Ranting about quebec: newspark edition!

[wonko the sane?]

Alright, I madea blurb about this a while ago: alberta currently has a new premier. The old one decided to step down and this triggered an election to vote in someone till the new election in about 8 months.

And they wound up electing danielle smith, whom might as well be named karen. Her entire campaign was based around ending covid restrictions and vaccinations mandates. THERE ARE NONE. With the canadian travel app pushed to voluntary while they try to find new uses for it, that was the last of the large scale federal requirements, and alberta was one of the first provinces to completely gut provincial requirements. They are exactly NO covid anythings still in place.

So what does that mean? That mean smith ran and WON on the literal ignorance of her constituents. All that on top of the sovreignty policy bullshit she wants to enact.

So a literal extremist and reactionary. A republican: no actual policy, no intention to lead or govern, just the unending drumbeat of soundbytes and outrage.

 

[Anonymous X]

So, the leader of the PQ is refusing to swear to the king during the oath of office when the next session starts. Something that every individual representative has done since new france was traded off from the french for sugar and warm weather. Perhaps he would prefer swearing to napoleon instead of charles?

Now, considering the PQ is not actually an official party, and this out and out jackass is not only expecting but DEMANDING to sit in the provincial assembly despite both of these things, he's also willing to take the whole thing to court over it. So nice to see that american styled political theatrics have fully impregnated our systems. Can't wait to see how the court case turns out, and what excuses he'll make when he loses.

That’s basically what Sinn Féin’s would-be MPs do, refuse to swear allegiance to the British crown. So they don’t technically take up the seats in the House of Commons that they’ve won in general elections.

 

[Pocket]

So a literal extremist and reactionary. A republican: no actual policy, no intention to lead or govern, just the unending drumbeat of soundbytes and outrage.

We should be so lucky as to have Republicans without any actual policy.

 

[wonko the sane?]

hydroquebec is currently working on a deal to buy hydroelectric dams and infrastructure in the american northeast. Worth 2 billion, it'll add 17 dams in 3 states to the company.

And I can't wait to see them try to apply bill 96 and bill 101 to american workers.

 

[Ironbite4]

Yeah that's gonna be...hilarious.

 

[wonko the sane?]

And there's no excuse, since bill 96 was written specifically to force the rules on crown corporations, which hydroquebec is.

So come on legault, make those yankees work in french. I ******* dare you.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Montreal is (finally.) enacting recommendations to curb gun violence in the city: they're creating spaces and programs for youths in at risk neighbourhoods. Which is awesome, because it's been proven that structured activities and job/education prep stuff will not only help curb gun violence, but lowers all kinds of other crimes, in both the long and short term.

But... yeah, we already KNOW how this story ends, don't we? They'll get fully funded for a year, two tops, then the city will decide; now that no one is watching quite so closely, to start slashing budgets. Programs will die off, and eventually spaces will be repurposed for other groups, if not sold off entirely. And then we can go through this farce again in five years.

Because, ultimately, no one cares about actually dealing with the social, cultural and economic problems driving the violence, the hopelessness, the desperation. They just want another cartoon character band aid on a mauled limb. Something that looks good on paper, and makes for a nice soundbyte that people can reference when they start flapping their ignorant gobs about "how we dealt with that already". Until our culture and government are willing to actually SOLVE the underlying problems: we're going to continue to see cycles of poverty, desperation, homelessness and violence ebb and flow like the tides.

 

[Pocket]

It's also kind of an inherent problem with democracy: Politicians have far more to gain if there is a problem and they're seen addressing it than they have to lose by getting rid of someone else's solution, so it's in their best interests to quietly kill programs that help people so they can propose they be brought back later and pretend it was their idea.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Agreed, but it's also completely counter to human psychology.

See, politicians want job security: and if you actually SOLVE the problems and set up a great status quo, the guy/team that manages that will be employed for life because large populations generally don't want change. Why rock the boat if nothing is actually wrong?

 

[wonko the sane?]

And alberta's premier just outted herself as a fascist. I mean, that's where all conservatives ideology seems to be going these days, so go figure.

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/alberta-...nts-on-russia-s-invasion-of-ukraine-1.6111830

 

[wonko the sane?]

All the elected members of the PQ and quebec solidaire refused to take the oath of allegiance as mandated by the constitution, which is not a huge number, 14 mna's in total. They DID take an oath to the people of quebec, but in doing so are actively disrepecting the constitution. Seems like they just don't wanna swear allegiance to an english monarch. As such, they've appealed to the caq and the liberals to change the rules to allow them to sit without the oath to charles the third. An issue that's been brought up before, but never actively challenged: as even the most ardent of the old school seperatists knew where their bread was buttered.

Now: the liberals and the CAQ have literally nothing to gain by pushing to change the rules, even if they could. To open the constitution to editing: you need the federal government to motion for it. When trudeau was asked about it: he said that it was up to the province to come up with rules that work for them, basically side stepping the issue and making noises that seperatists would like.

BUT! Until the rules change, or these 14 fuckwits go on public record swearing to the king: they cannot sit in the assembly, cannot vote, and probably can't even collect a paycheque. So now we get to see whom among them will stand on their principles, keeping in mind that they are leaving the people of their ridings without representation on the provincial level. I've no faith in politicians, but I expect we'll see some byelections soon enough.

 

[Pale Rider]

FB friend:

Conservatives in Canada have started derisively referring to minorities as "Trudeau's chosen people", which is the clearest sign yet that they're trying to tell everyone they're white-supremacists.

 

[wonko the sane?]

So I saw this on the news ticker this morning.

Alberta premier blames alberta health services for manufacturing staffing shortages.

And I was going to come in here with a rant about how she's too stupid to be even in prairie politics, and how she should just emigrate to the states already... but I wound up having a little epiphany.

She's a messiah, and we should all follow her blindly and unquestioningly... oh, excuse me, that was a little LOBOTOMY.

This, right here, her and alberta: This is canada's trump moment. It won't be as big or disgusting, but here it is. The new low water mark on hard right extremism in canadian politics. She is now the insanity to beat to scoop up all the fascist nutters like the freedom convoy assholes. And they aren't bothering to hide it anymore, they aren't making excuses, the whole "wink and nod" bullshit they've been pulling up till now: openly attempting to look something towards center while outright lying to constituents about policy. This is the quiet part loud, this is the inmates running the asylum.

Provincially, federally: the insanity, the extremism, the bullying, the complete and utter disconnect between reality and tory fantasy... it only gets worse from here.

 

[wonko the sane?]

So trudeau is openly disappointed with ontario's provincial legislature for using the not withstanding clause on back to work legislation for teachers.

*glares in anglophone*

 

[wonko the sane?]

There's an currently running inquiry into whether trudeau was justified in using the emergencies act during the occupation of ottawa earlier this year.

When one of the organizers OF the occupation was brought in to testify: he announced that they were receiving leaked information from basically every police agency involved, from the ottawa city PD all the way up to CSIS.

Which, in my mind anyway, absolutely justifies the emergencies act.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Something from the news ticker this morning:

Canada plans to up immigration to half a million a year by 2023, or 24. Quebec currently takes 50 thousand, and is refusing to take more than that: stating simply that we cannot handle more. Now Legault says we can't take more than we do because he's concerned they won't be french enough and there won't be the means to integrate them into quebec society. Never mind that, you know, they control those systems and could just scale them to account for more people: but that would give away the secret of "we never wanted to do this in the first place" and how quebec immigration services is largely just a litmus test for how white and french you are, or alternatively; how much racism you're willing to put up with.

Frankly, I say he's right, we can't take more. But he's stating the wrong reason. Half of the province only has access to the medical system through emergency rooms which are collapsing under the weight of overuse. Record numbers of working people are finding themselves homeless due to the housing crisis, and food banks are reporting that something needs to be done about inflation SOON because they can all see the day when they have to turn people away. Wage stagnation is still a massive problem, and so is being over taxed.

Quebec can't take more people in because our society is so badly managed, so poorly maintained and conceived that going above and beyond our limits now will topple the whole ******* thing.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Trudeau once again chastised ontario for the pre-emptive use of the not-withstanding clause.

*continues to glare in historic anglophone*

The upshot is that the education union broke the ontario legislature: they are overturning the bill that forced a contract on them, and declared the strike action illegal. Now the province will actually HAVE to negotiate as opposed to simply imposing their will. I have no doubt the education assistants will still be screwed over: but slightly less so now.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Welp, trudeau opened his gob again, this time criticizing new brunswick about who they appointed to the provinces bilingualism committee.

You can read the story here.

And it occurs to me... man trudeau has been REALLY ******* mouthy lately. I mean, they would of course go to the prime minister for comment on subjects: but he's openly criticizing people now instead of his usual, half hearted blurbs about how they'll continue to work together.

And then it hit me: this is a recent change, like the last two weeks... I think the fucker finally decided he was done with politics. I don't think he intends to run for PM again, and consequently is losing his filters. We're into his third mandate, and this is the first time he's actually called out provinces for bullshit instead of trying to be diplomatic about it.

And the goddamn french kisser still won't call out quebec for routine charter violations.

 

[Pocket]

It's almost as if the only way to keep government officials honest is to do away with the concept of "reelections" altogether. You get one term. Make it count.

 

[wonko the sane?]

So this week there has been alternating news reports and news ticker feeds from every province, from ocean to ocean, about how their emergency rooms are over crowded, how ICU's are over capacity, how the hospital system is over stretched and run ragged, and how top doctors from every district are saying "It's only going to get worse".

Usually followed; sometimes in the same breath, by politicians requesting that people wear masks and wash their hands, but outright refusing to institute any kinds of mask mandates.

And the message, to me anyway, is pretty ******* clear. "We KNOW there's a problem, and we don't care.". I just saw a bit on the montreal news (CTV.) that the children's has never seen conditions like this, and their not only cancelling standing surgeries, they're refusing to schedule new ones. One doctor said "we're making a bigger problem for later, and there will be a price to be paid".

We've reached the point where that price will be blood. Lack of medical access will start killing folks, and not a small number. Sadly, as this gets worse, it'll be children, cause that's where the respiratory viruses driving this new leg of pandemia is thriving.

But hey, it's not the politicians faults, it was the last guys: they fucked up the system, blame them.