Liberal Minority Government 2019 - ????

[dapaterson]

MP asks for privacy as family member arrested in drug bust, police seek removal of news

Conservative MP Karen Vecchio is asking for privacy after she says a family member was arrested by St. Thomas police in a drug bust that resulted in the seizure of fentanyl and four guns.

Hours after police issued a news release about the arrest of two people, Vecchio posted a statement on Facebook.

“Sadly, I have a personal connection to this case as a family member has been arrested. I ask that the privacy of my family and I are respected at this difficult time.”

Vecchio, who represents Elgin-Middlesex-London, also thanked police for their “great work” in the investigation.

Late Friday afternoon, St. Thomas police made an unusual request and asked media outlets to remove information about the bust posted to their websites and refrain from publishing any further information about the case because of a publication ban put in place at a court hearing. Police removed the release from their website. A police spokesperson was unable to provide details about the publication ban.

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/drug-dealers-on-notice-after-four-guns-fentanyl-seized-in-st-thomas-police-raid-chief/wcm/d4f2933f-5bdf-412e-913e-768462d7c822/

 

[Jarnhamar]

More from the nothing to see here files.

Federal website advertising hundreds of non-existent student-volunteer positions

OTTAWA -- The federal website advertising volunteer positions for students hoping to earn money for their educations through a $900-million government aid program contains hundreds of positions that do not actually exist.

Among the student-volunteer positions advertised as available on the I Want to Help website are 1,500 spots with YMCA Canada to help create online exercise regimes for kids and seniors in their communities.

Yet the YMCA says those positions were actually the brainchild of WE Charity, the organization originally tapped by the Liberal government to administer the Canada Student Services Grant, and that the YMCA never agreed to them.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/federal-website-advertising-hundreds-of-non-existent-student-volunteer-positions-1.5016852

 

[Jarnhamar]

Aaaand more from the nothing to see here files lol



PM's mother Margaret and brother Alexandre were both paid to speak at WE Charity events

Margaret Trudeau received $250,000 in honoraria; Alexandre Trudeau was paid about $32,000

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/margaret-justin-trudeau-we-charity-1.5643586



Wait for it.

I uh uh uh uh uh welcome the ethics commissioners report because Canadian safety and security is important and uh uh uh uh climate change is a danger to us all and I'm extending CERB. I decided we're moving past this now.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Aaaand more from the nothing to see here files lol



PM's mother Margaret and brother Alexandre were both paid to speak at WE Charity events

Margaret Trudeau received $250,000 in honoraria; Alexandre Trudeau was paid about $32,000

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/margaret-justin-trudeau-we-charity-1.5643586



Wait for it.

I will preface this by saying that I am geographically located very far from Canada right now and my only exposure to sentiment and traction back home on this subject is social media. 

From what I am seeing, this whole topic doesnt have much traction.  And to be honest, how could it ?  There is no viable and positive alternative to the current sitting government yet.  The sitting government can do as they please, for now, and all will be fogiven and forgotten until the opposition pulls up its boot straps and presents viable and positive alternatives.

 

[brihard]

I will preface this by saying that I am geographically located very far from Canada right now and my only exposure to sentiment and traction back home on this subject is social media. 

From what I am seeing, this whole topic doesnt have much traction.  And to be honest, how could it ?  There is no viable and positive alternative to the current sitting government yet.  The sitting government can do as they please, for now, and all will be fogiven and forgotten until the opposition pulls up its boot straps and presents viable and positive alternatives.

That's about right. It's a 'gotcha', but not at a time that does any tangible good for any of the opposition parties.

The CPC still have to pick a leader.
The NDP have a leader that people are losing faith in, and they're tight on cash.
Bloc Quebecois are already in about as good a position as they can reasonably hope for.
Nobody else is particularly relevant.

All three of the relevant opposition parties would need to collude in order to sink the current minority government. LPC only need to keep one of them happy - realistically, probably the Bloc, though on some issues NDP will do - and they get to keep governing.

I would also suspect that absolutely nobody is in any hurry to inherit this mess. I don't think the CPC have any desire to form government within this fiscal year.

I suspect we'll see this minority ride out a full term or close to it. The seat count, and the ability of any one of three parties to prop up the government, gives them considerable potential longevity. For better or worse they're polling pretty well, and most Canadians see at least reasonably content with how they have governed through crisis.

I don't personally want them in power, but looking at it pragmatically, that's how I see the big picture.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Or the LPC manufactures a vote of non-confidence, and strikes while the opposition is in disarray.  Let's say prorogue in Oct / Nov, election in Feb et voila - majority for another 4 years.

 

[Jarnhamar]

That's about right. It's a 'gotcha', but not at a time that does any tangible good for any of the opposition parties.

Very true. I think this more important than just giving the opposition crap to throw at the government for a couple hours at Question period though. Or at least it should be.

Last week the WE was saying they never gave a dime to the Trudeau's, now it's thousands of dollars.

It's another case of the government ignoring the rules, knowing full well they won't be held accountable. 

 

[brihard]

Or the LPC manufactures a vote of non-confidence, and strikes while the opposition is in disarray.  Let's say prorogue in Oct / Nov, election in Feb et voila - majority for another 4 years.

They don’t even need to. He could simply ask the GG for an election and he would get one. It would be pitched to voters as ‘seeking a mandate to guide Canada out of this crisis and through the economic turbulence.’ And it would probably work.

The best armour against this is MacKay, but he would face a hell of a fight.

 

[Remius]

And MacKay will be tested a lot by his own party.

 

[Xylric]

:Tin-Foil-Hat:

They don’t even need to. He could simply ask the GG for an election and he would get one. It would be pitched to voters as ‘seeking a mandate to guide Canada out of this crisis and through the economic turbulence.’ And it would probably work.

The best armour against this is MacKay, but he would face a hell of a fight.

I would not be surprised to see Ford decide that being Premier isn't enough within the next decade.

 

[stellarpanther]

I don't think this is that big of a deal but to each their own I guess.  Also, Scheer is so unpopular even with many Conservative voters that IMO, nothing that the Liberal's do right now will get some people to vote for a party that has Scheer as it's leader.  They need to get rid of him and fast.  I also don't think Mackay is going to be much better.  He's also extremely negative and insulting in the way he talks.  I'm personally extremely turned off my negative politics.

 

[Jarnhamar]

[quote author=stellarpanther] I'm personally extremely turned off my negative politics.
[/quote]
But not ethical violations. To each their own indeed.

 

[stellarpanther]

But not ethical violations. To each their own indeed.

Sorry, I didn't realize the investigation was complete and the ethics commissioner had ruled an ethics violation was committed by Trudeau .  Can you post the link please. 

 

[Cloud Cover]

:Tin-Foil-Hat:
I would not be surprised to see Ford decide that being Premier isn't enough within the next decade.

Oddly enough, it appears to the rest of Canada that the Premier of Ontario seems to want to be the next mayor of Toronto and the Mayor of Toronto wants to be/thinks he is the Premier of Ontario. Can't say I miss the place.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Sorry, I didn't realize the investigation was complete and the ethics commissioner had ruled an ethics violation was committed by Trudeau .  Can you post the link please. 

Well I don't need to get hit in the head with a hammer to know it'll hurt but sure I'll get that link to you in a couple weeks then we can talk about you coming over to the conservative party.


Some reading while we wait.

Chris Selley: Trudeau III: The Kielburger Affair — a sequel with extra banana flavour!
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-selley-trudeau-iii-the-kielburger-affair-a-sequel-with-extra-banana-flavour


Timeline: Trudeau’s ties to WE are as old as his political career
https://ipolitics.ca/2020/07/03/timeline-trudeaus-ties-to-we-are-as-old-as-his-political-career/


Bonus tweet in the national post article.

Emilie Nicolas
@Emilie_Ni
When WE asked me to speak at the WE Day in Montreal (2018) they told me that as a charity, they do not pay speakers. Oh well. I guess as a charity, they put the emphasis on giving their speaker money to those who need it the less, while asking black folks for free labour.

Hardly fair to suggest it's just black people though. Former NHL player and child abuse advocate Sheldon Kennedy, who helped created the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre also reported being told by the WE that they don't pay for speakers.


Weird right?

 

[OldSolduer]

I don't think this is that big of a deal but to each their own I guess.  Also, Scheer is so unpopular even with many Conservative voters that IMO, nothing that the Liberal's do right now will get some people to vote for a party that has Scheer as it's leader.  They need to get rid of him and fast.  I also don't think Mackay is going to be much better.  He's also extremely negative and insulting in the way he talks.  I'm personally extremely turned off my negative politics.

So sole sourcing a billion dollar contract isnt a big deal? Really????

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

No bigger than sole cancelling a contract with a billion dollar penalty, I guess. 

But, seriously (he said in a sarcastic tone), don't you understand Hamish: It wasn't Trudeau or even Morneau (because he has now been brought into this through members of his family working at WE, but also failed to recuse himself), it was the bureaucrats !!!

Who answers to whom in their topsy-turvy world?

 

[stellarpanther]

then we can talk about you coming over to the conservative party.

If O'toole wins, there is a good chance I will. 

 

[Jarnhamar]

If O'toole wins, there is a good chance I will.

Sweet.


Do you think it's a big deal if a CO of a unit is having a change of command parade and decides that, contrary to a few rules, a company his wife is a board member on, who has received money from along with other family members, gets the expensive catering contract? When asked what other catering companies the CO checked with, since we need 3 quotes, the CO just shrugged his shoulders and said the other companies weren't able to provide the food. Except he can't even say what other companies he asked.

Would you sign off on that?

 

[stellarpanther]

Sweet.


Do you think it's a big deal if a CO of a unit is having a change of command parade and decides that, contrary to a few rules, a company his wife is a board member on, who has received money from along with other family members, gets the expensive catering contract? When asked what other catering companies the CO checked with, since we need 3 quotes, the CO just shrugged his shoulders and said the other companies weren't able to provide the food. Except he can't even say what other companies he asked.

Would you sign off on that?

It wasn't food but there was a similar incident about 15 years ago at a base I worked at in which a unit Admin O who was also the person responsible for awarding the contract decided to do a sole sourced contract for approx. $75,000 to his wife's business for artwork.  I'm not getting into specifics but other than saying there should have been a bidding process and don't do it again, the person was promoted and that was the end of that.