Despite my SDMB moniker, I voted early in the BC election and will be tuning in at 8 pm to get the results. Will BC be a bellwether for the federal election?
I don’t think so. Federally it’s mostly about “I hate Trudeau and so should you”
There may be some similarities though. Both federal and provincial conservatives play the "inflation is all the fault of (insert government here). Same as Trump is trying.
Both federal and provincial conservatives play the "the economy is the worst in living memory (disregarding the actual facts). Same as Trump. They both play the “our opposition are all Marxists/Socialists.” Same as Trump.
It may be Oct. 26th before we have any results from the BC election. No clear winner in B.C. election race between NDP, Conservatives | CBC News
It’s the similarities that make me wonder if the success of crazy right Cons in BC will foreshadow success for the crazy right federal Cons: the appeal to the anti-vax, anti-trans, homophobic, misogynist, hateful segments of the population, the anti-big government rhetoric, the attacks on immigration and the poor, the failure to address real issues, and the mindless anger that passes for political conviction.
This article is about the “success” of the right in Alberta and its malignant spread to BC.
The rise of the politics of fear and hate is not surprising, given the dislocations caused by the shifts of the economy, but the failure to develop politics of hope and mutual aid that is reflected in elections is disheartening.
Canada is a moderate country and the differences between the three major parties are, by international standards, reasonably small. No major party is going to much change the health care system, women’s rights, law, foreign policy, taxation, equalization, etc.
Extreme opinions are becoming somewhat more common, and some parties do not always do a good job of disavowing those who hold them. 21% of Canadians support Trump over Harris, mainly Conservatives and younger men. However, the main driver for Conservative success is simply frustration with the status quo and federal Liberals.
Canada has a long tradition of becoming tired with incumbents and picking another party. The Liberals had some clear successes with USMCA and Covid. But a lot of their policies come across to many Canadians as naïve, expensive, smug and ineffective. At a minimum, the government has not been free of scandal and has not lived up to the virtuous promises it made when first elected. It has rarely admitted error or demonstrated humility. You do not need to invoke extremism when there are many reasons to consider new leadership. The biggest problem is that the alternatives are, at best, not much better and will not be much different.
Well, based on everything that I see in the news, I assume that we’ll be stuck with Poilievre, which is very disappointing. During the stupid freedom convoy I was living in Montreal so I was paying a lot of attention to it in the media and from friends and family who live in Ottawa (my wife and I moved back to Ottawa last April). Poilievre took some selfies with the unwashed, fucking ignorant, uneducated Morlocks protestors - obviously a very learned man /s
And listening to his discourse in Parliament is just plain offensive - a fucking mini-Trump.
I understand the historical reality of your points, and would add there is a strong tradition of using provincial elections and governments to provide a counter-weight to the federal government. That is, if, e.g., the Liberals are in power federally, provinces will generally elect Conservative or NDP governments.
But the “Overton window” has shifted in Canada, as it has around the world, and what is considered “moderate” today would have been considered “right wing” 50 years ago, while the crazy shit would have been marginalized and 'way out of the political mainstream. When the BC Con leader and still possible premier, “appeared to support putting officials who oversaw COVID-19 public health measures on trial, similar to how Nazi leaders were prosecuted after the Second World War,” calling for “Nuremberg 2.0,” I am not sanguine about Canada"s “moderation.”
Add to that the lack of a left–the provincial and federal NDPs are more like 1970s federal Liberals–the collapse of a progressive labour movement, inchoate Green parties, and the collapse/transition of the world economy that has restricted the ability of governments to deliver what once were considered “basic services” and ended entire sectors of work, and there may be some ugliness ahead.
You mean they succeeded in implanting sheeple with microchips?
There is some hope, I think, if we consider that elections, like polls, don’t actually tell us much about what people think, feel, or want. They reflect emotional responses that have been created and manipulated and do not connect to reality. Elections are often more like professional wrestling, though the real world consequences are much greater, obvs. When researchers bore down, they often find much more reason, thought, and respect than election results suggest. Can that be built on? Maybe?
But…picture this…Trump takes the Oval Office and immediately sets about doing every vile thing he promised, dismissing judges, persecuting his opponents, decimating women’s rights, etc, etc. All hell breaks loose, outrage, demonstrations, maybe riots? I don’t know, but awful, crazy making stuff, with nut balls saying ridiculous things, etc, until troops are called in, etc.
By the time Canadians get to the polls crazy conservatism may have lost a little of its appeal. Moreover, non voters in droves could turn out to avoid the same for us.
I mean they found a made-in-Canada solution™ to implanting sheeple with microchips. Also, different levels of government united so that a protectionist Trump essentially ended up with NAFTA, and that although imperfect COVID morbidity rates in Canada were decent by global standards and far better than neighbouring countries. For all the crazy talk about COVID and vaccinations, little of it came from politicians and decision makers during the actual pandemic. It took the crazy two or three years to percolate north.
First snow of the year here. Nothing serious; it’s melting as soon as it hits the pavement. But it’s definitely snow. I hope we get a few more nice days later this week, as I still have some remaining fall yardwork to do.
New Brunswick election: Grits defeat Tories; Higgs loses seat, as do five Cabinet ministers.
New York Times Pitchbot: “How This is Bad News for Trudeau”
Not only a Liberal win but Blaine Higgs lost his seat! And Ernie Steeves, the Finance Minister (who used to be a radio personality and I figured would win again on name recognition), lost as well!
A happy morning for me!
I miss @Sam_Stone and his unique perspective on these issues.
There is much rejoicing in the LGTBQ2S+ community today! Here’s hoping this is an end to anti-trans policies that pay no attention to the actual science!
After much thought, I just sent this email out to the PM:
Good Afternoon Prime Minister Trudeau,
I write to you today as a concerned Canadian citizen. I have been involved with the Liberal Party of Canada for my entire life. My father was the riding president for York Centre in the 1970s and was large part of the team that helped Bob Kaplan return to Ottawa in 1974. He met your father on numerous occasions and was a great admirer. I am a firm believer that LPC policies are what Canada and Canadians need and have helped shape the country into what it is today. The actions taken by your government through the Covid crisis were instrumental in the manner in which the country recovered quickly.
We are faced today with the rise of a populist movement headed by the Leader of the Opposition, Pierre Poilievre. His contrary nature and his political sound bites have no policy behind them, just braggadocio. Unfortunately, I believe he has the ear of the average Canadian today.
In true Canadian tradition, the electorate tends to vote out rather than in, even when it may be contrary to their own and national interests. We saw this in my own riding, Toronto-St. Paul’s, where the retirement of Carolyn Bennet has left us with a CPC MP in the recent by-election. I don’t believe this is a mere blip, and Mr. Poilievre now has a good chance of being able to steer this country in the wrong direction.
While you have been an excellent Prime Minister, one who I have been proud to represent me on the national and international stage, I think the time has come to pass the mantle to a new leader. Your successor may not be able to prevent a win by the CPC in the next election, but for the sake of Canada they must set the stage for a quick return of the Liberal Party to the PMO. A gracious handover before the next election would facilitate this.
I appreciate your service as PM over the last close to ten years and wish only the best for you and Canada.
Sincerely,
We shall see if my email has the desired effect. I will take full credit if it does.
I think it’s a great idea, and I’m planning to follow through with something similar myself. It can’t hurt, and it might help. In my letter, I would like to draw the parallel to the US election, and how Joe Biden did what was best for the country by stepping aside.
I also admire the respectful tone that you struck - I hope that history will be kind to Justin Trudeau. He has accomplished far more than he is currently given credit for. And I cannot stomach his Conservative detractors!