Canadian Politics Thread

[Bob Long]

26 minutes ago, Ricky Ravioli said:

U.S. border patrol reports record number of encounters with migrants at the Canadian border

Experts say organized smugglers are taking advantage of lax Canadian screening

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it recorded a record-high number of encounters with migrants between border posts on the Canada-U.S. border between October 2023 and July of this year.

 

It's a pattern experts say could be a problem for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government as the question of illegal immigration heats up in a close-fought U.S. election.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) records an "encounter" in its database when it comes across someone who is inadmissable to the U.S., or when border patrol officers find someone who has illegally crossed the border into the U.S. between border posts.

 

CBP reported encountering 19,498 migrants between border posts on the northern border between October 2023 and July 2024 — 15,612 of them in the Swanton Sector, which runs along the Quebec's border with New York and Vermont.

 

While the numbers still pale in comparison with the U.S southern border, that's more than twice as many as the 7,630 encountered between border posts during the same time period the previous year.

 

The year before that, CBP reported encountering only 2,238 migrants between border posts at the northern border.

 

"Part of the problem is as the southern border has gotten tighter, the coyotes (smugglers) are telling people to come to Canada and then they try to smuggle them into the United States," said Washington State immigration lawyer Greg Boos.

 

"(It's) quite alarming when you consider that is more than the past 10 years combined, even probably longer than that," Cozine said. "Given the recent arrest of the Pakistani national in Canada, who was plotting to carry out some sort of attack on the anniversary of October 7, it is alarming."

 

According to U.S. CBP statistics, the source nationality accounting for the largest number of Border Patrol encounters at the border has been India: 9,742 of the 19,498 migrants stopped between October and July were from that country.

 

Poirier said the RCMP used to see more migrants from Mexico until new visa requirements curbed the traffic.

 

"For the past few months, what we're seeing is a lot of people landing at international airports, so either Montreal or Toronto," he said. "And then within a few hours of their arrival, we catch them at the border, either attempting to cross or they've already successfully crossed."

 

"The Americans are well aware that Canada's capacity to screen people is really limited, if at all even existent," he said. "I mean, we do screen, kind of, but we don't do a proficient or effective job. The Americans are well aware of this, so they can't trust our system."

 

While Canada is part of the Five Eyes alliance of countries that cooperate on security and intelligence, Canada is considered the "lazy eye," said Sundberg.

 

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said changes to Canada's immigration policy have helped fuel an exodus to the U.S. of students and temporary foreign workers.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/illegal-migration-canada-united-states-1.7320623

 

The bolded is exactly what I was trying to say the other day. We look silly in all this...

 

What would be nice is if these stories proposed some kind of solutions. 

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

17 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

What would be nice is if these stories proposed some kind of solutions. 

 

Except that would turn journalism and news reporting into op/ed, which is not the direction we want reporting to go into (ie. turning every news piece into op/ed), and especially not with our public broadcaster.

 

Leave the solution-making to the pundits; let the reporters report.

[aGENT]

1 hour ago, Ricky Ravioli said:

U.S. border patrol reports record number of encounters with migrants at the Canadian border

Experts say organized smugglers are taking advantage of lax Canadian screening

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it recorded a record-high number of encounters with migrants between border posts on the Canada-U.S. border between October 2023 and July of this year.

 

It's a pattern experts say could be a problem for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government as the question of illegal immigration heats up in a close-fought U.S. election.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) records an "encounter" in its database when it comes across someone who is inadmissable to the U.S., or when border patrol officers find someone who has illegally crossed the border into the U.S. between border posts.

 

CBP reported encountering 19,498 migrants between border posts on the northern border between October 2023 and July 2024 — 15,612 of them in the Swanton Sector, which runs along the Quebec's border with New York and Vermont.

 

While the numbers still pale in comparison with the U.S southern border, that's more than twice as many as the 7,630 encountered between border posts during the same time period the previous year.

 

The year before that, CBP reported encountering only 2,238 migrants between border posts at the northern border.

 

"Part of the problem is as the southern border has gotten tighter, the coyotes (smugglers) are telling people to come to Canada and then they try to smuggle them into the United States," said Washington State immigration lawyer Greg Boos.

 

"(It's) quite alarming when you consider that is more than the past 10 years combined, even probably longer than that," Cozine said. "Given the recent arrest of the Pakistani national in Canada, who was plotting to carry out some sort of attack on the anniversary of October 7, it is alarming."

 

According to U.S. CBP statistics, the source nationality accounting for the largest number of Border Patrol encounters at the border has been India: 9,742 of the 19,498 migrants stopped between October and July were from that country.

 

Poirier said the RCMP used to see more migrants from Mexico until new visa requirements curbed the traffic.

 

"For the past few months, what we're seeing is a lot of people landing at international airports, so either Montreal or Toronto," he said. "And then within a few hours of their arrival, we catch them at the border, either attempting to cross or they've already successfully crossed."

 

"The Americans are well aware that Canada's capacity to screen people is really limited, if at all even existent," he said. "I mean, we do screen, kind of, but we don't do a proficient or effective job. The Americans are well aware of this, so they can't trust our system."

 

While Canada is part of the Five Eyes alliance of countries that cooperate on security and intelligence, Canada is considered the "lazy eye," said Sundberg.

 

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said changes to Canada's immigration policy have helped fuel an exodus to the U.S. of students and temporary foreign workers.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/illegal-migration-canada-united-states-1.7320623

 

The bolded is exactly what I was trying to say the other day. We look silly in all this...

 

Hey, that's almost 20,000 less people competing for housing and driving up rents/house prices!

 

 

[Bob Long]

15 minutes ago, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:

 

Except that would turn journalism and news reporting into op/ed, which is not the direction we want reporting to go into (ie. turning every news piece into op/ed), and especially not with our public broadcaster.

 

Leave the solution-making to the pundits; let the reporters report.

 

They can still report on solutions or ideas from outside sources.

 

Journalists have become increasingly lazy imo. You rarely see a useful story anymore.

 

Our public broadcaster gets a billion per year to supposedly do better.

 

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

1 hour ago, Bob Long said:

 

They can still report on solutions or ideas from outside sources.

 

Journalists have become increasingly lazy imo. You rarely see a useful story anymore.

 

Our public broadcaster gets a billion per year to supposedly do better.

 

 

Except... they kind of have?
 

Quote

Poirier said the RCMP has started working more closely and exchanging resources with the U.S. Border Patrol. It has stepped up technology along the border by adding cameras and motion detectors.

 

Rather than increase the number of officers patrolling the border, Poirier said the RCMP has focused on tracking down the smuggling networks that are profiting from migrants crossing the border.

 

"It's more the way we're working that has changed because the number of resources isn't the answer here," he said. "Short of us having a police officer behind every tree in the woods, we're not going to catch those people."

(from the article)

[Ricky Ravioli]

Canada is getting poorer when compared to its wealthy peers, data shows

 

Tepid economic growth, combined with a population boom, has hit Canada’s standing among rich countries

 

Canada is among the richest countries in the world — but when compared to peer countries like Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it isn't as rich as it once was.

 

And the wealth gap between Canada and the U.S. has only grown wider, according to figures published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

 

Canada's relatively weak economic growth, combined with a population boom, has hit its standing among wealthy countries.

 

"You've seen those signs that say, 'In emergency, break glass.' Well, it's time to break the glass," she said in a speech.

 

Recent Statistics Canada data shows why: Canada's economy is growing overall but at a disappointing rate relative to population growth.

 

The country added nearly 1.3 million people last year — a 3.2 per cent increase — while the economy grew by just 1.1 per cent in the same time period. That means more people taking slices out of an economic pie that hasn't grown much bigger.

 

"Relative to other countries, we're getting collectively poorer," Beaudry told CBC News. "And it's not only relative to the U.S., it's relative to a lot of other countries. We're in the laggard group."

 

A rising GDP per capita means there's more wealth to go around — including for governments, which can collect more tax revenue from a growing economy without necessarily raising taxes.

 

"Growing GDP per capita allows us to be richer and have all the things we want more of, like public services, health care and education. And we're falling behind," Beaudry said.

 

The U.S. has been wealthier than Canada for a long time.

 

In 2002, Canada's GDP per capita was about 80 per cent of what the U.S. generated — although much of that country's wealth is concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of people.

 

But by 2022, Canada's GDP per capita was just 72 per cent of that of its neighbour to the south, a decline that means the U.S. has an even bigger leg up over Canada when it comes to living standards.

 

"That gap between us and the United States is not just large today. It has been widening at a pace that we haven't seen in generations," said Trevor Tombe, a professor of economics at the University of Calgary.

 

"As that gap grows, more and more Canadians have an incentive to move to the U.S. for better economic opportunities and a higher standard of living," he said, adding doctors and tech workers may be among the first to go.

 

He said the Liberal government he used to work for has "allowed too many temporary foreign workers to come in."

 

"We need less temporary migration, we need less foreign students and probably less foreign workers in low-skilled categories," he said.

 

But he pointed to data that shows take-home pay has increased, even when accounting for inflation. The household savings rate is also up as more people have money socked away thanks to higher wages.

 

"Those two things speak directly to the question of, 'Do I have enough income to be able to afford the lifestyle that I want or buy the things that I need?'" he said. "It's not obvious to me that people are

concerned about GDP per capita."

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-gdp-per-capita-rich-1.7318989

 

[Bob Long]

4 hours ago, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:

 

Except... they kind of have?
 

(from the article)

 

Not really tho. Nothing there about why we aren't checking more closely on who's flying in and then heading for the US border.

 

By the time the RCMP are involved its clearly too late with the numbers of crossings going up that much.

 

 

[Bob Long]

2 hours ago, Ricky Ravioli said:

Canada is getting poorer when compared to its wealthy peers, data shows

 

Tepid economic growth, combined with a population boom, has hit Canada’s standing among rich countries

 

Canada is among the richest countries in the world — but when compared to peer countries like Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it isn't as rich as it once was.

 

And the wealth gap between Canada and the U.S. has only grown wider, according to figures published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

 

Canada's relatively weak economic growth, combined with a population boom, has hit its standing among wealthy countries.

 

"You've seen those signs that say, 'In emergency, break glass.' Well, it's time to break the glass," she said in a speech.

 

Recent Statistics Canada data shows why: Canada's economy is growing overall but at a disappointing rate relative to population growth.

 

The country added nearly 1.3 million people last year — a 3.2 per cent increase — while the economy grew by just 1.1 per cent in the same time period. That means more people taking slices out of an economic pie that hasn't grown much bigger.

 

"Relative to other countries, we're getting collectively poorer," Beaudry told CBC News. "And it's not only relative to the U.S., it's relative to a lot of other countries. We're in the laggard group."

 

A rising GDP per capita means there's more wealth to go around — including for governments, which can collect more tax revenue from a growing economy without necessarily raising taxes.

 

"Growing GDP per capita allows us to be richer and have all the things we want more of, like public services, health care and education. And we're falling behind," Beaudry said.

 

The U.S. has been wealthier than Canada for a long time.

 

In 2002, Canada's GDP per capita was about 80 per cent of what the U.S. generated — although much of that country's wealth is concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of people.

 

But by 2022, Canada's GDP per capita was just 72 per cent of that of its neighbour to the south, a decline that means the U.S. has an even bigger leg up over Canada when it comes to living standards.

 

"That gap between us and the United States is not just large today. It has been widening at a pace that we haven't seen in generations," said Trevor Tombe, a professor of economics at the University of Calgary.

 

"As that gap grows, more and more Canadians have an incentive to move to the U.S. for better economic opportunities and a higher standard of living," he said, adding doctors and tech workers may be among the first to go.

 

He said the Liberal government he used to work for has "allowed too many temporary foreign workers to come in."

 

"We need less temporary migration, we need less foreign students and probably less foreign workers in low-skilled categories," he said.

 

But he pointed to data that shows take-home pay has increased, even when accounting for inflation. The household savings rate is also up as more people have money socked away thanks to higher wages.

 

"Those two things speak directly to the question of, 'Do I have enough income to be able to afford the lifestyle that I want or buy the things that I need?'" he said. "It's not obvious to me that people are

concerned about GDP per capita."

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-gdp-per-capita-rich-1.7318989

 

 

You need to stop taking those 45 minute coffee breaks Ricky, you're dragging us down.

[Warhippy]

Since we're now using CBC as a viable source of info.

 

Something I have spoken of frequently and been told I was wrong has now been brought up nationally starting in Ontario.

 

The financialization of our housing sector by businesses and private/corporate enterprise.  This has been going on for almost 14 years and the numbers clearly show that a significant number of rental units are now being purchased in bulk numbers by these companies/corporations.

 

When a 20 unit development goes up for pre-sale and a single entitiy buys 12 of those units, they effectively control the price of rent in that unit and the surrounding area.

 

This is a huge problem and needs to be addressed immediately.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/financialized-landlord-higher-rents-canada-1.7307015

 

Khalil Alibi is facing his Goliath.

Starlight Investments is Canada's largest landlord, with more than 54,000 units nationwide and 68,000 globally. Starlight was granted approval by Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board to raise the rent above provincial guidelines twice in the last two years. Alibi says this makes his unit no longer affordable for him. 

"They should not be allowed to get away with this. They just keep coming to take and take and take," he said.

Alibi, who lives with his wife and three children, says the rent for his three-bedroom unit is now $1,761 per month, up from $1,472 in December 2019, the year Starlight purchased the building. One-bedroom units that have since become vacant are starting at $2,428 a month.

Alibi says he has to fight back. 

He and dozens of other tenants from his and two adjacent buildings — including 71, 75 and 79 Thorncliffe Park Drive in north Toronto — have joined forces in a rent strike since May 2023 to protest the Above Guideline Increases (AGIs) after the second one was issued to tenants earlier that year. 

What Alibi and the others are going through is hardly an anomaly. According to data from Rentals.ca, rents have risen across Canada by 22 per cent in just two years.

Starlight Investments is also part of a growing trend across Canada: the "financialized landlord," whose business model allows outside investors to share in the profit of rental housing.

 

Some tenants and housing experts believe this model is leading to higher rents across Canada, as the pressure to increase shareholder value becomes the top priority and these companies expand their share of the country's rental stock.

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

19 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

Not really tho. Nothing there about why we aren't checking more closely on who's flying in and then heading for the US border.

 

By the time the RCMP are involved its clearly too late with the numbers of crossings going up that much.

 

 

 

You mean they're not proposing solutions that you want to see.

 

Got it.

[Bob Long]

5 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Since we're now using CBC as a viable source of info.

 

Something I have spoken of frequently and been told I was wrong has now been brought up nationally starting in Ontario.

 

The financialization of our housing sector by businesses and private/corporate enterprise.  This has been going on for almost 14 years and the numbers clearly show that a significant number of rental units are now being purchased in bulk numbers by these companies/corporations.

 

When a 20 unit development goes up for pre-sale and a single entitiy buys 12 of those units, they effectively control the price of rent in that unit and the surrounding area.

 

This is a huge problem and needs to be addressed immediately.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/financialized-landlord-higher-rents-canada-1.7307015

 

Khalil Alibi is facing his Goliath.

Starlight Investments is Canada's largest landlord, with more than 54,000 units nationwide and 68,000 globally. Starlight was granted approval by Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board to raise the rent above provincial guidelines twice in the last two years. Alibi says this makes his unit no longer affordable for him. 

"They should not be allowed to get away with this. They just keep coming to take and take and take," he said.

Alibi, who lives with his wife and three children, says the rent for his three-bedroom unit is now $1,761 per month, up from $1,472 in December 2019, the year Starlight purchased the building. One-bedroom units that have since become vacant are starting at $2,428 a month.

Alibi says he has to fight back. 

He and dozens of other tenants from his and two adjacent buildings — including 71, 75 and 79 Thorncliffe Park Drive in north Toronto — have joined forces in a rent strike since May 2023 to protest the Above Guideline Increases (AGIs) after the second one was issued to tenants earlier that year. 

What Alibi and the others are going through is hardly an anomaly. According to data from Rentals.ca, rents have risen across Canada by 22 per cent in just two years.

Starlight Investments is also part of a growing trend across Canada: the "financialized landlord," whose business model allows outside investors to share in the profit of rental housing.

 

Some tenants and housing experts believe this model is leading to higher rents across Canada, as the pressure to increase shareholder value becomes the top priority and these companies expand their share of the country's rental stock.

 

Who said you were wrong?

 

I was pretty shocked at these numbers tho, this has to stop.

[Bob Long]

1 minute ago, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:

 

You mean they're not proposing solutions that you want to see.

 

Got it.

 

Don't be pissy, it's legit concern.

[Warhippy]

4 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

Who said you were wrong?

 

I was pretty shocked at these numbers tho, this has to stop.

There's 3 or 4 (or were) individuals who kept claiming otherwise.  Or keep claiming otherwise.

 

Once housing became a line item on a balance sheet 14 ish years ago or so it completely spiralled out of control.

 

Everyone wants a housing crash and I have spoken up about how bad that would really be.  if housing loses 30% of its value nationwide, who will be the first to step in to buy these homes?  The only entities with the cash/assets on hand to do so.  Corporations and financialized landlords who will buy these homes being foreclosed in bulk and then continue to inflate the cost of shelter.

 

Which will of course be blamed on Trudeau and the leading party.

 

I've spoken long and loud about how housing is a provincial and municipal jurisdiction and how this unfettered capitalism has been the direct contributor to the rise of housing in canada and the US.

 

It needs to end

[King Heffy]

1 minute ago, Warhippy said:

There's 3 or 4 (or were) individuals who kept claiming otherwise.  Or keep claiming otherwise.

 

Once housing became a line item on a balance sheet 14 ish years ago or so it completely spiralled out of control.

 

Everyone wants a housing crash and I have spoken up about how bad that would really be.  if housing loses 30% of its value nationwide, who will be the first to step in to buy these homes?  The only entities with the cash/assets on hand to do so.  Corporations and financialized landlords who will buy these homes being foreclosed in bulk and then continue to inflate the cost of shelter.

 

Which will of course be blamed on Trudeau and the leading party.

 

I've spoken long and loud about how housing is a provincial and municipal jurisdiction and how this unfettered capitalism has been the direct contributor to the rise of housing in canada and the US.

 

It needs to end

Feds can still help by building military housing and tying foreign university spots to building residences on campus.  Municipalities deserve much of the blame and I'm glad that BC has finally decided to take some of their decision making ability away.

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

10 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

Don't be pissy, it's legit concern.

 

I'm not being pissy.  The article does provide reporting of a solution being performed.  Your response suggests you're not accepting it as such because it's not to your liking.

[Bob Long]

4 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

There's 3 or 4 (or were) individuals who kept claiming otherwise.  Or keep claiming otherwise.

 

Once housing became a line item on a balance sheet 14 ish years ago or so it completely spiralled out of control.

 

Everyone wants a housing crash and I have spoken up about how bad that would really be.  if housing loses 30% of its value nationwide, who will be the first to step in to buy these homes?  The only entities with the cash/assets on hand to do so.  Corporations and financialized landlords who will buy these homes being foreclosed in bulk and then continue to inflate the cost of shelter.

 

Which will of course be blamed on Trudeau and the leading party.

 

I've spoken long and loud about how housing is a provincial and municipal jurisdiction and how this unfettered capitalism has been the direct contributor to the rise of housing in canada and the US.

 

It needs to end

 

How hard would it be to legislate the number of homes a company can own? Surely that's an easy lay up.

[Bob Long]

Just now, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:

 

I'm not being pissy.  The article does provide reporting of a solution being performed.  Your response suggests you're not accepting it as such because it's not to your liking.

 

It has nothing to do with what I like or don't like. 

 

There's clearly a problem at border services too. 

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

4 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

It has nothing to do with what I like or don't like. 

 

There's clearly a problem at border services too. 

 

Now you're moving goalposts.  This was your original comment:

 

6 hours ago, Bob Long said:

 

What would be nice is if these stories proposed some kind of solutions. 

 

I was only pointing out the CBC article did have some reporting on that.  If you can't accept that, then that's on you.

[Bob Long]

2 minutes ago, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:

 

Now you're moving goalposts.  This was your original comment:

 

 

I was only pointing out the CBC article did have some reporting on that.  If you can't accept that, then that's on you.

 

Ok, you win the internet today. 

[Warhippy]

39 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

How hard would it be to legislate the number of homes a company can own? Surely that's an easy lay up.

But that would be socialism and that's wrong.

 

But Pierre is saying the government will fix housing under him and high is also socialist 

 

So I don't even know

[Warhippy]

Speaking of Pierre 

 

He's sooo much better and different than Trudeau and wouldn't waste money or spend lavishly on the taxpayer role and...

 

Oh

 

$530 for a set of bedsheets....yikes

Edited September 12 by Warhippy

[Boudrias]

42 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

How hard would it be to legislate the number of homes a company can own? Surely that's an easy lay up.

On the one hand you want investment in housing and on the other your going to limit the scale of such investment. Perhaps a CAP on market share within an area? I suspect any investment in housing would be appreciated right now. The feds want to ship 35,000 refugees to BC from Ontario and Quebec. Where are they going to go? 

[Bob Long]

11 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

But that would be socialism and that's wrong.

 

But Pierre is saying the government will fix housing under him and high is also socialist 

 

So I don't even know

 

nah we legistlate and/allow limits on all kinds of stuff. Taxi licenses e.g. 

 

I didn't realize the scale of it, 50,000 units? holy predatory. 

 

[Bob Long]

7 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

On the one hand you want investment in housing and on the other your going to limit the scale of such investment. Perhaps a CAP on market share within an area? I suspect any investment in housing would be appreciated right now. The feds want to ship 35,000 refugees to BC from Ontario and Quebec. Where are they going to go? 

 

We have to put a limit on predatory rentals, yes. Its too fundamental to a healty country to allow comanies to pick up 10's of thousands of units and then jack rents to extremes.

 

We have a lot of avenues we haven't ramped up. The idea of more development on gov't leasehold land (think False Creek in Vancovuer). More first nations development, agian for leasehold (some proejcts in north van do this) and rentals. 

 

Really push prefab home approvals, like that pre-approved list idea that came out last week.

 

We do not need predatory rental companies. 

 

[King Heffy]

Just now, Bob Long said:

 

We have to put a limit on predatory rentals, yes. Its too fundamental to a healty country to allow comanies to pick up 10's of thousands of units and then jack rents to extremes.

 

We have a lot of avenues we haven't ramped up. The idea of more development on gov't leasehold land (think False Creek in Vancovuer). More first nations development, agian for leasehold (some proejcts in north van do this) and rentals. 

 

Really push prefab home approvals, like that pre-approved list idea that came out last week.

 

We do not need predatory rental companies. 

 

Single family houses should not be owned by corporations.  Large scale apartment buildings, no problem.