myata

You have to be using some other, foreign language here. "Check" in normal English means "detect and prevent" not useless chatting long after the fact for some months by some outrageously paid lapdog and out of bottomless taxpayer pocket with no consequences of any kind for the perpetrators, assured and guaranteed. The translation fails, clearly.

It would be an illusory, absolutely ungrounded hope without any real substance. Governments will always do what they can and can get away with, unless they are checked and controlled. And if there's no checks or controls, were never in the plan, what?

Where, in Canada? In small, gas-powered private cars? Turkey has high speed trains. It really helps to step out and look what's actually happening in the reality. We can't have anything done anymore. Only look in the mirror and let out a tear how we used to be. And it's been for a while like that already. Only how would we notice?

This is a serious social issue, and a discussion. Canadian society is not capable of reasonable, responsible, grown up discussions, and finding working solutions for serious, important issues. It knows two main avenues of approaching problems: ideological one (stick a label and do that you can that is, in Canada majority politics, pretty much anything: cancel all or let go of all controls); and do nothing, drag it on forever, talk it to the death and see what happens. You choose (but no other options allowed).

That point cannot be argued. One can always find an angle, reason or excuse to explain and justify the status quo. It's a matter of personal perspective. And from another, political time in Canada is grinding to a halt: nothing new is happening and hasn't happened for a looooong time. And maybe social too. I mean in the real, not self praising great talking domain. And the time, the objective, physical and social one never stopped.

What does it do? What is the result? Did it make the country modern and advanced? Did it make living more affordable for young families? Did it add technical advancement, effectiveness and efficiency to public services? To Canadian Army? What if Russia came tomorrow? We can wet our eyes and pat ourselves on the shoulder (like right hand on the left shoulder) but what does it do - in reality?

Or just don't care (careless) to differentiate between good differences (excellence, advancement, real leadership including technology, sustainability and why not given the natural endowment) from not so productive ones (entitlement, mental laziness, backwardness, carefree lets just have a beer attitude etc)? So how do we know, without some independent, objective criteria? What if Russia came tomorrow? How would we do?

That can be a self-serving illusion. We Canadians like to be proud and praise ourselves (whether the result, actual achievement merits it or otherwise). That is quite certain. For the rest, we need some objective criteria. Because salmon, ores and forests will not last forever. And then, taxes on the taxes on the charges may not suffice. Canada is disappointed with EU deforestation rules. So mach for the touted and proclaimed "sustainability". What is real here? How would we know?

Conceptually, it's the same epochs old problem of an absolute or near, unaccountable power we like to stumble upon every few generations. Yes you can have it all: the laws, virtually unlimited mandates, emergency powers courts looking the other way you can have levels and layers of (pet) "commissioners" "obmudsfolk" talking heads explaining that it's exactly as it should be. There's a problem though: in the absence of checks, real balance of power and accountability you are the only one to carry all responsibility for any hiccup or failure. Absence of transparency and accountability means at the same time, singular responsibility. Absolute monarchs of old, knew. The elites in Canada have been able to avoid it for a while due to remote geography, quiet to the point of extreme boredom politics of the place and a clever trick of splitting it (responsibility) in two, swapping one figurehead for another in place of real change and meaningful reforms. But it's not going to work in the longer run either, once the problems caused by a stagnant, grossly outdated post colonial system of public management will accumulate, exacerbate and pile on each other causing a systemic crisis of public management. The first bells are ringing. Yes, we will face the music eventually, maybe a bit later but then, it can be louder.

And we can add tax on the tax on federal charges! Like why couldn't we do that? Yes we can.

So, nothing. None, nada. Zero accountability means not much of real, modern functional democracy. It can be adorned in all kinds of pretty words and postures but it's only the reality. And nothing to add.

It sounds like you aren't sure. And that is actually a definitive statement on the state of democracy in Canada: no. No you can't have a democracy if there's no real accountability for abuses of power. You can call it anything but it's missing the main defining attribute. Third world knows.

Why is there a new tax on a tax? Where will $$$ billions go? Who can explain, how does it make any sense? Or we are in the post-sanity age here? Anybody interested what follows?

And then - what? Just wow. "D-i...m...a" what was it, again?

If its an independent citizen action, why would it need petitions and agreement and approval of the entitled political overhead? Shouldn't it be the other way around? So citizens or your lowly peasants? Someone has to figure out.