I was glad to see Justin Trudeau have the courage and the decency to visit Alberta, a province where so many Cons hate him with an intensity that borders on insanity.
I was happy to see him provide Rachel Notley with some badly needed support, and reassure the many suffering people in that stricken province, and the devastated oil industry, that help is on the way.
“I’m going to continually highlight that we’re all in this together as Canadians – that Alberta contributed tremendously to Canada’s growth over the past decade. And now that we’re facing challenging times here in Alberta, Canada will be there for them,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters.
So imagine how I felt to see the Con media in that province attack Trudeau like a pack of rabid zombies.
With the Postmedia gang leading the charge, pouring out one story after the other like this one.
By the time you read this, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have flown to town for his brief tête-à-tête with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, posed for the obligatory grip ‘n’ grin photo op, burped out a few sound bites, and vamoosed.
Heaping scorn on the visit, criticizing Trudeau for not providing instant relief.
Now that Alberta’s key industry is on the mat and a prime minister from Quebec is in charge, what is his response? Endless waffling, foot-dragging and doublespeak. A tanker ban on B.C.’s north coast and new regulatory barriers for long-stalled pipeline projects.
And what is Trudeau’s response to the thousands of jobless energy workers in Alberta who are trying to keep their homes and families together without a regular pay cheque? “Hang in there,” advises the boss.
And trying to blame him for all the problems the oil patch is facing.
When in fact if they want to blame a Prime Minister, they should blame Stephen Harper for leading them to disaster...
With his failed dreams of greasy grandeur.
Or as Michael Harris writes, they should just look in the mirror.
The drive-by smearing of Justin Trudeau — three months into his new government — is reaching comic proportions. My iPolitics colleague Tasha Kheiriddin coined a clever phrase to describe Trudeau’s political style: the “Opra-fication of Ottawa.”
Witty. Still beats the ‘Stalinization’ of Canada under the previous government.
For the smearing of Justin Trudeau is an ugly farce.
The latest nonsense out of the National Post (which is a business partner of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and acts the part on its news and opinion pages) is that Trudeau has somehow failed Alberta. That’s right — you’re meant to believe that the whole thing has unravelled (in three months) because Oprah is now in the driver’s seat. Forty years of provincial Tories and a decade of federal Conservatives had nothing to do with it.
Harper and his Big Oil buddies created their own pipeline problems...
It’s the oil industry itself that has a lot to account for, not Trudeau. It was the industry’s so-called “hardball” approach to resource extraction and pipeline development that turned off environmentalists, First Nations, unions, other provinces and, finally, an entire country.
And by putting out garbage like this, Rona Ambrose is only making matters worse.
Justin Trudeau doesn't get what drives our economy: https://t.co/zIhhQ1jA6x pic.twitter.com/MIxD0WwpPV— Rona Ambrose (@RonaAmbrose) February 5, 2016
By inflaming passions in a province where they are already running dangerously high.
And by threatening to further divide our country, as only Harper and his designated stooge Ambrose could...
And yes, as I have said for so many years.
And yes, as I have said for so many years.
This country will not be safe or sane.
Until that insane Con clown posse of oil pimps is finally brought to heel.
And deposited where they belong...
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34 comments:
Blaming a Trudeau for the collapse of oil is an oil patch tradition.
Maybe if we had kept a national oil company like every other civilized country has done, we could have kept some of that money right here in Canada instead of shipping our cash South.
For a guy who voted NDP, you clearly don't know how many on the left depise Trudeau as well.
Here I am, freezing in the dark, and they want my taxes to pay for their unemployment benefits ?
Instead of offering viable solutions to the problems Alberta is facing after 40 years of Conservative mismanagement they try to blame JT for all their woes. How pathetic is that? Their lucky JT isn't a vindictive POS like Harper was or all they would get is the middle finger and a few "fuddle duddles". Time to grow up children and become a part of the solution instead of creating more problems.
JD
Even with all sour from Alberta press, Trudeau's visit and comments are a step in the right direction. Harper never had the grace to behave like this. Hoping that Trudeau's pragmatic approach will help those going through tough times. This down turn seems to be somewhat inevitable, given the politics of oil. Still sad to see those going through tough times.
TS
Their dishonesty has no bounds!
It's fortunate that the price of oil collapsed when it did otherwise the great economic oily messiah probably would have won the election with a genuine balanced budget after spreading even more bribe money around.The cracks in his bogus platform developed at the worst possible time. The result is that we are left like a jealous family who would sooner trust conniving strangers than support a family member for fear that they might get ahead.This plays out in life all the time, its even more unfortunate when its a nation.
Rt
Oil= Man's Greed........simple. Thank you, Mr. Harris!
The world will be a better place when the PostMedia and Canada's reliance on old are both dead and buried.
As an 'easterner' - but more importantly, a proud Canadian - I say let's invest in Alberta, but let's make sure they invest in activities that help them diversify their economic strategy, starting with renewable resources.
And let's have the same approach with every other jurisdiction in Canada.
And then ... let's stop talking about oil because it's killing us.
This is not the first time Alberta has had the economy take a nose dive and it won't be the last. it is hardly Notley and Trudeau's fault.
What is "funny" is they are screaming as if the world were ending with an unemployment rate of 7-8%. No body was doing that screaming when parts of B.C. had an unemployment rate in some towns at 15% in the 1970s and 80s. No one cared when it was going on in the Maritimes. For decades there has been higher unemployment in the Maritimes and no one said much and did even less. Now its Alberta and its like the world is ending. It isn't. A lot of people living in Alberta weren't from Alberta to begin with. they moved there in the last 15 yrs from other parts of Canada, which were taking hits.
When the logging/forestry/mill industry in B.C. when south, no one seemed to care. About all that held up the province was the marijuana industry in some places.
All of this screaming and carrying on from the press, etc. is simply because it is them and theirs getting hit and they don't want to take responsibility for their own action, supporting Steve and his "team".
All booms will bust and that has happened in Alberta. Get with the agenda, just like others have had to do in other parts of Canada.
The Harper Demolition
https://canadiandimension.com/magazine/issue/september-october-2015
What goes around comes around. The anti-Liberal Postmedia chain is taking a dive--just like world oil prices (so why is our gasoline still so expensive?)
The problem with Postmedia
http://www.thestar.com/business/2016/01/30/the-problem-with-postmedia-olive.html
I'm so concerned you easterners will extend EI benefits for Alberta and create a culture of dependence, NOT! As the country and western song goes: $100 a barrel oil
$500,000 house
two $70,000 trucks
two quads
two sleds
and a trophy wife
all on a grade 8 education and $100 a barrel oil.
- also, ask yourself why there have been no arrests of the people using facebook to post death threats against Premier Notley?
A much sadder sequel C&W song when the bank (based in Toronto) takes the house, the trucks, the quads and the sleds while the trophy wife divorces you, goes to Toronto and dates the banker who took everything while lamenting having only a grade 8 education and oil at $30 a barrel.
I hope the Libs show better compassion to Alberta going through tough times than Harper did to a lot of manufacturing folks in Ontario/Quebec during his reign of error.
By all rights this was your election to win. Trudeau didn't make the NDP run the most inept election campaign since Iggy the Hahvahd Guy did in 2011.
If I were you I would be directing most of my venom at Mulcair and his campaign team.
hi Dan...yes it is, and it couldn't be more pathetic. They really need to grow up or just get a life...
hi anon...I share that view. If we had a national oil company Alberta would have been richer and so would the rest of us. The timing might have been wrong, but the idea was a good one...
hi anon 10:17..oh I do believe me, I know quite a few. But they are in a minority, and if they insist on being bitter and sounding like Cons, it's their problem not mine...
hi rumleyfips....now now this is not the time to sound like an Albertan. Now is the time to act like Canadians, and lead by example. As hard as that might be... ;)
hi JD...I am willing to cut them some slack, because there is a lot of misery in that province, and desperate people say desperate things. But yes, it is time to get over it, accept that they and their great Con leader brought the roof down on themselves. And join with the rest of us in the rebuilding of our economy....
hi TS...Trudeau definitely did the right thing by visiting the province and trying to boost their spirits. And he did win some of them over. He is showing a lot of class and hopefully it will pay off...
hi Pamela...I agree, their dishonesty is only exceeded by their ghastly hypocrisy...
hi RT...yes we really dodged a bullet. The low price of oil prevented them from successfully buying the election. And don't forget that despite Harper's best attempts to provoke a terrorist attack, that didn't happen either. Because if it had, we'd probably be living in the Fourth Reich...
hi anon...I don't want any Canadians to lose their jobs, and I'm more than willing to help Albertans diversify their economy. But if or when Postmedia bites the dust, I will not mourn them for long...
hi e.a.f. the Cons in Alberta are living in denial. Always willing to blame others and never themselves. And now that they are in trouble they seem to think that we owe them a living. When I don't remember them shedding single tear for all the manufacturing jobs their Dutch Disease helped kill. Oh well, it won't be easy but we must be better than them...
hi David...I believe the state of Postmedia is heavily influencing their coverage. For their shabby scribblers can't help but be gloomy, and they know those who attack Trudeau the most will be the last ones out the door...
hi anon 6:09...I don't mind if E.I. benefits are extended to help Albertans, just as long as we remind them that it was their Con messiah who made them so hard to get. And yes, I too am still waiting for somebody to be arrested for all those cowardly threats that Notley has been receiving....
extending E.I. benefits is a good way to go. Prior to the 'revamping' of E.I., people could collect benefits for up to 50 weeks. then it was changed to 9 months, max. It ought to be extended for up to 18 months based on the unemployment rate in that area.
of course when Jr.'s father, implemented the 1971 U.I. act, one of the best social programs Canada had, it was 8 weeks of work to qualify for 6 months of U.I. It worked very well for the Maritimes, which it was meant to. it worked for the seasonally unemployed and about 80% of the population could access U.I. now its called E.I. and about 20% can access it. So if some one in the federal Liberal Party could dig out the old play book on U.I. Plan 71, we may have some solutions. Then cut the rest of the wasting of the premiums out, so its not used for every other program some M.P. wants in their area. No longer use the fund as a slush fund. Use it to provide income for the unemployed in this country and help small businesses in communities stay afloat, people in their homes, and kids fed.
yes, there's a huge irony in PostMedia trumpeting the Cons and Harper as saviors ... when they themselves have been mismanaged to the point of oblivion themselves. Not much difference in style between Harper and Godfrey.
you might find this of interest - https://frustratedboomers.com/2016/02/08/last-one-out-turn-off-the-lights/
There's a long history of corporations writing the narrative, sowing confusion and nurturing ignorance. No wonder they are so eager to control the flow of information on the internet.
Maybe call me an optimist.. Alberta has huge expanse of nothing. Mile after mile of flat farms and the occasional cow. Why not build solar corridors / wind ways on the highways? Use the Alberta legacy fund to finance a portion of the project. with a guaranteed re-patriation of the funds as %age per year of borrowing to max 20 years? It's a make work project for a very down and out right now province. It will also expand our country's renewable portfolio. Fossil fuel isn't gone yet, but smartly would be a beginning into diversification of Alberta's portfolio.
ICCPOOP: Insane Con Clown Posse of Oil Pimps
Written by Dar..born and raised an Albertan! Trust me not all Albertans dislike the NDP government provincially or the Liberal Government federally. I am quite happy with both and sad that so many are sucked in by Post Media!
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