2017 Canadian Politics Megathread - Sesquicentennial Edition

[Camicon]

Given how Canadians are generally much more supportive of social programs and safety nets than our southern neighbours, I can't see a libertarian platform going over well during a federal election. I could be wrong, though.

Oh yeah of course, and he is often compared to Rand Paul in US politics as far as I have seen. But surely he isnt that radical? Or is he?

For a Libertarian I'm sure Bernier is quite standard, but libertarianism is not a particularly powerful (or welcome) presence in Canadian politics. Compared to the Harper-era Tories, a lot of what Bernier has put in his platform is pretty out there.

[Vecherd]

Oh yeah of course, and he is often compared to Rand Paul in US politics as far as I have seen. But surely he isnt that radical? Or is he?

For a Libertarian I'm sure Bernier is quite standard, but libertarianism is not a particularly powerful (or welcome) presence in Canadian politics. Compared to the Harper-era Tories, a lot of what Bernier has put in his platform is pretty out there.

Hehe yeah I do welcome him, but yeah as a Norwegian I would totally understand how it would be seen as foreign. If you wouldnt mind, what would you say is the most radical proposals he has?

[Camicon]

For a Libertarian I'm sure Bernier is quite standard, but libertarianism is not a particularly powerful (or welcome) presence in Canadian politics. Compared to the Harper-era Tories, a lot of what Bernier has put in his platform is pretty out there.

Hehe yeah I do welcome him, but yeah as a Norwegian I would totally understand how it would be seen as foreign. If you wouldnt mind, what would you say is the most radical proposals he has?

The one that jumps out most to me? He'd torpedo our universal healthcare.

That blurb from his platform translates into: "stop funding provincial healthcare systems with federal money and let the private sector run wild".

If you don't know, healthcare is a provincial responsibility, administered by provincial governments, but because it has a more robust tax base the federal government funds these provincial healthcare systems. To ensure that healthcare delivery is essentially uniform across the country the federal government ties healthcare funding to specific kinds of coverage, so unless a provincial government wants to run their healthcare system without any money they provide said coverage.

Bernier says it's "bickering between Ottawa and the provinces over who is responsible for our abysmal healthcare system", but in reality nobody is bickering over who is responsible for anything. We know who is responsible for the delivery (provinces) and we know who funds it (feds). The provinces are more than happy to include specific kinds of coverage so long as the feds pay for it. Arguing between the provinces and federal government is par for the course, regardless of the topic, and it certainly doesn't make our healthcare system inefficient.

Basically, most of his platform boils down to the essence of libertarianism, which is "less government everything and more private everything will make everything better and cheaper, and everyone richer, because REASONS".

[Nation of Quebec]

Bernier is clearly the front runner, according to the polls. We won't have much longer to wait and see if he's the next leader, or if it's someone else.

I expect he'll do well on first ballot, but I doubt he'll be many people's second or third choice.

UPDATE: From first to last on 1st ballot, according to CBC: Bernier, Scheer, O'Toole, Trost, Chong, Lemieux, Leitch, Raitt, Blaney, Alexander, O'Leary, Peterson, Saxton.

[Camicon]

Bernier is clearly the front runner, according to the polls. We won't have much longer to wait and see if he's the next leader, or if it's someone else.

I expect he'll do well on first ballot, but I doubt he'll be many people's second or third choice.

UPDATE: From first to last on 1st ballot, according to CBC: Bernier, Scheer, O'Toole, Trost, Chong, Lemieux, Leitch, Raitt, Blaney, Alexander, O'Leary, Peterson, Saxton.

Yup. He'll do well on the first ballot because his support base is a significant-ish minority, but his platform is too alienating of the Canadian right in it's entirety to net him a victory once the field narrows.

Hopefully Chong manages to fight his way to the front.

[Nation of Quebec]

Bernier is clearly the front runner, according to the polls. We won't have much longer to wait and see if he's the next leader, or if it's someone else.

I expect he'll do well on first ballot, but I doubt he'll be many people's second or third choice.

UPDATE: From first to last on 1st ballot, according to CBC: Bernier, Scheer, O'Toole, Trost, Chong, Lemieux, Leitch, Raitt, Blaney, Alexander, O'Leary, Peterson, Saxton.

Yup. He'll do well on the first ballot because his support base is a significant-ish minority, but his platform is too alienating of the Canadian right in it's entirety to net him a victory once the field narrows.

Hopefully Chong manages to fight his way to the front.

I'm predicting it'll be Scheer, who is pretty much a more social conservative version of Harper. I agree with your assessment about Bernier. There aren't as many LIbertarians in the party as he thinks there are.

Trost did better than I thought he would and Leitch didn't do as well as I thought.

I've always said that Chong is the most respectable one out of the bunch, and the only one that I like. The Conservatives would do well under him.

[Camicon]

Yup. He'll do well on the first ballot because his support base is a significant-ish minority, but his platform is too alienating of the Canadian right in it's entirety to net him a victory once the field narrows.

Hopefully Chong manages to fight his way to the front.

I'm predicting it'll be Scheer, who is pretty much a more social conservative version of Harper. I agree with your assessment about Bernier. There aren't as many LIbertarians in the party as he thinks there are.

Trost did better than I thought he would and Leitch didn't do as well as I thought.

I've always said that Chong is the most respectable one out of the bunch, and the only one that I like. The Conservatives would do well under him.

I think Tories more or less got turned off of Leitch's approach after seeing Trump bumble around for the last few months. Thank goodness.

[Nation of Quebec]

I'm predicting it'll be Scheer, who is pretty much a more social conservative version of Harper. I agree with your assessment about Bernier. There aren't as many LIbertarians in the party as he thinks there are.

Trost did better than I thought he would and Leitch didn't do as well as I thought.

I've always said that Chong is the most respectable one out of the bunch, and the only one that I like. The Conservatives would do well under him.

I think Tories more or less got turned off of Leitch's approach after seeing Trump bumble around for the last few months. Thank goodness.

I hope that's the case, and I think we can safely rule her out as the next Opposition Leader at this point.

I'm following the live stream on CBC. Second round results coming shortly.

[Great Franconia and Verana]

It's essentially a Bernier v Scheer race.
I think it would be relatively hard for either of them to best Trudeau in 2019, but at least Leitch is going down in flames.

[Nation of Quebec]

Close race at this point, but Bernier is still ahead. It might depend on where O'Toole and Trost's support goes.

Update: Virtually tied between Scheer and Bernier, Bernier slightly ahead. Will O'Toole's support give Scheer the edge?

[Nation of Quebec]

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

[MERIZoC]

Doesn't really matter to me, just happy neither Bernier nor Chong won. Hope to see some salt from their fanbases.

[Camicon]

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

What was his platform? His campaign site has been torn down in favour of some bullshit banner that says "Thank You".

[Nation of Quebec]

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

What was his platform? His campaign site has been torn down in favour of some bullshit banner that says "Thank You".

I haven't heard much, aside from repealing the carbon tax. There's some info in the CBC stream:

http://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/live-blo ... ionresults

[Oneracon]

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

So the Conservatives have picked Harper 2 over an out-of-touch libertarian who would have no chance in a general election? At least it makes sense.

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

What was his platform? His campaign site has been torn down in favour of some bullshit banner that says "Thank You".

Some of highlights that I've found from this profile about him:

• Repeal carbon pricing
• Remove GST from home energy bills (not in the profile but he just said it in his speech)
• "Balanced budget"
• Send Canadian planes back to Syria
• Approving Energy East
• Mandated country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps
• Creating a Firearms Ombudsman to review gun laws
• Scrapping foreign ownership regulations for airlines
• Adding "property rights" to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• $4,000 tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools; $1,000 credit for homeschooling
• Withholding federal research funding from universities that don't "foster a culture of free speech"

He also opposed M-103 and C-16, and apparently wants to shut down CBC's news division.

[Camicon]

What was his platform? His campaign site has been torn down in favour of some bullshit banner that says "Thank You".

Some of highlights that I've found from news articles and profiles about him:

• Repeal carbon pricing
• Remove GST from home energy bills
• "Balanced budget"
• Send Canadian planes back to Syria
• Approving Energy East
• Mandated country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps
• Creating a Firearms Ombudsman to review gun laws
• Scrapping foreign ownership regulations for airlines
• Adding "property rights" to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• $4,000 tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools; $1,000 credit for homeschooling
• Withholding federal research funding from universities that don't "foster a culture of free speech"

He also opposed M-103 and C-16.

Bleh.

[Oneracon]

Bleh.

I mean, it would be a cold day in Hell before I vote Conservative... but at least Chong would have presented a compelling option for centrists who wanted to go a bit rightward.

[Nation of Quebec]

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

So the Conservatives have picked Harper 2 over an out-of-touch libertarian who would have no chance in a general election? At least it makes sense.

What was his platform? His campaign site has been torn down in favour of some bullshit banner that says "Thank You".

Some of highlights that I've found from this profile about him:

• Repeal carbon pricing
• Remove GST from home energy bills (not in the profile but he just said it in his speech)
• "Balanced budget"
• Send Canadian planes back to Syria
• Approving Energy East
• Mandated country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps
• Creating a Firearms Ombudsman to review gun laws
• Scrapping foreign ownership regulations for airlines
• Adding "property rights" to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• $4,000 tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools; $1,000 credit for homeschooling
• Withholding federal research funding from universities that don't "foster a culture of free speech"

He also opposed M-103 and C-16, and apparently wants to shut down CBC's news division.

He's also very popular with anti-abortion groups, and from what I've heard, he's very social conservative. He's not somebody I'd want running this country.

[Oneracon]

So the Conservatives have picked Harper 2 over an out-of-touch libertarian who would have no chance in a general election? At least it makes sense.


Some of highlights that I've found from this profile about him:

• Repeal carbon pricing
• Remove GST from home energy bills (not in the profile but he just said it in his speech)
• "Balanced budget"
• Send Canadian planes back to Syria
• Approving Energy East
• Mandated country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps
• Creating a Firearms Ombudsman to review gun laws
• Scrapping foreign ownership regulations for airlines
• Adding "property rights" to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• $4,000 tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools; $1,000 credit for homeschooling
• Withholding federal research funding from universities that don't "foster a culture of free speech"

He also opposed M-103 and C-16, and apparently wants to shut down CBC's news division.

He's also very popular with anti-abortion groups, and from what I've heard, he's very social conservative. He's not somebody I'd want running this country.

Yeah, he didn't quite get the CLC's endorsement but he has a pretty strong voting record against abortion and euthanasia. He's gone the Harper route of not "re-opening the debate" on marriage.

[Major-Tom]

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

So the Conservatives have picked Harper 2 over an out-of-touch libertarian who would have no chance in a general election? At least it makes sense.

What was his platform? His campaign site has been torn down in favour of some bullshit banner that says "Thank You".

Some of highlights that I've found from this profile about him:

• Repeal carbon pricing
• Remove GST from home energy bills (not in the profile but he just said it in his speech)
• "Balanced budget"
• Send Canadian planes back to Syria
• Approving Energy East
• Mandated country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps
• Creating a Firearms Ombudsman to review gun laws
• Scrapping foreign ownership regulations for airlines
• Adding "property rights" to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• $4,000 tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools; $1,000 credit for homeschooling
• Withholding federal research funding from universities that don't "foster a culture of free speech"

He also opposed M-103 and C-16, and apparently wants to shut down CBC's news division.

Certainly not good, but nothing abhorrent. It won't matter. So long as the economy remains okay, the Liberals will win in2019.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

So the Conservatives have picked Harper 2 over an out-of-touch libertarian who would have no chance in a general election? At least it makes sense.

What was his platform? His campaign site has been torn down in favour of some bullshit banner that says "Thank You".

Some of highlights that I've found from this profile about him:

• Repeal carbon pricing
• Remove GST from home energy bills (not in the profile but he just said it in his speech)
• "Balanced budget"
• Send Canadian planes back to Syria
• Approving Energy East
• Mandated country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps
• Creating a Firearms Ombudsman to review gun laws
• Scrapping foreign ownership regulations for airlines
• Adding "property rights" to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• $4,000 tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools; $1,000 credit for homeschooling
• Withholding federal research funding from universities that don't "foster a culture of free speech"

He also opposed M-103 and C-16, and apparently wants to shut down CBC's news division.

$1,000 tax credit to people who can already afford sending there kid to private school and shutting down a part of CBC are stuff I can't approve of and are deal breakers for me.

Country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps sounds like a silly idea.


Removing GST from home energy bills Is something that I like, however.

[Oneracon]

So the Conservatives have picked Harper 2 over an out-of-touch libertarian who would have no chance in a general election? At least it makes sense.


Some of highlights that I've found from this profile about him:

• Repeal carbon pricing
• Remove GST from home energy bills (not in the profile but he just said it in his speech)
• "Balanced budget"
• Send Canadian planes back to Syria
• Approving Energy East
• Mandated country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps
• Creating a Firearms Ombudsman to review gun laws
• Scrapping foreign ownership regulations for airlines
• Adding "property rights" to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• $4,000 tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools; $1,000 credit for homeschooling
• Withholding federal research funding from universities that don't "foster a culture of free speech"

He also opposed M-103 and C-16, and apparently wants to shut down CBC's news division.

$1,000 tax credit to people who can already afford sending there kid to private school and shutting down a part of CBC are stuff I can't approve of and are deal breakers for me.

Country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps sounds like a silly idea.


Removing GST from home energy bills Is something that I like, however.

$4,000 credit for people who can already afford sending their kid to private school. The $1,000 is for homeschooling your kid.

[The Liberated Territories]

God damnit. Oh well, back to irrelevant third party politics.

[Great Karoo]

Scheer has won, but just barely, at 51% according to the CBC.

So the Conservatives have picked Harper 2 over an out-of-touch libertarian who would have no chance in a general election? At least it makes sense.

What was his platform? His campaign site has been torn down in favour of some bullshit banner that says "Thank You".

Some of highlights that I've found from this profile about him:

• Repeal carbon pricing
• Remove GST from home energy bills (not in the profile but he just said it in his speech)
• "Balanced budget"
• Send Canadian planes back to Syria
• Approving Energy East
• Mandated country-of-origin labeling on gas pumps
• Creating a Firearms Ombudsman to review gun laws
• Scrapping foreign ownership regulations for airlines
• Adding "property rights" to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• $4,000 tax credit for parents who send their children to private schools; $1,000 credit for homeschooling
• Withholding federal research funding from universities that don't "foster a culture of free speech"

He also opposed M-103 and C-16, and apparently wants to shut down CBC's news division.

Tax credit for private school families just sounds silly to me. However, a tax credit for homeschooling families isn't a bad idea. Don't see why it's less than the tax credit for private schoolers though.

Other than that, basically Harper 2.0. Can't say I'm impressed, but I can't say I'm disappointed either. At least he's not O'Leary or Leitch.

[Geilinor]

Andrew Scheer? Come on, Tories. You had the chance to do something different and you said no.