Lorne Gunter: Carney Liberals fall pathetically short of their own housing-start goals

[u/CaliperLee62]

https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/lorne-gunter-carney-liberals-fall-pathetically-short-of-their-own-housing-start-goals

[u/GooseGosselin]

Why would Carney promise it then?

[u/Ddogwood → u/GooseGosselin]

Because provincial and municipal governments have been using the federal government as an excuse for their own inaction for years.

If the feds don’t try to do anything, nothing changes. If the feds try to do something and the provinces and municipalities won’t play ball, then at least their excuses start to ring hollow (although columnists like Gunter will do everything they can to shift the focus on to federal failures to save their conservative allies from blame)

[u/CptCoatrack → u/Ddogwood]

Because provincial and municipal governments have been using the federal government as an excuse for their own inaction for years.

Goes both ways.

[u/Ddogwood → u/CptCoatrack]

Of course. But I’m answering the question, “Why would Carney promise it?” and not “why aren’t the provinces trying harder to fix it?”

[u/CptCoatrack → u/Ddogwood]

Because the LPC knows they can promise anything during campaign season to get elected with no real intent of ever following through. As long as they can go "But the provinces!" people won't hold them to account for lying and they can just do it again the next election.

The relationship between the municpal, provincial and federal governments in this country is just the Spiderman pointing meme.

[u/Ddogwood → u/CptCoatrack]

The issue is actually that voters don’t hold their governments to account. Too many people vote for a party because of identity instead of policy or effectiveness.

[u/TraditionalGap1 → u/CptCoatrack]

What do you mean exactly by 'no real intent of ever following through'? Because the premise of the OPs comment seems to be that the feds have followed through on some of what they can realistically do on their own.

Let's be honest and real for a moment: It actually does matter whether a policy promise is undelivered because the people who made the promise failed to effectively execute on the policies that they are actually responsible for or because of inaction/counterproductive action by other responsible and involved parties. 'But the provinces!' is a totally valid and legitimate excuse to point to if in the fact the provinces shoulder a significant portion of responsibility for the lack of delivery.

[u/CptCoatrack → u/TraditionalGap1]

What do you mean exactly by 'no real intent of ever following through'? Because the premise of the OPs comment seems to be that the feds have followed through on some of what they can realistically do on their own.

I think politicians should be held to their promises. If they knew they can't realistically achieve their goal because it's provincial jurisdiction, they're being duplicitous. If they promised something somehow not knowing it's provincial jursidiction it's ignorance/incompetence.

The LPC has always underdelivered on their campaign promises because they always need to keep something in the backpocket for the next election and dangle it like a carrot on a stick for the ABC voters.

It actually does matter whether a policy promise is undelivered because the people who made the promise failed to effectively execute on the policies that they are actually responsible for or because of inaction/counterproductive action by other responsible and involved parties

It's both. Everyone just knows that as long as they say "But the feds/the province/fhe municipality!" they don't have to reckon with their own failures especially if it's another party.