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Reactions Split On What Canada's Liberal Majority Means For Tech Policy Future (freezenet.ca) 220

Posted by timothy from the ok-enough-with-all-this-hubbub dept.
Dangerous_Minds writes: Few could have predicted the Liberal majority win in Canada's recent election. Now that the Canadian government is in a state of transition, some have speculated what the new government will bring to the table when it comes to a policy on technology. Michael Geist is speculating that the people in the new Liberal government may bring about a positive policy change, concluding "All of this points to real change and the chance for a fresh start on Canadian digital policy in the years ahead." Meanwhile, Freezenet has a very different take. Drew Wilson points out that the last time the Liberal government was in power, the party was very combative on digital rights because they were trying to bring in Lawful Access and the Canadian DMCA before Stephen Harper took power. In one very infamous exchange, Sam Bulte lashed out at people like Michael Geist by calling him and his supporters "pro-user zealots". With digital rights not even on the radar during the election outside of Bill C-51 towards the beginning and the Liberals long history on these files, Wilson paints a very bleak future given that the Liberal party now has a majority government and can push through policies unopposed whether controversial or not.
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Reactions Split On What Canada's Liberal Majority Means For Tech Policy Future More

Reactions Split On What Canada's Liberal Majority Means For Tech Policy Future

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  • Well if its anything like the US... (Score:3)

    by nitehawk214 ( 222219 ) on Thursday October 22, 2015 @04:00PM (#50784017)

    It will mean nothing at all.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      The fact that we voted the Conservatives out for a number of reasons, not the least of which was their attempt to sway the vote with a xenophobic campaign message, shows that we aren't as like the US as one might think.

      • No. Liberal/Conservative is very similar to Democrat/Republican. Two sides of the same coin. It's not stalemate crazy like the US, because we don't have the checks and balances [the Senate here rarely puts a stop to legislation]. It's more like a 5 year dictatorship once someone gets a majority. Hence, Harper got to shove through all kinds of unpopular legislation. Now, it's Trudeau's turn. The only difference is that Trudeau comes across as empty-headed, somebody else has to tell him what to say and

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by rhazz ( 2853871 )

          The only difference is that Trudeau comes across as empty-headed, somebody else has to tell him what to say and do.

          Just wondering what leads you to this opinion?

      • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

        by Jane Q. Public ( 1010737 )

        their attempt to sway the vote with a xenophobic campaign message

        Not unlike many other liberals, you grossly misuse "phobia". Not wanting X in no way implies a fear of X.

        In fact, it puzzles me why liberals have such a tendency to put everything in terms related to "fear". The only theory I've found so far that makes any sense is that they're afraid of a hell of a lot of things, and are "projecting", as the psychologists say.

        Because I can guarantee you that a lot of the people you call "phobic" are laughing at the idea that they are afraid of things you seem to thin

        • It's because liberals know how to read and have heard of this thing called the dictionary.

          Xenophobia -- fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners, first known use 1903.

          Looks like the train has left the station, Jane.

          • LOL

            That made no sense, Eunuchswear.

            Jane said: "Not wanting X in no way implies a fear of X" (where X is "strangers or foreigners" for xenophobia)

            You said: "Xenophobia -- fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners, first known use 1903."

            How does your definition of xenophobia refute what Jane said? Don't answer... it doesn't. Jane wrote that "fear" does not equal "not wanting" and what you wrote doesn't contradict that. If I don't feel like having cheese on my sandwich today, does that make me cheesephobic

  • HRT (Score:4, Funny)

    by PopeRatzo ( 965947 ) on Thursday October 22, 2015 @04:08PM (#50784053) Journal

    Now that the SJWs have taken over Canada, they're going to force everyone to undergo sex reassignment therapy. It's a proven fact that I read on 8chan.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AK Marc ( 707885 )
      Everyone? Wouldn't it make more sense to just pick one gender to reassign?

      • Everyone? Wouldn't it make more sense to just pick one gender to reassign?

        Nope. Everybody has to be reassigned. That way it's more fair.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AK Marc ( 707885 )
          A huge swapping ceremony. That would make the reassignments easier. Everyone gets a partner. Married couples could stay in one man one woman marriages.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Maow ( 620678 )

      Now that the SJWs have taken over Canada, they're going to force everyone to undergo sex reassignment therapy. It's a proven fact that I read on 8chan.

      Yeah, but it's no big deal.

      Socialized health care makes it free.

      Hell, I get one every Hallowe'en for an authentic costume, it's great.

      • Hell, I get one every Hallowe'en for an authentic costume, it's great.

        And you look good in that gown with the sequins and the split up the leg. I'd hit that.

  • Our friends up north are just like us apparently (Score:4, Insightful)

    by JoeyRox ( 2711699 ) on Thursday October 22, 2015 @04:09PM (#50784065)
    Their citizens actually believe it makes a difference whether a "liberal" or "conservative" is in power.

    • Re:Our friends up north are just like us apparentl (Score:5, Informative)

      by dunkelfalke ( 91624 ) on Thursday October 22, 2015 @04:13PM (#50784083)

      Well, it can. About the only time I was proud of my country was when Schroeder said no to Iraq war. A conservative government would have followed Dubya without even thinking twice about it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by quax ( 19371 )

        How dare you?

        Justin has much better hair.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by mwehle ( 2491950 )

        Well, it can. About the only time I was proud of my country was when Schroeder said no to Iraq war. A conservative government would have followed Dubya without even thinking twice about it.

        Absolutely! Americans who have only the Republican/Democrat "choice" to contemplate can too easily dismiss the difference made by the party in power. Joschka Fischer and the SPD/Grüne coalition conducted a foreign policy significantly different from that of the CDU.

        • Well in the case of Canada and my opinion at least we don't really have much of an option. We have about 5-6 parties but 1 only runs candidates in Quebec, a couple don't run candidates in enough ridings to have a chance of being an opposition let alone form a government. Of the 3 left, really only 2 have had a good chance of winning in the last 20 or so years. So effectively 2 party if not actually.

          I thing a better solution, which would be in effect the same thing as campaign finance reform: eliminate the p

      • Re:Our friends up north are just like us apparentl (Score:4, Informative)

        by Curtman ( 556920 ) * on Thursday October 22, 2015 @05:14PM (#50784413)

        Well, it can. About the only time I was proud of my country was when Schroeder said no to Iraq war. A conservative government would have followed Dubya without even thinking twice about it.

        Oh they definitely thought about it. Some Steven Harper quotes:

        "[Y]our country [the USA], and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world."

        I don't know all the facts on Iraq, but I think we should work closely with the Americans.

        This party will not take its position based on public opinion polls. We will not take a stand based oÂn focus groups. We will not take a stand based oÂn phone-in shows or householder surveys or any other vagaries of public opinion⦠In my judgment Canada will eventually join with the allied coalition if war on Iraq comes to pass. The government will join, notwithstanding its failure to prepare, its neglect in co-operating with its allies, or its inability to contribute. In the end it will join out of the necessity created by a pattern of uncertainty and indecision. It will not join as a leader but unnoticed at the back of the parade.

        Having this new government is like waking up from a terrible nightmare.

        • Leaders lead, they don't take surveys. A leader should lead from his heart, and if the people don't want to follow him any more, they should follow someone else.

          A leader whose actions are dictated by public opinion is not a leader at all, and should be immediately replaced because he has nothing to offer.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hey! ( 33014 )

      Oh it makes a difference. Not as much as it should, but it does. Or do you seriously think that Obama is just like George W, or that it will make no difference whether we have Hillary Clinton as President or Carly Fiorina?

      In general politicians of opposing stripes tend to be most like each other on issues that their respective bases don't pay attention to -- like intellectual property rights and fair use.

    • Well, considering the immense contrast between when the Liberals were last in power and what happened in our country during the last 10 years under Harper, we don't just believe it makes a difference, we have conclusive proof it does.

  • Liberal Party? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by GerryGilmore ( 663905 ) on Thursday October 22, 2015 @04:11PM (#50784073)
    Heck, here in America "Liberal" is a cuss-word that even Democrats run away from. That's part of why they suck as a political party - they can't/won't even defend Liberal values.

    • Re:Liberal Party? (Score:5, Informative)

      by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Thursday October 22, 2015 @04:35PM (#50784221) Journal
      It's dangerous to evaluate foreign countries on the American political spectrum, and especially dangerous based on their name. If you judged American politics based on the names of the parties, you would think that one party desperately wanted a direct democracy, and the other party was fighting ferociously to keep the states independent. But neither of those is why the names were chosen (in fact, the founder of the democrat party fought to strengthen the states rights).

      In Canada, the Liberal Party has that name, but it is the centrist party.

      "All politics is local," that is the saying. In Canada, no one is fighting over Obamacare, just like in America no one cares about Quebec independence. In fact, one of the ways the party won is by getting a lot of votes in Quebec (also, Justin Trudeau is kind of hot).

      Don't try to focus on "left" or "right," it is a way to divide us. Instead focus on specific issues.

      • It's dangerous to evaluate foreign countries on the American political spectrum

        That's only because we don't have a scale that calibrates that far left.

        Conservatives = Democrats
        Liberals = What kind of Commie bastards are you?
        NDP = Heads literally explode

        The closest thing they have to our Republicans is the Christian Heritage party, if they even exist anymore.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by bidule ( 173941 )

          The closest thing they have to our Republicans is the Christian Heritage party, if they even exist anymore.

          Well there's the rhino party. Does that count?

          • The closest thing they have to our Republicans is the Christian Heritage party, if they even exist anymore.

            Well there's the rhino party. Does that count?

            No. The Rhinoceros Party of Canada knows that it's a joke. [wikipedia.org]

        • That's only because we don't have a scale that calibrates that far left.

          No, you are wrong, it's because it's a different scale. What do republicans and democrats have to say about the French issue? Different countries have different problems....just like local issues tend to be completely different than national issues.

      • Re:Liberal Party? (Score:4, Informative)

        by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Thursday October 22, 2015 @06:04PM (#50784665) Journal
        An example of this is the Liberal party [wikipedia.org] of Australia, which tends to be labeled as a "right" party

      • Yep. The traditional right vs left that originated in post revolutionary France has been obsolete ever since those days. There is not a political spectrum, it's a political hologram. The US is overly stupid on this trying to label states as red or blue when they're all very much a muddy mix. But the rest of the world is still confused on this, when they say "right/left of center" and think it means the same thing in even two different countries.

    • "Liberal" is a cuss-word in Australia too! :)

      I think the North American meaning of the word is different to ours though.

  • Canada has a lot of very innovative start-ups such as D-Wave [wavewatching.net] and General Fusion [wavewatching.net], the former received some federal venture capital, but with regards to fusion Canada turned out the lights long ago. There isn't even anybody designated anymore at the federal level for that file.

    Pathetic given that Canada used to be a pioneer in nuclear technology as evideneced by the CANDU [wikipedia.org] reactor design.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by quax ( 19371 )

        CANDU is a very smart reactor design, not only because it can use natural, unenriched uranium, but also because this gives it inherent security features (natural uranium ore really doesn't like to entertain a fission reaction, so the reaction shuts down quickly when things start to go awry).

        Nobody like to have a nuclear power plant in their backyard, but if I had the choice I'd always opt for CANDU over any other reactor (unless it's was an experimental spallation reactor [wavewatching.net], can't beat the safety of those).

    • Any word on what Liberals will do to energy policy? Does this election mean that petroleum and tar sands development or natural gas fracking will be replaced by wind turbines, which NIMBYs will then not let anyone build? Will Calgary go back to being famous for its rodeo?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by quax ( 19371 )

        Famous for its rodeo and mayor :-)

        The oil prices alone are doing plenty of damage to the oil patch. The Libs can just sit on their hands and let the market sort it out.

        • Let alone Alberta going NDP. It was interesting listening to hard-right wingers complain bitterly about the right splitting the vote, then immediately turning around and lambasting the Liberal proposal to do away with first-past-the-post voting.

  • How dare he! Doing something for the people. Maybe even by the people.

    There is no room for that in our democracy!

  • Given the PM's remarks on Gamergate, it'll be more about left-wing "diversity" policy than tech policy.

  • It was pretty disappointing that a lot of tech issues didn't make the appearance that I would hope they would. Things like how our telecommunications industry has us over a barrel and we enjoy the most expensive experience in the developed world.

    There were a few tech issues that were touched upon during the long campaign, however most of them got over shadowed by BS topics used to distract.

    1) The first is about the future of Bill 51. Which is a draconian privacy invasion government spying bill under the pre

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