What is going on

Tags

Canada, grifters, Ottawa, Protest, violence

In the last three weeks I have been dismayed by the rabid anti-Trudeau reporting from many media outlet like The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fox News, The Economist, The Guardian UK, Sky News, Hindustani Times India, etc.. It is very disturbing to see the headlines, Trudeau flees the country, Trudeau has lost control, Trudeau is a dictator, Trudeau is a blackface artists, No one supports Trudeau.

I am like many people cannot understand how American and British news outlets can give such a distorted view of what is going on in Canada at the moment. Canada is the #1 trading partner of the USA and ally. It only shows that American Media has a very uninformed view of Canada. FOX News sent a special team to Ottawa.

To set the record straight, here are some facts; Canada has one of the highest rate of vaccination in the World 90%. So far 50% of Canadians have 3 doses of vaccines.

The economy in general in Canada is doing very well and we have shortages of workers in many fields. Yes there is inflation but only 3 sectors fuel inflation, housing, gas, food prices due to disruption of supply chains. If you are not buying a house or if you do not drive your car, then only food prices affect you. So in general Statistic Canada who is responsible to calculate national inflation says it is 2.5% the other rate of 5% is only if you apply it to specific sector.

Freedoms, this protest is about freedom apparently, Canadians are among the most free people in the world, the reason why this occupation of your National Capital for the last 3 weeks is allowed to go on is because we are free people. If Canada is a communist state or Trudeau a dictator, this protest would never happen.

We have freedom of expression, but we do not have the freedom to impose our views on others nor of occupying streets and neighbourhoods or terrorizing its residents. People in Ottawa are tired and fed up with this occupation and the idling trucks and diesel fumes which have given downtown Ottawa a air pollution level comparable to Mexico City at the moment. Residents of Ottawa complain of constant headaches and the noise of the truck sirens non stop. Kids wonder if it safe to go to school with these bums roaming the city streets. People have been assaulted for wearing a mask, homeless people beaten, the soup kitchen were I volunteered and serves hundreds of meal daily was attacked by protesters and food stolen. So much for Freedom, in this case I spell it Free Dumb.

We are told that this is about freedom to chose to get a vaccine for truckers or not. Fact 90% of truckers in Canada are vaccinated. You cannot enter the USA without a vaccine certificate. Many of the people protesting are NOT truckers, it is a rag tag group of Christian evangelists, extreme right, white supremacists, who reject any government and who came specifically to Ottawa with the declared intention of overthrowing the freely elected government of Canada and abolishing Parliament.

The truck protest at our borders in one case, the Windsor Detroit Ambassador bridge cost over $1 billion in lost trade with the USA and shut down car manufacturing plants on both side of the border. No one has the freedom to impact other citizens in their job, welfare or economic security.

This protest was never about public health, but a much more nefarious agenda aimed at anyone or any ideas the protesters do not like. It also did not help to have 16 US Republican Senators, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Elon Musk, attack Canada and our Prime Minister and to show open support to these grifters.

Today this poll amongst many other polls (see below) published show that the Prime Minister and the Government have the support of a majority of Canadians. PM Trudeau can continue governing because despite it all, he still enjoys the confidence of the House of Commons and no other party wants to trigger an election now. Finally the protest by those awful people took place because the police did not act and miscalculated the danger or the intentions of the truckers. In Canada the Prime Minister nor the Provincial Premiers can tell the police what to do or how to act. The powers are completely separated. The Emergencies Act of 1988 will now give the Police some extraordinary powers for 30 days, Banks will freeze assets of criminals who help this protest and stop money going to them. Important to note that both the Parliament and the Senate must approve the implementation of this Emergency Act, again the Prime Minister cannot do it alone. Some protesters brought young children to the protest sites, The Children’s Aide Society is there to take care of the kids in case their parents go to jail. It is also important to note that parents at these protests have used their young children to form a chain to stop any police action. The Humane society will look after their dogs and cats if anyone is arrested.

NEW: Maru Public Opinion poll: 66% support Trudeau invoking Emergencies Act 82% say 3-week Ottawa protest gone on too long 67% say clear them out 71% say Canada’s handling of it an international embarrassment 54% blame politicians 56% say Provincial premiers caved by lifting restrictions, example Ontario Doug Ford, Alberta Jason Kenney, Manitoba Scott Moe.

Today Thursday the leadership of this occupation in Ottawa have fled the City apparently for New Brunswick to set up another protest, Pat King and Tamara Lich are probably going to be arrested. She indicated as much in a teary farewell message to the poor suckers left in Ottawa now estimated to be around 250. The people of Ottawa living in the area being occupied are suing for $308 million the truck protest organizers. They also organized this past weekend their own counter protest about 1000 people showed up and manage to detain several trucks and occupants and only allowed them to leave once they took down their offensive banners and gave up any fuel jerry cans they were transporting. This was a wake up call for protesters, people do not love them.

Pat King, vagrant, no fixed address. Claims to support the Army and Trump.

Tamara Lich, little is known about her. She claims to be 47 yrs old, has been involved in various extreme causes. A big Trump supporter. A point to remember the protester and their leadership are completely delusional. Along the border with the USA the other blockades have been dismantled, powerful weapons and ammunition has been recovered by the RCMP and several people are now facing charges of weapons possession and attempted murder against the police.

What a week

Tags

blood, Canada., intolerance, massacre, Muslims, PQ, Quebec, Separatist, Trump, violence

Lots of emotions this week which leaves me somewhat exhausted. Though I live in Canada the circus at the White House and the dangerous buffoonery, the constant stream of bluster politics is dragging the USA down into a level that is very difficult to understand. This is somewhat like an early dusk as day light slowly vanishes, it is very sad to watch. It also makes me fearful for what is coming.

Then this week we had an attack on the Grand Mosque of Quebec City, six men shot dead while at prayer and 19 others badly injured. The terrorist was a White young man, Roman Catholic, raised in an upper middle class family, well educated, still attending University. Again we saw the fake news phenomenon claiming early on that a second gunman, a Moroccan was also involved, FOX News reported this ad nauseam until the Prime Minister’s Office got involved and told them to remove the tweet in question since it was false, they did finally. This did not prevent alt-right groups in Canada to spread more false news and conspiracy theories to slander the dead and other muslims in Quebec City. The next day another mosque this time in Montreal was attacked and vandalized. The police have reported that more anti-muslim attack have taken place in Quebec.

The leader of the separatist Parti Quebecois, Jean-François Lisée nonetheless continued when interviewed by journalists with his Ethnic Identity speech and could not see how this type of speech could lead to actions by individuals like Alexandre Bisonnette. We have had decades in Quebec of such speeches by so called Nationalists. The day of the massacre Monsieur Lisée continued with a declaration on Economic Nationalism in Quebec clearly stating that those Foreigners who come to Quebec come here to take our money and this does not profit Quebec, that is no longer acceptable. The Parti Quebecois has a way of always positioning itself as they did in the past with their Quebec Values debate as a Us against them the foreigners. It is a seductive speech for many and the Alt-right groups and what is called the Radio poubelle (garbage radio) shows constantly attack anyone who appears different, Muslims have been a special target and constantly vilified. This is a disease in Quebec and it is very troubling how diversity has been rejected by many and cannot be accepted because of the threat it represents to those so called mythical Quebec values and the survival of the French fact, which is not in danger except in the minds of the Quebec Alt-right groups.

On the day of the funeral it was revealed that the Muslim community in the City of Quebec did not have its own cemetery, discussions for the establishment of such a place have been dragging on for 10 years, politicians were afraid to offend again the Nationalist groups. Now the Mayor of Quebec Regis Labaume who has been visibly shaken by the events of this week promised that a Cemetery for the Muslim community will be established soon.

I heard all the political speeches at the funeral of the 6 men and I thought that there was some grand standing but all the calls for tolerance, acceptance and respectful  co-existence will probably fall on deaf ears, you cannot change the hateful attitudes of the Nationalists in Quebec who are convinced of being a superior race.

Changing attitudes is according to psychologists one of the hardest thing to do for humans. Here we have ignorance fuelling prejudice which are deeply seated. I saw it in Gatineau which is across the river from Ottawa against the African community. Some in the White, French speaking town did not like the fact that these French speaking Africans were better educated and held it against them. There is wide spread and systemic discrimination in Quebec against the non-white non-Christian segment of the population in the Province. The current Provincial government has not been very forceful in moving against Alt-right groups or Radio stations in Quebec City whose well known and popular hosts have broadcasted hate speech often singling out Muslims or other minority groups.  This is turn has led to a view that it is normal and acceptable to have racist opinions because it is only your opinion.

You can read the comments on chat lines or in newspaper, to say that they are vile is putting it mildly. In Quebec, Donald Trump has lots of fans cheering for him, the hate of the other is that well anchored. That is not to say that other provinces in Canada are immune from hate, in other regions opinions run against Asians, Native groups, Blacks, Jews and Muslims and immigration in general. Our Conservative Party politicians like Kellie Leitch and her Canadian values speech, it’s not racist she insist or Kevin O’Leary who thought it was funny to show himself on YouTube shooting several high powered fire arms hours after the Quebec city massacre or other conservative leadership candidates trying to imitate Trump with pronouncements, fear sells by time. These people have aspirations to one day lead the country.

What I would like to know is how do you change attitudes, open minds, educate people. Is that possible at all when so many have closed minds and refuse to listen. They may be a minority group on the margin of society, they may be 1 in 10 but still they poison the social discourse with their nonsense and it leads like in this case to murder of innocent people whose only crime was to look different.

photo of the funeral for the victims, a very large crowd came to pay respect and the political leadership was also present to honour the dead.   

   

Saturday 4 February 2017, 1000 + march against Islamophobia in downtown Charlottetown. People do care about their neighbours safety and well being. Good for you PEI!