How’s Carney doing, Canada?

Politics & Elections
61

The people who got over JT are the people who supported him (and don’t like being reminded of it) and chalk up clearly racist behavior to ‘youthful indiscretions’. He was nearly 30.

And I suggest you reread why he was referenced. It was in relation to the current PM potentially racking up even more debt than JT who had racked up more debt than anyone before him.

62

I’m 65. “Nearly 30” is “youthful” to me nowadays.

And I never supported him.

63

My question for Mr Carney would be; how is it we have to pay sales tax on internet services that the people taking profits from them don’t have to pay any income tax on? That seems unfair. It’s either real enough to tax for both parties or it’s not.

If Bezos doesn’t pay taxes on the profit of the service, why do I have to pay sales tax on it?

I’ll wait and see if this move isn’t maneuvering more than capitulation. I’m not going to take any hard position just yet. These are difficult negotiations, to put it mildly. I voted for him because I trust him, so…I’m going to wait and see, where this ends up.

64

There is only one tax payer. Whether it is a harmonized sales tax of 13%that I directly pay as a consumer or a digital services tax of 3% that the provider is paying, I’m still paying.

65

Why do you hate Carney. I’m quite interested. What polices (or actions) do you dislike and why?

66

Uh, no. No, it’s just as offensive here.

67

If you are asking me, I don’t hate him. JT on the other hand was a nepo baby that only got the job because of who his father was.

I had hoped that he would be better. He took most of the conservative policies, so hope sprang eternal, I guess.

Issues:

  1. He put a bandaid in place to solve the issue of major projects not getting built. He should have scrapped the onerous rules rather than taking power to push through projects that are in the ‘national interest’. That usually devolves into what is in the ‘party’s interest’. While someone who wants to initiate a project will have a better chance of getting such a project through the process, it entirely relies on the PM to greenlight the project. The process should be a checkbox exercise that removes as much ambiguity as possible to instill confidence in the initiators/investors that if they meet certain conditions and regulations that they will get their project approved and their money isn’t being wasted. The approval should not be done by politicians the same way that politicians shouldn’t count ballots.
  2. Dithering. Tax on, Tax off. I guess once he realized his mistake and corrected it is a good thing, but it was obvious that Trump wouldn’t like it and would object. Maybe he thinks he is more than a boil on the elephants behind.
  3. Kept the clowns in the show.
  4. Can’t spot stupid. Plans on implementing tariffs on countries that don’t have similar carbon policies. Called a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). Guess which country currently bordering Canada and run by an unhinged orangutan would not meet those conditions? I hope you can guess the result, because he seems to lack that ability.
  5. Running up the debt like a narcissistic nepo baby who thinks the budget will balance itself. Not presenting a budget so parliament can question him on it.
68

You’re understating things significantly. The hatred for Trudeau isn’t actually related to anything Justin ever did. It’s because of his dad’s National Energy Program, which was 45 years ago.

69

Good observation. It’s like generational trauma.

70

We have always been at war with Ottowainia.

ETA for clarity: “we” is Albertan separatists.

71

Right, I’m one of ‘them’.

72

Since Carney seems bent on expanding government spending without specifically calling for expansion in the tax base. And now - Carney's cabinet asked to find 'ambitious savings' ahead of fall budget | CBC News

Which feels like program review is on the table, so this might be interesting - Canada's Federal Spending Reviews: 50 Years of Facts, Figures, and Lessons (FON1-J13) - CSPS

73

You know though, they dropped the GST to give provinces fiscal space to increase their own taxes to cover all sorts of things. I don’t think very many provinces did that so when the inevitable downloading happens I expect lots of screaming and yelling and gnashing of teeth. Such fun times.

74

It’s because of his dad’s National Energy Program, which was 45 years ago.

And the worst thing Canada ever did giving away natural resources for Alberta to squander.
If Canada had done like other nations and nationalized oil and gas Canada would be better off.
See Norway. :kangaroo:

75

So you support asymmetrical federalism, where the three prairie provinces have less rights than the other seven provinces, and as junior partners, without resource revenue, depend on allowances from the federal government?

Or are you saying that the federal government should take over all natural resources from all the provinces? Take over hydro from Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and BC? Forestry from all the other provinces? Mines and minerals from all the provinces? So that none of the provinces have control over natural resources?

76

Not that you asked, but my first response on these questions is, “if Tommy Douglas is leading a province, then I’m for provincial rights. If Danielle Smith is leading a province, then I’m for a stronger federal government. Unless that government is headed by Peter Poilievre, in which case a pox on both their houses, and the senate, too!”

Not very helpful, I know.

Re the question of separatism, virtually every province except Ontario has muttered about getting a raw deal out of confederation and about seceding. See, for example, The Politics of Resentment: B.C. Regionalism and Canadian Unity, from about 25 years ago. What makes Alberta’s claims repellent is the oil-fuelled Trump-lite politics and posturing that are wrapped up in the demand for “more.”

By “Alberta,” I hasten to add, I mean the current Alberta government and its ilk, not the people of Alberta as a whole. Some of my best friends are Albertans. The Edmonton chapter of the IWW, for example, is a fine group.

77

You think Canada wouldn’t have squandered it like they’ve squandered their massive resource opportunities so far?
As mentioned previously, Quebec has LNG. Nationalize that for the benefit of all of Canada. Let us know how that goes?

To Add: Quebec has declined to build these resource causing a detriment to the rest of Canada. At least Alberta is paying something to Canada for its resources. The argument for taking over what they refuse to develop should be self evident if you’re concerned about provinces squandering opportunities.

You think I’m paranoid, but it is plain as day in the comments I read here. Central Canadians think they know better than us rubes do on how to manage our resources. Yet, you can’t figure out how to build a bloody road to the ring of fire in 20 years. You wonder why the laws that you create to hamper progress there are objectionable when you try to enforce them on us in the west?

78

There is a difference between strategic natural resources and non-strategic.
For a simple example, oil & gas versus maple syrup.

There is already discussion along these lines for critical minerals - I do not support foreign ownership of critical resources and that includes water.

I am leery of provincial control of strategic resources - they are not sovereign entities and there is a scale problem that arises.

Good outline here of the NEP

79

so you do want the prairie provinces to have less control over their natural resources than the other seven provinces? Junior status in Confederation?

Or do you consider minerals generally, and hydro power, also to be strategic resources, and the feds should take them away from all the provinces?

How do you propose the nationalisation should have occurred, considering that natural resource ownership by the provinces is part of the constitutional framework of the federation?

80

Deal made between the EU and US. Trump seems to want to balance trade. If Canada has a trade surplus of $63B, what will it have to do to level that?