Does Canada Suck Now?

I grew up near Detroit, with Ontario across the river. Despite Canada's reputation for being a little backward and square, I loved it--people were polite, it was progressive, and they allowed drinking in their strip clubs at age 18 (is Happy Tap still there?) I always thought that, if worst came to worst under Christofascist Republicans, I could move there. Now I'm hearing about their new conservative government, banning transgender people, etc...has Canada really changed substantially and become conservative?

• Conservative PM, Stephen Harper has really moved Canada to the right wing, economically and socially. The irony is Canada's relatively solid economic situation is the result of 10 years of top fiscal management that the Conservatives inherited from Liberal Prime Minister, Jean Chretien. Canada is subject to the same rule of governance as the USA. Democracy does not guarantee good government, only the right to choose government .. and if you choose poorly, you pay the price, which Canada is doing right now. Liberal Party leadership incompetence, which continues today under Bob Rae, is also partly to blame.

• I just spent some months in Canada. I didn't find it conservative - well, not anywhere near the conservative/ring-wing mentality witnessed in some segments of the US. Canada leans more to European mentality, most people are liberal (and a minority are not). Canadians are square, polite and the country remains backward in many respects (infrastructure, decor, cuisine all seems behind-the-times, but it's all good!). I found Canada was not unduly under the thumb of political correctness (refreshing compared to some European countries). Governments - right wing or left wing - come and go. This generally doesn't change the mentality of the people in democracies. Just because Canada has a right-wing government doesn't mean it's changing into some intolerant, Nazi behemoth. When Dubya was in power, many non-Americans could not separate the American people from the American government. Both were scorned. Ironically, many Americans are now projecting the same misconception on Canada.

• Harper still had to be stealth about his religious affiliations. Had he brought them up during election time, it would have meant death for his campaign. Canadians just aren't very religious, save many new immigrants but that tends to go away after the 2nd gen. Jesus just doesn't play a big part in politics, hence gay marriage and a more relaxed attitude about nudity and sex.

• Take it from someone who lived there two years - - it is a fucked up miserable place.

  misshelenbedd

• MHB was all poised to be a big fish in a small pond but even Canada with its lower standards couldn't stomach its lack of talent and ugly face.

• R5= Sydney Crosby's skidmark

• How witty, a poop-infused insult. No wonder they tossed your rosebud from Canada - a nation with comedy standards.

• Helen Bedd is HAWT!

  http://www.theaterdogs.net/2008/06/19/review-tuna-does-vegas%u2019/

  Tuna%2C%20Texas

• How's life in the academy going mhb? Is that thesis published yet?

• Tuna Christmas and Tasty Creme

  http://www.examiner.com/arts-in-houston/tuna-christmas-and-the-tasty-cream-picture

  Inita%20Goodwin

• Maybe it's Skate Canada's fault.

• LOL @ R9, who clearly has no idea of the difference between a thesis and dissertation. Try going somewhere other than a community college and you may learn not to embarrass yourself among educated people with graduate educations. It was done long ago sweetie... and it's Dr. Helenbedd (Ivy league) to you!

  mhb

• Hold onto that one victory MHB, because when you're born ugly and sour, it's best to work with what you have!

• r12, I'm European, a PhD results in the production of a "thesis" in most jurisdictions. Clearly, you're not attending international conferences, or moving beyond the confines of US academia, otherwise you'd know that. Of course, if you're still referring to yourself as 'Dr' and not 'Prof' it suggests US academia is alluding you too!

  A%20Prof%20%28employed%20sweetie%29

• Canada's top skaters have been training under the US Figure Skating program for a few years now. The Canadian tax payer, pays for it and Skate Canada executives take their cut of this money. Eventually US Figure Skating is going to shut that loop hole, as they get sick of Canadian skaters using US training to beat American athletes.

• The smoking gun is Dominion Voting Systems. They intend to keep Canada under the right wing thumb, same as the USA. They claim to be Canadian but it's run by two asshats who worked for an Israeli-owned Sillicon Valley start-up. They had no background in voting technology when they decided they just had to be the biggest players in the game. They generate paper, but paper by itself isn't the answer. There has to be a way to check the paper.

• We still have a lot more rights - marriage, universal health care and so on. But the current Conservative government is doing its best to change that. It has recently come out that they stole the last election with some dirty tricks in key ridings, which gave them a majority. But even still, in terms of popular vote, the majority of voters voted against them. Oh and MHB got deported. So things are looking up.

• UM R14, then go post on some European board. A thesis is what students in the US write for a masters degree. A dissertation is written for a phd... so perhaps your phd's are equal to our masters... but dont give me shit about not moving internationally when you clearly dont understand American education... same goes for you... and btw, who gives two shits about european education... you just want everything americans have and are bitter at us as people because you dont have them.... just like Data Lounge... Another American invention Europeans AND CANADIANS cant keep their grubby hands off of... all the while bitter because Americans invented it.

• I've always wondered if Canada swallowed.

• I had a thesis for my baccalaureat myself.

• who gives a shit. Nobody was talking to you R20

• Stephen Harper will be Canada's Richard Nixon.

• Don`t believe the ravings of DL`s lone loon going on about how Canada has become a Republican Bastion. Harper has not made a single move towards reversing ANYTHING, even publicly announcing that he will not be re-opening any debate on gay marriage or abortions. He is a Conservative , but that would make him a leftish Democrat by US standards. I personally have no love for Harper, but I do love my country and I`m tired of this Ànti-Harper Troll`trying to convince you all that Canada has turned Nazi and Harper is the new Hitler. Give it a rest Troll.

• [quote]I've always wondered if Canada swallowed. French Canada, being the more earthy type, spits, while polite anglos allows swallow.

• stop trying to make Canada happen. It is a pathetic little backwater that has such a little brother complex about the united states that nothing but the word tedious comes to mind on the rare occasion we think about it.

  mhb

• Yes, it sucks. Canada may have universal healthcare and gay marriage, but don't be fooled - it's a VERY homophobic country. Worse than the US.

• R26 is either delusional or just an outright liar trying to start a fight. Check out the link to Canadian Cities that have Official Gay Pride Celebrations, such cosmopolitan cities like Saskatoon, Cornerbrook, Moncton, Price George etc etc ... Even Calgary the most right wing city in Canada not only has a huge gay Pride ,gay Rodeo but also a `Queer Arts & Cultural Festival``

  http://digitalqueeries.queerwest.org/files/world_pride_days.htm

• R27 No sweetie, I'm very serious. Those are facts.

  R26

• Post some links then R27, sweetie. Even a hick town like Winnipeg has elected an openly gay mayor. Gay MP Scott Brisons' home riding is in Hants County, Nova Scotia, about as rural and traditional as you can find in Canada. Even the small local papers there had glowing coverage of his gay wedding a few years ago.

• Does Canada Suck Now? A) Yes B) Yeah

  Eh%2C%20%20Canada

• Thank God MHB left the country. The air seems fresher up here since she blew back across the border. Poor America.

• I got dissertation from eating street vendor food in Tijuana.

  Anomynous%20

• Toronto sucks now, but then most Canadians fled the city years ago.

• Hope your the next to join them, R33

• Canadian PM, Stephen Harper has become good friends with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. They are the only 2 major world leaders against equal marriage in the west, now the Obama has spoken up for full equal rights.

• My impression is that Montreal and Ottawa are great places to live. And that Toronto & Vancouver used to be great but aren't anymore. Is this true?

• Montreal can be at times. Ottawa is too small and boring. Toronto and Vancouver were never really great, though they long to be.

• No

• There really are only 20 people on this board. Three of them are on this thread -- the Harper is a Nazi troll, the Toronto is a shithole troll, and mhb.

• R35, Canada HAS equal marriage. Canada hasn't swung to the right; the Conservative Party had to swing drastically to the left and more or less become the Liberal Party (pro-immigrant, pro-choice, pro-gay) to get elected. That's the great irony in Harper's career; he's been forcibly molded into a Progressive.

• OP is a loon!

• What bullshit, Harper is no progressive.

• Canada does actually suck. I think things are getting worse.

• NO way is Harper a progressive... and Canada only has Gay marriage because it was forced by the Supreme Court. Nice that Canadians are trying to make their history sound better than it really was...

  Anonymous

• Canadians aren't trying to make their history sound better, R44. It's just one idiot (that doesn't have a boyfriend) that voted for Harper.

• The idea that Canada has become some sort of ultra-conservative waste land is completely ridiculous. Canada is a beautiful, successful and friendly country that is often rightfully ranked as among the best places to live on earth. Harper is indeed more conservative than the great and long liberal history under Chretien and Trudeau, but it must be remembered that any Canadian prime minister has limited powers ("prime" meaning first among many). But equally important, Canada is NOT a religious country by comparison to many others, especially the US, and so conservatism here is not based to any great extent in social policy. For example, equal marriage is very much a fact of life here, and NO leader or party, including Harper, is about to revisit the issue. Universal health care is a deeply held point of national pride. If you follow politics in both Canada and the US (as I do), it is very easy to see that the Harper Conservatives are in many respects more liberal than the Obama's Democrats. Certainly, the current Republican party has no equivalent in Canada except for a few fringe groups with no particular power or influence. By the way, I am western Canadian born, a life-long Canadian resident, and have lived in Toronto for years. I always vote the much-more left wing NDP, just in case you think I'm some sort of Harper fan. I think Toronto is a great place to live, with much to offer, but there are a whole bunch of highly liveable Canadian cities, including Vancouver (beautiful, very west coast), Victoria (the retirement capital), Calgary (thriving, great for business types), Edmonton (surprisingly left-wing, with a great cultural scene), Montreal (cosmopolitan, with the most beautiful men in the country), and other fine places. And no matter who or where you are, please come for a visit and see some of this wonderful land for yourself. We'd love to show you around.

• R46 speaks the truth, and I am an American. I even agree with him about Montreal's beautiful men, despite the fact that nearly every man there is batshit crazy. Seriously, it's the dark heart of toxoplasmosis. But yes, Canada has very nice people and some beautiful landscapes. They also have lots of foreskin, and they're eager to share.

• Yet Obama supports equal marriage Canada's PM Harper does not. Canada is becoming more right wing everyday.

• But all of the Canadians who move to the US are complete assholes--explain that!

• Not once during his ten year reign did "liberal" Jean Chretien introduce legislation to legalize same sex marriage or express any support for it. Always the craven political operative, he chose to leave it to the courts to decide.

  Chretien%20%3D%20French%20for%20asshole%20

• R48 and R50, please, the same sex marriage debate is over and done in Canada. Quit playing fear-monger. One day after an unexpected glitch was found in the equal marriage law, this was the reaction of the Harper government, as quoted from the National Post: "The federal government is working quickly to change the law so that the marriages of the thousands of gay couples who travel to Canada to wed are legally recognized in this country. “We want to make it very clear that in our government’s view, these marriages should be valid,” a senior government official said on Friday. “That’s why we will change the Civil Marriage Act so that any marriages performed in Canada that aren’t recognized in the couple’s home jurisdiction will be recognized in Canada.” The legislative change will apply to all marriages performed in Canada regardless of the laws of the jurisdiction in which the couple live, the official said." Harper clearly stated at the time that the issue of same-sex marriage will NOT be revisited in Canada. Equal marriage is here to stay in Canada. Period.

  http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/13/harper-government-working-to-clarify-same-sex-marriage-law-so-all-marriages-are-correctly-recognized-in-canada/

• R49, it's easy to explain. There are indeed a few "complete assholes" from Canada, but as you have so astutely observed, they tend to move to the US, where they can be with others assholes just like them.

  Is%20that%20asshole%20enough%20for%20you%3F

• R51 quotes from the pro-Harper, right-wing National Post. The first thing he did, once he got his majority, was to try to screw around with gay marriage, picking on people from other countries because they were the most vulnerable.

  http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE80B20U20120112

• oops posted link in wrong spot

  http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE80B20U20120112

• You forgot to add R53 how quickly he back tracked on that, once the media and mainstream Canadians caught on. He did many mea culpas on the news for a few nights and was rightly chastened for his ignorant attempt at Christianizing Canada.

• Wow, R53, you really have got this all messed up. I am R51, who quoted the National Post article. Look carefully at the Reuters article you posted; it is dated Jan 12, 2012. The article I posted is dated ONE DAY LATER. What really happened is this: a loophole/glitch was found in the Canadian marriage law that made it possible that same-sex marriages performed in Canada might not be legal if the participants were from a place that did not recognize gay marriage. For about a day, there was some fear, and a lot of people reacted too quickly, thinking the Harper government was trying to find a back door way to stop gay marriage. This is the point when your Reuters article (and many others like it) was published. ONE DAY LATER, the Harper government moved swiftly and decisively to close the loophole/correct the glitch, thus demonstrating that they were determined that all marriages, including same-sex marriages, performed in Canada are fully legal. At the same time, Harper and the conservatives re-itterated yet again that they had no intention of re-opening debate on same-sex marriage. In other words, they did the right thing, and they did it swiftly. I fully agree that Harper is too right-wing, and I wouldn't ever vote for him, but he isn't some anti-gay nazi trying to stop gay marriage. That is a lie, and you shouldn't contribute to it. Absolute FACT: Equal marriage is here to stay in Canada. To present false and misleading information to the contrary doesn't help the discussion, nor our long-suffering American friends, for whom the battle to have their relationships fully recognized is still far from over. If gay people are going to achieve their goals, they must always take the high road, and not lower themselves to the right-wing standard of lies and misinformation.

• Does Canada Suck Now? Answers: a) yes b) yeah

  please%20give%20only%20one%20answer

• R48...and yet Canada has had gay marriage for 10 years and the US has not. Obama's sentiments are fairly meaningless unless they're backed up with legislation, no? I have no love for Harper but he isn't a true social conservative. The tiny minority of social conservatives in his party are starting to revolt because he won't reopen abortion debate. As to gay marriage, Harper's right hand man John Baird is gay, his other right hand man Jason Kenny is rumoured to be, and even his wife is rumoured to be a lezzie. I can walk down the street in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver & Quebec City holding my boyfriend's hand: in how many US cities is this true?

• R56, so glad the Republican convention is over so you had the time, away from Mitt Romney, to post that thread in defense of one of the few anti-gay leaders (Stephen Harper) left in the Western world today.

• Harper is about to sign a deal with China that would set up secret courts where China's companies can sue Canada if we pass laws to protect our health and environment that effect their profits.

• nothing better than hockey hunk cock

• Harper is too a true social conservative. You told he would be thrown out in 2010. You told us he would be thrown out in 2011. Why the hell is that rat bastard still there?

• Canada is awful. Don't come here.

• link, r60? The FP paper quoted by the CBC was disturbing, but not entirely unexpected.

• R49 Thanks for your support. Love, Peter Jennings William Shatner Pamela Anderson Christopher Plummer Victor Garber Jennifer Granholm Robert Goulet Jim Carrey Michael J. Fox Alex Trebek Jason Priestley et. al.

• Harper knows the support for the Conservative majority government is shallow and conditional. If he goes too hard right, the Liberals would come roaring back. He only got his majority because a non confidence vote forced the second election in less than three years and people were pissed off about it so they voted Conservative in part to bring some stability to Ottawa. We'd had national elections in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011. And I'm not sure who will succeed Harper. The party could falter there. He's been PM for six years, he's mid fifties... he probably wants to make some money. I lean left (though not far enough left to vote for the NDP morons) but I don't think the country has changed at all since Harper and the Conservatives got elected. And for someone who asked upthread... I think Ottawa is a terrible place to live. Cold for too much of the year... provincial... not nice. Our government buildings lack grandeur. Toronto is... well, there's the most choice in everything. It's got a horrible, undermanaged subway system for which forty years of politicians at all levels are to blame. Driving is horrible because every street seems to be under construction. It's the biggest city in the country. It's fine. There are definitely more atmospheric places to live. It's biggest problem is it's gotten expensive and that's not stopping.

• r66, he got a majority because the Liberal Party is in complete disarray. The NDP need to get the fuck off the weighted union votes and redesign their platform. They've always had good leaders, but bad policy platforms (Layton, Broadbent, etc.)

• Whatever he got the majority for it was a majority by default... the country hasn't lurched to the right by any stretch.

• here are some links, R64

  http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1264290--canada-china-investment-deal-allows-for-confidential-lawsuits-against-canada

• another link

  http://www.vancouverobserver.com/politics/commentary/14-reasons-why-canada-china-investment-deal-needs-more-time-debate

• another link

  http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/102764--flawed-investment-treaty-with-china-on-fast-track-to-ratification-critics

• another linky

  http://www.ipolitics.ca/2012/11/14/dnp-trew/

• As long as Canada keeps anti-gay Evangelical Christian PM, Stephen Harper around......yes Canada sucks now, in the same was America sucked when they elected GW Bush in 2004.

• QUICK QUESTION!!!! Is Canada like lame or what? A) yes B) yeah

• Please by all means, if you already know everything there is to know about us, stay away from this literary, musical, cultural backwater. Don't eat our food, don't walk our streets and see actual multiculturalism in action. But if you have an open mind, come and be surprised. We have a bad PM, but we won't have him forever. It's a subtle country, not a chest-thumping one. There's caution, yes and it scares people. But it's a great and wildly diverse place ( just like America); there's lots of beauty in the land and the people. It's hard to define. It's anything but a shithole though. It's just a totally different place under the similar surface and takes a little adjustment.

  fuckin%27%20A

• [quote] It's just a totally different place under the similar surface and takes a little adjustment. EARTH-SHATTERING NEWS!

  *rolls%20eyes*

• Lets just call this era the "Harper and Bieber Era". Needless to say, it is not Canada's finest.

• Here is a fairly typical Canadian news story about increased protection from discrimination for transgendered people, in a primarily rural part of Canada. It was on the front page of the major newspaper in Nova Scotia, but no sign of public opposition. The Canadian constitution includes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms establishing the fundamental law on individual equality (language rights, also), but provinces also take an active role in advancing human rights.

  http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/183140-ns-moves-to-protect-rights-of-transgendered-people

• Canada stopped mutilating its baby boys. So on that account, right on Canada!

• I was listening to the radio on the way home and I heard an ad attacking the NDP and Thomas Mulcair specifically, put out by the Conservatives. It really sounded like a USA style Republican lie and attack ad. There isn't even an election. We just had one recently. They are trying to destroy him early with attack ads, the way they did with Ignatieff. Real early. The brainwashing starts.

• well, 60% of votes cast in the last election were for a party on the left (by American standards) so in comparison to the U.S, it is a very liberal place.

• I really love Canada, this despite the fact that I met a lot of rude people the last time I was there. (I think that's just Montreal, though.) I think we're lucky to have a functional, generous society that, while fundamentally similar to ours, still maintains some key differences, differences that allow us to put our own foibles and strengths in perspective.

  American

• The current US administration is more Liberal than the current Canadian administration. Like it or not. Obama supports full equality, Harper does not.

• Here are the facts. 25% of Canadians are avowed Conservatives. The left vote is broken into four different Parties: Greens, Ndp, Block [only in Quebec which has over 1/3 of the country's population] and Liberals. Even though the cons only achieved 30-some percent of the popular vote, they won the most seats enabling them to form government. Canada is by far a left leaning country. If we had the same system as is found in the U.S, Canada would be left wing for ever.

• Exactly R84. The various conservative parties had to join to a single party just to win an election.

• a primitive land with primitive peoples.

• r86, a primitive land could be described as one which doesn't care for its people, is corrupt to the core, is a theology bursting with a stilted version of Christian dogma and has little regard for equality and fairness...wouldn't that be the U.S. or say Uganda in comparison to Canada?

• What *is* the deal with Montreal, anyways?

• To the world, Canadians are the PM they elect. Deal!

• The British PM supports full equality for Gay Brits.

• The anti-Canada trolls are the same self-loathing idiots who think South Park is comedic genius.

• But Canadians DID elect Christofacist Republicans to run their country. How hypocritical is it to slam the USA for GW Bush but not extend the same courtesy North to Canada when they do the same thing?