Saturday, October 24, 2015

The Battle to Liberate Canada and the Betrayal of the MSM



It's going to be a wet, grey, fall weekend, but I don't care because Stephen Harper and his foul Con regime have been defeated, and it feels like springtime in Canada.

And nothing could bring me down.

Although I must admit this tweet by Andrew Coyne, which links to a story by Michael Harris about the sanitizing of Stephen Harper's foul legacy, does bother me.


Because the suggestion that Harris shouldn't be writing about Harper anymore is outrageous.

And it only remind me of the shameful way the MSM betrayed Canadians.

How for years they swallowed the Kool-Aid and failed to recognize the threat that depraved monster posed to Canada and its values, until it was almost too late.

And even when some of their reporters did recognize that threat, most big media organizations still endorsed his foul Con regime, in a move that will live in infamy.

For as Andrew Mitrovica writes, to the very end they did not recognize that the politics of fear had failed, and continued to act as his collaborators. 

As usual, many of the people paid to track and interpret the currents of Canadian public life were lagging well behind the wisdom of the electorate. Harper’s collaborators included a great many corporate media types who, once again, displayed just how breathtakingly stunned they can be about their own audience.

With the Globe and its hapless Editor-in-Chief David Walmsley endorsing the party of one, but not its leader...



By putting its editorial weight behind a party that resorted to the shabbiest identity politics in an effort to hold on to power, the Globe effectively endorsed those tactics — abandoning its moral authority to criticize any future political party that tries to use religion, race or national origin as a wedge issue. The Globe isn’t Canada’s “national newspaper” — it’s Canada’s national embarrassment.

And the editors at Postmedia, including Andrew Coyne, capitulating all too easily to the demands of their big business bosses.



Editors at Postmedia newspapers right across the country capitulated on an edict from their publisher to print editorials endorsing the Conservatives. To my knowledge, not one of them (including Andrew Coyne, by the way) had the guts to refuse. It may be the publisher’s prerogative to demand an endorsement, but principled journalists always have the right to say no.

And also covering themselves with shame.

Again, Postmedia must answer to its readers. Like the Globe, Canada’s largest newspaper chain attempted to re-write — or ignore — the sordid history of a government that abandoned the unemployed, murdered women and indigenous peoples, and pitted Canadians against Canadians in the petty pursuit of power for its own sake.

And what makes it even worse is that they're still playing the same game. With the Globe editorial board still offering tips on how the Cons can win again.

A future Conservative Party that championed civil liberties and the rights of the individual, and that thought deeply on economics beyond slogans, as Mr. Manning has done on climate change, would deserve to be elected. It would also have a shot at making this very good country slightly better.

And columnists like Jane Taber making the Con clown Michelle Rempel sound like a feminist champion. 

When in fact Rempel worked for the most misogynist government in modern Canadian history. And the most racist.

And despite that foul bigoted record she never stopped beating her tin drum in support of her depraved leader...



Or repeating his lies, to the day he was defeated.

And the good news? We had our own media...



So we were able to to go after Stephen Harper ourselves, and counter his lies and the MSM's endorsements. We were able to get our own messages out. We were able to build support for strategic voting.

And we were able to boost the number of young Canadian and first-time voters to power ourselves to victory. 

Early numbers on voter turnout suggest that youth and first-time voters played a role in the outcome of this election.

There were 17,559,353 ballots cast in 2015 during the election this year (not including those who registered on Election Day), compared to 14,823,408 ballots in 2011.


We used the humble tools at our disposal in a manner never seen before in this country.



Social media played a huge role in the election campaign in general; voting selfies and election hashtags kept the election front and centre for thousands of people online.

Twitter reported that there were more than 770,000 election-related tweets on Election Day, including some 470,000-odd that used the hashtag #elxn42


And we did bring down the dictator, and as Andrew Mitrovica writes, send a message to the mighty MSM.

The witch is dead — but so is the dignity of an establishment press that told us to vote for the witch. Happily, millions of Canadians gave The Globe and Mail and Postmedia, its editors and proprietors, the middle finger.

But even though the witch is dead or melting...



This would also be my message to Andrew Coyne, and all the other casual collaborators in the MSM, who would have us move on and forget the Decade of Darkness as if it never happened.

We will NEVER stop writing about that nightmare, until the day the guilty are held accountable for their crimes against Canada. 

Until the day we can determine whether Stephen Harper used government departments and the security services as political weapons against his own people.

And of course, until the day we can be sure that his foul legacy is finally buried...



But yes, never forget how we did it...



With the power of the people.

Never forget how great it sounded...



Or how wonderful it felt to be finally free.

And have a Great Liberation weekend everybody...

Please click here to recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

Harper should be written about plenty and so should his destructive policies. We must never forget that Postmedia is 40% owned by financial interests outside the country and should engender in Canadians no loyalty whatsoever. Read ipolitics, the Tyee, National Observer and any number of independent sources but not Postmedia news. Boycott them.

Anonymous said...

Well said Simon. I for one, will never spend a cent on any of the Harper enabling newspapers who gloss over his abhorrent record as PM. They seem to have selective memories and expect us to move on without investigating the criminal activity that transpired at the behest of and under the watch of Harper. Once the truth is fully realized, the Cons can then wear it all the way to the next election whether the irrelevant MSM reports it or not.
Canada's MSM: where responsible, balanced journalism ceased to exist.
JD

John B. said...

Ah, yes!

The post-Harper CRAP Party rehab project bus is shifted into second gear.

They barked and cheered and were spellbound at his every word and now you’d think they never heard of him.

I’ll give Coyne some room because he perceived the damage Harper would eventually cause to the cult sooner than the rest of them.

Stay on their case, Simon.

Anonymous said...

The MSM in this country,as in the US is a disgrace.Imagine paying big bucks to accompany harper and being told only 5 questions a day..Imagine only calandra and remple showing up on Power and Politics..Now the others are falling all over themselves to get on there..R Barton is not very challenging..P&P looks like a daily get together for a mutual admiration society with same old panels.Barton looks plain silly and immature laughing at her no where near funny comments.
When was the last time we saw an indepth story on the way Putin is destroying Isis..Or Saudi Arabia's slaughter in Yemen,or the state of things in Israel and Palestine.

Jeez and now 24 Sussex.Why didn't harper fix it up???Bcos he spent all his money on stupid ads.
And as far as Michael Harris and Andrew Metrovica.Truth to Power..Coyne does know that M.Harris was nominated for a GG Award for his book Part of One.Has written books which resulted in 4 Public Inquiries on the subjects of these books.
Now we have Chantal Hebert suggesting harper could be a elder statesman for Canada.Jeeez.
We need make sure the alternative media stays strong,vigilant and well read.The remples and other remnants who supported this Constrosity will not just say the hell with it.Trudeau has only been there a few days and they have already started the fight back.I suggest Trudeau keep those boxing gloves close.

David said...

The Nation: Canada's Progressives Bid Good Riddance to Harper
by Stuart Trew
https://www.thenation.com/article/canadas-progressives-bid-good-riddance-to-harper/

Stuart Trew is the editor of The Monitor, the official magazine of the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. He is also co-editor of the book, The Harper Record (2008-2015).

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/harper-record-2008-2015

A perfect storm sinks Stephen Harper's ship
http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/2015/10/23/a-perfect-storm-sinks-stephen-harpers-ship

deb said...

awesome article and yeah coyne can hardly talk, he decided once to go against harper and he lost his position. so he should champion Michael Harris for being able to speak truth to power.

Lorne said...

By remembering, Simon, we reduce the risk of it happening again to the country we love. Keep up the good fight!

Anonymous said...

It's as if they all want to be senators.

Anonymous said...

It appears Canadians viewed these corporate media sources as irrelevant, as the vote tallies in this election definitively prove.

Michelle Rempel obviously is delusional and must hear a great many strange voices inside her head.

She also shows signs of highly narcissistic personality, a defect she no doubt shares with many others in the Harperite cult.

Anonymous said...

This has to be one of the most hate-filled uninformed posts I have seen in days. You must be clamoring for a job withe the Media Party, you know, the ones whose 6000 journalists (Canadian Media Guild) registered with Election Canada as third parties to campaign against PM Harper. The neo-communist Trudeau was backed up all kinds of foreign interests interfering in our election (Obama campaign and US environmental groups) and you think that is okay?! Trudeau bribed the our welfare-collecting State Broadcaster with promises of a $150 million raise. Thus you had the most vile and hate-filled propaganda on the airwaves as one could imagine. Even State Comedians (who could never make it in the real world) were spewing their hate from the unfunny This Hour has 22 Minutes of Hate, to Mary Walsh ignorantly and hatefully calling our PM Herr Harper and Stasi Steve. Then you had Rick Mercer spewing his bile and hate, even going to universities encouraging ignorant kids who have never worked, owned a business, or paid a bill, to vote for 'you know who'. Then there was Craig Oliver's vile hate-filled meltdown on election night against the CPC.
You seriously thought there was nothing wrong with a non-citizen suing our govt because she wanted to cover her face during the citizenship ceremony?
You really think, after 40+ inquiries, we need to spend hundreds of millions more to have a commission to tell us that Aboriginal women are killed mostly by aboriginal men, and hitchhiking down lonely highways is dangerous? The liberals lawyers are licking their chops at charging us taxpayers $500/hr, but I doubt you care, since I doubt you are paying taxes.
Who is one of Trudeau's closest advisors? Gerald Butts, the same guy who was advising Dalton McGuinty and that sick paedophile Kathleen Wynne, the ones who bankrupted Ontario! Are you really that ignorant that you think Butts will do good for the country?
Are you 1) a dumb university kid. 2) on welfare, or 3) a heroin addict (since us taxpayers will now be pushing heroin to addicts as per Trudeau's platform?
It is frightening that ignoramuses like you get to vote!

Simon said...

hi anon....the only hate-filled rant on this page is yours. And your ignorance makes me wonder whether you are fed or watered. But your disappointment is palpable (look it up) so I couldn't be more delighted. It must be horrible to look for your Great Leader and find him swirling about the toilet bowl ready to be flushed. I will admit however to be mildly disappointed. How could I have missed Craig Oliver's no doubt magnificent rant against the CPC (Communist Party of Canada). Damn. life is not fair. But let me just say, if you can't tell the difference between heroin and marijuana you must be REALLY ignorant. So please don't take your medication until you have checked the writing on the bottle, and looked up the meaning. You know on the The Google. And yes, we really did a number on you and your leader and your party. It's going to be a long four years, and I want you to enjoy every minute. I know I will...


Unknown said...

Anon 8:16 you are the reason we had to vote out your buds like harper and earl cowan need I say more? Has the paddle finally found the water?

Anonymous said...

When Trudeau betrays you and breaks your heart, so many people are going to be there to laugh in your face.

Anonymous said...

" if you can't tell the difference between heroin and marijuana you must be REALLY ignorant."

No, it is you that is REALLY ignorant. From the Dauphin's mouth:
http://www.therebel.media/trudeau_i_certainly_want_to_see_more_heroin_injection_sites_opened_around_the_country

What will be your excuse for your ignorance this time? Perhaps you should use the Google, or get informed.

The crickets chirping from you regarding the Canadian Media Guild registering as third parties with Elections Canada to campaign against the PM is noted. Perhaps Cuba would be more your cup of tea.

David said...

Anon 8:16 could be Ezra Levant, or some other neo-con/ neo-liberal. Sure sounds like Levant! 8-)

David said...

My question is... How long is Stevie going to sit as an MP-- a week, a month, a year? I cannot imagine Stevie hanging in there for 4 years as a bench warmer. What do others think?

David said...

http://www.pressprogress.ca/canada_lets_talk_racism_problem

David said...

http://www.desmog.ca/2015/10/23/harper-government-s-greatest-hits-gifs

Anonymous said...

Simon, my first post, I like to thank you for all of the articles you wrote. Your articles shined a light on integrity, equality by illustrating the ignorance and deceit of the Con Party of Canada that was illustrated their actions and words by never telling the truth while in power.
I hold all political parties accountable and what I witnessed in the disposal of Harper, is the electorate confirmed what we all witnessed in Harper. This election is not about Trudeau, Muclair or May; it is what Harper represented. Again, thank you for the articles and also, thank you Canada for holding Harper accountable.

Deanna S said...

Love the anonymous bigots\hate-mongers and ignorant trolls - so angry and yet still so afraid to post under their real names. Your hate filled delusional rant is exactly why your team was defeated.
I will go one step further and call you what you are - traitors to this country. I eat your tears for breakfast and look forward to many many more tears as your version of a nasty Canada is flushed down the toilets. Boot-licking cowards.

Simon said...

hi anon....by endorsing the Cons despite their scandals and their democratic atrocities Postmedia and the Globe have both forfeited what was left of their credibility. It's bad enough that they did that, but if they expect the rest of us to turn the same blind eye they are sadly mistaken. People are losing faith in our political institutions and it needs to be restored....

Simon said...

hi JD...The problem is the MSM seems to cling to the absurd notion that the Cons were a government like any others, when they clearly were not. No government has acted in such a secretive and totalitarian manner, or lied so much about everything. So they must not be allowed to get away with it. I am sure that it won't be long before we start to find out what they have been up to, and it won't be pretty...

Simon said...

hi John....yes, I can never forget how many in the parliamentary media declared Harper to be a political genius, without taking into account that the man was a bestial bully and lacked a moral compass. But if they now think they can move on without trying to figure out what really happened behind that wall of secrecy, they've got another thought coming....

Dan said...

Linking to Rebel Media and telling him to get informed?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Simon said...

hi anon...One of the problem with the parliamentary press gallery, is that some of its members soon come to think that they too are the government. The atmosphere in a small city like Ottawa is horribly incestuous, and a virtual Peyton Place, And after ten years of the Harperites in power many in the MSM have been cowed into accepting everything. And nobody wants to rock the boat lest they be cut out of the loop or lose their sources. For only in such an atmosphere could someone like Hebert suggest that Harper could be a senior statesman. Justin Trudeau has been answering media questions like Harper never did, but he needs to make sure they don't try to walk all over him. As for Rosemary Barton, she has her good days and her bad days. But I agree with you, sometimes she looks as she is having too much of a good time....

Anonymous said...

Cheers, Deanna S. That's the spirit.

Simon said...

hi anon 1:03... Justin Trudeau seems to be a really nice guy, and has more decency in his big toe than there is in all the Cons put together. Who are morally depraved and the lowest of the low. So why would I worry about Justin after having endured ten years of Stephen Harper? I don't expect Justin to walk on water, just be as decent and Canadian as possible...

Anonymous said...

I'd write under my own name if I knew how. Guess I can sign my comments. I suppose I am what Harper terms 'old stock' but I have a beautiful aboriginal daughter-in-law and a very loved half aboriginal grandson and nobody is going to mess with them anymore. And that is what Canada should be about. Sara-Anne Peterson

Anonymous said...

Lookie here. Russia's Pravda is thrilled that Trudeau is in power and Harper is gone....just like the people on this site:
http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/22-10-2015/132394-canada_trudeau-0/

Of course, even Pravda is not dumb enough to mention Trudeau's fetish to combat the mythical Hotcoldwetdry. HAHAHAHAHA!!

Simon said...

hi anon...first of all quoting the so-called rebel media is totally absurd since that's one of the most absurd "media" organizations in the country. Secondly there is no need to build supervised heroin injection sites all over the country, only in the places they are required. For example hospitals can in some cases provide the same services. Thirdly, and most importantly those clinics can save thousands of lives, and provide a place where nurses and social workers can reach out to addicts and try to get them off drugs. Fourthly those clinics don't provide drugs to their clients, just the clean needles and other stuff required to make sure needles aren't shared. Fifthly, the clinics have been endorsed by the Canadian Medical Association, and their use has been approved by the Supreme Court.
And I should add, when I was in university I spent some time studying community clinics like the Insite clinic and others, so I know what I'm talking about unlike yourself. So please before you start repeating Ezra Levant's drivel take some time to educate yourself. And you can start by looking up harm reduction. Thanks...

Simon said...

hi Deb...thanks. Yes Coyne is a complex character. He has had his moments of principle, which I applaud. But when you look at his entire work it mirrors the corporate agenda, and when push comes to shove, he is just another salesman for the existing economic system. Which should be no surprise, since as the son of a Bank of Canada Governor he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. And recently attended the Bilderberg conference, so he is a friend of the rich and the powerful. ...

Simon said...

hi Lorne...what happened to us was a nightmare, to not seek explanations would in my opinion be insanity. For if those responsible get away with it, they will do it again. I'm not asking for the government to be turned upside down. But if we can't settle the question of whether the CRA targeted certain charities for crass political purposes, we are really in trouble, and so is the credibility of the CRA and the government. I would very much like to take a break from politics, but not until I get some answers...

Simon said...

hi anon...yes they do, Andrew Coyne, Rex Murphy, John Ivison. Our media needs to understand that their credibility has been compromised as much as the Harper Cons. And since they are struggling with serious economic problems, they really shouldn't be alienating so many of their readers. Instead they should revive the access to information process, and start doing some serious digging....

Simon said...

hi anon...yes that was encouraging. Despite that last minute blitz by the Cons and all those front page ads and endorsements, Canadians roundly defeated the Cons anyway. As for Rempel she is becoming what is described in journalistic circles as a "media monster." Her arrogance is absurd, her manners are appalling, and her ignorance betrays her over and over again...

Simon said...

hi anon 4:47...well welcome aboard, and thank you for your kind comments. No Canadian government has ever shocked my sense of decency as much as the Harper Cons have. I simply can't believe how low they have fallen. And since they have behaved like bullies and thugs, I never felt I had any choice but to take them on. And needless to say I am delighted that so many Canadians felt the same way I did, and have now turfed the Cons out of office. They have restored my faith in this country. I am proud to be a Canadian, and I will not stand to see those grubby Cons corrupt everything they touch...

Simon said...

hi David...I don't think even Levant could be that ignorant. It must be one of his faithful cult followers who unfortunately believe everything he tells them. As far as I'm concerned there are no reasonable arguments to use against clinics like InSite. They save thousands of lives, and those who would shut them down should be ashamed of themselves...

Simon said...

hi Steve...I don't know how long he will remain an MP. He may be trying to avoid the wave of criticism Jim Prentice received after he was defeated. Or he might be trying to make sure that he can claim parliamentary immunity when the Duffy trial resumes. Or as some Cons claim, he is doing it so he can make sure that his leadership candidate prevails, and that the party is kept in the hands of the Alberta reformers. Either way its disturbing, because until he's gone he's dangerous...

Simon said...

hi Deanna...yes they do have a nerve, they spew out all that nonsense, insult you in every way possible, and then declare that you're the hate monger. But as you point out, it's that kind of bestial behaviour that just helped cost them the election. And the best way to attack them is to make our Canada as decent as possible...

Unknown said...

Cheers to you Sara! And if you use your email to sign in with whatever name you have on your email will magically appear.

Steve said...

Who is going to prop up Postmedia now?

Unknown said...

Isn't it more than time to fully admit that the MSM is no longer carrying out the role it's claimed to in the assumed social contract. It's not there to inform the public of what we all need to form objective opinions of crucial issues that we can then use to select and influence our political and economic leaders. It's mostly there to distort and distract from some pretty ugly facts. That more and more of us have less and less power and opportunity for the future.

All this is being done in the interests of the small percent of the population who show no signs of accepting any limits on their freedom and wealth in the future.

Like certain other leaders in the past...yes that other H guy does come to mind... Harper was just the face of something much uglier lying under the surface in any culture. We're naïve to think that prominent Canadians and much of the establishment itself can act in some very sociopathic ways. The last 9 1/2 years are evidence of just how bad it can get.

This isn't over yet by a long shot....

Unknown said...

"We're naïve to think that prominent Canadians and much of the establishment itself can act in some very sociopathic ways."

That should read can't. After almost ten years of Harper and his exclusionary and abusive agenda supported by much of the establishment it should be obvious that much of the Canadian establishment lacks any real sense of ethics, morals or even sound judgement.