Rue

In response to Hot's comment: "You jump on others for going off thread, Rue. What have you just done here with your long winded post? " Using his rational, when people hijack posts and misrepresent they should not be challenged on a debate forum. In response to Hot's comments: "Is there any other religion in the world that that been able to have a country established for it?" The fact he even asks the question attests to his lack of intelligence. He would have people believe with the question he is unaware England is an Anglican state, the Vatican is a Catholic state, Israel while multi-cultural and tolerant of minorities is in fact a Hindu state, or that there are countless Muslim sharia law states not to mention: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/22/in-30-countries-heads-of-state-must-belong-to-a-certain-religion/ In response to Hot's map and words: "The following maps illustrate clearly you are being very loose with the truth here. " http://edgar19http://israeljewsjudaism.blogspot.ca/2014/11/countering-shrinking-palestine-maps-scam. html#.WgMv8o-cHqA81.blogspot.ca/2014/05/countering-shrinking-palestine-maps-lie.html I no longer respond directly to Not Enough because its evident he makes no effort to research what he responds to, just knee jerk reacts to try get attention. My sole reason for response is to address the same old tired recycled misrepresentations. The fact he would even regurigitate the shrinking map argument which has been debunked on this forum so many times speaks for itself. By the way and I doubt it applies to certain ignorant people who are just idiots: the technique of repeating the same falsehood over and over on web-sites such as the one Hudson engages in with pretending Palestinian leaders recognize Israel as a state, is best described as follows: https://www.wired.com/2017/02/dont-believe-lies-just-people-repeat/ As the article explains: " Repetition makes things seem more plausible," says Lynn Hasher, a psychologist at the University of Toronto whose research team first noticed the effect in the 1970s. "And the effect is likely more powerful when people are tired or distracted by other information." If you were to look back on this forum, by searching a member's name, you can see the number of times they will repeat the same comment about Israel over and over knowing its been discussed ad nauseum. Its called the "illusionary truth effect" and its used by advertisers, trolls, disinformation agents, communicators of all kinds. Of course there is another phenomena known as "crap attracts flies". I like to think of myself as a responsible dog owner. When I see someone dump their crap I will pick it up but I sure as hell will point it out to them and had them the bag of crap and say you put it in the garbage. No it does not surprise me if it attracts flies while I do that.

You of course for the sake of discussion make some generalizations I am sure you would admit. However from what I know of immigration law and consultants and through the Chinese community they pretty much openly say what you do. Its not exactly a secret. One thing the Chinese do and its smart quite frankly, is send their kids to high school here. They come as homestay in grade nine, 10 and stay in high school as long as it takes to learn English then go to universities and colleges in Canada and if they pay cash every year for their education which they do, after so many years they can apply to be residents and stay and then bring their parents if need be through sponsorship. This is an insurance policy for the future because from what I am told, Chinese are worried that the future of China may implode with the sheer number of seniors and competition and little space for everyone. As well severe water shortages are also causing migration. There's just not enough water to sustain the 2 billion. I have two homestays from China and have had a few in the past. They know what they have to do to come here and survive. They have cash but nothing to invest it in, in China. You either invest it in your children's education overseas or it gets spent on disposables or in gambling a very wide spread illness common in dense populations with stressed out people. What you don't hear of are the amounts of money Chinese gamble away in their off shore resorts. Many invested in condos but those condos sit in empty cities because the government controls them and is saving them for future populations. As you said, when you live in a country where the government owns all, its hard to think as an individual you can save money for your individual self. Unless you are part of the elite 1% of corrupt Chinese at the top of the good chain putting their money overseas you ain't gonna see what you put in banks or invest in, within China. Its just not possible. Too many people, too little space, too much need for the government to keep tight control to prevent a revolution. The leader who just won another term consolidated his power at the top to win. He runs a very tight ship at the top but the sheer size of his government makes it impossible to ever have total control. A certain degree of decentralized corruption always will exist. That said Canada with a population headed to 40 million has the population of what two or three Chinese cities. The problems we think we have with taxes, housing, education, its a joke to what the Chinese have to cope with. Can you imagine China doing what Canada did and just letting illegal migrants from North Korea, Vietnam, flood into their country? Fat chance.

True but that is what Ghost refers to as "modern" you know being selective about what historic reference you subjectively remove out of context to support a specific political bias. Get with it Bo you ain' "modern" man.

I will now respond to the above comment and call it out for what it is, a repeated falsehood presented by this individual and others on this forum. To start with it has nothing to do with he thread but an example of how this individual with the name "Hudson Jones" take threads and change the topic to advocate his political agenda. I would remind you this individual came on this forum and referred to Zionism as a cancer that needs to be wiped out and then complained to the forum that I was unfair suggesting it meant he was codifying our couching a reference to engaging in genocide against Zionists. He claimed he only meant wiping out the ideology not the people who believe in the ideology. When I asked him directly how he would wipe out the Zionist ideology without killing Zionists he did not respond. When I asked him whether he had a medical vaccine he intended to inject in Zionists he remained silent. Now he's back on a thread meant to discuss irrational fear of the Muslim religion and turns it once again into an excuse to piss on Israel for existing as a Jewish state. Let's start with the words, "No Palestinian leader is required to recognize Israel as a Jewish state." If I then responded no Israeli leader is then required to recognize a Palestinian state, unless there is quid pro quo, how is it logical for anyone to suggest A Palestinian state should be recognized but not a Jewish state. The very nation of a Palestinian state is predicated on the national identity of a Palestinian. The very nature of an Israeli state is predicated on the national identity of Jews. Why is one demanded and the other not recognized. Would any rational person be expected to give someone rights the other party won't reciprocate in a peace agreement? Of course not. Now let's move to the next sentence. "However Palestinian leaders have accepted Israel as a state." Israel is a Jewish state. To accept Israel as a state necessarily means accepting it as a Jewish state. However we all know Hamas, the PA and the Arab League do not recognize and have repeatedly said they will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state: https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-official-denies-group-could-recognize-israel/ https://www.jweekly.com/2014/05/02/abbas-palestinians-wont-recognize-jewish-state/ http://theiranproject.com/blog/2014/12/08/palestine-not-to-recognize-jewish-state-abbas/ http://www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com/palestine-will-not-recognize-israel-jewish-state-abbas-israeli-legal-push/ The semantics Hudson Jones plays is transparent. Hamas. the PA and the Arab League will only recognize a Muslim sharia law state in Israel as is stated in the constitutions of the PA and Hamas which both are in a declared state of war with Israel to end its existence as a Jewish state and turn it into a Muslim sharia law state. Hudson is well aware Hamas and the PA will only recognize a Muslim sharia law state in Israel. Why does he not have the integrity, the honesty to say so? Why does he continue to engage in this bull sheeyat game of semantics couching his words that Palestinian leaders recognize a state but not a Jewish state but won't admit what state it is they will recognize. Why does he not have the integrity to state they will only recognize a Muslim sharia law state? Let's not forget its not just Palestinian leaders that will never recognize Israel its the Arab League as well: https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0309/Arab-League-refuses-to-recognize-Israel-as-Jewish-state Now I ask -what kind of forum contributor comes on this board time and time again and doesn't have the integrity to clearly state his true agenda which is to dismantle Israel as a Jewish state and replace it with a Muslim one> Why does he not have the integrity to say so? Why the semantic games? Why is someone who calls for Zionist to be wiped out not have the integrity to finish what he started and clearly and honestly disclose just once he wants Israel wiped off the map as a Jewish state as does the PA and Hamas? Who does he think he misleads with the lie, "Palestinians accept Israel as a state" when Israel as a state is Jewish and he couches that Jewishness with a statement before that lie saying Palestinians don't have to recognize Israel as Jewish. How does one recognize the state of Israel if they ignore it as a Jewish state. Imagine if I came on this board and state I recognize Palestine as a state but not a Palestinian state. If simply reconizing Palestine is a state and not recognizing it as a Palestinian state, then using that reasoning Hudson Jones has no problem it being a Jewish state or a Jordanian state or a Christian state. Why would it be necessary to recognize its Palestinian identity Here is what Hudson Jones hides and can't honestly admit: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4151/palestinians-recognition-israel-jewish-state https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7849/palestinians-accept-jewish-israel You know its quite ironic Hudson Jones stated and I quote "Your auto-b.s. comments have gotten SO old. Just be honest for once, instead of the excuses: " Its time "Hudson Jones" practice what he preaches. I would suggest his hijacking this post to engage in another piss on Israel response which deliberately misrepresents the position of Palestinian leaders by playing semantics is SO OLD and just once instead of hiding from me and this forum as to his true agenda, he spit it out on the appropriate thread, He won't. He doesn't have the integrity to admit what we all know, that no Arab leader at this time, Palestinian or otherwise could recognize Israel as a Jewish state and he knows why and no amount of pretending they recognize Israel "as a state" and omitting the word "Jewish" will couch, hide, conceal the refusal of any of them to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

The original cultural of Canada was aboriginal. He have a reluctant recognition of this but a lot of lipservice towards it but we are at least openly admitting this now as part of Canadian identity. Then we have British and French. These two countries and their legal systems after the aboriginals, formed this country. The basis of our laws is a British Parliamentary system amd a mix of British and French legal traditions and yet anything associated with either or for that matter the ethnic groups that came from Europe seem to be automatically labelled oppressor and "white" these days and I do not like that so I agree with you Blackbird. My culture Jewish, is one of many that came after the British and French and I have no problem with that chronology and conforming to and paying deference to British legal traditions. Zero problem. I don't expect otherwise. I don't have a damn problem with the aboriginal parallel legal imperative either. To me all us minorities Jewish, Chinese, Greek, Italian, West Indian, Siekh, Filippino, Ukrainian, I would say the vast majority of us minorities so to speak have zero problem with the founding cultures. Why would we? We came here to start again and the British legal system provided a stability to enable that. I don't get today's political trend where anything from Europe is defined as white and racist. Its not white and its not racist. People can be discriminatory against other cultures, ethnicities, gender, etc., but those beliefs can't be magically erased by using government to engage in reverse bigotry. The question is we may have goen too far in trying to show just how tolerant we are of anyone other than someone not from a supposed visible minority or non Christian country. I am not sure. The immigration policy claims to be colour and religious blind but its clearly not. The decision of this government to enable the collapse of the borders at this time to allow thousands of illegal migrants from the US to swamp and undermine and make a mockery of our immigration system in my personal opinion is based on ethnic pandering at its worst which I would argue is a form of discrimination in favour of certain ethnicities. Its a very tough issue because I want a country that welcomes immigrants for their new contributions. When I see it being used to enable unqualified people to jump the lines and break the law to get the law's benefit, I get angry,

Oh I probably have a problem paying high taxes for any reason J but the rest of your statements again well written.

You came on another thread and in response to the sacrifice soldiers make to this country made a flippant throw away comment that when they do what they do, they deserve what happens to them. Your exact words were: "As for our soldiers...they're simply volunteers who knew or should have known what they were in for when signing up for Ottawa's overseas military adventures" You are in NO position to tell anyone how to define values according to any sensibility given the above insipid and childish comment.. You show by the above words you are incapable of understanding what the value of self sacrifice is. You clearly can't comprehend it given clearly you someone who has never put their life on the line for a belief. You clearly just take for granted your freedoms and lifestyle and have not a clue what price was paid so you can have them. So do me a favour, don't lecture anyone on experimenting with values or making moronic comments like you don't think anyone is intentionally trying to destroy our values-you did-you came on this board to intentionally insult and belittle the sacrifice of our soldiers. You are absolutely pathetic in trying to pose as anyone in the position to lecture about values.

I am not sure what was more pathetic. Eye's idiotic comment, " As for our soldiers...they're simply volunteers who knew or should have known what they were in for when signing up for Ottawa's overseas military adventures..." or the equally as idiotic and childish comments of Hot Enough who couldn't figure out you were making a sarcastic response to Eye. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of children on this forum who live sheltered protected lives and assume their freedom and lifestyle came without a price. On the one hand we have one who makes flippant remarks passing off sacrifice as something we should take for granted and downplay, and then we have the other calling soldiers coward I had to cool it a few days before I responded when I saw the idiot responses to you. I am glad you did not respond further. They aren't worth any further responses. You were however.

Sine many people call Argus names on this board I am the first to repost the above with the date Sept. 20, and say it took the CBC, BBC and who is it the Star 3 months to catch up with him? Lol. Kudos on being so dead on. That said, the news now being passed out as if its something new no one was aware of I find strange. People have been putting money off shore in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Isle of Mann, Switzerland, Venezuela, etc. to avoid tax for centuries. No war could have been waged without Switzerland existing as the banker of wars and refuge to place the money of dictators in. My question is why the story broke on this phony Trudeau only yesterday about the fundraising practices. Moreneau was cearly the tip of the iceberg and someone is leaking crap not just about him but the US Secretary of Commerce, the Queen of England, on and on. I notice someone is leaking info. The question is who and why. Who is carefully orchestrating and leaking this alleged news which is not news, just a reiteration of what everyone should be aware of. The finances of the elite have always been reinvested in tax shelters. Everyone of us knows tax laws are such that if you have money you can afford the best lawyers to find the loopholes and create the loopholes through financing politicians and this supposed latest leak no only destroys any semblance of posturing and credibility Trudeau had but numerous past Tory ad Liberal politicians, the Trump administration, and Putin and the Russian mob and their ties to the Bank of Cyprus. Now who stands to benefit from this latest cycle of tax shelter news which is hardly news? China? North Korea? Who did the leaking this time? Someone is orchestrating a deliberate news leak. So the question is who and why. That said, if anyone could not figure out Trudeau is a two faced lying sack of @#$% good for you. This notion this trust fund rich boy and a product of the elite was a man of the people was hilarious. Hos boy Morneau is more right wing than any Tory. He's been a champion of tax shelters of CEO's since he has been finance Minister. This lying sob's posing as caring about tax shelters attacked the lower and middle classes quite deliberately and someone has now exposed them but shown what we all know-today's investments follow shelters around the world dodging tax in specific jurisdictions. Nothing Bronfman did raising money for the Liberals is something not done before. Its been done by every bag man for politicians across the democracies since the creation of banks. Its world-wide and involves cliques of elite circles of financiers playing their networks to keep moving and reinvesting funds. The question is who is NOT dirty in the sense of avoiding tax? The poor do it working under the table, the rich do it through shelters. My question remains, who is now doing the leaking and why?

Its more then a lack of education G. I would put him on ignore. Don't waste your energy.

Moonlight how many times have I debated you and you handle it all with civility. Don't waste your energy on that gnat.

I am g lad you said this with Nov. 11 coming up, First I would say not soldiers...family members of soldiers or citizens. Soldiers will not or should not have to sully their code of honour, dignity and reputations and ask for money or compensation from this government. If it was not already given to them we should not expect them to ask. We should ask for them. They chose by free will to go. If they suffer now you have to understand they will suffer in silence rather thank ask government that sent them that won't help them, for help. Its a point of honour. I hope family members and concerned citizens start a suit but focus on benefits. It is a sorry day with Nov. 11 coming up that we compensate Kadr millions while our soldiers continue to suffer in silence. Its hard to explain you'd have to ask a soldier not me, but asking them to sue for help would make them feel like they are undermining what they did. You can't expect them to do that. PTSD in soldiers starts by thanking a soldier, period. Respect their privacy and if they talk you listen but the best thing you an do is say thank you and shake their hand. We must make the first move in the healing process by saying thank you. I know it sounds so simple but its that important. You also can not expect a vet to tell you about their pain. They will not. They might with other soldiers talk but not to you or me. They also will not talk about themselves but they will indirectly share experiences with other soldiers but never to make themselves look good just to express regret they would have liked to have done something other then what they did. You must understand PTSD is not about feeling sorry for oneself its about regretting what one thinks they did and should not have or should h ave done and did not. Its like they second guess themselves over and over and don't forgive themselves. So they do well talking to other soldiers in groups or one on one with a skilled counselor former vet but trying to talk to a non soldier about it just doesn't work too good. You know one of the easiest thing we can do for returned vets is fund group facilitation meetings of former soldiers across Canada, equipping certain soldiers with therapy dogs or other animals, helping them find work, making sure they are eating properly and have housing, medical and dental care, and in addition to group support, one on one counselling. Its not that expensive and its not being done. We have existing charities that could be funded to provide more of these services within their existing frameworks but dedicated to vets. The Salvation Army. War Amps, Canadian Mental Health Association, on and on I can think of so many charities already existing not to mention the Canadian Legions or clergy volunteering to do it out of their houses of worship non denominationally. We can do it. We shouldn't need a law suit. Some are doing it and not waiting for this government. I think if Nov. 11, can remind us though the poppy campaign of the past sacrifices, I can also be used to talk about our ptsd soldier today. There is so much we could do at a grass roots level. We have ex soldiers ready to step in We have people ready to help this. It may be a law suit is needed but it should not let us forget we can do something now. I say what I say from what vets have told me not presuming to speak for them ever. All of us can by shaking the hand of a vet and saying thank you, start that healing process and focus away from the Kadrs of the world to the people we should care about. YOU ARE DAMN RIGHT LET US MAKE THIS ABOUT HONOURING OUR SOLDIERS NOT WASTING ENERGY ON KADR. ITS ABOUT OUR SOLDIERS!

I will admit, there is no excuse for CSIS screw ups. That said, we have laws. CSIS being in a specific kind of business gets info that is illegal but 100% accurate and so they know when people are terrorists but can no be proven under our legal system to be terrorists. So they deport them to countries where interrogation has no rules Syria was deliberately used by Europe, the US and many other countries like Canada to torture terrorists to get info out of them. Its a world where you break the law and violate people's rights to prevent terror attacks. I agree with you what CSIS did was 100% illegal. In a democracy if we follow our laws, terrorists know how to protect themselves with these laws to be able to engage in terror. What I am saying is if you think the people sent to Syria were done my mistake or without having sufficient illegal but accurate info I would say you might be naïve. If you argue that still does not legally justify what CSIS did then as a lawyer I can not argue that, you are 100% right. We live in a world now where we are forced to ask and its a difficult question, is sitting back and doing nothing about certain people in the big picture more important to preserving democracy or is the short term need to break the law to stop a terrorist attack justified in specific cases. Well you are right, if we make one exception the flood gate opens for more and more and we erode away basic rights that protect innocent people not just terrorists. On the other hand if I am sitting on info someone is about to kill people and its obtained illegally but I know its 100% accurate its a tough one. CSIS does not rely on torture alone for info. When it was using Syria as torture agents so to speak there was great deliberation as to what info was being tested. They would not have asked for brand new info based on torture just added info as to names. Intelligence has an elaborate maze of how it gets info. It classifies the info it needs into categories and each category has a different method of investigation and corroboration. Most intelligence is about names not places and times. Places and times are easily changed but if you know the name, then you can follow him or her and find out the name and place later and how it keeps getting changed. There are hundreds of thousands of operatives and terrorists. Its like looking for a needle in a hay stack or one coackroach in a sea of them. Unless you can get a tracker on the coackroach, you won't follow them. They literally vanish in thin air. What CSIS did may have been wrong legally and some would argue ethically, but I would state its done ALL the time. You think Russia, Iran, China, don't torture? You think Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan Lebanon don't torture? If we all knew the extent of torture or info obtained by coercion or duress we would see its widespread and used by many nations. Doesn't make it right but it makes it very naïve for someone to think terrorists are not stopped because of illegal activities used to prevent those attacks. I am just surprised how sloppy it has become. Getting a person to talk today is possible with the use of new and improved drugs and psychological techniques that do not cause pain. I sometimes think the torture stories are disinformation or false stories to draw people away from the actual info that was obtained. You and I will never know. There is more disinformation given to us about how people are interrogated than true information. Its the nature of the beast. When we read stories in the newspaper, some of what is reported is true, but the majority may not be and that is because its done to keep us off track so as not to jeopardize true activities. A little truth sprinkled in with a lot of b.s. is the best way to cover up a true intelligence operation. That said much of what we see is nothing but a series of chaotic reactions by unprepared idiots and we would have no way of knowing otherwise. I myself do not think the people sent to Syria were innocent. I think they played us and they are laughing at us and going to use their money to engage in further terrorism and eventually they will get caught. Ask O. J.

H10 your comments are well thought out and you take a effort to explain them. Appreciated. I tend to agree with Michael H's last comments but said respectfully you still make some valid points. I just think the IT sector is not the major problem area for immigration policy. Skilled IT people are in demand and borders won't stop them. The IT sector if we call it that I s very specialized and of course takes extended years of education and that education quickly expires requiring constant upgrading so immigration policy must be hand in hand with cohesive education policy and job sector requirements based on geographic regional needs. The problem is most provinces; education ministries and college ministries do not run cohesively with federal policy and often work in opposition to one another or as is the case today, immigration policy places unrealistic expectations on the education and college systems to absorb and retrain new immigrants. What we have done is set up a cottage industry of private colleges and community colleges gorging themselves on new Canadians and who have lowered their standards of admission and marking to the point of rendering colleges and high schools and now many universities a joke in terms of what it takes to graduate. I teach in universities and colleges and I would estimate and I am not exaggerating in the colleges the majority of students do not bring in a pen and paper or a text book. They have no idea how to read or write at grade 11 level and depend on the cell phone. They don't use lap tops thinking the cell phone is good enough to send things out on or read things from. The cell phone has shrunk their brains and given them a false sense of being able to pass through training with only a cell phone. The average college student who is NEW Canadian is no different butt hey also have a more pressing need for English at a grade 6 level which they do not have.Very few students I see in colleges or under-grad have good skills. I exempt from the above those students going into specific vocations like plumbnig, carpentry, mechanical type jobs, hands on jobs-those kinds of students are very directed and motivates. Also exempt from that generalization are returning older students getting industry designations or say nurses, specific health care provider students. They too are focused. Now the ones that do, do well. They accelerate and do what they have to do to get into graduate schools or specific vocations but they are now the minority of students. The majority are in a sort of unemployed bubble using school to cushion the unemployment with student loans. New Canadians enroll in colleges so they can get a work permit enabling them 20 hours of work a week but the reality is they work 40 to as much as 60 hours a week and make token appearances at school for exams. Its so bad Immigration Canada is threatening to revoke work permits to students not getting a 1.98 average. New Canadian students are doing what they have to do to get in this country and one way to get in quickly is to enroll in college. They pay cash for their school. Their parents often sacrifice everything depending on these kids to bring their parents in down the road. That's a lot of stress and pressure. Some are absolute idiots who waste the money and end up marginal, criminals, drunks, burdens on society, others bust their butts. However in that bell curve he majority are a large lump of vulnerable, unskilled individuals very disconnected from soft skills as the cell and computer have made soft skills necessary for adjustment and assimilation non existent. In fact the cell phones reinforce their ability not to have to speak English and stay disconnected from the environment around them using the cell phone to navigate while they stay within the ghetto bubble the cell phone direction enables them.. Their critical analysis skills are just not there and this is because that part of the brain which develops at 4,5 by playing games or engaging in activities like sports, music, gardening, art, building things, hand writing, sculpturing, reading books, is just not there. Those exercises once developed a mind's ability to see the grey in between black and white. Now we have essentially people used to taking orders. They are probably better at reading instruction manuals for sure-however not with innovation which is an essential element of an entrepreneur who generates the economic sectors with cutting edge innovations and approaches. Y'all ask me we are training the majority of people to be salivating sheep or lemurs or marmots and enabling a smaller elite to run and rule us. Whether that is just an inevitable human nature thing or being conditioned with social engineering I think our technology is lphysically changing the structure of brain development to make followers of orders, people who don't question and challenge and see themselves as overwhelmed by a larger matrix and so have lowered their expectations of success to focusing on obtaining immediate needs.Now mind you I am influenced by what I see in hundreds of students which is subjective, and certain studies I read, I admit. What I would like to see however are more concise interactioan between provincial education and training policies, federal immigration policies, and acknowledgement from the federal government that there is direct cause and effect from their immigration policies and the increase in welfare dependency, mental illness, physical illnesses, crime, domestic violence when immigrants chosen to come do not have proper adjusting skills and a willingness to take responsibility for such issues dumped on municipalities. I do not think the current government cares. I do not think they care that the hundreds of thousands of people they tell to come to Canada are in fact being set up for jobs no Canadians want and with even those jobs there will be far more of new Canadians desperate for them than jobs and that is deliberately planned. I believe this government is exploiting the poor, the needym with a false message of prosperity to attract them to Canada and have them serve as a captive bottom class for unskilled jobs since the average Canadian has high expectations and won't take such jobs. You know we can talk all we want about $18 minimum wage but the bottom line is small businesses will simply fire workers if they have to pay that wage as they have what is called a profit margin. That profit margin is based on rational analysis not irrational analysis. Its based on a very simple principle, if there is no profit margin, the company dies and there is only so much elasticity in what can be paid in wages. Small business does not have unlimited elasticity to simply increase wages. Often they are on a very precarious footing as it is with one step from bankruptcy. Look we have an entire work place now predicated on temporary jobs. The vast majority of people now do not get benefits of any kind other than Employment Standards as set out in their provinicial legislation. There is ZERO security. If you are lucky you are in a union. Professionals who people say have it easy have soaring income tax rates, malpractice and professional license rates and regulations that stifle their creativity and growth and their work hours are forever increasing due to the new practice regulations they all face. Academics today are no longer protected by unions with seniority and their jobs are predicated on students writing surveys that say they like or hate them which is insane since students today actually threaten teachers who do not give them certain marks and the administrators in colleges change the marks or order the teachers to change the marks or not get another job somewhere else. We also have people still hiring based on subjective inside preference. I see blatant racist and elitist hiring practice by ethnic groups hiring only their own ethnicity and turning work sectors into non English speaking ghettoes. Multi-culturalism and this notion you can just indiscriminately place 300 thou or so not speaking English people in Canada with no skills every year and presto they will learn language skills and get a job is insane. The no. of unadjusted, unassimilating new Canadians adds to the list from the years before. It doesn't disappear it log jams. Our Prime Minister lives in a fantasy land where the only contact he has with fudge looking people is with photo ops for seconds , or because he hires a few as Ministers. He's oblivious to them, their needs and the damage he is doing them patronizing them as if they will automatically when they ILLEGALLY enter Canada, presto turn Canadian. Trudeau sends a message of instant utopia not years of struggle. Twenty let alone thirty years ago, new Canadians expected no help from the government and three generations of struggle to climb. Now immediately upon crossing illegally expect and get free room, board, shelter, training and medical and dental benefits far better than Canadians born here. Yet this government seems oblivious to its message by allowing a flood of illegal migration. Until that flow of illegal migrants is stopped and illegals deported, legitimate immigration and refugee policy can not exist and be practiced. The quota amounts Trudeau announced are a travesty, an utter joke. They mean nothing. T hey don't include the number of illegals now flooding this country. This government is supressing the true volume of illegal migration and how it is directly conflicting and choking off legitimate immigrants with needed skills or genuine refugees.

Nothing in your comments were racist. They are based on challenging the studies we need more people to replace baby boomers. Michael H was not referring to your comments but comments that reject immigration only on the grounds of say skin colour or one's religion and no other criteria. Neither of you is racist. Back to the issue. Also I as you know share your views that Trudeau panders to minorities and will use any excuse to make himself look good to minorities including placing a visible minority refugee Minister as Immigration Minster which was blatant tokenism at its worst. That said the immigration issue must be dealt with by any ruling government and I do not think any government in power Con or Lib has ever rejected immigration outright and would not for obvious reasons which only Taxme can not fathom. The point is I have an issue with a government that has deliberately made a mockery of our refugee laws by allowing illegal migrants posing as refugees flood our border to choke the refugee system pushing ahead of genuine immigrants and refugees and being rewarded for it. That is the disgrace. A legitimate immigrant should not be made a mockery of following the law by illegals exploiting Trudeau's not so subtle message to push on in there is plenty of room. Without proper planning and adjusting immigration to skill sets, it becomes a recipe to set people up for social failure, poverty, marginalization, crime, substance abuse, domestic violence, even higher rates of diabetes, mental illness, cancer and heart disease believe it or not. An immigrant or refugee that becomes marginalized in Canada is more likely to be physically and mentally ill in the areas I stated and be a burden on the state as shown in numerous studies. I think this current government can not be trusted to act ethically in regards to immigration or refugee policies. That said people have to understand immigration is vital in filling skills we do not have. It is absolutely idiotic to say we should not bring in immigrants. There are brilliant professionals, artisans, tradespeople we need and would benefit from. There is always a need in all skill trades for people with more advanced training or to fill the void. If we simply had no immigration certain gaps in vocations needing to be filled would remain unfilled. Some people believe immigrants take away jobs from Canadians born here. That I leave to others to debate. I will say this. A cutting edge computer programmer, neurologist, professor, won't be taking any job from Taxme. He has nothing to worry about.

I think Jariax with due respect I like your answers although I loath Niqabs. I contend for occupational safety, identity, swearing in/oath ceremonies, witnesses on trial, it may be necessary to take off a face covering. I am not comfortable having a state law banning any thing to do with appearance other-wise. In any event the Charter would under s.2 a banning of a face covering without specific reason so its a moot point. One of my concerns are school bus drivers with full face coverings. It most certainly impairs side vision and it most certainly is an issue with children in terms of having to know who is driving the bus. That's my personal opinion. As for attire other than full face coverings I say if someone wants to cover their head or wear certain attire, I don't need government to police it for me. I see men coming to Canada insisting on wearing certain garment appropriate for the hot desert. As soon as the weather changes and it dips below 20 degrees centigrade out come their winter coats and scarves. The fact is the weather straightens people out pretty quick in Canada as to what is appropriate. We don't need a government to do that. I encourage rigorous debate on what the full face covering means and challenging it in a respectful way. The way to have a positive influence on challenging, curtailing and containing such values is to openly challenge them with free debate. The moment you use government censorship, the beliefs you are trying to ban just go underground and make martyrs of the people who choose to wear such garments. That said many interest groups in the name of tolerance and accommodation demand special treatments and segregation for their activities. The current government sends the message its a right and will be accommodated if the government feels the special interest group is to their liking. I have become very cynical how Trudeau chooses which special interest groups he poses with and panders for votes. Its crass politics at its worse and it never fails every day when Trudeau poses to give one of his Uh UH UH speeches he poses it with assigned minorities standing behind him smiling. He's a manipulative grease monkey playing up to special interest groups posing with them. He sends out a very slimy, manipulative divisive message doing that. Me I hate tokenism. I hate being a token or being used as a token, prop, stooge organ grinder monkey for stock photos or media bites for Justin. He tried to have me pose happy face with him and and told him I only pose with Sophie or the current Governor General.

I must say Michael being one of the most centralist, moderate, smack in the middle of all issues kind of guy I find your comments very interesting. No one can accuse you if they read your posts of being anti-Immigrant although they of course will with Argus. I actually usually am interested where you are on such positions because your such a lol damn neutral on issues. to the point you should run for office. That said I always read articles saying we need more people to replace baby boomers and then to be fair to Argus, its not just him but the articles he and all of us can find that say that is a myth and I read great opinions on both sides of the issue as to whether we need more Canadians to replace baby boomers or not. I really am torn on the issue. Like you I want to look at the issue not from the standpoint of hating any particular immigrant because of their perceived values, just from a purely economic perspective of will it help or harm the economy which is what immigration policy should be based on (other than of course the refugee exemption which is a mess for other reasons). So I really am torn on the issue. I do think we need help in certain labour areas but not others. As well new fresh ideas from people with different training and education can really help improve production through innovation in certain sectors. Then we have sectors that are dying out being replaced by technology and I am not sure if bringing in for example people with no education who can not read or write or adjust is realistic. I teach at colleges where I see new Canadians completely ill-equipped to make the transition and I have seen some great new people coming in as well. Its a tough issue.

I agree with you that for ME the niqab/burqa should NOT define a Muslim woman. I also agree with Muslim women who feel the same way and argue the Koran never discussed it so its something that was created by male Muslims. That said, I believe the decision to wear or not wear any religious garment should remain an individual freedom of choice matter that is not society's concern UNTIL such time as it presents as an identity, security or safety issue. Until a specific example of one of those three things, I believe its not up to me to tell a Muslim woman what to wear. I do believe a face should be shown for any swearing in ceremony, testimony under oath, identification while driving or entering a bus with a bus pass or secure areas of risk requiring identity checks including airports. I also believe any garment if it causes a safety hazard at work or in public must be removed. I do not want the state policing what we wear or how we think. Its a slippery slope and I am not a Liberal, I do not trust governments to police standards as well as we can as individuals. Just my opinions like yours. Aas for Couillard's handling of the economy of course I can't disagree with you. What you said is pretty much the case. You know I know how unpopular the guy is but hey its Quebec. Every leader is accused of being corrupt and the worst leader ever. Replace his name with Charest, Bourassa, Lesage and for that matter old Union Nationalistes like Duplessis, Johnson, or hey even PQ former Premiers, and the comments you make are VERY familiar. This is la belle Province. Can you think of a clean Premier who never pissed people off and was NOT corrupt? I think its impossible to run the province or for that matter la Villes de Montreal without being or getting dirty. Its the nature of the beast. Quebec is an elaborate matrix of kick backs, bribes, powerful unions, interest groups, organized crime and completely dirty police. It just is what it is. I say all I said realizing there are of course good people too...its just they have a hell of a battle.

In regards to 1 no Arab leader period, democratic or non democratic. That's nothing to congradulate me on. Its just a fact. Its a fact that is completely ignored in the on-going WAR. There is an active, on-going war against Israel to eradicate it. It has never ended since Israel was created in 1949 and for that matter the Muslim world of the Middle East since the inception of Islam as part of a fundamental basis of its religion demands Jews remain second class citizens and defines us as kafir. In regards to 2, yes but it does not erase the fact that the majority of the Koran, that is to say 60% or more of it discusses the treatment of kafir. It spends the majority of its time providing lessons on how to conquer, enslave, punish non believers. Also the point is the majority of Christians and Jews today do not enforce the more barbaric passages in both testaments of the Bible. However fundamentalist violent Islam continues to be preached mainstream in most Muslim countries and if a Muslim preaches reform and progressive interpretation of the Koran challenging its current fundamentalist mainstream interpretation such people are killed, imprisoned, tortured. That is the point. In regards to the rest of my paragraphs, you did not read them. I did not say Islamophobia does not exist. I said and I was careful to explain its often used to describe criticism of Islam that is not based on fear of Islam. I said when there is negative stereotyping of all Muslims that may be bigotry and hateful but not necessarily based on fear. Putting the word phobia and the end of the word Islam was coined in fact by Muslim terrorists. Go look up who originated it and why. Islamic Academics didn't coin that word for hateful negative stereotyping of Muslims, Muslim terrorists did. It detracts from true reasons people negatively stereotype Muslims. Some it is ignorance of certain religious doctrine or customs yes. Some is based on a rejection of fundamentalist precepts in Islam no different than those of other religions and for the same treatment. I stated what I did because I was and still have the impression you lump all criticism of Islam as an irrational fear. Some of it maybe some of it may not be. That doesn't mean it does not exist. I never said it does not exist. I said certain behaviour is mislabeled as fear of Islam when it is not. This is why a better term needs to be used. Listen the fact that all religions can have crap in their doctrine doesn't make any of them legit or excusable if that is the case.

No with due respect. Your comment makes no sense. No Palestinian leader has ever made an offer to recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish state and live peacefully side by side. NOT ONE. Provide one Palestinian or for that matter Arab leader who has stated they will recognize a JEWISH state of Israel. NOT ONE exists. Not one. The rocket fire and the dead Israels are the direct result of Palestinian terrorists. The stalemate may most certainly be exasperated and complicated by Jewish settlements on the West Bank but they are not the sole cause or reason Palestinians refuse to accept the existence of a Jewish state. If that was the sole reason Israel would have left a long time ago. I am not sure where you get your history from but if you can find one elected Arab leader or Palestinian leader who has ever offered Israel recognition as a Jewish state please share. Back to the original thread, The Arab and Palestinian and Muslim world's refusal to recognize a Jewish state of Israel directly is the result of the Islamic doctrine that defines Jews as kafir, inferiors unable to be equal to Muslims and therefore own land, have a country or do anything to put them at an equal level as Muslims. Islamophobia in fact is a world devised by Arab terrorists to justify claiming that any questioning of using Islam to rationalize terrorism against the West or Israel is an unfair fear of Islam. It was designed as a catch 22 phrase to shut down a challenge to Muslim extremism. The fact I detest and challenge Muslim extremism, Muslim justified terrorism and the concepts in the Koran defining me and other non Muslims as kafir, it does not mean I fear Islam or am being unfair. If I make negative statements that assume and impose generalized negative characteristics on ALL Muslims that is anti Islamic bigotry. Whether its caused by an irrational fear (and therefore would be Islamophobic) or hate or ignorance will depend on the stereotyper. I would reject the word Jewaphobia. Maybe some people do curl up in a ball or swet profusely when they see some Hasidic Jew coming down the street but most times its not based on an irrational fear. Its probably based on hatred and ignorance. Being afraid of violence or terrorism is not irrational. Assuming every single Muslim is a terrorist might be. One last thing if you live in Toronto being afraid of the way people drive when you are on Bathurst and you pass St. Clair and head North to Steeles could be based on a RATIOBAL fear of my people (dah JOOOOZ) driving. Some of us bagelites (Joooooz)drive very dangerously. We believe the good Lord made two lanes to drive in between both and a left signal light for indicating when one turns right. We have issues from reading Hebrew right to left ok? Now everyone calm down and be afraid. Its Halloween.

Then before you express opinions about Islam go learn. For someone who knows nothing about their religion you have a lot of preconceived opinions. As well for someone who speaks to Muslims about their religion, how is it you have never managed to find one Muslim who can explain what a kafir is or what the passages of the Koran say about Jews or why Shiite and Sunni Muslims are at war and why both sects attack and hate non Muslims and Muslims such as the Amidyah? I don't believe for a second you have a clue what a Muslim is or spoke to any. I think you fabricated that statement to justify your fantasy about Islam. Next you will tell me you speak to Christians and not one told you about how the religion has been misused not one. I come from a reality where I actually lived with and deal with Muslims every day. Some are peaceful like Amidyah and Ismaili or progressive Muslims. Don't for a second pull that shtick you are not aware of violent Muslims. I am not here to sheeyat on all Muslims as terrorists thank you but I find your denials and self serving ignorance a joke. Don't pose as being that dumb. You aint. I read your posts. The one thing you are NOT is naive. Come on man get a bit more real with your response.

I think that fat boy in North Korea is a dangerous sociopath and should have been taken out years ago. That said I don't think someone as unstable as Trump is the guy to do it. It would be nice to resurrect Harry S. Truman to do the job.

Omni you Liberal you on this one I do respect your opinion its just I am with Often on this one. I think that crazy chubby boy is very dangerous and a sociopath and Trump well you know I agree with you he's a loony tune as well. I don't trust either. They both have out of control egos, and schizophrenia with paranoid delusional features not to mention a need to compensate for small pee pees.

I think its extremely premature to know what is happening. I am no Liberal but I do not think they are doing anything different than what the Tories would have done. With due respect to them, and I have little to be fair they brought in Mulroney and other Tories to advise them. I think they are handling it in a bi-partisan manner so far. I think Trump is sending signals albeit indirect ones that are making it impossible for his team to negotiate. Trump is obsessive and believes blowing hot air and acting like a bully is smart negotiations. He is like the Aesop's fable where the Wind bets the Sun he can get the man's coat off faster and blows and blows, and all that happens is the man holds his coat tighter until the Sun shines down and gets the coat off real fast. Trump is causing both the Mexicano and Canadian negotiators to just dig in their heels at his loud noises. It has not detracted one iota from the real issues of free trade that would benefit all three-but it is preventing discussion of them. The concept the US can be isolationist in a global market is for people who try justify their congenital issues from inbreeding.

My guess would be it was a Liberal leak to distract from Morneau. Check the timing out as to what was happening when it was released. No way Harper leaked it. It actually causes problems for the PC leader.