500channelsurfer

I do not post from AI. But I did read the Journal de Montréal article, a publication known for sensationalism, but which also does state some facts.

The lowered credit score makes sense as Quebec has gone further and further into debt, and due to many factors including fundamental demographics, the provincial economy does not show signs of a major turnaround. Most pension plans invest in similar ways to Quebec's caisse. It is not an outlier, but maybe less conventional than most. Pension funds strictly may not be the same, strictly, as sovereign wealth funds. Alberta has one too. I am unfamiliar with if the caisse serves the same goal(s) as its Alberta and Norway counterparts, as the latter two's primary goal is to share current oil revenues with future generations. The large credit rating agencies may have many of the same interests as some of the private banks and entities they rate. In the case of rating governments, there could easily be competing geopolitical and microeconomic interests. In this particular instance, we are looking at Canadian banks and utilities, which are some of the most sound corporations in the world, as opposed to increasingly de-regulated and risk-taking US banks around 2008. One particular utility will naturally have a more variable and more risky credit risk as one particularly large instance, such as a dam failure or pylon line collapse, will more greatly affect the particular utility over the province or government in general.

What is not being widely discussed in this election is that politicians have required to win over the 905 area ridings (outer ring of Toronto) in order to win a majority government. These ridings usually vote in conformity and unison, and went Harper to give the Conservatives their last majority. Most of the rest of the country is either predictable or irrelevant: Maritimes = Liberal; Alberta = Conservative; Quebec can vote Bloc, NDP or whatever and majorities can be made entirely without them (Chrétien, Harper). British Columbia might be interesting. But the 905 is the area with the "tell" as to who will win. Also getting absolutely no coverage: Marijuana was legalized by Trudeau, and by winning over the "stoner vote" Trudeau got a big boost in his fist run for PM by those pro-legalization voters. The Liberal Party seems to like to scare people away from the Conservatives by scare-mongering about abortion, health care privatization, etc. If the Liberal Party were smart, could they not also add keeping marijuana legal to that list?

Did anyone else notice the background in the debates had five dotted stripes in the background? One for each political party including green for the Greens. CBC said they produced the debates. Maybe they were sure the Greens would be invited and it was too late to change the background, or someone wanted to remind viewers the Greens were not there throughout.

Look at this riding: https://338canada.com/24035e.htm This riding had a bi-election in September and the Bloc won, and it was 2.1% points difference separating the Bloc from the 3rd place NDP, with the Liberals in the middle, a tossup: https://www.elections.ca/res/rep/off/ovr_2024c/59/table12E.html Now the same 338canada riding profile says the Liberals are ahead by 30%. The swing away from the Bloc is not that big overall, and this riding has a stronger than normal NDP/leftist vote, even with the NDP falling sharply nationally. The methodology-results relationship therefore seems to suggest a Liberal overestimation.

Why is Carney Trump's guy? I don't think Trump is interested in a Captain Canada that is going to stand up and get concessions from the Unites States, as Trump perceives past trade deals to have been. Is it not more likely that Carney is Trump's guy because Trump believes that after the election, with a Carney win, Trump will be better able to control and extract from Canada?

I think Liberals are being overestimated in the polls. Look at this riding: https://338canada.com/24035e.htm This riding had a bi-election in September and the Bloc won, and it was 2.1% points difference separating the Bloc from the 3rd place NDP, with the Liberals in the middle, a tossup: https://www.elections.ca/res/rep/off/ovr_2024c/59/table12E.html Now we are to believe the Liberals are ahead by 30%?! People who feel strongly (both ways) about Trump and Carney may be speaking loudly to the pollsters, but those remaining silent and undecided may show up on election day and vote as they always have.

The only thing people don't learn from history is that history repeats. Past failures can be examined in order to better the future. If this Canadian Legacy mindset is engrained in Canadian businesses and causing failures like this, maybe there is a way to change this. Yes. I was not paying attention to the management of The Bay. I only assume the US owner was taking at least some advice from Bay employees in Canada. In cases like this, maybe there should be a debate on foreign ownership. We have incredible protectionism in some sectors and virtually none in others. We may need to re-balance? The Bay was founded in 1670. Canada looks stupid when a company like this fails. Personally I am not for government bailouts. Maybe Michael Hardner has identified another aspect Canadian business culture that needs to change.

But the Bay was operating in Canada, therefore it is a reflection of our economy, and our employees and customers. Even when American-owned, some of the management must be in Canada. Some businesses such as Simons have adapted with the times. I worry Canadian businesses more than others may be less willing to adapt. Donald Trump could use this type of thinking as an argument for taking over our economy. There must be a way Canada can work as a country with our own businesses. Companies like CN, CP, Gildan, Shopify, Magna do very well.

Hudson's Bay is failing. This is not the first time a major Canadian chain has ceased operations. Are Canadians bad at business? I remember shopping at Zellers and Wal-Marts in Canada, and the customer service was always terrible (long lines, lack of customer care). There is a mindset of just following procedure and no one being open to change or even suggestions. When Target briefly entered Canada, store shelves remained half empty for much of its tenure as if in a communist country. Even our national airline, Air Canada, was allowed to takeover rival Canadian Airlines, and then filed for bankruptcy three years later. Regulators continue to allow consolidation in media and telecommunications sectors despite failures like this.

To clarify, I was just making a hypothetical case of what a US takeover of Canada could involve. I support Canadian independence. I support a GG that could be more vocal but also better appointed as SpankyMcFarland explained.

Agree Disagree: The King and Governor General only do not exercise any power by convention. Of course if they did, some mechanism such as a referendum or 2/3 majority of Parliament would remove them and/or modify our constitution almost immediately to remedy that situation. To make Canada like Puerto Rico, the appointment of the Governor General could be switched from a Prime Ministerial appointment to a presidential appointment, just for example.

For the good of our country: Can Carney call the election, and then re-open parliament for limited seatings where the parties can agree to propose and pass legislation dealing only with these tariff issues and related? (no no confidence motions because the election is already called) Is there a parliamentary convention in which the election is called but parliament can still pass laws?

Have you read the list of political parties? Animal Protection Party of Canada, Communist Party of Canada, Marijuana Party, Parti Rhinocéros Party. They should all get the same amount of coverage as the Liberals and the Conservatives? Does Mark Carney favour movement of funds to tax havens more than the other Liberal contenders did? Is there some alternative way parties pick leaders that should be implemented?

Luc Rabouin will replace Valérie Plante as leader of Projet Montréal heading into the next municipal election. He seems very competent. Possibly technocratic. Hopefully other parties do not out-charisma him.