#exln42

[fuckyeahrevresbo]

Thank God, Canada!

Congratulations on a Liberal majority government! And a good (if long) speech from Justin Trudeau.

[zaayum-zaddy]

Them: Vote for whoever you feel best represents YOU. If that's the conservatives, you shouldn't be ashamed of it!

Me: okay... that sounds fake, but okay

[slytherin-in-mapplesyrup]

Canada right now  is like «please not Slytherin. Anything but Slytherin.»

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Harper’s economic record has been horrible. Even with rising resource prices — which, though ecologically disastrous, helped Canada avoid the severe economic contraction that hit many advanced capitalist countries — Harper’s economic performance has been worse than any Canadian prime minister since World War II. It was only after his Conservative minority government was nearly toppled that he introduced stimulus spending to deal with the Great Recession. And while many federal governments have had poor relations with First Nations, Harper’s actions — gutting environmental protections, trying to reform land title on First Nations reserves, proposing contentious First Nations education reform, and dismissing repeated calls for an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women — have been particularly egregious, sparking a significant amount of new First Nations activism. The government’s approach to First Nations’ issues was encapsulated in Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt’s refusal during the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools in Canada to stand and applaud after a call for such an inquiry for indigenous women. There is now an unprecedented movement to encourage First Nations to vote to sack Harper.

Ending Harperism

[sadharper]

:(((( I have hit a new low :((((( (via The master of hate politics hits a new low | Toronto Star)

[topaz-eyes]

Meet 'evil genius' Lynton Crosby.

We have to look beyond the short-term here, past the divisiveness and the distractions. Harper is legitimately scared this election. He's gambling, and he's all in. But we can't allow Crosby's tactics to work, or we'll all lose.

[timellis]

A Moral Imperative

Politics can get dirty. It comes with the territory - the confluence of power, passion, and personality is a fraught terrain. But there is more to it than power. There is also principle. And there comes a time when you have to draw a line and take a stand. C-51 was a great example of this. The Conservatives brought C-51 into play as a political ploy, banking on its popularity. The Liberals caved, the NDP stood firm and fought back. With time, energy, and determination, we made a difference, we educated people, and we won that debate.  The Conservatives tried again. Acting under the influence of their new advisor, the Conservatives shifted from barely-veiled bigotry to out-and-out racism. They banked on stoking the fears of a population and inflaming racial tension as a way to pull support from the left by turning us against each other. For a time, it appeared to work. So be it. No matter what impact it has on our electoral chances, no matter how much political gain could be had by passing on the debate or quickly sweeping it under the carpet, we as a party and we as a people have a moral imperative to take a firm stand against the Conservative position. The time for partisan sniping is over. This is no longer political sparring; this is an attempt to reshape the nature of the political landscape using hate and fear. The latest proposal from the Conservatives is simply, to quote this outstanding piece, beyond the pale. What is the intent of a “tip line” for reporting “barbaric cultural practices”? Who decides what qualifies? Who staffs such a line? What is done in response?  There is no way of interpreting this that doesn’t tear at the fundamental fabric of Canadian society. There is no way of spinning this as political sniping or cultural baggage. This is an attack on who we are. And we will not stand for it. Maybe the Conservatives are right in thinking that they can trigger fear and hate and anger in the population at large. But I believe differently. To paraphrase the quintessentially Canadian Jack Layton, we live in a country where love is stronger than anger, hope is stronger than fear, and optimism is stronger than despair. Mr. Harper has bet on fear. We’ll take that bet, because we are not afraid.