Saturday, November 30, 2024

Follow-up on The Meat Loaf Summit


The Toronto Star had the skinny on the Meat Loaf Summit: 
Tonda MacCharles / The Toronto Star 
Inside Justin Trudeau’s surprise dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida 
Trudeau and LeBlanc discussed trade and the border over dinner with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago resort. 
... At the end of the surprise summit, there was no indication that Trump would drop his threat to impose a massive 25-per cent surcharge on Canadian products, announced by Trump on social media Monday — a threat that, if executed, would have a devastating impact on Canadian energy, auto and manufacturing exports. 
Still, the meeting between Trump, Trudeau and several of the future president’s advisers and their wives lasted more than three hours, and was described by a senior Canadian official as a positive, wide-ranging discussion. 
 ....The face-to-face meeting came at Trudeau’s suggestion, said the Canadian source with knowledge of their communications. 
They discussed trade, border security, fentanyl, defence matters including NATO, Ukraine, and icebreakers (Canada, the U.S. and Finland recently agreed to a trilateral pact to rebuild their icebreaking fleets). The leaders and their teams also discussed China, energy issues and pipelines, including those that feed Canadian oil and gas into the U.S. like Keystone XL, Line 5, as well as the Trans-Mountain project and Canada’s liquid natural gas export capacity, the official said, speaking on a background-only basis to disclose some details of the private meeting. 
The two leaders also discussed next year’s G7 meeting that Trudeau will host in Kananaskis, Alta. It will be held seven years after Trump left the 2018 G7 at Charlevoix, Que., only to erupt in anger later after Trudeau said Canada would stand up and fight American steel and aluminum tariffs. 
That outburst led many to believe Trump retained a dislike of Trudeau, however the two leaders managed a working relationship after that and have had friendly conversations since Trump’s re-election, according to two Canadian sources. 
Friday night’s summit, undisclosed to media in advance, was seen as a chance to kick-start the relationship anew, and to connect with some of Trump’s advisers who will be players in his second term. 
 The menu included a dish called “Mary Trump’s Meat Loaf,” as well as a fava bean falafel appetizer, pan seared trout with braised baby artichokes or a kimchi fried rice Asian bowl as a vegan option, said officials. 
 The presence of LeBlanc, the minister responsible for border security, was aimed at countering Trump’s claim in his online statement that “thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before.” He said if Canada and Mexico didn’t act, he would exact a “very big price” on their economies. 
 LeBlanc has said that the Trudeau government is prepared to beef up border security, with more money for technology, drones and more Mounties and border guards on the 49th parallel. 
 LeBlanc, who ordered the Mary Trump meat loaf dish Friday, is also a hail-fellow-well-met political actor who is trusted by Trudeau, and gets along well with his ideological opposites, like Ontario Premier Doug Ford. 
 ...Canada’s ambassador to Washington Kirsten Hillman and Trudeau’s deputy chief of staff Brian Clow were also at the Mar-a-Lago dinner, having travelled ahead to Florida to accompany the Canadian delegation. 
 Earlier Friday, without tipping his hand, Trudeau said in Prince Edward Island that what is “important to understand is that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it. 
 “Our responsibility is to point out that in this way, he would actually not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, he would actually be raising prices for American citizens as well, and hurting American industry and businesses.” Trudeau added, “ultimately, it is through lots of constructive, real conversations with President Trump that I’m going to have that will keep us moving forward on the right track for all Canadians.” 
 ...“I’m surprised and impressed,” said Flavio Volpe, head of Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, that the Canadian leader was meeting with the president-elect, adding that kind of personal facetime with the former and future president is invaluable for Trudeau, and for Canada in the months ahead. 
 “The PM is demonstrating the humility that’s required (by) going to the source. Also the prime minister is demonstrating to the contrary of all the predictions (the idea) that Donald Trump wouldn’t want to work with him is untrue.” Volpe said “nothing final” may come of the meeting, however he said the federal government may get a sense of what the next steps could be. 
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Friday, November 29, 2024

Today's news: Talking turkey about tariffs


Tonight, Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago to have dinner with Trump and talk turkey about tariffs. 
Now, Trump is a vain, stupid man and Trudeau is a progressive, a scholar and a gentleman, but both have great charm and both can use it ruthlessly whenever they need to. 
New York magazine's Yashar Ali posts the photo above and writes:
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau dines with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago. 
I also see Senator-elect Dave McCormick and his wife, Dina Powell, who served in senior roles in the Trump and Bush administrations and was a managing partner at Goldman Sachs. 
North Dakota Governor and Interior Secretary-designate Doug Burgum and North Dakota’s First Lady, Kathryn Burgum. 
Commerce Secretary-designate Howard Lutnick and his wife, Allison. 
Incoming National Security Advisor and current Congressman Mike Waltz and his wife, Julia Nesheiwat, who served as Homeland Security Advisor to President Trump in the first administration and, prior to that, served in the Trump and Obama administrations as U.S. Deputy Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. 
And that looks like Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc and Prime Minister Trudeau’s Chief of Staff, Katie Telford. 
Obviously, seeing who was attending, this dinner was not just a spur-of-the-moment spasm, but a well-organized event reflecting thoughtful consultation on both sides.
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Thursday, November 28, 2024

Today in The Stupid: Canada v. Trump

Canada got to see its premiers in action yesterday, facing the first of the many existential crises that will define the Trump Administration, and it wasn't a pretty sight. 

Dale Smith / Routine Proceedings
Roundup: The virtual meeting with the premiers over Trump
...Jagmeet Singh is panicking and demanding performative forcefulness, while Pierre Poilievre is trying to leverage the moment for his own political ends, claiming that the solution is to do everything he says (conveniently!). Premiers have been all over the map, going from caution to outright boot-licking (looking at you, Danielle Smith), and this was one of the messages that emerged from that meeting. I also find it particularly crass the number of premiers who set up American flags for their backdrops before their media availabilities before and after the meeting. Seriously, guys?
Chrystia Freeland met with reporters and spoke about the need for a united front and not to be seen to be squabbling with one another, but premiers with their own agendas haven’t really seemed to warm to that necessity, because they’d rather score points against the current government with boneheaded accusations that they were “blindsided” by the threats, and that they don’t have a plan. (They’ve had a plan for over a year, guys. You might want to actually pay attention). And after the meeting, most of the premiers made their own individual points about how they want so many more resources poured into their province (such as more RCMP members that don’t exist because they can’t recruit and train them fast enough, or retain them in the toxic culture of the Force), but Smith remains particularly stubborn in trying to leverage this into foregoing the emissions cap and trying to say that Trudeau shouldn’t be leading the effort to defend Canada (again, to her benefit).
... Trudeau has talked about strengthening border measures, which has been an ongoing process, particularly since the amendment of the Safe Third Country Agreement, so maybe that too [as with Mexico] will be enough to get Trump to declare victory? I guess we shall see, but in the meantime, we’ll see how many premiers can keep their cool.
Well, here they are, bowing and scraping:

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God…” 🇺🇸🫡

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— Luke LeBrun (@lukelebrun.ca) November 27, 2024 at 9:55 PM
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Greatest line in television history

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly"
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Tuesday, November 26, 2024

America's attention-junkie shoots himself in the foot


President-elect Donald Trump on Monday promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China starting on the first day of his administration, a policy that could sharply increase costs for American businesses and consumers. 
The move, Trump said, will be in retaliation for illegal immigration and “crime and drugs” coming across the border.... 
"Measures proposed this evening could hit a number of strategic US industrial sectors hard, add approximately $272 billion a year to tax burdens, raise goods prices, lift interest rates, and sap strength in an already-vulnerable household sector,” said Karl Schamotta, chief market strategist at Corpay Cross-Border Solutions. 
 After the announcement, the Canadian dollar fell 1.2% against the US dollar, and the Mexican peso fell 2% against the dollar. China’s yuan, though controlled by the government, traded higher – above 7.6% – in offshore markets. 
 Although investors believed the tariffs could ultimately strengthen the dollar, America’s financial markets took a hit, too. 
The extraordinary tariffs would raise costs dramatically for Americans for everyday goods that had previously come over the border without any import taxes. 
That stunning shift could stymie economic growth, especially if inflation-weary consumers spend less in the face of higher costs. 
US stock futures, which were higher before Trump’s announcement, fell somewhat – Dow futures were down 160 points, or 0.3%. Nasdaq futures were 0.4% lower, and the broader S&P 500 was also down 0.4%. US Treasury bond prices fell. 

I really never realized the solution to all our problems was a trade war with Canada.

— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) November 25, 2024 at 9:44 PM
Personally, I think Trump just wanted to draw attention to himself yesterday because Biden is about to succeed in brokering a peace deal between Israel and Lebanon, and Attention Must Be Paid Only To The Orange One!

It’s a mistake to ask this question because it assumes Trump’s rationality. He wants to do this because it makes him feel powerful. He doesn’t care if the effects are good or bad. Indeed, the more destruction he causes, or the more people fear destruction he may cause, the more powerful he feels.

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— George Conway (@gtconway.bsky.social) November 26, 2024 at 7:04 AM
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Monday, November 25, 2024

It's always something. If it's not one thing, it's another.


So how come Canada is hosting nine Taylor Swift concerts?  
Because when Trudeau invites you, you come:
So Swift set up multiple concerts in Toronto and Vancouver!
But of course Trudeau can't ever be given any credit for doing anything as remarkable as this. 
So cue the hysterical shitposting about Trudeau going with his family to one of the Taylor Swift concerts on the same night there was an anti-NATO protest riot happening in Montreal: 
Because you know these Poilievre Conservatives -- they're the Roseanne Roseannadanna of Canada - It's always something, if it's not one thing its another.
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Saturday, November 23, 2024

Funny stuff and animal crackers


This was the very first strip in Calvin and Hobbes, on Nov. 18, 1985 - all in all, I think Calvin and Hobbes was the world's best comic strip. 

Moving on, some comments about the current scene:

I never wanted to live in interesting times.

— Molly Jong-Fast (@mollyjongfast.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 8:35 PM

Many people think that as you get older, you care less about politics. But it’s not true. You start thinking a lot more about the kind of world you want to leave behind. You want it to be better than the one you were born into. We all have a personal legacy in mind. Mine is to outlive Trumpism.

— George Takei (@georgetakei.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 10:51 AM
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Friday, November 22, 2024

Ain't he having some fun now!


Thanks, Justin!
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday a suite of new measures meant to alleviate some of the affordability pressures people have been experiencing in the post-COVID era — including a two-month GST holiday on some goods and services.
The Liberal government will also send $250 cheques to the 18.7 million people in Canada who worked in 2023 and earned $150,000 or less.
Those cheques, which the government is calling the "Working Canadians Rebate," will arrive sometime in "early spring 2025," Trudeau said.
The GST/HST holiday will start on Dec. 14 and run through Feb. 15, 2025.
People will be able to buy the following goods GST-free:
-Prepared foods, including vegetable trays, pre-made meals and salads, and sandwiches.
-Restaurant meals, whether dine-in, takeout or delivery.
-Snacks, including chips, candy and granola bars.
-Beer, wine, cider and pre-mixed alcoholic beverages below 7 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV).
-Children's clothing and footwear, car seats and diapers.
-Children's toys, such as board games, dolls and video game consoles.
-Books, print newspapers and puzzles for all ages.
-Christmas trees.
With these exemptions, all food in Canada will be essentially tax-free.
"For two months, Canadians are going to get a real break on everything they do," Trudeau said at a media event in Newmarket, Ont.
"Our government can't set prices at the checkout but we can put more money in peoples' pockets. That's going to give people the relief they need. People are squeezed and we're there to help."
Here's the "serious" explanation: And here's something worth noting: And here's a good interview:

A good interview that clarifies Canada's carbon tax. www.cp24.com/video/2024/1... #climatechange #trudeau #carbontax

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— Al Czarnecki (@alczarnecki.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 11:05 PM
And here's the "funny" explanation:
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Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Today's News: Calling out Dear Leader


CBC calls out the Conservatives version of "freedom":

Christian Noel / CBC
Poilievre's office maintains tight control over what Conservative MPs say and do
Party staffers monitor caucus for signs of message indiscipline and fraternization with other MPs
After two years of Pierre Poilievre as their leader, many Conservative MPs say they are much less free now than they were before his arrival.
The man who promised during his leadership run to make Canada "the freest country in the world" maintains tight control over the actions of his caucus members.
Normally loquacious Conservatives close up like oysters and dare not speak without their leader's approval. MPs are watched by Conservative staffers both inside and outside Parliament. Elected representatives are publicly called to order for deviating from the party line.
Conservative MPs' words and actions are closely scrutinized by the leader's office. Partisanship is encouraged. Fraternizing with elected officials from other parties is a no-no.
Those who follow these rules are rewarded. Those who don't often have to suffer consequences.
"There are always multiple people in the penalty box, there is always someone in trouble," one caucus member said.
"You don't need to be told what to do. You watch the leader and understand what's expected from you," one Conservative source said.
The further you get into this article, the creepier it gets:
"You are celebrated in front of the entire caucus for being a good cheerleader. And you get more speaking time in the House and during question period."
Those who refuse to parrot the lines lose their speaking time, another source added.
It's radio silence at the entrance to Conservative caucus meetings these days. Every Wednesday morning, journalists throw questions at the arriving MPs. Almost all of them pass without answering; some avoid making eye contact with journalists.
... Conservative Party staffers keep a close eye on MPs' activities — who's talking to reporters, who's deviating from the party line, who's fraternizing with MPs from other parties. Journalists have spotted party staffers taking notes and sources say these activities are reported to the leader's office.
"Everybody is being watched. What we say, what we do, who we talk to. We're told not to fraternize with MPs from the other parties. And that's not normal," a Conservative source said.
...Conservative staffers monitor MPs' interactions not only in the Commons chamber but also in the corridors of Parliament and at social events such as the Press Gallery dinner and the Speaker's garden party.
Poilievre's press attaché was even spotted jotting down the names of Conservative MPs attending the Press Gallery dinner this spring. It's an event that Poilievre — who has strained relations with the Parliamentary Press Gallery — and most of his MPs have avoided for the past two years.
"We don't get told not to go, but we can see that the leader doesn't go, so we do the same. Otherwise, it would be frowned upon," said one Conservative source.
...Poilievre imposes iron discipline on himself. He works hard. He works late.
"We've been telling him for months that he needs to take a vacation, but he just won't listen," one source said.
"He's the one who decides everything. His main adviser is himself … The people around him are only there to realize the leader's vision."
..."There's a very small circle around the leader. There's a lack of variety of opinion. That's our biggest challenge," said a Conservative source.
It will be Canada's challenge too, if Poilievre ever becomes PM. 
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Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Today's Roundup: Trudeau, Stoehr, Fallows, Sullivan, Wellman, plus a few tweets/posts



Following up from my post last week, I have been seeing more commentary lately which discuss misinformation and disinformation as the main problem that progressives now have in getting their messages out to the public. Several of the items I found for this Roundup talk about this issue too.
But first, Canadians need to see much more of this, please:

Why Canada is changing its immigration system! PM Trudeau released a nearly seven-minute video on YouTube Sunday talking about the recent reduction in permanent residents being admitted to Canada and changes to the temporary foreign worker program. youtube.com/watch?v=vOB7...

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— JaroGiesbrecht (@jarogiesbrecht.bsky.social) November 17, 2024 at 4:31 PM
Shorter:
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Sunday, November 17, 2024

Today's News: Does Poilievre think he can bring a knife to a gun fight?


So Poilievre thinks bluster and combativeness will intimidate Trump? 
Or is he just trying to impress Canadians by boasting about what a great fighter he would be for the Canadian economy - you know, the economy he has been calling a disaster for the last year.
But his threat to "fight fire with fire" is a hollow one, it isn't going to impress Americans much -- it will, in fact, likely end up making it harder on Canadian industries trying to survive the Trump Apocalypse. 
I suspect Ford has already been on the phone to PP to tell him to stop.

"Poilievre said he'd end those duties but wouldn’t say how." The usual crap from PP - make promises but never explain how. The man who runs away from reporters asking tough questions now vows to stand up to Trump & “fight fire with fire”. Anybody buying that? globalnews.ca/news/1087240...

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— CdnJean (@cdnjean.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 8:39 PM
Trudeau and the federal Liberals are already fighting hard for Canada -- not with bombast but with strategy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says talks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru have been dominated by worries about how to navigate Donald Trump's return to the White House...
Trudeau is one of few world leaders who was also in power during Trump's first administration, and he says his message to his colleagues is to emphasize the "win-wins" of trade deals....
Trudeau also says Trump asked him specifically about Canada's approach to trading with China when the pair spoke last week, and says he highlighted new tariffs on Chinese goods.
And when Trudeau phoned his congratulations to Trump, he kept the tone warm and friendly, not combative:
Trudeau told Trump how his father had been defeated in an election before winning one shortly after — an anecdote to which Trump responded positively.
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Saturday, November 16, 2024

Happening Now: a Liberal turn-around?


As Canada hunkers down to survive another Canadian winter, we may be starting to see some signs of a turn-around in Liberal fortunes. Liberals are trending a little higher in the polls:

(Support me by subscribing/donating) Federal Polling: CPC: 39% (+5) LPC: 29% (-5) NDP: 17% (-1) BQ: 7% (-1) GPC: 5% (+3) PPC: 3% (-2) Others: 2% EKOS / Nov 11, 2024 / n=1241 / MOE 2.8% / IVR (% Change With 2021 Federal Election) Check federal details on @338canada.bsky.social at: 338canada.com

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— Polling Canada (@canadianpolling.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 3:27 PM
Trudeau is able to remind Canadians now what a good job his government did in dealing with Trump 2016-2020, and would do again:

When I was researching my book on Trudeau, I was impressed by how broad the coalition was that helped Trudeau maintain our trade relationship with during Trump 1.0. 1/x

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— Stephen Maher (@stephenmaher.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 8:14 AM
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Friday, November 15, 2024

Canada v. Trump: The "Revenge Tour" begins


Well, that didn't last long, did it? 
As much as I truly want to deny Trump any space in my head or in this blog, its just not going to be possible. 
I'm calling this presidency "Trump 2: The Revenge Tour" as his Cabinet appointments bring his priorities into focus, pointing toward some of the problems Canada will need to face during Trump's presidency: 
- how will we help thousands (or tens of thousands) of refugees escaping Trump's concentration camps? 
- how will we defend our resources of water, oil, and minerals from Trump's greedy grasp? 
- how will we support our industries to survive Trump's tariffs? 
- how can we avoid being sucked into Trump's wars? 

The CBC's weekly At Issue panel discussion last night discussed Trump. Naturally, Rosemary Barton trotted out the "well, we survived 2016 to 2020, didn't we" and Chantal Hebert shut that down right quick - she said there will not be any comparison between the path Canada was able to take in 2016 to slide through the first Trump administration, and the existential threat to the nation that we now will face with the second Trump administration. Specifically, the panel talked about the likely refugee crisis at the US border, but they didn't have any idea how Canada could or should handle it, except to agree that the "safe third country agreement" is now ludicrous. 

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Thursday, November 14, 2024

Today's News: Learning from the American nightmare


If we are going to save liberalism in Canada -- the federal Liberals and maybe even Justin Trudeau also -- then we have to reach Canadians and tell them the story of what Liberalism is. 
The more we learn about what went wrong with the Harris campaign, the more people are realizing that the Democrats have abysmal communications -- yes, Harris is a black woman, a disadvantage hard to overcome in a racist and misogynistic society - but mainly the Democratic brain-trust running her campaign didn't seem to realize that too many Americans had heard four solid years of lies about awful Democrats and Biden-bashing from their media sources, and a few enthusiastic rallys on television were not going to reverse that perception.

Kamala Harris didn't campaign on pronouns or white privilege or defunding the police. So why does it feel like she did?

— DougJBalloon (@nytpitchbot.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 9:19 AM
 
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Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Today's News: Canadafornia, and other ways to survive the Trumpocalypse


As we watch the United States take a right turn and go sailing off the Trump cliff, I have been looking for articles and tweet threads that give advice on what for God's sake we can do about it. 
Here's the initial batch that I found: 

First of all, there might be something to this plan:

I could live there if Mr. Trudeau would rescue us.

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— segsig.bsky.social (@segsig.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 9:59 PM
And here are some other, mostly serious, ideas for surviving Trump.
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