Zeitgeist

Well that would take a lot of analysis and increased Chinese imports are not the kind of trade we want. The ties are important. I’m not getting into a “we’re better” argument. I’m simply making the case for Canada against this peculiar form of Upper Canada separatism.

Well that’s a very tall order. Separatism is down and fading. Ottawa recognized Quebec as a nation and bilingualism is up nationwide. National unity is strong.

Well you’re dating yourself here. World War Three is unlikely in the foreseeable future and there are no strategic targets in the Canadian North. The populous areas in southern Canada would be impacted like most US cities if such an all out war were to occur and there’d be few survivors in any urban areas of warring countries.

I totally disagree with your take on Canada, because I see your perspective as American Republican, a force that will soon get a reckoning. It may be much more radical than most Republican perspectives. I’m going to turn your view completely upside down. Though it’s scary for older generations to recognize, Trudeau was onto something when he called Canada the first post-national country. Richard Florida understands this as well. The educated “creative class” who are the nouveau elite shop around internationally for city regions to live in. They can work anywhere and are very savvy. What interests them? Clean, high tech, safe, diverse regions with high quality of life. On that score Canadian cities do superbly. Of the top ten most liveable cities, Canadian cities score consistently high. Vancouver and Toronto are often in the top three. Nation states and military blocks seem very old worldly to Millennials. I believe the future is loose economic and political unions of states. I still think eliminating the nation state is dangerous and risks Balkanization. It makes smaller states vulnerable to belligerent and aggressive larger powers. I believe the best endgame for Canada is opening up and expanding relations and trade with as many countries as possible, including Russia and China, yet keep our traditional alliances as a bulwark for security, democracy, and progress. We ally ourselves with countries that share our priorities. The truth is that while we have a smaller society and military than our southern neighbor, I believe we have a safer, healthier, less polarized society. Joining the US means compromising that. As we grow I believe that eventually our strengths will be too hard to ignore. Canada may be the freest country. Protect it. If it’s in our interests to become more integrated with the US, the Canadian way should play an important role or it probably isn’t worth it. In any event, that’s for the peoples of both countries to negotiate if it comes to that.

So strengthen the Canadian military. To go the other way is to undermine NATO. Trump also has to stop criticizing NATO. The US going it alone would have a hard time dealing with both China and Russia. Europe matters and so does Canada in the opposition to threats. Canada is a growing territory with soft power that can play that PR, rebuilding and peacekeeping role for NATO and the US. What’s more, in some ways Trudeau Jr. to China is like Trudeau Sr. was to the Soviets/Cuba. There’s an opening in Canada to China that the US doesn’t want to see widen. It could widen. More belligerence from POTUS towards Canada can only widen it.

So your ancestor was pressed into the British military, yet you’re a monarchist, yet you feel attachment to early Pre-Confederation Nova Scotians, yet you like the freedoms in Canada, yet you think it’s a failed state. You think it’s failed because we have a small military that you think we should dismantle rather than build up. You also don’t see value in NATO for Canada or the US. It’s hard not to think that you want to abandon the indigenous through de-Confederation and make the newly independent provinces ripe for integration into the US. That’s the only thread I can follow. Why would the provinces risk being overwhelmed by the much larger US? That’s a prelude to statehood, your real endgame.

I think the 2nd Amendment made sense early on in Post-Revolutionary America when there was suspicion about takeover by the English. The early US forces were built on such local militias. Fast forward 200 plus years to a time of a very large population with modern pressures and fully automated weapons. How many armed people are there with mental health issues or who are just plain sadistic? Now people are arming up to protect themselves from each other, not the government. So at the very least you need to ensure guns don’t get into the wrong hands, and I believe, phase out public access to automatic weapons. It means gun control. I also think the inner city and disenfranchised folk need to feel they can participate in the American Dream, obviously. A polarized public, especially along socioeconomic lines, doesn’t help reduce crime. I don’t know how or if such policies could be implemented, but something needs to be done to protect your society.

I think you need to revamp your approach because I’m drawing the conclusion that you probably aren’t Canadian. Either you’re representing a foreign power’s interests or you have your own very unique and quite inscrutable take on Canada. Generally speaking, in a country like Canada, the value of the nation state is to allow the variety of groups/cultures in the country to thrive while providing the bigger services that such groups wouldn’t be able to provide for themselves. People come together in the name of common values and form a social contract. Some services are federal, but most reside in lower levels of government. Canada is actually a fairly loose confederation, which is why any union with another country, which is what you seem to be driving at, would have to be a loose one that allows Canada to continue to exist as a self-determining nation. Citizens elect whether their countries should enter a union. You can’t just take stuff from people: No taxation without representation, remember? You say you live in Ontario and are an English Quebecer separatist. That makes you one of a kind because it’s quite an implausible combination of traits. Go ahead and try to explain your perspective. Canadians are relatively happy and proud of the country, among the happiest in the world. The country rates high in many surveys, such as the Human Development Index and happiness indices. Criticize all you like but most Canadians see our problems as solvable and specific. I suggest bringing solutions on that basis. Your sledgehammer approach, especially as it doesn’t seem to present plausible solutions, doesn’t look advantageous.

If you ever served overseas in places like Bosnia or Afghanistan, you’d see the value of what you have in Canada and what the country brings to the table. If you prefer another country’s model, emigrate. You said you voted Liberal and like the freedom here, totally contradicting everything else you said slamming the country and Trudeau. I voted for Harper, yet I have enough perspective to judge Trudeau on his merits or lack thereof. Seems you’re trolling.

Conscription impacted all Canadians. It was stopped. The US had the draft decades later. Maybe you should learn more about the impact of both world wars on France and the important contributions Canada made to France’s liberation.

What are you talking about? The heavy taxes in Quebec are imposed by the government of Quebec. Quebec has also been a recipient of transfer payments from other provinces I won’t even get into the costs of maintaining bilingual government services and laws, a commitment the federal government has made to Quebec Space programs are expensive and should be multi-country projects, which they are: Canadarm, Russian Soyuz rockets, etc. Canada has punched far above its weight on space programs. Do your homework.

Love those Schoolhouse Rock songs. They should bring them back. Brings back childhood.

You need to read up on the CSA. Canada has had ISS commanders. Canada has a very advanced space program and was the third country to launch a satellite in space. Canada is a much smaller country than the US, Russia, China, and even France. Show some respect.

I agree with you that manners are very important. Boorishness speaks to laziness and selfishness. It’s the language of thugs. Having said that, it’s also about context. A well placed F-bomb has its place. Mind you, I’ll take Churchill’s wit over any of these lightweights: “If you were my husband I’d poison your cup”, to which Churchill responds, “Madam, If you were my husband I’d drink it.”

I should clarify that band councils have approved the LNG pipeline and that project is full steam ahead, even though there’s an active opposition. Trans Mountain is still pending approval as it’s in NEB hearings. The BC government has no jurisdiction. The purpose of these hearings is to provide assurances to the residents of all locally impacted populations, Indigenous and non-indigenous. Band councils need to be on board. My understanding is that they are if impacts are mitigated. We’d have to dig into the individual representations.

The pipeline is fully approved by all governments and impacted tribal councils. The protests are not legally permitted to stop work. The people opposed won’t, essentially, accept what their own elected leaders have decided. The work will proceed.

Okay. Read about the hearings. The province of BC government opposes the pipeline, but as it’s an interprovincial pipeline it comes under federal jurisdiction. The NEB is continuing hearings about the pipeline because of environmental concerns such as the impact on marine life and local populations. The elected band councils in the Indigenous territory you mentioned have actually approved the project, so these hearings are mostly a final kind of environmental assessment. Whale watchers are pissed. Raising the Charter to oppose the pipeline would be a last ditch attempt to take it down.

Well MP’s can and do cross the floor or go independent.

The trick is Bring Your Own Device polices with a school bank of devices for have-not kids, already policy in some boards.

Guess he can dish it out but he can’t take it. Poor baby.

What?! Trump said it at rallies.

The true north strong and free...

I’ll put it this way. The feds can make all these projects happen. They have jurisdiction, and if it ever made it to a constitutional challenge, the notwithstanding clause. But we have to live together and we’re trying to build relationships. No one wants another Oka. The LNG pipeline and Trans Mountain will happen. There may be a bit of revamping or redirection of Trans Mountain. Better to take a bit longer and get it right. The NEB knows this and has learned from experience. Any party in government right now would face this same business. Meanwhile Alberta just wants to get their product to market before more production and job cuts happen. The feds bought a pipeline that’s taking time to build. Alberta wants an interim solution, trains. They have the access to capital to buy them, but at this point it has to be a loan. How much more money should the feds pour into a traditionally rich province? It’s not the only province.

Well there have been major land settlements between the BC government and tribes. This interprovincial pipeline is national and actually officially supported by Indigenous leadership. The problem is that the support isn’t unanimous and emotions are running high because of other baggage. Then people in other provinces get involved. This is the real divide in Canada right now, pro oil and gas versus environmentalists. I’m amazed that the BC government is piling on against Alberta too. This is really a western crisis. Trudeau has actually stood up for Alberta, but he isn’t getting traction with the Alberta public.

No. It’s really about Indigenous opposition. We’re going through a major reconciliation in Canada. Don’t turn it into a SJW thing either because it’s pretty sad and serious what’s come out, so everyone, including the NEB, is trying to make sure Indigenous peoples are in all consultations, reaping revenue and jobs, and so forth. The problem in BC with the LNG is that some Indigenous are opposing their own elected leaders who support the pipeline. Basically the RCMP have a tough job to do, but they’ll enforce the court decision to proceed with construction.