Jerry J. Fortin

I am a unionized worker, are you? My membership within the union allows me to speak as one of them. There are many things being said on here about unions, some good but most bad. From an inside of the box perspective I can say that the union movement has resulted in most of the labour law in Canada, and that workers are better off than they used to be. Again from that inside view I can tell you that there is a very hectic political aspect to the union movement. Union dues only go one direction and that is up, meanwhile many are concerned with how that money is spent. Unions are a very different kind of association.

Rest assured that if the NDP or the Greens ever get 45% of the vote they will form a government. There is simply not enough support for either pa of those two parties to form a government for the moment at least.

Unions have had their day and damned near priced themselves out a job in many cases. I would prefer simply stronger labour laws, but what else can I say.

I think you may be right, politics in a democracy is always very messy. I do think that the effects can be minimized with certain steps being taken though.

Canada has retired from the field, and no longer seeks power or status in this world. We do what we have to do, no more and no less. We have become lazy and have tarnished the reputation of those who gave their lives for this nation.

In a decentralized city state, direct democracy system.

Even so, I still believe that sentences are far too short for violent crimes. The non violent type doesn't even register on my concern meter. It is violent crimes that concern me.

I guess in the grand scheme of things, politics don't really matter. I mean if you view the whole package, what really transpires in life, the political side of things doesn't really hold water at all. Family, friends, work and recreation are the things that people spend the most time at and find the greatest pleasures from. Politics is merely a luxury of intellectual effort. I have talked to a lot of people lately and there is a visible trend with them. Those who are more affluent or have a greater disposable income and they pay more attention to politics and commonly think that the subject has some relevance in their lives. The people at the opposite end of the spectrum don't even seem to vote. They don't see politics as relevant to their position at all. The average working citizen is totally frustrated with the system and is constantly losing trust in politicians in general. The average guy views government as something that costs them a lot of money and wastes a lot of time. They tend to believe that government does what it wants, not what citizens want. With all this in mind you simply have to wonder why we bother at all?

Grant's people were caught and punished.

Thats right, 80% of our eggs in one basket. Just look at what has happened in terms of the auto industry to see the viability of continuation down the current path. Canada has the resources and we have the technological capacity what we don't have enough of is secondary industry to take advantage of our potential. That is the direction to travel, the end goal being enhanced productivity and value added revenues realized through a manufacturing sector based on available resources.

Your beef is with the "partisan system", not the representational system. That is why I suggested an independent candidate in the first place. To either remodel partisan politics into a two party system or implementing a proportional representation system is a very tall order and likely not achievable under current conditions. With that in mind I suggest that you either attempt to alter the conditions or throw up your hands in disgust like so many other Canadians do. Supporting independent candidates is a viable alternative.

Proportional representation is a flawed concept. Yet I do agree that the present system is FUBAR. I think you could get what you wanted by finding a independent candidate that was willing to represent the majority of constituents views. To do that a form of public consultation must be undertaken at the constituency level, but I think that this would serve your purposes well. It would never lead to a partisan government but it would provide a voice to constituents in the House of Commons. Your say in legislative efforts would be heard in a far more functional manner than it presently is.

You are wrong there! One step at a time we can begin to fix our democracy.

True and correct again. But the point is that Canada relies too heavily on the USA, we need to free ourselves of that crutch. China and Russia represent the best opportunity to do that. We need enhanced trade opportunities and these folks can do that for us. We can partner with Russia in terms of resource development and both of us can serve China as the suppliers of raw materials. China or Russia can provide this nation with consumable products.

Pollsters never bother to tell folks that only half the population ever shows up on election day to vote. So at best you can say there is actually 12% undecided, not including the other 50% who will likely not vote. So the whole focus of all parties are to drag citizens from the non-voter to voter category. There is where the potential gains in public support can be found, not in converting the left to the right or the right to the left, but from that big demographic of apathetic citizens who simple don't vote. Those folks need a carrot to get them into the game, and I think a lot of the partisan platforms are designed to grab these folks. This most recent poll like all others is only one tool in the political box.

Did I?

I think China is changing very rapidly. Democracy is still some years away, but the form of communism in China has already morphed into a more modern version of its original design. It is possible that democracy may never be needed there, and that their system may in fact turn out to be superior to our own. Their system may be kept just as a hedge to make them stand out as different and superior. The Middle Kingdom has continued throughout the ages, and their long term views are likely to continue to permeate their ideologies much to the dismay of the rest of the world. What many do not understand is that their productive capacity has been enhanced with the assistance of Europe and the west with the joint ventures in manufacturing that has been going on over the last two decades. As companies move into China to take advantage of its immense internal consumption of production they bring technology with them. Corporate efforts are what has brought China to its new economic level not politics. Politics means very little there, understandable when you consider the oppressive political environment. Political activity is sanctioned only within the confines of the party and actively discouraged outside of those parameters.

The working group is already divided along ideological lines. Both sides will be required to compromise and somehow I just don't see it happening. Strangely there was no promise of any public reporting during the process to keep the public aware of efforts being made. As I have said before I think the only solution they will work is a pure and simple funding change, one in which the government is removed from the formula. Its time to start doing something different, because the old ways just don't function in a manner that serves the best interests of the public. I say that the "fund" needs a "funding formula change" of the highest order. I don't really think they will go this way, but I think it is the right way to go.

All true! My point was that USA did violate NAFTA. A legal agreement beyond contest, and they did it knowingly with intent. They subverted the intent of the agreement and still do. Russia like China needs to be reigned in. Unlike China, they are our neighbors. Russia has incredible potential, as do we. In a long term vision of things it would be to our advantage to work with both of these nations if for no other reason than to break free of our bonds with the USA. Don't get me wrong here, I both like and admire the American people, I hold their nation in great respect. However I value my own nation as well and they have and will continue to take advantage of us until such time as we gain a measure of economic independence from them. After that happens I would recommend actually strengthening our ties to them, but for now we need to get our own act together and do something on our own for our own benefit.

How much you want to bet that judge would be reviewed?

Really? So in your view does this mean that the United States is untrustworthy in the light of their continued infractions with respect to NAFTA?

Governments always jump to conclusions! The advice that governments listen to is always taken with a political poison pill. Everything is considered through that lens, and that lens alone. I am well aware of the goings on behind closed doors within government and parliament. Are you aware of the partisan influence within those working groups and the utter waste of time and tax payers money that takes place? If you think for just one moment that Senators are not told what to do you are a fool. The government ALWAYS tells them to support their legislation, that is why every government since confederation wants to appoint partisan Senators to support their efforts in the Commons. That is grade school stuff! I have always said that the Senate preforms a viable function, I just want them to be elected and accountable to the people. You on the other hand think that is a another of my bad ideas.

You trust the Americans? You trust the British?

Look, they are only human and make mistakes just like everyone else. The problem is that we have no way to deal with their mistakes! Dumping judges is very rare in Canada. Does that mean that our judges don't make mistakes, or does it mean they are not held accountable for their mistakes? So in your view the system that has nothing wrong with it provides for a means of having input ion the law. Lets think about that for a minute. There is no way to enforce an election promise on a government. There is no way to make a government do what citizens want. There is no way to remove a representative for going against the will of the people who elected them. So how is it that we have a say in anything at all? Only a fool would believe they have a say, when their opinion is neither valued nor respected. A say that is not heard is no say at all. There is just no way to make the words be heard, no mechanism to achieve it. Public servants should be accountable to the public. The public should have the means to remove a bad servant of the people. Its just that simple.

Beating the Russians is the last thing we should be doing! They are natural allies and neighbors, and we should have closer relations with them. You need to do some serious outside of the box thinking dude. Look at our Arctic neighbors and our combined capacities/resources now tell me what you see. We have the potential to do some real good if people could just stop their nationalistic approaches and see what is plainly right in front of them. I don't think that trying to outmaneuver them is the right path, becoming Arctic partners makes far more sense to me. We have much to gain from such an association, in fact it would even help us with North American relations.