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Oh CANADA!


ZoSoDragon

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YOU DID IT, CANADA! A historic, landslide victory for the Liberal Party means that Justin Trudeau is the new Prime Minister of a MAJORITY government. To put it in perspective, going into this election, the Liberals had 34 seats; after, 184! They have representation in every province. If there was ever a clear message for change, this is it. 

Trudeau turfs Harper Conservatives from office, Liberals earn majority mandate 

Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau waves while accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregoire (R) as he arrives to give his victory speech after Canada's federal election in Montreal, Quebec, October 19, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Young

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/campaign-2015-over-parties-now-vote-080011729.html

 

^^^

No question, Patrycja, strategic voting is THE way to go for this election...it is pretty much a protest vote against Harper- not necessarily against the Conservatives, mind you, but against Stephen Harper. I watched him tell Peter Mansbridge on CBC a few weeks ago that he will step down if the Cons lose even one seat...don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, Harper!

Shit, I know people who haven't voted for decades -some a hardcore, anti-government types and whatnot- who are voting in this one. That's pretty telling.

Dunno about the Facebook ads, but I'll be damned glad not to see anymore ads on TV...even watching hockey every other advert is a goddamn attack ad. We get it: the Conservatives don't want their portable Rome taken away so they want to scare us all regarding "Justin". Tom Mulcair can't wait to get his greedy paws on the keys to 24 Sussex. Trudeau almost seems to be running on Obama's 2008 mantra of "hope and change". But the constant propaganda on tv is getting to be a bit much...oh well, at least we're not in the States where they've got another fucking year and a half of this campaign shit to go...

Harper really dragged the Conservative party down to the gutter with his politics, and I think many in his own party will be happy to see him go and be able to select someone with integrity who can restore it to one with a better standing pretty much everywhere in Canada not called Alberta (watch many muzzled stories about Harper get voiced. His machinations will keep shadowing him, I have a feeling). We want a strong opposition government, not a strongly vicious one. It'll be interesting to see how that process unfolds and how the party rebuilds itself under new leadership.

Apparently, they were sending First Nations voters to other polling areas because the turnout in their areas was so great they ran out of voting cards (by the way, I found out tonight that First Nations people 'got the right' to vote in 1960! Is that not embarrassingly ridiculous?). This campaign, whatever the reason for voting, really got people out and they have been heard.

About Facebook, I meant my FB friends were posting frequently, not that there many ads. The Liberal majority came as a huge blow to Harper which is great because he's been a condescending jerk to Trudeau from the time he announced an early election. Mulcair's campaign completely lost momentum, too, going from 90 seats to around 40. 

Anyway, I feel so happy to see the door open for a new government.

Now that there's a government that is willing to work with other parties, next time citizens will be more at ease to vote for who they want.That or the voting system may change. We'll see. Change - feel so good!

Edited by Patrycja
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Well, sure, until ten years from now when we're back at the same point we were in 2006: "Fuckin' Liberals...nuthin' but a buncha goddamn crooks- we gotta get these guys out and bring the Conservatives back in!"

Sound familiar? 

As Kurt Vonnegut liked to say, "And so it goes..."

That said, I'm glad the Liberals won, Harper is resigning and the fucking NDP got decimated...let the good times roll.

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Absolutely. This election is crucial. The bottom line is Harper needs to go if for no other reason but that he's a fucking religious fanatic (Fundamentalist Christian) who is hell bent on starting a holy war with the Muslim population. He's practically begging a Muslim to get pissed off enough over niqabs, etc to stage some sort of "terrorist attack"- all the excuse Harper needs to send more troops into the Middle East so that he can kill as many Muslims as possible simply because they believe in a different god than he does. Stephen Harper is Canada's version of George W Bush -a war mongering, biblethumping Big Oil shill- and enough is fucking well enough! I have no time for the NDP in any shape or form (I live in BC, after all, where we're STILL feeling the after effects of years of provincial NDP mismanagement) and I think Mulcair's loyalty lies with Quebec and fuck the rest of Canada. As for the Liberals Justin Trudeau may be the current "face" of the party but behind him is the same old goddamn Chretien/Martin Old Boy Network that raised the ire of so many people ten years back. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, in other words. Same fucking bunch of crooks we turfed out in 2006. To give Trudeau his due, though, he's come a hell of a long way from the blathering idiot he was at the start of the campaign to being someone who really is "ready" to run the country...his handlers have done a helluva job. That leaves the Green Party...Elizabeth May is a bit outspoken, but she tells it like it is, and that's refreshing coming from any politician. if nothing else I reckon they'll do well in British Columbia. 

But yes...to our Canadian forum members you owe it to yerselves to get out there and vote tomorrow. Now I know deep down that it's a big game in the end, all politicians serve their Corporate masters, etc but this is one election where when it's all over I don't wanna hear ONE GODDAMN WORD of complaint about "the government" from anybody who didn't fill out a fucking ballot. Adlai Stevenson said it, folks: "In a democracy, people elect the government they deserve."

Lucky for you guys that your thread hasn't turned into what every american political thread has turned into and that you guys can see the forest from the trees...  Good post, Nutrocker! 

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Lucky for you guys that your thread hasn't turned into what every american political thread has turned into and that you guys can see the forest from the trees...  Good post, Nutrocker! 

Oh yeah, I've read some of those American political discussions...some funny shit for sure, I can't believe some of those guys actually believe half the shit they type- and that goes for both the hardcore right wingers and left wingers who participate in those discussions :lol: Lotta people in those threads wearing permanent "kick me harder" signs...they constantly get their asses handed to them and yet go back for more...is it a form of sadomasochism, or what?

What I find really fuckin' funny is that, considering I minored in PolySci (majored in English) back in Uni about a thousand years ago, I've probably forgotten more about politics than a lot of those waterheads ever fuckin' knew :lol: :lol::lol:

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Hey, as far as I'm concerned Canada got our Good Luck back when we kicked Harper to the fuckin' curb on Monday...our luck certainly couldn't have gotten any worse, I don't think...

Shit, round these parts, I know a lot of people who are mainly happy Trudeau won is because he's always said he'd legalize pot if he got elected :lol: 

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Congratulations Patrycja and Nutrocker on your favourable election returns. If Canada's happy, I'm happy. A very lovely country. 

Will the Rolling Stones play at the Inauguration? Dear ol' Maggie must be so proud. ;)

Edited by Strider
Because there are still gremlins in the quote function.
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Congratulations Patrycja and Nutrocker on your favourable election returns. If Canada's happy, I'm happy. A very lovely country. 

Will the Rolling Stones play at the Inauguration? Dear ol' Maggie must be so proud. ;)

Thanks, Strider :) Like Nutrocker said, we'll be bitching about the Liberals soon enough, but this election was really about getting rid of Harper. We nearly had that a while ago when the other parties were going to join forces against the Conservatives, but Harper prorogued Parliament to dodge it - and that's not the worst of it.

This was about getting rid of a conniving, controlling PM who had a growing and increasingly Draconian list of policies that were decidedly un-Canadian, and undemocratic. Enough was enough. Good riddance!

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Will the Rolling Stones play at the Inauguration? Dear ol' Maggie must be so proud. ;)

:lol::lol: :lol: I oughta blast side three of Love You Live in Madcap Maggie's honour! You know, the "El Mocambo" side...

This was about getting rid of a conniving, controlling PM who had a growing and increasingly Draconian list of policies that were decidedly un-Canadian, and undemocratic. Enough was enough. Good riddance!

What Patrycja said!

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Congratulations Patrycja and Nutrocker on your favourable election returns. If Canada's happy, I'm happy. A very lovely country. 

Will the Rolling Stones play at the Inauguration? Dear ol' Maggie must be so proud. ;)

 

:lol::lol: :lol: I oughta blast side three of Love You Live in Madcap Maggie's honour! You know, the "El Mocambo" side...

What Patrycja said!

I know you guys are needling Maggie Trudeau in a good-natured way, but this is a good read that gives some depth to those years and substance to her behaviour throughout them:

 

Let's give Margaret Trudeau the respect she deserves

The return to 24 Sussex Dr. can't be easy on a family whose early years were torn apart there

By Neil Macdonald, CBC News Posted: Oct 22, 2015 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 22, 2015 5:23 PM ET

Justin Trudeau embraces his mother, Margaret, on election night in Montreal.

Justin Trudeau embraces his mother, Margaret, on election night in Montreal. (Justin Tang/CP)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-politics-margaret-trudeau-neil-macdonald-1.3282894

 

Edited by Patrycja
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I know you guys are needling Maggie Trudeau in a good-natured way, but this is a good read that gives some depth to those years and substance to her behaviour throughout them:

 

Let's give Margaret Trudeau the respect she deserves

The return to 24 Sussex Dr. can't be easy on a family whose early years were torn apart there

By Neil Macdonald, CBC News Posted: Oct 22, 2015 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 22, 2015 5:23 PM ET

Justin Trudeau embraces his mother, Margaret, on election night in Montreal.

Justin Trudeau embraces his mother, Margaret, on election night in Montreal. (Justin Tang/CP)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-politics-margaret-trudeau-neil-macdonald-1.3282894

 

Hey, I love Margaret Trudeau. I always thought she was one of the cooler politico's wives around. I don't begrudge her partying with the Stones one bit...who wouldn't have done the same if they had the chance? I didn't post that with the intent of needling...it was posted with endearment. I always root for her.

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I was no fan of Harper either, but I didn't like the pile-on of hate for him.  It reminds me too much of the way some of the American conservatives talk about Obama ("He wants take away our freedoms," "He's a secret Muslim socialist," etc.).  Can't we just go back to saying we disagree with his policies and we'll support another party?  Why does every disliked leader turn into the worst tyrant in history? More here:  My blog post

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I was no fan of Harper either, but I didn't like the pile-on of hate for him.  It reminds me too much of the way some of the American conservatives talk about Obama ("He wants take away our freedoms," "He's a secret Muslim socialist," etc.).  Can't we just go back to saying we disagree with his policies and we'll support another party?  Why does every disliked leader turn into the worst tyrant in history? More here:  My blog post

No, yer right George- and it's the kind of hate pile on that just about any long time leader (hell, politician in general) is gonna get from the masses. But Harper did deserve at least some of the vitriol; he pretty much gutted everything the old Progressive Conservative party stood for here and rebuilt it in his own warped image...and it just seemed to get progressively worse (pun sort of intended) as time went on. I'm actually a pretty Libertarian kind of guy- I just kind of scoff at the idea of our government now (it's really all a big game anyway) and generally don't care what they do, as long as they leave me and my family alone :lol: But ultimately when they start actively spying on the citizens and whatnot, that's when I tend to stand up and say "Hey, hold on- this isn't how it's supposed to be!". I'm a fuckin' Canadian, man- I don't want to be like an American (no offense intended to the Yanks among us...I'm sure most of you feel the same way anyway). And Harper had almost ten years in power: that's longer than the American Presidency. I must admit, I did not like the way this country was headed after those ten years, and I thought this election was one of the most cynical, lowdown I've ever seen. I mean, I knew the Conservatives were gonna get their asses kicked out of office, it seemed pretty goddamn obvious- the Senate expense business and all that was enough to do them in...and when Harper took the opportunity to hide in a closet when that guy went nuts and shot up Parliament Hill, I knew (and I think he knew) that it was really all over for him. But I was surprised at just how big the "fuck you" turned out to be...when I got home from work and turned on the TV and saw that the entire East Coast was red on the map, I just laughed, I was like "Well, that's it- the people have spoken." I laughed even harder at what happened to the NDP, though; I live in BC and I still remember the 90's in this province, it wasn't pretty, especially around where I hang my hat. The Liberals kicked ass but it sort of still managed to seem, to me anyway, like a bit of a hollow victory- it was ultimately a massive protest vote...anybody would do at this point, and of the two main alternatives Trudeau and the Liberals just seemed like the safer choice.

And, hey, let's not forget...we just elected the son of another one of those so-called "tyrants". I was born in '68, so I pretty much grew up in the P.E.T. era. The dude was divisive, and apparently so's his kid. I just hope Justin doesn't fuck up, or at least not too badly, in the next four years, it'll probably finish him if he does. Still, the guy's only been elected less than a week ago but doesn't sort of feel like a layer of dust has been cleaned off this country now? 

Edited by Nutrocker
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Hey, I love Margaret Trudeau. I always thought she was one of the cooler politico's wives around. I don't begrudge her partying with the Stones one bit...who wouldn't have done the same if they had the chance? I didn't post that with the intent of needling...it was posted with endearment. I always root for her.

I think 'needling' was not the right word as I sensed that you both saw her in a positive light, and the Stones references were just a specific example of admiration of a freewheeling lifestyle, especially in contrast to her husband's position, but you guys were in the minority because she really was maligned for just trying to express who she was, make her way through difficult public scrutiny as a politician's wife while dealing with a bi-polar disorder which even today has some stigma, never mind back then. Like a blade of grass that finds its way through a crack in sidewalk concrete, she found her way to the light, and I just wanted to share the article because it gave some insight into how trying that growth has been and that the perception of her over time has rightly shifted.

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^^^Actually, I am very happy you posted that article, Patrycja. After her flurry of fame in the 1970s, I lost track of her. There really wasn't much coverage of her, pro or con, in the American press. Usually it was just a photo or two in Creem, Rolling Stone, Interview or some other pop-culture magazine.

I had no idea until reading that article that she was bi-polar. I know a little about that, so I can sympathize with her.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Congratulations Patrycja and Nutrocker on your favourable election returns. If Canada's happy, I'm happy. A very lovely country. 

Will the Rolling Stones play at the Inauguration? Dear ol' Maggie must be so proud. ;)

Dear old Maggie is now the reason why we're gonna see a $10 million bill on 'renovating' 24 Sussex Drive (where the PM lives, Canada's version of The White House). The place is more or less in an acute state of disrepair because it was neglected for so long...why? Because up till no no other PM wanted to actually have the Canadian taxpayers shell out the bucks to renovate the place. So Maggie basically told Justin and his family, "That place isn't suitable for you to live in!" (and they oughta know, after all, considering Justin's old man was PM for sixteen years) so 24 Sussex is finally getting the facelift it needs. Yep, our taxpayers dollars at work. 

When we heard about it, my wife said, "Shit- they should just get Mike Holmes to do the renos and make a fuckin' TV show out of it!" (In case you don't know, Mike Holmes is like the King of Canadian home renovations, has about half a dozen different shows on the Home & Garden Network...unfortunately at some point he started believing his hype just a little too much and now comes across like he's God's Own Handyman:lol: )

So, to answer yer question, Strider, maybe the Stones will play at the housewarming party...

Edited by Nutrocker
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  • 4 weeks later...

Well it's about bloody time! I was so disgusted with Harper's turning a deaf ear - What? Who? No, there's no problem - to the disproportionately high death toll among Aboriginal women:

'Sacred obligation': Trudeau, Liberals launch new era with aboriginal communities

By Kristy Kirkup, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – 4 hours ago

OTTAWA - The leaders of Canada's First Nations swaddled Justin Trudeau in a ceremonial blanket Tuesday as they embraced the newly elected prime minister's commitment to what he called a "sacred obligation" to the country's Aboriginal Peoples.

Trudeau didn't show up empty-handed, either.

The Liberal government will lift a long-standing two per cent cap on federal funding for First Nations communities, he told the Assembly of First Nations gathering — that, despite mounting economic and political pressure on the federal pocketbook.

He said the Liberals would also provide additional money for long-awaited education reforms to be led by First Nations communities themselves, another long-standing sticking point with the previous Conservative government.

And he repeated one of the most anticipated promises of the 2015 campaign: to investigate the tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. Three of his cabinet lieutenants kicked off the first consultative phase of what will be a federal inquiry next year.

"I promise you that I will be your partner in the years to come, and hope that you will be mine," Trudeau said.

The removal of the funding cap, which was imposed originally to keep transfer payments in line with inflation, has been at the top of the First Nations wish list for years. Critics say it has long since fallen out of step with a growing aboriginal population across the country.

"As you know, that limit has been in place for nearly 20 years," Trudeau said of the cap, which he said would disappear in the government's first budget.

"It hasn't kept up with the demographic realities of your communities, nor the actual costs of program delivery."

At one point during Trudeau's appearance, he was wrapped in a ceremonial blanket, to the delight of the crowd. An AFN spokesman described the blanket as a gift meant to convey respect and protect the prime minister from harm.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who has spent the government's first days in the hot seat during question period, was asked Tuesday how much the removal of the cap would cost.

He would only say that the details would be in next spring's federal budget.

But the most anticipated news came later in the day, when Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett and Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu detailed the first phase of the forthcoming missing and murdered inquiry.

Wilson-Raybould, one of two cabinet ministers with indigenous roots, said the government will consult the families of victims over the next two months for their input on the inquiry's shape and its goals.

"We will listen clearly to their voices," Wilson-Raybould said.

"No inquiry, as we know, can undo what happened nor can it restore what we have lost. But it can help us find ways forward because we know, as a country, we can and must do better."

A website will also allow Canadians to provide input online and learn more about the process, helping to determine the inquiry's terms of reference, Bennett added.

She also hinted that the inquiry could last longer — and cost more — than the two-year, $40-million envelope that was originally projected.

"We are going to go out and listen to what people say this needs to look like, and we will then have to apply what budget that will take," she said.

"First the facts, and then we will see."

Some family members said they felt compelled to head to Parliament Hill to hear first-hand how the initial steps of the inquiry will take shape.

Christine Simard-Chicago, who lost a cousin to the hardscrabble street life of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, said she believes the inquiry will prove to be a "hard road" for many.

"There's a lot of stories that need to be told and the circumstances are unique because they're from different territories and from different tribes," said Simard-Chicago. "It is really important that the government hear that."

Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, told the gathering he's confident that Trudeau is listening to the different needs of First Nations.

"In his mandate letter to each and every cabinet minister, Prime Minister Trudeau wrote it is time for a renewed nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous peoples," Bellegarde said.

"Very powerful words."

 

Please see the video in the link, thanks: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/liberals-expected-shed-light-plan-missing-murdered-women-090015354.html

I may cry any moment. Hopefully the new government does this in the right way. Seems like the right spirit is there in this big first step.

 

 

Edited by Patrycja
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^^^

Aboriginals tend not to vote Conservative, Patrycja- that's why Harper never gave a fuck about them. Sort of like how Bush left all the blacks in New Orleans to basically drown during Hurricane Katrina...I can hear Dick Cheney saying it now: "Fuck those n-----s, Mr President! They never voted for you anyway!"

This inquiry is long overdue, like ten years overdue, if not more...there are more missing or murdered Aboriginal women in Canada than people killed on 9/11. Absolutely goddamn right we should be making a BIG DEAL out of it.

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  • 3 months later...
On 12/8/2015 at 4:29 AM, Nutrocker said:

^^^

Aboriginals tend not to vote Conservative, Patrycja- that's why Harper never gave a fuck about them. Sort of like how Bush left all the blacks in New Orleans to basically drown during Hurricane Katrina...I can hear Dick Cheney saying it now: "Fuck those n-----s, Mr President! They never voted for you anyway!"

This inquiry is long overdue, like ten years overdue, if not more...there are more missing or murdered Aboriginal women in Canada than people killed on 9/11. Absolutely goddamn right we should be making a BIG DEAL out of it.

As someone has has native blood in him, I don't blame the government at all - it's an aboriginal issue that individual aboriginals need to correct, no amount of tax dollars will ever fix it. 

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Learn the amazing story of Rosalie Trombley,

the Girl With the Golden Ear,

including her unparalleled contributions to the Canadian and international music scene from legendary musicians and producers like Bob Ezrin, Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot, Randy Bachman, and many more!

 

Edited by The Pagemeister
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