Things Canadian.

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Day 1 of Charles' and Camilla's visit to Canad has wound up in St. John's.
Prince Charles, Camilla depart St. John's as Day 1 of Canadian Royal Tour wraps up

The usual suspects made the usual nice speeches welcoming the royal couple.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reflected on the historical relationship between Canada and the monarchy.

"So much of the endurance and stability of our democracy is woven into our Westminster parliamentary system, our constitutional monarchy and the Crown," he said.

The ceremony also included remarks from Premier Andrew Furey and performances by Mi'kmaw musician Paul Pike, Newfoundland and Labrador folk band Rum Ragged and others.

In what appears to be a response to a question about recent nonsense in the Caribbean PM Trudeau said he hasn't been hearing any significant anti-monarchy sentiment from Canadians and said that "we can be very pleased we have such a stable system". This I believe is a reference to his aversion to anything that looks like constitutional change.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters earlier Tuesday he wasn't hearing significant anti-monarchy sentiment from Canadians and said he welcomed Charles and Camilla's visit.

"I know this will mean a lot to people here," said Trudeau. "As we look at challenges facing our democratic institutions around the world, I think we can be very pleased we have such a stable system."

 

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The following is an interesting story of how immigrants from India are bringing caste prejudices with them to Canada.
How prejudice rooted in an ancient social system has migrated from India to Canada

 

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The following story is about how the study of rocks in the NWT can tell us more about Mars, but what I found most interesting about the story is the description of the area itself.
What N.W.T.'s Smoking Hills could tell us about Mars

The Smoking Hills is a stretch of Beaufort Sea (part of the Arctic Ocean) coastline in the NWT east of the Mackenzie delta. The rocks are an organic and sulphur rich shale which have been burning for a long but unknown period of time, possibly since the glaciers retreated. The fires appear to have started due to spontaneous combustion of pyrite minerals which set off the shale.

As the rocks burn they melt the permafrost covering them, exposing more rocks which continue to burn.

The earth there is so hot that if you attempt to walk on it your boots would melt. You have to wear a special respirator with a cartridge filter and the air is filled with sulphur fumes.

Scientist collect mineral samples which are so hot they melt through collection jars and will burn through clothing.

The water there is highly acidic and loaded with iron, lead, nickel, zinc and arsenic.

The water there is probably the most acidic natural waters ever reported. None the less they are teaming with life such as algae and microbes.

Scientists are studying the environment there in hopes that it will help them to understand rock formations on Mars which may be similar. The bizarre nature of this area on Earth however is I think fascinating enough.

 

[soutie]

The following story is about how the study of rocks in the NWT can tell us more about Mars, but what I found most interesting about the story is the description of the area itself.
What N.W.T.'s Smoking Hills could tell us about Mars

The Smoking Hills is a stretch of Beaufort Sea (part of the Arctic Ocean) coastline in the NWT east of the Mackenzie delta. The rocks are an organic and sulphur rich shale which have been burning for a long but unknown period of time, possibly since the glaciers retreated. The fires appear to have started due to spontaneous combustion of pyrite minerals which set off the shale.
View attachment 663690

As the rocks burn they melt the permafrost covering them, exposing more rocks which continue to burn.

The earth there is so hot that if you attempt to walk on it your boots would melt. You have to wear a special respirator with a cartridge filter and the air is filled with sulphur fumes.

Scientist collect mineral samples which are so hot they melt through collection jars and will burn through clothing.

The water there is highly acidic and loaded with iron, lead, nickel, zinc and arsenic.

The water there is probably the most acidic natural waters ever reported. None the less they are teaming with life such as algae and microbes.

Scientists are studying the environment there in hopes that it will help them to understand rock formations on Mars which may be similar. The bizarre nature of this area on Earth however is I think fascinating enough.

An interesting article. Wasn’t “nonetheless“ just one word originally?

 

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An interesting article. Wasn’t “nonetheless“ just one word originally?

Yes. That was a spelling error in my post.

 

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Prince Charles and Camilla toured Ottawa today as they continue on their Canadian trip. The CBC reported a welcoming and friendly crowd. The weather was sunny with a high of 16C.
Prince Charles praises 'remarkable' Canada during his tour of Ottawa with wife Camilla

The visit included a trip to the National War Memorial to lay a wreath. After the wreath was laid they waded into the crowd to shake hands.

They then travelled to the Byward Market, a trendy farmer's market in the downtown. The CBC reports they were mobbed by crowds eager to see them and their security detail struggled to hold the crowds back.

They took in a performance of the RCMP Musical Ride, a cavalry fancy riding exhibition with 32 horses. Charles is also commissioner-in-chief of the RCMP.

Charles then met with PM Trudeau at Rideau Hall (the GG's residence, i.e. the Canadian equivalent of Buck House).

Among the other various visits packed into the day Charles visited a Ukrainian Orthodox church to meet the local Ukrainian community, pray with the congregation, and eat perogies. This was evidently intended to have diplomatic significance.

In addition to the above:

• Charles was invested as an extraordinary commander in the Order of Military Merit.
• Charles is colonel-in-chief of the Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment and he inspected some of the troops.
• Camilla is honorary colonel of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and also inspected them.

Tomorrow Charles and Camilla will travel on to the NWT.

 

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Here's the latest poll results in the ongoing Ontario election.
Doug Ford PCs still favoured to win majority but lead narrows

The CBC predicts the following with the probability of each given as a percentage.

• PC majority - 73 per cent probability.
• PC minority - 24 per cent.
• Liberal minority - 1 per cent.
• NDP minority - 1 per cent.

The outcome will depend upon how things go in individual ridings, but most likely the end result will show not much change from now.

The main difference may be that the Liberals will be the official opposition after having been relegated to third place in the absolute hammering they took in the previous election. Their current leader is a political unknown and is not making much impression on the voters.

Ford made several mistakes during the pandemic but overall seems to have handled it well enough that it would be difficult for the opposition to make much headway on that issue. There were a series of pre-election goodies announced such as new passenger rail links, highway expansions, and major new manufacturing plants. Again it's hard to find a big enough issue which can be used to upset the status quo and defeat him.

The lunatic fringe have been either kicked out of the governing party or quit on their own and formed several parties of their own. They are expected to sink into obscurity.

Provincial election outcomes are often not a good guide to federal elections as the issues are different and it's not unusual for provincial parties to get along better with a different party federally than they do with their federal equivalents, so don't try to extrapolate these results beyond the provincial election itself.

 

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Jason Kenney is out a Conservative leader in Alberta. He won the leadership vote, but with only 51.4 per cent he knew he couldn't hang on to power much longer.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney resigns as UCP leader after narrow win in leadership review

The party is facing defeat in the election next year unless they can regain public confidence. The party's task now is to find someone who is up to the herculean task before them.

 

[Guns]

Jason Kenney is out a Conservative leader in Alberta. He won the leadership vote, but with only 51.4 per cent he knew he couldn't hang on to power much longer.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney resigns as UCP leader after narrow win in leadership review

The party is facing defeat in the election next year unless they can regain public confidence. The party's task now is to find someone who is up to the herculean task before them.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer person /s

 

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The following interview with Jean Charest was filmed a month ago, but I haven't had a chance to watch it until now.

Charest is a well known politician in Canada who has held a number of very senior posts over the course of a long political career. He is currently running for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party after spending the past decade in the private sector.

This is a very good interview and well worth watching if you are interested in Canadian politics. The interview is 22 minutes long.

In my opinion Charest has the best chance of any of the potential party leaders of beating the Liberals in a federal election.

 

[jatt47]

Not sure if this would be the right place to ask.
I'm thinking of jumping ship from the CAF to the UK.

I'd like to start over maybe go for Paras.
I like the shorter distances, and warmer weather of the UK.
--
I'm still kind of burnt out so I haven't done much research, will get to it.

I have a degree in PoliSci, an 18 wheeler license, and some IT certs.
--
I'm kind of just tired of the condescending wannabe American attitude of Canadians along with, the lack of purpose or serviceable equipment in the CAF.

I'm in the Infantry right now, and I'm not interested in being part of the latest political fad. I want to do my job, have a family, and travel on leave.

I'm done with North America, but not being a soldier.
Also, I'm a Sikh.

 

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Not sure if this would be the right place to ask.
I'm thinking of jumping ship from the CAF to the UK.

I'd like to start over maybe go for Paras.
I like the shorter distances, and warmer weather of the UK.
--
I'm still kind of burnt out so I haven't done much research, will get to it.

I have a degree in PoliSci, an 18 wheeler license, and some IT certs.
--
I'm kind of just tired of the condescending wannabe American attitude of Canadians along with, the lack of purpose or serviceable equipment in the CAF.

I'm in the Infantry right now, and I'm not interested in being part of the latest political fad. I want to do my job, have a family, and travel on leave.

I'm done with North America, but not being a soldier.
Also, I'm a Sikh.

There are thread specifically for UK recruiting, I would suggest that you try there. There are several, so I don't know which one suits your personal situation best.

The following link should take you to the list of threads relating to this.

https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/forums/#join-the-army-military-recruitment.128

 

[SO110369]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer person /s

Having had interactions (thankfully few) with Kenney and his miasma of self-importance I couldn't agree more.

As noted upthread, we in Ontario are on the cusp of an election that will by all indications see Doug Ford re-elected. The differences between Ford and the now-deposed Kenney are telling: the UPC in Alberta was infested, by Kenney's own admission, with loons that opposed many of his policies during the pandemic, who he tried to accommodate, mollify or ignore. It led to a palace revolt and his ouster. Ford had several within his caucus of similar bent. He threw them out without hesitation if they refused to tow the party line. Some have now gone on to form fringe parties that will in all likelihood disappear after the upcoming election.

Ford, unlike Kenney, refused to adopt a confrontational attitude towards the policies adopted by the Federal Liberals during the pandemic and ultimately developed a good working relationship with Ottawa. The move towards a more centrist mode of governance has led to a number of polls which indicate he's gained support from some voters who would previously not looked at anything other than the provincial Liberals when casting their vote.

It's also worth noting Ford's move to realistic policies and a moderation of his initial somewhat populist views have led a number of notable unions to endorse him, which is rarely seen in Ontario politics..unions are usually rapid supporters of the socialist New Democratic Party, which at last word is trailing the pols in third place.

 

[jatt47]

Where there's a will there's a way, I was just looking for general lifestyle changes as well.

I have other skills like trucking or IT, and was just thinking swapping to the UK since it's the only other developed English speaking country in the Old world.

 

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Having had interactions (thankfully few) with Kenney and his miasma of self-importance I couldn't agree more.

As noted upthread, we in Ontario are on the cusp of an election that will by all indications see Doug Ford re-elected. The differences between Ford and the now-deposed Kenney are telling: the UPC in Alberta was infested, by Kenney's own admission, with loons that opposed many of his policies during the pandemic, who he tried to accommodate, mollify or ignore. It led to a palace revolt and his ouster. Ford had several within his caucus of similar bent. He threw them out without hesitation if they refused to tow the party line. Some have now gone on to form fringe parties that will in all likelihood disappear after the upcoming election.

Ford, unlike Kenney, refused to adopt a confrontational attitude towards the policies adopted by the Federal Liberals during the pandemic and ultimately developed a good working relationship with Ottawa. The move towards a more centrist mode of governance has led to a number of polls which indicate he's gained support from some voters who would previously not looked at anything other than the provincial Liberals when casting their vote.

It's also worth noting Ford's move to realistic policies and a moderation of his initial somewhat populist views have led a number of notable unions to endorse him, which is rarely seen in Ontario politics..unions are usually rapid supporters of the socialist New Democratic Party, which at last word is trailing the pols in third place.

Kenney is an unprincipled opportunist who is only interested in advancing his own political career and has shown no more ability to run the province than he showed while he was in federal politics.

I would also take his claims of who in the party was rebelling against him with a very large grain of salt. He had plenty of opposition within the party before the pandemic, and his current opponents are saying that getting rid of him is the party's only hope of avoiding defeat by the NDP in the next election.

Kenny by the way is still under investigation for electoral fraud relating to his first leadership race. The man leading the internal opposition to him is the man Kenney allegedly cheated out of the party leadership.

As for Doug Ford, I may have certain criticisms about some of his policies and decisions, but I have to say that he and Kenney are in no way comparable to one another. Ford seems to try to do what he thinks is the right thing for the province while Kenney never thought of anything other than what would help him cling to power and the associated perks for another few days.

 

[Stovepipe]

The following is an interesting story of how immigrants from India are bringing caste prejudices with them to Canada.
How prejudice rooted in an ancient social system has migrated from India to Canada

what did he expect, a Dalit studying HR?!

 

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what did he expect, a Dalit studying HR?!

I find it interesting that people from India find their own caste differences more important to them than the factors which they have in common. This sort of undermines the frequent narrative that we hear about the nature of "racism" in modern society.

 

[jatt47]

I find it interesting that people from India find their own caste differences more important to them than the factors which they have in common. This sort of undermines the frequent narrative that we hear about the nature of "racism" in modern society.

It's mostly Dalit vs everyone since they're the largest vote bank.

The reference to you could go to prison is telling. Would you want instant jail for calling someone a name?

Affirmative action is also 50% so I don't know. I'm a Sikh so I don't care much for Indian politics, but I know the sky points up.

These immigrants are going to their own communities, the only Europeans they deal with are in government. Every major city is like London

 

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It's mostly Dalit vs everyone since they're the largest vote bank.

The reference to you could go to prison is telling. Would you want instant jail for calling someone a name?

Affirmative action is also 50% so I don't know. I'm a Sikh so I don't care much for Indian politics, but I know the sky points up.

These immigrants are going to their own communities, the only Europeans they deal with are in government. Every major city is like London

I didn't see anything in the story which said that anyone could go to prison in Canada for referring to someone by caste label, so I assume you are talking about India.

I've met quite a few people from India in Canada, or whose family was from India. I always got along well with them. I wasn't aware however that many still cared about caste after they came to Canada.

 

[SO110369]

Kenney is an unprincipled opportunist who is only interested in advancing his own political career and has shown no more ability to run the province than he showed while he was in federal politics.

I would also take his claims of who in the party was rebelling against him with a very large grain of salt. He had plenty of opposition within the party before the pandemic, and his current opponents are saying that getting rid of him is the party's only hope of avoiding defeat by the NDP in the next election.

Kenny by the way is still under investigation for electoral fraud relating to his first leadership race. The man leading the internal opposition to him is the man Kenney allegedly cheated out of the party leadership.

As for Doug Ford, I may have certain criticisms about some of his policies and decisions, but I have to say that he and Kenney are in no way comparable to one another. Ford seems to try to do what he thinks is the right thing for the province while Kenney never thought of anything other than what would help him cling to power and the associated perks for another few days.

No dispute, other than your description of Kenney is more charitable than what I usually use.

And the fragmentation of his party may possibly lead their defeat. A situation the Federal Conservatives may be facing in the not too distant future if their infighting continues.

As for Ford: I had two reasons a few years back to communicate with his office concerning medical matters.

One led to an e-mail response from a flunky of some kind. The second...Imagine my suprise, upon answering the phone after sitting down to supper and hearing the words "Hi, Mr. *****, this is Doug Ford". Followed by a conversation that, I'll admit, really accomplished little, but I have trouble imagining someone like Kenney taking the time or having the interest to do the same. That, and dealing with him personally in a work context, raised my opinion of him considerably. He appears genuinely concerned with the welfare of the province and it's people.