Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper's Terror Trap



It's a bitter pill to swallow. Stephen Harper's anti-terrorist Bill C-51 is deeply flawed, threatens our civil liberties and our internet freedom.

But if progressives don't want to risk handing Harper another bloody majority what Justin Trudeau said today was the way to play it. 

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says his caucus will vote in favour of a bill to vastly increase the powers of Canada's spy agency — with or without the improved oversight civil rights experts are calling for.

Because whatever anyone says, the brutal truth is that any other position at this time could be absolutely fatal.

This isn't an academic discussion, it's a trap Stephen Harper is setting for the opposition, and that is the best way to avoid it.

"The current government can accept that Canadians want greater oversight and accountability, or it will give us the opportunity to offer that to Canadians in the upcoming election campaign," Trudeau said.

Criticize the bill, promise to change it if elected, but support it for now based on the few things in the bill that are reasonable. The small changes could make it slightly easier for police to act against any Jihadi wannabes who would threaten our safety.

Because if they don't support it, Harper will use it to portray them as weaklings, who will not do what is necessary to protect Canadians. 

While portraying himself as a Great Strong Leader...



As absurd as that may be.

But what also can't be denied is that his campaign to terrorize Canadians into voting for him, is being helped by his ISIS homeboys. 

Who are horrifying the world and inflaming emotions everywhere including Canada.

Where the police are also helping Harper's fear campaign by blowing up this case.

"Today's charges, along with other terrorism-related arrests within the past few weeks, underscore the reality that there are individuals in Canada who have become radicalized to violence and who are willing to act upon it," said RCMP Assistant Commissioner James Malizia.

Making it sound like the Jihadis are EVERYWHERE, as Harper would have us believe. While conveniently forgetting to mention that the police didn't need any additional powers to lay those charges.

Just like they didn't need any additional powers to charge these wannabe terrorist crazies.

But the fact is, all of these stories in the news can only make many Canadians nervous or fearful, and if the opposition doesn't support Bill C-51, Great Closet Leader will use those fears against them...



And should he manage to provoke another attack, with his incessant yapping, before the next election. He could stampede people into voting for him, sink his teeth into another juicy majority, and complete the destruction of this country.

So don't listen to those who would suggest that we abandon the Liberals and the NDP, or vote for the Green Party even in ridings where they don't stand a chance. Or the Pizza Party or whatever. For they know not what they say, and they would have us commit collective hara kiri, or fall into Harper trap.

When in fact there are ways to support the bill, and still undermine his strategy, as I pointed out here.

By going along with the bill for now, but questioning his competency.

Question how Stephen Harper can say he is serious about security? When he has been slashing the budgets of the security services, to get money to bribe voters.

Ask him how can we trust him when he appointed the fraudster Arthur Porter to oversee CSIS?



Do his sleazy Cons want to get their grubby hands on our e-mails, or our bank accounts?

And why is he cuddling up to the Saudis? Blowing them like a bugle. When they are responsible for poisoning the minds of some young Canadians. 

Through its relationship with Saudi Arabia, Canada has allied itself with a “breeding ground” for terrorism, a Calgary imam told a Senate committee Monday afternoon. Imam Syed Soharwardy told the the Senate Committee on National Defence that Canada needs to recognize that terrorist groups currently preaching radical Islamist doctrine draw inspiration from a sect that is heavily funded by Saudi Arabia.

Why doesn't he want to make us safer? And whose side is he really on?


In short, stay cool, play smart. Like Justin Trudeau did today, and Tom Mulcair would be well advised to emulate.

Avoid the Terror Trap. Turn the Con's weapons against them.

And never forget that all that counts is defeating Stephen Harper. 

The most evil leader in Canadian history.

And the greatest terrorist threat this country faces...



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30 comments:

  1. Absolutely correct Simon...Take away Harper`s weak-on -terrorism-opposition-party gambit.

    Propose more oversight knowing Harper won`t budge and vote in favour..

    I already heard Harper in Parliament today turning his attack towards Thomas Mulcair(onthis issue,terrorism bill)

    Brilliant strategy by Trudeau`s team.

    There was a rather strange(for the mop n pail) op-ed in the Globe n Mail today urging parliament to reject Harper`s fear legislation..

    It tingled my spider antennae.....I think the Globe n Mail got wind of Trudeau`s acceptance of Harper`s legislation and wanted to throw a curve ball hoping Trudeau would bite..

    If the public believes Trudeau will also keep them safe than there is no need to vote Harper...Voters in the Trudeau camp will not flock to Harper`s team because Trudeau voted for the bill.

    Thomas Mulcair, in my opinion has made another fatal mistake, he may be right but right doesn`t always win, in fact right-minded seldom wins.

    The savvy voter already knows who their voting for....The trick is to gather up the low information voters.

    Cheers

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    1. hi Grant...thanks. I realize some might not like what I'm saying, but the time has come to say it like it is. The terrorist scare has given Harper a big boost in the polls, and it has to be handled as delicately as a ticking time bomb or it could explode in our faces. And in that regard I thought Trudeau did a brilliant job of defusing that bomb. People must understand that this is not an academic debate about a bad law, it's about winning the next election, and saving our country...

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  2. Anonymous9:06 PM

    Simon - Harper wants us and our troops to trust him? He would have sent unsuspecting men and women into Iraq based on a lie. And, speaking of lying and cheating, how about a little retro plagiarism from Harper. Do you remember this? "In 2003, Stephen Harper and Australian Prime Minister John Howard deliver largely identical speeches urging their nations to join George W. Bush's Coalition of the Willing to go to war with Iraq."

    http://youtu.be/qtd7o9x5uN0

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    1. hi anon...yes anyone who trusts Harper at this point must either be totally corrupted or an absolute idiot. And yes I remember that clip well, and it was totally pathetic. It's bad enough being a stooge of Israel, but being a stooge of AUSTRALIA? How down under can you go?

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  3. Here is the Globe n Mail op-ed ...

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/parliament-must-reject-harpers-secret-policeman-bill/article22729037/

    Cue Andrew Coyne.

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/parliament-must-reject-harpers-secret-policeman-bill/article22729037/

    Methinks mainstream(Harper loving) media wanted Trudeau to reject Harper`s legislation.

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    1. hi Grant...as I said in my post, the law is an ass, but there is nothing the opposition can do to stop it from passing, and the only way to change it is by defeating the Cons...

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  4. I agree with this because Harper is taunting the opposition so he can use what they say against them.........PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION would be my advice!

    Stephen Harper is very CRAFTY and I wouldn't trust him to bring me a glass of water if I was choking to death!

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    1. hi Kathleen...Harper is a psychopath with a criminal mind, so he is capable of anything and he is extremely dangerous. And if anyone is dumb enough to fall into his trap, they will pay horrible price...

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  5. While I am kinda grossed out by Trudeau supporting this bill, I understand and completely agree with your reasoning. It was a trap that Harper planted. He has been such a colossal fuck up on every front that he must run on fear and ignorance. He sounds a lot like Pauline Marois. I have already spoken to my local LPC candidate on this issue and will be bringing it up at future meetings. At least he has promised a sunset clause on this piece of shit bill.

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    1. hi plop...as I said at the beginning of my post it's not easy to support a bill that is so flawed. But when you're in a war you must do what you have to do to win. Because what good what it do to vote against the bill, and end up losing the election. Progressives are going to have to be very smart or they will regret it forever, and there will not be much left of Canada by the time Harper has finished wrecking it...

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  6. Anonymous10:46 PM

    "In short, stay cool, play smart. Like Justin Trudeau did today, and Tom Mulcair would be well advised to emulate."

    You're right Simon. Trudeau and his team are playing a very thoughtful game of chess here. And the ultimate goal of chess is to destroy your opponent. And if Tom won't play, then maybe he should sit this one out. There will always be another game.

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    1. hi anon...I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the deft way Justin Trudeau handled this obvious trap. And although I recognize it will be harder for Tom Mulcair to extricate himself if he wants to remain a serious contender he will have to find some way to do that...

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  7. Canadian Press journalist Jennifer Ditchburn asked on CBC's Power & Politics (Feb. 4) why haven't we heard any conservatives/Conservatives--who are supposedly really big on freedom of speech--express ANY reservations about Harper's anti-terrorism bill?

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    1. hi David...yes it is interesting that only Jason Kenney has gone on record to warn that the bill should be carefully balanced. That tells me that some in his rabid base are concerned, but since even those morons can see that its an obvious trap, they are clearly choosing to remain silent and see what happens. However, I wouldn't rule out a mini-revolt by the libertarian bill, especially when they hear the hapless stooge Steve Blaney try to sell it...

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  8. Christine4:40 AM

    My initial reaction was negative, but I now understand why it was the best strategy.

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    1. hi Christine...I can understand your reaction. But we progressives must also understand that we are fighting a desperate battle for the survival of our country and we must do what we must to win. If we neutralize Harper's advantage on the terror front, then we can destroy his on the economic front, where he is truly vulnerable. Fail to do the first and we could lose everything including our country...

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    2. Christine10:35 PM

      Agreed, Simon.

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  9. Bill 51 is a Terrorist Act. It's meant to intimidate the public. It legalizes Federal terrorism and violates the Charter.

    Trudeau fells right into Harper's trap.

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    1. hi Morlock...Bill C-51 is indeed a bad bill, but Trudeau didn't fall into a trap he avoided one. For what good would it be to vote against a bill that will pass anyway? And the only way to scrap the bill is to defeat the Cons. I've noticed a lot of progressives can't see the forest for the trees, but it's time they smartened up. For there are wolves in the woods, and they will destroy the dumb...

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  10. The 2015 federal election is an emergency. VOTE TOGETHER for the candidate from ANY party who has the best chance to defeat the Conservative candidate. No more vote splitting. Job #1 MUST be to take away Harper's majority. Ignore party rhetoric, promises and fear mongering. No more vote splitting. www.votetogether.ca

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  11. Anonymous9:58 AM

    Simon, your optimism is contagious. But I would warn you to temper it with reason and caution. History has taught us better. The end never justifies the means, the means determine the end, ALWAYS. Even if Trudeau is a paragon of virtue, which I doubt it, he is not alone, he is surrounded by very powerful man and there are plenty of links among the men behind the scenes in Trudeau's and Harper's camps. As far as we know no one has attempted to do what Harper is doing before because they where afraid of a popular revolt, Harper proved that he could circumvent public opinion and common good for the benefit of the few, those behind Trudeau may be tempted to use these new powers just as much as Harper. After all a return to the conditions and status quo prior to the social revolutions of the 19 th century and the labour wars of the 20th century has been their goal. I do not know if we can trust Trudeau, but I do know that this bill will forever change what Canada is the moment its passed. The right course of action would be to show the people the dangers of this law, and the mistakes of the past. Once its passed I doubt it will ever be revoked and the Canada you knew will forever be gone.

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  12. Simon , initially I was very disappointed in Trudeau agreeing to pass Bill C-51, but your article has got me thinking. Maybe this was the smart thing for Trudeau to do. I'll give it more thought.

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  13. Trudeau may have dodged a bullet with the idiots who support Harper, but he's shown his true centrist colours by his actions..no, I won't support anything Junior says or does just to get rid of one problem and wind up with another..even Chretien was to the left of Justin Ttrudeau, and he did little that was promised over his long years in office..remember a thing called the GST?
    His only shining moment was keeping us out of Iraq, and for that I'm grateful, but it doesn't make a political career any shinier in the long run...
    As for Harper attacking Mulcair, it only shows that he is fearful.
    I'm surprised that you are showing such support for Trudeau, but then, I understand ...all of us feel desperate about ridding ourselves of the scourge of the HarperCons but not at the expense of more waffling of the Libs...

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  14. Good post Simon. I too was pleasantly surprised by the approach Trudeau took here, and as you said and noted it was the exact right call to make. Nothing either opposition party can do will stop, slow or in any way get Harper to do anything he doesn't decide to do by his own choice. He has already demonstrated that is the way he governs, he was that way in minority and even more so in majority. So since they cannot do anything but make token protest and they leave themselves open to being massively attacked as untrustworthy on national security grounds the only smart way is to do what Trudeau did. Not just by accepting the bill but by stating up front that while they will vote for it regardless of whether the Government accepts their recommendations and amendments, if those are rejected they will be made a part of the core election platform of the Liberals and have the electorate say which they prefer, the Libs manage to show the ability to rise above partisanship on national security while not losing sight of the very real concerns and issues with this bill and the wider question of lack of oversight in our security infrastructure.

    One of the ways yesterday I noted the CPC is unhappy with how Trudeau dealt with this is how many comments on news comment threads from the hyper CPC partisans (whether paid staffers or not one cannot know, but that they are clearly taking their cues from the CPC leadership is clear) were of the "puppet Trudeau being played well by his puppet master(s)/Butts" variety. Mulcair may be making a major mistake if he doesn't immediately follow this path himself, and since Trudeau just took this choice I am willing to bet Mulcair instead tries to go farther away from it into total rejection of the CPC bill and trying to claim "Lib Tory same old story" on this one, same as Dippers love to do whenever they get the chance (I also think this because of the antipathy between the two leaders and Mulcair not wanting to feel like he looks like he is following Trudeau's lead on such an important issue, but that is simply a feeling).

    The problem is this is on a serious national security issue, and as hard as it is for me to say this not everything about this and what Harper says is wrong. Overblown, being used first for partisan purposes, failing to provide anything like sensible oversight, all of that is true, but just as Harper clearly overplays the threat out there, Mulcair and the NDP are running the risk of underplaying the reality of that threat, because there is a real one out there. It is not the earth shattering Cold War like one Harper keeps trying to sell, and the average citizen is aware that threat is there, even if they have a hard time getting an exact sense of it. That makes trying to deny the threat a serious potential weakness for those like Mulcair, and this bill could well in combination with his rejection of the Iraq deployment last fall be used to undercut NDP credibility in security, and that is not something that should be blithely brushed aside as I have alas seem some Dipper partisans do in the past.

    So again, very good post Simon, well considered, and in my view exactly correct. Thank you for understanding that the real war for Canadian progressives and centrists is against Harper first, and that the need to remove him at all costs means placing usual political partisan preferences aside until he is removes, preferably as harshly as possible in the next election.

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  15. That you are likely correct, Simon, is a comment on the extremely sad state of politics, specifically the electorate, in Canada. It says that we are unable to think critically and rationally, and are easily led like zombies chasing fresh meat to vote against our best interests because the deeply broken electoral system does not serve our representational needs.

    We are so conditioned against critical thought that a situation like you outlined has arose and come to pass, and it's going to hurt us badly. We're choosing to bend over the barrel and willingly spread our ass cheeks for government ideology to violate us all.

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  16. He didn't avoid the trap. He stepped right in it.

    https://www.change.org/p/intlcrimcourt-arrest-harper-for-inciting-genocide/u/9535681

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  17. e.a.f.4:48 PM

    Trudeau may have a point, with his response to the bill. It might just be better if everyone ignored stevie and then waited until the elections, they people can vote and when stevie is shown the door, the new government can repeal what they don't like. On the other hand if stevie, wins the next election, we have all this ugly legislation...........

    Then it will be time to find another country, because the majority will have decided they don't care about democracy, and we may not want to live in a dictatorship.

    As I've written before harper is the terrorist. He creates terror in this country by what he does and doesn't do. We know he supports Saudi Arabia and permits Canadian firms to sell them armaments, so he supports terrorist governments, because Saudi Arabia funds many of the radical jihadist groups. Nice going stevie. It would be just so much fun if the RCMP arrested a "real jihadist" and the person said they got their orders and funding from Saudi Arabia. Oh, what fun and election would be then.

    The opposition parties simply need to keep publicizing harper's "deeds", that lovely picture of Arthur Porter says more than several thousand words.

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  18. Remarks by Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau on Bill C-51

    http://www.liberal.ca/remarks-by-justin-trudeau-on-bill-c-51/

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  19. If being "weak on terror" loses out to "weak on democracy" then Canada is already lost. There is nothing "reasonable" in this bill, not one thing. If one of the most important debates on civil liberties can't happen because "Harper set a trap" what does that say?

    It's a nice thought, Canadians really want to believe democracy still exists here, but it doesn't. There is a much simpler explanation for why Trudeau would support the bill: because he believes in it. Calls for oversight are misdirection, that is NOT the primary criticism of the bill nor do I have any faith in the Canadian government and it's useless agencies to oversee anything so Trudeau's promises he will fix the bill WHEN HE IS ELECTED are completely meaningless, you would have to be an idiot to fall for that.

    You should be calling Trudeau out Simon, not supporting his cowardice, or lies, whichever they turn out to be.

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  20. Anonymous7:24 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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