It's now been four days since the clown prince of Saudi Arabia launched a deranged assault against Canada.
Trying to damage our economy, our schools, and our hospitals.
But still the grubby Con Andrew Scheer is remaining silent and refusing to defend our country.
But while his motives are only too obvious, Michael Harris wonders whether there is an orange elephant in the room.
And whether Donald Trump is using the Saudis to try to get back at Justin Trudeau.
One thing the world has learned about Trump is that he is a master of payback. He has reminded people ad nauseum that when someone hits him, he hits them back tenfold. People like Sen. John McCain, journalist Jim Acosta, and a host of politicians stretching from Hillary Clinton on the Left, to his own Congressional leadership on the Right have all had the treatment.
So why not Trudeau?
Did our prime minister's refusal to kowtow to Trump at the G7 summit enrage the tiny orange beast?
Think back to the disastrous G7 meeting hosted by Canada in Quebec City. For daring to say that Canada wouldn’t be “pushed around” on the tariff issue, Trudeau was demonized by Team Trump. The Canadian PM was a “backstabber” and a “weak” leader. Trump was so furious at Trudeau that he subsequently removed his signature from the communique which he had signed at the end of the Quebec summit.
Could he now be trying to soften up Canada's NAFTA negotiating position?
Beyond the joys of revenge, which Trump clearly revels in, the halting of all international trade between Canada and Saudi Arabia might have a practical benefit for the president. With NAFTA still under negotiation, Trump might believe that the Saudi’s economic punishment of Canada could soften up Trudeau to make a deal.
Who knows, I suppose anything is possible.
Although one does have to wonder whether even the treasonous Andrew Scheer is capable of serving two masters at the same time...
And of course the really bad news for Scheer is that the Saudi attack on Canada is a political gift for the Liberals.
Though they would never say so out loud, on some level Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland must regard Saudi Arabia’s imposition of sanctions and punishments on Canada as a gift.
The Saudi attack, despite being a time-consuming annoyance at an inconvenient moment, allows them to do something that no Canadian government could have done on its own: distance this country from an overly friendly relationship with a regime whose conduct, interests and regional influence are contradictory to democratic values.
Once it might have been hard to cut ourselves loose from the unhealthy relationship with the Saudi barbarians, that Stephen Harper got us into...
But not any longer.
The clown prince, the monstrous Trump, and the shabby traitor Andrew Scheer have unwittingly given Justin Trudeau a big boost.
It seems that that fortune favours the brave AND the decent.
And aren't we lucky to have a real Canadian prime minister?
To defend our country and its values...
32 comments:
Just the sight of Harper reminds how far we have come since that hideous nightmare. And reading about how John Baird is blaming our government rather than the Saudis is enough to make me vomit.Scheer is just following in the footsteps of the ugly Cons who came before him.
Looks like Airshow Mckay has been selected to run treason up the flagpole and see if anyone kowtows.
If I thought petit pecker pete was human , I'd be ashamed.
I'm sure that Trump had a hand in this, as well as Stephen Harper. Only that might explain why the traitor Scheer is betraying his own country. Fortunately, we have Trudeau and Freeland to raise our eyes to the sky, and be proud of our support for human rights.
When the Saudis tried this on the Swedes, Sweden banned arms sales to the Saudis. When they tried it on the Germans, Germany banned arms sales to any country waging war on Yemen. Maybe we should suspend delivery of Canadian-built death wagons to Saudi Arabia especially now that we know they're using those things to crush domestic dissent.
Good one Simon. How many times can that Con traitor Scheer betray his own country. Why do so many Cons hate Canada so much?
And fuddle-duddle to the British as well, their chief diplomat scolding Chrystia Freeland for tweeting because he prefers that the Crown conduct shady backroom deals to preserve the sacrosanct oil and weapons relationships and not embarrass the snowflake princeling. He actually referred to Saudi as a "historical ally" while Canada was simply a "partner." Historic? Seriously? Ibn Saud founded the kingdom in 1932. Canada's been part of the commonwealth for FOUR HUNDRED YEARS! Were they told there would be no math?
The fact that Freeland is female and Trudeau is an avowed feminist can't be discounted in the least. But Theresa Mayhem is a feckless Serena Joy who threw Freeland under the double-decker bus to suck up to dirty garbage men like Dhummi Trump and Mohammed Backstabber. Kicking you guys around like a soccer ball and telling you uppity colonists to know your place, even as they end up looking like a vassal state of Medieval Petrolistan. Drool Britannia. So much for Brexit reclaiming their "sovereignty."
Some other people were talking about this on another site. Someone brought up that we've got a Declaration of Independence just lying around if you want to borrow it. Only been used once. Just in case you ever decide to throw some tea over Niagara Falls.
And Schameless Scheer and Hairball Harper in a barrel along with it.
I like to say Justin and Chrystia gave all those thugs a Salman Arm Salute. 😜
Hi anon@4:18 PM...yes, this story has brought out the old Harper gang in all their faded glory. Their leader hasn't yet intervened publicly, but you can be sure he is active behind the scenes, and no doubt by now has a number of Saudi clients.And seeing John Baird suggesting that the Liberals handled it all wrong was the epitome of hypocrisy...
Hi Steve...yes, Dumbo as I used to call him still thinks that anybody cares what he has to say about anything, which couldn't be more wrong. I think the reason he is doing this is token his name in the news just in case he might be called upon to ride to the rescue of his party. Or at least the one he betrayed and sold to Stephen Harper. As I said I didn't call him Dumbo for nothing...
Hi rumleyfips...well he is human. He just has a bird brain and likes to hitch rides on RCAF planes to take him fishing. But he really shouldn't be offering any advice about anything for he has nothing useful to contribute...
hi anon@6:29 PM...Some people are suggesting that Trump got the idea from Stephen Harper during his very discreet visit to the White House. Which might explain Scheer's silence. But like you,I see this Saudi attack as an excellent opportunity to reaffirm our support for human rights, and set an example for some of the other cowardly nations like Con Britain...
Hi Mound...I certainly hope that we can stop making armoured cars for the Saudis, although I see no evidence that they are being used to crush domestic dissent. The Shia in the oil fields have been quiet for a long time, as Iran and Saudi Arabia shadow box. And if we do cancel our delivery of those "death wagons" we need to be sure that we don't have to pay an enormous penalty so that we don't end up paying for all the armoured cars we sent them, and thousands of Canadian workers are thrown into the streets. The intellectual class has a tendency to dismiss the interests of the working class but I don't...
Hi anon@9:01 PM...Well so far Scheer has betrayed his country three times in just over a year, which has to be a record in the Guinness Book of Traitors. As for why Cons hate Canada so much that's a harder question. I can only guess that it's because many want to turn the clock back to a darker time, others are totally immersed in the U.S. right-wing scene, and others are just really dumb...
Hi Jackie...the Cons in Britain are a disgrace to that country, and never miss an opportunity to kowtow to the Saudis, who ride around in Rolls Royces and practically own London. With all the Canadians who gave their lives to defend Britannia, it's something I will never forget. But we have a Declaration of Independence we are working on in Scotland, and this Saudi betrayal is only more reason to throw tea in the Thames, or the Firth of Forth...
something very disturbing is happening to my Chrome bookmarks. Two blogspot bookmarks keep disappearing. Then I cant bookmark them again. One is Montreal Simon. This has happened twice now so its not just my imagination.
I guess the only way we would know what the penalties for cancelling the unfitted war wagons would be is to ask and have the govt then answer by revealing the details of the deal. It was a federally brokered deal by whatever branch of the gov does such things. I remember the initial articles about the deal which said the dept was excited about the success of the negotiations.
On the other hand, 🇸🇪 and 🇩🇪 decided to stop sales to the Saudis regardless of the economic costs and took the high road as opposed to try and avoid trying to straddle two paths going in opposite directions.
Hi ffibs...this deplorable deal was sheltered by the Harper government and the role of others selling weapons to the Saudis has been mythologized to a ridiculous degree. Yes the swedes briefly interrupted their sales to the Saudis in 2015. But then their king apologized, which is something we can't do, and Sweden resumed its business with them and other repressive regimes in the region. They have been selling them weapons from the beginning of their murderous assault on Yemen, and are now the world's third largest weapons producer per capita.
We are bit players in the arms trade, but for some reason some people in this country insist on portraying us as super villains, the murderers of millions and the ones most responsible for torching the planet. I believe colonialism instilled a sense of self loathing which has never left us...
As for the moral Germans you can read this for yourself
https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-cabinet-approved-record-breaking-arms-exports/a-42282068
Seig Heil mein Merkel we are bringing peace to the world.
And yes, why don't we blame Canada for everything?
I love your writing Jackie Blue!
I'm trying to limit my comments on these public boards but the image of John Baird saying openly on BNN last week that Trudeau should hop on an airplane and go grovel to the Saudis................ both turned my stomach and also reminded all of us how the CON's hide in plain sight.
His comments were also made during the international part of the broadcast on the joint BNN/Canada & Bloomberg U.S. channel, so it was heard far and wide. Many of the un-informed might take it as official policy. Of course, the on-air reporter did not query Baird by grilling him on his opinions. It's sickening.
However, what can we do about it except talk about it here?
Anonymous-A
It’s rather amusing seeing the Trudeau supporters trying to pin weapons sales and the Canadian Saudi relationship entirely on Harper.
Canada has been selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia since Mulroney, through Chrétien and Martin, Harper and Trudeau.
The current government rubber stamped the current deal, then lied about doing so, saying the previous government had already approved it, only to be tripped up by the G&M over said lie.
Meanwhile rifle exports to Saudi Arabia hit their peak under the current government.
https://ipolitics.ca/2017/11/01/canadas-rifle-exports-to-saudi-arabia-spiked-this-year/
Our relationship with Saudi Arabia predates Harper. Matter of fact it was Jean Chrétien who made a state visit there.
Blame Canada for Everything?
I think our government agencies should not be pushing the sales of weapons and I believe or at least have been led to believe Trudeau has reset, the Harper objectives of whatever the hell the agency is called.
And maybe expecting Trudeau to have cancelled the sale would be going so far to the left that... I don't know the Con media would attack him.
Hmm they tend to that every time he turns around.
Which I don't.
PS: Simon, just thought you should know that the latest saber rattling from the USA involves the growing threat of a Falklands war over an EMPTY island in disputed ownership off the coast of Maine.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/trump-now-picking-border-war-canada-tiny-desolate-island-off-maine-coast-report/
Considering the level of indifference and victim-blaming that the British government has lobbed at Canada over Saudi Arabia's threat to 9/11 Toronto, I'm not optimistic they'd pull their weight if 1812 Redux, aka Operation South Park or Operation Canadian Bacon, was to go down.
I'm 100% sure of which side Andrew Scheer and the Vichy party would get on board with, though. Not that he'd even suit up to fight, cowardly keyboard warrior that he is. He'd just go on making propaganda memes like the Austrian poster artist he obviously admires so much.
It's rather amusing seeing a Con supporter trying to saddle the Tru' Grits with an arranged marriage that you, yourself, admit a Con PM stuck the country with. Who here said that the Saudi relationship is "entirely" because of Harper? The only reason Harper keeps being brought up is because he refused to take defeat like an adult in 2015, and is still lurking around fighting the Lost Cause and trying to sabotage Trudeau. And perhaps you didn't read the G&M article that Simon linked to, about the cost/benefit ratio and why it had to come to this. As the old song says, breaking up is hard to do.
[T]hat relationship could only have been terminated by the Saudis. Any Canadian politician considering such a move would be faced with a stark calculus. The political cost – from businesses and universities and key constituencies that benefit from Saudi ties – would outweigh any immediate benefit.
A Saudi-led withdrawal inverts the equation: By punishing Canada for failing to adhere to its tyrannical, theocratic values – which can’t be defended, in good faith, by any Canadian party – the Liberals now have good reason to place our higher political values above the country’s lesser, material ambitions. They no longer have anything to lose.
And yet the Cons share those same tyrannical values with the Saudis (and with the GOP). They may not express outward support for crucifixion of LGBT people or "loose" women, but their hate and indifference toward anyone who doesn't fit in their abusive, theocratic worldview is right in the same spirit.
As for the disgraceful legacy of Moneybags Mulroney, by comparison I suppose all the turds left on Obama's doorstep by a dozen years of uninterrupted Reagan-Bushwhacking and the disastrous sequel of George II the Lesser were all Obama's fault too. Way to miss the bigger picture. You have no policies of your own, so you resort to attacking Justin Trudeau for something that you admit was put in place when he was in high school and which couldn't have been gotten rid of easily on Canada's end.
Don't you have a tiki rally to get to, Andy? Or is Mama Scheer still washing the stains out of your white sheet?
Shame on Andrew Scheer and Jagmeet Singh using the Fredricton shootings tragedy to score political points. Shame on their supporters and taxpayers funded trolls for politicizing this by blaming it on Justin Trudeau!!
Kudos and thank you to PM Trudeau from the bottom of my heart as tears of pride well up in my eyes for showing compassion in difficult times and situations like this and working tirelessly to bring people together as Canadians.
Hi Steve...I don’t know what’s causing your problem. It’s probably a Google screw up. It’s been changing so many things recently you have to expect problems. On the other hand Some Cons are playing silly computer games out there, with crude hacking attempts, spambots etc etc. We’re monitoring them closely so let me know what happens...
the cons have gamed the system allowing the invisible hand to determine who pulls the trigger. Justin cant fight that and he is the bad guy?
I would not be surprised that the Alphabet agency is losing some bookmarks that are not Qwerty. What is happening is real, I dont know the reason but to me it seems they are making sure the casual surfer does not find your wave. The other site I cant keep in my favorites is Northern Reflections, who BTW banned me from commenting some time ago.
Hi Jackie...OMG.I know that island. I’ve sailed near, but never landed, with my American cousins from Kennebunk. This dispute is so absured, and it comes at a time when I’ve heard reports that Canadian cars are being stopped on highways in Vermont and New Hampshire to check for illegal,migrants. It’s pure harassment and yet another way Trump is trying to poison the relationship between our two countries. I live for the day he is defeated so we can live in peace again...🇨🇦🇺🇸
Hi WILLY....I was just being sarcastic. That song was playing in my head. I too would rather we got out of the arms business, but we have to deal with the reality of that rotten deal. The Cons weighed us down with a confidentiality agreement, and a massive penalty for cancelling the agreement. And then are all those Canadian workers and their families who have come to depend on that factory in an area of high unemployment. However, if we can deal with all of the above, I’d be delighted to see that deal scrapped...
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