Jeez, I thought my premier was bad (Ford), but to think that she's not just corrupt and stupid, but openly being hostile to fellow Canadians during this moment of crisis.
Albertans needs to have a hard look at how much money the oil barons are stealing from them and think about whether it's worth letting someone so selfish to lead them. The fact that the richest province in the country has one of the lowest public spending and lowest wages is something to to really think about.
I wasn't aware he met anybody between announcing the surcharge and the call with that one American (forgot who it was). But if he did talk to Carney or someone else in the Fed, and that's the reason why he backed off, then I'll respect him a bit more. But it's clear he wants to take full credit for it as part of his useless talks with the US, so he'll never publicly announce it and Carney's cabinet gains nothing to do so as well, so he's lost the opportunity to actually strengthen his position with those that hate him.
I don't think it's an issue of his image, but of what he can personally benefit from it. He sees a sinking ship, so he's distancing himself from PP in the hopes of clinging to the other side in the hopes of getting some kickbacks.
Ford's far more slimey than you're giving him credit. It's obvious when you consider that he widely advertised the 25% energy surcharge, then backed off of it quietly when the US gave him some compliments and offered him a seat to a talk without a single promise, and he went around claiming he "did something" despite nothing coming out of it, all being paid for by taxpayers.
The surcharge would've been an easy win that even those of us that hate him would've openly cheered him for, only for him to prove that even his spine is made of slime.
We can make a consideration for any plan that has research to back them turning significant profits within five years, as it is doubtful that any such plans will be profitable 20 years down the line.
And of course, those profits will be taxed severely since we know any such plans will be quite disruptive to the environment, and none of these companies will clean up their own messes, so the government will have to do the job. Might as well force them to pay for it ahead of time, and maybe some extra on the side that'll go to critical public services like transit or healthcare.
Without such guarantees? F-them.
Honestly, it doesn't matter if it's possible or not. The very fact that key replacement parts of the jet can only be built in the US means that the very moment they chose not to sell those parts to Canada, the F35 is on a strict time limit before becoming the world's most expensive paperweight.
And that time limit isn't even very long. Maybe two years of normal use outside of a war, as little as a month or two during a war or any sort of foreign deployment.
We're kinda locked in for the first few planes, but despite cancellation fees, we need to replace our aging fleet with something from someone that won't throw a tantrum and erase a key component of our national defense with the swipe of a pen.
This is the sort of thing that should be blasted on every Ontarian news channel. This is the guy that rural Ontarians voted for and said was doing a "good enough job".
People should know what the person they voted for is doing and how he's spending their tax money, because this entire trip was also paid for on our dime.
Agree completely on the federalization, but disagree on actually joining the EU.
Frankly, we're not ready for it. Our industries and regulations have far more in common with the US than the EU, and we'll need a serious transition period to match their standards. While I do think in the long term such standards are a good thing, it would be economically damaging in the severe in the short term.
That said, I think the best would be to slowly match their regulations with the hope of joining the EU, without actually committing to it in the short term, but to close our relations with them in the meantime and leave the option open if it becomes more advantageous later on. Matching regulations with a fair and reliable trading partner always helps, not to mention that their regulations are far healthier and environmentally friendly.
I mean, if you listen to any of his speeches, he does nothing but blatantly lie constantly. The carbon tax, Carney's "hidden funds", his secret hidden tax plan, and countless attacks that are obviously lies if you actually looked into them for even a second. His entire scheme is to outdo the FSB's disinformation campaigns to the point that it feels like he's actually a recipient of Russia's #1 propogandist award.
It's insane that these guys don't get fined into oblivion for such blatant lies. This is far different from regular people saying stupid stuff, but instead an organized effort that paid to have such a message heard.