Goddess

eyeball: "I'm against lobbying but I'm always going to vote for the party that allows lobbying and never for the party that says they will do away with it when they are in power." 🙄

They all meet with lobbyists, but Pierre says he has no use for them and if he was in power, he'd make them lobby citizens directly. They would have to explain to taxpayers why they need bailouts and tax breaks. I'm not surprised you have no problem with Liberals meeting with lobbyists and that Liberals cater to them constantly. They are the main party that caters to the business cartels in Canada. You always have totally different standards for Conservatives and those standards go right out the window when it comes to the Libs.

I didn't know much either until recently with all this trade stuff going on. Canada lost the Chobani yogurt business because of the dairy cartel. And Chobani is currently expanding its facilities and adding another 1000 employees. In the US. They buy a large portion of milk produced in New Jersey, as well. There are basically 5 cartels in Canada and much of our economy is based on keeping them happy, which I agree with to an extent. Here's a brief overview by Cosmin Dzsurdzsa that I posted here somewhere recently. It's worth a boo. Canada as a nation is not particularly difficult to understand if you spend even a small amount of time thinking about how the system actually operates and I think the Americans are starting to catch on. It goes like this: Canadian governments exist, to varying degrees, largely as protectionist rackets with the sole purpose of preserving a series of entrenched industry monopolies and cartels. These cartels are largely dominated by a small number of old, moneyed family dynasties (the Rogers and Shaws in telecommunications, the Irvings in oil and shipbuilding, the Westons in food retail, and many others). For simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to these powerful, dynamic industry groups as “The Cartels” going forward. This is the basic operating theory of Canadian politics. Once you understand it, almost everything else begins to make sense. Nearly every sticking point in Canada’s ongoing USMCA trade disputes with the United States can be understood through this lens (more on that shortly). First, it’s worth exploring the broader implications of this operating theory. The implication is that virtually every piece of legislation, every policy choice made by the government-of-the-day, and every trade relationship is viewed internally as a zero-sum game: net gains or net losses for The Cartels. The public interest is often secondary and incidental. Canadian governments win or lose elections and sometimes tear themselves apart based on how well they balance the sometimes competing interests of The Cartels. Some of The Cartels are more closely aligned with Conservative governments, others with Liberal ones. But the most powerful and deeply entrenched of The Cartels almost always emerge unscathed, regardless of which party is in power. By far, the Liberal party, often self-indulgently described by Canada’s Laurentian elites as the country’s “natural governing party” has proven the most adept at protecting cartel interests. The Liberals excel at this game because they understand how to obscure the underlying reality: that laws and decisions are made primarily to protect monopolies, by wrapping those decisions in branding that appeals to Canadian identity, culture, sentimentality, or phoney nationalism. Take dairy as a clear example. For those unaware, dairy and other agricultural goods in Canada are determined by a supply management system, essentially a central planning system where bureaucrats determine quotas, supply and dictate pricing. Supply management has been a persistent flashpoint in USMCA negotiations. U.S. President Donald Trump has personally called out Canada’s "250% tax" on dairy products, and American negotiators have repeatedly pushed to put dairy access on the table, much to Ottawa’s chagrin. Why won’t Ottawa budge? The answer is simple: the dairy cartel. Within Canada, and especially within Conservative circles, much has already been said about the outsized political influence of the dairy cartel across both major federal parties. Anyone who witnessed the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race will quickly see how radioactive this issue became (but that is a separate can of worms best left unopened here). What matters is that the dairy cartel is not merely influential; it is legally entrenched. Entire statutory frameworks and government bodies exist, namely the Farm Products Agencies Act and the Canadian Dairy Commission, solely to serve their interests. This is cartel behaviour, formalized by law. Now consider the Digital Services Act. As recently as yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick explicitly raised this issue while speaking at the World Economic Forum, calling out Canada’s insistence on taxing U.S. digital products. What’s notable is that opposition to Canada’s digital taxes has been bipartisan in the United States. Even the former U.S. trade representative under Democratic President Joe Biden, Katherine Tai, expressed frustration with Ottawa’s approach and requested dispute settlement over this issue. On this particular tax, Canada has retreated and recently rescinded the tax. But the question remains: why did Canada fight tooth and nail under threat of tariffs and consequences to preserve this tax? Because of the media and telecommunications cartel. The Digital Services Act is only one iteration of an entire web of legislation and trade policy designed to preserve the media/telecoms cartel. The Digital Services Act, the Online Streaming Act, and the Online News Act are all part of the same architecture. These laws are the reason Canadians can no longer access news on Facebook to this day. The media/telecom cartel, organized through lobbying groups such as News Media Canada, successfully pushed these measures through under the guise of fairness and cultural protection. But the underlying reason is far less flattering: Canada’s legacy media sector cannot compete with American firms due to chronic deficiencies in talent, innovation, scale, and human capital. Without protection, subsidization, and forced revenue transfers, the system collapses. The reason I highlight dairy and media/telecom specifically is not only because they are central to Canada’s trade disputes with the United States, but because they illustrate how effectively the Canadian government has sold these protectionist regimes to voters. Supply management is framed as a patriotic necessity. Canadians are told that dairy farmers must dump millions of litres of milk down the drain each year to meet quota targets because Canadian dairy is inherently superior to American dairy. Media subsidies and telecom monopolies are justified as essential to preserving culture, heritage, and a disingenuous "Canadian nationalism." Any appeal to preserving Canadian sovereignty should at this point be considered an appeal to preserving the system of The Cartel I have just laid out for you. These narratives work. They ensured compliance. And it certainly helps that Canada’s media ecosystem itself is thoroughly monopolized (a point I have addressed at length elsewhere ). So you see, the system is actually quite simple. The same logic applies to many of Canada’s most questionable laws and trade practices. And to return to my original point: I think Americans are beginning to understand this faster than Ottawa likes to think. For years, Canada’s Laurentian elite appeared to believe they had successfully hoodwinked their American “partners”, that the U.S. was asleep at the wheel while Canada quietly enriched The Cartels and hardened their monopolies, all with a sense of duper's delight. Unfortunately for them, the giant is awake and it’s not falling for the tricks anymore.

I don't know if you saw my post about Chobani yogurt, but protecting these business cartels works against Canadian citizens and our economy. Both parties have catered to them and introduced legislation that benefits them and is a detriment to citizens. I, for one, don't like that we likely will not get a trade deal with the US so billionaires can get richer. Carney clearly does not have the cojones to stand up to them, so I doubt he has the cojones to stand up to Trump or anybody else. He will not be doing what is best for Canadians.

It's more of an issue for you, not me. He's been clear on how he feels about lobbyists and what he would do with them if he was in power. He never said he wouldn't meet with them, he just said it wouldn't do any good.

I think it's even in the rules for the forum that it's YOU that has to provide cites for your statements and cites to back up your opinion. What he said - repeatedly - during the election campaign, is that lobbyists were welcome to speak to him, but that he would be telling them it wouldn't do them any good - they had to plea their own cases directly to the public and convince the public. Since you've apparently been in these meetings between Poilievre and lobbyists, why don't you share what is being said by him? As usual, you hold Poilievre to a higher standard than any Liberal, including Carney. Shouldn't it be the PM who sets the example for everybody else? Again - he has said lobbyists are welcome to speak to him, but they have to plead their own cases to the public. So, again - tell us what is being said in those meetings. You insist you know exactly what's going on. So.....tell us.

Carney has said a few times that there would be no compromises made involving the dairy industry.

I work with someone who only has permanent residency. She received a voting card last election and voted.

They are bringing in 2 million Liberal voters a year and they just introduced legislation that would allow people who live in OTHER countries, who only have a loose association with Canada through a relative, to vote. They also get all the financial benefits of being a "citizen" without ever having been here or paying into the system. All of these people are going to vote Liberal, from far off lands, to keep and get MORE benefits, which the Liberals will continue to increase. It's a vicious cycle. There is zero chance of anything other than a Liberal government, ever. Very soon, it won't be Canadians electing our government. It will be foreigners voting to get money and benefits. It's not sustainable, but people like you won't stop voting for it, so.......nothing but tax & spend, immigration fanatics forever.

I answered this already. I'm getting really tired of you just saying things with no cites. But in this case, ti doesn't really matter, since he holds no power to change the system. I answered this already. He is not in power. He's stuck with a system he has no power over. He says that if he was PM, he would make lobbyists plead their cases directly to the people. He spoke on this many times. I don't think it's fair to hold him accountable for things he promised to do when he gets to be PM, at a time when he does not have the power to change anything. If he ever gets elected as PM, if he does not do what he promised to do, I will be holding him to account the same as I hold the Liberals to account. For now, he doesn't have the power to change the system.

There will never be another government in Canada other than Liberal. Mark my words.

Ooooooh, damn. You're on to me.

What's to comment on? I'm not going to sit here all day trying to convince you that we need resource development in Canada. I'm FOR resource development in Canada. You're not. The Liberals are not. Carry on, my dude.

Quite obviously, he is not. ZERO projects approved in a year. ZERO projects fast-tracked in a year. An MOU is nothing but a piece of paper. Both he and his cabinet members have confirmed that no project will go forward without full Indigenous consent. And then who does he meet with? "Coastal First Nations", which is a US-funded anti-Canadian industry group, not a coalition of Indigenous people, who told him they would give their approval to NO projects. Case closed.

Not bullshit. I heard him speak extensively on this many times. His platform was to do away with lobbyists and have them go directly to the people and lobby the citizens. He's not in power, dipsh!t. Pretty much stuck with this system until he gets in and change it. Which he promised to do. WTF are you talking about. You said Polievre did not expand on his plan to eliminate lobbyists and force them to plead their case directly to citizens. I'm saying he did. He spoke about it at nearly every rally. He did interviews where he talked about it. OBVIOUSLY.....that platform could not be implemented because you m0r0ns voted in the Liberals. AGAIN. See? This is why so many of us think you're full of crap. You say you want lobyists done away with - the Conservatives run on THAT VERY POLICY........and you vote for the Liberals.

Canada is the source of 80% of the known watchlist terrorists apprehended by the US. More than 1000 known terrorists from Canadian residency/citizenship/origin in the last 3 years. Liberals have lost track of over 600 known IRGC terrorists from Iran. Continuing to destroy the most open border for mutual trade and security with this level of incompetence and Ottawa will shipwreck our economy. When an incompetent government puts virtue-signaling above the safety of Canadians and our southern neighbours, you know you have chosen the wrong government. AGAIN. 🙄 😬 “Canada’s acceptance rate is conspicuously higher than any of its peer countries, even those that are similarly overwhelmed by recent waves of asylum claimants. Sweden rejects 60 per cent of its refugee claims, Ireland rejects 70 per cent and Germany rejects 41 per cent.”

Diab, Minister of Immigration: "Terrorists have the right to be Canadian citizens."

Utter incompetence - across the board.

He did. But you only listen to CBC and they didn't cover specifics during the election. The most you got was what Liberal pundits think about the Conservative platform. Yes. The Conservatives are *for* getting our resources to market and expanding & updating our resource infrastructure. Four countries asked us for oil & gas and the Liberals told them to F off. "Might have won." Or......there's a bunch of wishy-washy voters like yourself who thought the same way. The CBC told you the Conservatives didn't stand a chance and you believed them. They say that for a reason, you know.

I kind of get it - Carney is stuck with whoever the apathetic electorate votes in. But, jeez.....

The international press often comments on Joly's incompetence and obvious word salads that reflect no real knowledge of her portfolio. But Canadian media - not a peep.

I keep telling you that you will never get the whole truth from Canada's legacy media, you get Liberal Party spin. You have to start looking at independent journalists and investigative journalists, or else you're just being subjected to gov't propaganda. The Food Professor just posted this on "X". To my X followers, I’ve worked with the media for nearly 25 years. For most of that time, the relationship was professional and balanced. But in recent years, something has shifted. I am increasingly concerned about the state of our democracy — particularly how media, in general, are informing Canadians about food policy, food inflation, and economic policy. I now find myself learning more about Canada’s economy and policy changes from American outlets than from Canadian ones. Much of our national coverage feels reactive, shallow, or overly fixated on partisan narratives rather than substantive policy analysis. What troubles me most is the lack of scrutiny applied evenly across governments and institutions. For example, when the Bank of Canada suggested that Ottawa’s counter-tariffs contributed to food inflation, only one major outlet — Bloomberg — gave it meaningful coverage. The grocery benefit program received very little examination regarding how it would be financed. It took days before anyone pressed for clarity. During the latest spike in food inflation, several outlets turned to the same small circle of commentators who dismissed any potential role of federal policy — carbon pricing, GST holidays, counter-tariffs — despite mounting evidence that policy decisions can and do affect food prices. Instead of investigating structural drivers of inflation, much of the coverage focuses on fact-checking opposition rhetoric, even though the opposition has not governed since 2015. Scrutiny should be applied equally — not selectively. Quebec media, while imperfect, appear to have maintained a broader range of debate. In much of the rest of Canada, I see increasing concentration of voices — often from the same region, Ontario, often reflecting similar policy perspectives — and less diversity of thought grounded in empirical research. This isn’t about partisan politics. It’s about accountability, transparency, and healthy democratic discourse. Media are under financial pressure — that’s real. But public trust depends on independence and depth. Subsidy structures, incentives, and newsroom economics all matter. Canada deserves stronger policy journalism — especially on food affordability, supply chains, and economic resilience. We need more data-driven analysis, more intellectual diversity, and more courage to ask uncomfortable questions — regardless of which party is in power. Until that happens, Canadians would be wise to diversify their news sources and think critically about what they’re being told — and what they’re not.

Some Canadians and even Liberal MP's, are getting tired of the incompetence. Diab's performance at committee meetings is eye-watering. She knows next to nothing about her portfolio and cannot answer basic questions. EDIT: Sorry I forgot the link: Where is Canada's immigration minister? Community groups are asking 'She is completely absent' Reichhold said he has never managed to speak directly with Diab, despite repeatedly asking to meet following her swearing-in last May. "I have seen 14 immigration ministers come and go, and it is truly surprising. We are really astonished that she is completely absent," Reichhold said. Radio-Canada spoke with five other organizations that criticized Diab's availability. Away from the cameras, 10 Liberal MPs spoke to Radio-Canada about her performance. They were granted confidentiality in order to express themselves freely. Of those, only one defended Diab's job performance. Although several of them emphasized that she is a "good person" in charge of a "difficult" portfolio, nine MPs said they believe that the minister is overwhelmed and are openly questioning her place at the cabinet table. "It doesn't make sense. In the House of Commons, many MPs hold their breath when she answers questions from the opposition," said one Liberal elected official. "We're afraid she'll put her foot in her mouth."

Surrey, BC Released on bail after stealing 14 semi trailers valued at over $1 million and obliterating their VIN numbers, Amandeep Singh Dhaliwal. Charges Sworn In Multijurisdictional Stolen Semi Trailer Investigation | Surrey Police