Tim Buttjes

wanna be sailor, golfer, mtn & road biker, snowboarder, curler & solo father. Working in the electronics field. Food lover and wine wannabe. Never know enough.

[Andrew Johns @AndrewNJohns]

WATCH: The audacity of @Dave_Eby to attack Jimmy Pattison...

[Conservative Party of BC @Conservative_BC]

“What’s in a number?”

[Tim Thielmann @timthielmann]

On the Choices Facing the Rational Right in British Columbia

Registration is closed. OneBC is running 33 candidates in B.C.’s 93 ridings.

The latest Ipsos poll has the BC Conservatives and NDP statistically tied. At the same time, 338Canada rates 10 of the 33 OneBC ridings as close, including five toss-ups.

OneBC has been consistently polling under 5% province-wide.
And there aren’t any OneBC candidates, including Dallas Brodie, who have even a remote chance of winning a seat.

So what does a OneBC vote actually accomplish? Here is the math:

The opposite of what OneBC supporters actually want.

If OneBC takes just 2% in the closest 10 ridings, it raises the probability of an NDP government by 16 percent.

At 4%, the increase is roughly one-third.

An NDP majority only gets more certain as the OneBC vote share goes up.

OneBC supporters don’t have to have warm feelings for the BC Conservative Party to admit that it would do less damage to our province than another Eby majority.
You didn’t like how BC Conservative MLAs undermined Kerry-Lynne Findlay? Neither did I. But do you think NDP MLAs are any less self-serving? Their political operatives more principled? Their ideologues less radical?
For every landback MLA hiding out inside the BC Conservative tent, the NDP has 10. Same for climate catastrophists and trans-rights activists.And Foreign interests are heavily at work in both—and in OneBC too.

Admit it. No matter how angry you are with the BC Conservative Party, the rational move is to cut our losses not to compound them.

We need to turn BC around completely, but we don’t have a political vehicle ready right now. So the decision is whether to drive 50 km/h in the blue car or 100 km/h in the orange one.

The rational right only has one choice this election.

Take a breath, plug your nose, and elect BC Conservatives on October 24.

That’s when productive work begins.

We have the next four years to build a serious political party capable of actually delivering the change that OneBC was intended to bring.

[Iain Black @iainblackbc]

Read. This.

All of it.

If you’re one who says, “oh, I’m not political…”

Read. This.

If you’re one who says, “Government can’t really impact my world…”

Read. This. …and see what this government has done to meaningfully *harm* your world, and that of your children.

What a list. A specific, lengthy, utterly unnecessary list.

A list captured by the man who faced a similar list in 2001 and knows both the size & dizzying complexity of the mess that’s been created by David Eby…. And that it can be fixed.

That it *must* be.

https://t.co/8Tfcr7eat9

[Marc Dalton, MP @MarcDalton]

David Eby seems to think being a billionaire is something to be condemned.

Maybe he should take a look at what Jimmy Pattison has actually done for British Columbia.

• EXPO 86: Pattison worked virtually full-time for five years without compensation to help make Expo 86 a reality and putting Vancouver on the world stage

• Health care: He donated $75 million to St. Paul’s Hospital, described by the B.C. government as a historic contribution to Canadian health-care philanthropy. (BC News⁠)

• Royal Columbian Hospital: He donated $30 million toward the redevelopment, with the new acute-care tower now bearing his name.

• Surrey health care: He donated $5 million toward the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre, helping fund equipment and attract physicians.

-Vancouver General Hospital: donated $20 million to VGH

-He made major contributions to Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver, Burnaby, Kelowna General and Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. A 2024 grant record shows nearly $20 million in foundation grants in one year, much of it going to B.C. health care.

- Children’s health: the Pattison Group, has contributed tens of millions of dollars to B.C. Children’s Hospital, including $15 million for its family immunization clinic.

• Jobs and investment: The Pattison Group grew from a single Vancouver car dealership into a major Canadian business empire employing thousands of people.

So when David Eby looks at Jimmy Pattison and sees only “a billionaire,” British Columbians should remember what Pattison has actually contributed.

He built businesses. He created jobs. He invested in our communities. He helped put Vancouver on the world stage. And he has donated millions to help British Columbians receive health care.

We should be debating how to create more success stories like Jimmy Pattison not denigrating people simply because they achieved extraordinary success.

B.C. needs more builders, more investment and more ambition, not politicians who turn success into something to be ashamed of and using him for cheap political talking points

[lubricant @darren_lubedude]

Here is a real-world example of how Canada's retaliatory tariffs actually work.

We are a Canadian manufacturer employing 40+ people in Ontario.

We buy steel drums from an American manufacturer in Ohio.

We bring the EMPTY drums into Canada.

We fill those drums in Ontario with products WE MANUFACTURE IN CANADA.

Then we ship the finished Canadian product back to customers in the United States.

Simple enough.

Except Canada has now imposed a 50% retaliatory tariff on U.S.-made steel drums under tariff code 7310.10.00.

So let me understand the strategy.

Who exactly are we trying to hurt?

The American steel company already sold the steel.

The American drum manufacturer already sold the drum.

Our American customer still needs the finished product.

The company writing the cheque for Canada's 50% tariff is us — the Canadian manufacturer employing Canadian workers.

And before someone says, "Buy Canadian" — we have a Canadian drum supplier in Burlington. They're busy and their lead times are several weeks longer than our Ohio supplier.

And here's the irony:

The Canadian drum plant is itself owned by an American company.

So we are potentially adding enormous cost and working-capital requirements to a Canadian manufacturer in an attempt to punish the United States.

There may be duty-drawback relief available because we're re-exporting these drums as part of our finished product — and we're investigating that now.

But think about the administrative absurdity we've created:

Import an American drum → Canada charges a 50% retaliatory tariff → Canadian workers fill it with Canadian-manufactured product → ship it back to America → Canadian company applies to recover the tariff.

That's not industrial policy.

That's friction.

If the objective is to protect and grow Canadian manufacturing, we need to start asking a very basic question before imposing retaliatory tariffs:

Who actually writes the cheque?

@ronmortgageguy @StephenPunwasi

[Melissa Chen @MsMelChen]

One of the most toxic fallouts from the Trump years is this reflexive need a lot of people have to automatically side with anyone going up against him.

Mark Carney is banking on that and exploiting it hard. He knows the press will paint Trump as the irresponsible, blustery provocateur in the collapsing Canada-US trade talks, so by going all-out against Trump he scores easy political points.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The truth of the matter is that the playing field has been uneven and unfair between Canada and the US for decades.

Canada imposes lofty tariffs - sometimes nearly 300% - on American cheese and milk once a tiny quota is filled, and they even give the Europeans better access than they give the Americans.

Provinces yanked American wine and spirits off the shelves in government liquor stores. They hit US cars with extra tariffs and quotas. Softwood lumber has been a long-running game too. But the biggest problem is the Chinese back-door scam: steel, auto parts, and EVs from China get lightly processed or just relabeled in Canada, then shipped into America under USMCA rules so they dodge the tariffs Trump put on Beijing.

That lets China keep flooding the North American market, undercutting American (and Canadian) workers, and basically laundering its way around the sanctions and trade barriers meant to stop its cheating. The Trump admin wants to end the free ride and make Canada shut down the transshipment loophole that China is exploiting.

Carney walking away from a near-done deal and playing the victim just keeps Canada in bed with Beijing while American (and Canadian) workers pay the price.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ And he’s hoping you don’t look beyond the headlines and find out the truth

[Tim Buttjes @rb_rangers7]

Vancouver is a football city — the Whitecaps belong here. #SaveTheCaps https://t.co/eRoGJTV928

[Dr. Leslyn Lewis @LeslynLewis]

The Canada Infrastructure Bank spent only $4 million on actual projects last year, yet paid $38 million in salaries and almost $9 million in bonuses.

Meanwhile, they project $204 million in credit losses. That's almost a quarter billion tax dollars lost.

The CIB's own numbers show that for every dollar taxpayers put in, they get about a penny of value back.

Despite these facts, the Liberals are pouring another $10 billion into their losing bank.

This government shows how out-of-touch it is, tossing billions into failing programs like it's pocket change, while hard-working Canadians line up at food banks just to afford the basics.

https://t.co/YBWDeGW8yA

[Tim Buttjes @rb_rangers7]

@sekeresandprice @RedwoodsGolf Mariners!

[Seattle Mariners @Mariners]

RT FOR POSTSEASON BASEBALL! #SeizeTheMoment

[Melissa Lantsman @MelissaLantsman]

Not even 48 hours in.

Mark Carney announces he won’t introduce a budget this year. Because he is a very smart economist and you are not a very smart economist.

A Liberal Minister is already fighting pipelines — saying no new ones should get built.

Parliament has been shut down since December — and the former failed Immigration and Housing — now Justice Minister is talking about working from home.

The new Housing Minister who nearly tripled housing costs as Vancouver’s Mayor — is telling everyone the cost of housing is fine.

These people are here to do exactly the same thing they did over the last 10 years.

[Tim Buttjes @rb_rangers7]

@justBlakePrice That the season ticket holders are partially paying for. I think I’ll cancel. Last nail in the coffin

[Ron Butler @ronmortgageguy]

We're Finally Here: Election Day
You MUST Get Out & VOTE

We always hear: "this is the most important Election of our lifetimes" but today it's TRUE

If you're a Young Person, it's never been more important

Old farts already voted last week

Today is YOUR TIME for CHANGE

2/

[Dan Knight @DanKnightMMA]

Good morning, Canada. It’s New Year’s Eve, and while many of you are preparing to celebrate tonight, let’s take a moment to reflect on what’s coming tomorrow. When the clock strikes midnight, it won’t just be the start of 2025—it’ll mark the beginning of Taxpocalypse 2025, a year where Justin Trudeau’s government will hit the middle class harder than ever before.

https://t.co/V8lrWDjicM

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has released a report that lays bare the financial storm Canadians are about to endure. It’s not just inflation draining your wallet; it’s an avalanche of new taxes designed to fund Trudeau’s bloated government and its endless corruption. Let’s go through the numbers, because you deserve to know what’s really happening.

First, payroll taxes are going up. If you earn $81,200 or more, you’ll be paying $403 more in Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance contributions this year. Your employer will also fork out nearly $6,000 per employee. Small businesses—already struggling with inflation and high costs—are being crushed under this weight. This isn’t job creation; it’s job destruction.

Then there’s the carbon tax. Starting tomorrow, it jumps from $80 per tonne to $95, adding 20.9¢ per litre to the cost of gasoline. Filling up a 70-litre tank will now cost you almost $15 in carbon taxes alone. If you heat your home with natural gas, get ready to pay an additional $415 this year. Trudeau claims this is about fighting climate change, but in reality, it’s just another excuse to fill government coffers.

And if you thought inflation was bad, bracket creep makes it worse. As your income grows slightly due to inflation, you’re pushed into higher tax brackets without actually having more buying power. So, you’ll pay more in income tax on money that doesn’t go as far as it did last year. Meanwhile, the wealthy use loopholes to avoid taxes, and the poor get targeted rebates. Once again, it’s the middle class holding the bag.

Don’t believe me about how bad things have gotten under Trudeau? Let’s talk inflation—specifically food inflation. Here are the year-over-year increases:

2021: 4.0% (September)

2022: 11.0% (October)

2023: 8.3% (June)

2024: 2.7% (October)

Now, let’s compound that year over year. Since 2021, food prices have soared 28.37%. Think about that—almost a third of your grocery budget wiped out. A dollar that used to buy a loaf of bread now barely buys three-quarters of one. And this year, Trudeau’s new taxes will take even more out of your wallet.

But while you’re paying more for less, Trudeau has been busy inflating something else: the federal public service. Since he took office in 2015, he has added 108,793 new public servants to the federal payroll—a 42% increase in the size of the federal public service. And for what? Are hospitals better staffed? Are services more efficient? Absolutely not. Wait times for healthcare are worse than ever. Infrastructure projects are endlessly delayed.

If you ask me, Trudeau bloated the public sector to artificially keep unemployment numbers down. Let’s be clear: it’s the private sector that provides for the public sector, not the other way around. Every new bureaucrat added to the payroll is funded by taxes from hardworking Canadians—people like you—who are already struggling to make ends meet.

So, under Trudeau, you’re paying more for groceries, more in taxes, and getting less in return. This isn’t governance; it’s theft. But here’s the real insult: all of this money is going to fund Trudeau’s swamp of waste and corruption. Take the ArriveCAN app, a disaster that cost $54 million—for what? A glorified QR code. Contracts were handed out to insiders, many of whom didn’t even do any work.

Then there’s the Green Slush Fund, which has wasted nearly $400 million on pet projects rife with conflicts of interest. Liberal insiders funneled taxpayer money into their own businesses, and Trudeau’s government just shrugged.

The alcohol escalator tax is going up too, adding 2% more to the already sky-high taxes on beer, wine, and spirits. And don’t forget the digital services tax, a 3% levy on platforms like Amazon and Netflix. Experts say most of this cost will be passed directly to consumers.

Final Thoughts

This is Justin Trudeau’s Canada: a nation where the poor are shielded, the rich find their loopholes, and the middle class—the backbone of this country—is bled dry. Payroll taxes, carbon taxes, alcohol taxes, income taxes—it’s all part of an elaborate scheme to fund the bloated vanity projects and corruption of a government that no longer even pretends to care about the people footing the bill.

And while Canadians are working longer hours to afford less, struggling to put food on their tables, start families, or even dream of owning a home, Trudeau jet-sets around the world like royalty. Whether it’s sipping top-shelf wine at a global summit or skiing the pristine slopes of Red Mountain, this guy lives like a king while the rest of you pick up the tab.

It’s no wonder Canadians are booing him in public—it’s not only justified, it’s well deserved. He’s earned every jeer, every shout of frustration, because his leadership has failed this country at every turn. Under Trudeau, affordability has become a joke, and hard work no longer guarantees success.

But here’s the best part, Justin: there’s an election this year. Canadians finally get the chance to tell you exactly what they think of your disastrous leadership. They’ll send your Liberal ship straight into the iceberg, where it belongs.

So, go ahead, call the election. Take the globalist agenda you’ve been so proud to champion, pack it up with your carbon-tax hypocrisy, and prepare for your next gig as a keynote speaker for the World Economic Forum. You’ve proven you’re great at reading from a script that someone else writes—just not at running a country.

Enjoy your top sirloin tonight, Justin. Canadians? They’ll be eating Kraft Dinner while watching your government fall apart. Happy New Year. And Canada, don’t forget: Taxpocalypse 2025 starts tomorrow. Let’s make it the year we take our country back.

#cdnpoli

[Steve Saretsky @SteveSaretsky]

Perfectly summarized.

[JAY JANOWER @JayJanower]

Bill Maher pulls out a mirror on Canada…do you like what you see?

[Stephen Harper @stephenharper]

Congratulations to Pierre Poilievre on a successful convention and great speech by a future prime minister. The time for change is already long past.

[Concerned Canadian @Concern70732755]

Do you really feel bad for Trudeau soliciting sympathy by saying how tough it is to be a politician. Maybe he should see how the rest of Canadians are doing trying to feed their families and pay their higher cost mortgages !!

[Farhan Lalji @FarhanLaljiTSN]

Nice win for #BCsTeam. Hoping all those BC fans that made the short drive down spent their 💴 & enjoyed the party 🎉 #SeaUsRise