Tanja.G

Canadian expat living in Belgium | Free-spirit positivity junkie | Secular humanist | Energy policy & security nerd | Opinions are my own and scandal proof

[Tim Walz @Tim_Walz]

Mike Waltz has left the chat.

[Geiger Capital @Geiger_Capital]

Canadian Gen Z: “I can’t afford food or a house and our country is being flooded with millions of foreigners. My nation is being ripped away from me!”

Canadian Boomers: “Trump is Hitler!”

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

Well said 👏👏👏 #cdnpoli

[Julius Ruechel @JuliusRuechel]

There's a simple rule of thumb that holds up, election after election.

Districts that either benefit from govt handouts (welfare, corporte welfare, etc) or benefit from high levels of govt employment all tend to vote for left-leaning parties.

And districts that are net payees to the govt will vote conservative -- these are the people who are plundered to pay for leftist spending.

The map below of Canada as today's election results pour in is a perfect illustration of that rule of thumb.

This is why, once govt spending grows beyond a certain point, leftist parties can build loyal voting coalitions that stay loyal even when the rest of the country is completely falling apart, just to keep the money flowing to themselves.

The Romans or Medieval Europeans would have called this a patronage network, but of course in the modern era we're just a little less obvious about it. 😈

Every socialist country and banana republic from Zimbabwe to Canada and beyond functions based on this system of building loyal voter coalitions, paid for by plundering everyone else.

In Canada, 1 in 4 employed Canadians works for govt. Add on top of that the countless legal cartels and govt contracts and welfare programs of all sorts, which all depend entirely on govt spending, and that adds up to a very large and reliable leftist voting coalition. (obviously not all govt employees vote Left, but an overwhelming majority do).

According to research by the Montreal Institute, in Canada 44% of every dollar spent in the country is spent by govt. That rises 64% if you account for compelled spending triggered by regulation (like having to hire "consultants" to do an "environmental study" before you build a road or house). Through taxation and regulation, voter loyalty is bought -- a loyal patronage system.

In the end, the Libs/Left are winning not because people are stupid, but because those who benefit from Leftist spending are voting to preserve their own personal interests. It's not stupid, it's selfish. Because human nature is opportunistic. $$$ money talks.

Eventually the perverted incentives created by big govt will perpetuate big govt.

The patronage network is well-established in our socialist-leaning country. Even so-called "right wing" parties regularly cater to that network, which is why so little actually changes even when "conservative" parties get voted in.

As Maxime Bernier found out when he lost the Conservative leadership race to Andrew Sheer in 2017, those who threaten to destabilize the patronage network have no chance to get anywhere near the levers of power -- the voters in the patronage network will do whatever it takes to band together to prevent them from getting in.

This is why empires evolve from liberty towards servitude and suffocating taxation, and only a very severe crisis (usually when the money runs out) will reset that evolution to an earlier time (by shrinking govt) -- and even then it's usually a very messy reset as the "patrons" fight back (at any cost) in an effort to preserve their patronage networks, which they've come to view as their god-given right.

The real tide will turn in Canada if the West opts out, if Quebec separates, or if the cozy economic system provided by lopsided trade with the US crashes to a halt if Trump's push for reciprocal tariffs ramps up into a full-scale trade war after the election.

Canada will not change direction because of what happens at the polls -- big govt is far too entrenched for that. The change will come when parasitic patronage systems hit a brick wall as they run out of money or people to plunder.

Perhaps that crisis will come in the form of a separatist referendum. Perhaps it will be a bond or currency crisis triggered by reckless govt financial mismanagement. Or perhaps it will be Trump's trade war that brings things to a head.

All I know is that the voter incentives favor the preservation of the status quo, but that status quo is simultaneously on an accelerating path towards crisis. And so, as is usually the case when a system is unsustainable but popular, change is coming despite the fact that the majority doesn't want it to be so. And when it comes, there will be a lot of kicking and screaming as the cockroaches fight back. 😈

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

#GlobalTariffs #Tariffs #Fashion

[Elliot - @InterdimensionalTV @n_reruns]

Runway of Tariffs

Made in a single day using:
Images – GPT-4o Image Gen
Video – @LumaLabsAI

Global trade has never looked this good.

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

*** Sighs in relief *** #tariffs #cdnpoli #Ontario #Canada

[Unofficial Trump on X @trump_repost]

I just finished speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, of Canada. It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canada's upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

[Fake Mark Carney @MarkCarney_Ego]

Who did this?

[Tristin Hopper @TristinHopper]

Again, I don't want to oversimplify, but ...

CANADIAN VOTER UNDER 40: "Maybe if this election changes the status quo I'll be able to afford having a child before I die alone in a rental unit somewhere."

CANADIAN VOTER OVER 40: "Elbows up."

[Concerned Citizen @BGatesIsaPyscho]

🇫🇷 Paris Fashion week in France used to be the most prestigious high profile fashion event of the year.

Now look at the absolute state of it.

[Doug Ford @fordnation]

For years, Ontario has been calling on the federal government to cut red tape, streamline approvals, end unnecessary duplication and match the $1 billion we've dedicated to building the roads to the Ring of Fire. 

It's great to see the Conservative Party of Canada answer our call. This needs to be a Canadian consensus. As we stare down the threat of President Trump’s tariffs, I expect every federal party to join Ontario in unlocking the enormous economic potential of the Ring of Fire. We need a clear answer on where the Liberals stand.

[Spencer Hakimian @SpencerHakimian]

On a per capita basis, the U.S. imports ~$1,200/year per person from Canada.

On a per capita basis, Canada imports ~$7,300/year per person from the U.S.

Ironically, Canada is one of our best trading partners in the world.

They pull well above their weight.

And they send us very discounted heavy crude, which we can’t produce at scale.

Wrong country to pick this fight with.

Focus back on China.

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

#USCanadaPartnership #AutomotiveIndustry

[Flavio Volpe, C.M. @FlavioVolpe1]

🇨🇦 automotive parts suppliers have invested $10B+ in parts plants in 26 🇺🇸 states with 48,000 🇺🇸 workers - including $1B+ new since 2021.

That’s equivalent to 5-10 major car & truck plants.

In MI alone there are 55 🇨🇦 parts plants with 17,000 🇺🇸 workers.

This is a Partnership.

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

Time to get things moving! #Cdnpoli #Energy #CdnSoveriegnty #EnergySecurity

[Heather Exner-Pirot @ExnerPirot]

Canada’s top 14 oil & gas CEOs have written a joint letter to all political parties on how to boost production and enhance sovereignty:
✔️ overhaul C-69 Impact Assessment Act
✔️get rid of C- 48 oil tanker ban
✔️approve major projects within 6 months
✔️ eliminate the federal carbon levy on industrial emitters and stick with provincial programs
✔️ eliminate the emissions cap
✔️provide lndigenous loan guarantees for equity in projects
https://t.co/OyyQNWRHhr

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

The Trump Administration's threat of up to 50% tariffs on Canada's mining sector could hurt workers & industries on both sides of the border. Unifor is committed to defending the mining industry. Read more: https://t.co/x8OQxZmYeM #Trade #Tariffs #CanadaMining

[tobi lutke @tobi]

Exactly right. The only reason why Canada isn’t one of the most prosperous countries in the world is because we choose not to be.

[David Jacobs @DrJacobsRad]

Premier Ford has done an excellent job demonstrating the risks of tariffs to the Trump administration.

He's also been consistently respectful and given Trump an off-ramp.

He's doing a very good job.

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

Pretty sure cutting off energy is an act of war, but this is hilarious #cdnpoli #Onpoli #tariffs

[Mark Towhey @towhey]

“WHAT IF Doug Ford gets Zelenskied in Washington when meeting Trump’s WWE Promoter Howard Lutnik?”

If it goes bad, Ford should pull out his cellphone while Lutnik’s shouting and calmly tell his staff to “Flip the Switch” and shut down electricity to the USA. Then leave.

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

You got this @fordnation ! #ONpoli #cdnpoli

[Theo Moudakis @TheoMoudakis]

Please enjoy my cartoon for Thursday's @TorontoStar

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

Let's do this Canada 💪

[Laura Stone @l_stone]

Doug Ford, Dominic LeBlanc to meet Trump administration officials over tariffs in Washington #onpoli https://t.co/3NGAuS38t2

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

UK Liberal Democrat leader @EdwardJDavey , is staging attention-grabbing stunts to rally support for Canada amid Trump's #tariff war. Davey burst through a Cdn flag at a London pub, calling on Britons to stand with Cda against Trump’s 25% steel and aluminum tariffs. #cdnpoli

[Ed Davey @EdwardJDavey]

Strengthening UK-Canada relations, one plate of poutine at a time 🇬🇧🇨🇦

[Tanja.G @Harlem_Shuffle]

GO DOUGGY GO!

[Doug Ford @fordnation]

This morning, I met with Mark Carney, Canada’s incoming prime minister for a positive and productive discussion. We agreed on the need to stand firm and strong in the face of President Trump’s threats, including additional retaliatory tariffs in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, which will raise costs for American businesses and families. Team Canada has risen to the challenge and proven that no one should ever underestimate the strength and resilience of the Canadian people. Together, we will get through this more united than ever before.

Canada won’t relent until the threat of tariffs is gone for good. I look forward to sitting down with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and members of the Trump administration’s economic team tomorrow. Facing the cost of Ontario’s 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exports, Secretary Lutnick extended an olive branch to start a conversation about the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Over the coming weeks and months, I’m going to work with Secretary Lutnick, our federal partners and every premier in good faith toward a free trade deal that’s fair for both countries.