14 Comments
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On Trudeau lecturing the Italian Prime Minister on human rights. I find this quite in character.

I recently was talking to a senior Liberal. She explained that free trade agreements were a good thing for Canada to negotiate. These agreements gave us a lever so as to put pressure on the other country to improve its human rights regime. So free trade is not about economic development, or jobs, or diffusion of technology, or any of those other things that economists like to talk about. Rather, it's about imposing your cultural values on another country.

Remember, that's how the TPP became the CPTPP. Trudeau would only sign on if the others agreed to a bunch of human rights provisions.

How is this different from the cultural imperialism that progressives complain about?

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George Hariton beat me to the punch with his fine comments about Trudeau’s habit of imposing his human rights stamp on international affairs.

Trudeau thought that human rights was a big winner to put on the table during the ill fated China free trade negotiations. I don’t think that got any traction, and neither did any of the other discussions about free trade with China.

These kinds of blunders speaks to an overestimation of one’s place in the general narrative, and clinging to the antiquated notion of Canada’s “soft power” days. And blindsiding G7 partners with criticism about their internal affairs is just plain bad manners and terrible diplomacy.

This leads me to wonder that when Trudeau leaves office that our foreign allies will sigh in relief and say “Canada’s Back!”

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"We don't know whether it is more accurate to describe her actions as amateurish or corrupt, misguided, or bizarre. Perhaps all three?"

Or perhaps all four?

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Matt / Jen, as always, I greatly enjoyed the video. Well, a bit less than normal because I didn't find the avatars that interesting. Just an old curmudgeon - me, not you - who enjoys seeing your actual smiling faces, even if you are not always smiling.

I said above that I enjoyed the video, or in this case, quite truthfully, I enjoyed the podcast with the cartoon like figures on the screen but, really, actual people are better.

As to why I enjoy the normal video, it is simply that there is a real element of give and take which would (I presume) be the nature of a regular editorial meeting. It is my recollection that when you started with this weekly video / podcast you originally described as an editorial meeting. I enjoy the occasional snarkiness, the humor and the surprises that come with the video / podcast.

As for the JT government, I do believe that you correctly have it when you describe the Bill Blair "moment:" the most malign reason for the delay and the various preceding delays is truly ugly to consider whereas the most benign reason for the delay(s) is truly ugly to consider. Different ugly but, nevertheless, ugly in both cases.

As a matter of disclosure, I am not now and never have been a JT ally or fellow traveler (old fashioned phrasing, no?) but I have great sympathy for folks who are trying to do the "right" thing, even when I disagree on whether or not it is "right" [different use of the word, "right," right?]. I have absolutely no sympathy for or tolerance of those who are so stupid [the current lot] as to be drinking their own bath water in public and I long for the day that these idiots are replaced. Replaced by the next series of idiots? Time will tell, but above all, if the next series of idiots can keep their egos in check then they may manage to stumble along reasonably well, unlike the current series of idiots who keep tripping on their shoe laces.

Now, some commentary on the Alberta (my province) election. To the surprise of no one in my family I will cast a vote for Danielle Smith. I acknowledge her (how shall I pleasantly put it?), ah, foibles but, in all honestly, I absolutely despise the NDP and Rachel Notley.

Why do I despise Notley, you ask? Well, I recall the 2015 election and not once, not whatsoever, did she mention bringing in a carbon tax. Then with a surprise majority, whatever did she do? Bring in a carbon tax, of course. Immediately after the election. There is no way that I believe that that was anything other than her having a hidden agenda. [A famous allegation of the Liberals and NDP against the Conservatives both federally and provincially.] I do not pass judgement on the merits or otherwise of the carbon tax but simply that she hid a massive tax increase. I believe that that is a large part of the reason that the UCP are currently promising legislation to prohibit tax increases without a referendum. A pretty dumb policy in my opinion but, you know, action then reaction.

Further, Notley is not running on her record while premier. It has been said that Alberta lost well over one hundred thousand jobs and people during Notley's term and, from my recollection, that was pretty much the case. Her supporters point to the price of oil crashing, etc. but they do not explain how Texas (another oil dependent jurisdiction) had it's population grow during that period, somewhere on the order of 500,000 people I have read.

So, come what may, I will vote for UCP and Danielle, complete with her foibles, rather than for the one that I despise.

Sorry for my long rant but, again, thank you for your work and, in particular, your end of week video.

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I'll second the shout out to Max Miller's "Tasting History" YouTube channel. Highly recommended!

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May 23, 2023·edited May 23, 2023

Oh, Lord. Please, please help us revisit our "1979 minority moment" in Parliament...

You know, the "Oops, how many votes were we supposed to have to ensure that we won this confidence motion...?" moment.

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founding

I don’t get it.

This morning in Ottawa, one of the year’s most eagerly-anticipated (and therefore newsworthy) official decisions ( a YES or NO kind of thing) was announced … as scheduled.

It was … A Very Big Deal.

So, what did CBC Alberta schedule for today for its popular province-wide noon-hour call-in radio show, "Alberta at Noon"?

🥱😴 “The Importance of Getting a Good Night’s Sleep” 😴😴🤗

That just doesn’t make sense. The Ottawa decision … whatever it was … was bound to cause a national uproar.

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If you enjoy “Tasting History”, you might also like “Townsends”.

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founding

The Big Day!

What Canada obviously needs is an "assault style" inquiry ... capable of revealing the maximum number of compromised Liberals in the least amount of time ...

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founding

Re: "we do not understand math or statistics and do not care to." I commend to your attention the fantastic book 'Thinking Fast and Slow' by Nobel Prize recipient Daniel Kahneman. This book uses straightforward statistical analysis to explain a range of decision biases which cause people to behave in otherwise irrational ways. These include recency bias, confirmation bias, loss avoidance, reversion to the mean and many others. This isn't "high math", but is very helpful in understanding the strange behaviour of humans. Cheers!

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Trudeau is just playing to his base. He knows his base insists that Canada indeed is a critical player in the world, one that is a "moral power." Of course new immigrants and Albertans laugh at this Laurentian Elite notion, but Trudeau knows that this is important for many Canadians, especially for those in his coalition who could move over to the NDP. Remember, nationalism in Canada comes from the left.

Trudeau needs the Central Canadian arts and letters crowd on board. They communicate a version of Canada that is complementary to the Liberal Party, and so much of his base needs that validation. Why else spend so much political capital on C11, C18 and projecting values during international meetings?

After all, if Canada wasn't a "moral power" in the NY Times sense, then what is the point of Canada? Government monopoly health care (mediocre) and hockey (no Stanley Cup) aren't enough anymore.

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founding

saying the Globe’s facts are incorrect. '

Was there supposed to be a footnote or is that simply a typo?

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May 23, 2023·edited May 23, 2023

The Special Rapporteur is recommending against a public inquiry...but at least the PM stands up for existing LGBTQ rights

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