Liberal Minority Government 2025 - ???

[mariomike]

This was posted on Friday regarding,

Canada body urges govt action after US halts worker visas for truck drivers: ‘Must view this as a wakeup call’​

CTA Statement: Commercial Truck Driver Training and Safety Oversight of Trucking Companies & Issuance of VISAs - Canadian Trucking Alliance

A fatal truck collision in Florida this week has sparked several statements from U.S. officials who raised serious concerns over the integrity of the commercial driver licensing system (CDL) in the U.S. and immigration policies impacting the trucking industry. US Transportation Secretary Sean P...

cantruck.ca

 

[CBH99]

Bit of a tight rope to walk for any government of any colour.

We're SO tied to the U.S. economy and military that there's no "switch" to cut them off to zero, it takes time (years, not weeks or months) to build up new markets elsewhere (which'll never be able to replace all of the U.S. market), so checking every week saying, "are we there yet?" can become a partisan exercise for either side: "WTF?!?!? Nothing's happening 77 days in!" vs. "Hey, these things take time."

And a lot of critics of the government on trade also seem keen on seeing continued ties with the U.S. and increased defence spending, so how do you balance that against having to look elsewhere for stuff?

Same with any government transition: the same people who attack party x for "why the ever-loving Christ have they not done anything yet after x months in?!?" are often the same people who support party y in the same position, saying "hey, it takes time to learn the ropes for a new PM, especially after z f@!#$%^&*(ed it up as royally as they did beforehand." All in the eye of the beholder ...

I guess I am of simple thought...

The Government of Canada, for all it's very deliberate messaging about prioritizing "Made in Canada" and "Canada First!" - not to mention the very public "Review of the F-35 file!' - apparently needed to buy some armoured high mobility vehicles... (not sure if the purchase here is smaller part of a bigger project to replace the vehicle fleet? Or if these were requested by CANSOF?)

Either way, for all that deliberate messaging about putting Canadian companies first & keeping that money flowing inside of Canada, the government then turns around and seems to sole source from an American company a vehicle that I suspect could have been built by Roshel (or a few other Canadian companies) fairly easily...

...


All the government messaging about looking to other markets to supply our defence needs, reviewing the F-35 contract, approaching Europe to be included in their "Europians Only!" spending spree...


...

Jst to be clear, I don't have any real familiarity with this project and I think the whole "Boycott America!" movement is pretty silly when it comes to military kit. So I'm not opposed to this by any means, and certainly not on those grounds.

$160M for approx 60 vehicles seems steep though, even if that includes instruction manuals & initial train-the-trainer training (say that 10 times fast...) & whatever else is included.

Maybe reasonable, I don't know. But it seems like a steep price tag for the number of vehicles being acquired.




Also, if anybody can clarify, did DoD pull the plug on the JTLV altogether? Or did they just pull the plug on the initial version, but the A2 model is now being produced?

Mods feel free to move this to a more appropriate thread. My apologies. I posted it here initially because I was looking at the bigger picture politically, but definitely the wrong thread for it

 

[suffolkowner]

I guess I am of simple thought...

The Government of Canada, for all it's very deliberate messaging about prioritizing "Made in Canada" and "Canada First!" - not to mention the very public "Review of the F-35 file!' - apparently needed to buy some armoured high mobility vehicles... (not sure if the purchase here is smaller part of a bigger project to replace the vehicle fleet? Or if these were requested by CANSOF?)

Either way, for all that deliberate messaging about putting Canadian companies first & keeping that money flowing inside of Canada, the government then turns around and seems to sole source from an American company a vehicle that I suspect could have been built by Roshel (or a few other Canadian companies) fairly easily...

...


All the government messaging about looking to other markets to supply our defence needs, reviewing the F-35 contract, approaching Europe to be included in their "Europians Only!" spending spree...


...

Jst to be clear, I don't have any real familiarity with this project and I think the whole "Boycott America!" movement is pretty silly when it comes to military kit. So I'm not opposed to this by any means, and certainly not on those grounds.

$160M for approx 60 vehicles seems steep though, even if that includes instruction manuals & initial train-the-trainer training (say that 10 times fast...) & whatever else is included.

Maybe reasonable, I don't know. But it seems like a steep price tag for the number of vehicles being acquired.




Also, if anybody can clarify, did DoD pull the plug on the JTLV altogether? Or did they just pull the plug on the initial version, but the A2 model is now being produced?

Mods feel free to move this to a more appropriate thread. My apologies. I posted it here initially because I was looking at the bigger picture politically, but definitely the wrong thread for it

pretty sure the 60 JLTV are the result of the competitive process to replace CANSOF Humvees. $3M per all in
Roshel will get its chance with the LUV-SMP

 

[YZT580]

I guess I am of simple thought...

The Government of Canada, for all it's very deliberate messaging about prioritizing "Made in Canada" and "Canada First!" - not to mention the very public "Review of the F-35 file!' - apparently needed to buy some armoured high mobility vehicles... (not sure if the purchase here is smaller part of a bigger project to replace the vehicle fleet? Or if these were requested by CANSOF?)

Either way, for all that deliberate messaging about putting Canadian companies first & keeping that money flowing inside of Canada, the government then turns around and seems to sole source from an American company a vehicle that I suspect could have been built by Roshel (or a few other Canadian companies) fairly easily...

...


All the government messaging about looking to other markets to supply our defence needs, reviewing the F-35 contract, approaching Europe to be included in their "Europians Only!" spending spree...


...

Jst to be clear, I don't have any real familiarity with this project and I think the whole "Boycott America!" movement is pretty silly when it comes to military kit. So I'm not opposed to this by any means, and certainly not on those grounds.

$160M for approx 60 vehicles seems steep though, even if that includes instruction manuals & initial train-the-trainer training (say that 10 times fast...) & whatever else is included.

Maybe reasonable, I don't know. But it seems like a steep price tag for the number of vehicles being acquired.




Also, if anybody can clarify, did DoD pull the plug on the JTLV altogether? Or did they just pull the plug on the initial version, but the A2 model is now being produced?

Mods feel free to move this to a more appropriate thread. My apologies. I posted it here initially because I was looking at the bigger picture politically, but definitely the wrong thread for it

and what good are 60 vehicles? Shouldn't we be placing orders in the hundreds. Russian losses in one week in February were over 130 units. Now granted we are not in a ground war and we don't require them yet but when we do, having 60 won't cut it.

 

[ArmyRick]

The same thought process goes into those usual NDP voters who voted for PP in the last election and very well may switch back over to the NDP if their next leader is charismatic and says the right things.

From what I understand, it was the private unions, trades people and trade unions that flocked to the CPC last election, while the socialist flocked over to the Liberals.
The NDP would need to really appeal to the hands on, get 'er done crowd labourers.

The fact they started their leadership race selection with some weird parity of no more than 50% men with each delegation does make me concerned they may not be heading in the right direction.

Now, if my friend Tony makes a serious run for the leadership, he could help attract some of the folks I mentioned.

Your right, either way, the NDP stands to come back or be turned into the next green party.

 

[ArmyRick]

I'm keeping an eye on whether they sell their building in downtown Ottawa. I know they leverage it to borrow money to run campaigns, on the assumption that they will get their campaign funds reimbursed. But seeing as they are not getting reimbursed for the majority of their spending last election, do they sell it for a quick influx of cash just to keep the lights on in the "party".

Certainly true. By that same token however, if someone had told the CPC in 2021 that the next election would be in April 2025, they wouldn't have believed you. Minority governments may not be the most stable thing ever, but in the right circumstances they can last quite a while.

Could they be voted out? Absolutely. If I were the NDP holding the balance of power and with the financial Armageddon facing them...why?

It would take all three opposition parties to gang together to down the LPC.

CPC, always flush with cash and generally cantankerous, sure, a given.

Bloc, not as flush with cash, but they need to run in 78 ridings only and I've not heard anything about them being hard on for money.

NDP...dead broke. Not recovered in the polls. Leaderless. Don't even have party status.

Do they even run in 343 ridings next election? Do they just focus on ridings they think they can win? Are they a true federal party if they only run in 25-75 ridings? Can they afford to have another result like the last one they just had? Will either the LPC or CPC win a majority stripping them of any semblance of leverage as a party?

It's fun, I guess, to imaging Carney forced into another election right away, but I really, truly, don't see the NDP rushing into political and financial suicide as a party. Unless that changes, Carney can pretty much coasts for the next 2 years, probably 3.

I really don't see Carney as some high stakes gambler. Man is 3 seats away from a majority, why risk it all? Not impossible, but also not likely.

Absolutely. Could last 6 more months. Could last 4 years.

I will say this. I thought the Canadian political landscape would settle for 1-2 years after the April election.

However, I think we are back to the Wild west of Canadian politics again, and no one has the crystal ball to see exactly what happens.

Parties will have to zig when they need to zig and not zag. When opportunities are created by ourselves or foreign leaders/events, the leaders will need to pounce on them quickly to exploit the situation.

So Bloc minority government it is next election. Not serious, but who knows?

 

[HavokFour]

So Bloc minority government it is next election. Not serious, but who knows?

Let it be known for the record, that @ArmyRick spoke the incantation for 2029.

Spoiler: Viewer discretion

 

[ArmyRick]

Let it be known for the record, that @ArmyRick spoke the incantation for 2029.

Spoiler: Viewer discretion

View attachment 95386

The good news? Yves Blanchette is hilarious! I love his press conferences.

 

[quadrapiper]

I really don't see Carney as some high stakes gambler. Man is 3 seats away from a majority, why risk it all? Not impossible, but also not likely.

Might effectively make up (ish) three seats if there's a rupture in the CPC and some people end up sitting as independents.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

and what good are 60 vehicles? Shouldn't we be placing orders in the hundreds. Russian losses in one week in February were over 130 units. Now granted we are not in a ground war and we don't require them yet but when we do, having 60 won't cut it.

I would imagine that in that scenario, we will run out of trained (and alive) troops around the same time we run out of equipment....

 

[ArmyRick]

According to Stats Can, our 2025 TFW target was 82,000 but apparently first 6 months its hit 105,000.

At a time when Canadian unemployment, especially amongst youth is high.

Is this elbows up?

 

[CBH99]

Your right, either way, the NDP stands to come back or be turned into the next green party.

As blunt as this is to say, the NDP aren't really the NDP anymore.

I mean literally and officially, the New Democratic Party was reduced to non-party status in the last election...they officially aren't even a party of relevance...




(The Green Party, in my own opinion, is not a real political party either. It's a clever grifter's idea to get a taxpayer funded healthy salary, and all the benefits & perks of being an MP, while not having the power to do or not do anything. Best paid doorstop on the floor, hands down.)

 

[MilEME09]

According to Stats Can, our 2025 TFW target was 82,000 but apparently first 6 months its hit 105,000.

At a time when Canadian unemployment, especially amongst youth is high.

Is this elbows up?

Can you really blame youth under 18 for not wanting to work? The amount of homework being pushed kids is double what it was when I was in school. They just dont have time to work and keep up with their studies any more. I also cant speak for other provinces but in AB we have a youth min wage of $13 an hour for the first 28h then $15 after that.

Thats barely covering your bus pass for working part time. Many wont see it as worth it.

 

[HavokFour]

Can you really blame youth under 18 for not wanting to work? The amount of homework being pushed kids is double what it was when I was in school. They just dont have time to work and keep up with their studies any more. I also cant speak for other provinces but in AB we have a youth min wage of $13 an hour for the first 28h then $15 after that.

Thats barely covering your bus pass for working part time. Many wont see it as worth it.

A very good chance that a whole lot of businesses are still putting out fake "we're hiring" ads, just to say there's no domestic interest so they need TFWs. A crackdown on that alone would do wonders.

 

[YZT580]

Can you really blame youth under 18 for not wanting to work? The amount of homework being pushed kids is double what it was when I was in school. They just dont have time to work and keep up with their studies any more. I also cant speak for other provinces but in AB we have a youth min wage of $13 an hour for the first 28h then $15 after that.

Thats barely covering your bus pass for working part time. Many wont see it as worth it.

Yeah I can blame kids for not wanting to work but I blame their parents more for not kicking their asses out to look for jobs but instead making it easy for them to do nothing. Every kid I see has a cell phone and they aren't cheap. Neither is a phone package so if they aren't working someone (hi daddy) else is. They don't go to Tim's after school they go to Star Bucks. Now I don't know about you but I can't afford Star Bucks every day. Their not wearing knockoffs but the real Levis etc. at 100 a pair. At least here in Ontario they don't have homework or if they do it isn't essential: no one fails. So lets quit molleycoddling them and making excuses for them.

 

[ArmyRick]

Can you really blame youth under 18 for not wanting to work?

I have a 17 year old and 15 year old sons. One is lucky to have his job (15 year old). There are 5 youth employees at his work and the rest of the restaurant staff are TFW.

The other son works at the abattoir and most TFWs wouldn't last five minutes there.

Dude, get real. Your trying to excuse the Liberals and its really not a good look. Call a spade a spade already.

A very good chance that a whole lot of businesses are still putting out fake "we're hiring" ads, just to say there's no domestic interest so they need TFWs. A crackdown on that alone would do wonders.

Thank you. Thats calling a spade a spade

 

[PuckChaser]

Can you really blame youth under 18 for not wanting to work? The amount of homework being pushed kids is double what it was when I was in school. They just dont have time to work and keep up with their studies any more. I also cant speak for other provinces but in AB we have a youth min wage of $13 an hour for the first 28h then $15 after that.

Thats barely covering your bus pass for working part time. Many wont see it as worth it.

Hopefully those youth remember who drove up inflation by printing money over the last decade and counting when it comes time for them to vote for the first time. I'll give you a hint, it wasn't Stephen Harper.

 

[Czech_pivo]

I have a 17 year old and 15 year old sons. One is lucky to have his job (15 year old). There are 5 youth employees at his work and the rest of the restaurant staff are TFW.

The other son works at the abattoir and most TFWs wouldn't last five minutes there.

Dude, get real. Your trying to excuse the Liberals and its really not a good look. Call a spade a spade already.


Thank you. Thats calling a spade a spade

Both my kids, now 19 & 17, got local routes delivering the free weekly Burlington Post when they were 10 & 12yrs old. They would collect tips once a month from the 30-35 house they had on their route. On average they’d earned around 90$/month, plus the .12 cents a paper delivered from the Burlington Post. We had them save 50% of their earnings and allow them to spend the rest. Lawn cutting was next on my son’s list and then sticking shelves at a local grocery store and now cashier at said grocery site. My daughter branched out to babysitting, dog walking/sitting and finally to Hostess/Runner at some local restaurants.
Living in Burlington/Oakville is a completely different world than the Windsor that I grew up in. My kids have friends who’s parents own Ferrari’s, mansions along Lakeshore, multiple houses around the world, who got Land Rovers, Audi’s, Lexus’s when they got their licenses. Last year I ‘gave’ my 2008 Honda Civic to both my kids to drive and bought myself a new 2025 Hybrid Corolla, which I plan to drive for 11-13yrs.
We provide a lot to my kids but the rule is, you work and you save 50-60% of your income, for school and later in life.
My daughter, who just left to Uni in Pennsylvania to play soccer, has always had champagne tastes, Starbucks, Lululemon, Aritisa but has saved prudently for it or has been wiling to take on extra chores around the house for some extra pocket money. This last week she’s been away from home at school in Pennsylvania and she’s singing a different tune already. Since she’s on her own and spending her own money, the light has gone off for her. Being around kids from Pennsylvania who earn only 7.85$/hr for minimum wage has opened her eyes right up.
Our son this past summer was given the new chores of grocery shopping once a week for the whole family. He takes my credit card and the list from the family and off he goes. He comes back every week saying ‘I can’t believe how expensive food is’ and he’s just begun to look for good deals at the store and picking them up even if they are not in the list. He definitely gets it now as well.

 

[dapaterson]

If you only drive your Corolla 13 years you're doing it wrong

 

[MilEME09]

I have a 17 year old and 15 year old sons. One is lucky to have his job (15 year old). There are 5 youth employees at his work and the rest of the restaurant staff are TFW.

The other son works at the abattoir and most TFWs wouldn't last five minutes there.

Dude, get real. Your trying to excuse the Liberals and its really not a good look. Call a spade a spade already.


Thank you. Thats calling a spade a spade

Show me which liberal polices direct effect young unemployment Rick. You tell me to get real when in reality 90% or more of the laws the affect youth employment are at the provincial level. Including minimum wages, working hours, and standards that disproportionately impact entry-level jobs often held by youth, as well as education and skills training programs (such as post-secondary education, apprenticeships, and vocational training), which are critical for addressing skills mismatches and preparing young people for the workforce. While the federal government influences broader factors like immigration, macroeconomic policies, and targeted programs (e.g., Canada Summer Jobs), these affect a smaller portion of the labour market and are often short-term or supplementary.

Example in many provinces 13-14 year olds can only work 2 hours on school days, but because of labour code get paid for 3. How many employers will give free Monday? 15-17 year olds cannot work between 9pm and 6pm in many provinces, again provincial policies. After AB implemented the $13 youth min wage, youth unemployment spiked 2.6%, under OHS rules in AB, when hiring youth you must have a hazard assessment and control the risks for youth. This adds more paper work and hassle for a potential employee which negates the benefit of a youth working because it costs more over all to hire one.

If you are going to throw shade at Carney and the liberals bring facts to the table. We know you hate anything liberal, but your friendly neighborhood provincial government has much more to do with unemployment over all than feds. Even albertas beloved oil patch is down 17% in jobs despite record profits thanks to automation, thats not the feds fault either.