#Canada150 (Canadian politics and related issues)

[skategal]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1590335921748312065

Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 has weighed in on Canada's human rights issues, in case anyone was desperate to know!

He's not wrong overall but I think this piece is incorrect.

"At the same time, Canadian society shows an appalling apathy to addressing the issue at the government and public levels."

There has never been more willingness and interest and want to reconcile with Indigenous people and address the underlying causes than now.

This is the one thing Trudeau has done above all other Prime Ministers.

It's not perfect but it's a work in progress.

Also, re: the Truth and Reconciliation Actions. Many of those Actions are HUGE pieces of work that will take time to accomplish. There is much movement on implementing the actions but some will take many years to accomplish.

The data on Indigenous youth is very encouraging in some regions of the country and no different than non-Indigenous.

We are making progress on this and it would have been nice if the author acknowledged that but I'm sure the whole point of the article is to show that Canada shouldn't criticize China if we have our own ongoing human rights issue.

 

[On My Own]

We are making progress on this and it would have been nice if the author acknowledged that but I'm sure the whole point of the article is to show that Canada shouldn't criticize China if we have our own ongoing human rights issue.

Oh trust me, I didn't post it here for analysis. It was more to point and laugh at him.

 

[Jot the Dot Dot]

We are making progress on this and it would have been nice if the author acknowledged that but I'm sure the whole point of the article is to show that Canada shouldn't criticize China if we have our own ongoing human rights issue.

By "Canada", do you mean the current federal government? You might have a case there. But Canadians are free to criticize their own governments. Citizens of China are denied that right. I'd risk the act of a flawed regime criticizing a brutal one any day, if just so the Chinese people can have somebody speaking on behalf of those whose voices are silenced.

 

[skategal]

But Canadians are free to criticize their own governments. Citizens of China are denied that right. I'd risk the act of a flawed regime criticizing a brutal one any day, if just so the Chinese people can have somebody speaking on behalf of those whose voices are silenced.

I agree with you 100%.

But I assume the author's point is no one (governments or citizens of other countries) should criticize China if there are human rights abuses in their own country.

 

[MacMadame]

I agree with you 100%.

But I assume the author's point is no one (governments or citizens of other countries) should criticize China if there are human rights abuses in their own country.

Cause two wrongs make a right, apparently.

 

[Judy]

I’m concerned how extremely far right the conservatives have become. PP is dangerous for Canada.

 

[skategal]

I’m concerned how extremely far right the conservatives have become. PP is dangerous for Canada.

Hopefully he will pay attention to what happened in the US midterms are realize most people are centrist and won’t vote for extremism on either side and dial it down a notch or two…

 

[Judy]

Hopefully he will pay attention to what happened in the US midterms are realize most people are centrist and won’t vote for extremism on either side and dial it down a notch or two…

What’s going on? Scared to look.

 

[skategal]

What’s going on? Scared to look.

Biden did better than expected and many extremist Republicans were defeated. A big blow to Trumpism.

 

[Judy]

Biden did better than expected and many extremist Republicans were defeated. A big blow to Trumpism.

Love this ❤️

 

[Judy]

Hopefully he will pay attention to what happened in the US midterms are realize most people are centrist and won’t vote for extremism on either side and dial it down a notch or two…

I heard about Boebert is it still tight?

 

[skategal]

I heard about Boebert is it still tight?

Not sure but I think so.

 

[Andora]

Hopefully he will pay attention to what happened in the US midterms are realize most people are centrist and won’t vote for extremism on either side and dial it down a notch or two…

To add to this-- PP is next in a pattern of increasingly right-wing leaders for the CPC party, which itself illustrates an inability to understand what Canadians want. I don't know if it's because Harper still has control within the party, or if they just really do represent right-wing ignorance ( ) but there is NO REASON Trudeau should have won the last election, and yet...

Conservatives aren't going to have a watershed election anytime soon if they don't head back to centre/PC status. If the LPC and NDP ever get their shit together and finally stop splitting the centre/left vote, then the CPC could go back to the dark where they flirted with non-party status. Now, I'd LOVE that, personally, but I'd actually prefer a move to less extremism in the end...

 

[Judy]

Hopefully he will pay attention to what happened in the US midterms are realize most people are centrist and won’t vote for extremism on either side and dial it down a notch or two…

I read this article before .. the Globe and Mail has a longer article but it’s subscription).

Mulroney backing Conservatives' Poilievre, but cautions he won't win going 'extreme right'

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney told CTV’s Question Period he’s impressed with new Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre — who’s been on the job for nearly a month — but that he cautioned him to tack closer to the political centre if he hopes to win a general election.

www.ctvnews.ca

 

[Judy]

To add to this-- PP is next in a pattern of increasingly right-wing leaders for the CPC party, which itself illustrates an inability to understand what Canadians want. I don't know if it's because Harper still has control within the party, or if they just really do represent right-wing ignorance ( ) but there is NO REASON Trudeau should have won the last election, and yet...

Conservatives aren't going to have a watershed election anytime soon if they don't head back to centre/PC status. If the LPC and NDP ever get their shit together and finally stop splitting the centre/left vote, then the CPC could go back to the dark where they flirted with non-party status. Now, I'd LOVE that, personally, but I'd actually prefer a move to less extremism in the end...

Voters didn’t like O’Toole that was the main reason Conservatives lost. But I can’t stand PP.

 

[skategal]

Wow.

Proposed North America base for NATO Defense Innovation Accelorator for North America (DIANA) is Halifax, NS.

Government of Canada proposes Halifax as North American location for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic - Canada.ca

Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, announced today that Canada is proposing the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, to host the North American Regional Office of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). DIANA...

www.canada.ca

 

[Pink Cats]

Not more traffic

 

[skategal]

Not more traffic

That was my first thought too.

Then I thought, my house won’t lose value anytime soon.

 

[skatingguy]

Not more traffic

East coast people complaining about traffic is so cute.

 

[skategal]

East coast people complaining about traffic is so cute.

This would have been true prior to the pandemic.

But in Halifax now it regularly takes between 1-1.5 hours to travel 35km into (and out of) downtown during rush hours.

We’ve had a HUGE influx in population and the city has spent the last five years not dealing with infrastructure, or expanding public transportation and instead they removed car lanes to put in bike lanes that cyclists are too scared to use.

 

[skatingguy]

This would have been true prior to the pandemic.

But in Halifax now it regularly takes between 1-1.5 hours to travel 35km into (and out of) downtown during rush hours.

We’ve had a HUGE influx in population and the city has spent the last five years not dealing with infrastructure, or expanding public transportation and instead they removed car lanes to put in bike lanes that cyclists are too scared to use.

The population of Nova Scotia is less than the population of Ottawa, and daily from Oshawa to Oakville is a parking lot - it's all relative.

 

[skategal]

The population of Nova Scotia is less than the population of Ottawa, and daily from Oshawa to Oakville is a parking lot - it's all relative.

The main problem is our roads (or lack thereof) rather than the population.

Our downtown is on a peninsula and no highways go into the downtown core. You are driving through older neighbourhoods single lanes to get downtown once you hit the peninsula.

There are about 3 ways onto the peninsula on the Halifax side and 2 on the Dartmouth side which involve driving through the Dartmouth downtown core and taking bridges.

1 - 1.5 hours to commute 35 kms (one way) to work is nuts no matter where you live.

Travel tip:
If anyone is ever in the downtown core of Halifax for work and need to get a flight at the airport around supper time, don’t leave downtown later than 2:00pm or you won’t make your flight.

 

[Andora]

I looooove complaining about traffic living and working in the GTA, but Halifax has had legit traffic gripes for a long time. It just helps so many of the best things are close together so you can walk. ...which is part of the problem as well, everything is close together.

In the end, I can take a bunch of side roads if I need to avoid the Don Valley Parking lot, but that's not an option for parts of Halifax.

 

[skategal]

Public transportation options are terrible here too.

We live in the fastest growing suburb east of Montreal with one of the best public schools in HRM nearby and it’s only last week that I could drive 10 minutes (in the right direction) to a park and ride to get an express bus downtown.

Before now I had to drive 20 minutes in the wrong direction (away from downtown) or 35 minutes towards downtown to get a park and ride.

Well if I’ve been in my car 35 minutes already, I’m probably going to keep on going, not get out and wait for a bus that only comes every 15 minutes.

Plus the buses don’t have dedicated bus lanes. They use the same lanes as the cars. So no time savings there.

They have been talking about putting in a high speed ferry from Bedford to downtown for the past 20 years.

I guess it will be a reality by the time I retire in another 15 years or so.

 

[Judy]

This would have been true prior to the pandemic.

But in Halifax now it regularly takes between 1-1.5 hours to travel 35km into (and out of) downtown during rush hours.

We’ve had a HUGE influx in population and the city has spent the last five years not dealing with infrastructure, or expanding public transportation and instead they removed car lanes to put in bike lanes that cyclists are too scared to use.

😂 nobody likes the bike lanes especially downtown. I’d never ride in the bike lanes in downtown Ottawa. We’ve already had a death. I love bike riding but yeah .. safely! Also kinda ridiculous in the winter.

 

[skategal]

😂 nobody likes the bike lanes especially downtown. I’d never ride in the bike lanes in downtown Ottawa. We’ve already had a death. I love bike riding but yeah .. safely! Also kinda ridiculous in the winter.

We had a really bad death here too of a well known cyclist.

Hit by a car a coupe of months ago.

Terrifying.

 

[manhn]

Driving around Los Angeles when there are no bike lanes is terrifying. Bad car accidents happen too. I don’t want bikes to share the sidewalk with pedestrians (looking at you, Montreal), so I am fine with bike lanes.

 

[skategal]

Driving around Los Angeles when there are no bike lanes is terrifying. Bad car accidents happen too. I don’t want bikes to share the sidewalk with pedestrians (looking at you, Montreal), so I am fine with bike lanes.

The problem here is cars turning right from their lane, cross the bike lane.

So there can be a bike well behind you but by the time you slow or stop to turn, the bike is next to you and you hit it while turning.

You need eyes in the back of your head.

 

[MacMadame]

The problem here is cars turning right from their lane, cross the bike lane.

So there can be a bike well behind you but by the time you slow or stop to turn, the bike is next to you and you hit it while turning.

You need eyes in the back of your head.

In CA, the law is that you are supposed to merge into the bike lane before turning right for just this reason. Not everyone knows this though and some will even argue that this isn't the law. 🤷

 

[Pink Cats]

In CA, the law is that you are supposed to merge into the bike lane before turning right for just this reason. Not everyone knows this though and some will even argue that this isn't the law. 🤷

My big issue with bike riders and pedestrians is often they are where all black, have no lights on their bikes or reflective fabric on their clothing, and yet they think it's acceptable to ride/walk on the road at night. At least make yourself visible.