Down With the Sickness: Canadian Politics 2022

In case you didn't get the "just watch me" reference, forks: https://www.cbc.ca/history/EPISCONTENTSE1EP16CH1PA4LE.html

Worth remembering that PET was dealing with kidnappers and murderers and even then only invoked the War Measures Act on the request of the Premier of Quebec. And it was probably still an overreaction. (I had thought most people agreed but then I saw some people basically calling for this on social media.)

Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, has been pretty quiet about this. Ottawa is a little tricky since it's on the provincial borders and a good portion of the National Capital Region is in Quebec, also some land is under the jurisdiction of the National Capital Commission.

As mentioned on TVO's The Agenda, one fear may be the risk of explosions and fire if e.g. guns are fired around tanker trucks filled with diesel. Many tow truck drivers also seem to be siding with the occupiers. Obviously the police should have been more proactive when these people were arriving in the first place. Quebec City and Toronto seem to have nipped their convoy protests in the bud.

They are managing to progressively contain this thing. Horns have been greatly reduced. They're still blockading Kent St north of Somerset and I imagine are still camped out near the Rideau Centre.

Maybe this will turn out to be a model on how to resolve these things without deaths or serious injuries idk. I actually don't fault Trudeau too much. Refusing to negotiate or engage while avoiding an overreaction to what should have been mostly dealt with under traffic and noise laws seems like the right move to me.

ya, but now they're blocking highways and boarders crossings.

Oh yeah it's o_O that the international border blockades have been tolerated at all.

I think the winningest move here would have been to defuse and have actually backtracked on the mandate for truckers weeks ago, because it’s looking like a pretty stupid hill to die on right now. The mandate from the states makes it redundant even? I don’t think any of it was ever going to create the supply chain shortages these cranks are actually causing now though.

fwiw i think forks is wrong about how this would be different in the us (except for the windsor situation, because Economy)

I think the winningest move here would have been to defuse and have actually backtracked on the mandate for truckers weeks ago, because it’s looking like a pretty stupid hill to die on right now. The mandate from the states makes it redundant even? I don’t think any of it was ever going to create the supply chain shortages these cranks are actually causing now though.

Disagree here, even if just on the principle that this sort of action should not be rewarded; also don't think we should leave our ally to handle mandating and enforcing this unilaterally. (What would we do if Biden also backtracked?)

I agree that none of this should be rewarded. It’s more that some of the measures seemed somewhat counterproductive to begin with. The end of all mandates is obviously the end goal anyway, and since it seems like we are in the home stretch it seems colossally dumb to give those who have been fighting that success all along, a fomenting point and a way to take the credit for it all ending.

fwiw i think forks is wrong about how this would be different in the us (except for the windsor situation, because Economy)

― mookieproof, Thursday, February 10, 2022 10:32 AM (thirty-three minutes ago)

yep. Malheur was occupied for 5 weeks

Heard there were 5,000 layoffs from one company (think I heard that right) because of the blockades--surely going to win lots of public sympathy from that.

Some good bits on CNN and MSNBC (even the Freedom Caucus's Joe Scarborough):

CNN fact checks some of the false information spreading on social media about the Canadian trucker protest @ddale8 joins The Lead pic.twitter.com/fMss9aOWiW

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) February 10, 2022

NOW - MSNBC host says Canada's trucker convoy is a "cult."pic.twitter.com/vOjZSLHZoE

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 31, 2022

It’s more that some of the measures seemed somewhat counterproductive to begin with. The end of all mandates is obviously the end goal anyway, and since it seems like we are in the home stretch it seems colossally dumb to give those who have been fighting that success all along, a fomenting point and a way to take the credit for it all ending.

I guess I don't really see the issue with a vaccine mandate at the border, although I haven't seen the studies on this one in particular. I need to get shots if I fly to some countries. Kids need to get shots. I want to see an end to lockdowns and, eventually, mask requirements.

Christ, these people are full of shit; https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-federal-conservatives-call-for-an-end-to-all-blockades-after-first/

Didn't they just replace their leader over this?

frankly, it's almost reassuring the degree to which capital still controls them (compared to the GOP)

https://theline.substack.com/p/dispatch-from-the-ottawa-front-sloly

a friend of mine texted the group chat that link and i gave him shit (perhaps a bit too much) for linking to Jen Gerson's blog (i despise her) but either way, i hear Matt Gurney's not exactly a peach either

I’m not so savvy on the Canadian media landscape, so I’m not sure who’s bad and hated (besides the obvious: Rex Murphy ouch)

https://www.macleans.ca/politics/relax-doug-ford-will-be-fine/
https://readpassage.com/i-hope-jen-gerson-predicts-ill-go-broke-and-unloved/

Now I can feel part of things:

https://www.sarniathisweek.com/news/local-news/st-marys-expecting-convoy-style-protest-friday

I booked off work anyway because of expected bad weather. My wish would be that the entire town stays indoors while they throw their 45-minute tantrum.

from this morning:

CBC Radio Ottawa now reporting protest vehicles being sent to block the airport. MPs, including those who support the occupation, might not be heading home for the weekend. Not sure how many hotel rooms will be available this weekend. Perhaps downtown residents can take them in?

— Greg MacEachern (@gmacofglebe) February 10, 2022

While in my calmer moments I broadly agree with Coyne's assessment re how to respond to the occupation, I don't really know what he's talking about here - and I keep seeing this claim or versions of it:

the Liberals, the Prime Minister in particular, by using the vaccine mandate as a wedge issue, and vaccine refuseniks as objects of scorn;

When did he/they do this? How?

maybe making vaccine mandates an election issue? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58264006

he could have just passed his preferred federal vaccine policies instead of tying them to his re-election. not that this whole coyne critique matters much to me personally, but there has been some cynicism in Trudeau's approach.

I don't really see how seeking an electoral mandate for it made it a wedge issue, and even less how it showed scorn or condescension (the other critique I keep hearing) towards the unvaccinated. I certainly don't see how that is at all equivalent to "the Conservatives, their probable future leader in particular, by supporting and encouraging the lawlessness in Ottawa".

yeah I wouldn't say that at all of course. I haven't read the Coyne article, there's no equivalency in my mind. But Trudeau didn't need an election to pass any vaccine mandates, the election was called to avoid WE scrutiny.

The narrative on the right is that JT is “dividing Canadians”, that he’s a Communist (lol) and that he’s dragging the country off a cliff. They’re painting him as an existential threat.

This criticism (divisiveness and scorn towards the unvaccinated) is not just coming from the right:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-mp-politicization-pandemic-1.6343730
https://www.hilltimes.com/2022/02/09/quebec-liberal-mp-robillard-also-breaks-ranks-questions-trudeau-governments-handling-of-pandemic-sides-with-lightbound/343476

What are they talking about? Is there an actual instance someone can point to of Trudeau "demonizing" "people who question existing policies "?

Coyne is also not a Tory (or any) partisan by any stretch.

Coyne? He’s always been pretty right wing.

Yeah definitely small c conservative, no? A moderate, "sensible" type of voice

He's definitely a neoliberal/free marketeer on economics and a hawk on foreign policy but he's not a partisan for or against any political party is what I meant. He slams Tories as much as Liberals or New Democrats for violations of ethics, Parliamentary procedure, or what he considers good policy principles. So e.g. he strongly supports the Liberals' carbon tax as a good market-based solution; opposed Harper's convoluted tax credits, culture war dog whistling, and restrictions on academic freedom; and favours electoral reform. The National Post comments sections typically rage against him for being a Liberal shill, which is lol. He usually votes for a third- or fourth-place party as a protest (Green last time, NDP in 2015, Liberal in 2011). If he's making this criticism of Trudeau, he probably believes it as opposed to just parroting a rw party line.

you could have just said he's a centrist instead of typing all those words

Haha, well, a lot of centrists have wishy-washy moderate positions on everything and value compromise and pragmatism. Coyne is an idealist with strong principles (one of the few people I think of as actually a 'classical liberal') that lead him to a set of strong but idiosyncratic opinions that don't line up with any party or leader, making him cynical about all of them.

Ford has declared state of emergency.

Nice of him to take a break from his skiing trip to finally do something.

Swear to god, my town's Facebook group is the government response in miniature. We're arguing about a post where someone suggests everyone in town just stays away for the 45 minutes they're supposed to be here--basically, what if they threw a blockade and no one came? I'm all for the post, but we're deadlocked; a couple people feel it'll spark anger on the other side. Don't want to upset the truckers, or the people who support them.

even less how it showed scorn or condescension

Soooo tired of this talking point about "elite condescension" or whatever. This apparently rampant paranoia among reg'lar conservative folks that somebody at a cocktail party somewhere is looking down on them. It seems to drive so much right-wing resentment politics. (Maybe it's really a fear that people at cocktail parties don't think about them at all.)

Freedom convoys to take place in Paris and Brussels. Our greatest cultural export!: https://www.francetvinfo.fr/sante/maladie/coronavirus/convoi-de-la-liberte/convoi-de-la-liberte-en-france-les-premiers-manifestants-vont-converger-vers-paris_4955439.html

Paris is at least mobilizing 7000 cops to keep the convoy out. And I agree tipsy, developing a political stance in reaction to "feeling patronized" is such a precious snowflakey thing to do.

These Fords are really something huh

It’s so rare that the entire narrative of a press conference is demolished with two questions: pic.twitter.com/7dnixNzchF

— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) February 11, 2022

They were blasting "For What It's Worth" just now while doing "what do we want? FREEDOM!" chants. I do sort of have to admire their joie de vivre at times. Guy even wished me a nice day when I gave them all the finger.

Lol that video

"For What It's Worth"? Points for that from me, anyway. The St. Marys convoy went through 40 minutes earlier than they said it would, so I just caught the tail end turning the corner. Big surprise, quite anti-climactic.

Maybe next, the truckers will "Go and Say Goodbye".

More to that - as much as I hate these people and their 'cause', I do have to hand it to them that they're doing it right:

Protesters built a professional stage today at the corner of Wellington and Metcalfe where they are now having a concert. This is after Ontario Premier Doug Ford introduced tougher fines and possible jail times for protesters behind blockades. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/XFS3baAkNF

— Stephanie Taylor (@StephTaylorCP) February 12, 2022

add "hauling out a professional stage" to the list of working class bona fides, in addition to "taking weeks off to drive across the country and stay in Ottawa"

very working class so struggling

Yeah obv not. The whole thing is absurd and I probably hate it more than anyone. Just giving them props for remembering to dance in their revolution or whatever.

I keep thinking of the Community scene: "you built a bar - for which you needed lumber!" At this point, it's just hilarious that no one thought to intervene at any point in the process of constructing a professional concert stage on Parliament Hill.

Soooo tired of this talking point about "elite condescension" or whatever. This apparently rampant paranoia among reg'lar conservative folks that somebody at a cocktail party somewhere is looking down on them. It seems to drive so much right-wing resentment politics. (Maybe it's really a fear that people at cocktail parties don't think about them at all.)

― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, February 11, 2022 12:40 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Otm