The Conservatives decided to use Thanksgiving Monday for their latest political stunt, which is to demand the creation of an “anti-corruption committee” that they intend to use to get to the bottom of the WE Imbroglio, and they’re ready to use every tool available to them in order to get there.
What makes this a stunt in particular is the abuse of the term “corruption,” which is overly loaded in the context of what happened in the penny-ante nonsense that surrounds the WE Imbroglio. They’ve already extracted more than the usual amount of blood that something like this would engender, both seeing the finance minister resign, and WE Charity’s Canadian operations themselves have largely folded (though not their international footprint) as a result of the spotlight that this put on them. The notion that there is something to hide because of the refusal to turn over the speaking fees collected by members of the Trudeau family, despite their being private citizens, is bordering on witch-hunt territory. And because the Conservatives are calling this an “anti-corruption committee,” any refusal to play along lets them shriek that those people are allowing corruption to happen.
The problem here is that this is nothing like actual corruption that happens in other countries. Hell, there is some pretty damning corruption that happens in some provinces in this country, where specific industries have bought and controlled provincial governments for decades. And by trying to posit that what happened with WE is capital-c corruption both demeans actual corruption that happens, but it imparts false narratives onto the kinds of wrongdoing that took place here, which was about recusals as opposed to shovelling funds to friends, family members, and business associates. But then again, the Conservative playbook has long-since left spin and torque behind in favour of bald-faced lies, so here is where we are.
Good reads:
- The initial attempts to apply for the new Canada Recovery Benefit were met with website issues, which CRA says it has now rectified.
- Audits found that CBSA is supposed to dispose of hazardous chemicals it seizes within 90 days, but it generally takes them two years.
- Elections Canada is investigating some 3500 cases of voters from the 2019 election whose citizenship is in doubt.
- Speaker Anthony Rota says they are nearly ready to test the voting app again and no, you guys, this is a Very Bad Thing, and you shouldn’t go there.
- Erin O’Toole is breaking one of his leadership promises about the party not clawing back 2019 returns, citing the possibility of an early election.
- Some Conservative MPs are complaining that the government should have appealed the Quebec court decision on assisted dying rather than change the law as they are.
- Heather Scoffield gets the behind-the-scenes details on how the federal and provincial governments were able to lure Ford’s EV production to Oakville.
- Chantal Hébert suggests that if Elizabeth May is so keen for Annamie Paul to get a seat, that she step aside and let her run in her set instead.
- Susan Delacourt enumerates the ways in which the second wave is going to be even harder on parliamentarians than the first was.
- Colby Cosh contemplates the new assisted dying legislation in light of the court decisions that got us to this point.
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From 2013: Harper tried to make Trudeau’s speaking fees an “issue” to smear him. (Like Hillary Clinton) This is deja vu all over again with the same boss running the show.
ctvnews. ca/canada/ndp-conservatives-slam-trudeau-over-speaking-fees-1.1329903
From 2012: Harper killed Katimavik for “ideological reasons” Trudeau says
cbc. ca/news/politics/katimavik-killed-for-ideological-reasons-trudeau-says-1.1277023
Poilievre is going full QAnon, pursuing all Trudeau-related philanthropic endeavours including organizations like Water Aid that Margaret spoke at. They’re going all the way back to 2008 when he first became an MP even though this has nothing whatsoever to do with the student grant program. They *want* a chilling effect to happen because they hate charities anyway, except for religious groups (but only pseudo-Christianist religious groups), propagandists like Fraser Institute, and Kenney’s black box war room. But they *really* hate charities bearing any association whatsoever with the name Trudeau, because the entire party is a Harper hive mind and Harper hates all things Trudeau. So they probably will try and go after Katimavik again at some point. And Shields of Athena which is Sophie’s women’s empowerment organization. And probably Sacha’s movie studio because why not.
The holy grail that they’re desperate to dig into is the Pierre Trudeau Foundation, as evidenced by that other stunt Poilievre pulled regarding the Chinese casino guy. Like Trump going after the Clinton Foundation. I called it. This is a U.S.-style Republican persecution campaign against innocent people that is massively overblown proportionate to the supposed “crime.” He forgot to close the window of a Zoom call, that’s it. His thirsty political adversaries are harassing his mom because they’d rather tear his family apart rather than offer cogent policy alternatives of their own.
This article by Mark Bourrie was making the rounds on social media this weekend. What this vile cabal of media bobbleheads and aggressive politicos did to the K-bros, they’re now trying to do to the Trudeaus — and if they’re not stopped they’ll do it to other private citizens too.
fairpress. ca/the-attempted-murder-of-the-kielburgers/
If Justin Trudeau can’t sue for damages because he’s a parliamentarian, then Margaret and Sacha need to file a court injunction to stop the Conservatives (and their enablers the NDP and Bloc) from pursuing their private business. Jean Charest can sue the Quebec government, because he’s a private citizen now. Margaret and Sacha are not MPs and neither is Sophie. Enough already for god sakes. The Liberals on that committee were absolutely right. Leave his family alone. She is 72 and in poor health. There’s nothing more to dig into. Morneau is gone, the Kielburgers are gone, and there’s a pandemic going on and chaos bubbling up in the U.S. Poilievre and Angus need to get a f~cking life. This is harassment and abuse and it sets a dangerous precedent. It needs to end.
I hope it backfires, people see it for the overreach it is or tune it out, or the Liberals can find some other way to stop it or just pull the plug on the government, because this is getting into proto-fascist territory.
The Conservative Party of Canada wrote the book on corruption.
They also (literally) wrote the book on disrupting committees.
But only Liberals get held to such a perfect standard, and get raked over the coals when they pull from the playbook to play defence.
IOKIYAR: It’s OK If You’re a Republican (Reform-a-Con).
EDIT: JT can’t prorogue, Liberals can’t filibuster committees… Cons can get away with murder (literally, in Scott Moe’s case)… Same double standard WRT McConnell getting no flak for “packing the courts” while the feckless US MSM won’t leave Biden alone about it.
IOKIYAR on both sides of 49.