A vision that offers tangible, achievable improvements to people's lives. For example everyone and their dog has promised market solutions to the housing crisis and nothing has worked. The best we got was a pause on the escalation via interest rate hikes and population growth reduction. Solutions that may not be sustainable in changing economic environment. If someone shows up with an easy to understand, tangible non-market solution to the problem, I bet people will go for it in droves. Like getting the government into hiring people to build housing. A tried and true solution.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 3 points 20 hours ago

Absolutely, people are starting to see that business as usual is not working in their favor. Offering a genuine alternative that puts the working class in charge needs to be a clear platform for the party. And the party would need to change dramatically internally for that. Right now, NDP is focused on big donors just like libs and cons are. Most of their MPs are fairly well off people like Jagmeet. It needs far more blue collar representation, it needs to forget about big donors and start doing on the ground organizing, and getting small donations from regular people. It can't be beholden to rich sponsors if it's going to make any change.

[–] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago (3 children)

It's almost like governments can't control market based solutions!?!

Also the real answer to moving the needle on this problem, I think, is the elimination of the PRTE. You just better buckle up for the thermonuclear boomer outrage that's going to result from that, and I'm not sure there's a politician in this land that's ready to do that.

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 1 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

What is the PRTE?

[–] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 1 points 9 hours ago

Principal Residence Tax Exemption.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 3 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

But governments themselves don't exist in a vacuum either. They represent of the interests of their backers, and our current government represents the rich capital owning class that funds it. Hence why our government lets the market decide things instead of intervening with actual solutions like creating crown corporations that it would control directly.

[–] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I think everyone needs to cut this guy a bit of slack. You've got a rockstar level of intelligence in a leader, a non-career politician, someone who's actually gained knowledge, worked for a living, etc etc., trying to guide a country through two major major fronts, one being a grifter career populist politician trying to gain power at whatever costs. The other front is trying to protect us from and guide us through interactions with a completely deranged and unhinged lunatic, surrounded by a real who's-who of the worlds greatest supervillains, who happens to be our biggest trading partner.

Housing is an important domestic policy, don't get me wrong. Yes it's been ignored, abused by capitalism, whatever else, no arguments here. But right now existence and basically sovereignty>primary economic existence>basically everything else.

The roles these people are fulfilling currently, are probably some of the most thankless roles in existence, on the planet, right now. That they literally cannot win at.

For that, they have my support, through this current moment. Everything else, as terrible as it is and as much as that sucks, pretty much has to go on the backburner. I'm not even really a Liberal guy usually. I've voted for all three at some point, for the record (Cons, Libs, and yes even once for the NDP).

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

A weird take to claim that people shouldn't try to hold the government accountable for their actions to be honest.

[–] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 1 points 9 hours ago

What's so weird about this take? Do you live under a rock?

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 2 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

Or it's like profit-driven markets deliver profit, and only sometimes decent housing. Governments haven't even attempted to sigtificantly control the market because it would impact various real estate and financial interests supporting the politicians. There are good options for taking care of individual owners if we wanted to significantly deflate the market. They're just not good options for finance and RE corp interests.

[–] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I would actually think they aren't so worried about their various financial interests (which if they are substantial are traditionally supposed to be in blind trusts in the case of the leaders), but more or less are worried more about the voters. Once the boomers die off, over the next couple of decades, I think you'll see a gradual, but dramatic shift in perspective about the governments involvement in housing strategy.

The government thought, couldn't run a lemonade stand without 40 layers of bureaucracy, so I mean be careful what you wish for.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

which if they are substantial are traditionally supposed to be in blind trusts in the case of the leaders

I'm referring to the various real estate developers, banking and other corporate donors who donate through organized individual donations and otherwise have access to politicians that voters can only dream of. Like Mirko Bibic having drinks with the CRTC chair.

I think you’ll see a gradual, but dramatic shift in perspective about the governments involvement in housing strategy.

Probably, but fascism may not wait that long.

The government thought, couldn’t run a lemonade stand without 40 layers of bureaucracy, so I mean be careful what you wish for.

I don't believe that, especially given how many serious industries the gov't of Canada used to run and still does to this day. I'm the opposite of a Thatcherite believer. I prefer gov't bureaucracy to corporate bureaucracy. :D There's little choice in-between for many sectors.

E: Or at least a choice between gov't and corp bureaucracy.