this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2024
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No International Backlash Over Canada's Cannabis Legalization, Says Trudeau (businessofcannabis.com)
submitted 7 months ago by booja@booja.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca
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[–] sailingbythelee@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago (2 children)

When you think of all the bullshit that consumes the daily lives of politicians and the chattering class, it is interesting to reflect on what Prime Ministers will actually be remembered for.

Mulroney just died and he was primarily remembered for free trade, the GST, Meech Lake, and singing with Reagan. Chretien is remembered for defeating the Quebec separatists, keeping Canada out of Iraq, and the Shawinigan Handshake. Harper is remembered for ending the long gun registry, fucking with the census, and singing Beatles songs.

In Trudeau's case, I think cannabis legalization, the pandemic including the trucker protest, and perhaps his embarrassing penchant for cosplay will be remembered. Of these, cannabis legalization is the most far-reaching. Am I forgetting anything significant?

[–] jadero@lemmy.ca 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I will always remember him for the purchase of a pipeline to hell, if that counts.

Also for not making a stronger effort to replace our first past the post voting system during what looks to have been a narrow window of opportunity, but that might just be me.

[–] axby@lemmy.ca 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

I don’t think it’s only you. I remember him saying (and even tweeting) that 2015 will be the last FPTP election if the liberals were elected. I was younger at the time but I remember a lot of people reluctantly voted for him instead of the NDP just to finally end FPTP and be able to choose the NDP as their first choice in the next election (but still choose the liberals as their second choice, to keep the conservatives out). Further reading for anyone interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vote_splitting

Then they won, claimed that they couldn’t find an alternative that everyone liked, and apparently that was it.

My understanding is that many people would have been happy with “anything” besides FPTP, but weren’t able to agree on their first choice? …surely it’s not that ironic? Or maybe there’s more to it than that?

Anyway overall the liberals may have still been the best choice… but this wasn’t some minor promise that he made. I think this is what was most important to a lot of people. Err.. I think? No one seems to talk about it now.

edit1: added link to tweet

edit2: This article seems to summarize the timeline: https://globalnews.ca/news/3102270/justin-trudeau-liberals-electoral-reform-changing-promises/

edit3: this seems more helpful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Canada#2015_federal_election

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[–] jadero@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 months ago

Yes, getting rid of FPTP was the main reason that I voted for something other than NDP in ages. This issue is important enough to me that I might even risk voting (choke) Conservative (gag) if I honestly thought we'd get a better voting system out of it.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

for not making a stronger effort to replace our first past the post voting system during what looks to have been a narrow window of opportunity, but that might just be me.

While it's not only you, it is a very small number of very vocal, very politically involved people who care much about that.

[–] jadero@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 months ago

While it's not only you, it is a very small number of very vocal, very politically involved people who care much about that.

I'm neither of those things. I just wanted for once in my life to see the ruling class do something simple, obvious, and right. In fact, it's so simple, obvious, and right, that it boggles my mind that it didn't happen.

I've been disillusioned to varying degrees by political machinations over the last 50 years, but failure to act on this makes me feel like just giving up on the whole system. I've never been overly cynical, but now it seems that's all I have left.

I have no idea how difficult it is to run a country and no idea how the government deals with all the complexity and uncertainty. Choosing a voting system is one of the very few things I feel I am able to get my head around. It is so patently obvious that everyone involved deliberately chose to not do the right thing, even though it was simple and obvious.

Okay, sorry for the rant.

[–] villasv@lemmy.ca 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Dental care pilot is a pretty big deal too, though cannabis legalization is probably going to be the first line item.

[–] sailingbythelee@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yes, dental is a big deal, but everyone knows it's an NDP initiative. :)

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

So what?

If a good policy gets implemented, I don't care where the idea originated, only that it happened.

The fact that they were willing to work cooperatively with another party to come up with mutually acceptable outcomes puts both the Liberals and NDP miles ahead of the CPC.

[–] sailingbythelee@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

I agree with you. The parties should work together. I just don't think Trudeau will be specifically remembered for the dental program. Kind of like how Tommy Douglas is considered the father of universal health care rather than whoever was PM at the time federal Medicare was legislated.