"Never attribute malice that which can adequately be explained by stupidity" Hanlon
Papineau riding is not Quebec's wealthiest or most Quebecois riding. It is possibly the best reminder of what many of still believe and is now ancient history. It was not long ago where we begged large multinational corporations for jobs and the jobs created by SNC Lavalin kept the wolf from many a door.
The ethical dilemma Trudeau faced was easily answered in that Quebec. Jobs were why you were elected and if justice did not serve the need for jobs it was all about jobs, jobs, jobs. This is why Trump won the midwest and the south.
It is however 2019 and in 2018 our economists, business leaders, mayors and Chambers of Commerce informed us that our problem is now a perpetual shortage of workers even as we undertake to train all our citizens for the jobs that need filling. Our current government was elected in 2018 to fix a nonexistent problem. My 71 years informed me the value of jobs in an underperforming economy suited the design of our elite and corporate sector where jobs were the number one responsibility of politicians.
Trudeau problem is he is too old and has not realized that the facts of almost all of his life are not the here and now. Our economy is booming and the people of Papineau are moving to our South Shore and their own homes in other suburban enclaves while new immigrants fill the residences until they too can buy into our booming economy.
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Like your coverage of our Canadian Scandal. Here are some more relevant facts: Since 2012, the RCMP have charged eight people tied to allegations SNC engaged in bribery of foreign officials. Seven of those accused have had their cases tossed out of court due to delays or problems with evidence. RCMP and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada have yet to convict anyone from the company.
To date, the only conviction of anyone at SNC-Lavalin related to foreign bribery was the guilty plea from Ben Aïssa secured by Switzerland.
In Canada, so far every single charge the RCMP has laid has either not stuck — or not yet been to trial.
Non of the individuals accused work for the company anymore. A deferred prosecution would allow the innocent parties in the company not to be impacted. Part of the reason no convictions were secured is that there were not enough resources to prosecute in a timely way.
The Conservative Government cut federal funding for programs aimed at increasing access to justice and developing court efficiencies by 20 per cent in the 2013 budget. Further funding for justice was not restored until the Liberals came to power.
The disagreement between the Prime Minister and JWR may be due to a misunderstanding about how Deferred Prosecutions can be used or the Prosecutors are desperate for a win given how many individuals have already gotten off.
I also agree with the comment from D Priest below.
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This October the people of Canada will have a choice between renewing the mandate of the Trudeau government, or voting for one of the other two main parties, the Conservatives or New Democratic Party (NDP).
Canadian media has predictably been clutching its pearls, shocked! I tell you shocked, that gambling is going on in the casino that is winning large engineering contracts in corrupt countries; in this case Libya.
Meanwhile, the opposition Conservatives have been trying to make hay out of an event that occurred when they held the majority in Parliament. Let me re-emphasize, this crime, this nothingburger, occurred under the Conservative government.
In all this, when it comes time to vote, Canadians have the choice between Trudeau’s Liberals and the hypocritical Conservatives who gave us Stephen Harper, Canada’s version of GW Bush; or the NDP, which is basically a party that is the poster child of incompetent socialist governance.
I hope come October that the Canadian voters remember that while not perfect, Trudeau has done more, in ways both symbolic and substantial, to advance the causes of women, minorities, the oppressed, youth and the vulnerable than either party could, or would ever accomplish.
The world needs more Canada (and New Zealand) and Canada needs the Trudeau Liberals.
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It always baffles me when people brush off the NDP as “incompetent socialists” and jump to the defence of Trudeau as the real defender of progressive values. The fact that the original corruption took place under the Conservatives speaks even more poorly to Trudeau’s “progressive” credentials. The PM’s actions in the scandal represent his commitment to uphold conservative values and policies with the palatable label of being progressive thinly guided on top. The scandal is a critical reminder that his re-election would just condone the same policies that appear groundbreaking but in reality maintain the same neoliberal status quo that happily pushes along climate change and mass inequality.
The NDP are the only party that has pledged to move away from the facade and take critical, necessary action. While the party is certainly not perfect, the NDP needs to be taken seriously as a viable alternative and not a spectator to the supposed Liberal-Conservative antagonism.
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@D Priest
I belong to the NDP but have been impressed by the Liberals dedication to principles. I am a Quebecer and have always understood that for most of us jobs were the reason we voted Liberal, Conservative or NDP. I am disappointed that the Trudeau government first scandal is doing what has always been done and that our CAQ government was elected to solve problems that no longer exist. I do not know when we will wake up and understand that what our economists say is today's truth; we have a worker shortage and worse than a worker shorter that we are addressing in our schools the shortage of workers looks to be perpetual.
After 71 years of an underperforming economy I am ready to forgive Trudeau for not knowing that same old same old is no longer applicable.
As I look at the "we are hiring signs" on every business in our area I think of the propaganda generated to our south and wonder how we get our citizens understand unemployment is not a problem and we need a 100, 000 thousand new citizens a year to maintain our boom. Who da thunk it?
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@Neil K
I can tell you exactly when I stopped considering the NDP as an alternative. It was when Jack Layton could not wait three months for an election and hopped into bed with Steven Harper to defeat Paul Martin and at the same time killing the only opportunity for a National Child Care Program we have ever had. It was Jack Layton who brought Steven Harper to power. I know child care is not the only issue in Canada but good quality affordable child care can sure have a positive impact in the lives of so many families.
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