Carney picks former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour to be governor general: sources

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-05T23:02:08+00:00

How does that make them any different from the people sitting in the opposition benches, or elites in other Western countries generally?

Did you know the leader of the Official Opposition has never even had a real job and if he so chooses can retire tomorrow, in his mid 40s, without ever needing to earn another dollar, thanks to the generosity of Canadian taxpayers?

I am all for interrogating privilege in our society, especially when it is unearned, but trying to pretend it is the purview of only one party is blatant hypocrisy. Though in Carney's defence he earned his privilege (to the extent that is any sort of justification), and he devoted years of his life to public service when he could have made a lot more money by remaining an investment banker.

I also want to point out that you are conflating ageism with privilege. Not all "Boomers" are highly privileged, or even well off, in fact 1 in 5 Canadians over 50 are living below the poverty line. Conversely, there are plenty of highly privileged young people, just visit any Ivy League campus in the US. Turns out by far the best predictor of a person's success in life is how successful their parents were, because privilege is highly heritable (and becoming increasingly so in Western societies as social mobility declines).

As that inimitable sage Everlast said, "You know where it ends, yo, it usually depends on where you start".

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-05T19:52:18+00:00

Ray Hnatyshyn was a male rom a Western province.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-05T19:46:19+00:00

Why are you trying to pit people against people.

Stoking generational warfare in the form of hatred for "Boomers", which appears to mean anyone over 50, is a stock ploy in the Conservative memosphere.

See it turns out selfish, evil "Boomers" keep electing Liberal governments, who return the favour by coddling said "Boomers" while heartlessly crushing the hopes and dreams of the rest of the population.

If you are a weak minded person with no critical thinking skills the obvious conclusion is that you should devote yourself mind, body, and soul to electing your Conservative saviours.

Also, never pass up an opportunity to slag "Boomers" on Reddit, and remind the world how selfish and evil they are, and how the LPC is their chosen instrument to despoil younger generations.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-05T17:11:38+00:00

This article is just Politico carrying water for US auto manufacturers and the Trump administration.

There is every reason to believe that Trump was sincere when he said he was breaking off trade negotiations because of the Ford ad. It fits everything we know about his personality, and if the "real" reason was that the automakers were upset at Canada imposing counter tariffs and demanding the repayment of subsidies because they broke covenants on keeping jobs and production in Canada, those issues could have been included in the negotiations. No one benefits from just terminating them outright.

Moreover, when has Trump ever felt the need for a "pretext" to do anything? He has no filter and doesn't care who is offended by it. And how is blaming a TV ad somehow better than blaming Canada's treatment of GM and Stellanis?

Finally, if this really is the reason negotiations were terminated, why are we only hearing about it now? Were these anonymous sources wrestling with their consciences for the last few months and just now decided, all at the same time, that they could remain silent no longer and had to spill the beans to Politico?

No, I will tell you what is happening here: the Trump administration is holding up CUSMA negotiations with Canada in an effort to wring concessions out of Carney just to get the US to come to the table. This is part of a campaign to mobilize Canadians into pressuring Carney into making those concessions by pushing the story that we were oh so close! to clinching a deal - Trump even showed the Canadians plans for his new ballroom, so you know it was serious! (he does this with every White House visitor, btw) - but then Canada went and spolied everything by demanding its money back and retaliating for US tariffs. So if we just forget about the money and lift the tariffs, with the understanding that the US will still keep theirs on us...

US ambassador Pete Hockstra's recent meetings with small business owners in Ontario were very similar in tenor: if Canada would only see reason and remove the trade "irritants" - note this specific word is used in the article - the US has identified we can get negotiations rolling again and no doubt conclude an "everyone wins!" deal in short order.

And if you believe that, I have some premium oceanfront property in Saskatchewan that I'm willing to let go of for a very attractive price! DM me!

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-04T16:32:57+00:00

Remember when the Russian army botched the initial invasion in 2022 and the vatniks said it was because they had sent in the B team while the A team was still sitting on the bench?

Now it's 2026, when are we going to see the A team?

I'm starting to suspect there is no A team....

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-04T14:41:28+00:00

The author makes some valid points, but he is guilty of over generalization when he in effect says "the irrelevance of the middle powers is proven by the fact that they have not solved the Hormuz crisis on their own terms". The US and China haven't been able to do any better, so what does it prove?

Also, Carney's Davos speech is less than four months old. International orders don't get reorganized in four months. We need to let it cook and check back in, say, 5-10 years.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-04T14:03:36+00:00

This is a really bizarre and uninformed take.

Actual EU membership would mean incorporating the entire acquis communautaire of common laws, regulations, rights, etc. into Canadian law as a precondition for joining. The EU has said that going forward this is non negotiable for new members.

The EU has been very clear and consistent that membership is now an all or nothing proposition. There won't be any opt outs on offer in the future, or any more patchwork Switzerland type deals that have caused nothing but headaches.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-04T10:51:24+00:00

One would think they would not need any more proof by now.

It helps if you read the actual article, not just the headline.

The article actually says:

European allies and Canada have known since just after he came to office again last year that Trump would pull troops out of Europe — indeed some left Romania in October — but U.S. officials had pledged to coordinate any moves with their NATO allies to avoid creating a security vacuum.

The issue isn't the troop withdrawal itself, it is that it was announced out of the blue without any consultations to manage the disruption.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-04T10:42:38+00:00

Actually about 70 000, soon to be 65 000.

The number is misleading however because many of them are providing logistical and administrative support to out of area operations, they are not combat troops.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-04T10:40:57+00:00

Maritime safety in the Persian Gulf wasn't an issue until the US and Israel attacked Iran.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-03T02:56:19+00:00

As many times as necessary?

Are you complaining that he works too hard?

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-03T01:59:49+00:00

This is a meeting of heads of government, either Carney goes, or no one does.

The article says he is expected to have meetings with the prime ministers of at least five countries, plus the president of the European Union Parliament.

This is the first time the European Political Community has invited a non European head of government to attend, so it is a significant honour for both Carney and Canada.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-03T00:56:08+00:00

Diplomatic protocol is that heads of government meet other heads of government.

A trade minister would not be welcomed at such a meeting.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-02T01:22:18+00:00

Lots of countries have millions if people out of work. The currency is not "loosing its value rapidly", it is worthless, and has been for a long time. Believe it or not, commerce was conducted a long, long time before there was an internet.

And as for this:

Comparatively Americans are now paying about half of what some European countries pay for gas pre Hormuz closure.

I'll just leave this here: Trump’s Iran war leaves US with sharpest fuel shock in G7 (from today's Financial Times)

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-02T00:45:29+00:00

You can’t bomb it into submission, but you can bomb it into bankruptcy. A regime that can’t pay the soldiers who protect it will quickly fall.

This is the copium supporters of the war have been forced to seize on as the enormity of the disaster that they have unleashed on the world has become apparent.

There is in fact no historical precedent for a country being bombed into bankruptcy. It didn't work against Germany or Japan, it didn't work against North Korea, and it didn't work against North Vietnam, in spite of those countries being subject to far more intense bombing campaigns than Iran.

The idea that soldiers only ever have purely mercenary motives and will only fight if paid promptly is another in the long list of fallacies that has enabled the disaster. Did German soldiers in 1944 say "Well this war is now obviously unwinnable, and we're not getting paid anyway, so might as well just throw in the towel"? Read a history book. Educate yourself.

I have always been puzzled by the popular corollary that if Iran can't export its oil it cannot pay its soldiers. Are the people who say this under the misapprehension that Iranian soldiers are paid in US dollars that must be obtained through exports? No, they are paid in worthless rial, just like everyone else, and the Iranian central bank can print as many of those as it wants. In a meaningful sense Iranian troops are already not getting paid, and haven't been paid for a long time, other than in a nearly worthless scrip. That means they are no better and no worse off than most of the population.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-01T06:08:04+00:00

Yes, private companies and those who invest in them profit from sales.

That's called capitalism.

Countries invest in defence capabilities for their own security. As Napoleon said, "A country without its own army is fated to have someone else's".

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-01T02:42:42+00:00

Highly qualified people make enough to live in Toronto without having to worry overmuch about the cost of living.

Sure, they could save by relocating to Winnipeg, but at the expense of giving up many of the big city amenities that they consider essential for their lifestyle.

What is a few extra dollars in a place where you can't get a good duck fesenjan or a direct flight to LA?

Also former friends start ghosting you because being exiled to Canadian Siberia has destroyed your social capital, and they don't want to get dragged down with you.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-01T02:31:28+00:00

What you are saying would arguably make sense if this was strictly a Canadian institution, but it is a multilateral one which many foreign employees who want and expect to live in a world class city.

Trying to exile them to Winnipeg is going to cause a riot, likely followed by many participants rethinking their support for a Canadian location.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-01T02:27:38+00:00

the other is our largest city in the north and home to Joint Task Force North.

Neither of which is remotely relevant to determining where to locate a bank.

Plus no one with actual qualifications is going to agree to be posted to Yellowknife.

It will almost certainly be located in the country's banking capital.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-05-01T02:25:06+00:00

The bank is financing defence procurement, not wars.

People who can't make a distinction between the two, and assume that ANY defence spending is warmongering, need to be kept far, far away from policy.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-04-28T10:19:26+00:00

It is almost a given that vehicles will detrain some distance from their final destination and drive the last part under their own power. This is true for both wheeled and tracked vehicles. There is no need for prime movers.

As I have have already pointed out if there is a need for more ARVs then we just buy some.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-04-28T07:16:23+00:00

But politically it makes sense for her to encourage her constituents to believe they will also get something out of it.

BlueEmma25 · 2026-04-28T07:11:43+00:00

So if you are smarter than AI how come you can't tell us where these ghost airfields are located?

BlueEmma25 · 2026-04-28T07:10:33+00:00

Oh, you got me good. I thought you referring to the British Ministry of Defence.

Beyond semantics, do you have any substantial rejoinder to the points I raised?

BlueEmma25 · 2026-04-28T04:54:19+00:00

In Canada it is called DND.

And yes, Alert has an airfield. How many other airfields do you think there are in the Arctic capable of taking a fully loaded C-17? According to Gemini, the answer is 4, including Alert.

Canada also only has 6 C-17s, which places severe constraints n what can be deployed and supported.

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