Nate is awesome! He is one of the most honest politicians I've known, and has more integrity than most. His decency, smarts, hard work, values, determination to make like better for all, for encouraging participation rather than suppress it like Ford does, will be a sharp and much needed contrast to the current corrupt regime. Nate will make the OLP a decent option again for Ontarians who want change plus integrity in government. They will trust him to be on their side as we move forward together in this tough economy.
Should 5% of the Canadian population have veto power over the economic security of the other 95%? Your vote against bill C5 suggests you believe they should.
This is one of many instances where you failed to moderate on an important issue with alienating consequences outside the GTA. You chose progressive ideals over the economic future of your province and the unity of your country. Under the current circumstances that ought to be disqualifying.
Ontario is facing high unemployment, high cost of living, high taxes, high public debt, an aging population, a bloated regulatory environment, and a breakdown in the immigration consensus. Putting unity destroying climate policies ahead of all that would be electoral suicide.
You are a big proponent of honesty in politics. Well, for those unwilling to change/moderate, sometimes the biggest thing you can do for your province and party is get out of way so someone else can succeed.
Either way, 2026 calls for a 3rd way candidate focused on the future, not more of the identity politics, self-serving land acknowledgements, and economically-dubious housing policies we are all so tired of.
Happy new year and best of luck, whatever you decide.
Voters ultimately hold their government accountable. If a minister infringes on rights without cause, they can be voted out. Therefore it is not in the minister’s best interest to set aside any processes except in cases where there is clear public support. If you believe in democracy, then the hysteria around C-5 is unwarranted. Due process will still take place except where there is urgent need.
I am arguing in favour of having a functioning economy that attracts investment.
Every single extraction of resources requires human labour to do so. Thus Canadian workers benefit when profit-seeking countries invest in Canadian resource extraction. Which workers benefit the most? Actually, indigenous workers are overrepresented in the resource industry. The resource industry is a leader in indigenous employment, paying above median incomes in remote and rural areas. That doesn’t sound like discrimination. It sounds like fair work for fair pay. Something all Canadians deserve and will only get when we make Ontario and Canada investment-friendly once again.
How would you feel, Hume, if some cabinet minister decided due process was getting in the way of his urgent economic priorities so he forced you and your family out of your home so it could be destroyed in order to build some fantasy economic project designed to make the 1% richer but not really benefit Canada, Ontario or much of anyone else. Just because the politician wanted to get into the good books of the private company. Due process and the laws in our country were passed for a reason - so governments can't act illegally or unethically to bulldoze through their priorities. Economic growth that is sustainable and includes all people, not just the elite at the top, is what Ontario needs, if you haven't noticed that already. I'm glad Nate questioned that unwise and unnecessary power grab that got enacted in a major rush that undermined the rule of law in Canada. That kind of independent thinking, done on behalf of the public interest, is exactly what we need in a leader and premier, not someone who's going to destroy anyone who gets in the way of his powerful friends like Doug Ford does.
Matt, I can be forced from my home under the exact circumstances you described and Bill C5 has nothing to do with it. It’s called expropriation, and it is a good and necessary part of the law. There is already consensus on that.
Government policies, all government policies, alter the rights and responsibilities of constituent individuals and/or businesses. I believe all Canadians must have equal rights and responsibilities if we are to call Canada a free and equitable society. No special veto rights for any ethnic group over the others. You clearly don’t agree and that’s fine. I believe you’ll find your views are in the minority in a provincial election.
Considering how much the Alberta energy sector and adjacent industries contribute to federal revenue already, I am not sure your argument that a privately funded pipeline (representing many billions of dollars in salaries just to build) does not financially benefit Canadian workers or society.
A liberal leader that is to win in Ontario must stand for economic freedom and due processes that treat Canadians equally. No more illiberal Liberals.
When there is a strong public interest, yes the provincial government can follow due process and expropriate. But that is not what you're arguing with your support of C-5, which allows no due process and secret negotiations and BOOM suddenly laws passed to keep Canadians safe and respect rights are washed away at the stroke of a ministerial pen. Your reference to expropriation laws (and other laws) that do in fact allow governments to move on projects that are in the national or provincial interest (or even if not, as long as pursued legally using due process) shows that C-5 wasn't necessary. And the feds have yet to use C-5 to approve anything. The problem will lie when the unethical Conservatives come to power in the future and use C-5 to bulldoze over Indigenous rights and others' rights for questionable benefits that don't serve anything but elite and typically offshore interests. I also take issue with your characterization of some tiny minority getting in the way of the majority. You are arguing in favour of discrimination and wiping out the rule of law to, let's face it, benefit the few, not the many. The best, most sustainable long term projects are those that respect the rights of all, as you put it. And I'm sorry that Indigenous rights including getting their fair share of the economic benefit of projects on their land is an annoyance to you.
I don't know how an honest person can win in Ontario. If Buck a beer and removing speed cameras and school board trustees doesn't move the needle you are making a bigger impact in Ottawa.
Nate is awesome! He is one of the most honest politicians I've known, and has more integrity than most. His decency, smarts, hard work, values, determination to make like better for all, for encouraging participation rather than suppress it like Ford does, will be a sharp and much needed contrast to the current corrupt regime. Nate will make the OLP a decent option again for Ontarians who want change plus integrity in government. They will trust him to be on their side as we move forward together in this tough economy.
Wishing you strength and wisdom as you navigate turbulent waters in 2026.
I'm grateful for all who step up and work hard to find solutions to the complex public policy challenges facing Ontario and our country.
Thank you for your courage, commitment, and care.
Should 5% of the Canadian population have veto power over the economic security of the other 95%? Your vote against bill C5 suggests you believe they should.
This is one of many instances where you failed to moderate on an important issue with alienating consequences outside the GTA. You chose progressive ideals over the economic future of your province and the unity of your country. Under the current circumstances that ought to be disqualifying.
Ontario is facing high unemployment, high cost of living, high taxes, high public debt, an aging population, a bloated regulatory environment, and a breakdown in the immigration consensus. Putting unity destroying climate policies ahead of all that would be electoral suicide.
You are a big proponent of honesty in politics. Well, for those unwilling to change/moderate, sometimes the biggest thing you can do for your province and party is get out of way so someone else can succeed.
Either way, 2026 calls for a 3rd way candidate focused on the future, not more of the identity politics, self-serving land acknowledgements, and economically-dubious housing policies we are all so tired of.
Happy new year and best of luck, whatever you decide.
Voters ultimately hold their government accountable. If a minister infringes on rights without cause, they can be voted out. Therefore it is not in the minister’s best interest to set aside any processes except in cases where there is clear public support. If you believe in democracy, then the hysteria around C-5 is unwarranted. Due process will still take place except where there is urgent need.
I am arguing in favour of having a functioning economy that attracts investment.
Every single extraction of resources requires human labour to do so. Thus Canadian workers benefit when profit-seeking countries invest in Canadian resource extraction. Which workers benefit the most? Actually, indigenous workers are overrepresented in the resource industry. The resource industry is a leader in indigenous employment, paying above median incomes in remote and rural areas. That doesn’t sound like discrimination. It sounds like fair work for fair pay. Something all Canadians deserve and will only get when we make Ontario and Canada investment-friendly once again.
How would you feel, Hume, if some cabinet minister decided due process was getting in the way of his urgent economic priorities so he forced you and your family out of your home so it could be destroyed in order to build some fantasy economic project designed to make the 1% richer but not really benefit Canada, Ontario or much of anyone else. Just because the politician wanted to get into the good books of the private company. Due process and the laws in our country were passed for a reason - so governments can't act illegally or unethically to bulldoze through their priorities. Economic growth that is sustainable and includes all people, not just the elite at the top, is what Ontario needs, if you haven't noticed that already. I'm glad Nate questioned that unwise and unnecessary power grab that got enacted in a major rush that undermined the rule of law in Canada. That kind of independent thinking, done on behalf of the public interest, is exactly what we need in a leader and premier, not someone who's going to destroy anyone who gets in the way of his powerful friends like Doug Ford does.
Matt, I can be forced from my home under the exact circumstances you described and Bill C5 has nothing to do with it. It’s called expropriation, and it is a good and necessary part of the law. There is already consensus on that.
Government policies, all government policies, alter the rights and responsibilities of constituent individuals and/or businesses. I believe all Canadians must have equal rights and responsibilities if we are to call Canada a free and equitable society. No special veto rights for any ethnic group over the others. You clearly don’t agree and that’s fine. I believe you’ll find your views are in the minority in a provincial election.
Considering how much the Alberta energy sector and adjacent industries contribute to federal revenue already, I am not sure your argument that a privately funded pipeline (representing many billions of dollars in salaries just to build) does not financially benefit Canadian workers or society.
A liberal leader that is to win in Ontario must stand for economic freedom and due processes that treat Canadians equally. No more illiberal Liberals.
When there is a strong public interest, yes the provincial government can follow due process and expropriate. But that is not what you're arguing with your support of C-5, which allows no due process and secret negotiations and BOOM suddenly laws passed to keep Canadians safe and respect rights are washed away at the stroke of a ministerial pen. Your reference to expropriation laws (and other laws) that do in fact allow governments to move on projects that are in the national or provincial interest (or even if not, as long as pursued legally using due process) shows that C-5 wasn't necessary. And the feds have yet to use C-5 to approve anything. The problem will lie when the unethical Conservatives come to power in the future and use C-5 to bulldoze over Indigenous rights and others' rights for questionable benefits that don't serve anything but elite and typically offshore interests. I also take issue with your characterization of some tiny minority getting in the way of the majority. You are arguing in favour of discrimination and wiping out the rule of law to, let's face it, benefit the few, not the many. The best, most sustainable long term projects are those that respect the rights of all, as you put it. And I'm sorry that Indigenous rights including getting their fair share of the economic benefit of projects on their land is an annoyance to you.
I don't know how an honest person can win in Ontario. If Buck a beer and removing speed cameras and school board trustees doesn't move the needle you are making a bigger impact in Ottawa.
No such thing as too much honesty. Being tactful and polite is important, but one can be honest and transparent without avoiding the truth.