The Federal System (JANINE BRODIE AND ALEXA DEGAGNE)

 Based on Canada’s Political Development and Challenges (JANINE BRODIE AND ALEXA DEGAGNE): Chapter 12: The Federal System

In the news: Get Off the Pot: In 2018, Canada became the second country to legalize marijuana.

The Constitution and the Federal System:

Explain the characteristics/advantages of a federal system and the constitutional division of powers: The founders of Canada wanted to create a legislation system like Great Britain, which they were familiar with. The Constitution Act 1867: Divides the Canadian government into two parts. The exclusive legislative authority is the parliament and provincial legislatures. Disallowance, Reservation, and Declaratory Power: The federal government has Disallowance power over the provincial decision. Reservation and declaratory can also dissolve provincial legislation. These powers had been practiced before World War II, frequently. Constitutional Amendments: gave some extra power to the federal and provincial legislations. Judicial Interpretations: Judicial power is very significant in the Federal State. The Supreme Court of Canada: divided its concerns into peace, order and good governance.

An Evolving Federal System:

Trace the evolution of Canadian Federalism since its inception: Canadian federal system is the world's first Parliamentary cum Federal system, built-in 1967. Phases of Federalism: The federal government is the most powerful and the provinces' weakest, though this's not always true. Quasi-Federalism: In this period, the Federal Government was the most powerful, and they disallowed the provincial government. This power stayed for a short period. Classical Federalism: Some provincial governments challenge the one-sided Federal power. Cooperative Federalism: After World War II, the federal government has always helped the provincial government financially. Competitive Federalism means that the national and provincial governments want more power over autonomy, jurisdiction, and standing with the voters. Collaborative Federalism: From the boiling point, Federal and Provincial relationships improved from 1990 to 2006.Open Federalism: is a free market conservatism and a reduced role of government.

Canada: A Decentralized Federal System:

Describe the pros and cons of centralization and decentralization: Canada is now one of the most decentralized federal systems. Provinces on the Ascendant: The federal government always interferes with some provincial jurisdiction, like social care and healthcare. Asymmetrical Federalism: This means that some sub-national powers, such as Quebec, can have different relationships with the national authority.

Inter-Governmental Relations:

Understand the nature of inter-governmental relations: Inter-government communication frequently happens after establishing a welfare government. Executive Federalism: The Canadian government has an informal mechanism of relations on inter-government. Interstate and Intrastate Federalism: Interstate refers to the area where provincial issues are present primarily by the provincial government. The opposite is Intrastate Federalism. Inter-Provincial Cooperation: In 2003, the Council of the Federation institutionalized inter-provincial Cooperation.

Fiscal Federalism:

Explain the financial relationship between Ottawa and the provinces: The federal government raises more money than it needs, but the provincial government doesn't raise enough money to run the province. Taxes: Both levels of government get taxes. The central part goes to the Federal government. Transfer Payments: The federal government transfers money to the provincial government to continue their policies, like health care, education, etc. Conditional Grants: The federal government sends conditional grants to the provincial government to ensure all Canadians from the different provinces get the same service. Block Grants: This means each province will get some money from the federal government, and then the province will distribute it according to their policy, such as health care, education, etc. Equalization Payments: means the poor province will get more money to recover. Territorial Governments: were under the control of the Federal government. Since 1970, they have been getting more responsibility and resources. Local Governments: means municipal government. They are underfunded to do their social and infrastructure work.

Fire safety for the high rise buildings

 Due to modern needs and technological development, we see many high-rise buildings growing up in the cities. They are becoming taller and taller every day. These high-rise buildings require more protection, training, and regular drills to prevent fires.

If we look at our fire safety department, they are not getting new technologies or any research department to upgrade them regularly according to the modern high-rise buildings. They have long cranes but not long enough to reach all high-rise buildings. Then, the helicopter may try to save from the roof. What about the levels that are in between?

We have seen some incidents happen in high-rise, populated residential buildings. People were told to stay in their rooms with wet towels; help was coming. But it could never reach them, and people died while waiting. It's not because of timing; it's because the fire department didn't have any solution for them.

We need to update and find new technologies for our fire department.

Biography 231: Chat

 When the first internet and chatting system was introduced, very few people started using it. These people were mostly software engineers, web developers, designers, or highly educated and responsible persons. In those days, we could chat and meet new people very easily. We shared our positions, discussed official problems, gave solutions to others, helped others get jobs, etc.

Some of those unknown chat people later did business with me, I visited some homes in Eid, and some helped me get a job or submit a resume. It was totally different this time.

Yes, I am that old.

Political Parties from THE STATE (LOIS HARDER)

 Based on THE STATE (LOIS HARDER)

Trudeau’s COVID election gambit falls short: In August 2021, Prime minister Trudeau went to Governor General Simon and asked to remove parliament two years early and asked for a new election. Simon agreed. Many think this was an irresponsible decision during the health crisis. Liberal won the election. The conservative party leader resigned as the leader of their party. NDP won 25 seats. In March 2022, Liberal and NDP agreed to keep Liberal in power till 2025 and decided on Dental benefits for low-income people and universal pharma help. Very few Canadians think they support any political party.

Political Parties in Canada: Their Role and Types: Discuss the role and types of political parties in Canada: Parties are not necessary for democracy. The party recruits their leader, runs an election campaign, influences the government agenda, holds the government account, and educates Canadians about political issues. Parties are the bridge between the government and the people. From the Cadre to a market-Oriented Party: In the first half-century, Canada was led by the Cadre party, an elite group. No other organization influenced this elite-class party. When the voting system was introduced, the mass party was created, which needed the low-income class’s support for their vote. The current Liberal party is being called a catch-all type party. Some argued that the liberal and progressive parties are brokerage parties. The green party is based on natural resources. To keep the climate better. Left-wing parties like the democratic party support social equity. Though liberals also support that. The conservative party took some policies that indicate that they support neo-liberal policy. Like less tax on corporate, less control over the economy, cut funds for the gay parade, etc. Now a day, Canadian parties are becoming a market-oriented parties. They put in their agenda what voters demand. Political Marketing, Digital Media, and Courting the Youth Vote: In 2008, US president Obama used social media successfully for his political campaign. 2015 Trudeau appeared on social media and got the younger generation’s vote. Major and Minor Parties: Major parties fight for office; they know they have major numbers of voters, like the Liberal and Conservative parties. Minor parties realize they don’t have that substantial voter numbers, but they can join and create a minor government.

The Canadian Party System: China is a one-party country, Communist. Canada follows democratic rules, so here we have different parties. The party system differentiates the system with the number of parties. Like one party, two parties or many parties. Multy-party systems are where they have three or more than three parties. Party Competition from Confederation-1993: From 1921 to 1993, Canada had two and a half parties, two major parties and some minor parties, who used to form a coalition with the winning party. Party Competition since 1993: From 1993 to 2000 Liberal party won three times. Campaign 2019: Because of some issues, like SNL, carbon tax, etc., Liberals are losing their popularity. NDP is now gaining more popularity. In the 2019 election, the Liberals won no single seat in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba.

Party Policies and Electoral Performance: The Conservative Party: This party governed Canada, but they mostly stayed in the opposition. In the early twentieth century, they established policies for neo-Liberal government. The Liberal Party: In Canadian history, most of the time, they were in power. They introduced pension plans, low-income benefits, social welfare, charter rights and freedom. The New Democratic Party: encourages the colour people by saying, “Not to give up on Canada.” The Bloc Quebecois: They aim to achieve independent Quebec. They pass the bill to stop wearing the religious symbol for public sector workers.

Party Organizations Leaders, Candidates, and Members. Worlds Apart: Federal and Provincial Party Politics: When the election time came, the Canadians started calculating the parties’ pros and cons. The Liberals and Democrats are the only parties who govern at the Federal and provincial levels. The Extra-Parliamentary Wing: Party members had to pay a fee and couldn’t be with another party simultaneously. Fees are low. An electrical district association is responsible for recruiting party members and nominating candidates for the seat in the local party area. Party Convention is responsible for the party policies. Legalizing marijuana became party policy when its member voted for it. Selecting Party Leaders: Party members vote for the party leader. In the 1970s and 1980s, women and Indigenous people started to join and have their voices. Canada Election Act doesn’t cap campaign costs. However, parties need to give all information, like how much they spent, where the money came from etc. How Do Parties Replace Their Leaders: Till the 1960s, members couldn’t remove the party leader. Then Liberal and Conservative parties introduced this in their party.

Moms stay awake for their child's study

 I have heard from many people, especially men, that in their childhood when they had to stay awake to study, their mom also used to stay awake with them and warm their food so that they could study well without an empty stomach. How much a mom loved them. Moms had to work hard all day, and still, they were staying awake with their children.

I am a mother, too. I also sometimes stay awake and sit beside my kid while they are studying. Because I know that if I am not there, they might not study well, play games, or chat all night. So, to ensure they studied properly, I had to stay with them and make food for their stomachs.

Now, I clearly understand why and how moms need to do such an act.

Biography 230: Visiting Bandorban

I have visited Bandorban twice: once with my youngest uncle, Abu Mama (maternal), and again with my brother and youngest sister.

When I was in grade 10, my uncle took me and my cousin Ranku to visit Cox's Bazaar. At the time, my uncle worked as a manager at a rubber garden. It was in Naikhonchhori, Bandarban.

Later, when I was working, I took some leave every year to visit some places. Once, I decided to visit Bandarban. I didn't want to go alone, so I took my brother and sister. All expenses were on me.

We stayed at Milonchhori cottage and visited Shoilo Propat and Naaf River. I wanted to go to Ramu bazaar by boat, but my siblings didn't have the patience to wait for the boat. So, I had to come back. Then we visited the Golden Buddhist Temple and went to the top of a big hill. For the tour, we booked a zip. A group of students from Buet also asked us to share the zip with them, which saved some money. They also stop at some beautiful spots and take pictures.

This was an amazing journey during the monsoon season. When I showed pictures to my office, some colleagues expressed interest in visiting Bandarban, too.

NEO-LIBERALISM

 Based on: JANINE BRODIE AND ALEXA DEGAGNE

Introduction:

Political commentators think the financial crisis of 2008 is like the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Great Recession started in the USA and began in the housing market.

The Road to Neo-Liberalism:

New Liberalism started after the 1970s. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was elected as she promised to free the enterprise. She once said, "There is no such thing as society. There are [only] individual men and women, and there are families ... people must look after themselves first" (quoted in Carroll and Little 2001, 48). When Ronald Regan was elected as a prime minister, he started doing the same, cutting taxes for corporations, cutting money from social welfare, and putting more money into the military.

Neo-Liberalism: Policies, Interests, and World View:

-          THATCHERISM AND REAGANOMICS:

These are the initial steps of Neo-Liberalism. Then, it moves forward to the advanced level.

-          Preferred Policies:

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) have recommended this policy to underdeveloped countries to boost their economies. Many countries adopted it, and many of their companies and agriculture went to privatization. All came to the world market, which led to the price down. In the meantime, the home country faced a shortage of food.

-          Political Interests:

After a survey, we learned that 1% of the world's population is the richest, and male adults enjoy 43% of the world's assets. From 1980 to mid-2000, the top wages people doubled their wages. The situation in the USA is worse. The same problem happened in Canada, too. Rich became richer, and the middle and poor’s conditions worsened.

-          World View:

Neoliberalism means income inequality. It also creates inequality in race, gender, class, and economy and in access to education and social goods. Here, the poor are responsible for themselves and for maintaining their families and children.

Rethinking Neo-Liberalism:

Many protestants protested on the street about this system, which is not working for the majority of society. People are getting tired of unemployment and cutting social welfare benefits.

Conclusion:

In this chapter, the writer explained the origin of Neo-Liberalism and its key features. 

Wildfire in Canada

 Wildfire is one of the significant natural disasters in Canada. Canadians deal with it every year. The indigenous people know successful traditional ways to control fire, like controlling fire with fire. They put fire in a way that they would like to take the fire on if it can't stop.

Because of the climate crisis, this natural disaster has become huge not only in Canada but all over the world. People from all countries are helping each other manage wildfires. No technique can actually successfully stop the wildfires unless nature stops them by itself, by rainwater or some other way.

It is causing a large amount of economic loss, trouble to the climate, and suffering mostly those who live in or near the forest.

However, in Canada, we need some sort of wildfire to balance the ecosystem. We need controlled wildfires.

That is why I believe we need a good research institution that will research to control wildfires to save humans, animals, and the climate. They will also provide training volunteers and firefighters to work with the wildfire. This institute may provide its service globally.

Biography 229: The pond I liked most in grandparent's house (Maternal)

My grandparent's house was (because they are not here anymore, it's now our uncle and aunt's house) in Faridpur, Bangladesh. A long time ago, this city was included with Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh). Later, it became a separate city.

I visited the place a couple of times in my childhood, almost every Eid. When we were growing up, my mom used to visit alone. I visited last when I was in grade 10.

In my grandparents' house, I liked to stay mostly beside the pond. There was a Lichi fruit tree beside the pond. One of its branches was bent so that people could sit on it like a chair under a big tree. Then I kept watching the water in the pond. Sometimes, ducks were swimming, and sometimes, any other creature that I couldn't recognize.

It was on the way to our grandparents' house. So, everybody who came in or out could see me and, if they wanted, talk to me. As it was under a big tree, it was always cool, and gentle breezes were always there.

Sometimes, women come and wash their clothes or utensils, and sometimes, people come to take a bath. One day, I remember someone going into the water with a giant bamboo. Adults were asking what he was thinking. He replied that he was trying to learn to swim. My older sister learned to swim over there. My youngest grandfather (my grandfather's youngest brother), Chhoto Nana, told me, I will teach you swimming. I was scared, I knew he was planning to throw me into the water, and there was no plan to rescue me. I said no and ran. I saved myself from learning to swim.

Sometimes, people try to catch fish inside the pond. In front of me, some succeed.

Still, I like to sit near a river, ocean or lake and watch the water.

History of Jane and Finch Community

 Photo: Joseph Crosson House, 1878 (Finch Avenue W. and northwest corner Jane Street). Black Creek Living History Project, 2010.

Initially, the Indigenous people (the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, Inuit, Métis or Wendat peoples) created settlements in the North of the Finch area from 1400 to 1550. It was a firming district before urbanization for 150 years, named Elia. Then, In the 1700s, it became the home of the German community, and in the 1800s, English and Scottish pioneers settled in that land.

1960, Ontario Housing Corporation and the North York Planning department planned to make this area a modern suburb for the growing immigrant population. From 1961 to 1971, the population has grown significantly. By 1975 the population had grown to 50000, mostly in high-rise apartments. By the mid-70s, the area faced several issues because of poverty, like gangs, drugs, crowded schools, and lack of social services.

Over the next three decades, many local non-profit organizations, social groups and activities worked to solve these poverty-related problems. In the 2000s,  massive changes were conducted by the millenniums and others to reform the area. Then the pandemic hit hard in this area, with not only covid-19 cases but also gun violence. Many big projects are going on to make this community a better place to live.

Resources:

1.       OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD: BRIEF HISTORY OF JANE & FINCH, https://innercityoutreach.ca/history-of-our-neighbourhood/#:~:text=BRIEF%20HISTORY%20OF%20JANE%20%26%20FINCH,Longhouse%20to%20Highrise%2C%201986).

2.       (2021 Feb 20). blogTo: The History of Jane and Finch community in Toronto, https://www.blogto.com/city/2021/02/history-jane-and-finch-neighbourhood-toronto/