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Showing posts with the label Canada

Trudeau: Implement PR, or prepare to lose

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This is an open letter to Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. January 23rd, 2017 Dear Justin, You seem like a cool guy. We don't have a lot of time, so I'll get straight to the point. In 2015, you made a very specific promise (which is still online -- kudos for that). It reads: " We will make every vote count. We are committed to ensuring that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system." Time is ticking away, and so far you haven't made very many positive steps towards moving to a PR (Proportional Representation) system that would truly satisfy this promise. Late last year, you released a survey that seemed to be designed to confuse people rather than find out what they really think. More and more, it looks like the Liberal government is preparing to renege on its promise to " make every vote count. " I assure you, this would be a huge mistake . If you decide to keep FP...

A sorry bunch of Canadians

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You may have noticed that we tend to apologize a lot in Canada. Much to my benefit, this has led to Canadians being viewed as very kind and polite, all around the world. As a proud Canuck, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. You see, "sorry" in Canada may not always mean what you think it does. Imagine the following: You're visiting Canada and shopping for groceries in the local store. A woman ahead is blocking an entire aisle with her shopping cart. Another woman walks towards her, stops, looks at the cart and says, "Oh, I'm sorry." The first woman realizes she is in the way, and replies, "Oh, I'm so sorry," as she moves the cart. The both smile at one another and continue shopping. You think to yourself, "Wow, what a kind and decent society. These Canadians are so polite!" Now, the secret translation: "Oh, I'm sorry," actually means, "Oh, I'm sorry that you're blocking the enti...