."
I love the offputting, filthy wording of this: Indigenous communities in Alberta want to be partners in the prosperity flowing from the responsible development of Alberta's shared natural resources.
Transportation: Savings of $137 million will come from reducing road maintenance services. Reducing roadway preservation activities over four years will save a further $63 million. Spending to maintain park roads and water management structures will be reduced, realizing $18 million in savings over four years.
I'm sure safety won't suffer at all.
They also love the Job Creation Tax Cut including anyone who also buys into it mysteriously creating 55,000 jobs in four years. Like Jack Mintz of the Fraser Institute and former U of C policy department...who were also the ones who somehow calculated the identical 55K jobs. That's 55K gained with a 4% reduction in tax, although a few years back Mintz was enlisted to moan about the NDP's corporate tax increases and back then came up with 8900 jobs lost with a 1% increase. Apparently you gain 50% more jobs per dollar, now. Go figure.
It also makes no sense. Using their own numbers that's $2.4 billion companies no longer have to pay. At 55,000 jobs that's only $43,600 per position, which isn't enough to fund one minimum wage position with any sort of benefits. Maybe it'll be tens of thousands of 0.25FTEs.
It sounds so appealing when they put it this way.
If they have any say, the next CPC leader is going to be a complete nut.
But worse
Instead per electoral distric, it's winner take all per State
Ours is per riding
Except Maine and Nebraska, which are proportional and not winner take all.
I hope that Trudeau gets ready bc the next idiot will probably be tougher than Scheer, dude was low tier compared to some to the far right heads that have popped up in countries like Austria, Italy and Sweden
isn't that Alberta's and Saskachewan's problem that they voted out their Liberal representation?
This is the argument that use against Bloc heads
This is the argument that use against Bloc heads
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This happened in Edmonton earlier today. Don't know if any of you have seen it yet. It was quite windy during and around lunch time.
Firefighters were able to get the workers down safely. But holy shit that is frightening dangling like that (near the end of the video) 😟
Firefighters were able to get the workers down safely. But holy shit that is frightening dangling like that (near the end of the video) 😟
The "west" wants in... by having nothing to do with the government and electing no members of the ruling party. It all makes sens!
It probably will heavily be Toronto's fault if there WERE another CPC government, so the problem solves itself! lol
One of my GF's coworkers took a video of that! It was super scary :(
Also, about the budget: I guess I'm totally screwed for the next four years.
One of your tables? Do you do research in public policy?
Provincially : The NDP fought for Alberta to the precipice of a trade war. The NDP was stuck cleaning up the mess that the Conservatives left. what happened?
Alberta voted them out.
Trudeau bought the pipeline for Alberta, (he bought it for all of Canada because it's needed in the short term, to diversify our exports away from the United States and the safest way to transport the oil, with the revenue largely going to green iniatives, but many do not understand/accept that trade off) and what's did Alberta do? Side with the conservatives en mass.
Harper attempted how many pipelines again?
If Alberta 'wants in' they need to stop playing shitty tribal politics and reciprocate good faith efforts instead of running to the conservatives every time — a shit ass party that does little 'for Alberta' beyond positing itself as a bulwark against this boogeyman based off of something that happened half a century ago.
That's not to say that there isn't snooty discrimination against 'western Canada', but inter provincial discrimination is a part of our shared cultural identity as Canadians. It shouldn't be used as an excuse to isolate yourself and then complain that you are isolated, nor should it be used to hold other better parties to higher standards while you give 'the guys that fight for you' a pass for being shit goblins.
I am using my phone, so apologies for typos.
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lol were you in lock up?
Ontario had the Ernst and Young report which sounds like the equivalent of this MacKinnon report. Which is doubly hilarious because it was done under the Liberal government and it aligned so well with the Conservative message anyway.
(I also still don't get why we pay millions for people to write a report that a policy advisor could put together in a week but somehow the private sector consultant is better at summarizing information than the public sector analyst lol)
A really excellent article of all the Alberta woes.
It tells the complex tale of Alberta and how it got here. Very sobering. The reality is that Alberta is complex and much of its troubles started with Harper exacerbated with provincial mismanagement.
It's a weird "feel sorry/don't feel sorry for Alberta" article.
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This conservative strategist tells it like it is.
It tells the complex tale of Alberta and how it got here. Very sobering. The reality is that Alberta is complex and much of its troubles started with Harper exacerbated with provincial mismanagement.
It's a weird "feel sorry/don't feel sorry for Alberta" article.
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This conservative strategist tells it like it is.
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I don't normally support tax credits to companies in any industry, but if Alberta wants to diversify its economy this is a tough move.
Tax credit (covering salaries) to gaming companies introduced by the NDP completely eliminated. Anthem is doomed! Wait. Dragon age is doomed!
Tax credit (covering salaries) to gaming companies introduced by the NDP completely eliminated. Anthem is doomed! Wait. Dragon age is doomed!
Surely the Cons are completely dead now that they've targeted Gamers™.
Bioware about to be moved to either EA Burnaby or a Montreal branch that I'm not aware of.
Exactly! And this is something many voters (and also most of the people that aren't voting at all) don't understand.
All I meant was don't point the finger at Ottawa when the mess you're in is your own provincial governments doing.
WHAT? You are telling election have consequences? If only idiots will realize this. Oh well. They can always blame the left if shit hits the fan.
that's conservatism as a whole though, no? "Everything is fine. Trust us. We'll stop all those damn libs from wasting all your money on hippies and lazy people who don't wanna work so you good salt of the earth people who don't rely on government hand outs can live a good life."
Definitely won't be EA Burnaby, we don't have enough room for our own people. Not too long ago there were meeting rooms that were permanently unavailable because they had moved teams into them. One of the PvZ game was basically half-developed from our theatre room. Since then they've expanded into a new office in Willingdon Park but that's only a temporary solution.
When the lease runs out in 2 years I'm not really sure what they're going to do. There will be 300+ people with nowhere to put them.
Anyway yeah, good luck to Bioware.
My biggest complaint about the Quebec wing of the NDP is that they act like the Bloc-Lite and pandered too much to Quebec Nationalists while turning their backs on non-nationalists, on minorities and Montrealers.
Only the Liberals say "a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian"
Montrealers of immigrant backgrounds know that the Liberals is their party for over a Century and Half.
The NDP couldn't do that, the NDP went "Le Quebec est une Nation blblablbla" "Sherbrooke Declaration" "50%+1 Referundum" "Bill 101 in Federal Institutions"
Those are all Bloc-Lite policies
the sole-survivor of the NDP is a Bloc-Lite himself who voted YES in 1995 in a souverneist burrough (Rosemont)
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This was a really good read. Alberta's hate for Trudeau is entering irrational levels. That one guy blaming Trudeau for Canada not being energy independent is beyond pathetic. How can one government in 4 years make that happen? Harper had a majority for 4 years and was hugely pro oil and didnt make it happen. Also Kenney being a weasel about equilization payments is no surprise, fuck that guy. Alberta acts like O&G is the be all end all to having a highly productive economy when in reality the answer is staring at them in the face.
Oh so now they want the National Energy Program that Trudeau's father put in because it benefits them?
I'm not sure how informed it is. But a common talking point here in Alberta is 'why is it ok for Ottawa to deny Alberta it's right to sell oil but continue to take equalization payments from said oil.'
Here's a really good explanation of how the equalization program works.
No one is denying Alberta to sell its oil with current infrastructure. Not only that, Alberta will have even more market access with TMX and Keystone if it ever gets through. The real root cause of why people seem to be pissed is:
1) Climate change requiring necessary changes to the impact assessment process. Also this makes expansion of pipelines extremely toxic for the public everywhere except Alberta and Saskatchewan.
2) Investors backing away from the oil sands. Some of it is due to higher regulatory risk, but the primary reason by far is that these projects are not economically and politically as viable as before. There's no reason for investors to pour billions into the oilsands when it's so risky.
3) Low oil price. This causes budget deficits and high unemployment due to how tied the economy is to O&G. Alberta still refuses to enact provincial and sales taxes to easily counter act this and help diversify the economy.
And of course Trudeau is blamed for all of this.
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Are QC really bad economically that they get a big chunk of the equalization payments? I would really thought they are doing well.
Also, based on that video above. NL has their own ability to raise their revenue. So why Albertans are taking shit on them when they voted LPC? lol
Also, based on that video above. NL has their own ability to raise their revenue. So why Albertans are taking shit on them when they voted LPC? lol
There was a movement last decade and in the 90s where a lot of the east went west for work, but Albertans must still be salty, that 'dey tuk er juubs' despite needing people at the time and those people still being, you know Canadians. I think it's a lot of the NL jobs are in the service sector - it and help desk stuff moved in because of lower costs
When did anyone stop alberta from selling oil?
Is that bit about Trudeau spending more on Alberta in 4 years than Harper in 10 true? Also, Alberta governments running deficits even when oil was $100 a barrel is rich, what with all those "I'm a fiscal conservative" people.
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I have stayed out of this thread for the entire election, but have to say the "Fuck Alberta" attitude that is prevalent in this thread is majorly disappointing. I'm a proud Canadian and sucks to see rhetoric on both sides driving Canada apart.
Having said that, with regards to Equalizaition, my only issue with the formula is it should be amended to either include Hydro for provinces like Manitoba and Quebec in calculation, or Alberta should get to keep energy out. It skews the calculation huge. (Quebec and Manitoba would become Have provinces and Alberta and Sask would be have-not provinces over night)
Finally curious on the thoughts around the"Over a Barrel" Documentary, that seems to highlight where the funding against Canada's Energy is coming from:
Having said that, with regards to Equalizaition, my only issue with the formula is it should be amended to either include Hydro for provinces like Manitoba and Quebec in calculation, or Alberta should get to keep energy out. It skews the calculation huge. (Quebec and Manitoba would become Have provinces and Alberta and Sask would be have-not provinces over night)
Finally curious on the thoughts around the"Over a Barrel" Documentary, that seems to highlight where the funding against Canada's Energy is coming from:
Alberta is that friend who got a great job so they got a huge house with every toy they wanted, went on expensive vacations and generally was smug about it but now they lost their job, are working for half the pay elsewhere and blame everyone else for it. There's no introspection. Just years of Ralph bucks and no sales tax.