Intrigue in the Canadian Parliament

[WOM]

Here's the short version: Native treaties give First Nations people the right to fish / hunt outside of regular hunting season. Local (white) fishers lose their mind, seeing it as an assault on local herds / stocks / their livelihood and respond with violence. It's all 'price of admission' in Canada, and suddenly nobody (police or politicians) can remember how to do their job or enforce the law. And, of course, it's political death to side with 'the Indians'.

Here's the deep-dive version.

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2020/10/...a-Lobster-War/

[DCI Harry Batt]

Thanks, I'll have a look at that.

[WOM]

The Canadian government has spent a couple hundred years entering into all manner of treaties with First Nations people that it has no interest or intention of honoring or seeing enforced. This is part XIVL in an ongoing series.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I'm no expert but I'm not sure about those Roman numerals.

[WOM]

Well, I'm not Roman.....

[Nocturnal Submission]

That'll be it.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Just back from voting. La Signora went in her off-road wheelchair. There are a few steps up to the polling place, which she could easily manage, but the electoral supervisor and an assistant brought the ballot box outside so she wouldn't have to bother. Nice touch, especially as it was pretty windy and the ballot papers were blowing all over the place. More of a struggle for them than for her.

[Diable Rouge]

Congrats, Amor, appears to be a comprehensive victory.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Indeed, a substantial majority for the NDP, lets hope they don't do anything silly with it over the next four years.

[Amor de Cosmos]

It turns out that the voter turnout in yesterday's the BC election was the lowest in history, less than 52%. Unhappiness with the election being called, preoccupation with more pressing concerns: eg: health, work, money, and a sense of dislocation especially among younger voters are suggested reasons. Not sure if this has any predictive relevance to the upcoming US election, but there it is.

[Diable Rouge]

It never rains but it pours - another election, this time in Saskatchewan, where the local government appear to make the UK Tories look like Cuba.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Heh! Western Canada is traditionally extremely polarised politically, there's rarely any middle ground at all. The Saskachewan Party are probably left of the Alberta Conservatives if it makes you feel any better.

[Hot Pepsi]

That's true in the western US too.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Another crushing victory for the Saskatchewan Party. I remember when the province was an NDP stronghold. Then again, I can recall the time that Social Credit was a big deal in BC.

[WOM]

Hah....the Social Credit...that's what my dad continued to call the NDP right up until he died.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Another crushing victory for the Saskatchewan Party. I remember when the province was an NDP stronghold. Then again, I can recall the time that Social Credit was a big deal in BC.

Social Credit are still around, they just took over the Liberal Party.

[Diable Rouge]

Yowzah!

https://twitter.com/CanadianPolling/status/1332047904811454466

[Amor de Cosmos]

Don't hold your breath. There's a long way to go before the next election. The poll numbers are mainly in response to Jason Kenney's ham-fisted approach to covid. That, and the fact that the oil industry is shedding jobs like a mongrel does fleas.

[WOM]

Yeah, he's getting pummeled for his stupid 'balanced approach'. Basically 'hope for the best'. He's living proof that it's far easier to be a candidate than a leader.

[WOM]

Not Canada but Ontario. Our Province's Minister of Finance, Rod Phillips, decided to violate his own government's lockdown and spend two weeks down in St Bart's over Christmas. Standard rich white man conservative hypocrisy. But he also had his staff seed his social media accounts with daily pics and reports of him in his constituency, giving the clear impression of planned deceit. He was ordered home by Premier Doug Ford and has now lost his job in cabinet. Ah well.

[ursus arctos]

Three weeks

And now there is an Alberta minister who was in Hawaii

[JayGeeKay]

Three weeks

And now there is an Alberta minister who was in Hawaii

Updated list of UCP Staff/MLAs not in Alberta for Christmas:
Michael Florian (confirmed)
Eliza Snider (confirmed)
Matt Wolf
Nathan Neudorf
Tracy Allard (rumoured)
Pat Rehn (holidaying in Mexico)
Jamie Huckabay
Jeremy Nixon (rumoured, there are Instagram photos of his brother in Maui currently)

This while family gatherings are banned in Alberta.

[WOM]

Hello, JayGeeKay . Are you in AB?

[DCI Harry Batt]

So the governor general (or "general governor", I mean, why not?) has resigned, because she is a bully

[WOM]

Yup, and according to people at the science firm she worked at previously, she has form. It was chalked up to the usual 'demanding / high standards'. But yeah, toxic workplace / harassment.