It was an ugly spectacle, hundreds of trucks rolling into downtown Ottawa, heading for Parliament Hill.
Disrupting traffic, spewing foul fumes in every direction.
And deafening those unlucky enough to be caught in their path.
The convoy has arrived in Ottawa and everyone can hear them! pic.twitter.com/zPr7huCklw— Chris Warkentin (@chriswarkentin) February 19, 2019
But still managing to drive Cons MPs like Chris Warkentin into a frenzy, and bringing their leader Andrew Scheer running out to meet them.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer welcomed a controversial convoy bringing a pro-pipeline message to Ottawa today, assuring participants that "we've got your back."
"We're fighting for you. We're standing with you," Scheer said in a short speech to the crowd. "We believe in you. We celebrate what you've done to build this country."
Even though the yellow vest movement he was celebrating has been hijacked by bigots and right-wing crazies.
One sign on a convoy truck parked near Parliament said NO to "UN/globalism, carbon tax, tanker ban, dirty foreign oil, open borders" and YES to "(Charging) Trudeau with treason, Energy East, yes to pipelines, (looking) after veterans, photo ID & Canadian citizenship to vote."
One of the group's other organizers, Jason Corbeil, was forced to distance the group from a Sault. Ste. Marie, Ont., yellow vest group that had boasted online about being part of the convoy. A blog run by one of that group's organizers includes calls for specific politicians to be executed, refers to immigrants as "sub-human" and argues women don't belong in politics.
With ugly signs calling for Justin Trudeau to be charged with treason.
In this photo of Andrew Scheer embracing the far-right, anti-immigant Yellow Vests convoy, you can see a convoy billboard that says "charge Trudeau with treason".— North99 (@wearenorth99) February 19, 2019
Scheer fully supports the convoy - does he support this as well?#cdnpoli #unitedwerollforcanada #unitedweroll pic.twitter.com/F2ccCrTJnL
While other yellow bellies as I have pointed out before, have been spotted calling for Trudeau to be executed.
But despite that, Scheer and his ugly Cons had no problem sharing an audience yesterday with other right-wing extremists like Faith Goldy.
Or ignoring these warnings:The convergence of Canada's mainstream right and far right is occurring right on schedule. pic.twitter.com/tL3v9R8f85— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) February 19, 2019
Scheer is playing with fire. Most Canadian conservatives are not white nationalists. https://t.co/cwmBQme0SS— Stephen Maher (@stphnmaher) February 19, 2019
But then those warnings come too late, as I pointed out on Twitter.
Andrew Scheer's fraudulent claim that Justin Trudeau wants to "erase our borders" has resulted in a deluge of death threats aimed at the PM. It's time that far-right extremist was investigated by the police or the justice committee.#cdnpoli https://t.co/oKRdyhhNRG— Simon (@montrealsimon) February 19, 2019
Scheer is a right-wing extremist who by demonizing Trudeau has helped create this diseased hate fest.
He is unfit to be the leader of any Canadian party.
And he can't be defeated soon enough...
Trudeau has broken many promises to the Indigenous community. He will not receive our support come next election. There's no If's, And's, or Butts about it.
ReplyDeleteBut staying home or throwing away your vote, and thus giving a pass to an out-and-out racist who gave a full-throated endorsement to a brown shirt rally on the grounds of Parliament, one that openly advocates for violence against Indigenous people and calls pipeline consultations and Reconciliation "pandering to special interests," is somehow better? No Ifs, Andy's or Elses about it?
Deletehttps://twitter.com/siciliaclassica/status/1098287018243584000
Nobody ever learns the lessons of ideological purism, do they. Hillary was not perfect and Justin may not be perfect -- no one is -- but far, far worse would be to let the unattainable perfect be the enemy of the good.
https://twitter.com/ThatsMrNeil/status/1098266260729663489
https://twitter.com/sethmacfarlane/status/777913412961570816
Oh look...the Liberal fearmongering of "if you vote for someone else you're wasting your vote" is starting. There's no arrogance like Liberal arrogance.
DeleteOh look...the DipperCon purity griping that they didn't get everything they wanted for Christmas and so we need to burn the village in order to save it is starting. There's no selfishness like DipperCon selfishness. Enjoy seeing Ottawa turn into Berlin. Because it's 1933!
DeleteEnjoy reconciliation with Scheer
DeleteJackie, please stop shitting on the left. It is not very elegant, nor is it useful. If nothing else, from time to time we force bourgeois liberals to adopt some useful social and democratic measures, such as healthcare, eh? Fecking Hillary would never move on that.
DeleteYou aren't Canadian (or Québécois) and are projecting USian politics and history onto other countries nearby. Do you do the same for Mexico?
I do hope you can achieve healthcare when you need it, although you are doing everything to make sure that never happens, almost as much as the fecking cons.
lagatta à montréal, you don't get the right to tell others what they should say or do and wash your mouth with soap. You swear too much. You must be a conservative troll, pretending to be left wing.
DeleteLagatta, America will probably get healthcare at the same time we lose ours.
DeleteBecause of people like you who are obsessed with ideological purity.
You are utterly full of it. I've been an activist since I was very very young.
DeleteThe US will not get healthcare with corporate liberals, unless there is a strong democratic socialist movement to push them in that direction.
"America" means everything from Ellesmere Island to the Tierra del Fuego, by the way.
Jackie comes along here from the US and disses the left in Québec and Canada. Of course I'm going to criticise her imperial arrogance.
Hi anon@10:06 AM...So you would rather have Andrew Scheer as your prime minister? Because that's what it will come down to Trudeau or Scheer. And if you choose Scheer he will bulldoze every right you have right into the ground. And that's no ifs ands or Butts. Now run and tell Hamish you've earned another quarter...
DeleteHi everybody...I don't like to see progressives insulting each other on this blog. Jackie has every right to comment on Canadian affairs since goodness knows we are always offering opinions on what happens in the U.S. I see progressives as a big tent or a coalition, so arguing for a particular vision is fine, but let's please respect each other, and save our vitriol for the Cons...
DeleteWell said, Simon.
DeleteUU
Simon, I'm not opposed to Jackie commenting here; but she doesn't understand that the existence of a social-democratic party and other parties that have, at times, pushed for progressive change (thinking of the Bloc before they went full-on identitaire) has contributed to significant differences between Canadian and US policy, in particular with respect to health care and social services, but also labour rights and many other things, including rights for women and LGBTQ people.
DeleteThe only vitriol I have for Jackie has nothing to do with the fact that she is a Democrat, but her constant insults targeting social-democrats whether the NDP or Bernie's movement. There again it is a lack of respect.
You said nothing about the pig who insinuated that I was a conservative. I've been a left activist for about 50 years (started very young, like a lot of kids in the late 60s), and a committed ecologist for most of that time.
Waking Up the Neighbo(u)rs
ReplyDeletehttps://www.chatelaine.com/opinion/rise-of-populism-in-canada/
When Donald Trump was elected in 2016, many of us Canadians wagged our fingers smugly at our southern neighbour. “What were they thinking?” we said to one another in line at Tim Hortons. We spent the next year or so glued to CNN, more captivated by American politics than what’s happening here.
We might have wanted to pay more attention.
The tide in the Great White North appears to be shifting right — but not in the way we’re used to. This isn’t a typical liberal-conservative tug-o-war, the ebb and flow we’ve seen throughout election cycles. This new movement is one that has already swept through Hungary, Poland, the U.S., it’s fuelled Brexit in the U.K. and has seen the rise of the far-right party Alternative for Germany, who have been compared to the Nazi regime. And it’s tilted so far to the right that it threatens to upend our democracy and the very liberties we’ve fought for.
Don't say we Yanks didn't warn you. When America gets the flu, the world develops the plague.
Scheisskopf Scheer belongs in the prison laundry room washing his fellow Aryan brothers' (or inbred cousins') white sheets.
Hi Jackie....please keep trying to wake up your neighbours because unfortunately many of them are asleep on their feet. And you Americans know better than anyone what can happen if people can't see the big picture, and progressives spend more time fighting themselves than the real enemy...
DeleteIt is always funny when these defenders of "English-speaking Canada" get zero on spelling, grammar and syntax. "Hanged", not "hung", though nobody, human or other sentient being, should be hanged.
ReplyDeleteSo you are an annoying grammar Nazi too. You really are a typical conservative.
DeleteI'm a founding member of Québec solidaire. Thorougly on the left, but that is no reason not to insist on good usage of language. It is the same thing as a mechanic insisting on proper usage of his or her tools.
DeleteWill they quit going on about Suzukis carbon footprint now? How about "get a job"?
ReplyDeleteYes a job fabricating landmines, nuclear reactors, conducting trains laden with Lac Megantic style volatile infused heavy oil are all jobs but the morality, safety and consequences of doing them are all questions that should be answered by the best tools we have available, not political spin.
DeleteRT
Ramp up the fear, bigotry, pride and divisive infused propaganda, act all surprised when violent hate crimes erupt and deploy sweeping police powers to quell the anger that further escalates into the need for more repressive powers. Another Con inspired self fulfilling vision of the future. Our global competitors must find it rather amusing that we are feverishly building our own self destruct button.
DeleteRT
Odd, I've worked all my life since I was 17, but they'd tell me "get a real job" - and a frigging car as well!
DeleteIf these intelligence deprived yellow bellies could drag their knuckles over to a fact based news source as opposed to the oily fairyland of the rebel they would learn that Harper built zero pipelines during his reign, in fact it was his arrogance that cost us any chance of Keystone XL being approved under Obama. You don't go into Washington spouting "it's a no brainer" and expect to be taken seriously. Harper was just not ready for the world stage and he'll be best remembered for his hissy fit and locking himself in a washroom over a perceived slight and his crimes against music when he warbled out songs for various groups of seals.
ReplyDeleteNow listen here knuckle draggers. JT got Keystone approved. JT bought Trans Mountain which is now unsurprisingly being held up in the courts. He's trying to placate you but because you cant separate fact from fiction, you believe Andrew Scheer who is completely full of shit. He's lying to you to get your vote. His election platform is "Anything you can do I can do better". He's just not ready.
A final tip for the yellow bellies is if you truly want to be taken seriously here in the east, then you better dump the nazi skank Faith Mouldy or people might think you're a bunch of rebel inbred racists trying to spread your hate throughout this great land.
JD
I think you hit the nail on the head speaking of the "oily fairyland of the Rebel." First of all, Lavalingate isn't about Lavalin at all. It's a red herring being exaggerated (again, with no facts) by the corporate M$M -- like I said, Hillary's emails, "Trughazi" -- because the back room boys needed something to not only demolish the Liberals but salt the earth and destroy Trudeau's reputation as a person. There are Cons all over social media high-fiving each other about how they've made Justin a pariah throughout Canada and effectively ended any chances of ever having a Xavier, Ella-Grace or Hadrien as PM. Technically they're correct as Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien won't have much of an earth to grow up in thanks to the likes of Scheer, Ford and Kenney. For the trolls to outright celebrate how hurting their father has a good chance of frightening them away from politics is sadistic and disgusting. But there's not much else you can expect from the kind of bloodthirsty lowlifes who gleefully share that famous picture of John-John saluting his father's casket because they want Justin JFK'ed too. So much for "think of the children."
DeleteThis whole thing is an oil-soaked coup, and Scheer's willingness to mimic Trump by jumping in the big rig and turning a blind eye to the racists and conspiracy theorists proves it. Same with the media and their pathetic sob stories about the "white working class" and "clean coal." Because it's 2016, and nobody seems to notice the immediate parallels except, well, those who do.
Oil ruins everything. Kenney wants a rubber stamp for that pipeline, and knows he'd get it from Scheer. What's getting in the way right now? Consultations with FNs. So what better way to destroy Trudeau's public credibility on the matter than by exploiting an apparent spat between him and the FN AG. Now look at all the "we've been betrayed by the Liberals and will never vote again" from FN commenters. It worked. They had to invent something to save their sorry asses and protect their dinosaur industry, bring the Liberals down, and stab a good man in the back.
Now, if you read what Chantal Hébert has to say on this mess, Gerry's "non sequitur" speaks volumes to ad, er, fuel to that angle:
https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/2019/02/20/for-trudeau-the-snc-lavalin-scandal-solution-could-rest-with-jody-wilson-raybould.html
Losing a multi-tasking player as central to its operations as Butts on the eve of an election campaign is bound to take a toll on its inner workings. That toll could extend to the policy front.
By all indications, the fall election will at least in part be fought on the climate-change battlefield. Within Trudeau’s government, Butts was the environmental movement’s most influential advocate. In his resignation statement, he took time to restate his commitment to the fight against climate change.
But his fervour was not universally shared. With painful memories of Stéphane Dion’s 2008 carbon tax campaign still fresh in their minds, many Liberals remain nervous at the prospect of navigating the same electoral minefield next fall. It will be worth watching whether — with Butts gone — the Liberal resolve weakens.
Environmental policy, no matter how moderate or incremental, hits too big of a nerve in the vital organ of the wallet, and leads to an immediate crucifixion by the cult of Big Oil. Look what happened with Al Gore versus the idiot son of a Texas oilman. Look at how Macron's fuel tax has rendered him a lame duck as those yellow bellies burn Paris. Now, they've got Trudeau awaiting the electoral gallows next. Can you say "Petro-Canada 2.0"? Because it's 1979? The biggest loser, of course, is the planet. With Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron, Al Gore, and even young Greta Thunberg and the next generation among the highest-profile political casualties on the scorched-earth battlefield of "ideas."
Hi JD...very well said, I not only agree with you completely, I only wish I had written it myself. Damn. For far too long we progressives have been far too polite with those Con beasts, I think the time has come to put on the gloves and let them have it. We're not just fighting for ourselves, we're fighting to save our country from those Trumplings....
DeleteWhy aren't Canadians taking to the streets and demanding more coverage of Scheer's increasingly Trumpian "race" to the bottom? The insular vanilla class of the Canadian media is even throwing PoC in their field under the bus -- er, truck.
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/supriyadwivedi/status/1098296445969428480
If Scheer keeps getting a free pass while the milk boys in short pants do jumping jacks about every little manufactured "Trudeau-gate," people are going to be killed.
Hi Jackie....unfortunately many Canadians are very complacent, or too lazy to get off their asses and tell the Cons to take a hike. And of course when the Con media is screaming that the Cons are great instead of treasonous scum that makes them even more complacent. But when we start attacking them as they deserve to be attacked, I believe we can get their attention and get them charging in the right direction...
DeleteThe gang’s all here and we’re doing it. Trucks are so tough. We’re going to roll over something or somebody. Any other milksops want to join me and hang with the muscle-heads? If there’s enough of them and enough booze and steroids, maybe they’ll bash some bystanders and call them Antifas. I hope there’s lots of hot libertarian chicks in “Fuck You” tee-shirts.
ReplyDeleteI was so fried this is just what I need. What’s “treason” mean?
Helicopters are really tough.
HI John....Can you imagine if a convoy of easterners had rolled into Calgary, honking their horns loudly, and accusing their jello leader Kenney of being a traitor? We really would have needed helicopters to get out alive. But seriously, where did that word treason come from? Answer not from Canada. This country is being softened up by the Cons for a takeover by powerful US interests. The ones who among other things want to get their paws on our Medicare system. I know it sounds melodramatic, but we are literally fighting for the life of this country.....
DeleteAndrew Scheer rubs shoulder with vicious racists and white nationalists but our media ignores that, and instead continues to try to blow up a fake scandal. If I was a betting person, I wouldn’t bet on the future of Canada.
ReplyDeleteHi anon....I know how you feel, but don't worry, despite our shabby media we are going to take down the Cons, and by this time next year, there won't be much left of them. I'm not a betting person but if I was I'd bet on that...l😺
DeleteIf there was anyone left in Canada who doubted whether the Trudeau government was engaged in a total cover-up in the alleged SNC-Lavalin PMO Scandal, those doubts are now GONE....The Liberals just voted against waiving ‘solicitor-client privilege’ and allowing Jody Wilson-Raybould to speak freely.
ReplyDeleteAhem, they're still being advised by Lametti and JWR is appearing before the justice committee next week. How many more damn investigations do you want? The justice committee, the ethics committee, what's next? A trial at the Hague? You've already crucified him politically, you want Justin to testify for 18 hours before a star chamber as to whether he "directed" or "pressured" or "influenced" or "mind-controlled" JWR to kill Ben Ghazi? Maybe you'd prefer to waterboard him until he confessed to everything from being the real D.B. Cooper to murdering Nicole Brown-Simpson?
DeleteThe pleasure that the DipperCons and the vulture media are taking in watching this man sweat is perverse. CTV went after Gerry's wife last night, maybe Bob can go pound on Sophie's window to press her to waive spousal privilege and get strapped to a lie detector to answer questions about her and Justin's sex life. Or ask Margaret if Justin was a fussy breast-feeder. I read last night that it was none other than Mike Duffy who hounded Margaret for scoop until she actually fainted and became ill. Nice to see the press hasn't changed a bit and are writing a sequel nobody asked for.
Great job to all these brilliant investigative sleuths chasing ghosts of their own making. I'm sure there's a Pulitzer participation trophy waiting for them at the end of the tunnel. The same one they chased Diana into. Gotta get those ratings. Gotta make themselves the story. Hurting decent people is just part of the "game."
A 4:26 p.m. How very nice for the Liberal caucus to vote to not wave privilege. what they may or may not wave may not matter. There is the matter of law to consider and that will most likely be determined by JWR and her lawyer.
DeleteIt really is hard to get excited about any of this, because we have only Robert Fife's article and not much else. so really what is there even to wave privilege about or just wave anything
I'm sure the press and the other political parties are having fun, but this is not going to put a roof over any homeless person's head and its doing nothing to help eliminate the fent. crisis in this country. Now if these politicians could get just as excited about that as something no one knows anything about, perhaps we could get somewhere. My question is what are they all trying to distract us from I have read there is a reserve in Northern Ontario that needs to evacuate due to mold in all their homes. Now that is a crisis, not some article by Robert Fife. Perhaps we ought to be talking about that.
It is right and proper that people demonstrate if they are unhappy about their situation. For the people of Alberta, they have lost their livelihoods and that is a very difficult situation. the convey was a way for them to focus some attention on the issues However, along the way, their efforts were high jacked by racists and some other very weird people who are advocating violence. none if this is helped by the Leader of the Opposition coming out to "welcome" them without putting some real distance between himself and the racists. There is nothing wrong with an Opposition leader greeting protestors. However, his failure to condemn racism says as much about the racist protestors as him.
DeleteBy the way, there has been a wave of online hate against the Barho family, whose seven children all died in a house fire. The father is still in critical condition with severe burns, and the mother, as one can imagine is in a daze of sorrow - and probably guilt, though the house had working smoke alarms.
DeleteIt is hard to imagine anyone saying horrible things about dead children...
On the other hand, people in the Halifax region and elsewhere have been most generous with their donations to a fund set up for the family.
Hi anon @ Oh please where did you get that idea from, Warren Kinsella's Bedtime Stories for the bitter and the not very bright. Believe me, it's a fake scandal, and all those who helped promote it are going to regret it for the rest of their lives. While we on the other hand are going to laugh at them until the cows come home..l
DeleteYeah, it's a fake scandal all right. JWR telling Cabinet that pressure was unacceptable?? Fake of course. Trudeau meeting JWR after it was originally thought?? Fake of course. Butts resigning?? Fake of course.
DeleteWho knew you were as bad as Trump supporters??
Anon 4:20 - yes, waive client-solicitor privilege and SNC gets a free pass. It’s before the courts my friend. S-c privilege cannot be waived at this time or SNC walks, regardless.
DeleteUU
Hi e.a.f...Andrew Scheer is responsible for smearing Justin Trudeau with the neo-Nazi meme on open borders. That smear has caused many bestial bigots to accuse Trudeau of treason and demand that he be executed. So for Scheer to go down to meet some of those truckers who were proudly displaying those treason signs is the absolute limit. And for playing such a dirty game Andrew Scheer deserves to be behind bars. Period....
ReplyDeletemy comments were more generic than you may have interpreted. As dirty as Scheer has played, if its not against any law we currently have, there is no need for him to go to jail/ I consider Scheer's actions/speech, etc. are unethical, immoral, but that is different from illegal.
ReplyDelete