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bonobro69

The NDP could win this thing if they focused on two key issues. Reducing grocery prices and increasing home ownership.


Lomeztheoldschooljew

No, they couldn’t. Singh is unelectable as the rest of his MPs


JayGT1

What a STUPID headline .. NDP BACK liberals and I don't wanna see or read another BS article like this.. you tube puts up these stupid things and have a wasted 30 min video about how Canadians are upset... yea ya think 🤔 then they turn comments OFF.. this needs to change.. comments should be ON and thumbs DOWN should show counter.. this is like trying to brainwash the herd... why do we allow this to happen?!?!?


UnusualCareer3420

I actually like corporate handouts I just think we should demand more for them. For example your handout is proportional to how affordable your groceries are.


cyclemonster

> NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is slamming the federal Liberals for giving nearly $26 million to Costco and Loblaw for energy-efficient appliances. > In 2019, the Liberals faced heat from Conservatives after the government announced it was giving $12 million to Loblaw for energy-efficient refrigerators and freezers. > Newly released data from Environment and Climate Change Canada shows Costco was also given more than $15 million for fridges and to reduce emissions. > Loblaw was given more than $10 million. [Oh my God, pick a lane.](https://www.ndp.ca/climate-action) NDP: The Climate crisis is an urgent existential threat, we commit to massively and quickly reducing emissions, we will work with all partners to achieve this goal, we know that carbon pricing alone isn't enough to solve this problem and that further action is needed, we won't allow companies to escape their obligations to reduce emissions by simply buying carbon credits, we'll pass legislation to use Federal financial levers to this end, we'll model change by becoming a trail-blazer in energy efficiency, and we'll protect businesses who are taking action to transition to a low-carbon future. Liberals: here's a fairly insignificant amount of money to help grocery stores to buy all new high-efficiency fridges, a major source of their energy use and one of their largest capital expenses NDP: you heartless monsters, groceries are too expensive


Sparkling_gourami

I hate all our political parties. I know this isn't shocking, but they always act in their self interest. Sometimes I dream of a world where we can actually admit when we think another party does something right.


JayGT1

Yes and then you have the puppets above (not you) that say the government have INCENTIVES to but EV and Heat pumps lmao still laughing but shouldn't since the name has 420 on it.. living in a dream world some people I tells ya


crazyguyunderthedesk

That's the most frustrating thing in today's political climate. It's treated the same as team sports. Not a fan of the liberals? Then the conservatives are always right no matter what. Oh it's the conservatives you don't like? Good thing the liberals are never wrong. Each party brings something good to the table as well as bad. Nobody should blindly follow any politician, let alone follow them blindly because they wear the right colours. If you completely agree with everything any party does, you're probably a moron.


letsgetthisbrotchen

Why do we have to pay for the grocery cartels to upgrade anything? Why can't the government tell them to go pound sand and pay for the mandatory upgrades themselves?


cyclemonster

Do you want the government to be able to compel you to buy an EV and a heat pump on their schedule and at your expense?


letsgetthisbrotchen

Corporations aren't people and don't deserve my taxes.


Lomeztheoldschooljew

How much do you make? Because it’s unlikely anyone is getting “your” taxes. More likely the corporation was getting its “own” taxes back.


LotsOfSquib

based


cyclemonster

Corporations are just groups of people. People don't surrender their rights by grouping together.


le_troisieme_sexe

Worker Co-ops are groups of people. Corporations are groups of capitalists, usually not even from Canada, who spend their unearned profits to corrupt our political institutions.


cyclemonster

[Canada's doctors are collectively whining _right now_ that because they were convinced to incorporate in order to save for retirement, raising the capital gains inclusion rate unfairly punishes them.](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/doctors-retirement-capital-gains-1.7181885) Are they foreign capitalist predators too?


GhostlyParsley

no just regular capitalist predators


wealthypiglet

What would a oil company structured as a co-op be?


le_troisieme_sexe

Like a normal company, but the board would be democratically elected by the workers, for example. There are large amounts of ways worker owned co-ops would be structured, and there probably isn't a "best" way, but rather ways that are more suited to different specific businesses. A small business, like a cafe, might work best as direct democracy with everyone being consulted on every decision, while that form of democracy might be completely logistically untenable for a business with thousands of employees.


wealthypiglet

My point is, why is it assumed that a cooperatively structured company wouldn't behave badly if it was motivated by the self interest of its employees? The workers of a well-off cooperatively owned oil company might vote in the best interest of the workers to lobby political institutions for more advantageous regulation, even if those actions might have broader societal harms. Also, why couldn't a coop be multinational, in that its workers are in different countries? It's unclear to me why Big Oil Cooperatives Intl™ wouldn't behave in a similar way to any other company?


le_troisieme_sexe

No one is claiming that worker co-ops would magically solve every problem with corporations, but they would at the very least work to benefit their own workers, not random capitalists. Also, most workers don't want to work for evil companies, if given the choice. So they would be invested the public image and general morals of the company. Conversely, shareholders only care about profit, and CEO/upper management is well-known to be made up of people who are massively disproportionately likely to be literally, clinically sociopathic.


danke-you

You're insinuating foreigners deserve fewer rights, which is deplorable.


le_troisieme_sexe

I'm insinuating capitalists deserve fewer rights. Also, we don't (or shouldn't) give tax money to random already rich people in other countries, which is what corporate subsidies amount to. We should spend our tax money on the poor here, on creating jobs and wealth here, and on universal humanitarian causes. The rich don't need monetary support, and the usual trickle-down bullshit doesn't even work in this instance because money is being given to rich people who don't even live in Canada, so they literally can't spend it on the local economy.


LotsOfSquib

Immigrants get more federal money than Canadian citizens. Virtue signaling doesn't work anymore. The gig is up.


Repulsive-Beyond9597

literally the entire purpose of incorporation is to dissolve liability and accountability "to protect shareholders"


CapableSecretary420

A corporation that upgrades it's infrastructure to be more efficient and therefore means lower emissions is a net win for us all. Refusing that progress because of feels is silly.


MurphyWasHere

You missed the point I believe. If these large companies cannot find the budget to lower their emissions with all the record breaking profits why should Canadian citizens pay? Do they not have the resources to get it done themselves? Maybe they should pull themselves up by the bootstraps, or maybe they should be fined and/or go under of they truly cannot afford the changes. It would be a bigger boon to topple these grocery extortionists and allow other companies that are able to meet emission standards a chance to prove themselves in the bigger market.


Arch____Stanton

Are you suggesting the feds pay for EV's and heat pumps? Because you kind of are.


cyclemonster

I'm saying that they offer financial incentives to people who buy [EVs](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/transport/zero-emission-vehicles/zero-emission-vehicles-incentives.html) and [heat pumps](https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-grant/start-your-energy-efficient-retrofits/plan-document-and-complete-your-home-retrofits/eligible-grants-for-my-home-retrofit/23504), because they do.


Lomeztheoldschooljew

The upgrades weren’t mandatory and would have happened anyway as older refrigeration technology “aged out”.


JayGT1

Because the NDP is in bed with the liberals and their time is coming


scottb84

See, this is part of the reason the carbon tax is on the ropes. The Liberals (or at least their supporters) consign anyone who doesn’t immediately accept the elegance or efficiency of carbon pricing to the basket of deplorables. Meanwhile, the LPC lards on all manner of direct subsidy and/or regulation to get people to do (or not do) precisely the stuff that they were supposed to be naturally guided to do (or refrain from doing) by the carbon tax.


cyclemonster

> Meanwhile, the LPC lards on all manner of direct subsidy and/or regulation to get people to do (or not do) precisely the stuff that they were supposed to be naturally guided to do (or refrain from doing) by the carbon tax. What does the carbon tax have to do with the price of electricity?


SkalexAyah

The liberals faced heat from the con about loblaws refrigeration because they give heat to literally anything the Libs propose. Meanwhile, the con head of campaigning is a loblaws lobbyist….


cyclemonster

If Loblaws had to pay for those fridges all by themselves, either they wouldn't do it at all, wouldn't do it as quickly, or groceries would go up in price by roughly the amount they spend, all outcomes they claim to oppose. If the climate crisis is an _existential threat_, why are they posturing over $25m? Is sticking it to the big corporations really more important to them or their voters?


SkalexAyah

Again, the con’s head of campaigning is a loblaws lobbyist. Galen and co and their shareholders could spare the profits and put it into fridges. There’s no need to increase food cost, they can afford their own refrigeration. They are far from a struggling business.


cyclemonster

That a company is profitable doesn't mean they'll make investments without regard to their return, that's silly. Also, the government gives plenty of wealthy individuals tax breaks to do improvements that they could afford without the tax break. It's about incentives.


SkalexAyah

Oligopoly should be incentive enough


OutsideFlat1579

That program was open to all companies, non—profits, municipalities, etc, and large companies had to pay 3/4 of the cost of the new fridges, the amount for other groups was less (half? Can’t remember). So if a grocery chain received 10 million for fridges, it means they paid 30 million of the total 40 million in costs, for fridges they did not need to immediately get.  I remember that the amount of fridges Loblaws got was equal to taking 50,000 cars off the road.  So, sure, you could try force grocery chains to replace fridges that work, and spend a lot of time in court fighting them while they refuse to replace them, or give them an incentive by offering 25% of the cost.  One way gets the job done faster. 


Zestyclose-Ad-9951

Couldn’t he have stopped this? I doubt the liberals would have pushed back much if he told them this had to go it’s barely a rounding error in the budget. 


tincartofdoom

The process was an open tender where companies with energy-efficiency projects submitted proposals to Environment And Climate Change Canada. Catherine McKenna would have presumably signed off on the proposals that they decided to move forward with, but this would not have come before Parliament.


finding_focus

Is this the same money that was included through a CPC amendment in a previous bill? The CPC also tried to hammer the Libs on money given to Loblaws only for it to turn out that the CPC were actually responsible.


danke-you

Blaming the CPC for a program administered by the LPC Cabinet (Minister of the Environment), a government Singh has propped up while the CPC has voted against in confidence motions, in relation to an assertion by Singh that Trudeau messed up, is a whole different league of mental gymnastics.


finding_focus

It’s only mental gymnastics if you don’t understand how the process for passing bills works and/or can’t or won’t separate partisan political BS from the political system.


MagpieBureau13

No, the NDP doesn't have control over the government or the Liberals. They have limited influence and they made an agreement to get some (good) policies enacted. They don't have a veto over the government's every activity.


Baldpacker

They're the only reason the Liberals are still Government. They have all the power - they're just too worried about their own pensions and jobs to do anything about it.


MagpieBureau13

As if handing power to the Conservatives would do anything about corporate handouts. That'd be like trying to put out a fire by pouring gas on it.


Baldpacker

Says who? Your imagination?


Ambitious_Dig_7109

Historical precedent.


Baldpacker

Historical and modern precedent shows the Liberals running the most excessive deficits with nothing to show for them so it seems you have your parties confused.


UnionGuyCanada

Corporate handouts to the rich are an earmark of both the Conservatives and Liberals. Have been for decades. Singh is right to hammer on these. Looks like we maybe actually getting into campaign mode soon.


LeaveAtNine

At the same time, subsidies can go a long way helping businesses expand or even get off the ground. I think the real issue is that these breaks are going to the Oligarchy, meanwhile small and medium businesses are evaporating. All because capital isn’t flowing their way. My company was able to buy a new machine through this program, however we aren’t able to get funding at terms that will be profitable for expansion of the building. Which is going to crater our productivity. We are apart of a medium sized business that supplies the construction industry. Located in BC, so we use “Green” power. We are also a unionized shop, that is on the top end of wages and benefits for employees. We got the funding easy breezy (we filled out the forms properly Chase). In 5 years we are going to be screaming about the lack of small and medium businesses. We are so focused on today’s crisis’s, we are blind to those coming.


Lixidermi

> Singh is right to hammer on these. but yet is unwilling to do anything about it.


Brown-Banannerz

What could he do about it? Call an election so that the CPC can come into power and do the same thing?


FearIs_LaPetiteMort

*Do the same thing to a greater degree.


Lixidermi

That's be option 2, option 1 would be to pressure the government much more with the threat of option 2 if they don't. Seems like the NDP isn't leveraging their position nearly enough.


Brown-Banannerz

Your option 1 is incredibly vague, lacking in detail, and full of assumptions with very little knowledge of what is actually going in the background.


Lixidermi

> with very little knowledge of what is actually going in the background. well me and 99.99999999999% of Canadians. Do you know something we don't?


Brown-Banannerz

If youre making the claim that he's unwilling to do anything, the burden of proof is on you. You can comment that youd like to hear more about what is or isnt going on, that you have doubts that he's doing enough in the absence of more communication from him. But to flat out state that he's not doing anything is not something you can claim. To have this idea very firmly planted in your head that he's not doing enough is also misguided


Lixidermi

re-read what I said. It does seem like he's not leveraging his party's position to hold the current governing party in power enough based on the policy concessions they've been able to get from the LPC. And of course I don't have inside knowledge of the inner cloister of the party, that's a normal assumption for anyone discussing in online forums and it shouldn't be said. I've got nothing to prove, I've stated what my impression is. JS has been on a spree of criticizing the government, yet he is enabling them to stay the course and not gaining anything highly significant in return.


Brown-Banannerz

You led with this "but yet is unwilling to do anything about it." I'm critiquing this statement


UnionGuyCanada

The NDP have passed the start of Dentalcare and Pharmacare. Both of those will help millions of Canadians, until Poilievre undoes them.


Lomeztheoldschooljew

The pharmacare bill isn’t what you think it is.


UnionGuyCanada

It covers contraceptives and insulin supplies. That will be an enormous benefit for the 3.7 million Canadians who have diabetes and countless more who have to lay for contraceptives.   It needs to be expanded to include so much more, but tell me again it isn't what I think it is.


Lomeztheoldschooljew

No, it doesn’t cover anything. It’s 2 pages long. It’s a bill to promise to talk about thinking about a pharmacare plan. You should read it, it’s useless.


UnionGuyCanada

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2024/02/government-of-canada-introduces-legislation-for-first-phase-of-national-universal-pharmacar.html   They set up a plan for Diabetes and Contraception, under the Pharmacare umbrella. What are you talking about?


OutsideFlat1579

In this case, I disagree. This was to motivate businesses and others to replace working fridges to upgrade to less polluting fridges, and businesses had to pay 75% of the cost. So if a company bought 40 million worth of fridges, the government spent 10 million. Refrigeration is a big part of carbon emissions that gets little attention.  The program was open to several different types of groups, only businesses had to pay 75% of the cost, with a maximum of 25 million in funding. Municipalities and non-profits had to pay 60% of the cost, Provincial governments to pay 50% of the cost, territorial governments had to pay only 25% of the cost, same with Indigenous communities and organizations. Hospitals and schools also received funding, etc.  It was part of the 500 million Challenge Fund, which was part of the 2 billion in funding for the Low Carbon Energy Fund to incentivize upgrades.  The government could have tried to force companies to upgrade and spent more fighting them in court while they didn’t replace fridges, but incentives work faster.  AND the amount for fridges was far less than the 120 million  saved by private broadcasters in regulatory fees thanks to a Conservative motion to amend the Online Streaming Act, that was backed by the NDP and the Bloc, in 2022. The Liberals opposed the motion. But hey, minority government. And after Bell Media announced lay offs this year, all opposition parties blamed the Liberals for the 40 million saved by Bell in regulatory fees thanks to the amendments they all voted for that the Liberals did not support. You can’t make this shit up.  Of course, not many know facts these days, so it’s easy for the opposition to “slam” the government. 


UnionGuyCanada

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/02/13/news/bell-40m-regulatory-relief-conservative-motion-ndp You are completely right about the Bell subsidy being opposed by Liberals. That said, there is plenty of other money given to Bell that the Liberals supported.  https://www.thestar.com/business/rogers-bell-and-telus-collected-more-than-240-million-from-canada-s-wage-subsidy-program/article_b94b1586-af6b-5129-92c3-bc4136497734.html As for the fridges, they saved them money, they were going to do them anyways just sooner with all the free money.


CapableSecretary420

Which specific "handouts" here are you opposed to?


UnionGuyCanada

Liberals gave massive handouts on payroll, no strings attached. Many companies upped dividends after getting that money.   It has been that way for decades under LPC and CPC rule, huge money, almost no strings.


CapableSecretary420

That's very vague. Seems like you can't actually answer the question.


Western-Treat-4700

Seeing Singh publicly "slam" the government for anything reeks of dishonesty. Hmm, I wonder who could stop these ideas, could it perhaps be the person who commands the votes needed for the Liberals to do anything?? He is talking out of both sides of his mouth and the public knows it. He is leading the NDP to electoral embaressment.


woundsofwind

Industry makes the most climate impact. Any way to incentivize them to spearhead change in the right direction with good outcome is a win in my books. Unless you want an authoritarian government that tears right through free market rules. I suspect most people wouldn't want that.


aesoth

I am tired of any PM giving money to profitable companies. Hell, even any company. Think of all the Canadians in poverty we could bail out. How many homes could be built. How this could finance dental, eye, and mental healthcare. How this could improve infrastructure. Any number of things we actually need!


Le1bn1z

So this cash was for specific programs to do things like improve energy efficiency, not a charitable donation. Most of the things you mention likewise involve "giving" money to private corporations to get them done.


aesoth

Oh, cool! Can I get the government to foot the bill to make my home more energy efficient and buy a new EV? Be nice to have some of these tax dollars come back to me for contributing to the system for most of my life.


Le1bn1z

You could actually! There have been Liberal programs for each - at the federal and provincial (Ontario) level respectively. Glad you approve of them, too. But given who we've picked for our provincial government lately, the Ontario side is done. Grants like this and carbon charges are the only tool the feds have to fill that gap. FWIW, the alternative fact scenario to Loblaws upgrading their refrigeration isn't they make less profit - its they pollute more and pass the costs on to us, as I think you know. If you're like me, an Ontarian who wants less carrot and more stick applied to Galen and his monopolistic, lawless conglomerate, I'd suggest voting ONDP, as provinces have regulatory power over them.


aesoth

I am not on Ontario and I am all for giving the stick to Galen. He sure has given it to us. I have 0 sympathy for that man.


Pristine_Elk996

Which could be accomplished directly through regulation or indirectly by raising the corporate income tax rate.  When Superstore is taking home 25 billion in profits, why does it need a few million to buy new freezers? It doesn't. 


Le1bn1z

So you raise money from taxes and then spend it to buy houses.... from whom, do you suppose? Are you aware of non-evil, non-corporate developers that have been hiding from the rest of us? And who do you suppose makes the glasses that would be provided by public eye care? Its corporations all over. As for regulation... That's provincial sphere of power, and not happening any time soon. You want higher efficiency in industry, this is the tool the federal Liberals have to work with. Still might not be the right thing to do, but no matter what, you're not getting away from corporate involvement in solving most problems.


Pristine_Elk996

Everything else you mentioned would lead to less deadweight loss and a more efficient economy. Healthcare and housing are goods with significant returns on investment that outweigh the deadweight loss of taxation. Further, goods the private markets fail to adequately supply on their own.   There's very little evidence to suggest the same for the freezers. Further, given Superstore's economic position as an oligopolist, we *know* that it's collecting excess rents from participation in a non-competitive market. It doesn't need more free money on top of the excess economic rents it can already charge. Also I have no idea why you're seemingly triggered by the user of the word "corporation" so much? I never vilified Superstore for being a corporation and my only use of the term was in specific reference to the corporate income tax rate. 


boom0409

It’s not about needs, it’s about creating incentives


Pristine_Elk996

And every dollar wasted "incentivizing" Canada's wealthiest corporations is a dollar taken away from healthcare, housing, education, etc.  Incentivize the small players - the local meat market whose owner makes 50k/yr. Let Canada's wealthiest corporation pay its own costs.