[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[crazy canuck]

A minister has been removed from the BC cabinet for suggesting in a speech that the land on which Israel was created was worthless, the implication being that the land only started having value once Israel was created, and the Israelis started turning it into something valuable.  She was heavily criticized by the Muslim community. Premier defended her at first and she apologized but now she is removed.

To be precise, she called it a "crappy piece of land".

Probably also worth noting she's jewish.

To be precise, that is not all she said.  She went on in some detail to describe how worthless the land was, "nothing would grow" etc.  But I appreciate that is all you may have read in the report you saw of what occurred. 

Also the Jewish organization hosting the event at which she spoke quickly made a public statement saying that her comments were not a view shared by them. 

Obviously she said more than 4 words.  But those were the words people focused on.  I have read her more fulsome remarks - "a crappy piece of land with nothing on it – you know, there were several hundred thousand people but other than that, it didn't produce an economy. It couldn't grow things it didn't have anything on it".  Context doesn't necessarily improve things, which is why she apologized.

She (her name for the peanut gallery is Selina Robinson) being jewish is probably important though.  It certainly explains why muslim groups would jump all over her, and perhaps explains why an NDP government would throw her out.

Those were the four words some media reports focused on.  It is definitely not the sum total of what the groups who raised the concern focused on - including the group that hosted the event.

Also, you have  not quoted the parts of her talk where she equated the Israeli state with Indigenous communities in BC.  That raised complaints from those communities as well.

Her apology was also problematic.  In her apology she said that by crappy she meant that the land was not worth much before Israel became nation. She missed the point entirely.  The land had and has deep significance for those who were dispossessed from it at that time.  She was invoking a settler trope that the land was effectively barren. 

It is wrong to suggest Muslim groups "jumped" on her because she was Jewish.  You are ignoring the fact that the Jewish group who hosted the event disavowed her comments, Indigenous communities also raised concerns, and Muslim communities raised their obvious concerns.

Faced with a backlash from all three of those communities (except for that portion of the Jewish community who might agree what what she said) the Premier did not have a lot of room for maneuver here.

[Josephus]

A minister has been removed from the BC cabinet for suggesting in a speech that the land on which Israel was created was worthless, the implication being that the land only started having value once Israel was created, and the Israelis started turning it into something valuable.  She was heavily criticized by the Muslim community. Premier defended her at first and she apologized but now she is removed.

She's not wrong though. It was just a pile of sand. I remember years ago driving up a highway in Israel from south to north. To the west of me was lush, bountiful land of the kibbutzim. To my right, across the river,  was Jordan...empty desert as far as one can see.

To be precise, she called it a "crappy piece of land".

Probably also worth noting she's jewish.

[crazy canuck]

A quick google search shows that during the British Mandate 53% of the population was engaged in farming and pasturage.  93% of those were Arabs and 5% were Jewish.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4283825

If nothing could grow, what the hell were all those people doing? 

[viper37]

Honestly - what does Montreal need with a stadium that size?

[Grey Fox]

Am I on BBs ignore list again? 

[Jacob]

Poilievre weighs in, supporting Smith's anti-Trans policies.

Profoundly disappointing, but perhaps not surprising.

[Barrister]

Am I on BBs ignore list again? 

You never have been...

[Grey Fox]

Am I on BBs ignore list again? 

You never have been...

Alright. 👍

[daveracher]

I still it's better to take the risk to dismantle it and rebuilt it anew.  This is a money pit.  And it won't be a beautiful experience.  And Montreal should pay half the costs, like Quebec city did.

Honestly - what does Montreal need with a stadium that size?

I mean if the Expos somehow come back - sure look at building a purpose-built baseball stadium.  But otherwise why build something so large just on the chance a handful of music shows will come through?

I went to a couple of Blue Jays spring training games there a few years ago. It was not a good experience.

[crazy canuck]

The investigation into the Trudeau foundation could not rule out financial contributions made by Chinese businessmen was part of an influence scheme.  That bit is not surprising.

The surprising bit for me is how little money it takes to buy influence in Canada. It was only $200,000.

[Jacob]

You're confident that "cannot rule out" = "influence was bought"?

[crazy canuck]

You're confident that "cannot rule out" = "influence was bought"?

I am confident that if they could have ruled it out, they would have.

[crazy canuck]

Troubling update on the BC story, the constituency office of the former minister was vandalized.

[Jacob]

You're confident that "cannot rule out" = "influence was bought"?

I am confident that if they could have ruled it out, they would have.

No disagreement.

I'm wondering if you're operating on a binary "ruled out"/"not ruled out" or a spectrum "ruled out" / "not ruled out" / "appears to be the case". Seems it's the first.

[crazy canuck]

I don't think much turns on the question of binary or spectrum.  The fact that they could not rule it out means that there is at least a reasonable basis to conclude it happened.  But they cannot say for certain that it did happen.