PM Justin Trudeau's Canada

[christiesplits]

Four federal by-elections were called on Sunday:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/byelections-federal-government-2023-1.6843113

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount (Quebec)
Oxford (Ontario)
Portage–Lisgar (Manitoba)
Winnipeg South Centre (Manitoba)

 

[Northern Light]

Four federal by-elections were called on Sunday:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/byelections-federal-government-2023-1.6843113

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount (Quebec)
Oxford (Ontario)
Portage–Lisgar (Manitoba)
Winnipeg South Centre (Manitoba)

All appear to be, superficially, safe seats for the incumbent party (2 Lib, 2 Con)

But 2 might be worth a closer look.

In Oxford, in southern Ontario, the retiring Conservative MP has endorsed someone running to be the Liberal nominee. Hmmm. Some divisive stuff going on w/the Cons there, as an anti-abortion nominee was disqualified from running by the party and is not happy.

***

The race in Candice Bergen's old seat should be safe, she took it with 50% the last time out. But..... the second place finisher last time was the PPC at 22%

Bernier has said he's going to run here. The combination of loosing Bergen (an incumbent) and the PPC running its leader..... I still think the PCs would have this one, but if they get knocked below 40 and the left vote coalesced.......ya never know.

I don't see the Libs losing Westmount, if they do, the Libs are in dire trouble; they should also be safe in Carr's old seat I would think, though....I wonder how it will play that his son (Carr's) is running to replace him. (as a Lib)

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

Households now owe more than Canada's entire GDP, housing agency warns​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/household-debt-gdp-1.6852027

"Canada's very high levels of household debt — the highest in the G7 — makes the economy vulnerable to any global economic crisis," he said. "When many households in an economy are heavily indebted, the situation can quickly deteriorate, such as what was witnessed in the U.S. in 2007 and 2008."

"By contrast, household debt in the U.S. fell from 100 per cent of GDP in 2008 to about 75 per cent in 2021," he said, adding that the ratio also dropped in places like the U.K. and Germany. "While U.S. households reduced debt, Canadians increased theirs and this will likely continue to increase unless we address affordability in the housing market."

The CMHC report noted that three quarters of Canadian household debt is tied to mortgages. The housing agency said that any desire to address a looming debt problem is closely linked to the country's housing market.

"As house prices increase in Canada, households take on debt leading to a rise in the total amount of debt in the economy," Aled ab Iorwerth said. "Longer term, reestablishing housing affordability in Canada will be key to reducing household debt if they want to become homeowners."

 

[jje1000]

Our new indentured working class- lured here on a promise, and then exploited to keep wages low and eventually underpin our rental markets:

Canada calling: Indian students face acute unemployment amid affordability crisis; desis in Calgary could tilt political scales

These instances underscore an issue that Canadian colleges and their agents gloss over at education fairs in India: the escalating unemployment issue among international students.

indianexpress.com

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7230124552968293637

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7234147628588485893

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7230161846488091910

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7229511962843958529

 

[Northern Light]

Our new indentured working class- lured here on a promise, and then exploited to keep wages low and eventually underpin our rental markets:

Canada calling: Indian students face acute unemployment amid affordability crisis; desis in Calgary could tilt political scales

These instances underscore an issue that Canadian colleges and their agents gloss over at education fairs in India: the escalating unemployment issue among international students.

indianexpress.com

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7230124552968293637

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7234147628588485893

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7230161846488091910

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7229511962843958529

See this post by yours truly in the Mayoral Election thread on this point in some measure. Though my post was positioned more in respect of how the surge in foreign students here is being used to hyper-inflate the housing market; I fully concur its also be used to suppress wages, particularly in entry-level jobs.

They are flip sides of the same coin; and its both immoral and foolish; and serves neither the interests of said students, nor Canada and Canadians writ-large.

2023 Toronto Mayoral by-election

Bailao released more of her housing platform: https://anabailao.ca/latest-news/bold-reforms-to-build-more-homes Bailao released more of her housing platform: https://anabailao.ca/latest-news/bold-reforms-to-build-more-homes As-of-right, 8-storeys might be bold, if it meant along all...

urbantoronto.ca

***

For further clarity, this is not an anti-foreign student thing at all; its about the sheer volume, the exorbitant tuition we charge them, and the permission we then provide them to work full-time, while supposedly studying full-time, that leads you to the conclusion this serves only the twin purposes of enriching chain-retail, sweat-shop factories, office cleaning and security guard firms; along with developers/housing investors; at the expense of said students and most Canadians.

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

Immigration along with the housing problem will be the sword that the Liberals may die on. I wonder how long until Canadians start noticing the impact that their children aren't able to land a summer job or part time job due to hyper immigration fulfilling the part-time and entry level jobs and housing will never be affordable. This will easily play into the Conservatives hand if the Liberals are not careful. I honestly think the Liberals have opened Pandora's box and do not know what to do or what will be the consequences.

https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2023/canada-new-immigrants-consequences/

Canada undoubtedly needs immigration, but post-secondary education and labour market policies are so interconnected that attention must be paid to the effect of an increase of a million new permanent residents. More enforcement against immigration scams, particularly aimed at post-secondary students, and the over-reliance of those institutions on foreign students should be deterred. The implications of more migrants on a housing market, particularly in specific cities, means a need for more careful planning. All of this suggests that these new immigration targets cannot be viewed as merely an issue of welcoming more faces. It requires careful planning, which to date does not appear to be happening.

 

[Sunnyside]

Immigration along with the housing problem will be the sword that the Liberals may die on. I wonder how long until Canadians start noticing the impact that their children aren't able to land a summer job or part time job due to hyper immigration fulfilling the part-time and entry level jobs and housing will never be affordable. This will easily play into the Conservatives hand if the Liberals are not careful. I honestly think the Liberals have opened Pandora's box and do not know what to do or what will be the consequences.

https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2023/canada-new-immigrants-consequences/

I think they don't have a choice. This is the economy they have been trying to build, and it exists now. What is the alternative? How much of our planned economic growth now predicates on rapid population growth? What happens to the Liberals if they somehow actually slow immigration and housing costs actually go down? Not only is it a terrible look for the efficacy of Liberal policy, but it would also tank what is now a large cornerstone sector of the economy... They're backed into a corner. Hell, we may all be backed into a corner. Pandora's box is very apt.

 

[Northern Light]

I think they don't have a choice. This is the economy they have been trying to build, and it exists now. What is the alternative? How much of our planned economic growth now predicates on rapid population growth? What happens to the Liberals if they somehow actually slow immigration and housing costs actually go down? Not only is it a terrible look for the efficacy of Liberal policy, but it would also tank what is now a large cornerstone sector of the economy... They're backed into a corner. Hell, we may all be backed into a corner. Pandora's box is very apt.

Of course they have a choice.

People are already feeling the pain and seeing a decline in quality of life; the status quo plan, as currently laid out is a failure.

Will changing things result in pain; yes, absolutely, but so will attempting to stay the course.

Time to shift.

 

[kEiThZ]

I think they don't have a choice. This is the economy they have been trying to build, and it exists now. What is the alternative? How much of our planned economic growth now predicates on rapid population growth? What happens to the Liberals if they somehow actually slow immigration and housing costs actually go down? Not only is it a terrible look for the efficacy of Liberal policy, but it would also tank what is now a large cornerstone sector of the economy... They're backed into a corner. Hell, we may all be backed into a corner. Pandora's box is very apt.

You might be right that we're backed into a corner. But also, none of this is sustainable. It will break eventually, one way or another.

 

[Sunnyside]

Of course they have a choice.

People are already feeling the pain and seeing a decline in quality of life; the status quo plan, as currently laid out is a failure.

Will changing things result in pain; yes, absolutely, but so will attempting to stay the course.

Time to shift.

Oh, change is certainly needed. I moreso meant that by making that decision, the Liberals are going to lose support en masse due to the economic fallout, which leaves the only alternative of staying on the set course- at least that way they can pretend everything is okay. The choice is between sacrificing near-term political prospects and doing what is right for Canadians, or attempting to hold things together a little longer at everyone's expense. I think they have no reason to not take the selfish option, else things would have changed already.

 

[Sunnyside]

You might be right that we're backed into a corner. But also, none of this is sustainable. It will break eventually, one way or another.

The Liberals are staying on this path only because they don't want to be seen as responsible for a crash or recession when it does break. By extension, they certainly won't want to be the ones to do it. Damned if they do something, damned if they don't. And it's easier to do nothing.

 

[kamira51]

Still waiting on that electoral reform he's promised like three times?

What a joke.

 

[jje1000]

Fundamental economic mismatch:
- Employees want jobs with proper security, living wages/support, and flexibility
- Employers are not willing to pay what the free market demands, and instead whine about the lack of 'qualified individuals'
- Immigration is instead increased to fulfil these positions (re: our new indentured working class).

'Not a simple story': Labour shortages aren't being driven by lack of highly educated job seekers​

Shortages appear to be mostly centred in jobs requiring little education

Labour shortages in Canada appear to be mostly centred in jobs requiring little education, while employers finding it difficult to fill positions requiring higher levels of education probably aren’t facing challenges because candidates lack the necessary degrees, suggests a new research paper from Statistics Canada.

The paper, published on May 24, said that for every job vacancy requiring a university degree in the fourth quarter last year, there were at least two unemployed individuals with the necessary degree. In contrast, the study found the number of vacant positions requiring a high school diploma or less has exceeded the number of unemployed Canadians with equivalent education since the third quarter of 2021.

The findings suggest employers’ complaints about a labour crunch cannot, in general, be attributed to a national shortage of highly educated job seekers.

“To administer the proper treatment, you have to come up with the proper diagnosis,” René Morissette, the paper’s author and senior economist at Statistics Canada, said.

In 2022, the number of job vacancies in Canada averaged 942,000, about two-and-a-half times the average of 377,000 in 2016. To address high vacancies and labour shortages, government officials and businesses often point to immigration as a solution. Indeed, shortages were a key reason behind the federal government’s decision last year to increase immigration targets that aim to bring in 500,000 newcomers annually by 2025.

Morissette’s paper states that for the 113,000 vacant positions in the fourth quarter last year that required a university degree, there were 227,000 unemployed Canadians and permanent residents that met the education criteria, out of which 123,000 were unemployed immigrants with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

'Not a simple story': Labour shortages aren't being driven by lack of highly educated job seekers

A Statistics Canada study finds complaints about a labour crunch cannot be attributed to a shortage of highly educated job seekers. Read on.

financialpost.com

And it may be moving up the wage tier:

Ontario engineer regulator drops Canadian experience qualification | Globalnews.ca

Professional Engineers Ontario says up to 60 per cent of the licence applicants it reviews every year are internationally trained.

globalnews.ca

Ottawa grants Lululemon waiver from immigration rules on hiring foreign workers

Ottawa has exempted Lululemon from immigration rules to ensure the company keeps and expands its headquarters in Vancouver. Read on.

financialpost.com

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

Trudeau says new housing-based long-term infrastructure plan coming this fall​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-housing-long-term-infrastructure-1.6856234

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Canada's mayors Friday that his government will roll out a new long-term infrastructure plan in the fall to boost the stock of affordable housing across the country.

Speaking to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Big City Mayors Conference in Toronto, Trudeau said he'd save the details of the plan for the autumn but promised it "will have very direct links to housing."

In February of 2021, Trudeau announced the federal government would spend nearly $15 billion over eight years on public transportation projects. On Friday, he said the incentives behind the infrastructure plan will be similar to those in the transit plan.

"Access to full funding will rely on you coming to the table with concrete and ambitious commitments on how you're going to build more housing to go with more transit," he said.

"This means that, just like the Housing Accelerator Fund, the more ambitious your housing targets, the more generous we'll be able to be in partnering with you."

Why does this seem like another do nothing announcement?

 

[Northern Light]

Poland seems to have a rather more efficient procurement system than Canada.....

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/military-procurement-1.6859745