Liberal Minority Government 2025 - ???

[Altair]

I followed an old link to his pre-2025 riding; you’re right that redistribution made it a lot closer, and Chong’s tenure and prominence has to be worth several points. Still unlikely IMO but I cannot say it as absolutely as I initially did.


Concur. No way he would survive defections resulting in an LPC majority.



That’s a fair point. I have no idea if that would be palatable to him.

Just hypotheticals. I’m not gauging likelihood.

But you can bet your ass every politically connected reporter in Canada is working like mad to try to identify other potential defectors for a morning scoop.

Add the CPC to that.

 

[Navy_Pete]

@Czech_pivo that's cool, thanks for sharing!

The name is terrifying, but there is a reddit thread called r/manholeporn that is just snapshots of manhole covers around the world, which has some amazing examples of some of the crazy ones in Japan in particular, as well as ones people paint and decorate.

There are some really cool ones from around the world, and stumbled across a neat one from Calgary; part of me would love to sneak something like that into a CAF infra spec to play a really long game against future me looking at some replacement fire suppression system access manel or something in 30 or 40 years.

https://www.reddit.com/r/manholeporn/comments/1o2lk7n/calgary

 

[brihard]

@Czech_pivo that's cool, thanks for sharing!

The name is terrifying, but there is a reddit thread called r/manholeporn that is just snapshots of manhole covers around the world,

I’ll take “things not to Google” for $800 please, Alex.

 

[Altair]

@Czech_pivo that's cool, thanks for sharing!

The name is terrifying, but there is a reddit thread called r/manholeporn that is just snapshots of manhole covers around the world, which has some amazing examples of some of the crazy ones in Japan in particular, as well as ones people paint and decorate.

There are some really cool ones from around the world, and stumbled across a neat one from Calgary; part of me would love to sneak something like that into a CAF infra spec to play a really long game against future me looking at some replacement fire suppression system access manel or something in 30 or 40 years.

https://www.reddit.com/r/manholeporn/comments/1o2lk7n/calgary

How many disappointed people join that sub looking for something else?

 

[IKnowNothing]

Concur. No way he would survive defections resulting in an LPC majority.

That's what they (you?) said about choking away the lead and losing the 2025 election.

He shouldn't survive caucus review, but...
Barring him losing his grassroots/social media grip would caucus even bother deposing him if/when he's got the delegates to be re-instated at the convention level?

He signed up 312k members and received 295k first ballot votes in 2022. There were 174k first ballots votes cast for all 4 candidates combined in 2020. How many of those 312k blame him for the losses vice continuing to be wholly captured by his info space? How many have stayed engaged and taken over riding associations? How many could be counted on to heed the call and come help him beat off an attack by CINO traitors?

 

[Czech_pivo]

I followed an old link to his pre-2025 riding; you’re right that redistribution made it a lot closer, and Chong’s tenure and prominence has to be worth several points. Still unlikely IMO but I cannot say it as absolutely as I initially did.


Concur. No way he would survive defections resulting in an LPC majority.



That’s a fair point. I have no idea if that would be palatable to him.

Just hypotheticals. I’m not gauging likelihood.

But you can bet your ass every politically connected reporter in Canada is working like mad to try to identify other potential defectors for a morning scoop.

He was my MP from 2004 to when I moved in 2009.
Met him and his wife a number of times. We had some old connections from the early 90s. He’s a genuinely likeable guy, smart, humble, someone that many may have underestimated in the past, a true PC believer.
I wish him nothing but success now and in the future.

 

[PrairieFella]

That's wild, thanks. It's kind of impressive when you see really old lines get replaced and they are something like wood pipes with oakum seals.

What's crazy is some of the really old victorian area pipes are still in use in the UK, but they are these really well built brick masterpieces with some kind of special firing and some artisitic flourishes that most of the world will never see because it's way underground and full of sewage, and there are all kinds of abandoned subway stations in NYC, and other spots around the world from the same era that are just gorgeous with all kinds on beautiful carvings, cast metal accents on gates, benches etc and elaborate mosaic tiles..

And some of the pumphouses are just absolute works of functional art; I miss when things were built really well, but also looked good. Really like how a lot of places kept it up with manhole covers too; was recently in Vancouver and they have what looks like a commissioned art relief of 3 orcas in a Pacific FN style on them.

The Story of London’s Sewer System

Would be pretty funny to fast forward 20,000 years or so and if people are still around see what they make of all the weird things they excavate. Some of these sewers and other underground places may be mistaken for places of worship due to the level of time, effort and craftsmanship expended, while a lot of the modern concrete minimalist places will be long ground into dust.

There was some extremely talented people designed our public water systems in those days. In Winnipeg for example, well over a hundred years ago they built a buried aqueduct so efficient that over the hundred plus miles it runs its completely gravity fed. No electricity required. Works perfectly to this day and has enough excess capacity to get to 2 million people.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I feel like you can care about the financial state of Canada, while still hate PP for being a know nothing, professional politician who is only in it for personal power and adoration, and will flip flop with whatever opinion he thinks will get him elected. He cares less about financial state of Canada then being PM, and seems less conservative in real terms than the career banker running the LPC.

Yeah, but hating Poilievre seems like a priority for many. Over and above what's going on in Canada.

Remember when they climate tax was the only thing that could save planet earth and when Carney got rid of it the big response was to laugh in Poilievres face about it because Carney stole his idea?

Your description of Poilievre fits for quite a few politicians.

, and it's hard to take a guy who's never had a real job and was elected in his mid 20s right out of uni as a blue collar champion, when his starter job paid six figures, with not much to show for 20 years at it.

I always find the never had a real job jab weird. Like, whats the bar for a real job? Would someone who's only job had been a receptionist, garbage collector, or cab driver be considered as never having a real job? Where would you say having a real job starts?



As for not much to show, he has a home, wife, kids, pension, self-made millionaire, voted in by people in his riding for 21 years, a career with relatively few scandals. Whether you like Poilievre or not saying he doesn't have much to show for doesn't seem accurate.

 

[PrairieFella]

How many could be counted on to heed the call and come help him beat off an attack by CINO traitors?

Dont even say that stupid in name only trope, I beg you lol. We dont need more Yank bullshit in our politics and that rino shit is the worst possible purity testing.

 

[Navy_Pete]

I’ll take “things not to Google” for $800 please, Alex.

(completely off topic) Yeah, no kidding, but seriously, the Japan goes really hard; one of my favourite Art Nouveau artists is Alphone Mucha, and they've immortalized his most well known calendar art in manholes;

https://www.reddit.com/r/manholeporn/comments/1o80k2a/manholes_with_art_nouveau_illustrations_in_sakai

Then they also have what looks like enameled manhole covers;

https://www.reddit.com/r/manholeporn/comments/1nycazu/four_versions_of_hiyokochan_in_ikeda_osaka_japan

Also lots of really cool ones from the late 1800s, early 1900s and then randomly around major events in the cities around the world. I'm old enough though I remember seeing this on Flickr (before Google bought it) as well as on BBSs before that, so just a really weird niche thing for photography groups generally that I had otherwised just never noticed before I saw some photos.

Anwyay, if I have any luck, I'll do my part towards 2% then 5% with random beautification of moslty unseen fixtures, just because it's awesome.

 

[IKnowNothing]

I always find the never had a real job jab weird. Like, whats the bar for a real job? Would someone who's only job had been a receptionist, garbage collector, or cab driver be considered as never having a real job? Where would you say having a real job starts?

There's two angles

A- there's a distinct irony in the supposed "free market champion for the working man" being a career white collar public servant that has zero experience drawing a private paycheck in the market, free or otherwise
B- having never been accountable for nor, having demonstrated success in accomplishing well, anything other than winning popularity contests is a bit of a resume gap for leading something so complex as a G7 nation, as evidenced by 2015-2024

 

[Jarnhamar]

There's two angles

A- there's a distinct irony in the supposed "free market champion for the working man" being a career white collar public servant that has zero experience drawing a private paycheck in the market, free or otherwise
B- having never been accountable for nor, having demonstrated success in accomplishing well, anything other than winning popularity contests is a bit of a resume gap for leading something so complex as a G7 nation, as evidenced by 2015-2024

But what constitutes a real job and whats not a real job?

 

[Navy_Pete]

Yeah, but hating Poilievre seems like a priority for many. Over and above what's going on in Canada.

Remember when they climate tax was the only thing that could save planet earth and when Carney got rid of it the big response was to laugh in Poilievres face about it because Carney stole his idea?

Your description of Poilievre fits for quite a few politicians.


I always find the never had a real job jab weird. Like, whats the bar for a real job? Would someone who's only job had been a receptionist, garbage collector, or cab driver be considered as never having a real job? Where would you say having a real job starts?



As for not much to show, he has a home, wife, kids, pension, self-made millionaire, voted in by people in his riding for 21 years, a career with relatively few scandals. Whether you like Poilievre or not saying he doesn't have much to show for doesn't seem accurate.

The same guy that criticized Trudeau for being 'just a drama teacher', when he wasn't even qualified to teach. Also the same guy that has taken jabs at rental property owners, after having a lucrative rental property setup, particularly targetting MPs in Ottawa on their allowance, and generally playing the system.

Nothing he's done was wrong, but he lacks credibility and real world experience to criticize others who have done actual blue collar work, white collar work, or even public servants when his entire working life is in the rarefied air of MPs where they are public servants without the rules, oversight or accountability. Similarly criticizing Carney's record is a bit rich coming from his place of protected privileged.

He even got fired by his constituents, then just forced someone else and parachuted into their job, so doesn't even have to worry about layoffs.

All that to say it's hard to take him seriously talking about the cost of living crises for Canadians when he's been in the top 5% of income earners since his first full time job, and is now in the top 1%, with a locked in gold plated pension (again, makes jabs at Singh seem pretty pathetic).

There are lots of people in the CPC party who have that experience, but somehow the late night 'Axe the Tax' guy is running the show and maybe looking to buy your used jewellery. He's tells people what they want to hear, but just doesn't seem to have quite enough of a knack to push it over the line. Maybe he's a decent guy in person, but his on camera persona is very polarizing, and seems like people are either a fan, or feel an itch to punch him in the face, and find him very disingenous and two faced personally.

Anyway, I think this is a passable budget, and even if there aren't more floor crossers to give the LPC a majority, they would be dumb AF and spiteful to vote against it just to topple the government at this point. The sticker shock on some of the bigger line items is huge. but a lot of that is due to decades of neglect vice mindless porkbarreling.

 

[Jarnhamar]

The same guy that criticized Trudeau for being 'just a drama teacher', when he wasn't even qualified to teach.

True. After 10 years we see the results I'd say.

Also the same guy that has taken jabs at rental property owners, after having a lucrative rental property setup, particularly targetting MPs in Ottawa on their allowance, and generally playing the system.

Definitely made some hypocritical statements.

Nothing he's done was wrong, but he lacks credibility and real world experience to criticize others who have done actual blue collar work, white collar work, or even public servants when his entire working life is in the rarefied air of MPs where they are public servants without the rules, oversight or accountability. Similarly criticizing Carney's record is a bit rich coming from his place of protected privileged.

I think a lot of that will depend on what's being criticized but yeah thats fair.

He even got fired by his constituents, then just forced someone else and parachuted into their job, so doesn't even have to worry about layoffs.

Yeah that was weak.

All that to say it's hard to take him seriously talking about the cost of living crises for Canadians when he's been in the top 5% of income earners since his first full time job, and is now in the top 1%, with a locked in gold plated pension (again, makes jabs at Singh seem pretty pathetic).

I'd consider his 21 years as an MP more deserving of a pension than Singhs 6. He lasted 3 times as long as Singh and 2 times as long as Trudeau.

As for taking him seriously about talking about the cost of living, he doesn't need to be poor to see that the cost of living is high. The job of an MP in a representative democracy is to speak on behalf of their constituents. As the party leader he's getting it from every province.

seems like people are either a fan, or feel an itch to punch him in the face, and find him very disingenous and two faced personally.

Exactly. That's why it seems like a lot of people care more about getting rid of his ass than some $78,000,000,000 figure.

Anyway, I think this is a passable budget,

I don't think Canadians really care at this point. We're more about red vs blue and gotchya points. We've become just as polarized over the last 10 or 15 years.
It's going to be an interesting next 10 years.

 

[MilEME09]

As for taking him seriously about talking about the cost of living, he doesn't need to be poor to see that the cost of living is high. The job of an MP in a representative democracy is to speak on behalf of their constituents. As the party leader he's getting it from every province.

No but when his own expenses are more than the other parties combined, it portrays him as severely out of touch with the voters he claims he wants to help. Not to mention the hypocrisy of saying the government needs to cut back and spend smarter when his own expenses keep growing.

 

[Jarnhamar]

No but when his own expenses are more than the other parties combined,

Which expenses are those?

 

[IKnowNothing]

That's why it seems like a lot of people care more about getting rid of his ass than some $78,000,000,000 figure.

I don't think Canadians really care at this point. We're more about red vs blue and gotchya points.

Except in this case it's actually blue vs BLUE, and ironically he's in the line of fire this time specifically because he chose to try and score his points via political theatre rather than constructively work to influence that figure for the better.

 

[Altair]

Which expenses are those?

Canada’s MPs spent record-breaking $187.8 million in 2024

Canadian members of Parliament spent a record $187.8 million in 2024, including $32 million on travel.

www.cp24.com

Party leaders spending millions​

The data does not include expenses related to MPs’ roles as house officers or opposition leaders, which come with much larger budgets and would add $24.5 million to the total spent in 2024. When such expenditures are factored in, party leaders and house officers by far spent more than other MPs.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was top amongst them, with $8.8 million in total spending, including $7.4 million for staff salaries. Most of those costs were associated with his role as official opposition leader. Spending associated with his constituency office and role as an MP was amongst the lowest in Canada, at nearly $241,000.

1. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative) – $8,832,375.53
2. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) – $4,194,564.39
3. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) – $3,798,681.92
4. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc Québécois) – $3,706,058.42

He lost his riding. Just saying.

 

[RangerRay]

IF the CPC Pierre Poilievre had simply listened to some of their remaining PC MP’s, they might have nipped this in the bud.

Fixed that for you. He only listens to a small group of people and it doesn’t sound like anyone acts as a devil’s advocate. In our leader-centric politics, what the leader says goes.

 

[Cloud Cover]

It's over 42b and it doesn't get rid of the industrial carbon tax. Zero way the CPC support it.

He’s happy they kept those two issues alive for them. Throw the dog a bone while you get the meat…