There's a lot to like in the latest economic data for Canada

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
30,245
99
48
Alberta
Like I said, I was referring to their rhetoric, not what they actually do.
A balanced budget is desired by both the right and left as that is the only way programs are sustainable. Only the fringe dwellers (like Flossy and our resident Trumpites) care little or nothing for a balanced budget.The only real difference between the left and right is whether the budget gets balanced with more spending cuts or more tax increases. As far as helping the poor, both sides want to do that. The issue is how. Medicine Hat is one of the most conservative areas in the country and they have ended homelessness.
 

Hoid

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 15, 2017
20,408
4
36
That is a good example of one and done, Chretien cut to deep for the left and didn't remove the g.s.t. for the central right like he promised. Martin didn't really do anything that he promised but didn't really hurt anything either.
they paid the debt down
 

Murphy

Executive Branch Member
Apr 12, 2013
8,181
0
36
Ontario
Using 33 billion dollars of RCMP/CF pension fund money. I'll let you look that up.
 

Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
6,326
4,028
113
Edmonton
Perhaps. What if we modified the Constitution so that no government could reduce overall revenue (taxes, royalties, fees, fines, etc.) or increase overall expenditure without a 2/3 majority vote? I don't know how that would work, but just a thought I'm throwing out there.

Another thing. I'm not saying don't help the poor, but I do think we need to help the poor more wisely, especially when we're dealing with mental health. For example, do we help a poor gambling addict by just giving him more money? What do you think he'll do with that money? I'm not saying don't help him, but let's plug the hole at the bottom before we waste time dumping water out of the boat. For example, we might create a national self-exclusion list for casinos, require casinos to identify each person entering, and deny anyone on the self-exclusion list. Any person applying for social assistance should be required to put himself on the self-exclusion list before he can apply for social assistance. We might extend this list to any business that sells alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, and even massages. Unless a person puts himself on the national self-exclusion list, he can't apply for social assistance, and no business should be allowed to sell these products or services to someone on the list.



You can already put yourself on a self exclusion list but I honestly don't know how effective it is. Does it cover all casinos or just ones that a person usually visits?
 

White_Unifier

Senate Member
Feb 21, 2017
7,300
2
36
You can already put yourself on a self exclusion list but I honestly don't know how effective it is. Does it cover all casinos or just ones that a person usually visits?

I'm not sure about that. Firstly, I know it's a provincial responsibility. That means that if you live near a provincial border, you'd have to put yourself on the exclusion list in both provinces. Secondly, I'm not sure if it's a provincial self-exclusion list or a location-based one for each casino.

From the video I'll link to below though, at least Ontario's is highly ineffective since it relies on unreliable facial-recognition cameras to spot a person on the list.

If we truly wanted an effective list, it should be a national one firstly. Secondly, casinos should require each person who enters to scan his fingerprint, passport, or other accepted document to identify whether he is on the self-exclusion list and, if in doubt, the casino should not let him in. Singapore might be a good model for that kind of policy in that it does have a national self-exclusion list, a person must scan his ID card or passport to enter, and any person, be he a national or a foreigner, can freely add himself to the list.

Singapore takes it even one step further. A parent, spouse, adult child, the state, employer, or creditor can apply to have a person added to an exclusion list against his will. The person can appeal, but then a judge will make the final decision based on whether the evidence shows the person to be a problem gambler.

The video appears here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3aDOTSqh94
 

Twin_Moose

Hall of Fame Member
Apr 17, 2017
22,041
6,160
113
Twin Moose Creek
Higher public debt slowed private debt: Poloz

OTTAWA - The federal government's steps to amass more public debt have helped Canadians avoid an even faster build-up of their personal debt loads, even though such household burdens have still managed to hit historic highs, the Bank of Canada governor said Tuesday. Stephen Poloz said Ottawa's spending in the last couple of years on programs such as enhanced child benefits and infrastructure, have contributed to economic growth.
The extra public investments have also helped push interest rates up to a level higher than they would have been without the government stimulus, he said.
From there, those higher rates have helped slow the accumulation of household debt and, while it's still climbed to record levels, it's lower than it otherwise would have been had Canada continued with government belt-tightening approaches of the past, Poloz said.
"It's always hard to imagine the counterfactual, but if rates had to stay lower for longer that would mean more household debt — and the federal government has accumulated some fiscal debt instead," Poloz said as he responded to questions following his speech at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. "And I think that's a trade-off that, of course, you have to make in policy-making space."
All things considered, Poloz added that this "mix has worked better for the economy than the old mix."
He said he didn't want to comment on the merits of specific fiscal policies of the past. But he noted the current approach has helped guide Canada's economy closer to reaching its full capacity, or "home," as Poloz calls it.

Does anyone believe this load of crap
 

Hoid

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 15, 2017
20,408
4
36
I think most people here are just like you and believe what they would like to believe.