"...Basically, some of us concluded long ago that this most pampered of countries — marbled with natural resources that are variously drinkable, edible, refinable and fissionable; safe under Uncle Sam’s military umbrella; blessed with a mostly reasonable and unexcitable population; and cursed with a widespread belief that better-than-America is good enough..."
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-selley-out-of-kabuls-frying-pan-and-into-kyivs-fire
"...Politically, Trudeau was a strong supporter of the Conservative Party, opposed to Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, a long-serving Liberal.[8] Pierre Trudeau recalled that "political arguments never lacked liveliness" between Charles and his friends..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-%C3%89mile_Trudeau
It is beyond unfortunate geopolitical events like in Ukraine keep happening in the world. With a total 1.8 million applicants backlog, in addition to 40,000 Afghan refugees also "promised" safe passage to Canada, an understaffed and inefficient Immigration, Refugee and Canadian Citizenship department (also most government of Canada employees have been working from home), the overwhelming majority of the 401,000 permanent residencies awarded in 2021 to those ALREADY living/working in Canada at VASTLY REDUCED qualifying scores (restricted travel and entry to Canada due to covid and Liberals needed to attain those targets AT ALL COSTS), it is time to consider making Canada's institution of Immigration an independent body that can make REALISTIC decisions and fair promises rather than for votes and virtuous yet unfulfilled election promises. Independence from government like the Courts and Bank of Canada and take the reckless, whimsical decisions out of the government's hands. The Liberal solution to any geopolitical crisis of simply announcing prioritized passports/fast tracked citizenships/permanent residencies/visas and disappointing many others is simply not sustainable.
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/trudeau-says-canada-will-prioritize-ukrainian-immigration-launches-phone-line-for-urgent-questions
"..In the U.K., Telegraph columnist Joanna Williams recently denounced the “monstrously illiberal” behaviour of Canada’s government, saying it speaks to Trudeau as an “insecure authoritarian.” “Imagine the uproar if, back in 2020, President Trump had frozen bank accounts belonging to key figures in the Black Lives Matter movement,” she wrote..."
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/first-reading-the-world-falls-out-of-love-with-illiberal-dystopian-canada
http://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/taxpayers-on-the-hook-if-trans-mountain-goes-wrong-former-encana-ceo-1.1725833
https://youtu.be/5efyUt5YDU0
Liberal strategy from Day 1...
1. Set up nearly impossible environmental guidelines targeted only at pipelines; government campaigns against pipelines (through both sides of its mouth)
2. Change those environmental guidelines midway through the process, rendering it even more difficult and cancelling all progress made up to that point
3. Drive away publicly listed financier and eventual builder of the pipeline as they exit the country in frustration dealing with an illogical government and ever changing approval process in light of court decisions
4. Government realizes the economic benefit missed, thousands of jobs lost, tries to be seen as "pro business" and buys the asset directly so government can build the pipeline (because they are so much better at it?)
5. Government realizes the extra inflated costs of their own environmental doing (see point 1 and 2)
6. Let government waste, mismanagement take over to drive the capital costs needed to properly complete the project MULTIPLES higher (in a world of $400 billion Liberal deficits, it's a drop in the bucket)
6. Government questions total to complete the project (to be seen as austere and prudent?) and cuts off funding for the very asset they bought, giving billions (with with "b") away to Trans Mountain to initially acquire it and take off their hands
7. Mark Carney, ex Bank of Canada and Bank of England, with Liberal ties so strong he was rumoured to be running for the party and as a Finance Minister, joins Brookfield in an ESG capacity
8. Prediction: Brookfield Asset Management buys the project FOR A SONG sticking billions of losses to date on the Canadian taxpayer.
https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/oil-gas/chrystia-freeland-closes-the-door-on-new-funding-for-trans-mountain-as-project-costs-surge
https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/oil-gas/this-has-gone-way-too-far-investigators-begin-probing-violent-attack-on-coastal-gaslink-site
"... Many of them wanted to know on what basis the government decided to invoke the Emergencies Act in the first place. That information has not been made available to Parliament, most notably ongoing investigations and intelligence information.
Senator Dennis Glen Patterson, who left the Conservative Senators Group in protest over some members’ support of the so-called Freedom Convoy, said: “there is a certain amount of ‘trust us’ in the government’s justification of these extreme measures.”
Senator Patterson, who has since joined the Canadian Senators Group, worried that the joint parliamentary review committee would not have access to the unredacted security information to determine if the enactment of the Act was absolutely necessary.
“This is a serious step that we’re contemplating here today,” said Conservative Senator Elizabeth Marshall. “What exactly happened that the government decided to invoke the act?… Because it seemed like for three or four weeks, there was nothing, they were just tolerating it.”
She continued to ask why the government appeared “to be so late in assessing this monumental threat that they’re talking about.”
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/senate-growing-frustrated-by-pressure-to-rubber-stamp-emergencies-act
I wonder what Jagmeet was promised for the NDPLiberals to push this one through. He has been silent throughout the whole Ottawa protests.
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/mps-to-vote-tonight-on-whether-emergencies-act-for-blockades-still-needed
"...But it is also true that Trudeau and his cabinet have a long history of treating Parliament with contempt and derision, having shown a willingness to use any means necessary to bypass its important legislative and oversight roles, and seeking to consolidate power in the executive.
One of the first things the Liberals did at the start of the pandemic was introduce a bill that would have given the finance minister extraordinary powers to tax, spend and provide loans and bailouts, without parliamentary oversight, for upwards of two years. Luckily, the Liberals had a minority, which allowed the opposition parties to strip the most egregious parts of the bill.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/np-view-emergencies-act-just-the-latest-example-of-trudeaus-contempt-for-parliament
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/trans-mountain-oil-pipeline-expansion-184331992.html
"... He has failed to meet the high threshold set by the Emergencies Act to justify its use. That being: when a situation “seriously threatens the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada’ and when the situation ‘cannot be effectively dealt with under any other law of Canada.’”
Conservatives don’t believe the government has shown that threshold has been met and thus we will be voting against it. Keep in mind, this act is already invoked and is the new law of the land. Our debate and vote on Monday can only stop it if the NDP vote with CPC and the Bloc to stop it."
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/candice-bergen-trudeaus-sledgehammer-tactics-to-deal-with-protest-must-be-rejected
http://nationalpost.com/news/local-news/coastal-gaslink-site-attacked-overnight-with-millions-in-damage-to-equipment/wcm/146aca3f-2ebd-41b6-97f9-95aaf2a6dbde
Blackface, Ethics Challenged, Tofino Living, In Hiding Justin has the gall to pin on the Conservatives the following:
"Conservative Party members can stand with people who wave swastikas; they can stand with people who wave the Confederate flag"
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/stand-with-swastikas-emergencies-act-debate-turns-ugly-as-opposition-grows
“It is supremely fitting, if more than a little farcical, as capital-E ‘emergency measures’ are being declared at precisely the same time as most of the previous emergency measures are being lifted.”
— Father Raymond J. de Souza
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/raymond-j-de-souza-invoking-the-emergencies-act-is-the-logical-conclusion-of-trudeaus-government-by-decree
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/terry-glavin-emergencies-act-reveals-embarrassing-truth-that-liberals-just-cant-govern
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/john-ivison-trudeau-oblivious-as-canadians-lose-faith-in-governments-ability-to-keep-peace-order
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ottawa-police-chief-peter-sloly-resigns-under-heavy-criticism
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-selley-a-draconian-emergencies-act-is-no-substitute-for-proper-policing
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/experts-split-on-need-for-emergency-act-but-truckers-unfazed-by-new-measures
http://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/trudeau-s-use-of-emergency-law-provokes-confusion-and-criticism-1.1723995
http://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/trudeau-trucker-crackdown-leaves-banks-guessing-on-enforcement-1.1723860
The Liberal answer to Canada's bogged down, inefficient, understaffed, backlogged (1.8 million applicants), election promises driven Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) department is to...(wait for it) INCREASE the annual permanent residents and refugee goals further. (When you don't have the votes for a majority, lay the seeds to create them at all costs). It's about time this important institution was discussed as and treated with the respect of an independent body much like the Courts and Bank of Canada and away from governing party's election promises, fanciful whims and wishes. It should focus and demonstrate to Candians future healthcare needs and spending, actuarial Canada Pension Plan models, how much and what type of housing should be approved/constructed, the increase and types of infrastructure necessary (transportation, power generation, urban planning, etc), municipal and provincial input, economic and employment forecasts for the decade(s) not just today's short sighted needs. Until then, we will just have to rely on the Liberals' "data and science"; however secret it may be.
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/canada-sets-ambitious-immigration-targets-for-post-pandemic-recovery
After first being in isolation, then refusing to engage, then in hiding I don't see how the Liberals thought this was a politically winning strategy. It is unfortunate that Canada has had to endure this reckless behaviour (and others like shutdown Canada, pipeline protests, beheading of statues by mobs, burning churches) while police appear to stand idly by at first. Other than (like a prophesy), perhaps Justin is trying to one-up his father - rack up more debt, further alienate the west over ever worsening energy policy, annoy the US and its leader(s), invoke extreme War Measures/Emergencies act...(the only thing left is to mock the Queen childishly behind her back with a pirouette).
https://nationalpost.com/news/civil-servants-nasa-employees-and-an-american-billionaire-among-donors-leaked-in-givesendgo-hack
"...Section 3 of the Act defines a national emergency as “an urgent and critical situation of a temporary nature that … seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it.”
If we just look narrowly at that definition do provinces have the authority to deal with the current protests? Yes. Constitutionally they are responsible for enforcing criminal law and maintaining public order. They establish and regulate provincial and municipal police services. They or their municipalities can declare an emergency in their jurisdictions, as Ottawa and Ontario have done. And in dire circumstances — a “riot or disturbance” — they can even requisition armed soldiers for “aid of the civil power” by invoking Part VI of the National Defence Act.
Do provinces have the capacity to deal with the current protests? Yes, but their municipal police services might need help with additional resources such as funding, specialized capabilities like police with public order (i.e. riot control) training and equipment, or simply more constables for routine policing to give their own officers some rest. That help, as we have seen, is already being provided to Ottawa Police by other services — municipal, provincial and even RCMP, without a national emergency declaration, and Windsor police were aided by other forces in clearing the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge over the weekend..."
And where were the efforts to monitor banking activities during various pipeline protests, Shut Down Canada movements, mobs roaming streets vandalizing and beheading statues during a pandemic lock down, a housing crisis allegedly aided by money laundering, assigning of purchase and sale contract as well as Vancouver casinos involvement?
"...Here are the latest updates on what is happening today.
5:00 p.m.
Trudeau says banks monitoring financial activity supporting blockades. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Friday that Canadian banks are playing a role in monitoring financial activity that could be supporting the blockades.
“Over the past two weeks, we have observed that funding has been supplied to support the blockades and this is from abroad,” Trudeau said. “Canadian banks are monitoring financial activity very closely and taking action that’s necessary.”
https://financialpost.com/news/economy/live-coverage-of-the-ambassador-bridge-blockade-and-covid-protests-across-canada
“In my long career watching politics, I have never seen a government more ideologically rigid, more devoted to divisive policies or more prone to shaming Canadians for the country their ancestors built and defended.”
— Brian Lee Crowley
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/brian-lee-crowley-conservatives-must-put-country-before-ideology-to-offer-a-credible-alternative-to-the-liberals
Finally I'm not the only one in the room arguing housing is a demand issue, not a supply issue. Two efficient and key suggestions below.
On the demand side, in reality, there are no restrictions for anyone in the world to buy a property or housing in Canada. A buyer does not even have to be or live in Canada. Canada could build housing in the tens of millions, possibly hundreds of millions, and still they would be scooped up. Foreign buyer tax or not, FINTRAC or not. A housing supply augmentation of these proportions to allow Canada's housing market "to be in balance" is unrealistic.
It has been tried to slow down the foreign buyer with taxes, etc. However, there are so many ways to avoid this it is a policy seive, but looks good on those that invoke it.
As referred in article, this Liberal government has been absolutely reckless in its approach to immigration with no foresight on its impact to healthcare, infrastructure, pensions, sheer numbers of employees required in the IRCC, extra services borne by three or four major urban centres AND housing.
Of note, the overwhelming majority of 401,000 permanent residencies awarded in 2021 were to those already in Canada and in the application system (due to covid restrictions, travel impacts, etc. The goal to be reached by those typically from outside Canada was severely impacted). To reach the goal, the qualifying scores for permanent residency were also reduced drastically and in many cases health exams were waived (during a pandemic health crisis) for those already in Canada. The statement that 401,000 new permanent residents travelled to Canada, the best and brightest, were legally approved to enter Canada and added to Canada's housing demand is not true.
Two suggestions to housing policy that do not require an unrealistic amount of new houses, construction, re-zoning, red tape removed:
1) those arguing that housing is something Canadians/permanent residents/residents want to buy, raise families and stay in a long time, then why is the tax free status on the average homeowner's largest purchase attained after only 365 days according to CRA? If it truly is a long term investment and a place of stability and longevity, then why aren't homes made tax free after a longer period of time or a graduated scale? Say over 10 years (see Germany). This would stop many flippers (buy, renovate, live in it one year, sell it) and the speculators (buy pre-construction condo, assign it to another buyer within months or sell upon closing, book gain, repeat) at the same time satisfy those current homeowners as well as assist those entering the housing market while the government the government's capital gains tax revenues may increase slightly yet mitigated by reduced speculation.
2) The institution of immigration needs to be made independent from any overly zealous, whimsical government election promises that deal in huge, pleasing, round numbers in the hundreds of thousands without any backing "data and science" demonstrated to Canadians. Independent, much like the Bank of Canada and the Courts are independent, and away from the vote generating bias of such governments (seeking a majority at all costs) and policies that make promises beyond the resources they have.
"...To put the challenge in context, Ontario has about 5.5 million housing units now. It had over 100,000 housing starts last year, the highest level in over 30 years. The task force uses the more conservative number of 75,000 starts achieved in 2020 as a baseline, but either way, the increase required is daunting.
In the Stephen Harper years, immigration was around 250,000 per year. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected in 2015, he set higher targets. In 2021, despite the pandemic, Canada admitted 401,000 new residents, the highest number in a century.
Census data released this week show that Ontario’s population grew 5.8 per cent between 2016 and 2021 and 80 per cent of that growth was immigration. The province received nearly twice as many immigrants as it had in the previous five years.
Given the flood of new demand, it’s no surprise that Ontario’s rules-bound housing industry hasn’t been able to produce adequate supply. The lack of housing is not just a problem for new immigrants, but also for Ontarians who don’t have the money to compete in the home-buying and rental markets.
Census data released this week show that Ontario’s population grew 5.8 per cent between 2016 and 2021 and 80 per cent of that growth was immigration. The province received nearly twice as many immigrants as it had in the previous five years.
The Ontario government’s focus on supply is useful, but unless demand is addressed as well, housing shortages will continue indefinitely...."
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/randall-denley-fixing-supply-is-one-part-of-solving-ontarios-housing-crunch-immigration-is-another
https://financialpost.com/real-estate/ontario-must-double-housing-production-to-improve-affordability-task-force-says
There's that intelligent language again, that only comes from the mouths of great leaders, "...sucked for Canadians..."
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/emergency-debate-justin-trudeau-freedom-convoy
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/ottawa-residents-protesters-scheduled-to-clash-in-court
"...What is becoming increasingly clear is that this is a country that — despite laws, legislative bodies and regular elections — is governed by whoever can block traffic the longest...."
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/carson-jerema-freedom-convoy-reveals-a-canada-governed-by-hypocrisy-and-traffic-jams
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ben-woodfinden-queen-elizabeth-ii-endures-as-the-perfect-picture-of-selfless-service
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/conrad-black-on-queen-elizabeth
Thanks to restricted pandemic travel and desperate measures of our NDPLiberal government to achieve the quoted "401,000" at all costs, such as vastly reducing the qualifying application scores as well as waiving health test exemptions and providing temporary extensions. The work from home scenario of such an essential service, the immigration department processed and mostly granted those already in Canada permanent residence status.
"...Last year, this was reversed, as 70 per cent of new economic class landings came from within Canada, while 30 per cent came from abroad..."
Canada Immigration News: Canada’s decision to land over 400,000 immigrants in 2021 has come at a cost.
https://www.cicnews.com/2022/02/canadas-decision-to-land-over-400000-immigrants-in-2021-has-come-at-a-cost-0221448.html
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-platinum-jubilee
Real estate agents will tell you any number of reasons to keep the fear, FOMO and motivation going for potential buyers. Digging into the numbers...
Even the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, which has no business making economic forecasts, portrays the Canadian labour market as a job creating machine and permanent residents pouring in, demanding new housing. "Immigration into Canada is expected to be at or near record levels in 2022. On top of this job creation in average to above average income sectors is expected to remain strong."
In reality, Canada LOST 200,100 jobs in January and unemployment increased from 6.0% to 6.5%. This compares to the US that saw unemployment decrease to 4.0% and 457,000 jobs CREATED in January. Opposite directions. Canada's unemployment rate is 63% higher than the US!
With regards to immigration, like the global supply chain, it has been impacted too. Immigrants/permanent residents have NOT been flying/travelling to Canada over the last year due to border controls, cancelled flights, testing, overwhelmed by an under staffed immigration department, etc. Canada has in fact been awarding permanent residency to those ALREADY in the country under temporary measures (student, visitor, temp foreign worker) with significantly lower qualifying entrant scores to recklessly meet the (unscientific, no data based) 401,000 target for 2021. Canada did not receive the best and brightest of the bunch in 2021.
It is both criminal and laughable that in a month of Canada's worst annual weather (January) including a deep freeze in Calgary and the prairies, remnants of a colossal once in a 100 years flood in BC, the most snow in the GTA in 20 years, a major storm in Atlantic Canada that year over year listings are down 15.5%. Either Canadians' memories don't work during winter or the audacity of the untruths preached by TRREB is fraudulent, disrespectful, inconsiderate and taking advantage of their circumstance. Or both. Let the cries of "THERE'S NOT ENOUGH SUPPLY!" ring through the valley!
When there are less houses for sale/listings, especially in the cold month of January, then surprise, the number of transactions decrease (18.2% decrease in January, which means less commissions for real estate agents). Thanks TRREB for outlining that (without the point about commissions). As such, with demand increasing based on emotion and logically fewer sales, housing prices "magically" increase (28.6%, a misrepresented number for January 2022). Happy New Year TREBB. Stoking the fires for May again.
"...Republic Realm paid a record $4.3 million for land in the largest metaverse real estate platform, Sandbox. The company is developing 100 islands, called Fantasy Islands, with their own villas and a related market of boats and jet skis. Ninety of the islands sold on the first day for $15,000 each and some are now listed for resale for more than $100,000..."
http://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/canada-s-housing-market-in-a-speculative-fever-says-regulator-1.1717632
https://financialpost.com/news/economy/banking-watchdog-warns-housing-prices-could-plunge-20-when-speculative-fever-breaks
The final price tag won't matter as Brookfield Asset Management through its links with Mark Carney, formerly Bank of Canada and Bank of England, will eventually be buying it...for a song.
"...After facing interruptions caused by volatile weather and the pandemic, the Trans Mountain expansion is expected to run over budget by several billion dollars — and the federally owned pipeline project won’t be completed this year as planned.
"...Work to expand the oil pipeline is now forecast to cost more than $17 billion and likely won’t be done until sometime in 2023, sources say.
Ottawa purchased the pipeline almost four years ago from Kinder Morgan Canada for $4.4 billion after it appeared the private owners were set to walk away from the expansion as it faced a series of hurdles to be built by late 2020
At the time, the project’s price tag was pegged at $7.4 billion, but soon moved higher. It climbed to $12.6 billion in early 2020 and is headed up again..."
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/trans-mountain-expansion-running-over-budget-by-billion-of-dollars-and-a-year-behind-schedule
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rupa-subramanya-trudeau-tells-other-world-leaders-to-dialogue-with-protesters-but-he-wont
http://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/canadians-find-other-ways-to-grow-wealth-as-housing-market-escapes-them-1.1716583
Will we hear this year "And these are the best games ever"
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/terry-glavin-the-cbcs-gleeful-promotion-of-its-genocide-games-coverage-is-shameful
https://nationalpost.com/news/russia-china-relationship-in-spotlight-as-vladimir-putin-welcomed-as-guest-of-honour-at-beijing-olympics
http://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/canada-s-housing-market-is-betting-rates-will-never-rise-1.1712555
'...The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Saudi Arabia couldn’t be happier to come to the rescue by flooding American and Canadian coastal ports with their supertankers filled with so-called ESG-compliant crude oil.
The second problem with the western world’s Build Back Better strategy is that it has until recently been funded by central bank money printing that is about to come to an end.
Rather than reduce the pace of spending, governments such as Trudeau’s continue to go all in on their agendas, making them incredibly susceptible to rapidly rising debt-servicing costs.
For some perspective, our debt situation is so bad that total credit as a percentage of gross domestic product is at a whopping 345 per cent, which puts us neck and neck with Greece.
"...The average U.S. household is nowhere as levered as Canadian ones and Trudeau is still spending as if there is no economic recovery while internal pressures within the Democrat party are restricting Biden’s pace of spending.
...Beyond owning more U.S. dollars, why not dip your toes into the Canadian oil and gas sector, which is generating record amounts of cash and getting paid in U.S. dollars while its costs are in Canadian dollars...."
"...Minister Sean Fraser announced a suite of new measures Monday, including a move to digitize all applications, online citizenship ceremonies and more staff to process applications once they come in. He said the government has made $85 million available to help reduce the backlogs.
Earlier this year, the National Post reported that thousands of highly skilled workers were awaiting processing in a backlog and that the department feared processing times would extend to three years. Fraser said the new measures will help, but it will still be several months before the government invites new applications..."
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/it-may-be-months-before-more-federal-skilled-workers-accepted-immigration-minister
