Down With the Sickness: Canadian Politics 2022

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

I've tbh been a little confused about how this is even legal for them to shut down the core of the city for days on end; this seems to suggest that it's not but police are scared of "confrontations" with the 'peaceful' demonstrators??

The latest Ottawa Police news release on the ongoing protest near Parliament Hill: pic.twitter.com/0WVS3oChuo

— Katie Simpson (@CBCKatie) January 31, 2022

The elementary school next door is closed because of this. Why is this being tolerated?

It's infuriating; it's also impossible to not be cynical about "why"

It's jaw-dropping, thinking about how many people were arrested during the G20 protests in Toronto or how aggressive the police response was to the Printemps érable in Montreal. They can't even give these people parking tickets?

OTM

Is a positive test even news anymore?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-protest-ottawa-1.6333316

Good piece about the explicit connections between this shit far right white supremacism: https://www.antihate.ca/the_freedom_convoy_is_nothing_but_a_vehicle_for_the_far_right

At what age does conspiratorial thinking set in? I mentioned to a grade 6 class today about Trudeau testing positive; "He's not really positive, he's just hiding from the truckers."

Not sure that's a conspiracy per se, although it may be an implicit admission that the protest is not so peaceful.

I destroyed one sign today and flipped people off while walking on the sidewalk. Starting to lose it. The city has basically isolated Centretown and handed us over to these nutters: https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/troster-trucker-convoy-ottawas-centretown-has-been-abandoned-to-the-mob

From a viewer just now: “I am disabled and live within blocks of parliament. I’ve been trying to get groceries for days now and because of the mess down here I am unable to have them delivered…I haven’t had food for days now” #ottnews

— Graham Richardson (@grahamctv) January 31, 2022

The idea that the PM would release false test results to dodge a difficult situation--not least coming from an 11-year-old--strikes me as very conspiratorial. I'm guessing the idea didn't formulate in his own mind.

Oh, tbc, it's bullshit and makes no sense anyway. Trudeau was hiding just fine before he got sick.

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