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Do you think the handover of Hong Kong to China in the 90s is one of the major reasons Canada (especially BC) has taken on a more "Asia-Pacific" identity in recent years? People always cite American influence as being what's made Canada "less British" in recent years, but I would argue the huge number of moneyed Chinese who went from Hong Kong to Canada in the 80s and 90s is an equally important reason why Canada has changed.
Namely, from being a Toryist Anglo-Saxon welfare state towards something that's more of a fusion of the American Dream and Asian material pragmatism. It's Chinese influence via the Hong Kong exiles combined with cultural American hegemony since the '90s that has made Canada a more right-wing and "globalized" country and less of a remnant of the old Empire.
Canada's gone from being a traditional-but-left-wing country with pacifist leanings to being a right-wing vassal state of the Washington consensus. This transition started in the 80s with Mulroney but will become completely solidified I think if Harper's Conservatives win again this year.
I would also posit to say that being that Hong Kong's handover was the official end of the British Empire, any feeling that Canada was still British more or less disappeared at that time. Same with Australia who have also become very influenced by China in recent years.
Sorta left wondering what is it you're trying to convey with this one.
Are you suggesting a conservative "pragmatist" political outlook is only possible to be achieved if one emulates the immigrant citizenry of a foreign country?
Are you hypothesising Canada is not a sovereign nation with a unique set of aspirations for future development; that Canada alone shapes it's destiny to suit those of another nation state?
Are you proselytising that Canada is the only country on the north American continent shaping itself to suit an ever changing world dynamic?
Are you suggesting that American and Chinese ideals are exactly alike?
Are you suggesting that the ceding of Hong Kong back to Chinese rule changed the thought processes of some 30 million people as regards their historical heritage?
Just what the hell is it you are saying?
Immigration from around the world will undoubtedly have an affect on any country's developing character and in this regard Canada is no different than America absorbing untold millions of citizens of Hispanic extraction over hundreds of years.
To what extent has this caused America to abandon It's conservative independent practice and thought process to take on a more socialist and state dependence philosophy towards all things from ever increasing welfare to individual liberty reducing things such as safety and security becoming paramount while achieving neither?
To what extent did America's absorption of Cubans change your perspective and charted course?
One could make a case that addiction to cheap labour and democratic voters has wrought such a negative change on America that it's now too late to recover from it. Becoming a vassal state to Mexican illegals has not served it well.
To what extent has this caused America to abandon It's conservative independent practice and thought process to take on a more socialist and state dependence philosophy towards all things from ever increasing welfare to individual liberty reducing things such as safety and security becoming paramount while achieving neither?
One could make a case that addiction to cheap labour and democratic voters has wrought such a negative change on America that it's now too late to recover from it. Becoming a vassal state to Mexican illegals has not served it well.
I don't see America becoming "more liberal" or a "welfare state" at all. While illegal immigration has definitely changed the country's culture, particularly in the sense of making Mexican food just as popular as hot dogs and hamburgers, the fact more people use things like food stamps is due mostly to an ever-increasing amount of the country's GDP going to investments and rich people's pockets.
Even though Canada, Australia and countries in Europe are stingier about their benefits and "the dole" than they used to be, their systems are still far more generous than the American system, where someone who receives SSI benefits for a disability has to have their case reviewed every few years to prove they're still "legitimately" disabled and haven't magically become sound of mind or grown their limb back.
My point about Hong Kong is even though we're only talking about a few hundred thousand people at most, many of these people are very rich and they set a precedent for later arrivals from the mainland of China to Canada. Few could deny that "Hong Kong values" of materialism are a strong influence on Harper-era Canada.
I don't think I'm reaching as much as people think...
Last edited by Mini-apple-less; 03-04-2015 at 03:56 PM..
I don't see America becoming "more liberal" or a "welfare state" at all. While illegal immigration has definitely changed the country's culture, particularly in the sense of making Mexican food just as popular as hot dogs and hamburgers, the fact more people use things like food stamps is due mostly to an ever-increasing amount of the country's GDP going to investments and rich people's pockets.
Even though Canada, Australia and countries in Europe are stingier about their benefits and "the dole" than they used to be, their systems are still far more generous than the American system, where someone who receives SSI benefits for a disability has to have their case reviewed every few years to prove they're still "legitimately" disabled and haven't magically become sound of mind or grown their limb back.
My point about Hong Kong is even though we're only talking about a few hundred thousand people at most, many of these people are very rich and they set a precedent for later arrivals from the mainland of China to Canada. Few could deny that "Hong Kong values" of materialism are a strong influence on Harper-era China.
I don't think I'm reaching as much as people think...
What exactly is Harper-era China. Harper is definitely over-reaching himself if he also wants to be PM of China.
I don't see America becoming "more liberal" or a "welfare state" at all. While illegal immigration has definitely changed the country's culture, particularly in the sense of making Mexican food just as popular as hot dogs and hamburgers, the fact more people use things like food stamps is due mostly to an ever-increasing amount of the country's GDP going to investments and rich people's pockets.
Even though Canada, Australia and countries in Europe are stingier about their benefits and "the dole" than they used to be, their systems are still far more generous than the American system, where someone who receives SSI benefits for a disability has to have their case reviewed every few years to prove they're still "legitimately" disabled and haven't magically become sound of mind or grown their limb back.
My point about Hong Kong is even though we're only talking about a few hundred thousand people at most, many of these people are very rich and they set a precedent for later arrivals from the mainland of China to Canada. Few could deny that "Hong Kong values" of materialism are a strong influence on Harper-era Canada.
I don't think I'm reaching as much as people think...
Oh, all right then a few thousand legal immigrant Chinese with money can change the political landscape of a whole country; while a few million Hispanics of a variety of sources and countries have no affect on a an already liberal country whatsoever other than to simulate an appreciation of Mexican food. I get it now.
"from being a Toryist Anglo-Saxon welfare state towards something that's more of a fusion of the American Dream and Asian material pragmatism".
That was the part that got to me right there.
You're not capable of rational thought if you consider Canada in any way more of a welfare state than the U.S. Even factoring in the provision of Universal Healthcare Canada is light years behind all of the tax relief exemptions and freebie provisions for everything from cel-phone minutes for baby factories baby mommas to disability payments to fat people and food assistance programs to nearly half of your population..
Strange you should mention the veteran's disability as an example of tougher controls on disability pensions when that is exactly what was in our recent news in Canada; vet's having to verify a lost limb hasn't grown back on a yearly basis.
You're not capable of rational thought if you consider Canada in any way more of a welfare state than the U.S. Even factoring in the provision of Universal Healthcare Canada is light years behind all of the tax relief exemptions and freebie provisions for everything from cel-phone minutes for baby factories baby mommas to disability payments to fat people and food assistance programs to nearly half of your population..
I live in America. Trust me. Our welfare system is very stingy, and our workers' rights are appalling. Maybe it's not quite as bad if you have children, but still far from adequate. In Canada anyone without assets can receive the dole. It's not a lot, but it's still enough to ensure you don't starve. Their regular dole is about as generous as SSI for people with disabilities, and their disability benefits are far more generous than ours even factoring in a higher cost of living.
In the US the only assistance basically anyone can partake in is Food Stamps/EBT and that's at best $200 a month and in most cases you can't even buy hot food with it. And good luck claiming it without an address.
In America if you don't work that generally means you beg, and it seems like Harper's government wants it to be that way in Canada too. In 1989 homelessness in Canada was practically non-existent while today it's by some measures worse than in the States, thanks to Mulroney and your man's policies.
In Australia and Canada you literally can dine on lobster on a semi-regular basis on the dole. In America, it's roommates and ramen, unless you're selling drugs or doing day labor/part time work on the side.
In Australia and Canada you literally can dine on lobster on a semi-regular basis on the dole. In America, it's roommates and ramen, unless you're selling drugs or doing day labor/part time work on the side.
That's total BS. Where in God's name are you getting this nonsense from?
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