Down With the Sickness: Canadian Politics 2022

thx! i'm constantly frustrated by how infrequently they update the data on hospitalizations on that dashboard (which i otherwise like a lot). i'm not sure where justin gets it. i was bummed when he stopped daily updating his covid by the numbers page on cbc

the jump in hospitalisations in quebec last week was pretty scary, but still no real ICU action there either

that's reassuring that there hasn't been an ICU rise there. big rise in hospitalization could still wreak havoc of course...I wonder what pctg of the ICU numbers are Omicron. Not that I expect that data to be available anytime soon

I would imagine there’s actually always an increase in those stats in Canadian hospitals this time of year. Seems the biggest problem (and probably why few are acknowledging it) is because healthcare staffing has collapsed to the point they can’t even handle normal numbers.

Libs plan to increase funding to CBC, with a goal of reducing private advertising, ultimately eliminating it during news and public affairs shows: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/liberals-move-to-modernize-cbc-making-public-broadcaster-less-reliant-on-advertising

Recently, I looked into what came of the new francophone university in Toronto, which had been discussed in these threads. It seems... puzzling. It opened in September, with something like 130-150 students (my high school had 2000), 75% of whom were international students. It offers degrees in four disciplines, none of which sound like programmes I've heard of at any other university: Studies in Digital Culture, Studies in Human Plurality, Studies in Urban Environments, and Studies in Economy and Social Innovation. You can also take 'microprogrammes' that lead to 'micro-certificates'. Meanwhile, the province let Laurentian University, a bilingual and tricultural university located in a non-overpopulated and more bilingual (in the English/French sense) city, go bankrupt last year. (My bias being that my partner had been contracted to teach online courses at Laurentian just before that happened + I had a family member that taught there as a career when I was growing up.)

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1821979/uof-universite-ontario-francais-rentree-inauguration-etudiants-cohorte
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1812788/universite-ontario-francais-demandes-septembre

this was a pretty stupid thing to do: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jagmeet-singh-chair-gift-reimburse-1.6319704

If I'm understanding, Singh's wife was essentially being paid (in kind) to advertise the chair in the first place? Seems pretty dumb, if relatively small potatoes.

This take, which I'm seeing right wingers melt down about on Twitter, seems curious: https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-trudeau-made-trucker-shortage-worse-but-youll-pay-for-it

For one thing, as I understand it, the feds already backtracked on requiring vaccination for Canadian truckers returning from the US a week ago, which Lilley doesn't mention at all. Did something change?: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadian-truckers-stay-exempt-covid-19-vaccine-requirements-2022-01-13/

For another, the US is imposing the same rules at their border. But also, why would there be so many unvaccinated truck drivers in the first place, as to create the kinds of issues described here?: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-14/trudeau-plays-dangerous-game-demanding-vaccines-from-truckers
Isn't the US requiring vaccination in all larger trucking firms anyway?

I don’t think they actually did backtrack on that, though it was reported for a while. It was an “error”
https://ottawa.citynews.ca/national-business/ottawa-to-go-ahead-with-trucker-vaccine-mandate-after-stating-it-would-scrap-it-4952646

I’ll promote those monte chairs for free, lol. Splurged on one with the first kid 14 years ago, and it’s still well loved - in fact I’m sitting in it right now.

Ah, OK.

This is the dumbest shit: https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/expect-large-police-presence-in-downtown-ottawa-as-trucker-convoy-arrives-1.5757761

Most infuriating:

Ottawa Public Health has closed two vaccination clinics in the Glebe and Lowertown in anticipation of traffic disruptions this weekend.

I hadn't realized Tories like Pierre Poilievre and Andrew Scheer are actually backing this nonsense.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1996667971692

Thank you Truckers! Trudeau is attacking personal liberty and threatening everyone's ability to get groceries because of his overreach on vaccine mandates. He is the biggest threat to freedom in Canada.https://t.co/5b5k5ZjuY3

— Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) January 24, 2022

isn't O'Toole meeting them too?

Think there's going to be a riot?

hm Erin kind of splitting the difference I guess: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/otoole-convoy-protest-meeting-1.6330575

Parliament Hill is a 10-15 minute walk from my apartment. I'm a little curious to rubberneck at this. Hope I'll still be able to get groceries today.

Curiosity got the better of me. I left my mask on, thinking it would be enough of a signal that I wasn't there in support. They had shut down much less of the downtown core than I'd feared. Until I got up to Queen St., there wasn't too much of a presence. White guys with beards, a lot of horns, and obv vehicles that take up space, a bunch of "FUCK TRUDEAU" signs and a lot of flags. At the same time, a protest where most people are staying in their vehicles is less impressive than people actually getting out there in person - and ironically socially distanced.

Also kind of silly considering the city is still mostly locked down and Parliamentary staff are afaik mostly working from home.

Users on social media have miscaptioned videos and photos claiming to show the "Freedom Convoy" protest in Canada over the government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truckers. The thread below includes some examples. pic.twitter.com/oFdH68WztX

— Reuters Fact Check (@ReutersFacts) January 27, 2022

This is consistent with what I've seen so far - mostly honking SUVs, vans, cars, with the odd truck in there:

If its so big and so great, why all the fake shit? I’ve yet to see a photo of an actual truck convoy. Cars and SUV’s don’t really count.

— Vicki Campbell 🇨🇦 (@merry123459) January 29, 2022

This sounds like the supposed trucker protest in DC during the Obama years when one of the few truckers who actually showed up wailed into his CB “where is everybody?!”

From Reddit:

A friend in downtown told me that all the porta-potties are full of shit now. Can’t be used

There is no place to poop

Ugh, ok, downtown is way more clogged today. Still seeing more SUVs than trucks. Eventually I started giving the finger to anyone who honked or walked by with a sign or flag when I was stuck in stationary traffic around the corner from home.

Sorry to have infected your country with our shit.

they were honking up and down burrard street all afternoon. carhorn protests are really the most annoying form of protest

Hanging an upside-down flag on the Terry Fox monument really seems to crystallize everything these people stand for.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2022/01/29/terry-fox-statue-defaced-in-ottawa-sparking-condemnation.html

this shit is so enraging too: https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-trucker-protest-forces-vigil-for-quebec-city-mosque-shooting-victims-to-move-online-1.5759847

This statistic is striking considering how white the protest is:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-almost-one-in-five-canadian-truckers-is-south-asian-but-many-dont-see/
xp

Ooh, that is enraging.

I passed the Vancouver protest earlier on when it was out in East Van - 1st and Grandview Hwy roughly. Surprisingly there were a lot of vehicles. Hundreds. Then the people on the street corners cheering them going past and waving PPC signs were mostly Asian. When I got home my next door neighbor was setting off to join them lol. Makes no sense.

o_O.

I have seen exactly one visible minority openly participating or supporting this here so far. But good to hear other perspectives - never good to stereotype.

Lot of Asian people in the neighbourhood, but still...

This video, shared by a supporter, looks, uh, consistent in demographics with what I've been observing around here:

Are you serious man pic.twitter.com/4m9qC7spBM

— David Laflamme (@davidlaflammme) January 29, 2022

also in beards

Sorry, don't want to misrepresent what was going on...the protest did look to be all white guys tbh but on the two or three main intersections along the way there was little crowds of people with canada flags and ppc signs and there were lots of non white people there. Probably faith groups from the suburbs?

Nice and quiet this morning

Today will almost certainly be the last 'big' day. An employee at the hotel I'm at say more or less *everybody* who checked in Friday and Saturday are checking out today.

Obviously, the long-haulers are going to stay nestled in their trucks when Parliament resumes Monday.

— Justin Ling (@Justin_Ling) January 30, 2022

Spoke too soon. Horns just started up again.

edmonton:

From CBC: Edmonton MP on Parliament Hill handing out coffee to protestors, with upside-down Canadian flag with swastika in background. Disgraceful. #FluTruxKlan #FluTrucksKlan #KarenKonvoy pic.twitter.com/RoU2tmh2Kl

— Barre Campbell (@bgrantcampbell) January 29, 2022

i'm just catching up with all of this and apparently there were more nazi and confederate flags being flown at these protests in various cities.

these people are so utterly confused. you can't even have a rational discussion with them

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/sfql2g/nazi_flag_during_freedom_convoy_protest_at/

Yep, both pictures are from Parliament Hill here. The MP is Michael Cooper:

Conservative Member of Parliament Michael Cooper, supporting the anti-vaxx convoy being interviewed in front of a swastika.

Just a normal, peaceful protest. pic.twitter.com/Xou4sb9beu

— Chris Bittle (@Chris_Bittle) January 29, 2022

I can't make out what was written on the QC flag behind him. Can anyone read it?

I really wish the CBC would stop calling this a protest against Covid restrictions

Nothing says "grassroots campaign to end vaccine mandates" like professionally-made transphobia placards. Via @TheCanuckMD pic.twitter.com/G4DvflHSOI

— Michelle Cohen, MD (@DocMCohen) January 30, 2022

If there are any journalist lurkers here please read this thread

🧵Want to know how protests like today's #FluTrucksKlan benefit alt-right extremists? Here's some 101 on how hat operates.

First, they pick an issue that has reached a boiling point. In this case, it's the pandemic and health mandates. They know a lot of people are exhausted.
1/

— Mx. Amanda Jetté Knox (@MavenOfMayhem) January 30, 2022

At least they are reporting this: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/convoy-protest-border-lethbridge-alberta-1.6332936

Ugh. Hopefully it’s broken up a bit out there sund4r? I just drove a couple hours eastbound on the 401, and passed at least 100 westbound convoy vehicles (flag draped) that had to be headed home. Not nearly as many trucks as smaller vans and pickups though. Still seemed like a lot.

We got the thumbnail version in St. Marys: one guy standing at the town's main intersection, Unknown Comic paper bag over his head, anti-vaxx signage (and a People's Party sign hanging from a drainage pipe inside his car parked nearby). Thankfully, he wasn't looking to engage as I walked by; not something I'm particularly up for at the moment.

Took some pictures en route to the drug store: https://photos.app.goo.gl/v5VnPUWy2nkYoMyQ9

I wandered up Bank St. for a bit until the honking got to be too much.

Definitely a surreal weekend.

I love the "WE ARE THE FRINGE" signs. Like... okay, I believe you.

Friends, it's been a difficult 24 hours. Staff harassed for meals. A service user and security guard assaulted. Through it all, you have donated and filled our hearts with gratitude. Every cent will support people experiencing homelessness. Thank you. See our statement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/TYHD8r8aLo

— Shepherds of Good Hope (@sghottawa) January 30, 2022

Amazing!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-mayor-john-tory-statement-1.6745144

(No posts in two months? Was Canada shut down?)

"Tory will also be remembered as a mayor on the move." lol.

The scandal no one could have predicted.

Except for maybe the Beaverton; who fucking slayed me with this headline:
“John Tory’s career inevitably cut short by his raw, unstoppable sexual magnetism”

I hope our next sober, asexual mayor gives an ounce of a shit about the unhoused

Couldn't believe the picture they had of Tory on the front page of the Star today. He looked like he'd aged 40 years--he looked like a corpse.

Is there any reason to believe that this clears the way for a more progressive mayor? I wouldn't be surprised if we get another Ford (maybe literally).

read a few rumours this weekend that Doug is stepping down as premier to run for mayor (unlikely) and that Michael is running (more likely)

Ford must be reveling in this. Tory, on his radio show, was (correctly, I'd say) really hard on both Fords when the crack story broke. Whatever public front they've put up the past few years, pretty sure they despise each other.

about time that michael york was suitably honoured

https://i.imgur.com/BPWIn7D.jpg

any other Torontonians paying attention to the mayoral by-election? are there even any Torontonians here other than Simon (does he count if he doesn't post anymore) and I?

anyway I'm volunteering for the Josh Matlow campaign though I can't wait until all of this is over

what do people in the city think of Chow?

can't speak for anyone else but she seems to be doing well in the polls (which lol are like a thousand or less respondents each, fuck polling seriously) so she's coasting by on name recognition basically since she's put out like two policy positions while Matlow's put out like 10+ costed, detailed positions

it's a bit annoying

at any other time, ofc I'd be voting Chow and she'd still be better than the last how many years of conservative mayors but still, it's a bit depressing that Matlow's not doing better in the whatever polls are being made public (even though it's still early)

and yes, I know Matlow "plagiarized" his platform (i.e. his policy writer came from last year's Penalosa campaign and basically reused it) who fucking cares except a few people on Twitter who ended up being used by Nick Kouvalis and Ana Bailao good job y'all

Matlow and Chow both seem fine and clearly several orders of magnitude better than my councillor, Bradford. Rest of the field seem like they’ll just roll over for Dougie. Or worse.

oh god, Bradford Bradford (that's his actual name, look it up), what a fucking clown, never seen a guy so transparently craven

Saunders might be worse than Rob Ford and Tory combined, truly nightmare scenario mayor

until tonight (when I just saw a video of Danielle Smith comparing the vaccinated to those following Hitler's orders), the video Saunders posted about naloxone might have been the most evil video I've seen in Canadian politics

sorry, so many thoughts about Toronto politics

Vancouver mayors are pretty crap, but they'd be a lot worse if the entire Lower Mainland voted

Alberta election day is tomorrow; please send us sane vibes.

As someone who moved out of AB years ago and who still has family and friends there, wishing you all the best but honestly expecting the worst from years of conditioning (living in AB)

it's just so great that it can get worse than Jason Kenney.

sending good vibes from BC

Rachel Notley did threaten to cut off all our gas once, but y'know, bygones

tbh I can barely muster up the enthusiasm to tell my family and friends to vote for the NDP - I know D. Smith is evil and blah blah blah etc but it's such a bummer to see how centrist the ANDP have gotten, I realize they have to pander to the O&G folks to win but most of them aren't going to vote for y'all anyway and you're alienating a large part of your core with your pipeline-fucking bullshit

why is it so slow

I think Elections Alberta is using new tabulating technology and at some point, only 72 or something out of 250 machines were working

Or so I heard

Anyway lol lmao

As someone who moved out of AB years ago

As someone also in this position - 15+ years gone and no plans to move back - I'm surprised how annoyed I am at the result. Like, it shouldn't be much of my business by now, but I still care, I guess on behalf of friends and family who are still there.

TO by-election lawn sign report: Biked from the Beaches to Port Credit and back this evening. Mostly Chow signs along with a hilarious amount of Gongs. Not too surprised to see Bradford signs south of Queen here as it’s his ward and all but also saw a goodly amount of Chow and a few Matlows (huzzah!). No Saunders anywhere, guessing he is focused elsewhere.

I was in North York a lot this past week cause my parents were in town and they decided to stay in that area (I was born and raised there), sorry for sounding like the typical downtown Torontonian but shit, that area might as well be a different city/country

barely any frontrunner signs except a few Bailao signs, mostly Gong and Heather He (who? and who????) signs

Not our dude but I’m relieved when Bailao had the early lead, etc.

Was closer than I expected.

I'm gone, but glad to hear it.

Gong's 11th place finish (he must have had more signs on the streets than votes) leads me to wonder if he was running to increase general name recognition, perhaps business related.

I have nothing to say about this but: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-gregoire-separation-1.6925254

absolutely HUGE news.

Every single political party in Canada admits that Indian state was involved in POLITICAL ASSASSINATION of Canadian-Sikh community leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar this summer.

Let that sink in, comrades. https://t.co/brMdtpBJj0

— Harsha Walia (@HarshaWalia) September 18, 2023

reminding myself who Anthony Rota is: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ndp-jagmeet-singh-rota-racist-therrien-1.5616661

Canada right now: pic.twitter.com/HP10CKST7k

— The Leninist Lawyer ☭📕 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇵🇸 (@MarxistLaw) September 25, 2023

what's up Manitoba

Wab Kinew will become the first First Nations premier to lead a Canadian province!

A historic win for the Manitoba New Democratic Party! pic.twitter.com/TxIwTZODVe

— Khelsilem (@Khelsilem) October 4, 2023

Ontario lefties: I think I'm just done with electoral politics period after the ONDP kicked Sarah Jama out of caucus, absolutely livid at these spineless fucks

I thought I maybe posted about this on this thread, but I guess not. Not sure where to put it--not politics, but a huge national story. They got a verdict today in the London hate-killing case.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/london-attack-guilty-verdict-1.7029754