Daily Archives: October 27, 2019

Those virtues are distributed among different rabbits: Along with Fivers prophet, there is the statesman-leader Hazel; the soldier-fighter Bigwig; the thinker-inventor Blackberry; the storyteller Dandelion; and more. And what makes the regime the rabbits are founding good and successful, but first and foremost good is the integration of the different virtues, the cooperation of their different embodiments, their willing subordination to one another as circumstances require.

The military hero, Bigwig, could have been a Woundwort in a different dispensation; instead he willingly bends to the statesman, Hazel, who lacks his strength and fearlessness but exceeds him in foresight and guile. Hazel in turn defers to Fivers gift of prophecy, his religious genius, which is why the band escapes disaster in the first place (their original warrens leader is a talented statesman, but fatally dismissive of the religious and mystical) and why it ultimately succeeds in founding and sustaining a new regime.

Meanwhile, the other virtues invention, lore keeping, even comedy play supporting roles as needed, and nobody claims the wrong sort of authority. (The keenest intellect, for instance, neither aspires to nor is vested with the greatest power; note well, meritocrats.) Out of this collaboration a regime emerges that is rebuke to both the grim alternatives, with a mixture of hierarchy and liberty that works with the grain of rabbitness instead of seeking a corrupt comfort or an impossible level of security.

[Listen to The Argument podcast every Thursday morning, with Ross Douthat, Michelle Goldberg and David Leonhardt.]

The spoilers are over; now lets return to the late-modern liberal world, and consider our own discontents in the light of the contrast that Adams draws between his newly founded warren and its rivals.

Somewhere near the root of those discontents is a fear that the kind of balanced and virtuous society simultaneously mystical and practical, orderly and free that the rabbits build in Watership Down has slipped somehow from our grasp, or else was always just a myth. In which case we are left to choose between its darker rivals, between a comfortable decadence in which virtue erodes and the reaper beckons, or else some variant on Efrafas totalitarian alternative.

Which option you choose depends on which destination you fear most. One anxiety in the Western world right now, palpable on both the right and the left, is that the plush, end-of-rabbit-history warren is liberalisms dystopian destination: a sleek and fattened inhumanity, a terrible mix of comfort and cruelty, a loss of basic human goods under the pressure of capitalism or secularism or both.

Read more here:

Watership Down and the Crisis of Liberalism - The New York Times

Justin TrudeauJustin Pierre James TrudeauThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Better Medicare Alliance - Trump's impeachment plea to Republicans Trudeau to serve another term as prime minister after Liberals win plurality The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Better Medicare Alliance - Trump has had a rough October MORE is poised to serve another term as Canadian prime minister after his Liberal Party earned a plurality of seats inthe general election, according to projections from CBC News.

The news network is projecting that the Liberals will form a minority government.

UPDATE: CBC News is projecting a Liberal minority government.

The official results will be announced once all of the votes are counted, according toNBC News.

Trudeau's victory comes after polls indicated he would be pitted in a tight race against the Conservative Party'sAndrew Scheer.

A first-term prime minister with a parliamentary majority has not lost reelection in the past 84 years, according to NBC News.

The prime ministerreceiveda last-minute endorsement from former President Obama last week afterdealing with severalcontroversies during the campaign.

A report from Time Magazineuncoveredthat the prime minister wore brownface to a costume party in 2001. The prime minister apologized for that incident and for othertimeshe darkened his face.

An ethics commissioner also found Trudeau's office attempted to protect the engineering company SNC-Lavalin from prosecution. The prime minister maintained he was protecting Canadian jobs.

Updated at 11:05 p.m.

Read more here:

Trudeau to serve another term as prime minister after Liberals win plurality | TheHill - The Hill

I said before the election that a Liberal minority propped up by the NDP or Greens would be the worst of all possible outcomes for Alberta and I am prepared to stick with that.

But it is probably also the worst of all possible results for the country as a whole.

What this looks like more than anything, is provincial politics in Ontario for the decade before Conservative Doug Ford was elected premier.

The Ontario Liberals were not popular. Voters said they disliked their taxes, their green energy schemes, their huge deficits, their electricity rates.

But Ontario voters are also very cautious. They dont like change. And so they voted Liberal again and again despite the partys scandals and smugness (sound familiar?) because they were frightened into believing the Tories under a succession of weak leaders would be worse.

It seems as though the same pattern has emerged on the federal level in Ontario. Voters are not real keen on Trudeau and his government, but they permitted the Liberal campaign to scare them about a weak Conservative Leader in Andrew Sheer and remain, largely, in the Liberal camp.

And now were all going to pay for it.

A Liberal majority might might have built the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, even if they stopped there. (In the last Parliament they passed a law Bill C-69 that made new pipelines all but impossible.)

But now that Justin Trudeau and his party will need the support of Jagmeet Singh and his party to stay in power, there is a good chance the Liberals will refuse to move forward even with Trans Mountain (TMX).

Singh hasnt made cancelling Trans Mountain an ironclad condition for his support. Two weeks ago he laid out six prerequisites for getting behind the Liberals. Trans Mountain was not one of them.

But Im not holding my breath. Right after the French-language leaders debate, Singh said, Ive been really clear on this. I am very much opposed to this (TMX) project Ill continue to work against that, for sure.

Singh probably refused to say unequivocally that he would demand an end to TMX because he was hoping to win one seat for his party in Edmonton. And now that that concern is out of the way, there is probably no way TMX wont come up in his negotiations with Trudeau.

Besides, the Liberals themselves are not enthusiastic about TMX, either. Never have been. Trudeau will be quite happy to let Singh twist his rubber arm.

I have maintained all along that the Libs bought TMX only so they could control whether it got built. If it helped their re-election, theyd build it. If it hurt their chances, theyd kill it. Their calculus was purely political.

Why would that change now? If the Libs need to axe TMX to retain power, theyll do it. In a heartbeat.

And all of that is bad for Alberta, for sure. But it is bad for the rest of the country, too. Even before this election, the federal Liberals and Alberta NDP scared away at least $100 billion in investment in oil and gas.

That money doesnt get replaced with investment in green energy or in barista supplies. When its lost to the national economy, its lost.

Of course that hits Alberta the hardest: jobs that are lost, houses that are foreclosed, vehicles that arent sold, restaurants that close. But it also means companies in the rest of the country that provide trucks and crew buses suffer, as do companies that manufacture pipe and electrical controls and valves and planes and on and on and on. Workers feel it too with fewer high-paying energy jobs Canada-wide.

Blame a dismal campaign by Scheer, a clever Liberal campaign and the timidity of GTA voters for the results.

Originally posted here:

GUNTER: Alberta is going to pay dearly with a Liberal minority - Edmonton Sun

The Liberals launched the election with high hopes for Qubec.

After all, their 2015 victory hinged on securing 40 seats in the province. When the election was called, polls indicated that Liberals could count on the support of 36 per cent of voters in the province, 15 points ahead of their closest competitor.

Some polls suggested they could win 50 seats under such conditions. If this scenario had taken place, the Liberals would have a majority today. Instead, those hopes were dashed by the triumphant return of the Bloc Qubcois, lead by Yves-Francois Blanchet.

The Bloc managed to close the gap on the Liberals in the popular vote. The Liberals only managed to win 35 seats in the province, while the Bloc won 32 seats, a gain of 22 from 2015. What can explain this sudden reversal of fortune in the province?

One important factor explaining this change in electoral dynamics can be linked to the federal Liberals preoccupation with provincial politics. The Liberal campaign strategy relied heavily on attempts to scare voters away from the Conservative party by drawing comparisons to Conservative provincial politicians.

Trudeaus frequent remarks about Doug Ford and Jason Kenney were among the most notable examples of this strategy. However, it didnt resonate in Qubec.

Thats because in 2018, Qubecers elected a (small-c) conservative government that maintains a high level of public approval in the province.

A June 2019 poll suggested Franois Legault was the second most popular premier in Canada at the time. In contrast, Ford was found to be second-to-last. This suggests the Liberal strategy may have been effective in Ontario, but was unlikely to yield much support in its eastern neighbour.

A second point touches the main issues promoted by the Liberal platform. The principal issues of the election related to provincial jurisdictions or to programs that already exist in Qubec. For instance, the carbon tax proposed by the Liberals does not apply to provinces that have equivalent environmental plans, including Qubec.

Pharmacare, a program put forward by both the Liberals and the NDP in 2019, also already exists in Qubec, which provides a public drug insurance scheme to its residents. These proposals failed to generate enthusiasm in Qubec, as they only duplicated policies that were already enacted by the provincial government.

They also provided fertile grounds for the Bloc to portray the Liberals as encroaching on provincial jurisdictions, drumming up support in the process.

Other Liberal promises could have an impact on Qubec, but are not as crucial as they are in other provinces. This is the case regarding housing promises. They can certainly play a role in Qubec, but they arent as sorely needed as they are in competitive markets like Toronto or Vancouver.

A similar argument can be levied at the promise to further restrict or ban guns. After the elimination of the federal gun registry under former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, Qubec created its own provincial gun registry, guaranteeing a degree of provincial oversight over firearms in the province.

Furthermore, homicide data show that the issue is not as alarming in Qubec than in other provinces. A 2017 report from Statistics Canada shows that Qubec has the lowest homicide rate in the country after Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Among cities with at least a million inhabitants, Montral has the lowest homicide rate in Canada and the lowest rate of gang-related homicide in Canada.

These statistics suggest that promises regarding gun control may have reflected the priorities of other provinces as well.

Finally, Qubec Premier Legault presented to the federal leaders a list of requests from his government.

The list included full powers in immigration, leaving Bill 21 intact, expanding the application of Bill 101 to businesses under federal regulation and a single tax declaration managed by the Qubec government. In response, Trudeau proved evasive, though he eventually expressed his willingness to intervene in the courts in the matter of Bill 21.

Read more: Clashing rights: Behind the Qubec hijab debate

While Trudeau did not directly address the matter of a single tax declaration during the campaign, he opposed its creation in February 2019. While he stated he would collaborate with Qubec on the matter of immigration, he provided few details. Finally, the Liberal platform does not contain any commitment regarding Bill 101 and businesses under federal jurisdiction.

In short, the Liberal campaign focused on premiers from other provinces, promised initiatives that already exist in Qubec, offered other pledges that did not fit Qubecs needs and evaded requests from the provinces popular leader.

In the face of such a platform, many Qubecers deserted the Liberals and cast their vote for a party dedicated to protecting the interests of their province.

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Excerpt from:

How the Liberals paved the way for the Bloc's return - The Conversation CA

The prime minister knows they speak English in Alberta and Saskatchewan, right?

Im serious. Late in the just-concluded election campaign, as the Bloc strengthened and Quebecs seats came into play, keen bilingual observers were listening very carefully to what the party leaders said in both official languages, looking for variations subtle or gross. But now Im wondering if Justin Trudeau thinks they speak an entirely different language in the West. His press conference on Wednesday suggested he might think they cant hear or comprehend whats said in Ottawa.

It was an interesting press conference for a lot of reasons, really. Having just lost a million votes, you mightve expected a somewhat more chastened man than the one we got at his press conference. But what we saw instead was essentially more of the same, and weirdly, a promise of much more of the same when it comes to one of the biggest problems his minority government must now cope with: western alienation.

The very first question posed to the prime minister was how he is going to handle having no elected members, at all, in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Trudeau said that he would be reaching out to those provinces and that the government must work for all Canadians.

Does he really think the problem in the West is that they havent quite heard from him enough? Albertans and Saskatchewaners know exactly what the prime minister and those around him have been saying for years. Thats a big part of why they are angry.

Im not one of those people out there, of which there are too many, who believes that the only thing standing between Alberta and a new era of unbridled economic prosperity is a thumbs-up from the PM. Much of what the Liberals have proposed is actively harmful cancelling pipelines and introducing regulatory uncertainty into approvals has drawn sharp criticism from the West, and for good reasons. But a lot of the pain being felt in the West was inevitable, or at least beyond the power of Canadian politicians to instantly remedy. Even the most engaged prime minister imaginable might not have been able to accomplish much more than what has been done thus far. Challenges for oil producing nations everywhere in recent years, as well as the various court challenges here at home, would have largely tied the hands of any government.

The problem for the prime minister, though, isnt that hes a victim of circumstances beyond his control. Its that he cant stop, or wont stop, saying things and employing people who say things that understandably piss the West off. Its the insult added to the injury.

Can Trudeau snap his fingers and twin the Trans Mountain pipeline? Of course not. But could he have not spent the dying days of the campaign crusading against big oil as if 37 million people did not understand exactly what he was talking about? Campaign statements that play well with the lefty-green crowd in Toronto and Quebec arent somehow bottled up by forcefields within those jurisdictions. People in Alberta and Saskatchewan have Twitter, and read articles, and watch the evening news. When the PM and his closest confidants open up on the oil industry, are westerners supposed to assume he means some other oil industry, not theirs?

And this isnt long-ago stuff. This is stuff that, in some cases, was being used as a central plank in Liberal messaging just days ago. The Liberals were hammering dark oil money in tweets through the partys official account just weeks ago. In the French language debates, Trudeau attacked Kenney and Ford and les petroliers qui les appuient (the oil men who support them, in my rough translation). Two weeks ago, Liberal campaign organizer and close Trudeau confidant Gerald Butts was tweeting that the Conservative platform had been written by the oil lobby. He didnt mean that in a good way. Nor does recently re-elected environment minister Catherine McKenna use the term oil lobbyists as one of endearment when she warns about the damage theyll do to Canadas environment and Indigenous peoples.

Again, these are not long-ago comments, like when Trudeau said the oil sands needed to be phased out, which was in that distant, nearly forgotten time of huh, OK, it was actually just two years ago. While he was prime minister.

When Trudeau, his environment minister and his good buddy and political operator speak of Canadas energy sector like its the enemy of Canada and Canadians, Canadians listen. All of them. Not just the ones the Liberals are trying to woo. And the ones most personally attacked by the comments remember.

Again, this isnt about expecting Trudeau to work judicial or macroeconomic miracles. But the prime minister could at least remember what he said at his press conference on Wednesday: that the government must work for all Canadians. And that includes western Canadians, even during elections.

Near the end of his campaign, Trudeau lamented the increasing divisions in Canadian society the growing bitterness and polarization. He wondered what more he could have done to bridge those gaps.

Not driving wedges into them would be a good place to start. In French, English or even Albertan.

Email: magurney@postmedia.com | Twitter:

Continued here:

Matt Gurney: Trudeau and the Liberals just won't stop saying things that anger the West - National Post

We will find out shortly whether government can fix whats wrong with your finances.

The Liberals won the 2019 campaign with a platform focused on helping ease the financial strain of everyday life. We used to rely on economic growth for that, didnt we? Now, politicians of all parties compete to find ways to cut taxes and increase government benefits and services.

Before we look at what the winning Liberals promised, lets get some context. A decade of slow global economic growth has shaken our sense of prosperity. Weve had low interest rates that encouraged people to buy things their slow-rising incomes wouldnt let them afford. Weve been left with a lot of household (and government) debt, and a sense of unease about money.

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Each of the federal parties offered a package of measures to help people feel more in control of their finances, as if its in the federal governments power to fix the problem. Thats not the case, unfortunately.

The global economy not just Canada is sluggish and could lapse into recession at some point. The personal-finance-related promises made by the Liberals will help some, but theyre limited in scale compared with global economic trends. Lets zero in on six Liberal promises:

The basic personal amount, which is what you can earn without paying taxes, will rise by close to $2,000 over the next four years to $15,000. The average family will ultimately save $600 from this tax cut, while high-earning families save nothing. You fully benefit from this measure if you make less than $150,605 and it gets eliminated entirely at $214,557. While the overall level of tax relief from this measure sounds modest, H&R Block tax expert Lisa Gittens believes it will have an impact. When youre filing your taxes, savings of even $100 means a difference, Ms. Gittens said. Every dollar that goes back into your pocket as a taxpayer means less that youre giving to the government.

Heres something that will help grads who have struggled to land continuing well-paid work. They wont have to start repaying their loans until they make at least $35,000 in income, and payments can be put on hold if income falls below this level. Also, new parents will be able to pause student-loan payments interest-free until their youngest child reaches age 5. For middle- and lower-income students, the Liberals will increase the amount available through the Canada Student Loans program by up to $1,200 a year.

The Canada Child Benefit was one of the previous Liberal governments success stories. Federal-government numbers show that families benefiting from this program are receiving an average $6,800 in tax-free payments annually. The Liberals say they will boost this amount by up to $1,000 a year for parents with children under the age of 1. Also, maternity and parental benefits will be made tax-free.

Not much help, but something. Look for an expansion of the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, which provides an interest-free loan to lower- and middle-income buyers to bulk up their down payment and thereby reduce mortgage costs. The proposed changes target pricey Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria by setting the maximum eligible home price in those markets at $789,000. It remains a complex program that will help a small group. Thats kind of the point dont do anything to turn up the heat in the housing market.

If you spend more than $100,000 on a car, boat or personal aircraft, youll have to pay a 10 per cent luxury-goods tax.

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Theres a small increase in Old Age Security payments for people aged 75 and older a maximum of $729 per year. As well, the Canada Pension Plan Survivors Benefit will be increased by up to $2,080 per year. The survivors benefit goes to the spouse of a CPP contributor who has died. The benefit has long been criticized for being too small, an issue that affects women especially because they often live longer than men. Ms. Gittens said her firms experience with clients suggests the extra OAS money will be useful for covering the cost of medication. Yes, they have their [provincial] health plans, but more and more things we see are not covered.

Stay informed about your money. We have a newsletter from personal finance columnist Rob Carrick. Sign up today.

Read the original here:

Six ways the Liberal election win will change your family finances - The Globe and Mail

So much for CBC being fair and balanced.

The state broadcaster often criticized for being too friendly to Justin Trudeaus Liberal government is giving the party a pass once again.

Its the fourth time in a week.

Presented with more examples of the Liberals using CBC material for partisan videos online, CBCs top spokesman still says they will not launch a lawsuit similar to the one they launched against the Conservatives last week.

As I said earlier in the week, whenever something is brought to our attention where a candidate is using our content inappropriately, we take steps to have the video taken down. Thats what happened with Melanie Joly and thats what will happen with Navdeep Bains, Chuck Thompson said via email.

Liberal cabinet ministers like Bains and Joly were sharing edited CBC clips on the weekend to criticize Andrew Scheer and promote the Liberal Party.

The videos were seen by tens of thousands of people.

Same with a CBC clip of Peter Mansbridge interviewing Andrew Scheer posted by Catherine McKenna.

As I write, the clips by Bains and McKenna are still up.

While CBC considers this an abuse of their material worthy of a lawsuit when Conservatives do the same, with Liberals, all appears to be forgiven.

The Bains, Joly and McKenna videos come just days after Nirmala Naidoo, the Liberal candidate in Calgary Skyview, was forced to take down online videos that promoted herself using CBC material.

Naidoo is a former CBC on-air personality and the clips she used were of herself.

They were posted and circulated online starting at the beginning of the election campaign and only taken down last week when Conservatives complained of a double standard.

Well what a double standard it is.

In a statement from Jennifer McGuire, the head of CBC News explaining why they were suing the Conservatives, McGuire said it was to protect our journalistic content and brands from unauthorized use in all circumstances.

We do this at all times including during past election campaigns when political parties have threatened the independence of our work and journalists, McGuire said.

This is especially important during an election campaign.

Or at least it is if the Conservatives are ones using CBC material.

Ive been clear, I think CBCs case in on shaky legal ground.

So do legal experts like University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist and the folks at Elections Canada who claim that what the parties are doing is legal.

Yet CBC has only launched a lawsuit against one party the Conservatives.

The Conservatives took down the video clips they were using even before CBC launched their lawsuit but the state broadcaster said that they had to go ahead with it, effectively to teach the Conservatives a lesson.

CBC/Radio Canada was given no assurance that such misuse would not be repeated, McGuire said.

Well the Liberals keep abusing this process and CBC does nothing.

Both parties are guilty of the same crime, or what CBC thinks is a crime, but there is no lawsuit against the Liberals.

Meanwhile the Liberals, who did similar things in 2015, once decried Conservatives using clips the last time CBC complained about this.

Taking a clip from a news organization is theft of intellectual property, said Liberal MP Adam Vaughan in 2014.

Its stealing, said Liberal MP Judy Sgro.

And Liberal MP Dominic Leblanc said that actions such as this were nothing but a rat race and the Liberals wouldnt act like the Conservatives.

So much for that.

And so much for the independence of CBC.

The organization has long been accused by Conservatives of being too Liberal friendly, now the actions of their executives are supporting that claim.

Isnt it time CBC just admitted their bias for the Liberals?

More here:

LILLEY: CBC still won't sue Liberals, time they admit their bias - Toronto Sun

On Thursday, the campaign office of prominent Liberal Catherine McKenna was defaced by perhaps the most derogatory word one can level at a woman.

That McKenna was the target was hardly surprising. In a barrage of unveiled sexism, McKenna has long been derided as climate Barbie, presumably because she happens to be a blonde woman who is also the countrys environment minister.

So the graffiti was saddening, but hardly shocking. At a time when any signage linked to politicians is subject to hateful vandalism, McKenna is perhaps the most targeted. But the news also made me think about a heartening moment three days prior.

On Monday, supporters of local Conservative Ed Fast sat in a meeting room at the Sandman Hotel watching results come in. By 8:30 or so, there were probably around 75 people in the room and, as they waited for Fast to appear, chatter was minimal with the TV providing the bulk of the rooms noise.

The broadcasters after the host noted that McKennas Twitter had been subject to some of the worst abuse hurled at politicians shifted to McKennas victory speech.

Things got a little awkward at Fasts celebration. Here was a Liberal cabinet minister celebrating her personal victory and her partys projected minority government all at the expense of the Conservatives. The sound of Liberal jubilation rang through the room.

Turn the volume off, one person said, a little understandably.

Nobody did, though, and so dozens of Conservatives sat in their chairs and listened to McKenna speak. She talked for a couple minutes, about her campaign. Behind her was a sea of Liberal red.

It was great to run a race with strong women representing all the major parties, McKenna said. She talked about a tough campaign both locally for her and as a country. And then she said:

I think one of the lessons that is emerging from todays result is the need for a more positive political culture in our country. We all have work to do to bring people together and remember the value of being open to different ideas from coast to coast to coast.

McKennas Liberal supporters in Ottawa applauded on the TV. And across the country, at the Sandman Hotel in Abbotsford, Conservatives clapped.

It wasnt a huge round of applause. But it was definitely more than just a couple people.

The moment was notable, I think, not because Conservatives want a more humane political culture thats an obvious and constant theme across this country but because of the message that the applause sends.

Its one thing to applaud that speech in a mixed room. Its another when youre flanked by people who came to a party to celebrate the defeat of McKenna and her colleagues.

If we want decency in our politics, we need our leaders to lead. And our leaders arent just politicians. We need to use our voices and social capital to persuade people with whom we have credibility that sexism, racism and other hatreds arent permissible, no matter the targets affiliation.

And if we can do that, maybe our politicians will follow suit. Its probably not a coincidence that Fasts supporters applauded McKenna and an hour later Fast spoke about the need for politicians of all stripes to work together. (Strangely, or not, the leader of Fasts party didnt make such a declaration.)

Leadership goes both ways. And it also goes for all parties.

If youre a Liberal, your friends will expect you to applaud other Liberals. But when you applaud a Conservative or NDPer or Green, whether for an action or idea that you care about, your friends and colleagues take notice. You have credibility with those people; when you publicly applaud something, your endorsement means something.

The same, unfortunately, goes for the reverse. When we throw abuse at others, our friends and colleagues and the political leaders we support will be more inclined to follow suit. That doesnt mean we cant disagree: if anything, its the opposite. But it means that our ability to persuade is at its highest not when were clashing with our political foes, but when we vocally disagree with the policies or behaviour of our allies.

Leadership isnt a one-way street. Our politicians have to do better. But so do we.

Tyler Olsen is a reporter at the Abbotsford News.

See original here:

COLUMN: When a room of Conservatives applauded Liberal Catherine McKennas speech - Abbotsford News

Britain has seen dramatic shifts in attitudes towards the socially liberal end of the spectrum in just 30 years on issues ranging from drugs and abortionto gay relationships, a survey suggests.

Remain backers are much more supportive of gay rights than Leavers, the findings show. But the public is much more cynical about politicians today, with only half as many people having positive views of them.

Researchers at the Policy Institute at Kings College London compared a survey on moral beliefs in 1989 with results to the same questions now and found huge changes, including:

From 15p 0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

Capital punishment is the only issue to see an increase in disapproval 22 per cent said it was morally wrong in 1989, while now 37 per cent do.

Thirty-nine bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex, police have said.The discovery of 38 adults and one teenager was made at an industrial estate in Thurrock.Police said they believed the lorry had come from Bulgaria and entered the UK at Holyhead, in Wales, on Saturday.Essex Police said it had launched a murder investigation after its officers were called to Waterglade Industrial Park, in Grays, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.A 25-year-old-man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder

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Ships out at sea before the sun rises off the coast of Whitley Bay, Northumberland

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Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife. The messy display is the culmination of a weekend of festivities where first years say thank you to their more senior student "parents" for mentoring them

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Wales players celebrate after beating France in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Japan. Warren Gatlands side had to battle after Frances fast start but capitalised on their rivals ill discipline to squeeze into the semi-finals, 20-19

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People gather in London to join the Final Say march for a people's vote

Angela Christofilou/The Independent

Protesters on Whitehall in London during an Extinction Rebellion climate change protest

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands during a news conference after agreeing on a Brexit deal, in Brussels

Reuters

A man walks his dog through the fallen leaves in Clarkes Gardens, Allerton in Liverpool

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Police officers carry away an activist as Extinction Rebellion protesters block a road with a caravan in central London

Reuters

Queen Elizabeth II sits with Prince Charles on the Sovereign's throne ahead of delivering the Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament

AFP

Great Britain's Joe Fraser competes on Parallel Bars during the World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He claimed GB's second gold with his victory. The 20-year-old from Birmingham nailed his routine to score 15.0 then watched as a series of rivals failed to live up to his total

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St Helens players celebrate with the trophy after they won the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester. They beat Salford Red Devils 23-6

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Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed in Tehran since 2016, holds his daughter Gabriella during a news conference in London. Their five-year-old daughter has arrived back in Britain, after making the "bittersweet" decision to bring her home

AFP via Getty

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Thornton Manor. Their meeting focused on further Brexit proposals

EPA/Noel Mullen

Wales survived an almighty scare against Fiji to secure quarter-final spot at the rugby world cup. Warren Gatlands side recovered from a 10-0 deficit thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Adams

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Protesters dubbed the Red Rebels at Millbank at the junction with Great College Street, during an Extinction Rebellion protest in Westminster

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Final preparations are made in front of a reproduction of Michelangelo's 'The Last Judgement', ahead of the opening of for the 'Michelangelo: A Different View' exhibition at Hull Minister

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A car drives through a flooded street in Whitley Bay in Northumberland

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Thousands took to the streets of Edinburgh today to march in support of a second Scottish independence referendum

EPA

A 12ft sculpture of a gorilla, entitled 'Gorilla Apocalypse', created by Luke Kite entirely from scrap car bumpers and panels discarded in the last decade is on display at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire

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Police stands in front of the Treasury building during an Extinction Rebellion protest in London

Reuters

Ex-Thomas Cook employees demonstrate in London after delivering a petition calling for a full inquiry into Thomas Cook's collapse and for the company's directors to pay back their bonuses

AFP/Getty

A road in Alum Rock, Birmingham is flooded after persistent heavy rain

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Two tourists pose for pictures in front of Union and EU flags outside the Houses of Parliament in London

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A sheep on London Bridge as Freemen of the City of London took up their historic entitlement to drive sheep over the bridge, which was once London's only river crossing

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An Aldabra giant tortoise is fed watermelon as a treat at the Malvern Autumn Show, at the Three Counties Showground near Malvern in Worcestershire

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Gallery assistants pose with an artwork entitled 'Devolved Parliament' by British artist Banksy, during a press view in London ahead of Sotheby's contemporary art sale, as part of the Frieze Art Fair

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England's Jonathan Joseph is tackled by United State's Marcel Brache during their group match at the Rugby World Cup in Japan. England scored seven tries on their way to winning 45-7

Reuters

Tributes for former Rangers player Fernando Ricksen at Ibrox Stadium. Today, the funeral procession will pass Ibrox Stadium before making the journey to Wellington Church

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A person dressed as a caricature of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a prison uniform stands outside the Supreme Court after it ruled that his decision to suspend Parliament was illegal

AFP/Getty

Thomas Cook aircraft are parked up at Manchester Airport on the day they collapsed after rescue talks failed. A total of 22,000 jobs - including 9,000 in UK - are to be lost following administration. More than 150,000 British holidaymakers need to be brought home, with the government and CAA hiring dozens of charter planes to fly customers home free of charge

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However, keep in mind that, because the Liberals are now managing a minority government, the implementation of potential tax changes is less certain, says Debbie Pearl-Weinberg, executive director, tax and estate planning at CIBC Financial Planning and Advice.

Regarding corporations, she highlights the Liberals broad-based proposed changes. These include a promise to crack down on tax loopholes that allow companies to deduct debt from earnings to reduce tax.

Well have to wait and see what those changes actually are, she says.

She also notes the promise to cut corporate taxes by 50% for clean-tech companies, specifically those that develop and manufacture zero-emissions technology.

For personal taxes, several changes are in the works.

What will impact the most Canadians is changes to the basic personal amount the amount of income that any individual can earn that is not subject to tax, Pearl-Weinberg says.

That amount is currently $12,069 in 2019 and rises annually with inflation. The Liberals have promised to increase it by 15% over four years. By 2023, it will reach $15,000, she says.

The increase isnt universal. It will not apply for those individuals who are described as being Canadas wealthiest 1%, she says.

The amount will be reduced for those earning more than $147,667 those in the second-highest federal tax bracket and completely eliminated for those in the top bracket, which is $210,371 in 2019.

Those in the top bracket will continue to receive the current basic personal amount, which will continue to be adjusted for inflation, Pearl-Weinberg says.

The Liberals also promised to boost Old Age Security (OAS) by 10% for seniors over age 75 who earn less than $77,580, and to raise the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) survivors benefits by 25%.

The change to OAS could mean an increase of $729 a year, according to the Liberals platform. It will start in July 2020, Pearl-Weinberg says.

With CPP, a spouse or common-law partner currently receives about 60% of what their deceased spouse or common-law partner received in benefits, she says. The promised increase could mean an additional $2,080 per year.

Parents have been promised that their maternity and parental benefits, received through employment insurance, will be tax-exempt at source, starting in 2020. The result would be about $1,800 more annually for someone receiving EI benefits who earns about $45,000 annually, Pearl-Weinberg says.

Adoptive parents could also see a change in their EI benefits, with the Liberals proposing a 15-week leave the same length as for maternity leave.

The tax-free Canada Child Benefit is also slated for an increase for those with kids under one year old. The promise is to boost the benefit by 15%, resulting in an increase of up to $1,000. Starting in July 2020, the base benefit should be $7,750 for these children, Pearl-Weinberg said.

The Liberals proposed to immediately double the tax-free Child Disability Benefit. The benefit applies to families caring for a child with a disability who is under age 18 and eligible for the disability tax credit. The Liberal platform said the increase could result in more than $2,800, to $5,664 annually.

A new vacancy tax would limit the housing speculation that can drive up home prices, the Liberal platform said. The residential tax would apply to vacant properties owned by non-resident non-Canadians.

Finally, the Liberals might move forward with two tax credits originally announced in the federal budget, Pearl-Weinberg says.

The Canada Training Credit was proposed to start in 2020, to help cover up to half of eligible tuition and fees associated with training. The credit could accumulate a balance up to a lifetime limit of $5,000.

The second is a non-refundable 15% credit for eligible digital news subscriptions. The credit is for a limited time, for amounts paid after 2019 and before 2025, and is a maximum tax credit of $75 annually, to start in 2020, she says.

This article is part of the AdvisorToGo program, powered by CIBC. It was written without input from the sponsor.

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Tax implications of the Liberal win - Advisor.ca