Nice! By the way I wasn’t trying to win some dick measuring contest, when I say I’m going to meet him it’s more like I’m volunteering for the election and I’ll get maybe a few minutes at most in. I appreciate your activism, you fucking rock.
But housing has been my #1 issue and only recently dropped to #2 thanks to our need to defend our country and economy. However using BC lumber to build Canadian homes and apartment buildings instead of shipping it down south ties into that at least tangentially.
I have written my MP about this multiple times, signed a counter-petition against a movement to block a high rise in my building, and promoted the development with my neighbours. I’m also meeting my MP tomorrow and I won’t shut up about this, I promise.
And if they don’t move the needle I’m gonna vote the bastards out and support the next ones instead. I don’t care if it drops my house value — because my kids deserve to be able to afford to live.
You're correct that no one says that, but that seems to be what's been happening. So I want the focus to be on the things that are going to deliver the actual results.
But maybe also I can get my head out of my own ass and not derail your enthusiasm for helping things in the here and now. So yeah, I'm with you. But let's make those things a comma. I want my leaders at the federal, provincial, and municipal level to start moving the needle today, and stay focused in the months and years to come and ensure that the steps they are taking are the ones that are making meaningful improvements.
Let’s imagine a world where an unapologetic socialist NDP leader stood up and said: “the market has failed to deliver homes at a price the median Canadian family can affords. So our govt will build homes across the country, employing Canadians and using Canadian products. These will not be luxury condos for the rich, but they will be functional and good, and will be made the wood and materials we used to send to America at a discount. And we will close the gap in 5 years, and deliver public monthly status reports on what we have accomplished.”
After the election, assuming Singh steps down, can we all agree to get someone who says something like that? Pretty please? Because I already got my wish with a perfect candidate to match my way of thinking, and I want you to be waiting in the wings if our way fails yet again.
I’m 100% on board with solutions to help mitigate the short-term effects if we also start building now for the medium and longer terms.
The reason I was being prickly on this is that my home city and province (Vancouver) has been doing these feel-good things for years as a politically expedient distraction and excuse to not prioritize building.
So it scares me when people suggest these as the solution —and I’ll include Carneys announcement in with that same bucket. If folks suggest these as a stop-gap relief to the current situation and are also gonna build our way out? Alright I’m on board with that.
Many of these things you’ve suggested have been tried in various parts of Canada, and while they feel good they haven’t been effective at lowering prices.
We need to build more homes. That’s it. That’s the thing we need to do. Build homes at a faster rate than we add potential new homeowners. Block nimby laws that prevent density and keep building until the prices go down.
Like markets? Enable the market to build em. Socialist? Have the government build em. Someone’s got to. If you want to focus on Airbnb and other feel good stuff fine I won’t stand in your way if we also just build more goddamn homes.
If this happens as per the polls, can my dear friends in the NDP please convince Charlie Angus to run one final leadership campaign? Specifically the not-holding-back version we have right now? I’m no pollster but the mood in this country feels absolutely ripe for that were a leadership campaign to happen now.
What is ironic about that? It affects them too. They are among the best-funded sources of journalism and have been pretty consistent in standing up to report on the consequences of the actions that Americans have taken.
I don’t know that we have an accurate perspective on what the actual reasons were. Perhaps she’s telling the truth, perhaps she’s selecting truths that paint her actions in the best light.
But to me it doesn’t matter. She had a somewhat reasonable expectation of special treatment because we had been given special treatment before. We are surprised because it is new, this is why it’s being published as news.
The specifics of her mistake don’t matter because we all make mistakes.
So if I make a mistake I will be treated like I’d expect them to treat the mistake made by a Muslim person or a Haitian. And that isn’t a risk I’d willingly take, because I do make mistakes sometimes.
The shift from being part of the “safe” group to the vulnerable group took a lot of Canadians by surprise, including me.
And indeed, many in the American left still doesn’t see this in that way. Because the barrel isn’t yet pointed at them. Which implies that many of us — maybe including me — wouldn’t either if the focus was solely on Mexico and central/south America and China.
Reminder that Americans and their defenders in the CPC will tell you that she did something wrong, and why should she expect special treatment?
And indeed yes, the biggest difference now is that the horrid treatment that minorities have long face is applied to Canadians now. Even conventionally attractive white Canadians.
We liked the special treatment, but the regular treatment was never okay. We should have rejected the special treatment then but we were cowards and getting special treatment felt nice. You can save a few bucks on cheese, after all. The weather was nice.
Because anyone can make a mistake. Marooney did, but I make mistakes sometimes and you could too.
Don’t let this happen to you, do not choose to enter the United States.
They aren’t wrong to be concerned, this absolutely will wreak havoc on their business.
But also we cannot expect that their business in the US was poised to survive regardless. Theirs is the business the Americans are most specifically looking to move to their domestic manufacturing. Bombardier is fucked but they were fucked on November of last year.
So the question is not if we can keep their US contracts up, but what else they can be making with their facilities and workers. Crisis and change can be hard but it can be opportunity too.
Seize the reigns, Bombardier. You’ve got a good seat at the table and can contribute positively towards how we reshape our country’s industry and defence.
This work can and should and will continue, but it doesn’t need to be a cabinet level position right now.
We have our backs against the wall, and in my opinion we need to laser-focus on our absolute priorities right now.
Should we retreat from the progress made? Fuck no. Should we stop working on this? Also no.
But there is so much urgent work that needs to be done to completely retool and rework our economy and industry and national defence. We need our leaders to have focus to ensure that the steps we are taking are done with urgency and that the changes we implement are having the effects we want, and that side effects are mitigated.
So for today, for right now, I support this move. 100%
Not directed at you, OP — but unwanted “annexation” is invasion and we should use the real words even if they frighten us.