[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Maximus]

I think I have mentioned here before that one of my cousins is a MLA in Alberta. He was a Wildroser and was part of the Kenney government before he was kicked out of caucus for being too critical during the pandemic restrictions ( or as he puts it for being too honest). I'm sure it's not surprising to hear that he's gone in hard for the convoy. He went with them on the first wave and afaik had remained in Ottawa this whole week.

[viper37]

Apparently, one of the leaders of the Ottawa convoy is Justin Trudeau's former bodyguard. Former RCMP agent, dismissed last year for refusing the vaccine.

[viper37]

One side is right and the other are where the Nazis hide.

That's unfair to the Liberals.  They may be evil, but not all of them are racist morons.

[Maximus]

Apparently, one of the leaders of the Ottawa convoy is Justin Trudeau's former bodyguard. Former RCMP agent, dismissed last year for refusing the vaccine.

Link? I saw that story, but it was on one of the hate speech platforms.

[saskganesh]

a fair number of the protest leaders are ex popo. ex military, they bring along their professional experience, as well as their contacts with  the organisations they once served in. so they are more competent than many other protests.

not happy. Oh, Ontario has apparently declared a state of emergency again. Ontario, whose AG is an  apparatchik named Caroline Mulroney, has sandbagged this since Monday.

[saskganesh]

Apparently, one of the leaders of the Ottawa convoy is Justin Trudeau's former bodyguard. Former RCMP agent, dismissed last year for refusing the vaccine.

Link? I saw that story, but it was on one of the hate speech platforms.

This is now well reported. His name is Daniel Bulford

[saskganesh]

One side is right and the other are where the Nazis hide.

That's unfair to the Liberals.  They may be evil, but not all of them are racist morons.

fuck off

[viper37]

Apparently, one of the leaders of the Ottawa convoy is Justin Trudeau's former bodyguard. Former RCMP agent, dismissed last year for refusing the vaccine.

Link? I saw that story, but it was on one of the hate speech platforms.

D'ex-agents de la GRC et d'ex-militaires parmi les organisateurs du convoi, selon des experts

You'll need Google translate.

[saskganesh]

sorry Viper. Its just that you like to represent yourself online as some sort of pepper Robespierre. Dial it back, this is serious.

[Jacob]

Looks like the Ambassador Bridge has been cleared: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ottawa-state-of-emergency-border-ambassador-bridge-windsor-injunction/

Locally in Vancouver, it appears there's another "support the convoy" protest planned today (like in many places, apparently). It's not going through the city of Vancouver, but through one of the suburbs - allegedly (according to organizing materials circulating online) - and ending just a few blocks from one of the border crossings to the US.

I expect their leadership was at the very least considering blocking the border crossing to ratchet up pressure, though I wonder if the clearing of the Ambassador Bridge changes that calculation. I also think - or at least hope - that BC will respond quicker and more effectively than Ontario since we have their example to work from and our provincial government is less supportive of convoy elements.

[Jacob]

Spoke too soon about the Ambassador Bridge. Apparently some protestors are still hanging out.

In the meantime, the local BC protestors have apparently been blocking one of the local border crossings since Feb 5 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/surrey-border-protest-feb-12-1.6349787

Time to write my local MLA and tell her I'm in favour of a firm response.

[viper37]

sorry Viper. Its just that you like to represent yourself online as some sort of pepper Robespierre. Dial it back, this is serious.

I know it's serious.

And there's no way I can see this ending peacefully.  And with kids being along for the ride, used as human shields by the truckers, it's going to get ugly if the police intervenes in Ottawa.

Or the Libs keep doing what they do, that is, pretending nothing is happening and Trudeau keeps hiding in his cottage far away from Ottawa.

But still has nothing to do with fascism.  These people are conspiracy theorists, fringe libertarians, leftists anti-vaccine types and the only unifying trait is their insistance that there is no pandemic and all sanitary measures must end.

This is what this protest is about.  Not about creating the Confederate Provinces of Canada, not about expelling all non Canadian born citizens from the last 3 generations, not about stopping immigration or anything like that.

Are there neo-nazis amongst them?  Yes.  Are there communists among them?  Yes.  Are there "normal" citizens, albeit conspiracy minded?  Yes.  But it's not a fascist group.

Their aim is no different than other large protests: intimidate the government into conceding to their demands.

That they have big trucks makes it harder to intervene for the police; a regular protest with only people walking wouldn't be hard to disperse, if the police wanted to.

The Ottawa police chief has been saying from the beginning he's not equipped to deal with this.  The LPC has ignored all calls to that effect, and Ottawa is mainly their responsibility, even before the Ontarian government, who seem to woke up only after Ambassador bridge was also occupied.

That Ford refused to attend a meeting with the Feds, I understand totally.  Were I in his place, I might have done the same thing too: I hate wasting my time.  And speaking with a government that does not want to do anything and one government that can't do anything is a waste of time.


As for being Robespierre, well, Jacob just called me "Mono" a few pages ago.  So you'll have to talk together and decide which I am: the revolutionary or the reactionary.

[Jacob]

As for being Robespierre, well, Jacob just called me "Mono" a few pages ago.  So you'll have to talk together and decide which I am: the revolutionary or the reactionary.

I absolutely didn't. That was someone else.

And that's my problem with you. You continually ascribe positions to me I didn't take. All the fucking the time.

You continually ascribe positions to English Canada in general that no one I know is taking. You continually ascribe positions to people with political opinions different that they didn't actually take - that maybe someone else took, that maybe someone accused them of taking, or that maybe you're imagining them taking.

It makes it really challenging to have a conversation with you, or to take the things you say seriously except as an indication of general animus.

[Grey Fox]

I called you Mono, Viper.

La prochaine fois je vais le faire en français.

[Jacob]

My high school French paid off! I understood that without google translate!