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[Canada] Politics of the Democratic Friedmanite Republic of the Government of Harper

AzioAzio Registered User regular
edited April 2012 in Debate and/or Discourse
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The government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada / Parti conservateur du Canada;

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Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, the New Democratic Party / Nouveau Parti démocratique, led by Thomas Mulcair;

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the Liberal Party of Canada / Parti libéral du Canada, with interim leader Bob Rae;

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le Bloc québécois, mené par Daniel Paillé;

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Elizabeth May of the Green Party of Canada / Parti vert du Canada;

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and Her Majesty / Sa Majesté Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

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Azio on
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Posts

  • AegisAegis Fear My Dance Overshot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Ah, new thread smell. Thread title's a bit out there mind you.

    Something I was curious about because it didn't come up often. They've been mentioning that the Bloc has lost official party status having fallen so low. What's the metric for that? Is it simply X number of seats, or a share of the vote?

    Aegis on
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  • TenekTenek Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    12 seats gets you into the exclusive Official Party club. Also a decoder ring.

    Tenek on
  • Disco11Disco11 Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I forget, what's the advantage to having official party status again? Apart from the decoder ring and your theme song played when you enter the chamber?

    Disco11 on
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  • BlarghyBlarghy Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Official parties get alloted time in Question Period to ask questions and money/staff for research for said questions.

    Blarghy on
  • AzioAzio Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    The Conservatives have already started breaking promises and they haven't even named their cabinet yet.

    Remember how they said they would sort out the budget by 2015? I guess they're not so sure about that anymore.
    With the election results barely a week old, Conservatives are muddying the waters around a central – and surprising – campaign pledge.

    The revised 2011 budget that the government will present next month will not show a surplus by 2014-15 as promised in black and white in the Conservative campaign platform, even though the government insists it still intends to deliver on the election promise.

    Azio on
  • GreasyKidsStuffGreasyKidsStuff MOMMM! ROAST BEEF WANTS TO KISS GIRLS ON THE TITTIES!Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Ahahahahahahaaaaaaaa

    Posted on my Facebook for all my conservative friends to see. For great justice.

    GreasyKidsStuff on
  • RichyRichy Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Blarghy wrote: »
    Official parties get alloted time in Question Period to ask questions and money/staff for research for said questions.
    Also the per-vote subsidy are only given to official parties, so the Bloc will be losing that money as well.


    But then again everyone will lose that when Harper cuts it out and makes political parties the exclusive property of major corporations.

    Richy on
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  • RichyRichy Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Also, this needs to be in the OP:

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    Richy on
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  • AzioAzio Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    It is done.

    Obligatory comedy photos:

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    Azio on
  • RobmanRobman Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    The greater comedy is that the Conservatives have already broken a campaign promise - they are no longer claiming that the budget will be cut in order to balance the books by 2014. It's been what, a week?

    Robman on
  • psyck0psyck0 Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Welp. Saw that coming. Conservatives run the campaign refusing to talk about any of their corruption or abuse of power and just yelling about the budget and economy, and are now admiting that they can't actually control that stuff anyway. Pretty typical.

    psyck0 on
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  • LucidLucid Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Harper looks like he either already is or is about to strangle those poor kittens.

    Lucid on
  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    My thoughts exactly.

    Also, the Conservatives already admitting they don't know WTF to do on the budget or the economy?

    I'm shocked I tell you, SHOCKED!

    shryke on
  • AzioAzio Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I like how most of their campaign promises were contingent on balancing the budget in FY 2014-15. It would appear that their plan is to string us all along for the next five years with empty assurances of income splitting and other tax credits that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy. Meanwhile we can look forward to:

    - Copyright "modernization" that will make it illegal to convert your DVDs to watch them on your iPhone.
    - $65 billion dollar American fighter jets, which are apparently ill-suited to various specific applications. Engines and avionics not included.
    - A PQ government in Québec and the threat of another sovereignty referendum.
    - More tax cuts to corporations, based on discredited trickle-down economic snake oil which dictates that this will create jobs. "It's the economy, stupid!"
    - More prisons, more prisoners.
    - More deficits, more public debt.
    - More corporate mergers, especially in the telecommunications, television, radio and print media sector.
    - More deregulation (or arbitrarily selective regulation) of energy, food and telecommunications.
    - More gazebos and hockey rinks in CPC ridings.
    - More of this.
    - No more per-voter subsidies to political parties. Parties will now have to rely on personal donations from private individuals. These donations are subsidized to the tune of 75%.
    - No more gun registry. Fuck, they might as well obliterate the rest of the Firearms Act while they're at it.




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    Hey guys. I know our party isn't doing too well but I have a great strategy. Let's get an uncharismatic ex-pat professor who supports US imperialism and make him the head of our party. If he can't win a leadership race then we'll just bullshit him into office. Soon we'll be back to permanent majority territory.

    Azio on
  • Gnome-InterruptusGnome-Interruptus Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Thanks for the link on the CPC going backwards on the budget, I posted it to my Facebook as well, and even though I have no proof of it, am enjoying the uncomfortable silences it is causing for some of my "friends".

    Gnome-Interruptus on
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  • saggiosaggio Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Azio wrote:
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    <3<3<3

    saggio on
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  • RobmanRobman Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    It should be a surprise to exactly nobody that the CPC lied through their teeth.

    The real fun is to look to the mess Dalton McGuinty inherited when he won his majority in Ontario - the Conservatives had flat out fabricated their budget reports. This is legal. There was nothing they could do, no recourse they could seek - the Ontario Conservative Party outrageously cooked the books and left a HUGE deficit.

    The next government is going to be similar to Chretein's - they're going to spend at least 10 years getting our nation's financial house in order. It won't be pretty, we will lose vital services, but maybe we can tax the rich fuckers who are going to thoroughly enjoy Mulroney/Thatcher 2.0

    Robman on
  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    It seems we've all had to suffer the return of 80s conservatism. First the Americans, then the Brits, and now us.

    Sigh.

    shryke on
  • AzioAzio Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    MILF alert!

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    Turns out Ruth Ellen photographs quite well, and her French isn't all that much worse than Harper's. Who'da thunk.

    Azio on
  • McKidMcKid Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Yep, saw her talking on the TV and she's not that bad. With intensive courses, she might actually speak a "better" (i.e. proper) French than her constituents, who are quite rural folks.

    McKid on
  • Disco11Disco11 Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Heard her speak the other day. Not bad... Not what the media was portraying that she had no french skills.

    Disco11 on
    PSN: Canadian_llama
  • McKidMcKid Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Ruth Ellen Brosseau y a aussi croisé Muguette Paillé


    Translation : Ruth Ellen Brosseau also met Muguette Paillé.

    I'm giggling right now

    McKid on
  • RobmanRobman Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    She's probably been doing 14-16 hours a day intensive 1 on 1 French training for the past 10 days. Since she grew up in Ottawa, she probably did French in high school out to grade 12... it's not that surprising that she's recovered her language skills.

    The change in makeup also helps - she's not "generic hot blonde" any more, but they've got some great stylists who have her looking like a young professional executive. Nobody said the NDP were incompetent, just idealistic.

    EDIT The real long term challenge is going to be keeping the public eyes off the under-25s. People look very similar for the period of 25-40 if they take care of themselves, but there's no mistaking that early-20s youthfulness. They're probably going to be the most heavily handled politicians in the party outside of Jack

    Robman on
  • RobmanRobman Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Well chaps, that didn't take long

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harpers-hard-line-on-arctic-softens-among-us-envoys-leaked-cables/article2019906/

    Harper's been quietly selling us out to the USA while grandstanding on military vessels

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/debate-is-on-as-thousands-protest-against-abortion-on-parliament-hill/article2020101/

    The Tory faithful are marching by the thousands on parliament hill, and the counter-protest was removed by the police.

    Robman on
  • LucidLucid Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    You had a good run Canada, was nice.

    Lucid on
  • SloSlo Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Im dying of depressing laughter about the budget thing. Lead us out of an economic crisis my ass, they can`t even stick to a budget.

    The abortion thing isn`t surprising, its just sad. We`re going to see massive cuts to abortion clinics everywhere. Youth clinics are already facing massive cuts, and have to lower the age that they can supply birth control to (So they said to my girlfriend). More unloved babies to fill those prisons that they`re building! I SEE IT NOW!

    Slo on
  • DeciusDecius I'm old! I'm fat! I'M BLUE!Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I do love how most of Canada is cheering for the Oilers though. Just look at all that blue and orange. We're number one!*

    *[tiny]in the entry draft[/tiny]

    Decius on
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  • RobmanRobman Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    The only question is how good a Ringmaster Harper is; his circus is diverse and often at cross-purposes. Like some people have said, the most powerful people in Parliament are the moderate wing of the CPC. Harper knows his fundie base elements are braying for blood, but he also knows he will lose every seat he gained in Ontario (and a lot elsewhere) if their xenophobic anti-woman attitudes become common knowledge.

    I'm pretty sure Harper wants to at least meet Chretien's record of 3 majorities, so he's going to go down fighting against the clowns.

    Robman on
  • Torso BoyTorso Boy Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Slo wrote: »
    Im dying of depressing laughter about the budget thing. Lead us out of an economic crisis my ass, they can`t even stick to a budget.

    The abortion thing isn`t surprising, its just sad. We`re going to see massive cuts to abortion clinics everywhere. Youth clinics are already facing massive cuts, and have to lower the age that they can supply birth control to (So they said to my girlfriend). More unloved babies to fill those prisons that they`re building! I SEE IT NOW!

    Press left ctrl and right shift to bring your keyboard back into English Canada.

    As hard as it is to say, I'm on Harper's side in a sense: the abortion issue is not something we need to bring back up.

    Torso Boy on
  • KlashKlash Lost... ... in the rainRegistered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Torso Boy wrote: »
    Slo wrote: »
    Im dying of depressing laughter about the budget thing. Lead us out of an economic crisis my ass, they can`t even stick to a budget.

    The abortion thing isn`t surprising, its just sad. We`re going to see massive cuts to abortion clinics everywhere. Youth clinics are already facing massive cuts, and have to lower the age that they can supply birth control to (So they said to my girlfriend). More unloved babies to fill those prisons that they`re building! I SEE IT NOW!

    Press left ctrl and right shift to bring your keyboard back into English Canada.

    As hard as it is to say, I'm on Harper's side in a sense: the abortion issue is not something we need to bring back up.

    From what I understand, that's not really the case, though. The CPC might not bring it up, but that doesn't stop them from doing stuff, like the defunding for interntaional stuff that the Saska. CPC member was on about and wouldn't shut up about even after his party told him to.

    The best way to do things that aren't popular and get away with them is to not bring them up but do them anyways and then shift attention. Like in the debates, just tell everyone it was a dream and that its simply not true. If portions of their party, particularly vocal and base parts of their party, stick to certain values and proposals, then they should always be brought up. People should know what they're getting in bed with.

    Klash on
    We don't even care... whether we care or not...
  • RobmanRobman Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    No I think we should bring up the Abortion debate

    But we should really debate it. We should go over the arguments and lay bare how abortion laws target the poor - wealthy people can always skip town to Europe if they have an "inconvenience". We should note how many women in New Brunswick cannot get abortions because only a few hospitals offer the service, and traveling to them is outside the realm of economic possibility.

    We should also examine the lackluster social support we offer in this nation to young families, how charity-run food banks are being exhausted and how miserable the working poor are. We might let them see a doctor in a shitty, over-crowded clinic that charges a $20 administration fee per visit, but by god we're a pretty terrible nation to be poor in.

    EDIT Hell I know my friend's mom, who runs an ob/gyn clinic in a major city, would happily testify before parliament. She'd testify that she's given abortion to scared nuns, to angry religious mothers dragging their 16 year old daughters in, to worried young lawyers who don't want their careers to end before they've started... we need to put a fucking human face on abortions. As long as it's something "we won't bring up" and as long as we're content to let the fundamentalists frame the argument, the entire debate will be about bloody fetuses and quiet funding cuts.

    As long as we're content to let people challenge the right for free, accessible abortions without answer we are basically condoning their behaviour with our inaction.

    Robman on
  • JeanJean Heartbroken papa bear Gatineau, QuébecRegistered User regular
    edited May 2011
    MILF alert!

    I agree than she's hot but she's only 27 so I don't think the term MILF applies to her.
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    My, who's that handsome young fellow?:winky:

    Jean on
    "You won't destroy us, You won't destroy our democracy. We are a small but proud nation. No one can bomb us to silence. No one can scare us from being Norway. This evening and tonight, we'll take care of each other. That's what we do best when attacked'' - Jens Stoltenberg
  • OtarOtar Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Jean wrote: »
    MILF alert!

    I agree than she's hot but she's only 27 so I don't think the term MILF applies to her.

    Eh, she has kids so I think it's fair game.

    Otar on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • RichyRichy Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Otar wrote: »
    Jean wrote: »
    MILF alert!

    I agree than she's hot but she's only 27 so I don't think the term MILF applies to her.

    Eh, she has kids so I think it's fair game.

    Yeah, MILF stands for "mother", not "middle-age". I think the term you're thinking of Jean is "cougar".

    Richy on
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  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Klash wrote: »
    Torso Boy wrote: »
    Slo wrote: »
    Im dying of depressing laughter about the budget thing. Lead us out of an economic crisis my ass, they can`t even stick to a budget.

    The abortion thing isn`t surprising, its just sad. We`re going to see massive cuts to abortion clinics everywhere. Youth clinics are already facing massive cuts, and have to lower the age that they can supply birth control to (So they said to my girlfriend). More unloved babies to fill those prisons that they`re building! I SEE IT NOW!

    Press left ctrl and right shift to bring your keyboard back into English Canada.

    As hard as it is to say, I'm on Harper's side in a sense: the abortion issue is not something we need to bring back up.

    From what I understand, that's not really the case, though. The CPC might not bring it up, but that doesn't stop them from doing stuff, like the defunding for interntaional stuff that the Saska. CPC member was on about and wouldn't shut up about even after his party told him to.

    The best way to do things that aren't popular and get away with them is to not bring them up but do them anyways and then shift attention. Like in the debates, just tell everyone it was a dream and that its simply not true. If portions of their party, particularly vocal and base parts of their party, stick to certain values and proposals, then they should always be brought up. People should know what they're getting in bed with.

    Exactly.

    It's not that Harper isn't doing anything on the abortion issue, it's that he's just not talking about it.

    shryke on
  • RichyRichy Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Robman wrote: »
    Well chaps, that didn't take long

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harpers-hard-line-on-arctic-softens-among-us-envoys-leaked-cables/article2019906/

    Harper's been quietly selling us out to the USA while grandstanding on military vessels

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/debate-is-on-as-thousands-protest-against-abortion-on-parliament-hill/article2020101/

    The Tory faithful are marching by the thousands on parliament hill, and the counter-protest was removed by the police.
    Honestly, neither of those articles are as alarming as you paint them to be.

    The first one simply says that Harper is more pragmatic in diplomatic talks than he is on the campaign trail. That's probably a good thing. The cables quoted show the US are concerned about Harper diverting Canadian military resources to the North away from "post-Afghanistan expeditionary missions", which sounds good to me, and mapping the undersea continental shelf to support Canadian claims. That actually sounds like the opposite of "selling us out".

    The second is an annual anti-choice protest that's been taking place on this date every year for decades; that it falls right after the election of a majority Conservative government this year is a bad coincidence. Calling them "Tory faithful" is a bit disingenuous given that they themselves are on record saying they have no faith in the Tories. And while I want to make clear that I am fully, 100% against the anti-choice agenda and this protest, it is not the police's job to take a political stance. Given a planned march for X, and a counter-protest against X (that kinda sounds like it was spontaneous?) leading to "argumentative confrontations", the cops have to maintain order and the counter-protest is the one that's in the wrong in this case.

    Richy on
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  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    The Tory faithful are marching by the thousands on parliament hill, and the counter-protest was removed by the police.

    ...And I'm kind of glad. We had, I think in 2007, an anti-choice rally met by a pro-choice counter-rally in Edmonton. The city police decided that they would stand on the sidelines because both sides pledged that they would not use violence.

    Guess how many minutes went by before the protests spiraled into a quite violent riot?


    I also don't know if it's accurate to call all of the anti-choice folks Tories. A lot of the Liberals I know are anti-choice.

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    - More prisons, more prisoners.

    And it's worth noting that a vast majority of those prisoners are going to be native americans. We lock up more natives than the Americans lock up black people, in terms of percentages, if I'm recalling the stats correctly.


    But nope, nope, our criminal justice system is totally working as intended and needs nothing other than larger prisoners to put all of those [strike]damn natives[/strike] violent offenders in...

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • Edith_Bagot-DixEdith_Bagot-Dix Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Richy wrote: »
    Robman wrote: »
    Well chaps, that didn't take long

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harpers-hard-line-on-arctic-softens-among-us-envoys-leaked-cables/article2019906/

    Harper's been quietly selling us out to the USA while grandstanding on military vessels

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/debate-is-on-as-thousands-protest-against-abortion-on-parliament-hill/article2020101/

    The Tory faithful are marching by the thousands on parliament hill, and the counter-protest was removed by the police.
    Honestly, neither of those articles are as alarming as you paint them to be.

    The first one simply says that Harper is more pragmatic in diplomatic talks than he is on the campaign trail. That's probably a good thing. The cables quoted show the US are concerned about Harper diverting Canadian military resources to the North away from "post-Afghanistan expeditionary missions", which sounds good to me, and mapping the undersea continental shelf to support Canadian claims. That actually sounds like the opposite of "selling us out".

    The second is an annual anti-choice protest that's been taking place on this date every year for decades; that it falls right after the election of a majority Conservative government this year is a bad coincidence. Calling them "Tory faithful" is a bit disingenuous given that they themselves are on record saying they have no faith in the Tories. And while I want to make clear that I am fully, 100% against the anti-choice agenda and this protest, it is not the police's job to take a political stance. Given a planned march for X, and a counter-protest against X (that kinda sounds like it was spontaneous?) leading to "argumentative confrontations", the cops have to maintain order and the counter-protest is the one that's in the wrong in this case.

    Limed for truth here.

    The Conservatives are certainly more likely than other parties to touch the abortion issue because they draw support from social conservatives, BUT the unofficial "pro-life" (sticking to the "pro" labels each side uses to describe themselves) caucus in the House has drawn its members from every single party. During the last parliament, you could find Conservatives, Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois members among them. Perhaps more than any issue in Canada, it is one where knowing the mind of your local MP is much more important than the policies of the party, because no party is going to come out as "pro-life" in the way Republicans do in the U.S. The real danger to abortion rights in Canada will come from issues that are put to a free vote, and the results will be different than a lot of people might suspect.

    Edith_Bagot-Dix on


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  • Nova_CNova_C I have the need The need for speedRegistered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Azio wrote: »
    - No more gun registry. Fuck, they might as well obliterate the rest of the Firearms Act while they're at it.

    Azio, what the shit? Are you seriously suggesting that without the registry we may as well stop all gun control measures? Can you tell me what the registry accomplished? The RCMP say they 'use' it all the time. Considering the only use I've ever heard cited is checking to see if a home they're headed to has a registered firearm I'm doubtful it's actually a productive measure against the proliferation of firearms and the prevention of firearm related deaths.

    I'm fairly certain that the creation of the registry had no effect on violent crime or the rate at which cops get shot.

    Nova_C on
This discussion has been closed.