[DSC]

To be fair, NATO has said that aid to Ukraine will count towards NATO targets. What is unbelievably arrogant and galling is suggesting the US is unreliable and implicitly suggesting that our contribution is at an equivalent level. I get it. We're embarrassed by being the only country in NATO quadrant of shame (countries that don't meet 20% on new equipment and 2% of GDP on defence). But instead of just dodging the question she takes a gratuitous shot at the US. Incredible. I used to think she was one of the adults in this government. Antics like this have really turned me off.

Frankly, the US is an unreliable partner. Their aid or support is VERY reliant on a dysfunctional Congress and a permanent state of election. Ask the Kurds who helped 'us' in Iraq and were abandoned, ask the Afghanis who were abandoned when the US 'fled' and ask the Ukrainians who are clearly in need of weapons right now. One can argue that none of these places 'deserved' US (or Canadian) support in the first place but once one starts it is unreasonable and unfair to suddenly stop. Oddly (??) enough, the US remains a reliable partner for Israel where the 'partner' is acting in a way that the US does not approve of and which will undoubtedly make the long-term situation WORSE. (This CNN article elaborates https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/05/middleeast/gaza-war-no-plan-israel-intl-cmd/index.html )

 

[DSC]

I’m done with Trudeau. Where’s our promised balanced budget by 2019? I don’t believe that Pollivre will do any better, but I feel like someone needs a hurt real bad.

The balanced budget was clearly not going to happen once COVID arrived but if you will not vote for Trudeau Liberals, who WILL you consider? The Pollievre Tories are slash and burn climate deniers and he seems like a very unpleasant person with zero 'vision'. The NDP seem well meaning but not ready to govern. It's a huge question, for many of us!

 

[kEiThZ]

The Pollievre Tories are slash and burn climate deniers and he seems like a very unpleasant person with zero 'vision'

I'll say what nobody is willing to say out loud. Canadians are past caring about the climate when the situation in the country is poor (as they perceive it). I say this as a climate hawk who supports carbon pricing. Maslow's hierarchy applied to political priorities. That's why you see the generation most impacted by climate change making the biggest change to the Tories.

The LPC has lost the argument on climate policy by failing to make the connection between climate policy and quality of life. This is especially true when we demand lots of sacrifice from individuals (as they perceive it, because the average person doesn't understand carbon pricing and rebates) and then have record population growth of a million per year driving up emissions while imposing very little control on industry (particularly the one responsible for over a quarter of the country's emissions).

Nor do they prioritize climate policy in routine decision-making. Where is the equivalent of GBA+ for climate impact? Instead, this government seems to prioritize social policy and particularly those ideas that result in direct transfers to individuals. Even their marquis climate policy is a form of wealth transfer, with the top 20% supposedly subsidizing the bottom 80%. Meanwhile, the sat on HFR for their whole first term, put in token unding in their second term and only started on definition work in earnest in their third term. This is for a project that has the potential to reduce flying and driving. Even transit capital funding at peak ($3B) will be less than 0.7% of the federal budget.

It's hard to not feel like climate change is an excuse for this government to implement other goals or simply a talking point to win votes. And tokenism is a harder sell when people are struggling.

You might argue that the Tories will be disastrous and revisionist. And I mostly agree. But in Canada, people don't vote in new governments. They vote out the old. Poilievre could kick puppies on live TV and still get elected. That's not because anybody thinks he offers a great alternative. It's a testament to how upset voters are with Trudeau's LPC.

 

[afransen]

The wild thing is that for most Canadians, the carbon price is actually not meaningfully contributing to the perceived affordability problem/inflation. It's mostly a housing and global commodity price phenomenon.

 

[DSC]

Another exmple of the fact that we do not (in general) have Canadian problems - we have the same problems as most of the 'developed' world.

New Zealand announced it has tightened its visa rules, introducing language and skill criteria and shortening work permit lengths in response to “unsustainable net migration.”

The changes to the Accredited Employer Worker Visa (AEWV) scheme have gone into immediate effect, and will mean that New Zealand is “better testing the local labor market and reducing the risks of putting New Zealanders out of work,” the country’s Minister of Immigration, Erica Stanford, announced on Sunday.

From: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/07/trav...rules-unsustainable-migration-intl/index.html

 

[Brands]

I don't think anybody was under the illusion that you were ever considering voting for him.

Trust me I tried.

I'll say what nobody is willing to say out loud. Canadians are past caring about the climate when the situation in the country is poor (as they perceive it). I say this as a climate hawk who supports carbon pricing. Maslow's hierarchy applied to political priorities. That's why you see the generation most impacted by climate change making the biggest change to the Tories.

The LPC has lost the argument on climate policy by failing to make the connection between climate policy and quality of life. This is especially true when we demand lots of sacrifice from individuals (as they perceive it, because the average person doesn't understand carbon pricing and rebates) and then have record population growth of a million per year driving up emissions while imposing very little control on industry (particularly the one responsible for over a quarter of the country's emissions).

Nor do they prioritize climate policy in routine decision-making. Where is the equivalent of GBA+ for climate impact? Instead, this government seems to prioritize social policy and particularly those ideas that result in direct transfers to individuals. Even their marquis climate policy is a form of wealth transfer, with the top 20% supposedly subsidizing the bottom 80%. Meanwhile, the sat on HFR for their whole first term, put in token unding in their second term and only started on definition work in earnest in their third term. This is for a project that has the potential to reduce flying and driving. Even transit capital funding at peak ($3B) will be less than 0.7% of the federal budget.

It's hard to not feel like climate change is an excuse for this government to implement other goals or simply a talking point to win votes. And tokenism is a harder sell when people are struggling.

You might argue that the Tories will be disastrous and revisionist. And I mostly agree. But in Canada, people don't vote in new governments. They vote out the old. Poilievre could kick puppies on live TV and still get elected. That's not because anybody thinks he offers a great alternative. It's a testament to how upset voters are with Trudeau's LPC.

Vote for the guy poilievre who build less housing when he was housing minister. You know high interest rates are a global problem?

 

[kEiThZ]

The wild thing is that for most Canadians, the carbon price is actually not meaningfully contributing to the perceived affordability problem/inflation. It's mostly a housing and global commodity price phenomenon.

That's the thing. Canadians are rather practical and intuitively understand this.

You could argue that we have an obligation to cut emissions. But this is also a country that really doesn't see any foreign commitment as an honest obligation to work towards. See defence spending as an example. Most Canadians don't see the need to spend substantially more, because we accept de facto dependence on the US for our security. Similarly, most of the public doesn't see the need to spend substantially on climate policy because they don't perceive any real urgency and threat to quality of life. This is different from say Europe that is fearful of both loss of agriculture and mass migration from Africa and the Middle East. Basically, the Liberals are getting the same pushback on climate policy that the CPC would get if they attempted to meet NATO defence spending targets overnight. Progressives are discovering that the Canadian lack of concern for international participation that involves a cost, doesn't just extend to defence spending.

 

[kEiThZ]

Another exmple of the fact that we do not (in general) have Canadian problems - we have the same problems as most of the 'developed' world.

Not most of the developed world. Most accurately most of the anglosphere, especially outside the US, who have also decided to rely on real estate bubbles to drive their economy to some extent or another. Even the UK, with such a diversified economy, is still way too dependent on real estate.

 

[Brands]

This could be a game changer...

BNN Bloomberg – Canada Business News, TSX Today & Interest Rates

Get the latest Canadian business news, TSX updates, interest rates and Bank of Canada coverage. Explore stock market investing and get expert financial insights on investment portfolio strategies.

www.bnnbloomberg.ca

Trudeau says news on mortgages is coming in federal budget​

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested the Canadian government plans to make changes that will affect the mortgage sector in its April 16 budget.

Canada forbids homebuyers from taking out insured mortgages with amortization periods of longer than 25 years. At a news conference Friday, Trudeau was asked whether his government would extend the limit to 30 years or more — a measure that would ease monthly payments and help some buyers who are currently shut out of the market.

The prime minister wouldn’t comment directly on that, but said: “On mortgages we will have more to say between now and the budget date on April 16, and perhaps we will save it for April 16.”

 

[kEiThZ]

^ Great. They are going to allow young people to take on more debt so they can bid up housing. They really shouldn't be surprised when they lose in 2025, if they think this is acceptable housing policy.

 

[Brands]

^ Great. They are going to allow young people to take on more debt so they can bid up housing. They really shouldn't be surprised when they lose in 2025, if they think this is acceptable housing policy.

rolls eyes.

 

[afransen]

rolls eyes.

The problem of housing affordability is only made worse by anything that enables buyers to bid up prices. Longer ams will not improve affordability, it will just bid up prices, enriching existing homeowners.

 

[Admiral Beez]

The balanced budget was clearly not going to happen once COVID arrived but if you will not vote for Trudeau Liberals, who WILL you consider? The Pollievre Tories are slash and burn climate deniers and he seems like a very unpleasant person with zero 'vision'. The NDP seem well meaning but not ready to govern. It's a huge question, for many of us!

The balanced budget target was 2019, so nothing to do with Covid. If a Liberal candidate knocks on my door and blames Covid for breaking the 2015 promises of balanced budgets, they’ll get a talking to. And what about the promised electoral reform? If Justin had done that he might not be in such a pickle going into 2025.

As for climate change, I’d like a politician to consider the positives for Canada and focus not only reducing emissions, but on how Canada can adjust itself to strategically benefit and better compete on the global markets.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/climate-change-farming-1.5461275

 

[kEiThZ]

The problem of housing affordability is only made worse by anything that enables buyers to bid up prices. Longer ams will not improve affordability, it will just bid up prices, enriching existing homeowners.

This is why it's hard to take these claims of improving affordability. Literally everything they do aims to find a way to get young people to pay more to old people. Good politics. But shitty policy.

 

[kEiThZ]

The balanced budget target was 2019, so nothing to do with Covid. If a Liberal candidate knocks on my door and blames Covid for breaking the 2015 promises of balanced budgets, they’ll get a talking to.

We went from "small deficits of $10B/yr" to fund infrastructure, to cumulatively $100B in total deficits pre-Covid with only a few billion in new infrastructure funding. If they had spent $50B of that on housing or HSR or buying new military equipment, we'd be having a very different conversation right now. Most of their deficit spending went to transfers and expanding the public sector, which, this being Canada, eventually ended up inflating housing.