The first known use of the word “parliament” was in 11th century France, referring to the practice of holding discussions or negotiations … expanding in early 1200s Britain to meetings of the governing council.
Canada’s Parliament … our 45th … is now back in session and there will be LOTS of talk … much of it competing to become the clip used on the nightly news, “from coast to coast to coast.” ๐
Canadians, however, need more than that: we need ACTION!
ACTION to get our economy growing again with incentives that reward new ideas, encourage new projects, lead to new investments.
ACTION that assists workers, jobs, businesses to survive, refocus and even thrive, despite America’s tariff war against us.
ACTION that refocuses foreign policies, increases free-trade deals and awards major contracts to democratic nations that offer reciprocal new deals.
ACTION domestically to expedite, encourage and enable major development and transportation projects that can provide the world with much needed resources and Canada with reliable markets.
ACTION that streamlines processes and provides incentives to get massive housing investments, approvals and home construction building again.
ACTION that makes our streets/shops safe again, by reforming bail laws, strengthening sentencing to reflect the seriousness of crimes committed and also keep repeat offenders in jail.
ACTION that reforms our Immigration, Temporary Workers and Foreign Student programs to more carefully regulate numbers, prevent exploitation and keep out/deport those who abuse our welcome by sowing dissent/protests/violence, and
ACTION that restores our health care system system with adequate funding, medical training positions, staffing levels so no Canadian waits hours in Emergency to see a doctor, days to get a physician’s appointment, weeks to see a specialist or months to have surgery when needed.
Talk is cheap … and Parliament will hear much of it over the next several months.
But what Canada REALLY needs right now from the 343 Members of Parliament (169 Liberals; 144 Conservatives; 22 Bloc Quebecois; 7 NDP; and 1 Green) is ACTION to heal our ailing nation, rebuild our economy and laws to protect people in the best country in the world from our foes … both foreign and domestic.
Harv Oberfeld
๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆCheck the labels. Buy Canadian! ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ
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Chrystia Freeland is leaving and I expect more will follow. It was hilarious when a reporter asked if Chrystia Freeland’s new position is a real job. Sean Fraser is a horrible minister, and I feel the same way about Melanie Joly. I wish I had a job where I could take such a long vacation (in the middle of an existential crisis) and get paid, but I don’t. The hopeless CBC will continue to tell us how wonderful the government is, and we’ll eventually have a budget.
I predict we’ll see no new pipelines, and former Brookfield CEO Mark Carney’s American stocks will do extremely well. He’ll do his best to convince ordinary Canadians he cares about them, and he’ll continue to blame the American president for all of Canada’s problems. Instead of actually starting new projects, he created more bureaucracy by announcing that Dawn Farrell will head the Major Projects Office from Calgary. It’s the move of a typical politician- make it look like you’re doing something when you’re not doing anything.
I could write far more, but I won’t. I’ll just add a little more. The clueless Prime Minister announced that Canada will recognize a Palestinian state when Hamas disarms. A reporter should have asked him why he expects a terrorist organization for the last 18 years (Hamas) to suddenly disarm. Of course I seriously doubt that the media will ask that. Let’s have a poll that asks the following: If Mark Carney loses the next election, do you expect him to leave Canada?
(Responses: Yes, a couple of more Liberal Ministers will apparently soon leave for greener pastures ..so soon after being elected. Imagine any other job where, within weeks of starting, you can take a few months of half-work or even entire paid vacation, and then just walk away. I think you’d be sued! Clearly, they care more about themselves than their constituents or the rest of us taxpayers (by-elections are expensive!) Ho)
No action, then I hope to see the government fall. Don’t like to see that, but not use keeping lame ducks at the wheel that’ll just keep us in the hole or worse, drag us down further than a Trudeau moment. And the Bloc should take things seriously that we are all in this Canadian family as one and not just for themselves. Tongue in cheek here. The NDP…well we know their act. They deserved everything they got. I’m just sick of the selfishness and backstabbing of Canadians.
(Response: Carney/government are safe for quite some time. I sense Canadians widely agree/support how he is dealing with the Mad Hatter, the economy and now, crime and bail reform; Poilievre has to concentrate on keeping his job in the upcoming January leadership review; the NDP has no leader and is broke; the Bloc is happy with it’s current position/power. We won’t see any serious challenges to the minority Liberal government until next Spring or more likely, Fall. Ho)
Any party elected to office in Canada needs a functioning bureaucracy to turn talk into action and unfortunately Canada does not have that kind of bureaucracy at the moment. I think it is instructive the on Carney’s primary concerns, major projects and housing he created two new bureaucracies to carry out the action plan.
Donald J. Savoie, noted constitutional commenter, in a recent book “Speaking Truth to Canadians about the Public Service”. Savoie makes two points, the balance between policy development and program delivery has been up ended over the 25 years, dispute the growth in the civil service. What he calls poets versus plumbers. Poets now out number plumbers. At 44% Canada has the most civil services in its capital Ottawa compared to all other industrial nations. Canada alone of all the G7 nations has not had it civil servants back in the office.
Secondly, with the concentration of power in the Prime Minsters office trust has been lost. As he writes โtrust is the foundation upon which the legitimacy of democratic institutions rests.โ. The public and politicians no longer trust the bureaucracy, and the bureaucracy no longer trusts the politicians.
Having worked in the federal civil services for a few years in the late 70’s can truly agree with what he has written that “For much of our history, the federal public service was a prized and valued profession โ a high calling. More than just a job, it was a vocation. Civil servants are the grease and glue to a well-functioning democracy. We need to get it back.”
(Response: The first rule of any public bureaucracy (federal, provincial, regional, municipal) is survival of the department; the second is growth of the department; the third is actual performance. When I was in Ottawa, I actually new someone who got a job at Transport, was given a task to do, finished it in a couple of hours…and got hell for finishing too fast, instead of stringing it out all day. And everyone in politics, the public service and the media were well aware of how departments rushed to spend money left over in their budgets towards the end of the fiscal year … to avoid getting CUT in the next, and justify getting even more! Here’s hoping, with Canada’s current economic challenges, Carney will be able to streamline the system, cut the waste, and get ACTION out of the bureaucracy to expedite, approve and bring major projects to reality. Ho)
Of virtue signalling and tokenism risk
Many calls for action, but the problem is money and the lack there of.
Forget about “Free Trade” it wasn’t and never has been “Free Trade”, rather it was a vehicle to move industry to 3rd world countries and make huge profits for international corporations and cartels via cheap wages.
The tarnish was growing with “Free Trade”, with our housing crisis where housing cost rocketed by wages, to such an extent, people are living on the streets.
The housing crisis is not about housing, it is about affordability (over 3,000 empty condos on the market in metro Vancouver). Eby’s NDP are so far off the mark on this, with their density stupidity, that they are making matters worse by tearing down affordable housing and building unaffordable housing. The inmates are truly running the asylum!
Of course those with generous union or corporate wages could afford, but the average Canadian got left behind in the dust.
The present chaos was going to happen, but one Mr. Trump in a fit of malignant narcissism attacked Canada with tariffs and even declared war by musing making Canada the 51st state.
I think Carney has done a lot, yet our utterly lazy media doesn’t see it that way, but Carney has to turn a largely US dependent economy into a domestic “war time’ economy in short order.
It can be done and it was done in 1939, but the big problem are the Maple MAGA’s who infest the Conservative party, pure Trump/USA assets.
Canada is on a rocky ride and the Canadian populace or more directly the Canadian taxpayer had better be prepared for big changes and higher taxes.
From my perspective, the key is Carney cancelling the F-35 project and instead go into partnership with SAAB and build plants to build the Griffin and next gen aircraft. That will tell the tale.
(Response: I don’t envy Carney/federal government in tackling the economic problems facing Canada right now. The US is basically blocking Canadian steel, aluminum, lumber while the Chinese are blocking Canadian canola, pork, seafoods etc. If we remove our 100% tariff on Chinese EVs to help our exports there, or cancel the F35 deal Trump will go apoplectic … putting at risk CUSMA, which is also coming up for renegotiation. We’re really being bullied by two major trading partners … which makes increasing major domestic housing/internal trade more important than ever, while going BIG with mining, gas, oil projects other allies need even more important than ever! All that needs major incentives for the private sector … by cutting red tape, capital gains taxes and getting the activists, anarchists and shakedown artists out of the way. Good luck! Ho )
On an separate note about EV’s, they are catching fire and you can’t put them out. The 2nd car carrying ship went up in flames about a moth ago in the North pacific and a school bus in Montreal spontaneously combusted.
The big problem now is that more and more shipping lines (Matson Line the latest) are banning carrying electric cars and the railways are also taking note.
This has made shipping cars both very problematic and very expensive.
Trump has dictator envy, and wants to please them and be in their image and good graces like in Putins as being a tough guy, but all he is, is a little bullying man child, thug and a coward who finds his happy spot in picking on his own and other vulnerable weaker nations, and now comedians, media and journalists and with the help of his spineless FCC ass kisser and intimidated coward Chairman. We have to face what this creature is and call it what it is. The unhinged and intimidating bully will go apoplectic at the drop of a hat and it wont stop now. All we can do is keeping breaking out and aligning in friendship and trade with our allies more and more, while building our own muscle mass up. I always shook my head trying to figure out how the mighty American miltary complex and its leaders and the nation in general has gone about the business of war across the globe in so called defense of those oppressed and democracy building and losing so much blood and treasure for many elusive goals, but can’t defend its own democracy against a few thugs that herds them like sheep dogs. God almighty I hope we can keep this mess out of our backyard. Sorry for added extra extra extra, read all about it but this era of the Madman in our midst is going to hinge on a lot of what’s going on, and what’s going to happen. Pray for our future.
Quite an ambitious list Harvey. Fingers crossed that there is action on some or all of those you have outlined.
Your response to one of your bloggers about Mr. Poilievre rang true for me. Since his reelection he has already alienated me. His caustic speech is never ending. I really wonder if he could do much better, if he were prime minister. Several months ago I thought he was the answer but now I’m not so sure.
It’s not that I feel Mr. Carney is doing a fantastic job. I believe he is coping the best he can given having to deal with that mad man south of the border.
If an election were held tomorrow I don’t think I would even vote for either man. I am a senior and that would be the first time in my life that I did not vote in a federal election. The other parties mean nothing to me.
I hope there is somebody out there that can change my mind. The clock is ticking.
(Response: My comments to DM Johnston kind pf sum it all up … with no easy answers. Poilievre has a tough task too: he is Opposition leader, with a duty to criticize, find flaws and offer better alternatives/amendments … but I don’t think most Canadians right now believe snide remarks or glib slogans will solve anything. Ho)
When’s the last time real voters were listened to?
(Response: We’re listened to just before and during every election campaign: too bad actually governing seems so much more difficult for them! Ho)
I had those dreams also.
I’ll be most interested in seeing how Poilievre acts.
I somehow doubt he has been humbled and will just continue to be a vacuous sh!t disturber.
(Response: Poilievre has a real challenge ahead: if keeps up with his biting, sarcastic slogans/criticism of Carney and the government he could alienate middle of the road Canadians, who want the country to pull together in the face of Trump’s aggression; but, if he’s seen as too soft, co-operative by the Conservative base, he could face a tough time at the party’s leadership review in January. What’s a politician to do??? ๐ Ho)
Shouldn’t you be more concerned what the Liberals are going to do???? Strange that you would focus on the leader of the opposition. Aren’t you concerned that Carney has done virtually nothing for the country so far, while our deficit is out of control, immigration is out of control, crime is rampant, health care is in the toilet, etc. But if you feel you have to focus anywhere else but on the government in charge, what has that say about you and your priorities?
(Response: The election was on April 28, and the issues you pointed to …and I did as well … all require substantive legislation changes to hopefully be properly addressed/corrected and I think most Canadians accept the process (consultation, developing policy, writing legislation) can take months and aren’t that upset…yet. It’s also quite natural, with a minority government, dealing with a national economic emergency … to wonder how the Opposition will handle things. Especially when we have an Opposition Leader who is facing his own job review in a few months! Ho)
Marge, Harveyโs response to you is better than I could do.
Would you have Carney avail himself of the equivalent of executive orders, to get your agenda moving?
My concern with Poilievre is he could be the same old same old, and be nothing but disruptive, interfering with your very own wish list.
So far I haven’t seen any changes in Poilievre’s style.
Abrasive, mocking, churlish.
Unelectable in his current stance.
Oh well, at least he drove Trudeau to resign.
(Response: I was thinking about that the other day: imagine if Justin was still PM … I wonder if most of the proposed resource projects, tax relief, crime/bail reform now being green-lighted (and more to come in November) would likely still be sitting on a shelf … or wastebasket ..somewhere. Ho)
Speaking of wastebaskets.
Where IS our former leader?
Its like he fell off the face of the Earth.
(not that I’m complaining…)
That is not what I meant at all and both you and Harvey are taking it the wrong way.
The focus should be on the Government and what they are going to do. Carney behaves as if he were President so your analogy of executive order is kind of funny to say the least. Didn’t he get rid of the carbon tax all on his OWN??? LOL at you for forgetting that one.
Parliament should have been recalled earlier as there are so many issues at stake. Carney chose not to and that is why I am saying that the focus should be on the Liberals and what they are going to be doing. The role of the opposition is to hold them to task and see that things are accomplished.
(Response: Yes, the focus should be on what the Liberals are actually doing: that’s why I called for ACTION, not just debate/theater. But with the election April 28 and the subsequent time to form government, appoint a Cabinet, have the Ministers get to know their portfolios, then come up with ideas/solutions and very complex legislation ..recalling Parliament over the summer would have yielded little more than just clips for the news … no actual ACTION plans. Now, they have no excuses … time to come up with real solutions … or get raked over the coals if they fail! Ho)
I kind of wonder what Poliviere would be like as the opposition leader in BC instead the useless one we have now.
Marge, it now seems I am not alone concerning Mr. Poilievre, and if what you said was misunderstood by more than one person, then it is the message that is flawed, not the reader. Itโs the American way.
And since weโre here, was it me or my comment you disapprove of? โ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ป’๐ ๐๐ผ๐ be more concerned what the Liberals are going to do???? ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ would focus on the leader of the oppositionโฆ.. ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐.โ
Thats quite a list Harvey.
I suspect if even one item is actually fixed in a year….I would be amazed.
Politicians only “act” when it suits them.
(and I mean act as in theatrics… )
Political posturing to either make themselves look good and the opposition look bad.
(Shakespeare was wrong about the Lawyers, he should have said politicians….)
Squabbling children in a sandbox blaming each other for everything and anything to make themselves look better.
Most voters are disgusted.
Democracy is an embarrassment of riches and the autocratic regimes like nothing better than replaying endless video clips to their citizens of our depraved, debauched, despondent “voters” screaming at the barricades as police spray tear gas and swing clubs.
(Response: Maybe too optimistic? ๐ Debate is good; amendments can help; Question Period can even entertain … but I get the impression Trump wants Canada on its knees and is not willing to do a fair deal, so Canada is facing major economic hurt! We need to expand major domestic projects/spending and solidify new foreign markets/friends … and need the legislation/incentives NOW to get this done. ACTION! Ho)