The Maple Leaf Lounge

[Owain Taggart]

It’s kind of telling how deeply, truly unpopular Poilievre is amongst left-leaning and centrist people… and yet I’ve never seen, nor heard of, a “F*CK POILIEVRE” flag. Kind of shows you where the level of discourse is on one side.

Yeah, funny how that goes, right? I almost made a comment along those lines, and you're right. You really don't see left-leaning people do that kind of thing. It always seems to be the right-leaning who are violently suggestive. And honestly, it's tiring to see and it looks rather trashy.

 

[Timewalker]

Which doesn't mean the sentiment doesn't exist. I'd feed the lot of them to a black hole with not a nanosecond's regret, but the black hole would spit them back out in disgust.

You know the saying, "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy"? Right now Danielle Smith is my worst enemy. She doesn't know me from anyone else, but she is trying to make my life hell, and if I end up homeless and die of hypothermia heatstroke, starvation, or diabetes because of inadequate care for my diabetes (you need a working fridge to store insulin), she won't care. She won't feel one moment's regret BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T FEEL ANYTHING.

So yeah, every disability-related thing I'm going through? I wish it on her. I wish her to experience the headaches, the nausea, the dizziness, the realization that there's a drug that works that she's not covered for and can't afford to buy and the doctor keeps pushing the one med that does NOT work and causes even more problems and is useless. I wish her to experience the pain of not being able to walk, the fear of losing eyesight to cataracts, begging the specialist for surgery sooner than 6 months because you know you'll be blind by then and unable to care for your diabetes because of having to read labels.

And that doesn't even begin to touch on the other normal parts of life. It's insane how many "favors" the diabetes gave me: Early access to cataract operations - 2 months instead of 6, and I already had home care, so I had extra home care during pre and post op. This last fall when Smith decided to charge everyone $100 for a covid shot? AISH people and others who were diabetics were exempt. But then I found out that some non-diabetics were claiming to be diabetic to get the shot for free. Which would have been understood if they were low-income. But people making 6 figures, just doing it to 'save a few bucks'? People like that make me angry. It's not that they should have paid. Nobody should have had to. But it's the LYING, the PRETENDING.

So the phrase "* Poilievre" does get used in a couple of Alberta groups I'm in. I don't report it because I feel exactly the same (though I don't post that phrase as FB occasionally flags and removes such comments). People say that in some of the YT comments on the channels I follow. Again, I don't report them. If it slides into hate speech, then yeah. But saying how much you despise this useless waste of atoms doesn't meet the official definition.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Oh, I'm not denying it exists. It's just that those who spout their rhetoric against Carney, and formerly against Trudeau are so openly vocal and with the loudest voice. Sort of a rebel yell, if you will, and it gets to the point that it's almost comical how much they're willing to let the world know how they feel.

 

[Marc]

And the Notwithstanding Clause was intended to be for extraordinary cases, not invoked as a matter of course whenever you wanted to create a law that makes life more difficult for minority groups you don’t like.

then to take it one step further, danielle smith shows she needs a good civics course after complaining that it shouldn't be up to the courts to decide on the constitutionality of the matters.

 

[Set Harth]

wow

 

[Ovation]

then to take it one step further, danielle smith shows she needs a good civics course after complaining that it shouldn't be up to the courts to decide on the constitutionality of the matters.

I think she understands it just fine. She just doesn’t want to be constrained by such frivolous things as “constitutionality”. Hmm. Seems like there’s someplace else where that’s going on…Mon oncle François comes to mind. And then there’s some loudmouth on TV with bad hair and makeup who wants take this idea globally—can’t quite remember his name…

 

[Ovation]

Another CPC MP crossed the aisle. Only need one more to keep Poilievre at bay for a few years. Two would be more comfortable. But I’ll take one.

 

[DEWLine]

In the very situation that Pierre Trudeau feared would come to pass, yes. In AB and SK, as well as QC, and Ford keeps threatening ON with the same.

 

[Timewalker]

Smith was giggling and smirking about how the MLAs get to make all the laws - any laws they want and it's not the courts' place to have an opinion on them.

At this point, it's not just Smith I want out, it's the useless Lieutenant Governor. SHE is the last resort we have, to withhold Royal Assent from unconstitutional bills. She's done nothing but sit on her backside this whole time, saying and doing nothing but what Smith tells her.

And now Charlie Angus is talking about a 300,000-member "citizens' army."

 

[Ovation]

Ideal outcome is to have about 3 Conservatives cross the floor AFTER Uncle Pierre is confirmed as leader. The CPC will be stuck with a weakened leader (who won’t go away quietly or quickly), thereby forestalling a more competent replacement. No unstable minority political manoeuvring until the dumpster fire in the basement is gone. An opportunity to put policies in place long enough to judge their effectiveness. And a counterweight to the Smiths, Moes, and others of a similar stripe.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t support a majority emerging from floor crossings rather than elections but I view it as I do California’s recent temporary rule change on redistricting to counter the blatant Texas move at the behest of Trump—sometimes (one hopes as rarely as possible) the ends are justified by the means. We simply cannot have an Uncle Pierre government. It’s that simple.

 

[Timewalker]

There's a lot of fear in Alberta that Carney has just written us off, even though Smith is doing all kinds of unconstitutional things to the LGBT people, the AISH people, and recently announced that governments "change laws all the time" and she wants the courts to just shut up and go away, like it's none of their business. She said this with an obnoxious smirk on her face.

 

[Ovation]

I’m certainly not an expert on Albertan politics but I believe Carney’s “memo” is primarily designed to buy some time and at least symbolically acknowledge some of the things many Albertan governments, if not necessarily the overwhelming majority of the people, have complained about regarding energy policy (my admittedly brief look at the “memo” suggests it is far less accommodating of Smith’s goals than it first appears).

As for the broader issues of dealing with Alberta more generally, it’s probably a bit touchy with a minority government and Carney, as well as the Albertans unhappy with Smith, would be in a stronger position if a few more CPC members defect. Ultimately, it seems like a choice between a Smith-like government nation wide with Uncle Pierre or the not entirely satisfying, but not Uncle Pierre, Carney government—in such circumstances, I’ll take Carney.

 

[Timewalker]

Don't mistake me for any sort of C/conservative. I voted Green in the federal election because neither the Liberal nor NDP candidates in my riding bothered to make any information available about themselves, not even a basic FB page. The Green candidate was a local guy who later ran in for City Council in the municipal election in October (came in the top 10, but not quite high enough to get elected).

Smith is simultaneously trying to appease the separatists and the 51st staters and make herself Queen of Alberta and basically do to us what Trump has done to the U.S. She's already got quite a start on it.

 

[Ovation]

Don't mistake me for any sort of C/conservative. I voted Green in the federal election because neither the Liberal nor NDP candidates in my riding bothered to make any information available about themselves, not even a basic FB page. The Green candidate was a local guy who later ran in for City Council in the municipal election in October (came in the top 10, but not quite high enough to get elected).

Smith is simultaneously trying to appease the separatists and the 51st staters and make herself Queen of Alberta and basically do to us what Trump has done to the U.S. She's already got quite a start on it.

I would never confuse you with a conservative. You’ve made your positions clear and while I don’t share all of your views, mine have a greater overlap with yours than with most Albertans, I’d wager.

I do regularly see Smith’s deprivations in the news and find myself comparing them with Mon oncle François, frequently wondering which one is worse. Sadly for Albertans, Smith seems to “win” the prize. Frankie has a habit of caving at the last minute, though not without inflicting a lot of unnecessary damage, when confronted with his stupidity. I just don’t want the stupidity to go nationwide.

 

[Timewalker]

If you feel like throwing up, go read her FB page. Her cult members fawn all over her and declare she should be Prime Minister. To which I can only say, "Misery loves company, I guess."

I've never hated any politician as much as I hate her.

 

[Owain Taggart]

. I voted Green in the federal election because neither the Liberal nor NDP candidates in my riding bothered to make any information available about themselves, not even a basic FB page.

Candidates never should assume everybody knows about them. It should be part of their job within the campaign, and if they aren't even up to doing that, well it speaks volumes about their willingness to represent their communities. Ironically enough, they'd probably blame voter apathy for their losses without putting real work into their campaigns.

 

[DEWLine]

Charlie Angus is building his commentaries off of a report on actual DND plans, last I checked.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/army-mobilization-canada-troops-9.7009323

 

[Timewalker]

Candidates never should assume everybody knows about them. It should be part of their job within the campaign, and if they aren't even up to doing that, well it speaks volumes about their willingness to represent their communities. Ironically enough, they'd probably blame voter apathy for their losses without putting real work into their campaigns.

I think the reason they didn't bother here is because you could run a piece of cat crap as a conservative candidate (whether provincial or federal) and it would be elected. They didn't see the point in bothering, as they never had a chance in the first place. So many people in this part of the country just let their names be used to fill out the ballot slots.

We couldn't be so lucky as the NDP did that time when Quebec swung NDP instead of Liberal/Bloc and people found themselves with jobs they never expected to get.

One election I was utterly disgusted when the Green party candidate turned out to be someone living in Calgary. They couldn't even find anyone local to let their name stand as a placeholder. That was also the year when I got a phone call before the writ was dropped (the 2015 election; I remember Harper couldn't hold off a day out of respect for Flora Macdonald, who had just died). The caller wanted to know if I planned to support the CPC candidate in "Red Deer-Lay-comb."

That is NOT how you pronounce "Lacombe" and I asked the woman where she was calling from. She said Calgary. I told her that if she's going to harass people before the election was officially called, the least she could do was learn how to pronounce my riding's name. Alas for her, I informed her that I never tell pollsters how I intend to vote. My vote is between me, the ballot box, and whoever I choose to tell. I don't mind mentioning it here, since nobody here is local enough to have any negative impact on me (some people around here are ungodly spiteful if they find out you don't worship the ground the UCP/CPC struts on).

=====
Change of topic: How's this for a Christmas message to the parents of the students in Alberta, from the Minister of Education?

ALBERTA
Education and Childcare
Office of the Minister
MLA. Calgary Bow

Dear parents,

As the glorious Christmas season approaches, I want to wish you and your loved ones a joyful and blessed time. This is a special season to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the event that serves as a cornerstone of faith and brings the world a message of hope, peace, and love. It is a time to reflect on this profound gift and look forward with faith and optimism to the year ahead.

I know the first part of this school year asked a lot of families, and I want to express my sincere appreciation for the commitment and care you devote to your children's education and well-being. Your dedication to nurturing the next generation reflects the spirit of service and charity that the Incarnation of Christ inspires in us all. The support you give to your children makes a tremendous difference in their success and well-being.

Looking forward, our government remains committed to working closely with education partners to strengthen classrooms and create the best possible learning environments.

We are investing in what matters most, funding to hire more teachers and education assistants, and building new schools to meet the needs of Alberta's growing communities. These efforts reflect our shared goal of ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed, driven by the belief that every child is valuable, a truth central to the message brought forth by the nativity.

As we celebrate Christmas and commemorate the birth of Christ, may the powerful message of hope and goodwill inspire us to lead lives of purpose and compassion, forging a brighter future for all in the coming year.

Warm regards,

Demetrios Nicolaides ECA PhD
Minister of Education and Childcare

I'm curious to see how many things wrong with this the non-Albertans here can spot. It's got the anti-UCP people on FB in a rage. If I lived in Calgary Bow, I'd get a physical copy of it, track him down, and throw it in his face. It's disgusting.

 

[Ovation]

I think the reason they didn't bother here is because you could run a piece of cat crap as a conservative candidate (whether provincial or federal) and it would be elected. They didn't see the point in bothering, as they never had a chance in the first place. So many people in this part of the country just let their names be used to fill out the ballot slots.

We couldn't be so lucky as the NDP did that time when Quebec swung NDP instead of Liberal/Bloc and people found themselves with jobs they never expected to get.

One election I was utterly disgusted when the Green party candidate turned out to be someone living in Calgary. They couldn't even find anyone local to let their name stand as a placeholder. That was also the year when I got a phone call before the writ was dropped (the 2015 election; I remember Harper couldn't hold off a day out of respect for Flora Macdonald, who had just died). The caller wanted to know if I planned to support the CPC candidate in "Red Deer-Lay-comb."

That is NOT how you pronounce "Lacombe" and I asked the woman where she was calling from. She said Calgary. I told her that if she's going to harass people before the election was officially called, the least she could do was learn how to pronounce my riding's name. Alas for her, I informed her that I never tell pollsters how I intend to vote. My vote is between me, the ballot box, and whoever I choose to tell. I don't mind mentioning it here, since nobody here is local enough to have any negative impact on me (some people around here are ungodly spiteful if they find out you don't worship the ground the UCP/CPC struts on).

=====
Change of topic: How's this for a Christmas message to the parents of the students in Alberta, from the Minister of Education?



I'm curious to see how many things wrong with this the non-Albertans here can spot. It's got the anti-UCP people on FB in a rage. If I lived in Calgary Bow, I'd get a physical copy of it, track him down, and throw it in his face. It's disgusting.

Wow. In Quebec, this message, at least as an official communique from a government minister, would literally be illegal.

 

[Timewalker]

Wow. In Quebec, this message, at least as an official communique from a government minister, would literally be illegal.

It's technically illegal everywhere in Canada, because it violates the parents' and students' Charter rights on the basis of religion.

It's morally and ethically repulsive, and so very hypocritical. This Minister of Gutting Public Education used to be Minister of Advanced Education, back in 2019 when Jason Kenney took over as premier. Nicolaides is every bit as rigid and bigoted as Adriana LaGrange (anti-abortionist, anti-LGBT, shoving their personal religion down students' throats IN THE CURRICULUM USED BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS), and so on.

Back in 2019, he stated that "public schools teach a radicalized, immoral ideology". This "ideology" that was so "immoral"? Inclusion. Positivity and inclusion of LGBT kids, disabled kids, kids of all faiths and none. Can't have that. He's just a little bit better at masking his repulsive ideology than LaGrange was, as she was pretty vocal about denying reproductive choice to women and girls. When she was on the Catholic school board in my city, she saw nothing at all wrong with approving a "field trip" to send a busload of high school students to Edmonton to participate in an anti-abortion rally.

When Operation Total Recall started (the goal is to at least get recall petitions going for every single one of the UCP MLAs; we've got 20 going so far), Nicolaides was the first one. He was targeted first because the government used the notwithstanding clause to order the teachers back to work when they went on strike. They also used the notwithstanding clause to prohibit girls from participating in school athletic programs if they can't "prove" they were born female. Kids can't choose their own names and pronouns at school without a signed note from their parents. Smith does not give one fraction of a damn that in some cases it would be dangerous for the kid to even hint to the parents that they may be/are LGBT.

So Nicolaides made himself quite a target, not only for these reasons, but also connected with the hatchet job the government is doing on disability benefits. The slash-and-burn they're doing to the AISH program also affects children, if one or both of their parents are on AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped). Steal the $200 Canada Disability Benefit the parents were to have received (Alberta's the only province clawing it back), slash funding by a further $200 on top of that, and you'll end up with kids at risk of homelessness and definitely not getting enough to eat or getting their school supplies.

This disgusting letter is only part of Nicolaides' pathetic attempts at a "please don't fire me" schtick. He's running scared, and has been for weeks now. If the petition succeeds, he loses his seat and would have to try to win it back in a byelection.

My own MLA is also the subject of one of these recall petitions. She's the one currently pretending to be a competent Minister of Health. In reality, the health system is in shambles. I will very happily sign that petition when I can arrange it.