As you may have heard, Andrew Scheer has unveiled his shadow cabinet. And although I didn't expect much, since it was cobbled together from the ratty remains of the Harper regime.
The ones who survived the great cleansing, the ones who are still going after the cheese.
I have to admit that this Con shadow cabinet, or collection of "shadow ministers" as Scheer likes to call them, has exceeded my expectations.
Because it couldn't be more mediocre. Or more monstrous.
Or like Scheer himself, more sinister or more shadowy.
For while the media is using the demotion of Kellie Leitch, and the snubbing of Brad Trost, to try to make us believe that the Cons are now a more moderate and more Canadian party.
Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer unveiled his full shadow cabinet Wednesday notably leaving fellow leadership candidate Kellie Leitch off his party's front bench while promoting others to key critic posts in the House of Commons.
Pierre Poilievre, an MP from the Ottawa area, was given the Finance critic role ahead of Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, who finished second in the Conservative race.
Brad Trost, the Saskatchewan MP who finished fourth in the leadership campaign, was also left off the shadow cabinet list.
And no doubt Leitch and Trost are both outraged...
Outraged I tell you.
What the Con media won't tell you, or isn't playing up, is that Scheer's Status of Women shadow minister is an anti-abortion activist.
Rachel Harder, an Alberta-based Conservative MP, was appointed the Conservative Shadow Cabinet Minister for Status of Women Wednesday despite a well-documented record opposing the reproductive rights of women.
In a questionnaire to Campaign Life Coalition, one of Canada's largest anti-abortion groups, Harder stated she would "support all legislative or policy proposals that would result in a meaningful increase of respect and protection for unborn human life" and indicated that the only circumstance where a "woman should have access to abortion" is when the "life of the mother" is at risk.
Which is absolutely outrageous, a slap in the face to every freedom loving woman in this country.
Another example of the kind of the Canada Scheer would have us live in...
And yes it's true, Harder's glowing endorsement by the virulent misogynists and homophobes at Campaign Life Coalition has mysteriously disappeared.
Which tells me the Cons are trying to cover their tracks.
And as for Scheer's decision to make Pierre Poislievre his shadow finance minister, it's also absolutely scandalous...
Pierre Poilievre, an MP from the Ottawa area, was given the Finance critic role ahead of Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, who finished second in the Conservative race.
Considering Poislievre's abominable record, his contempt for democracy.
And the disgusting way he
Whose foul creature he always was.
And as for Brad Trost, who helped make Scheer the leader of the Harper Party, his absence from the shadow cabinet table won't mean much.
Not when Scheer is as anti-abortion and as anti-gay as Trost.
And the Cons are now the party of fascists and bigots.
The party of Trump and treason.
And it seems the party of the loser leader.
Andrew Scheer's honeymoon as the leader of the Conservative Party is the worst any new party leader has experienced in 14 years, as the Conservatives are only marginally more popular today than they were when Scheer won the party's top job three months ago.
In a country where if an election was held tomorrow, Justin Trudeau would win as many as 24 more seats to add to his already huge majority.
And I wouldn't be surprised if by the time the next election arrives, he is even more popular.
Tomorrow I'm going to blow the cover off Andrew Scheer and show you what kind of man he really is, in one of the most disturbing posts I've ever written.
But for now let's just relax and enjoy ourselves, by imagining how Maxime "Mad Max" Bernier must be feeling after Scheer gave Poilievre the job he wanted.
Conservative MP Maxime Bernier isn't ruling out another run for party leadership and says he wants to play the crucial role of finance critic in leader Andrew Scheer's shadow cabinet.
Because you know this story is going to end badly eh?
As are the Cons.
They needed to renew themselves and prove that they are no longer the Harper Party.
But they couldn't do that.
They were a bestial party of bullies and bigots.
And when Harper went to Con hell, he took them all with him...
Scheer strikes me as being a lot more like Stockwell Day than Harper. Scheer's a social conservative who lacks the smarts and political instincts that made Harper such a formidable campaigner.
ReplyDeleteWhen Harper ran against Day for the Alliance leadership, he criticized Day for building a narrow social conservative base and ignoring economic conservatives. Harper's success lay in welding those two factions together, leaving each with half a loaf and wanting more. After winning the Conservative leadership, Harper had the sense to appoint both his rivals, Tony Clement and Belinda Stronach, to the shadow cabinet, even though Stronach was well to the left of Harper and would eventually join the Libs.
Scheer, on the other hand, lacks Harper's political savvy. Stiffing the other leadership candidates is going to hurt party unity, especially when Mad Max already claims he was done in by ballot box shenanigans. Putting a loser like Pee Pee in charge of anything, let alone Finance, is just crazy. That guy couldn't organize a screw in a whorehouse if you spotted him $500.
Can you just imagine him at Davos, etc?
DeleteJLS
Yup, face down, booty up.
Deletehi anon 10:31...In some ways Scheer does resemble the Reform Party's Stockwell Day, for he was a young Reform Con too. But I believe he is more dangerous than Day and possibly more dangerous than even Stephen Harper. For while Harper did as little as possible to satisfy his rabid religious base, if Scheer ever became prime minister he would do as much as he could to advance his sinister agenda. And remember what Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet. A man may smile and smile and be a villain. And Scheer is not just a villain he's a monster...
DeleteWell, I suppose some appointments may make sense. Certainly Tony Clement as Public Services and Procurement does. Who else in Canadian public life has more experience in dealing with the issue of misappropriated funds?
ReplyDeleteMichael Chong must feel like a traveler who has wandered into a Furry convention or a filming of . I’d think he would feel more at home in any of the other parties in the house.
Strange typo: Did you notice that the G&M seems to be using a crystal ball in its reporting? From the link to Maxime Bernier:
The caption in the Laura Stone article dated July 27, 2017 reads in part ‘Conservative MP Maxime Bernier asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 31, 2017’.
Oops.
Michael: Come to the Grits' side. We have cookies. :)
Delete... good to see you're in fine fettle, full metal mode as always, Simon !
ReplyDeleteI'm currently appraising the Sheer puppet era
as one controlled by the drivel & dogma of vestigial ReformaTories
You know, the usual suspects, Harper Novak Laureen
Jenni Byrne, Arthur 'last breath' Hamilton, Peter Van Loan
& one supposes the shrill Tom Flanagan types & Ken Boessenkool et al.
and the secret evangel cabal housed in our Parliament Building
But the reality is.. most of these are diseased deadwood in a diseased woodlot
and when they fall, flail or fail.. nobody can see them..
Yes, we see the idiot partisan pus sacks like Poilievre.. or Kent
but behind the scenes of CPC Party fund raising.. aka begging
ie .. the endless pitches 'friend.. to continue the fight' blah blah
is all that falling deadwood.. in a forest that is either illusion or delusion
There is no evidence of any sort of 'public service' ..
of representing defending the dreams needs wishes
of their ridings.. its all posing preening pretentious posturing
Who knows what actual reality - if any, or situational ethics
guides these parasitic partisan pus sacks..
but they keep falling in the fake garden of the rapture
and mainstream media dutifully reports on their existance..
hi salamander...yes, they do seem strangely trapped in the past, and unable to change the way the behave, even if that is the only way they are ever going be able to win and election again. I suppose that should make me happy, but we're living in the Age of Trump, and I'm very afraid that those ghastly Cons could poison this country like that bestial monster is poisoning his. And unlike the U.S. we have no decent media to defend us. I'm sure we will win in the end, but there is no denying that we are living in very dangerous times...
DeleteNice poem.
Delete"And yes it's true, Harder's glowing endorsement by the virulent misogynists and homophobes at Campaign Life Coalition has mysteriously disappeared."
ReplyDeletePainting everyone with the same brush eh? Tell us, what REALLY bothers you about the pro life movement?
The pro life movement? They're a bunch of terrorists.
Deletemr perfect
"Pro-life" is an Orwellian misnomer. They're pro-forced-birth and don't give a rat's tail about anyone's life after they're born. They place a higher premium on "lives" not yet in existence, than on the life and agency of the woman to make decisions about her own healthcare and her own body. No surprise they also overlap in many cases with rape apologists. Quality of life isn't a valid concern for them either, as they would even make women give birth if the fetus was prenatally diagnosed with serious deformities or disabilities like Down's or congenital heart defects.
DeleteTheir religious BS has no place in a pluralistic society like Canada. They can go take up residence in some backward theocracy like Russia or Saudi Arabia if that's what they want to get on board with. It's very simple and yet not a concept they can understand: if you don't like abortion, don't have one. If you don't like same-sex marriage, don't go to the wedding.
Figures -- they project more than an IMAX theater, accusing liberals of wanting a "safe space" and for the whole world to change their habits to accommodate their wants and desires. The only habit that women and LGBT are demanding that they change is their habit of being intrusive busybodies making decisions for complete strangers because they seek to appease their war god. Basically, leave us alone and we'll leave you alone. But we can't uphold our end of the bargain until they uphold theirs. Which, as of yet, they haven't -- and that doesn't look to be improving anytime soon. So we'll keep fighting them until they raise the white flag.
hi anon 11:17...what on earth are you talking about, what don't you understand? I hate the freaks from the Campaign Life Coalition because they're virulent misogynists and homophobes. And although I always knew they were the scum of the earth, who knew they were also cowards? Good enough for you? Good, now get lost loser....
Deletehi anon 8:36 pm...very nicely said, and I agree with every word. "Pro-Life" is an Orwellian misnomer, they have no respect for women, and while they fetishize fetuses in the most depraved manner, they couldn't care less about babies. And yes this too is true:
DeleteIf you don't like abortion, don't have one. If you don't like same-sex marriage, don't go to the wedding.
And we must and will keep fighting those death heads until they raise the white flag...
Can't wait for tomorrow's article. I have a feeling I know what it is...
ReplyDeletehi anon...well I hope I don't disappoint you. I don't usually promote stories ahead of time, on the same grounds that one shouldn't count ones chickens until they've hatched...or written. But I've been looking for a good example to reveal Scheer's inner beast, and I think I've finally found one...
DeleteLooks like little Andy forgot that PP Pete was one of the reasons we all hated Harper and his reformatories.
ReplyDeletehi rumleyfips...it really is unbelievable that Scheer should forget that the ghastly little Pee Wee was one of the main reasons so many Canadians hated the Harper regime so much. But him and Poilievre have been good friends from the early days of the Reform Party, so I guess he can't. And although I'm disgusted I guess I should also be grateful....
DeleteWhile I fully agree Harper had way more political savvy than Sheer, I have to remind that the movement he treacherously created with Tory-turncoat Peter MacKay was ultimately an utter failure---which doesn't bode well for a very much dimmer Andrew Sheer.
ReplyDeleteHarper appeared to deftly handle the welded halves of his new party by convincing social conservatives and religious extremists to keep their powder dry during his first minority government---'we'll address your concerns once we've won a majority, so don't let's blow it with intemperate demands for abortion and same-sex-marriage prohibition.' His second minority only tried the patience of his religious right backbenches; while the rationale was maintained---'keep it zipped until we win a majority'---skeletons only recently flayed began to dog his government as the neo-right faction fretted about their own agenda getting way behind schedule. He sure didn't look so deft when he finally won his sole majority: backbenchers were miffed that he'd explicitly shitcanned their agenda---which probably helped with winning the majority---and one even walked to sit as an independent in protest. By this time Harper's tactical smear of First Nations by way of Attawapiskat which was deployed to reach the strategic goal of pushing the tar sand pipeline through BC had instead fomented the Idle-No-More protest, and the earthshaking William (Tsihlqot'in) SCoC decision which kiboshed his intention to dismiss the constitutional obligation to consult meaningfully with FNs about resource development in unceded territories (which almost all of BC is) effectively put his centrepiece policy well out of reach within the time left in the mandate. As we now know, Harper spent the last half of his first and last majority putting out fires---not least charges and convictions for electoral cheating---and desperately trying to hang on to the party's dwindling base.
I still consider that second minority as the turning point for Harper: it wasn't expected, nor handled particularly well, putting him off his game. Nonetheless, Harper's demise also reflects a larger decline of nominal conservative parties everywhere as moderates are driven out by extremists who only appear to lead the right as a result.
Perhaps it's a necessary evolution that the skunks remain the only ones at the picnic. The baskets will soon be emptied and, with nobody to fill them back up, the picnic will eventually disperse, the stench will clear, and real conservatives will once again be able to enjoy the abandoned field. By foolishly rejecting moderate candidates for leadership and electing the likes on Sheer, we may presume that evolution will be quicker---and the country all the better for it.
I now see what you mean when you say that Scheer is a smarmy Con hiding behind that garish smile. But what does it say about our right wing media when none of them seem to be able to see beyond that smile? I fear for our country.
ReplyDeleteRight wing media? Ya cuz the CBC is SOOOO conservative.
DeleteI think Simon's point is that other than the CBC and maybe the Star, there isn't much in the way of truly "liberal" media in Canada. Even the CBC has a bunch of tired old Harperites holding majority control of the board. They won't clean up their commenting section, which is an absolute cesspool that makes Yahoo look, well, Canadian polite. The rest of your outlets are Postmedia tabloid sensationalism or CNN-style "fair and balanced" which presents "both sides" of an issue that clearly doesn't have another valid argument, just so they can say they were "impartial." (Here's just one particularly objectionable example from your neighbor to the south. CNN posing an open-ended question on the chyron during campaign season: "Alt-right founder asks: Are Jews people?")
DeleteThere really isn't much in the way of "liberal" media in the Anglosphere despite the hemming and hawwing of cons. Murdoch media is a metastatic cancer that's infected the U.K. and Australia along with its more infamous American incarnation of Fox News, and then there's the subversive takeover of American local affiliates by a group of similar ideological bent called Sinclair Broadcasting. (The bad Sinclairs. The good ones are Maggie and Upton.) The Koch billionaires even own a majority stake in our PBS. They're urinating on Mister Rogers' grave and burning his cardigan sweater.
I imagine there are regulations of one form or another in Canada to prevent privatized takeovers like this, but from what I understand, things are not so great for Canada's dissenting voices either, at least not outside of the loosely organized cohort of bloggers like Simon and Press Progress who'd be lucky to get so much as a passing mention even on the "liberal" CBC.
The fact that conservatives think MSNBC/CNN or the CBC are "liberal" only goes to show how far to the right conservatives have gone -- and dragged their ostensible "opponents" with them. For liberal-minded Americans, the CBC would be a breath of fresh air (I don't even think it's carried on any cable networks in the 'States). But in Canada it's not exactly the personal blog of John Reed that its detractors make it out to be either. But I guess when one is immersed 24/7 in the "Justin Castreau" conspiracy rants of Rebel Media (ex-Sun TV) and its onetime print cousin (the Toronto Sun, equivalent to the New York Post or Daily Mail), as far too many conservatives are, even middle-of-the-road CBC must look like, well... Granma. ;-)
hi anon 5:14...I can't believe that anyone can still deny that the MSM is outrageously Con-friendly. That's one of the reasons they're doing so badly. And that includes the CBC which is still under the influence of its Con board, and on most days can rightfully be called the Conservative Broadcasting Corporation....
Deletehi anon 9:07...brilliantly said, and so so true. I'm so impressed and grateful for the quality of the comments I receive. I don't consider myself a media basher, but I have been shocked and disgusted by the way even the CBC has drifted rightwards. It's hideous comment section is as bad as any other. And even the Star is looking less liberal than it once was. In a country that is centre-left that's hard to accept, and demonstrates nothing but contempt for most Canadians...
Deletehi anon 4:28...yes, Scheer's smile is his best weapon and the only thing I fear. But I look forward to helping to wipe it off his face. And as for our Con media, or they will change, or like the Cons they too will disappear...
DeleteI do hope you're right, Simon, about Trudeau not only winning in 2019 but the Liberals actually picking up seats. I'd like to see him be PM for much longer (well, as long as he wants anyway; whether he's looking to outpace his father or not is up to him and the voters). Had he lived, Pierre would be celebrating the century mark just a few days prior to the official election day, and I'm sure he'd be proud of his boy.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to take a long time to clean up Harper's mess at home, and now Trump's on the international front, on everything from refugees to the environment to NAFTA to the frightening specter of having Putin literally taking over the "meth lab downstairs," as the late, great Robin Williams once described America compared to the "nice people in the upstairs apartment" in Canada. Sure, he's easy on the eyes, but he's also a breath of fresh air -- especially for Americans mired in chaos and creeping Russofascism -- in that he's smart, forward-thinking, and compassionate to boot. I like the Jedi, Obi-Wan Trudobi. The Force is strong with this one, and he's our only hope. (Well, one of them anyway -- one among very few left in the world.)
The cons in Canada and the U.S. have taken on a disturbingly hateful tone, one that's no less hateful when couched in pseudo-respectable language like "heritage, not hatred" or hiding behind "free speech" as an insult to spread fake news, slander and racial and homophobic vitriol that damages people's reputations and even their psychological well-being.
I look forward to seeing the GOP collapse, as well as Canada's Crappers, the Brexit Thatcherites and Blairist warmonger Nu-Labour, and the Aussie cons who've sent refugee children to concentration camps in Papua New Guinea, and are holding up marriage equality -- opting to remain well behind even the USA, in still making this an issue at all. When they start playing nicely with others is when they can come out from sitting in the corner with their dunce caps on. Not something I can foresee happening anytime soon with any of them.
hi anon...I'm pretty confident that Trudeau will win another majority, especially if the poor old NDP continues to go nowhere. And remember, although the Brexit disaster and the rise of Trump temporarily skewed the picture, we are still on the right side of history, the demographics are still in our favour, and the future still belongs to us. And although it's small consolation at a time like this one, the harder the struggle, the sweeter the victory...
DeleteThe Reform-A-Con party is like a double wide bus trying to pick up passengers near the center right of the road all the way over to those in the right hand ditch. It sort of works as long as the shoulder of the road is level and well maintained but wash outs and soft shoulders can easily cause the bus to go careening into the swamp or over correct and crash into oncoming political traffic. To solve this it is likely the Cons are attempting to narrow the width of the bus and use small free to ride shuttle buses to collect the ditch dwellers with the promise that there is a special VIP lounge complete with great service and private planning meetings with the bus driver waiting for them on the main bus at the next election stop. To coordinate the whole thing a Rebel car with directional speakers blaring will shadow the main bus to explain the game to the ditch dwellers and keep them from putting themselves and others in harms way by trying to flag the main bus down. Its a great plan but the bus needs upgrading and a new coat of paint to attract those on the road while the shuttle bus drivers and shadow car needs to be credible and boisterous enough to keep the ditch dwellers engaged but not to the extent of scaring passengers away from the main bus. There are lots of wannabe mini bus drivers but driving skills and discretion are at a premium along with skilled credible staff for the main bus. It would have been much simpler to keep two separate buses and drivers but then again the crafty fringe dwellers knew they would be trampled on the main road, now all they have to worry about is being run over by the main bus and that the VIP lounge is not a sham.... a sympathetic bus driver helps alleviate the stress.
ReplyDeleteRT
hi RT...I love your image of a Con bus being followed by a Rebel car with directional speakers blaring. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the Rebel was reduced to Levant driving around in his Hummer screaming into a microphone with a loser like Sheila Gunn Reid running down the sidewalk with a tiny basket begging for loose change.
DeleteThere may have been a time when the Rebel actually helped the Cons, but ever since the shipwreck it's like an anvil around their necks. Glug...glug...glug.. buh bye Cons...
hi Geoffrey...I agree with what you said about Harper. He was only ever interested in power and only gave his religious base as little as he could to keep their support. While if Scheer ever got his hands on a majority, I fear he would give his fellow religious fanatics as much as he possibly could. Luckily as you point out, he's not the brightest bulb in the heavens, and hopefully this will come to pass:
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's a necessary evolution that the skunks remain the only ones at the picnic. The baskets will soon be emptied and, with nobody to fill them back up, the picnic will eventually disperse, the stench will clear, and real conservatives will once again be able to enjoy the abandoned field. By foolishly rejecting moderate candidates for leadership and electing the likes on Sheer, we may presume that evolution will be quicker---and the country all the better for it.
Scheer has a lot of enemies inside and outside his party, and it will be interesting to see who will be ones who bring him down to earth...
The riding that elected Peirre Poutine should be nuked from space.
ReplyDelete