[steveintoronto]

More polling from The Star. No party leader is super popular.

Greens are looking good though, although it's not May so much as inclination away from the others for the party. What pollsters mostly overlook is how the strength of the Greens is more than doubled when the Independents JWR and JP are included as a 'voting bloc'.

I think far more than ever, a good segment of voters will think 'screw my regular party, they don't represent me anyway, so I'm going to vote on principle', and that will be for the Greens or Independents.

 

[steveintoronto]

I think far more than ever, a good segment of voters will think 'screw my regular party, they don't represent me anyway, so I'm going to vote on principle', and that will be for the Greens or Independents.

Just thinking about this some more...and of all the coverage on on JWR and JP (two MPs I have immense respect for, I'd gladly campaign for either/or) it's been an 'all or nothing' approach from the press. "Did they join the Greens or not?"

What hasn't been discussed that I can recall is the ability for *voting blocs* to form. In effect, 'joining a Party' or not is rendered effectively moot. Far fetched? It's happening at an unprecedented (in modern times) pace in Westminster right now.

Labour and a cross-party alliance are today attempting to seize control of the House of Commons agenda in order to prevent the next Conservative prime minister forcing through a no-deal without the consent of MPs.

Theresa May's former director of legislative affairs, Nikki da Costa, has described the move as "extraordinary".

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...rorogue-suspend-tory-leadership-a8954796.html

I read and watch the likes of John Ibbitson et al, (and JI is an avowed Tory) give cautious hope to the political fortunes of the Greens and Independents, it curries favour for many in the political press as it's a 'novelty that may or may not succeed'...but one of the factors pushing this along even here in Canada is "None of the Above" when it comes to leadership favourites in polls.

Watch this space closely...

 

[Videodrome]

The bankruptcy of the Conservative Party - Macleans.ca

Tabatha Southey: 'The Conservative party is not the party of the “Barbaric Cultural Practices” hotline, or the niqab ban. Unless that’s what you want it to be.'

www.macleans.ca

Good read.

 

[gabe]

Hopefully the Liberals fix this mess before the election happens. This will tie the courts up for years.

Chris Selley: The Liberals' police-state impaired driving law has to go

With Canada's drunkest drivers continuing to cause carnage on our roads, the government is targeting asthmatics and people buying wine

nationalpost.com

 

[Northern Light]

Trudeau's Pharmacare panel recommends universal model, phased in over 5 years from 2023-2027.

Co-pays capped at $5 per prescription and $100 max. per year

Federal pharmacare report backs $15-billion universal, single-payer system

The advisory council predicts the plan would reduce Canada’s overall per-capita spending on prescription drugs, which is among the highest in the world. The plan would be a radical overhaul of the current patchwork approach to paying for prescriptions

www.theglobeandmail.com

I whole heartedly endorse this idea.

I think the Libs would do well to back it.

That said Morneau has come out against the idea in the past.

NDP is already on-board, Scheer has already panned the idea.

 

[Videodrome]

It is just common sense.

 

[steveintoronto]

It is just common sense.

And more: It's an investment in the health of the nation.

 

[lenaitch]

Cool. How do we come up with $15B?

 

[BurlOak]

Cool. How do we come up with $15B?

By 2027, our National Debt will be down below $400B. I think we can afford it then by reducing the sizes of surpluses.
Too bad Canadians voted in 2015 to forgo a better future.

 

[Videodrome]

Ambrose accuses Conservatives of blocking judges' training, UNDRIP bills

Former interim leader of the federal Conservative Party Rona Ambrose is accusing her former caucus colleagues of blocking her private member's bill requiring sexual assault education for would-be judges to ensure that another bill about Indigenous rights does not pass.

beta.ctvnews.ca

Rona Ambrose is being critical of the CPC for delaying some of her bills.

 

[Thorns_Embrace]

Ambrose accuses Conservatives of blocking judges' training, UNDRIP bills

Former interim leader of the federal Conservative Party Rona Ambrose is accusing her former caucus colleagues of blocking her private member's bill requiring sexual assault education for would-be judges to ensure that another bill about Indigenous rights does not pass.

beta.ctvnews.ca

Rona Ambrose is being critical of the CPC for delaying some of her bills.

Rona Ambrose is an egotistical MP who thinks her legislation is so important that it mus be fast tracked over other business.

 

[Videodrome]

I used to call her 'Reefer madness" due to her opposition to legal pot.

 

[DSC]

Rona Ambrose is an egotistical MP who thinks her legislation is so important that it mus be fast tracked over other business.

You may not like the idea of judges being educated properly but the reason she thinks the Bill should NOW move ahead is that it has sat in the Senate since 16 May 2017 (YES, that's over 2 years!). It was sent to Committee in May 2018 and only a week ago did the Committee bother to look at it.

The House of Commons (who are actually elected!) passed it in 3 months so expecting the Senate to 'move it along' or amend/improve it by now is hardly unreasonable.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Cool. How do we come up with $15B?

Nationalise the banks.
Good run at the casino.
Bake sale.
Ending corporate welfare.


One of these is not like the others.

 

[jje1000]

Again, semantics is the king in politics, and yet more proof that words have consequences.

Now on to get investigated by the likes of China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia- we now know why most countries usually ignore the UN when it comes to human rights.

UN Human Rights Office calls for examination of MMIWG inquiry's genocide claim
Olivia Stefanovich · CBC News · Posted: Jun 16, 2019 7:26 PM ET

The United Nations Human Rights Office is urging the federal government to probe the national inquiry's conclusion that violence against Indigenous women and girls amounts to genocide, CBC News has learned.

"The national inquiry found reasons to believe that Canada's past and present policies, omissions and actions amount to genocide, under international law," UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani wrote in an email statement on Sunday.

"Given these findings by the inquiry, we call on the government to take steps for competent national authorities to assess these serious claims."

The focus of Bachelet's visit is supposed to be about promoting human rights and gender equality around the world, but Canada's own record on those issues is expected to be scrutinized.

"The very first thing I'm sure the commissioner's going to want to see is what is the plan on the part of Prime Minister Trudeau and his government to address the conditions of genocide that he's admitted," said Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a law professor at the University of British Columbia.

"The fact that the prime minister said 'genocide' triggers an international process."

If the federal government were to admit genocide against Indigenous Peoples is ongoing, it would open the doors to international prosecution since Canada is part of the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, according to Turpel-Lafond.

"Part of me is concerned that they're using words in a loose way that have massive implications," Turpel-Laford said. "They should be much more disciplined and focused about it."

The UN is encouraging Canada to effectively implement the inquiry's recommendations, including the development of a national action plan to ensure equitable access to jobs, housing, education, safety and health care.

The UN Human Rights Office is ready to offer technical assistance to Canada, according to Shamdasani.

MacKay, who is now a partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP in Toronto, called the situation a "setback" for Canada's reputation, as a country devoted to human rights.

"There's an element of hypocrisy when we start to lecture and hector in a sanctimonious way, cast aspersions on the histories of other countries," MacKay said.

"I think we are now in a different place, and under a different lens when it comes how countries view our country."

Payam Akhavan, an international law professor at McGill University and former UN prosecutor at the Hague, agrees it may become more challenging for Canada to preach human rights to other countries given the inquiry's findings.

"What I fear now is that countries like Myanmar, which are in fact committing genocide in the strict legal sense, will use this genocide finding to discredit and undermine Canada's standing in a way which is neither reasonable or fair," Akhavan said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stefanovich-un-national-inquiry-genocide-response-1.5174855