Canadian Content

[Pana]

Thomas Mulcair said the NDP will show Canadians they are capable of governing the country, as he laid out his plans for the party on his first day as its new leader.
The new Official Opposition leader said he won't immediately be making drastic changes to his NDP caucus, but he does intend on shaking up the Canadian political landscape.

"You're going to understand how it's important for us to be able to project confidence and competence as public administrators," Mulcair said during his first news conference Sunday.

"That's sometimes what was missing."

Mulcair, who was elected Saturday to succeed the late Jack Layton, insisted the NDP is united after the long leadership campaign but must stay focused on the job ahead.

"We're facing a government that's very tough, very well structured and we've got to do the same thing," Mulcair said.

He added New Democrats must reach out to more voters, especially young people.

"We are the only party that can stand up to Stephen Harper and form the government in 2015," he said, adding that the next election will offer voters "a very stark choice" between the Conservatives and NDP.

[Royal]

Bohhhhhhhhhring.

[Royal]

[Pana]

Ah...fuck ya

.

[Royal]

[Pana]

You know, Royal, learning a bit about Canada is not a bad thing. It's also good manners to either post an appropriate response conducive to moving the topic forward or not to post at all. A flippant remark like "boring" is really more reflective of a closed mind at the time of posting and brings nothing to the conversation. Furthermore, the comment 'boring' brings you dangerously close to fulfilling the image held worldwide of the 'arrogant and ignorant American'.

Canada is my country and I am very passionate about the state it's in and the potential in where it can go with a new leader of the Opposition. However, if you wish to mire yourself in American only content or view the world only through an American lens than I shall remove myself from TD.

[Royal]

I was upholding a stereotype.

My humor doesn't always cross over well on the internet.

I apologize for the miscommunication.

[Pigeon]

I actually have been to Canada. I was pretty young though. Don't think I could live though a winter there.

[Pana]

Thanks for that, Royal...

...and perhaps there were two stereotypes in play:

The other one is "Canadian with a chip on her shoulder".

So my apology to you as well.

[Pana]

PS -

Just so you know, the current government in Canada has a close affinity with your Republican/Bush style of government. It was a minority government for seven years but gained majority status with only 45% of the popular vote last year. The vote on the left was split between two parties one of which is the Ndp which is the Official Opposition (second most seats in parliament).

The Harper/Conservative government is slowly eroding our social programs and protections. It is even attempting to bring into Canada the Texas style of prison infrastructure/privatization. It has labelled protestors of a proposed pipeline, "terrorists" and is currently embroiled in a controversy that they sent people (ndp'ers and Liberals) to the wrong polls last election via misleading robocalls. (Sound familiar?)

There is movement on the Centre Left to just try and defeat the Conservatives but we have experienced huge voter apathy in the last seven years. Just over half of the people of Canada voted last election.