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PM Justin Trudeau's Canada

TStephens said:
Liberals are hurting now but it all moves in cycles -- one party is terrible until the other wins, and then they're the bad guys. Have to say though, Liberal strategy has been disappointing, especially as someone who's close to buying their first house and is getting stress tested at much higher mortgage rates; I don't doubt that it's necessary, just unfortunate timing for myself.
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Since I'm beyond mortgage days, I'm not that familiar with the ins-and-outs of the current stress test, but I bought my first house in the early 80s when interest rates shot up to the double digits. I was locked in at about 9% and felt pretty thrilled. Although we don't have the sub-prime mortgages up here that were prominent in the last meltdown, I do support some form of stress test that protects buyers from themselves and lenders from imposed risk. What level of mortgage you are looking at, how big a rate increase could you handle (not looking for an answer - just rhetorical)?
 
lenaitch said:
Since I'm beyond mortgage days, I'm not that familiar with the ins-and-outs of the current stress test, but I bought my first house in the early 80s when interest rates shot up to the double digits. I was locked in at about 9% and felt pretty thrilled. Although we don't have the sub-prime mortgages up here that were prominent in the last meltdown, I do support some form of stress test that protects buyers from themselves and lenders from imposed risk. What level of mortgage you are looking at, how big a rate increase could you handle (not looking for an answer - just rhetorical)?
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I would likely support a stress test as well if I had already purchased a house lol. It's just hard with how high housing prices have risen in the GTA.
 
The stress test should be tweaked IMO. It's madness that someone applying for a 10 year fixed rate mortgage and 35% down is getting stress tested. All it does is just make condos even more popular and rives up the prices, making it even harder for 1st time homebuyers. Hard for move-up buyers as well when you add the double land transfer tax as well. Agent fees. Everyone is still making money from real-estate at the expense of the buyers.
 
Videodrome said:
Is this still considered a big scandal?
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"Still"? It never went away. Trudeau has been and continues to be a thug behind the scenes. And before anyone makes the worn and wimpy comeback: "Oh but Scheer blah, blah, blah" this is nothing to do with thinking Scheer, the other lurid loser is any better, or Singh a song of mediocrity...

Trudeau ruined an innocent man's life. And he's going pay...Henein once again comes out looking exceptional on this. Accountability shouldn't have to happen through the courts, but in Canada's case, with so little political answer-ability, thank God it does, at least in some cases. I'm just sorry it didn't go to trial. For once the slimy baztards would have to be sworn to tell the truth.
 
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lenaitch said:
Although we don't have the sub-prime mortgages up here that were prominent in the last meltdown, I do support some form of stress test that protects buyers from themselves and lenders from imposed risk.
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Some modicum of stability must be inherent in the model, or everyone *honest* loses. Commerce requires rules. Just as you can't buy any drug of choice at a pharmacy due to needed protections of society (albeit the details are a discussion in themselves) the mortgage market has to be optimized to perform in a predictable way.

Canada fared well during the last crisis due to tighter regulations than most nations. The Canada Bank Act may not be perfect, and associated legislation, but if there are faults, they're a lot less than most nations'.

I have trepidations about
Government of Canada offers Homeownership Incentives - CMHC
 
steveintoronto said:
"Still"? It never went away. Trudeau has been and continues to be a thug behind the scenes. And before anyone makes the worn and wimpy comeback: "Oh but Scheer blah, blah, blah" this is nothing to do with thinking Scheer, the other lurid loser is any better, or Singh a song of mediocrity...

Trudeau ruined an innocent man's life. And he's going pay...Henein once again comes out looking exceptional on this. Accountability shouldn't have to happen through the courts, but in Canada's case, with so little political answer-ability, thank God it does, at least in some cases. I'm just sorry it didn't go to trial. For once the slimy baztards would have to be sworn to tell the truth.
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This is precisely why I'm voting with my conscience this coming election. Every time the Liberals come into power they seem to get caught with their hands in the cookie jar. I still remember the Sponsorship Scandal. And how they did JWR dirty is just inexcusable.
 
Hopkins123 said:
Provide me with better options, and I'd consider them. As is...
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For Liberal voters, who are facing a minority or opposition, I say vote Green. I always thought that they were far too idealistic and ineffective. That time is past. The NDP will no longer be the 'alternative party on the left', they're strangled with ideology, and the Cons long ago deserted centre.

Green must be Seen.
 
steveintoronto said:
For Liberal voters, who are facing a minority or opposition, I say vote Green. I always thought that they were far too idealistic and ineffective. That time is past. The NDP will no longer be the 'alternative party on the left', they're strangled with ideology, and the Cons long ago deserted centre.

Green must be Seen.
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Further to this, I see a schism happening in the NDP. It's already there, just not overt yet. It will split into Labour and Neutral Centrists, the latter either merging with the Greens, or forming a semi-permanent coalition with them. And I see a place for Mulcair as well as JWR, Philpott, and other Libs and some Cons to join, either as affiliated Independents, or full members.

There's actually a lot of outstanding politicos in Canada (federally and provincially) who belong to shitty parties. We're seeing this division in the UK and elsewhere, it's been the case in a number of nations historically, and it's time for Parties to represent their members again, not the other way around.

It will take a new party to do this, but even easier to do it with voting affiliation with the Greens, or an actual assimilation. Minority governments especially lend themselves to this happening.
 
Jasmine18 said:
I am likely going to vote Conservative due to the carbon tax.

I am more worried about that over time will become a cash cow for the government and a way to jack up taxes on people to pay for poor fiscal management.
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So....you're likely to vote for a party, on the basis that it opposes doing anything to discourage behavior which will make a large part of the planet uninhabitable in the space of three generations?

That doesn't sound like enlightened self-interest to me.

I don't have a problem with opposing a carbon tax providing you have an alternate solution to the climate change regime. But I have yet to hear a credible one from the current crop of Conservatives.

Keep in mind that any other solution will have financial costs, and job costs (ie. legislated emission caps, or federal corporate welfare green schemes etc.)

You will pay (as will we all) in higher consumer prices and/or more taxes.
 
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Hopkins123 said:
Provide me with better options, and I'd consider them. As is...
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I don't think the current regime in Ottawa has been particularly brilliant.

Be that as it may, they and the NDP and the Greens are all better choices than the Scheer-led Conservatives.

Not that that is a particularly high bar.
 
Northern Light said:
So....you're likely to vote for a party, on the basis that it opposes doing anything to discourage behavior which will make large part of the planet uninhabitable in the space of three generations?

That doesn't sound like enlightened self-interest to me.

I don't have a problem with opposing a carbon tax providing you have an alternate solution to the climate change regime. But I have yet to hear a credible one from the current crop of Conservatives.

Keep in mind that any other solution will have financial costs, and job costs (ie. legislated emission caps, or federal corporate welfare green schemes etc.)

You will pay (as will we all) in higher consumer prices and/or more taxes.
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The carbon tax that is less in other provinces
The carbon tax that does not tax hydro in the East Coast
The Carbon tax that emits many big polluters

That carbon tax?

I rather have emission caps or an end to sprawl and similar ideas as that actually do something for the environment around me locally then some tax I can't really see the impact of.

Personally, I don't put much value into a tax scheme that reduces emissions by like a few % over a decade or so and that is fundamentally a very regressive tax. Yes, you get the money back but in BC it's not carbon neutral anymore, so I doubt it will be long term and will be just another govt cash cow than some 'save the environment' scheme.

I think Libearls are gonna lose a lot of votes over the carbon tax here in the 905.
 
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