Election 2019 - The New Paradigm

We are now entering a new paradigm. Curmudgeonly hard-right radio host, Charles Adler, is calling out conservatives who threatened a Liberal cabinet minister and her children. Physically threatened. The (sic) kudatah boys are spreading across the country. 

I heard a CBC radio report that experts expect, regardless of who wins the election, the losing side will not accept the win. I beg to differ. In Alberta the hard right did not accept the NDP win. They sought to overthrow the democratic choice. 

It is not Liberal supporters, or NDP or Green, who threaten to "take back" their province or country from the duly elected government. Let's drop this "both-sideism". It is only the far right that threatens violence if they don't get what they want. 

Which makes me ask, who are these people who do not respect the democratic process? Who are they, that they think their will is more important that the majority of citizen voters? 

Why do these people think what they want is more important than what a majority of their fellow citizens want? The right, in Canada, represents between 28% and 35% of the population. 

They always vote. This makes a conservative government possible because progressive voters sometimes do not vote. Or they make protest votes. They do not seem to understand that the devil is at our door. We must vote in such a way as to keep the CPC out. 

One thing I heard on CBC radio today was a reference to "authoritarian-organization" voters. These are those on the right who really have no patience for democratic process. They want an authoritarian government on the right, with no more of this democracy "nonsense". 

Make no mistake, this is the threat we face, along with the rest of the world. But Canada is different, in that we (~70% of us) value democracy, diversity, equality, and community support.

We ALL need to vote, and vote like our future depends on it. Because it does. It really does. People fought and died for the right to vote in a democracy. There are those who would gladly take that away. And they are here and now and influencing Canadian politics. 

Don't waste your vote. Vote for the candidate in your riding most likely to keep a seat away from a CPC candidate. Tell your friends and neighbours. Door-knock. Campaign. This is probably the most important election in Canadian history. 

Where Are Our Journalists? (part 7)

This is incredibly depressing. #cdnpoli

Kai Nagata @kainagata

Just talked to a Canadian woman in her 50s who had never heard of the United Nations. "You mean the U.S.?" "No, the U.N." "Which country is that?" "It's ... all the countries."

Anyway, just a reminder that our democracy is largely in the hands of people who don't read.

812

8:35 AM - Jul 1, 2019 · Port Hardy, British Columbia

Twitter Ads info and privacy

295 people are talking about this

I overheard a woman the other day talking on her phone in the grocery store. She was saying. "I have been wondering what happened to the pipeline. Someone told me the government bought it and sold it to the natives..."

The election will, in part, be decided by people who don't pick up a newspaper or watch a news program from one year to the next. They hear things from friends... Who maybe heard it from another friend. Who maybe read it in a meme on Facebook or Twitter, or got a newsletter from their MP or an ad from a PAC. 

Remember that game we used to play at school? Some places it was called "telephone", other places it was called "gossip"... Everyone sat in a circle and one person would whisper something into the ear of the child seated next to them... Each child would, in turn, whisper what they thought they heard to the next child, until it came to the one seated next to the first child. The last one would say what they thought they had heard from the one before.  And the resulting message was usually wildly and hilariously different from the message that began to go around.

And so it goes with anything that is spread by word of mouth. Stories change, they get exaggerated, people add their own slant on events, until those who are only informed by hearsay are not informed at all. 

It doesn't help that Canadian media are carrying misleading information. The current example: the video of Justin Trudeau at the G20 which was edited by CanadaProud and was widely distributed by our major news networks. 

The video was edited to show Trudeau in a particularly unfortunate light. The full video, which provides context, portrays a completely different story. So, why did our media outlets chose to spread the edited video and reinforce the negative story? 

Why did they take the word of a source like CanadaProud, a known anti-Trudeau spreader of hate and propaganda, rather than acting like real journalists and verifying before launching it online? 

In the case of the National Post affiliated media and Global, we know there are owners and stake-holders involved with deep pockets and a vested interest in seeing the CPC elected. They stand to make even more money with a certain kind of government... 

To their credit, I have not seen any CBC releases or promotion of the edited video. If anyone has, please let me know. We need journalism we can trust. American news media handed the presidency to Trump, even while he called them the enemy.

They were so caught up in the wonderful clickbait this appalling buffoon offered, and no one thought he could win, so why not cash in on all those eyeballs wanting to see the next scandal? 

Now they have children in cages, sleeping on cement, with no hygiene and not enough food or water. Babies being cared for by other children. ICE dragging people out of their homes. A president who is making a huge profit off the presidency. 

They have women facing charges for having a miscarriage. They have a rapidly deteriorating public school system. They have millions without access to affordable health care. 

Don't say it can't happen here. Did anyone think what Ford has done could happen in Ontario? That so many children with autism would be left without the supports they need? That teachers and nurses would be laid off en masse?

What Doug Ford & the PCs Have Done in Ontario | Art BlogThe List thus far. It began on Facebook in January 2019. This is what Ontario's Doug Ford (and co.) has done since their election.https://artblog.kathrynkaiser.ca/what-doug-ford-has-done-since-ontario-election/?fbclid=IwAR1av_kkN2REh825J0CMOI3lolrDNwQpqqtdPNehS9XnRXCkUNJs8uJKVZ0#human-rights

CTV recently had a segment where they had pundits on to talk about Justin Trudeau's failings as PM. Really? How is this not biased? The very premise of their discussion is biased. Where are the segments on what the current government has done right?

Where are the segments on the failings of the leaders of the other parties? Where is the fact-checking when Scheer speaks? Or Kenney? Or Ford? Or any of their spokespeople? 

The role of the media is NOT to repeat the words of the opposition as absolute truth and dissect the words of the government to find fault. The role of journalists is to fact-check everything. To call out bad behaviour from all parties.... 

To report truths that the people involved don't want reported. Everything else is PR, and the parties already have people paid to do that. Our Canadian media need to stop being stenographers for the CPC and provincial conservatives. 

They need to investigate. They need to report. They need to educate. They need to cover stories that are important to the PUBLIC GOOD. Making fun of the Prime Minister's socks or briefcase is not for the public good. It is to grab eyeballs and ad revenue. 

We desperately need media in this country that actually gets into the complexities of current events. Did any news media explain that the outfits the Trudeaus were wearing in India were the work of a Canadian designer and they were promoting her styles on that trip? 

No. They just kept repeating conservatives mocking them. If our Canadian media will not work in our interests by telling us facts instead of spin, we are going to wind up with a Trump-style government. We are all going to suffer, except the very rich who are pulling the strings. 

And those who aren't interested in politics... we better find a way to reach out to our friends, neighbours, family, and make sure they are hearing facts, not just rumours that have been though the "gossip" line. 

Update: There may be some indications that the truncated video that casts our PM in a negative light began with someone at Global. If this is the case, the CRTC should take a look. Falsifying news violates the code of journalistic conduct.

Yes. I am serious. It's about time someone cracked down on the stinking sacks of rotting dingo's kidneys our mainstream media has been giving us. This is the last straw. We NEED media that fact-checks. That educates. That keeps opinion to a minimum and tells us THE NEWS.

Splitting the Vote - Canada Election 2019

So, here's what is puzzling me. People are upset today about the pipeline getting approved. I get that. Governments should have begun heavily investing in the transition to green energies 20 or 30 years ago. Things would be radically different now if they had.

However, here we are. We have much of our infrastructure still dependent on fossil fuels. We have a lot of people still dependent on fossil fuels for their livelihood. Approving #transmountain while committing all profits towards transitioning to renewables was a compromise.

The government is in a very difficult situation here. There are conflicting demands from different groups of Canadians, demands that cannot be met fully on either side without causing hardship on the opposite side. 

That much is obvious. What puzzles me is the people who say they will campaign against the Liberals in the election because of this pipeline decision. Because, you see, the pro-pipeline people will already campaign against him for the simple reason that he is not "conservative", and his last name is Trudeau. But the people who don't want the pipeline... you do realise, don't you, that if you convince people to not vote Liberal, we will get a CPC government? 

And a CPC government not only will NOT be on your side on any pipeline discussions, but they will also come after other things you may value, like healthcare and education. 

The CPC have proven again and again that they do not care about the environment. 

Indeed, the CPC have also signaled that they view Indigenous Peoples as more of a nuisance than anything. 

OPINION | PM's comments about missing, murdered aboriginal women show 'lack of respect' | CBC NewsPrime Minister Stephen Harper's comment that a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women is not high on the government's radar, made during an interview with the CBC's Peter Mansbri…https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/stephen-harper-s-comments-on-missing-murdered-aboriginal-women-show-lack-of-respect-1.2879154

I could go on and on about the egregious acts of the former CPC government against Canadians and Canadian institutions. Veterans, scientists, women,... They sent the CRA after birdwatchers, for goodness sake! 

Harper, Serial Abuser of Power: The Evidence Compiled | The TyeeThe Tyee's full, updated list of 70 Harper government assaults on democracy and the law.https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/08/10/Harper-Abuses-of-Power-Final/

Do any of you really imagine the CPC led by Andrew Scheer would be somehow different? Especially if, as some conservative insiders have said, Harper is still calling the shots from behind the scenes? 

Andrew Scheer employs Hamish Marshall, co-founder of the Rebel, as his campaign manager. One of his advisors, Georganne Burke, helped found an anti-Muslim group. So there is racism and Islamophobia within Scheer's inner circle. 

Conservative party leadership advisor helped create anti-Islam organizationSenior members of Andrew Scheer's Leadership Team linked to anti-Muslim movementshttps://news.vice.com/en_ca/article/qvzznq/conservative-party-leadership-advisor-helped-create-anti-islam-organization

It is scarcely any wonder that Michael Cooper still maintains his position as deputy justice critic in Scheer's caucus , even after reading the Christchurch shooter's manifesto into Parliamentary Committee minutes. 

Conservatives stick by MP Cooper after Christchurch comments | The StarAlberta MP read Christchurch shooter’s manifesto into the record and Scheer’s office is mum on further reprisal.https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/06/03/conservatives-stick-by-mp-cooper-after-christchurch-comments.html

The truly ugly elements that we are seeing now in Scheer's caucus and among his advisors and associates is not new. Harper just did a better job of muzzling people. Now, with racism and misogyny sweeping through legislative bodies in the US, these elements are emboldened. 

Honestly, if you would rather have our health care, our education, our environment, women's rights and LGBTQ rights and Indigenous rights be consigned to the scrap heap because the Liberals approved a pipeline there probably isn't anything I can say to change your mind. The Greens, the NDP, and yes, the Liberals, all would work for the good of Canada as they interpret that. But neither the Greens nor the NDP will hold power in October 2019. 

That is an immutable fact. Conservatives always vote. They make up roughly one-third of the Canadian population. This means that if you do not want a reprise of The Harper Government, only nastier than ever, you need to vote to keep them out. 

You need to figure out which of the candidates in your riding seems most able to keep the seat away from the CPC candidate. Who has the best chance to beat the conservative candidate? And you need to vote for them. 

Because, even if we hate to vote strategically, the alternative is worse. We are under siege, just as surely as if there was a hostile army at the gates. And we will continue to be under siege, election after election, until we figure out how to change the paradigm. 

A lot of that may come through education, through addressing inequalities, through solving points of contention. We need a new paradigm. But electing a CPC government is exactly not the way to achieve progress towards that. 

The CPC have no interest in raising people out of poverty or ensuring every Canadian child gets a great education. That does not work in their favour. Their whole strategy depends on people not being sufficiently educated to see through their misinformation. 

We all want to vote our conscience. I cannot in good conscience vote for any candidate in my riding that increases the chances of a CPC government. We can't afford a CPC government. Our children and grandchildren can't afford it. Our planet can't afford it. 

And not voting is not a protest. It's not an act of rebellion. It's surrender. The CPC would like everyone who isn't going to vote for them to stay home. Why would you do exactly what they want? 

If you think Trudeau approving a pipeline is heinous, just wait until Scheer creates his militarized "resource corridor" across the country. Just wait until the CPC and the provincial conservative parties open up the constitution and charter... And rip out our rights, except for the ones they like, like "free speech" (but only for those who agree with the CPC government). Oh, and add a few, like the right to bear arms. 

Governing is hard. No party is perfect and all parties will disappoint at some point. But only one party in Canada appears bent on dismantling the things that make Canada wonderful. The CPC must not be government. 
#NeverScheer