Auctions

Tags

Auction, Bedeque, Canada., PEI, rural, sale

On our small Island there is always something to do in Winter. Most visitors in the Summer months have no idea want happens here once they go. Visitors are here for a few days or a week and all they will see is the beach and a restaurant/bar table. For residents it is another matter all together. You build your life around the calendar of the Seasons and follow local issues, socialize with friends, etc.

In Winter one of the things many Islanders do is to go to Auctions on Saturdays, there are 2 big auction houses, one in Bedeque and one in Kensington. They sell everything, from furniture to cars to knick knacks. Bargain can be had and sometimes it is surprising.

Yesterday I went to D&L Auctions (Dennis and Lorraine) it is run by the owners and Dennis is the auctioneer, he has 4 helpers on the floor. You can spend easily 7 hours at the auction. It starts early, around 8AM for viewing and at 10AM Dennis will start calling out items for sale. We arrived at 8AM wanting to buy 6 chairs and 4 side tables maybe that English leather couch or one of the antique sofas. However we were not prepared to counter with 4 dealers who aggressively bided on items. Often out biding everyone else. Our budget was limited so at the end we bought 2 Club Chairs and 2 table lamps. Happy with our purchases.

When you travel on the Island outside the Capital you encounter another world all together. Prices are cheaper and the atmosphere is rural, it’s a small world, not necessarily affluent more down to Earth. Next door to the auction place was a little café Baba’s Kitchen selling freshly made sandwiches and sweets, all from their kitchen, teas and coffees. The sandwiches were generous at $4 dollars and coffee was $1.75, that is cheap. In town a coffee is $5. and a sandwich $9. Though Bedeque, pop 310, is only 25 minutes from Charlottetown it is a completely different feel, something our visitors are not likely to ever see.

A lot of the furniture on sale was solid wood probably 70 to 90 years old in very good condition. I suspect most of it came from Estate sales. The Leather couch sold for $220. beautiful Club style couch, a big roll top desk sold for $450. a bargain. Chairs and lamps we bought total $276. again a bargain.

The crowd was attentive and good natured, paying close attention as the auctioneer speaks quickly and the pace can be fast, you want something jump to it or you will miss the boat.  A fun day and I want to do it again, we do have furniture to replace at the Club and looking forward to more auction days.

One of the two chairs bought at Auction

20cm

Tags

Canada., exile, foolishness, Markle, palace, Royal, Sussex, the Queen

Well 20 cm is a little over 7 inches and this is what we are getting today, big fluffy white stuff. The temperature yesterday was the coldest it has been in PEI for 105 years which is highly abnormal for us. Next week we should be back to our usual -2 to -5c daytime temperature.

This being a Sunday, people have an excuse for not being open for business after noontime and the visibility is not good on the roads.

Yesterday we went to a friend for a 6 hour marathon viewing of Wolf Hall the 2015 series on the time of Henry VIII and his Minister Thomas Cromwell, a very well done historical drama. Our friend has the most beautiful mansion, I counted 5 double fireplaces in the house which is located in Keppoch with a large lawn giving unto water and the entrance to the Strait of Northumberland. Every ship entering the Hillsborough river and Charlottetown passes in front of his house. The other side is the ruins of Fort Amherst and Rocky point, what they call a million dollar view, sea, forests, rocky shores and sky.

So while we were at our friends the news came of the final arrangements between the Royal Family and now Harry and Meghan. As I suspected all along and knowing how in such matters you cannot win against the Crown, the settlement is pragmatic and no nonsense. It is not what Meghan had hoped for and Harry knew the limits of what could be achieved, after all he was born into this Familly. I had a first inkling of what would happen when the Queen issued her statement after the family meeting at Sandringham, HM spoke of Her Family and of Harry and Meghan not of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. To my reading of this statement HM was saying you are part of the Family and always will be but here for you but we part ways now. The next day it was announced quietly that Frogmore Cottage (not house) was being closed down and staff had been re-assigned to other palaces, only a caretaker living at the house will remain.

So the final settlement is giving up on Royal Titles and styling, no more HRH for either of them. No more Royal military appointments for Harry who was Captain General of the Royal Marines, no more engagements on behalf of the Crown, money is being cut off though Harry may still get some financial support from his father. They will spend most of their time in Canada, though this is a problem in terms of taxation and immigration, I presume the Government of Canada through the Minister of Immigration may extend a special residence permit to them. They cannot immigrate to Canada because they do not meet the basic criteria of University Education and French language skills, they have no employable skills for our job market, being an ex-soldier is not considered a skill in demand and being an actress is also not in demand. They will also have to repay Grandma for the 2.4 Million pounds she spent on refurbishing a few months ago Frogmore Cottage. Their security will also be downgraded to possibly one officer or no security. The Government of Canada does not want to get involved because of the backlash from Canadians on money issues. We are talking of about $3000. CDN dollars a day for both of them which is peanuts really in terms of government spending.

They will have to find a way to make money on their own and support themselves. Yes Harry has money of his own and so does Meghan but that is not going to last forever. With no Official role anymore and a downgrade in their status, how long will the magic last? Once you are a nobody who cares? Or if they take on the lifestyle of celebrities, the media will be like vultures around them. Is that what Meghan really want? There is also the question of the British citizenship Meghan was supposedly working at getting, now that is also up in the air, you have to live in the UK to get citizenship and she does not want to live there.

Who will be their support system in Canada? Meghan claims to have friends due to her stint in Toronto but can they continue to depend on the good favours of friends? Does Harry have any friends in Canada? No, no one. It is a big step down for him and he will experience difficulties in getting accustomed to mere mortal life. The Markle family has started to talk to the Media again and lots of ugliness will come out, including that ill advised lawsuit against the Media, her father wants to testify against her.

I just have a feeling that this is not going to end well. They may find they will have more difficulties than first imagine. As Harry said; this is a leap of faith. Or do they want to spend their life pushing products on SussexRoyal.com, it all sounds tawdry. A sad situation to say the least. Just now the Palace has announced that in one year’s time the situation will be reviewed, it’s an open door for them, maybe they will come to their senses.  In closing this situation cannot be compared to his great uncle Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, they clung to the titles and honours desperately  and wanted to keep the lifestyle which is the opposite of what is happening now. Though the Duke and Wallis found out quickly that their lives were quite boring and lonely despite the notoriety.

 

 

 

Royal Family Troubles

Tags

cambridge, Canada., Cornwall, harry, meghan, Sussex, the Queen, UK

We all know now that Prince Harry and his wife Duchess Meghan have made their announcement on Instagram no less about their branching into a new role living between Canada and the UK . This announcement was made without any prior notice to the Queen, Harry’s grandmother and to his father Prince Charles. The Queen learned of Harry and Meghan’s plans watching the evening news on television. It is beyond word how disrespectful and hurtful to show such callous behaviour. Harry should know better it is after all his family, Meghan well I am not so sure coming from a very dysfunctional family.

Trouble was brewing since the marriage of this pair, Meghan comes from a very different background and culture and was obviously unprepared for a role within the Royal Family. Others like her had difficulties, think of Sophie Countess Wessex, Fergie Duchess of York and Diana, in comparison Meghan has had a easy time of it. I understand it is very difficult to understand how the institution of the Royal Family functions for a common mortal. However she was given support and her Father-in-Law Prince Charles was helpful and generous to her, the Queen also ensured that she was made welcome and allowed her to ease herself into the role of a Royal Family member.

There was plenty of trouble with staff and then with housing, moving from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage after a 3 million pound renovation paid for by Grandmother the Queen. Meghan was dubbed difficult Meghan. Other problems surfaced when Meghan realized that her husband was not so important after all, now that Prince William and Catherine have 3 children, George, Charlotte and Louis. Harry is now 6th in line and very unlikely to ever become king. The Sussex are reduced to a role of representing the Crown, being nice, kind and helpful that is their role now. It is also obvious that Harry and Meghan do not like to be held to account. The Media noticed that they promote the environment but at the same time take private jets to their destinations. Harry is bored stiff by Official functions which are part and parcel of life at Court.

After getting their 6 weeks vacation on Vancouver Island in Canada to think and reflect based on preliminary discussions they had with Prince Charles, Prince William, the Queen and advisors on their future role and despite being told to be patient by the Queen at Christmas time while a formula was being devised to accommodate them, Harry and Meghan went ahead with their announcement. This matter is complicated because it involves funding despite their saying that they would be financially independent at this time their personal private wealth is about $45 million dollars US.  There is also the matter of their security given that they are internationally protected persons, meaning that security detail must accompany them everywhere. That is also paid for by taxpayers. If they move to Canada or if they visit the USA who would pay?

Currently they were receiving the Sovereign’s Grant which covered 5% of their expenses and the rest came from Prince Charles through the Duchy of Cornwall. Now the Grant is gone and the portion paid by Charles is in jeopardy given that the British Government, Parliament and the public will have a word to say about it. Would taxpayers agree to fund a Prince who is no longer part of the institution? Not likely it has been reported this morning that 67% of Brits are against any monies coming their way now. You cannot only perform some functions part of the year and merchandize your brand, it would lead to conflict of interest charges. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex tried it 30 years ago and it was a fiasco.

Meghan as of today is now back in Vancouver with baby Archie, which was left behind with his nanny and staff while the couple returned to London to make their announcement. There is no plans for her to return to the UK. Harry is now scheduled to meet with his father and later with the Queen who is said to be extremely upset. Many in the public are asking why is Her Majesty being put through this at her age, she will be 94 in April. Prince Philip is ill and 98, Harry refused to return to England at Christmas time to be with his grand parents. Many are asking who is advising Harry to behave in this fashion? Fingers are pointed at Meghan, there is really no one else to explain this change in him towards his family since his marriage.

Another important point that is being missed is that we are dealing here with a dynasty, lineage and succession is everything or the only thing. Many noticed on the Christmas Day message from the Queen, the pictures on her desk, her father King George VI, Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William, Catherine and their children. In the background Prince Philip but no Harry or Meghan. The truth, the Sussexes are not that important anymore in the line of succession. Their role is very different from that of Prince William and Catherine. It is a simple reality and nothing to do with excluding anyone.

The latest photo issued by Buckingham Palace show that succession, in front of the Throne you have the Queen, Prince Charles who will succeed her, Prince William his son and heir and Prince George. That is the future, maybe this is what Meghan failed to understand, the rigidity of the system, a system that cannot be changed because it represents stability, continuity and tradition for the nation and the Commonwealth.

As for Harry and Meghan, whatever happens now, we can wish them good luck as they fade from public view. Many are predicting that it will not go well for them, you cannot divorce yourself from your family and like his great uncle the Duke of Windsor, Harry may find life to be very lonely on the outside.

US Pronouncements

Tags

Canada., climate change, Kelly Craft, US Embassy

The out going US Ambassador to Canada who got new assignment as US Ambassador to the UN in New-York had this to say about Canadians while she was on posting in Ottawa.

A letter to the Editor of the Ottawa Citizen, a reader answers her.

Ambassador Kelly Craft also said when asked about Climate change, ignoring consensus among scientists to suggest those who deny man-made global warming have equal credibility. I believed there are “good scientists on both sides” of the climate debate.

Happy to see her at the UN.

Time flies! 80th anniversary of the National Research Council of Canada time signal

Tags

Canada., CNRC, Dominion, NRC

The Official Time Signal is something all Canadians are very familiar with and I really cannot imagine it not being there everyday. It is heard from Sea to shining Sea on the CBC and Radio-Canada. Most of my life I lived in central Canada so we got the Eastern Standard Time Signal but other parts of the country get their own signal which is coordinated to be broadcasted throughout Canada at the same time.

Strangely it is comforting to hear, though it is just that a time signal, beep, beep, beep then silence for 10 seconds a long dash announcing the precise Official time so you can set your watch.

In many cities Police departments and Fire Depts set their clocks to it every day, even in this day and age of computers. Canada is such a big country geographically, second largest after Russia, that we have 6 time zones.

Here in the Maritimes we are on Atlantic Standard time. In 1879 a Canadian, Sir Sanford Fleming brought order to the 100 time zones around the world by proposing a standard approach.

Time signal first heard on the CBC Radio One Network in 1939

November 5, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Research Council of Canada

Today marks the 80th year that Canadians can tune in to the longest-running but shortest-duration broadcast program on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio One network. It was on November 5, 1939, that the first time signal from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) was heard on air across the CBC network at exactly 13:00.

A brief history of timekeeping in Canada over the past 96 years

1923: Astronomers at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory created a shortwave time signal radio station.

1929: The regular daytime transmission began in January. In order to cover Canada in its entirety, the station automatically sent its call sign in Morse code once per hour and pulses were coded to identify the time of day.

1938: The CHU call letters were first used for Canadian time transmission on the frequencies 3330 kHz, 7335 (7850 since 2009) kHz and 14670 kHz.

1939: The first time the NRC signal was heard on air across the CBC Radio One network.

1970: CHU was transferred from astronomers to physicists at the NRC, putting the Government of Canada’s largest science and research organization in charge of maintaining Canada’s official time.

2019: Almost 50 years later, the NRC continues to be Canada’s official timekeeper.

Quick facts

• The NRC has used cesium atomic clocks, the world’s best timekeepers, since the 1950s.
• The NRC operates a cesium fountain atomic clock where atoms of cesium are first launched with laser beams up and then under the force of gravity fall back down like water in a fountain.
• The NRC offers authenticated Network Time Protocol which enables all Canadians to synchronize their computer clocks with official time.
• The CHU station is located 15 km southwest of Ottawa at 45° 17′ 47″ N, 75° 45′ 22″ W.
• Since 1990, Canada’s official time has been presented by CHU broadcasts through Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and digital voice announcements have been used.
• The NRC runs two telephone numbers that announce the time of day. These numbers are accessible to the general public in English: (613) 745-1576 and in French: (613) 745-9426.

CLICK on the link below to hear the announcement on CBC radio:

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1719463205

So a new mandate

Tags

Canada., Government, Liberals, Ontario, Parliament, Quebec, Queen, Trudeau

Well the National Election is over and Justin Trudeau got a new mandate, despite all the  dirt the so called conservative party and its leader tried to throw at him. The CPC has a unit which works at unearthing anything that could hurt a candidate and then publicize it through right wing affiliated newspapers like The Sun, CTV network and PostMedia including the once reputable Globe & Mail. The negative stories are written for effect and are often inaccurate or right out lies simply repeated. A very disturbing trend but you have to know the background of it, the owners are long time supporters of alt-right conservative policies, some big business interests, some American oil companies, the Trump administration and the Republican party including the one surviving Koch brother. No it is not the Russians in our case but the US Republican party. The Chinese Communist party (Chinese Government) also played a very negative role, given our current dispute with China over the extradition to the USA of the Huawei executive. Two Canadian have been kidnapped by the People’s Police in China and held in secret jails, denied Canadian Embassy Consular services and put under psychological torture for months now. Unfortunately the Canadian Media has all but forgotten about them. The position of the CPC and its Chief Andrew Scheer has been to side with China with the false narrative that this will help resolve the crisis.

So this election confirmed one thing, Canadians are concerned about climate change now seen as a crisis, Canadian want action (84%) and will not vote for a candidate who denies the crisis or has no plans to fight it, as was the case for Andrew Scheer.
Canadians also do not like a candidate who imitates the American fashion of posing as a born again or evangelical Christian, like Andrew Scheer did. Canadians prefer their candidates and party leader to be neutral and quiet on this topic. There were too many stories about Conservative Candidates who came out as being anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ, pro-gun lobby and supporting the NRA, while we get weekly news from the USA of gun violence, something that horrifies most Canadians. Several also were not shy and made hate filled comments and rants against anyone who is not white or christian, thinking that it was ok to do so. Finally Andrew Scheer was the master of avoiding to answer any question on pretty much any topic. He also refused to denounce or remove a candidate who displayed hateful tendencies. Scheer also refused to attend any PRIDE event or parade during the Summer, all other party leaders did and participated. Trudeau was accused by the CPC of being a deviant and corrupt. What was suppose to be an easy victory for the Conservative turnout to be a defeat despite getting more votes and gaining more seats in the House of Commons, though not a majority. But they failed miserably in the two big provinces of Ontario and Quebec and in the Maritimes which holds the bulk of the population in Canada, some 26 million people out of the 38 million. It is well known that if you cannot secure the votes in Ontario especially around Toronto and in Quebec you cannot win an election in Canada.

So since the Liberal party victory on 21 October, Andrew Scheer has felt the heat of this party who is planning to replace him ASAP. No despite Trudeau having a minority government he has a workable minority and does not need to have a coalition with another party like the Green or NDP. The way our Westminster Parliamentary system works, there is a way to govern and you can always find support here and there in the House to pass your bills. No one wants another election for at least another 14 to 24 months for the simple reason there is no money and the Conservatives will be looking for a new leader soon.

The media also do not help the issue by spreading false concepts borrowed from the USA. Canada is NOT a Republic we are a Kingdom and our Parliamentary system is a copy of Westminster so it is quite different matter.

When the Prime Minister went to see the Governor General Julie Payette to ask she dissolve Parliament as is her role as Head of State, the Prime Minister and the Ministers all remain in Office for the duration of the election. The Prime Minister only  resigns his position after the election if he or she looses the election and IF he or she can no longer hold the Confidence of the House. That is very important to understand, we have had historically cases where the Prime Minister lost an election but stayed in power because he could hold the confidence of the House. Strange but true in Canada, that is our system.

The day after the election the Prime Minister returned to visit the Governor General at Rideau Hall to inform her of what his intentions were for the new Legislative program and priorities. This is largely a courtesy call because the Speech from the Throne (in England it is called the Queen’s Speech) is read by the Head of State in the High Chamber our Senate by the Governor General or the Queen if she is in Ottawa, but it is all written by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The Press got it wrong by talking about Trudeau seeking permission to form a government. What nonsense, he is the PM and remains so, he has a new mandate NOT a term, we don’t have those in Canada. The only thing Trudeau needs is to get the confidence of the House through a formal vote in the House of Commons on the Speech from the Throne or on the Budget bill. Very unlikely that he would not be able to get it under present circumstances. In Canada the role of the Queen or Governor General is to warn on a course of action or counsel the PM, the power to govern rests entirely in the House in Parliament, this is why we have responsible government since 1867. It is quite amazing to see how many journalists and editors get this wrong, watching too much of The West Wing I suppose.

On November 20 the Prime Minister will announce his new Ministry or Cabinet, a shuffle of portfolio is the big challenge for Trudeau or any Prime Minister because they have to make sure they have all regions of Canada represented in Cabinet and this is tough at the moment with no Liberal Member of Parliament from Alberta or Saskatchewan, pop 5 million total, Trudeau will have to be creative but there are various workable solutions.

So the final result of this election Canadians want modern and progressive governments and NO we are not revisiting the Abortion debate it was settled decades ago, we have rights for all including the LGBTQ and same-sex marriage and Canadians don’t want to deny rights to segment of the population, we also want the right to die which was legislated and gun control including hand guns. It should also be a warning to any new conservative leader at the Federal level not to associate with Neo-Nazi elements and other white supremacist hate groups as Andrew Scheer did thinking that it was a winning card.

I do expect that with the beginning of this new mandate the conservatives and their friends in the right wing press will continue negative attacks against Trudeau but hey that’s life. At least we do not have a Conservative government and that is a blessing. No one wanted the sort of horror show we see in Ontario at the Provincial Level with Doug Ford who emulates Donald Trump his hero or the politics of civil war and hate in Alberta with Jason Kenney. Interestingly the Conservative Premier in Manitoba does not want to associate with Kenney or Ford and the Premier in New Brunswick who is himself in a minority situation is walking back on his own extreme positions which are mostly anti-French in a province considered to be  the heart of French Acadia.

 

 

Candy

Tags

All souls, Canada., Candy, Chocolate, corpses, Death, eternity, ghost, haunted, witches

Well another Halloween, this year did not buy a pumpkin, no candies, just quiet at home, it is the first time in my life that I have not gotten a pumpkin. No point in doing anything since where we live there are no kids and being in the tourist district, now that the Season is over, everything is closed until May next year. So it is very quiet here and pleasant. This is one section of Charlottetown that dies after Thanksgiving and will not come back to life until May 1 when the first cruise ship arrives, still most businesses will be closed until June 1, so you wonder why bother having visiting cruise ships, nothing to see.

We are going to a Halloween party tomorrow night at the Club and I think it will be fun.

A myth has been debunked by the media surrounding Halloween candy, apparently since 1958 there have been 200 reports of tampered candy and this has raised a lot of concerns amongst certain parent groups and media types who love click bait and ratings.

In Canada no children has ever been sick or died from so call tampered candies. It appears from Police investigations that it is a hoax. I remember as a child going out trick or treating  and coming home with a loot, in all those years never saw nor heard of anyone being poisoned. But there was always someone in need of 5 minutes of fame who made some kind of complaint about candy handed out. Then all manner of suggestions were made to protect children, basically keep them home and buy your kids candy. That way total freak control.  In fact the only death of a child by cyanide poisoning happened in the USA, the father poisoned his own child with candy laced with cyanide. He thought that if he told police that he could not remember where he got the candy they would assume that is was somewhere in the neighbourhood. But after a careful investigation it came back to this fellow who got the death penalty in 1984.

I also found a very useful chart of wine pairing with halloween candy, I am sure we can all use it.

Well happy Halloween to you all!

 

 

 

Events and Photos

Tags

Brian Burke, Canada., CCAG, Charlottetown, figurative painting, Jazz, Music, Painters

As I said before in Charlottetown we are busier than we ever have been socially. There is always something going on.

In the last 10 days we have been to the opening of the Winter Show of the Art Gallery of the Confederation Centre. A retrospective of the work and life of Brian Burke, displaying 110 paintings,  a small fraction of this life’s work from 1980 top 2016. Burke died at his home in PEI. He had lived in Lucerne, Switzerland until last year. Many of the paintings are from private collections, unseen by the public, some came from Europe. He has a style all his own and you know when you see one that this is Brian Burke.

From The Guardian (Charlottetown) eulogy:

Born in Charlottetown in 1952. “One of PEI  most significant painters, Burke pursued his long interest in expressive figurative painting with passion and commitment. Brian was an artist who inspired a generation with his body of work, and for making his way in the world as a painter and musician.

Over the years, his paintings were exhibited in private and public galleries in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts. His work is in public, corporate and private collections, including the permanent collection of Confederation Centre Art Gallery, TD Trust, the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Canada Council Art Bank.

The Summer Cruises are coming to an end, we saw about 100 ships the biggest carrying 4500 passengers. In one day several ships arrived at once and upwards of 15,000 passengers got off for a 5 hour stop, roaming a 4 block radius of the downtown area of this small town of 36,000 people. Is Charlottetown becoming like Venice ( same square mileage area) Should be like the Mayor of Victoria BC on the Pacific coast call for a reduction in cruise ships and the enormous pollution they bring with them in terms of garbage and air pollution. Difficult to say, the Charlottetown Port Authority is a private concern and they make tons O’Money with the cruise ships and passengers.

According to the Tourism figures of the PEI Government, cruise ship traffic is up 60%, no wonder, we only had about 30 ships a year four years ago now it is close if not at 100 per year or in the Season (May to October). Tourism in other areas like visit to the National Parks is down, tourism by car or coach is also down, only special festivals still bring significant numbers to the Island but this is a one off and no repeat. So our elected officials cling to the cruise ships. However don’t try to get numbers on what this traffic really bring, it’s a big secret and must not be discussed. There is also the problem that after 1 September most businesses dedicated to the tourism traffic close only to re-open on 1 June. So yes we need to think seriously about where we are going with this tourism thingy.

With the artist Tyler Los-Jones and Gallery director Kevin Rice on opening night.

Then here are some city views around the neighbourhood.

Thursday Night Island Jazz at Baba’s Lounge and the 200th show. Every Thursday night of the year, jazz with a variety of musicians from local to international and only $5 bucks. Always fun night to meet friends.

 

 

Canada Voted!

Tags

Canada., Liberal, NDP, scheer, Trudeau

Canadians voted on 21 October and the choice was between a progressive social agenda and a corporatist nativist agenda. Parliament has 338 seats, Liberals have 157 seats, the Conservatives (CPC) 121, New Democratic Party (NDP) 24 and the Bloc Quebecois 32. The Green Party does not have official party status in the House of Commons but have secured 3 seats which is a gain of 1 seat for them. There is also 1 sole independent Jody Wilson-Raybould a former Liberal who decided to leave the party over the SNC-Lavallin affair and is now sitting on her own and likely to disappear behind the curtains of the chamber.

You can see by the topics that the progressive social agenda is that of the Liberal and New Democratic Parties of Canada. The Corporatist and nativist agenda is that of the Conservatives under Andrew Scheer. A very stark difference amongst this two group of voters.

Some 27.7 million people had the opportunity to vote yesterday. Canada’s total population is 38 million.

The campaign was extremely divisive, full of hate and at times bordering on the violent. The Conservative not learning from past mistakes under Stephen Harper doubled down with the negative agenda full of fear of what a progressive social agenda would do. Also the Conservatives under Scheer made the mistake to concentrate their campaign on the issue of pipelines and oil which is the sole topic of one province Alberta with a population of 4 million people. Forgetting that World markets at keeping the price of oil low and private companies are not interested in building pipelines. Scheer during the debate made the mistake of telling the French Speaking Province of Quebec what to do and said he would build the pipeline across the territory of Quebec. How could anyone be so clueless.

The Liberal and NDP represent multicultural and pluralistic Canada, the Conservative represent mostly White, Christian, Anglos, gun lobbyist, evangelical christians, if you do not belong to that group, they don’t want to hear from you. But this is the minority in Canada now. Canadians with this election showed that we do not care for American Trump style political campaign. Andrew Scheer who hid the fact that he is an American, until he was outed and had to admit employing Trump campaign strategists and receiving campaign contributions from Republican groups in the USA created a lot of unease amongst Canadian voters.

Trudeau in his first mandate had controversies and broken promises. He is arrogant and his style can grate on people. However he is more of a people person, whereas Scheer is phony as a $3 dollar bill, something the average person can sense.

The News Media especially PostMedia, the Sun, and CTV and the Globe and Mail had concerted campaign with the Conservative Party to attack and create fake news, even now after the Liberal victory, they are still questioning the legitimacy of the Trudeau victory. This is not good for a democracy because it set people up against each other.

The second term of Justin Trudeau in a minority government looks like what happened in 1972 when his father Pierre E. Trudeau got a second mandate with a minority victory.

We will now have continuity and stability. I do not expect the right wing media to stop attacking the government or Quebec or anyone who does not agree with CPC agenda. However the #Scheer nightmare is over, he will be most likely be replaced pretty quickly by a new contender for the Conservative leadership.

I voted today

Tags

Canada., Election, Federal, hate, nonsense, scheer

Well today I did my duty as a Citizen and voted in our National Federal Election. It is the first day of voting by anticipation, this Thanksgiving weekend people can vote from 9am to 9 pm at polling stations. It’s easy and very well organized, it took all of 2 minutes. I had my voting card and one piece of ID, got my ballot, marked it and in the box it goes. No fancy machines, just a pencil and a piece of paper. Like most Canadians I have heard enough and my mind was made up.

I did not want to wait until 21 October which is the actual voting day, I’ve had enough of having to listen to lies and more lies from Conservative politicians and their leader Andrew Scheer. Whose father was a draft dodger during the Vietnam War, making Andrew an American Citizen, registered for the US Army reservist and travelling on a US passport. Something he hid from Canadians until just a few days ago. He also lied on his resume, he does not have a university diploma from Regina, and he was a gofer in an insurance company not a broker. He also hired Trump strategists to work on his campaign and receives funds from the GOP. So Andrew Scheer who wants to be Prime Minister of Canada is the Manchurian Candidate.

This election has 6 party leaders, though in reality only 2 really matter since only a liberal or a Conservative can actually get enough seats to form a government. The other parties will not get many seats. The Greens need 12 seats to be an official party, the NDP will likely be devastated in this election and may loose official party status, the Bloc only has candidates in Quebec and only represent that Province and the extreme right wing party of Maxime Bernier, the so called People’s Party will probably not have more than 1 seat in our House of Commons at 338 members.

We have had 4 so called debates, the ones in English a shouting match looking more like a food fight at a high school cafeteria with 5 moderators who did nothing but let the slug fest go on. The debate in French was far better and the moderator effective in controlling the leaders, the Media preferred the French version and its format and questions.

The big issues during the campaign were not discussed and the more offensive Conservative Premiers like Doug Ford of Ontario disappeared. While Jason Kenney of Alberta is on the one hand campaigning for the Conservative but at the same time challenging their leader Andrew Scheer.

The owners of Conservative papers, Postmedia, Sun, Globe and Mail and television Global and CTV were openly hostile to the Prime Minister promoting the Alt-right agenda, anti-immigration sentiment, bigotry, racism and violence against anyone who is not a conservative.

In other words our election process and the campaign have become like those South of the border. It is unfortunate but it also shows that Civic Illiteracy is well and alive and people do not know nor understand important issues. Are quick to blame to Government for what does not work in their personal lives. These negative feelings are difficult to explain given that the Economy is growing rapidly, unemployment is the lowest in 40 yrs, child poverty is the lowest it has ever been, etc..

The Alt-right and other hate groups have congregated around Andrew Scheer and his party, lawn signs for Conservative candidate stand next to signs advocating killing opponents. This was bound to happen here when you look at the Trumpian politics south of us. Conservatives in Canada admire Trump and wish we had the same white Evangelical politics. Andrew Scheer is their answer in this election. No it is not the genteel Canada we once knew.

What we do know for certain, it will be a minority government and this can give us some hope to avoid extreme politics.