It has been too long! The last time I posted a newsletter was just before the Canadian general election. I told you that I had voted for the New Democratic Party (“NDP”).
Well, the election has come and gone. The make-up of the House of Commons hasn’t really changed. The Liberal Party of Canada and Justin Trudeau have a minority government with about 160 seats, ten short of a majority.
Will Erin O’Toole survive? I think that Jason Kenney of Alberta was seen as he leader-in-waiting. Now he is badly damaged goods. His pandemic management has probably scarred his reputation permanently. This is good for O’Toole. Is there anyone else?
I find it very difficult to take Maxime Bernier seriously. I probably should but he has a weird following and a strange history. Nicholas Pereira who ran for the PPC in New Brunswick claims expertise as a testicle breather. And I remember the Julie Couillard relationship. The linked picture prompted George W. Bush to comment to Bernier: “Well well well, haven’t you been keeping good company”. Early signs of the sense of humour so enjoyed by Michele Obama?
Trudeau is an empty vessel? If this minority government survives beyond eighteen months, the Liberals will replace him. Chrystia Freeland or Melanie Joly anyone? Also, many in the party dream of a Mark Carney leadership bid. He is a committed Liberal.
Jagmeet Singh is a thoroughly decent human being but he is not Jack Layton or Tom Mulcair. Will we even have a Green Party?
Québec’s municipal elections take place this November. Not enough people vote in these contests but should. These elected officials have the greatest impact on our day-to-day lives. Cars or people, garbage collection, sanitary sewers, safe drinking water, community planning, public transit, and hundreds of mundane issues get managed at town and city halls.
And then, there will be a Québec election. If it were held today, Barney Rubble (aka François Legault) would win in a landslide. He knows he is popular and it is leading to arrogance. The press is slowly exposing this arrogance and things could get very interesting over the next twelve months.
Also, Legault lost a lot of brownie points for taking sides in the federal election. Ottawa’s Liberal government has money Legault wants and it will have opportunities to make him sweat. Nobody wants to go back to the dark Duplessis years. Dominique Anglade, the opposition leader, effectively skewered Legault by comparing him to a parish priest telling people how to vote during the Duplessis era.
I don’t want to discuss politics for a while. I want to get back to writing about the things that interest me most. So this is my segue newsletter. It has been too long!
Lisbon’s seven hills and waterfront make it visually spectacular. The second oldest capital in Europe, the city has energy. Busy streets and squares, full restaurants, and vibrant night life – the city pulsates. And, the population seems young. All signs of a city on the rise? Earthquake A 1755 earthquake destroyed 85% of the city […]
People living on the street have come to symbolize the global housing crisis but they are only the tip of the iceberg. While the examples of Finland and Houston demonstrate a focussed plan pursued diligently can resolve the housing situation for the chronically homeless, addressing the affordable housing problem is much more complex. Defining Affordability […]
I love to dance. This is not something new for me. I can’t remember when I didn’t like to move to the music. My first memories of watching others dance come from my childhood in Cape Breton where I would watch the adults square dance. Then, there were the step dancers who would often accompany […]
Kings Cross, once a thriving industrial and transport centre in London, was effectively closed off to the public by the end of the 20th century. Then in 1996, the decision was made to move the British terminus for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link from Waterloo to St-Pancras. The landowner saw a re-development opportunity for […]
I have postulated that cities and towns evolve. That towns and villages first grow in areas where the basics to support life were plentiful. Typically, that means good agricultural land and good access to water. Other valuable considerations include safety, and resilience. The bonus – access to trade routes. Walt Disney and the Fully Formed […]
A Visit from Saint Nicholas A Poem by Jonathan Potter – December 2022 ‘Twas the first mask-free Christmas, when all through the stores The vaccinated children were spewing their spores;The shoppers were eagerly starting to riotAs the introverts longed for some quarantine quiet. The public healthcare workers were tracing the pathOf the flu and RSV, […]