Queenmandy85

Trump has ordered the GOP to keep the border open and to block the bill that would address the border. Did you not hear Romney's response?

President Trump has ordered the GOP representatives to block any move President Biden makes to close the border. It is President Trump who is forcing the border open. As for Governor Abbott, is he about to engage in insurrection? That would mean the end of his political career.

The problem is Israel was put in the wrong place. When the UN decided to create Israel, nobody consulted the people who were already living there. I've always believed Israel should have been placed in Oregon. The climate is similar and the neighbours are friendly. I would be upset if the UN suddenly kicked me out of the house my family had lived in for generations. I object to the silly idea that God promised that land to anyone. God is not a real estate salesperson. The idea is blasphemy. God doesn't chose favourites. God is managing the universe, looking after 28 trillion star systems just in the little section we can see with the JWST. It doesn't have a "chosen" people. I suggested Oregon, but I'm sure the UN could find an alternative. Who ever named Jerusalem (City of Peace) had an extraordinary sense of sarcasm. If we are to take the Israeli claim that they occupied that area 2000 years ago so that it should still be theirs, the Mississippi watershed, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, is actually part of Canada.

All the nuclear fuel in the world is useless if you don’t have the lubricating oil for the generator. Without lubricating oil, nothing moves. Then there will be the greenhouse effect that is going to start having a serious impact in about two or three centuries.

That is not what I said. I said these things were approved by Parliament in the estimates. The carbon tax in BC has had a positive effect on carbon emissions. our petroleum reserves will only last for another 250 years at the present rate of per capita consumption. Coal will only last a thousand years. Considering we should be able to expect to be around for a lot longer than that, we need to think about what we are doing to the unborn. When Jesus returns, he is going to be very disappointed in what we have done to our children.

If this is the case that happened in Nelson, I don't have enough information, other than they were both intoxicated. Some people said the cop attacked the accused and the accused defended himself? But your guess is as good as mine...if not better.

In a thread about the next Prime Minister, it is the current Prime Minister who is getting all your attention. Are you suffering from TDS? (Trudeau derangement Syndrome). Even after he is gone, he will be living rent free in your minds.

The above were all provided for in the estimates. The deficit is a combination of the demand by the electorate to spend and the refusal of the electorate to pay for it. Mr. Poilievre's governments will have the same problem. Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die to get there. Aid to the middle-east is there to help stabilize the region to avoid creating a vacuum that ISIS and the Taliban would love to fill. It was voted on in the estimates. The subsidy for EV battery plants provides jobs that would otherwise go to the Americans. The Carbon tax is rising in line with the estimates. If we don't give the people the incentive to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the government will be forced to bring in rationing and force people to stop burning fossil fuels. That is a possible course of action in the future if we don't start making the sacrifices required to save unborn generations from a hellish short life. It is not just global warming but if we use up our petroleum, coal and iron reserves, future generations will not have the resources needed to survive. God did not provide these resourses for our generation only. These resourses belong for future generations and were meant to last for thousands of years, not just a couple of centuries. The National Defence budget is mostly wasted on things like conventional weapons to fight nuclear powers. Tanks, advanced air combat aircraft and frigates are cosmetic. We can save billions by building a large force of ICBM's. The home heating oil carve out was forced on the government by MP's from Atlantic Canada. The government knew it was a bad idea but if they hadn't, the government would have fallen. See? MP's do have power.

You finished with the most profound statment of this thread. "There are other things in everyday life that take priority to politic activities." That is very true. Thank you.

An election day team is a marvel to behold. Each poll has a scrutineer for the Party. She sits at the table with the DRO and the scrutineers of the other parties. They cross off the voters as they vote and runners from the campaign periodically come by and pick up the data sheets and provide new ones. The data is taken to the campaign office where they keep track of who has voted, and more importantly, which supported have not voted yet. The office will contact thos supporters to find out why they haven't voted and do what ever they can to get those people to the polls. That is where elections are won or lost. The deadliest phrase in any election is "It's in the bag." I heard Vic Stevens actually use those very words a month before election day in the by-election in which he was the PC's star candidate. He came third. There was a woman working in a diner in PEI in the 1972 election who was closing up early to go vote. She called the campaign office and asked if there was anyone else who hadn't voted. "Just those guys working on a construction site, but don't worry about it." She knew the guys on the crew and knew there were eight conservative voters among them. She borrowed a van and picked them up and got them to the poll at the last minute. She only picked up the tories. No grits. The Conservative Candidate won by 4 votes. You can't make me believe an individual does't have a significant influence. If campaign workers in two other ridings had shared her dedication, Pierre Trudeau would have lost the '72 election and Bob Stanfield would heve bee Prime Minister.

Geography dictates where the population lives. That is why eastern Canada has the economic and political power. It is worth bearing in mind that 10 years ago, the grits were in third place so we can't say they have some kind of lock on the votes in Quebec. In another year an a half, they will be the third party again and it will be the CPC with the lock on power. Will having 200 seats make Prime Minister Poilievre a dictator? The transfer of power won't have a significant change. Equalization payments won't change. The Liberal Government is investing 35 billion to increase the flow of oil from Alberta to tidewater. So, it isn't just Quebec that is getting paid off. You under estimate the Bloc as a factor in Quebec. The only province in which the Liberals are dominant is Prince Edward Island. They are leading in three out of four seats. In Quebec, the Liberals are almost tied with the Bloc (33-32), and the CPC are dominant in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. The only factor that puts the CPC victory in peril is if Mr. Poilievre implodes in the next few months. Not likely. (Based on the polling analysis of Canada 338 posted on Jan. 7, 2024) As for individuals having an influence, an election has phases. In a riding, when the writ is dropped, canvassers go out and knock on doors. The purpose is to identify voters who support the candidate. On election day, a special campaign crew swings into action. Their purpose is to keep track of every supporter to ensure they vote. No excuse is acceptable. The campaign will provide rides to the polls, and overcome any obstacle. Bob Stanfield lost the 1972 election because approximately 100 Progressive Conservative voters across the country in very close races, were too busy to vote. He lost by 2 seats. The election day team in those two ridings did not do their jobs.

Coming from a person who makes a point over and over again that you do not know anything about politics and you refuse to learn, you may wish to take your own advice and stay away from it. If you do not like politics, what are you doing here? In your own words on Christmas Eve, "You don't have to play."

Actually, I am a loyal Progressive Conservative, so I have no party to affiliate with. My MP is in the CPC caucus and he is an excellent MP. If you are unhappy with your MP's efforts to curb the Liberals, why don't you work to elect an MP closer to your views. Remember, the government can only do what Parliament lets them. If your MP lacks the backbone to vote against the Trudeau government, nominate someone who will, get out there and campaign for them and get them elected. Remember, elections are won by the candidates who get all of their supporters to vote. Of course, if other voters want someone different than you do, then your candidate will lose. But every MP represents every Canadian. Find an MP who represents your views and work through her. When a government misbehaves, it is because too many voters are too lazy to put in the work. That old saying, "government by the people, for the people, etc.," only works if the people participate. Politics is a participation sport. You refer to the Prime Minister as a "dictator." How can he be a dictator when he depends, not only on the support of cabinet, but also the support of caucus and Parliament. If he was a dictator, how were a group of east coast MP's able to force him to do that home heating oil carve-out? Because you know the Prime Minister really did not want it. It was a gift to the CPC and he knew it but MP's have power and they forced him to do it.

I have to respectfully disagree. The government proposes and Pailiament decides. The person you elected to make these decisions on your and my behalf, is your MP. Can you imagine the chaos if the government had to ask the voters to approve every piece of legislation? I do not have the resources to research the pros and cons of aid to Iraq. Nor am I equiped to make decisions on how to fix the healthcare system. It is interesting that the two example you provide are foreign aid and healthcare. One is federal responsibility and one is provincial. The problems in health care are partly the result of the deadliest pandemic in a century (over one million Americans and almost 60,000 Canadians dead) and the reluctance of voters to pay taxes. If voters had to make all the decisions, they would want all the services to be first class and not have to pay for them. No country can operate that way. So, we elect the best and the brightest of our neighbours to go to Parliament. Their job is to learn as much as possible about the legislation the government proposes. They have access to resources you and I don't, and they have the time to spend studying the feasibility of each decision to make a decision on our behalf. They do these things as part of a group of other MP's called committees. They also meet in a caucus of generally like minded MP's to further examine the business of government. If your MP is not good enough, that is on you. You should have worked harder to elect some one better. If you didn't campaign, you can't complain.

Do you have some examples of things that were not approved by Parliament?

Putin is going to be so disappointed in his pet American.

*******. *******

Our vote does mean something. We elect our Members of Parliament. Parliament and the Crown have a symbiotic relationship. The fact that neither can work without the other is the key to the democratic part of the system. For Canada, there are other advantages. It symbolizes our French and British heritage. It separates us from the Americans. It costs us nothing.

If anyone needed proof that Mr. Trump is a slave to the Russian despot Putin, this is it. Has the US gone crazy?Trump is the Moscow candidate and he will win. The rest of the world is going to lose.

The historic record of elected politicians compared to constitutional monarchs shows monarchs are the better selection process. Canada has been a monarchy for 400 years and only two have been duds out of 13. The combined reign of George IV and Edward VIII was 11 years out of 400. The advantage of a constitutional monarch is they are trained for the role from birth. The fact is when you look at elected Presidents, you have a lot of mediocre politicians, some really bad ones and not that many who have the gravitas of a King. Putin, Trump and Waldheim are some of the worst recent examples. Each one was democratically elected by people who knew who they were electing. Voters do not make informed choices. The King of Canada cannot become a dictator. He is bound by the constitution and convention. His role is to lend his authority so long as the politician with the power has the confidence of Parliament. The King does not control the money so he has no ability to abuse his authority.

You misunderstand what I said. The Head of State has most of the authority, the head of government has the political power. Usually, as in Canada and the UK, the Head of State has no authority over taxation and spending. He is also bound by the laws and the constitution. The power lies with the authority over the purse. I am not sure, but I suspect the same is true in Germany and Israel. King Charles actually has more authority than the POTUS. He has the authority to declare war. The President of the United States does not. In other words, the King can declare war on Belgium in his right of Canada. But he cannot conduct the war unless Parliament grants the money to pay for it. The Head of State acts by conventions. He appoints the Prime Minister and the Governor General, but convention governs whom he appoints, ie., the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons. On the other hand, the PM has not official authority but his standing in Parliament and the existing conventions gives him the power. The position of Prime Minister is unofficial and is hardly mentioned in the constitution. He acts in the name of the crown, but only as long as he has the confidence of the House and the crown. The crown is there to apply the breaks on a would-be dictator, just like the President of Germany.

It is not germaine. I was responding to CanFox's statement. Thread drift. On that point, the King of Canada has the same powers as the Presidents of Germany and Israel and several others. It is an important aspect of checks and balances to divide authority and power. The Head of State has all the authority and the head of government has the political power. The Head of State should always be above politics.

I think you and I live in different realities. That is what this forum is for. 😉

I have searched for any reference that would support your claim but there is none. I can come up with two possible explainations for your error. A. He was referring to Self-proclaimed "Queen of Canada" Romana Didulo — known for her QAnon beliefs. B. He was referring to me. Since I've never met Mr. Harper, that is unlikely. Cheers

This statement is the antithesis of Canadian values. The author is making a false allegation against our Head of State. That is the opposite of Conservatism. To answer your question, it is a scam. The author is ignorant of Canada, appears to be uneducated in basic biology, chemistry and physics, hence his dismissal of the established research into mitigation proceedures to halt the spread of contagion and the irrational denial of the effects of greenhouse gases on temperature re-radiation of the earth. He is out to sell books and nothing sell better in the book store than a treatise full of lies. Blackbird, as a friend, I implore you to spend your money more wisely.