For my Canadian friends
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Shiftless2
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In a nutshell ....
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Sean Prpick
dSenprootsutay 08Yfrt5M fc80dafc141:f4Ae8ite3ihf6g0la35 cgst ·The Toronto Star’s Susan Delacourt today on why Pierre Poilievre’s chippy, attack dog personality is making it very difficult for him to shift gears in the federal election campaign.
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Pierre Poilievre’s big problem as Conservatives slide in the polls? He can’t turn his enemies into friends
Pressure is building for the leader and his team to shift their entire approach to this campaign, writes Susan Delacourt.
March 31, 2025
Pierre Poilievre went into this election campaign with plenty of political skills, but lacking one he needs right now — the ability to turn enemies into friends.
That could be a tall order for this take-no-prisoners Conservative leader.
As each day brings a new report of unrest within the Conservative team, pressure is building for the leader and his team to shift their entire approach to this campaign. The consensus seems to be that they’re fighting like it’s 2024, but this is 2025, and the Donald Trump reality has to be tackled head on.
But it’s not just that. It is increasingly clear that Poilievre was prepared to fight a front-runner’s campaign, cruising to a majority and simply put, that’s not the bright future before Conservatives right now.
The latest projections by the Star’s Signal poll tracker put Mark Carney and the Liberals on course to win a decisive majority, around 190 seats — well above the 172 seats needed — while the Conservatives would win between 123 to 139 seats.
When you’re a front-runner, as Poilievre once was, you don’t have to worry so much about all the enemies you’ve accumulated along the way, whether that was Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives, the other opposition parties or even the traditional media.
Poilievre has done next to zero outreach with any of those interests in advance of the election campaign, presumably because he and his team didn’t think they would need them.
They may be learning to regret that now.
The Star’s Queen’s Park bureau reported that Poilievre and Ford finally did have a conversation just before the campaign launched but it didn’t go all that well. And then came the startling shot this week from Ford’s top adviser, Kory Teneycke, saying the Poilievre campaign was off the rails and the leader himself “too Trumpy.”
This is not what Poilievre needed, to say the least, and it seems to have emboldened a subsequent series of Conservatives to start venting in the media about how the leader and his chief adviser, Jenni Byrne, are not up to the task at hand.
Not so long ago, you wouldn’t have found Conservatives brave enough to say that out loud to the media, even anonymously. But maintaining discipline through fear and intimidation is more difficult when the leader is running from behind.
Worse, that kind of leadership can also be seen as “too Trumpy,” to borrow Teneycke’s phrase. Are Canadians looking for a prime minister who, like Trump, is a party of one, demanding nothing but obsequious silence from his own troops?
James Kanagasooriam, a U.K. pollster who worked on the Conservatives’ last campaign in 2021, put up some social-media posts over the weekend highlighting the peril of Poilievre getting linked too closely to Trump. He appears to think this is a big problem for the Conservatives at the moment.
“The ballot question is about Trump. Not being like a Trump is as important as criticizing him,” he wrote.
He also noted that the Canadian electorate is extremely fluid, which means “not being hated is critical.”
Poilievre, unlike his old boss, Stephen Harper, has done little to build any bridges to the Bloc Québécois or New Democrats since he became leader, perhaps assuming that he would have a majority and not need their help in a minority Parliament.
As things now stand — and it is early — that majority seems elusive, if not impossible. My colleague Mark Ramzy reported on Saturday how Poilievre seemed to be offering an olive brach to the Bloc by vowing not to challenge Quebec’s language laws, but on that same day, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh ruled out propping up a Conservative government.
Perhaps two years of trashing his fellow opposition parties as dupes of the Liberals have reached a reckoning point for Poilievre.
Similarly, Poilievre and his team could be finding that their hostility to traditional media could be coming back to bite them. Keeping all media off the campaign plane, for instance, may have seemed like a good idea when the Conservatives thought they would romp to power without the bothersome journalists asking questions all the time and simply channel all their communication through friendly, right-wing outlets.
But having reporters aboard a campaign plane presents opportunities for advisers to give background and context; to see the leader away from the podium and the talking points.
Poilievre hasn’t been taunting his media questioners as much on the campaign trail as he did in press encounters before the election.
Perhaps that is, again, an effort to distance himself from the media-baiter Trump, or just a sign that all-enemies-all-the-time doesn’t work when you’re fighting for the centre.
Conservatives suited up for this election to play an aggressive game of offence.
The polls so far show that a more defensive game is required; one that requires making fewer enemies, or even turning those enemies into friends.
Citizen Voice's webmaster has informed me some % of the "Views:" indicated here:
are non-posting members, known to admins as "lurkers" (welcome, though your contributions are welcome too),
and the rest are hits from bots.
We can dismiss the bots as sub-cognitive.
But the rest are likely to be inquisitive.
In the onset of my dotage I (a lifelong U.S. citizen) find it difficult to keep up with U.S. politics. My partial excuse, we're early in a new administration, a new secretary of State, etc.
My suspicion on the presentation of Canadian politics here @CV.us
it may entrain more involvement (even if not posting "participation") to focus on a contrast of issues rather than parties or persons.
The shuffle in Canadian politics seems to compound the embarrassment of U.S. politics. Bad enough we've driven our own buggy into the ditch.
Running that of our faithful friend & neighbor Canada over the precipice is no solace.
are non-posting members, known to admins as "lurkers" (welcome, though your contributions are welcome too),
and the rest are hits from bots.
We can dismiss the bots as sub-cognitive.
But the rest are likely to be inquisitive.
In the onset of my dotage I (a lifelong U.S. citizen) find it difficult to keep up with U.S. politics. My partial excuse, we're early in a new administration, a new secretary of State, etc.
My suspicion on the presentation of Canadian politics here @CV.us
it may entrain more involvement (even if not posting "participation") to focus on a contrast of issues rather than parties or persons.
The shuffle in Canadian politics seems to compound the embarrassment of U.S. politics. Bad enough we've driven our own buggy into the ditch.
Running that of our faithful friend & neighbor Canada over the precipice is no solace.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
John Wesley Chisholm
onsetdorSpgM12u061Ml:17 2lgtc3gmlu8c512a8 26m 09r1ufcP9a16h ·Oh man, I don't like being the Snopes of Canadian political silliness, but today's Meme that says "Former British Prime Minister Slams Mark Carney" is just well, coming at me from all across the social media.
The 'former PM' in question is Liz Truss—she filled in after the previous PM resigned. She served for 44 days before resigning herself amid severe political and economic backlash, and a now-iconic head of lettuce story that outlasted her in office.
Truss is now saying former Bank of England governor Mark Carney's policies for economic stability, undermined her grand economic vision.
Calling her a ‘former PM’ without context is ironic, coming from the same Conservatives who are raging about Carney being appointed by well-established rules to lead the Liberal Party until an election is called. Maybe today. They have questioned Carney’s political role, while paradoxically embracing commentary from Liz Truss despite her brief and controversial tenure. Holy Crow.
Rishi Sunak, the actual British PM who had to clean up Ms. Truss's mess when he was elected called her economic plans “fantasy economics” and would lead to “higher inflation, higher interest rates, and higher mortgage rates.” He said that promising massive, unfunded tax cuts while ignoring the real-world impact on markets was not just irresponsible—it was dangerous.
In one particularly cutting moment, he said:
"Borrowing your way out of inflation isn’t a plan—it’s a fairytale."
And… he was right. Within days of Truss’s government unveiling her “mini-budget,” the markets panicked, the mortgage sector went into freefall, the pound nosedived, and the
Bank of England had to intervene.
By the time Liz Truss became Prime Minister in September 2022, Mark Carney had been out of the Bank of England for over two years—his seven-year term ended in early 2020. Yet she now blames him for setting the policy climate - the cautious central bank orthodoxy, high regulation, and fiscal restraint vibe - that supposedly doomed her tax-cutting agenda.
This perspective, however, is not widely held. Her administration's mini-budget—which proposed significant unfunded tax cuts—led to market instability and necessitated intervention by the Bank of England to stabilize financial markets. Sunak’s government, alongside existing Bank of England policies established under Carney’s tenure, helped restore market stability following Truss’s resignation.
Truss's unfunded tax cuts triggered a market crisis; Carney’s monetary policies, while debated in fine details, maintained investor confidence and financial stability. Carney’s approach to monetary policy has received broader institutional support compared to Truss’s fiscal proposals.
And, one more time around: Mr. Carney's resume. He was not a "banker" in the Mr. Potter, It's A Wonderful Life" sense, no matter how derisively they keep repeating it. He was Governor of the Bank of Canada and then Governor of the Bank of England—the only person in history to hold the top job at two G7 central banks. That’s not “banking.” That’s economic statecraft at the highest level.
Calling Mark Carney a 'banker' is like calling a brain surgeon a 'man with a knife.'
As governor, Carney wasn’t chasing profit. He was managing interest rates, controlling inflation, stabilizing currencies, overseeing the financial system, and making judgment calls that affected the livelihoods of tens of millions of people. He helped steer Canada through the 2008 financial crisis with less damage than almost any other advanced economy—and was recruited by Britain to bring that steady hand to the economy.
He was a key player in global monetary policy, a respected voice at the G20, and chaired the Financial Stability Board, where he helped redesign the rules of global finance after the crash. That’s not banker stuff—that’s international economic leadership.
This post is based on publicly available facts about recent UK political and economic events. Where interpretive language is used, it reflects general consensus from economists and political analysts, but readers are encouraged to consult primary sources.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Item fifteen in the Conservative Party of Canada's official policy declaration effectively calls for the end of basic human rights monitoring and enforcement in Canada by slitting the throat of the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Because who needs human rights, am I right?
And since those of us old enough to remember that the Supreme Court prevented the Harper government from violating citizen rights should not be surprised to see the Cons declare that parliament should be dominant over the courts, also in item fifteen.
This is some mighty heinous f*ckery that's afoot, right here.
Canada aside only very briefly:
Trump / Musk are political barbarians. BUT !
When Musk flagrantly idiotically fired some of our indispensable top nuclear experts, within a day Musk was back to rehire them.
The firing was lunacy. BUT !
At least Trump / Musk had it together enough to recognize the mistake, and try to undo the damage.
Back to Canada:
Is this wrecking-ball politics Canadian style deliberately malicious? Or merely ignorant?
A decade from now, will history students believe this?
Those that have not lived this, responsible tax paying voters in tune with more rational times may simply mistake history of April 2025
as nonsense ravings of paranoiac extremism.
It isn't.
BUT !
If it were the "news" might look much the same.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Gordon Ross
rpedotsSont2g:t0iP2Ms 2ea m 79rai3a1t342cedy2t3a3f1mYgt01222 ·Smith changing the Freedom of Information Act is a red flag. Here are the contentious parts ( posted at the end) that will allow Smith to smokescreen or even block information reaching the public .
Political Exclusions:
The PPA and the AIA would not apply to internal records created on behalf of a member of the Executive Council or a member of the Legislative Assembly, as well as records of communication solely between political staff.
Changes to Access to Information Processes: The AIA contemplates a number of changes to the access to information process. These changes include:
Requiring individuals who are making an access to information request to respond to any clarification sought by the public body within 30 business days.
Providing for additional exceptions for disclosure, including for workplace investigations and labour relations, and expanded powers of the public body to disregard access requests.
Allowing the public body to extend the time to respond to an access request without the permission of the Commissioner.
Prohibiting access requests for records held by a public body that are available to the public. Under the AIA, a public body may specify categories of records that are in its custody or control that are available to the public without a request for access.
Additional Powers of the Commissioner:
The PPA provides for additional powers for the Commissioner to refuse to conduct or discontinue an inquiry, allows for increased time for completing inquiries, and for increased fines for offences of the legislation.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Canadians Against Pierre Poilievre
Matthew Dufresne · Soesrdntpou96h0ahficaaugi9h3f050f31fhh2g9ga143u3augih1c4hum6 ·https://www.facebook.com/#
We know exactly where Mark Carney gets his economic advice. He is a globally respected economist — and his wife is too. Between them, they could teach macroeconomics at any top university on Earth.
But what about Pierre Poilievre?
He loves to present himself as an “everyman economist.” But let’s be real: slogans like “Axe the Tax” are branding — not policy. So, who’s actually writing the policies? Who will be running Canada’s economy if the Conservatives form government?
Let’s take a closer look.
His current Shadow Finance Minister, Jasraj Singh Hallan, is a former plumber and small business owner. While that’s a respectable path, he has no formal background in economics or finance. He was first elected in 2019.
Then there’s Jenni Byrne, Poilievre’s closest advisor and a top strategist from the Harper era. She’s built to win campaigns — but again, not an economist.
Jeff Ballingall, founder of Canada Proud, runs messaging and comms. Sharp at shaping narratives, but he’s not designing a federal budget.
In fact, most of Poilievre’s inner circle is made up of strategists, digital operatives, and brand managers. Not one serious economic expert in sight.
So who might really be influencing his economic vision?
Let’s talk Stephen Harper.
He’s back. Recently appointed chair of AIMCo — Alberta’s $160 billion public investment fund — by Premier Danielle Smith. Smith fired the entire board and installed Harper to oversee the fund with the goal of growing Alberta’s Heritage Fund to $250B.
No salary. No accountability. Tremendous power.
Critics are sounding the alarm — this appointment politicizes a fund that is supposed to be independent. It could mark a serious shift in how public money is managed in Canada.
Harper is also Chair of the International Democratic Union (IDU) — a global alliance of conservative parties. If Poilievre becomes PM, Harper’s influence will be enormous.
And let’s not forget Kevin O’Leary.
Yes — the “Shark Tank” guy. He recently said:
And he’s pushed Donald Trump’s idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state, claiming “more than half” of Canadians support it.
He’s also suggested aligning our economy more closely with the U.S., going so far as to endorse American-style policies that most Canadians have never voted for.
This is the crowd circling Poilievre.
- Who is actually advising Poilievre on economic policy?
- What are their qualifications?
- What would a Conservative economic team look like in power?
We’ve seen what happens when ideology trumps expertise. We can’t afford to go down that road.
Before the next election, we need transparency. If Poilievre wants to be Prime Minister, we have every right to ask who's who in the skidoo.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
As if you needed any more proof that PP doesn't know what he's talking about
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Here is the Conservative report card: Conservatives Sold Off Canada’s Assets – Now We Pay More
Air Canada (1988) – Privatized by Brian Mulroney
Used to be a public airline, meaning affordable flights for Canadians.
After privatization, fares skyrocketed, routes were cut, and service declined.
Now, Canada has some of the highest airline prices in the world.
Connaught Labs (1989) – Sold by Mulroney for Pennies
Canada’s public vaccine lab that produced affordable, lifesaving medicine.
Sold to a private company.
Fast-forward to COVID: we had to buy expensive vaccines from foreign companies instead of making them ourselves.
Petro-Canada (1991) – Sold by Mulroney
Used to be Canada’s national oil company.
Selling it killed competition and let oil giants gouge Canadians.
Now, gas prices are set by private oil corporations, and we pay through the nose.
Canadian National Railway (1995) – Privatized by Conservatives
Used to be publicly owned, keeping transport costs stable.
After privatization, shipping costs soared, which means higher grocery prices.
Harper Sold Off Canada’s Wheat Board (2012)
Used to be farmers’ best protection against price manipulation.
After Harper sold it to a Saudi company, farmers lost control over their own grain, and food costs went up.
Harper’s Conservatives Cut, Slashed, and Sold – Hurting Canadians
Slashed Affordable Housing (2012)
Harper cut federal funding for low-income housing, making the current crisis worse.
Now, Poilievre pretends he wants to fix housing while ignoring his party’s role in creating the problem.
Gutted Public Transit Funding
Harper cut billions from transit infrastructure, forcing cities to raise fares.
Closed Coast Guard Stations
Harper shut down marine search and rescue stations, putting lives at risk.
Destroyed Postal Banking
Canada Post used to offer banking services in rural areas.
Harper blocked the expansion, so now big banks can charge higher fees.
Killed the Kelowna Accord for Indigenous Communities
Harper scrapped a historic agreement to invest in Indigenous infrastructure, healthcare, and education.
Indigenous communities are still suffering the consequences today.
Harper’s Economic Mismanagement – More Debt, More Costs for You
Doubled Canada’s National Debt
Conservatives love to scream about Liberal spending, but Harper doubled the national debt from $450B to $800B—before Trudeau even took office.
Gave Billionaires Massive Tax Cuts
Harper slashed corporate taxes from 22% to 15%, costing Canada billions in lost revenue—money that could have gone to schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.
Did your wages go up? Nope. But CEO bonuses sure did.
Let Foreign Companies Buy Canadian Resources
Harper sold off major Canadian companies to foreign investors, including:
Nexen (a major oil company) → Sold to China.
Canada’s steel industry → Sold to foreign companies, resulting in job losses.
Now, foreign corporations own more of Canada’s resources than we do.
Harper’s Conservative Government Made Life Harder for Workers
Froze Minimum Wage for Federal Workers
Under Harper, federal workers' wages stayed frozen while the cost of living soared.
Weakened Unions & Worker Protections
Harper made it harder for workers to unionize, leading to lower wages and less job security.
Raised Retirement Age to 67
Harper tried to make seniors wait until 67 to collect Old Age Security.
The Liberals reversed this after he lost.
The Conservative Legacy: Sell Everything, Cut Services, Help the Rich
Pierre Poilievre pretends to be for the working class, but let’s be real—every time Conservatives take office, they sell off our assets, weaken public services, and make us pay more for basic things.
And now Pierre wants to take power and do it all over again.
History shows it’s working-class Canadians who always pay the price for Conservative governments.
Air Canada (1988) – Privatized by Brian Mulroney
Used to be a public airline, meaning affordable flights for Canadians.
After privatization, fares skyrocketed, routes were cut, and service declined.
Now, Canada has some of the highest airline prices in the world.
Connaught Labs (1989) – Sold by Mulroney for Pennies
Canada’s public vaccine lab that produced affordable, lifesaving medicine.
Sold to a private company.
Fast-forward to COVID: we had to buy expensive vaccines from foreign companies instead of making them ourselves.
Petro-Canada (1991) – Sold by Mulroney
Used to be Canada’s national oil company.
Selling it killed competition and let oil giants gouge Canadians.
Now, gas prices are set by private oil corporations, and we pay through the nose.
Canadian National Railway (1995) – Privatized by Conservatives
Used to be publicly owned, keeping transport costs stable.
After privatization, shipping costs soared, which means higher grocery prices.
Harper Sold Off Canada’s Wheat Board (2012)
Used to be farmers’ best protection against price manipulation.
After Harper sold it to a Saudi company, farmers lost control over their own grain, and food costs went up.
Harper’s Conservatives Cut, Slashed, and Sold – Hurting Canadians
Slashed Affordable Housing (2012)
Harper cut federal funding for low-income housing, making the current crisis worse.
Now, Poilievre pretends he wants to fix housing while ignoring his party’s role in creating the problem.
Gutted Public Transit Funding
Harper cut billions from transit infrastructure, forcing cities to raise fares.
Closed Coast Guard Stations
Harper shut down marine search and rescue stations, putting lives at risk.
Destroyed Postal Banking
Canada Post used to offer banking services in rural areas.
Harper blocked the expansion, so now big banks can charge higher fees.
Killed the Kelowna Accord for Indigenous Communities
Harper scrapped a historic agreement to invest in Indigenous infrastructure, healthcare, and education.
Indigenous communities are still suffering the consequences today.
Harper’s Economic Mismanagement – More Debt, More Costs for You
Doubled Canada’s National Debt
Conservatives love to scream about Liberal spending, but Harper doubled the national debt from $450B to $800B—before Trudeau even took office.
Gave Billionaires Massive Tax Cuts
Harper slashed corporate taxes from 22% to 15%, costing Canada billions in lost revenue—money that could have gone to schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.
Did your wages go up? Nope. But CEO bonuses sure did.
Let Foreign Companies Buy Canadian Resources
Harper sold off major Canadian companies to foreign investors, including:
Nexen (a major oil company) → Sold to China.
Canada’s steel industry → Sold to foreign companies, resulting in job losses.
Now, foreign corporations own more of Canada’s resources than we do.
Harper’s Conservative Government Made Life Harder for Workers
Froze Minimum Wage for Federal Workers
Under Harper, federal workers' wages stayed frozen while the cost of living soared.
Weakened Unions & Worker Protections
Harper made it harder for workers to unionize, leading to lower wages and less job security.
Raised Retirement Age to 67
Harper tried to make seniors wait until 67 to collect Old Age Security.
The Liberals reversed this after he lost.
The Conservative Legacy: Sell Everything, Cut Services, Help the Rich
Pierre Poilievre pretends to be for the working class, but let’s be real—every time Conservatives take office, they sell off our assets, weaken public services, and make us pay more for basic things.
And now Pierre wants to take power and do it all over again.
History shows it’s working-class Canadians who always pay the price for Conservative governments.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Do Not Cross: Why Canadians Must Avoid U.S. Travel — Now More Than Ever
Danny I.P. – No Retreat. No Surrender.
April 5, 2025
This is not a drill. This is reality.
The United States of America—our closest neighbour, trading partner, and supposed ally—has just made it clear: Canadians can be detained simply for being denied entry at the border. That’s right. If you show up at a U.S. port of entry and, for any reason, are turned away, you could be held in detention while awaiting deportation.
Let’s be blunt: this is not normal. This is not safe. This is not how friends treat friends.
In a new travel advisory quietly updated by the federal government, Canadians are warned to “expect scrutiny,” to be prepared for invasive questions, and to have their electronic devices searched without cause. Your texts, your emails, your photos—open for inspection by border guards under orders from a regime that’s rapidly shedding any democratic pretence.
This isn’t just about inconvenience. It’s about risk. It’s about sovereignty. It’s about being subjected to authoritarian tactics on foreign soil, with little recourse and no guarantees. You may think you’re “just going shopping,” or visiting a relative, or heading to a ball game—but in Trump’s America, being Canadian is no longer enough to ensure safety or dignity.
And the data backs it up. Border crossings have plummeted since Trump’s return, with thousands of Canadians simply staying home. School trips? Cancelled. Religious gatherings? Axed. The North American relationship is fractured, and pretending otherwise is a dangerous illusion.
This is about more than border policy. This is about a hostile regime—one that is imposing tariffs on Canadian goods, spreading disinformation, embracing isolationism, and now threatening Canadian citizens with detention for simply showing up.
We need to stop sugarcoating the threat. This is Trump’s second term. The guardrails are gone. The gloves are off. And Canadians must wake up to the reality that crossing that border is not worth the risk.
Tell your friends. Cancel your plans. Warn your loved ones.
Until our rights are respected and our safety assured, Canadians should avoid all non-essential travel to the United States. That’s not politics. That’s protection.
⸻
Sources:
• “Canadians Could Face Detention if Denied U.S. Entry, Ottawa Warns,” Global News, 2025.
• “Trump Tariffs on Canada Drive Down Cross-Border Travel,” CBC News, 2025.
• “Canadian School and Religious Trips to U.S. Cancelled Amid Rising Tensions,” Toronto Star, 2025.
See less
Shiftless2
Well-known member
I've quoted Brandeis & Rehnquist 'til I'm blue in the State (NY).
For alternate corroboration I'll cite Gilbert & Sullivan (G&S):
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time—
To let the punishment fit the crime—
The punishment fit the crime.
The Mikado (1885) act 2
Danny #32:
Often we can scale up the simple dynamics of one-on-one relations to national scale. In many cases the imperfect analogy can suffice.
During this 2nd Trump administration, not so much.
The explanation does not flatter the U.S. electorate. None the less, the U.S. voting public has been swindled by a huckster again.
Your observational skills are not in error here.
The problem is the current U.S. political system is operating outside design parameters.
Despite checks & balances that have served U.S. well for centuries, they simply are not robust enough to defend itself from a destructive fraudster entrusted by a beguiled electorate with the control levers of the solar-system's superpower.
It's willfully, destructively, sadistically dictatorial.
As G&S indicate, in matters as serious as knowingly sentencing an innocent man* to lifetime punitive incarceration is as vivid a warning as can be.
And thus rational-minded citizens & subjects the world around must be mindful of the horrendous risks of crossing into U.S. territory during any portion of the Trump administration.
Appearance to the contrary notwithstanding, Canadians and other peace / justice loving Peoples the world around have friends in the U.S. BUT !
We are for the moment being drowned out.
Go easy good friends. Please check back on January 21, 2029. It may (though potentially may not) be a different story by then.
* Kilmar Abrego Garcia, removed from the U.S., to a notorious prison in El Salvador
Play us out G&S ...
- I'm very good at integral and differential calculus,
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous;
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
The Pirates of Penzance (1879) act 1
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Canadians Against Pierre Poilievre
Sam Hefling · osedrtSnpo38clc820mmia71ihmfm5lf1983c131it01uhf6u0392u55ac1u ·https://www.facebook.com/#
As someone who started my life as Baptist in my grandparents church and was then forced into evangelical Christianity as a child, it is really hard for me to ignore some things. I know what it is like to be brainwashed your entire life into thinking a certain way, brainwashing is real. That's why I wanted to look more in Pierre Poilievre's ties with conspiracy theorists.
Pierre is calculated and is probably learning really well from his good friend Jordan Peterson on how to manipulate the more conspiracy minded Christians. I want to add a quick reminder of how dangerous Jordan Peterson is especially to young, religiously leaning, men.
- Jordan Peterson believes "There's no such thing as climate."
- Jordan Peterson has said: "More people die every year from solar energy than die from nuclear energy."
- Jordan Peterson has said: "There isn't any hunger in the world that isn't caused by political conflict. Everyone has enough to eat."(Joe Rogan asked Peterson point-blank, "How many people starve to death in the world?" To which Peterson replied, "Almost none.")
- Jordan Peterson has said: "Universal Basic Income is unworkable because monkeys like to get drunk."
- Jordan Peterson thinks white privilege doesn’t exist and is a Marxist lie.
- Jordan Peterson said he was a hero to 'incels' and cried in front of Piers Morgan.
I can't imagine there is anyone who doesn't know who Alex Jones is but just incase there is let me make a list of things he has done/said. Keep in mind this man identified Poilievre as one of the leaders of a “rising” global far-right movement that is challenging the “New World Order.” I know that it can be seen from the view after reading the next part that if he is this insane then he must be wrong about Pierre. The fact is, Pierre never denounced this endorsement even after many calls to at least say SOMETHING.
- Alex Jones believes the government has 'weather weapons'
- Alex Jones claims Chemicals in the water are turning the frogs gay. (reminds me of transgender mice)
- Alex Jones believes that the government is using chemicals in order to turn people gay, using a mysterious “gay bomb” devised by the Pentagon. that the government is using chemicals in order to turn people gay, using a mysterious “gay bomb” devised by the Pentagon.
- Alex Jones said the Sandy Hook shooting was staged.
- Alex Jones said that "Hillary Clinton is running a child sex ring out of a pizza parlor"
- Alex Jones said The U.S. government staged the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting
- Alex Jones said Barack Obama is the global head of Al Qaeda
- Alex Jones said The U.S. government is using juice boxes to “make children gay”
**THIS IS A VERY RELEVANT CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT ALEX JONES PUSHED. REMEBER HE ENDORSED PIERRE POILEVRE AND PIERRE NEVER DENOUNCED IT.**
- Alex jones pushed the conspiracy theory that The “New World Order” of global elites is planning to euthanize most of the world’s population. (pulling this excerpt from the daily dot)
"As far as Jones is concerned, the “global elite” have a master plan to exterminate 80 percent of the world’s population, which will enable them to live forever with advanced technology. Jones’ obsession with this so-called “New World Order” of globalists spurned a full-length documentary, Operation ENDGAME, in which he chronicles the rise of the Bilderberg Group, a conference of roughly 150 global elites chaired by the Prince of Norway. Jones claims they have documented plans to take over the world through a “one world” government.
Do I think the Pierre Poilievre believes there's chemicals in the water turning the frogs gay? No, probably not. Do I believe Pierre thinks the sandy hook shooting was staged? It's hard to say because he refused to say anything.
Can I say for sure that Pierre doesn't to appeal to the "incels'?, no I can not say that because he associates himself with a proud mouthpiece for them. I hope the conservatives don't wonder why they aren't winning the popularity among women.
Do I believe that Pierre Poilievre believes there's no climate? yes actually, I do believe that. The man thinks that electrician's grab lightening from the sky and put it into copper wire which just magically powers everything.
THE POINT:
Pierre thinks you're stupid. He may not be too smart himself but he speaks the same language as these anti-women, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-climate radicals.
He does this because it gets him votes. He's a career politician he has had a LONG time to perfect his lying and manipulating game. He is still horrible at it to the people he isn't targeting. He's targeting the people who are vulnerable enough to fall for his rhetoric and the rich.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Poilievre likes to say that Canada is broken. In reality it’s the Conservative Party that’s broken.
I think back and it was at this moment that I began to realize the Conservative Party was veering from the party I thought I was in line with. What father shakes his son’s hand as he is on his way into school? Year’s later Harper stated that the criticisms over this picture really hurt him; after all he sees many parents drop their kids off without as much as a hug.
The point that this was a staged moment, meant to be capture by cameras didn’t occur to him. His child and the handshake were a prop.
Over the next 20’years from this picture, I started to believe maybe I was becoming more “liberal” in my thinking. I recognize now - it wasn’t me changing but the party.
It really took until Poilievre’s appearance in Ottawa where it became perfectly clear to me. For crying out loud the fools held poor Ottawa hostage while they had their street party.
What about law and order? The ridiculous part is that the dimwits didn’t realize Poilievre was there not to support them but to go against Trudeau. His hate and envy of Trudeau has seethed from his pores ever since. The “Freedom fighters” point was to “show Canada”. Yah it showed me. It showed me until this current Conservative Party admits they are imposters - Maple Maga - I will never vote for them again.
Canadians Against Pierre Poilievre
Robin Clark March · npeoSdrsotf8lrh81M tufPc42tcg05tdYftai70125a9ai5e2 9s:ye uta ·I think back and it was at this moment that I began to realize the Conservative Party was veering from the party I thought I was in line with. What father shakes his son’s hand as he is on his way into school? Year’s later Harper stated that the criticisms over this picture really hurt him; after all he sees many parents drop their kids off without as much as a hug.
The point that this was a staged moment, meant to be capture by cameras didn’t occur to him. His child and the handshake were a prop.
Over the next 20’years from this picture, I started to believe maybe I was becoming more “liberal” in my thinking. I recognize now - it wasn’t me changing but the party.
It really took until Poilievre’s appearance in Ottawa where it became perfectly clear to me. For crying out loud the fools held poor Ottawa hostage while they had their street party.
What about law and order? The ridiculous part is that the dimwits didn’t realize Poilievre was there not to support them but to go against Trudeau. His hate and envy of Trudeau has seethed from his pores ever since. The “Freedom fighters” point was to “show Canada”. Yah it showed me. It showed me until this current Conservative Party admits they are imposters - Maple Maga - I will never vote for them again.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Shiftless2
Well-known member
A reminder for people beyond this group who are still trying to decide who to vote for on April 28th.
Please keep in mind the scandals, cover-ups, convictions, and mean policies of the Harper era of which Pierre Polievre was a central figure and staunch defender. These included:
the ill-advised, hastily-organized G8 summit in downtown Toronto which resulted in the brutal detention in cages of not only protestors but many innocent passersby;
the ‘barbaric cultural practices’ snitch line encouraging racial profiling;
the Senate Expenses Scandal (Duffy, Wallin, Brazeau), made worse when PMO paid off Duffy and Harper denied knowledge (as if the control freak wouldn’t have known);
the Sophisticated Robocall scandal in which Liberal voters were misdirected to non-existent polling stations and a lone Conservative Party worker took the fall;
the In-and-Out Scandal in which the Conservative Party pleaded guilty for transferring money between local and national campaigns accounts to illegally exceed election spending limits;
the conviction of Harper’s Chief of staff Dean Del Mastro’s for electoral fraud and falsifying documents;
the introduction (by Pierre Poilievre) of the ‘Fair Elections Act’ to limit the power of Elections Canada to investigate issues like the Robo Calls scandal while making it more difficult for some people to vote;
the attempted cover up over the transfer of Afghan detainees, knowing they would most likely be tortured;
the handing out of giant Economic Action Plan cheques as if they were Conservative Party cheques;
the proroguing of Parliament twice to avoid non-confidence votes;
idiotic spending proposals for a Memorial to ‘Victims of Communism’ that would have obscured the view of Canada’s beautiful Supreme Court building;
and the massive ‘Mother Canada’ Canada statue that was to have defaced the rocky Cape Breton coastline;
the muzzling of Canadian government scientists;
scrubbing of the words ‘climate change’ from all government web sites, even Environment Canada’s.
It was an era of political sleaze.
And now we have the two-faced Harper re-emerging from the shadows to criticize PM Mark Carney, a man who he appointed and praised highly for steering the Bank of Canada through the global financial crisis of 2008.
A vote for Poilievre will be a vote for the same underhanded shenanigans!
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Top Signs You Might Be Dealing with a Maple MAGA
1. Everything is a conspiracy. Vaccines, elections, climate change, even why the neighbor's cat won't look at them. Nothing is as it seems.
2. They say “freedom” a lot… …but only for people who agree with them.
3. A deep love for authoritarianism
4. They own at least one T-shirt that says “I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking.” (Spoiler: They're not.)
5. They think being asked to use someone’s pronouns is tyranny, but are cool with banning books, drag shows, and reproductive health care.
6. Historical revisionism is their cardio. Suddenly, all dictators were "misunderstood" and colonizers were "just exploring."
7. They believe diversity is a threat, but don't blink when their favorite restaurant is Thai, their favorite actor is Black, and their favorite nurse is an immigrant.
8. They use “woke” as an insult, despite not being entirely sure what it means. (It’s not a breakfast cereal, Dave.)
9. Every problem is blamed on a vague group called “them.” Them = liberals, immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ people, and anyone who read a book this year.
10. They shout “cancel culture!”…right before trying to get a teacher fired for mentioning racism in history class.
11. They really miss “the good old days,” which, coincidentally, were the worst possible times for anyone who wasn't a straight white male.
12. They idolize political figures who talk tough and punch down. Bonus points if the politician has been indicted.
13. They think the media is lying, except for that one sketchy YouTube channel run by a guy in a basement with a whiteboard.
14. They’re obsessed with traditional gender roles, unless it's them cooking frozen pizza for the fifth night in a row.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
The election is in a couple of weeks so we get to suffer thru PP's drivel until then
PIERRE POILIEVRE KEEPS TALKING ABOUT WOMEN ’s BIOLOGICAL CLOCKS.
Share widely, our democracy depends on it
Right-wing politics has a fixation on baby-making right now, and it’s weird.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s wife Anaida Poilievre and children Cruz and Valentina have joined him on campaign stops, like this March event at Kruger Packaging in Brampton, Ontario. Photo by Chris Young, the Canadian Press.
How do you feel when you hear the phrase “biological clock”? Do you feel your ovaries shrivelling and dying as the seconds tick by? Or maybe a hot flash of anger directed at any male politician who obsesses about the fertility of females?
The backlash against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s frequent invocation of women “desperate” to have children but stymied by the high cost of housing has set off a predictable skirmish in the ever-present culture wars. Liberal and NDP politicians have accused him of using “outdated and harmful rhetoric,” while Poilievre supporters have complained that criticism is “political correctness run amok.”
Talking about women or young couples who are delaying having kids because they can’t afford to buy a home isn’t all that strange. It is something people in their 20s and 30s think about, and it’s the reason I moved into a housing co-op in my mid-20s, a few years before having my first child. I have neighbours who have told me they chose to have a second baby only after getting secure, affordable housing. I can easily imagine people speaking to Conservative politicians and campaign volunteers about this issue on the doorstep.
But it’s important to put the language Poilievre has been using in the context of what’s been happening within the world of right-wing and conservative politics.
Over the past decade far-right ideas and rhetoric have become more popular and mainstream, often promoted and consumed by a young, male audience in the form of podcasts and social media videos.
During a standard Poilievre stump speech, you’ll hear a mix of traditional Conservative talking points around lower taxes and government waste mixed in with references to popular far-right figures and ideas. A lengthy part of the speech explaining how government spending leads to higher inflation usually goes over like a lead balloon. But name-checking the far-right social media personality Jordan Peterson gets cheers, and so does a promise to never participate in the supposedly nefarious World Economic Forum — a reference to a popular online conspiracy theory.
When Poilievre appeared in an hour-long interview on Jordan Peterson’s podcast and YouTube channel in January, he said that young people are yearning to start families and practise “traditional values.”
Peterson has promoted traditional heterosexual marriage as a cure for much of what ails young men, has criticized “pathological guys who are out there bolstering up the feminists” and recently released a video lecture series on studying the Bible.
“That’s the thing I’m finding, is that a lot of people are really getting back to those values that we were told were unfashionable,” Poilievre told Peterson. “Young people today, they want to have families.”
In response, Peterson observed that “there’s been a real conservative swing, especially among young men.”
A few minutes after those comments, a religious anti-abortion ad plays, telling the story of a woman in “a tumultuous marriage” who already had eight children and was considering ending her ninth pregnancy before reconsidering because “this was the baby she’d asked God for.” The advertisement is not a generic YouTube ad: it includes a promo code for Peterson’s show.
Abortion is still legal in Canada and continues to be treated as a political third rail: although individual politicians may have strongly held beliefs, there is no desire to reopen the issue, especially on the campaign trail.
But in the United States, the court ruling that paved the way for legal abortion, Roe v. Wade, was overturned in 2022, leading to draconian laws in several states limiting or banning abortion.
While opposing abortion and emphasizing traditional gender roles have played a part in religious right-wing politics for years, baby-making is getting a futurist spin as well.
The concept of “pronatalism” has been popularized by Elon Musk, the billionaire tech CEO who holds a highly influential place in U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Musk has fathered 14 children with several different women, and the idea of having a lot of kids — which sometimes includes trying to select embryos for the best traits — is currently popular in Silicon Valley tech culture.
It’s also something Vice-President JD Vance has alluded to, calling for an increase in the birth rate and criticizing “childless cat ladies” who are supposedly “miserable.”
Critics say pronatalism is often associated with eugenics and a desire to populate the world with more of the “right people.” Eugenics, a concept popular in the first few decades of the 20th century, argued people with some genetic qualities should be encouraged to have children, while others should be discouraged or blocked. It has been discredited because of its associations with racism, ableism, white supremacy and practices like forced sterilization.
Poilievre currently has a problem with women: a March 31 Leger poll found that 36 per cent of male respondents picked Poilievre as the best choice for prime minister, but that dropped to just 22 per cent of women. The same poll showed that 38 per cent of men picked Liberal Leader Mark Carney as the best choice for prime minister, compared with 36 per cent of women.
Comedian Clare Blackwood, who took aim at Poilievre’s comments in a video published Friday, had a suggestion for an alternative way to discuss the issue of high housing costs.
“Instead of saying... that you ‘feel for the 39-year-old woman, desperate to have kids but unable to buy a home in which to raise them, her biological clock running out,’” Blackwood advised, “you just say, ‘I’m going to lower housing costs.’”
Right-wing politics has a fixation on baby-making right now, and it’s weird.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s wife Anaida Poilievre and children Cruz and Valentina have joined him on campaign stops, like this March event at Kruger Packaging in Brampton, Ontario. Photo by Chris Young, the Canadian Press.
How do you feel when you hear the phrase “biological clock”? Do you feel your ovaries shrivelling and dying as the seconds tick by? Or maybe a hot flash of anger directed at any male politician who obsesses about the fertility of females?
The backlash against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s frequent invocation of women “desperate” to have children but stymied by the high cost of housing has set off a predictable skirmish in the ever-present culture wars. Liberal and NDP politicians have accused him of using “outdated and harmful rhetoric,” while Poilievre supporters have complained that criticism is “political correctness run amok.”
Talking about women or young couples who are delaying having kids because they can’t afford to buy a home isn’t all that strange. It is something people in their 20s and 30s think about, and it’s the reason I moved into a housing co-op in my mid-20s, a few years before having my first child. I have neighbours who have told me they chose to have a second baby only after getting secure, affordable housing. I can easily imagine people speaking to Conservative politicians and campaign volunteers about this issue on the doorstep.
But it’s important to put the language Poilievre has been using in the context of what’s been happening within the world of right-wing and conservative politics.
Over the past decade far-right ideas and rhetoric have become more popular and mainstream, often promoted and consumed by a young, male audience in the form of podcasts and social media videos.
During a standard Poilievre stump speech, you’ll hear a mix of traditional Conservative talking points around lower taxes and government waste mixed in with references to popular far-right figures and ideas. A lengthy part of the speech explaining how government spending leads to higher inflation usually goes over like a lead balloon. But name-checking the far-right social media personality Jordan Peterson gets cheers, and so does a promise to never participate in the supposedly nefarious World Economic Forum — a reference to a popular online conspiracy theory.
When Poilievre appeared in an hour-long interview on Jordan Peterson’s podcast and YouTube channel in January, he said that young people are yearning to start families and practise “traditional values.”
Peterson has promoted traditional heterosexual marriage as a cure for much of what ails young men, has criticized “pathological guys who are out there bolstering up the feminists” and recently released a video lecture series on studying the Bible.
“That’s the thing I’m finding, is that a lot of people are really getting back to those values that we were told were unfashionable,” Poilievre told Peterson. “Young people today, they want to have families.”
In response, Peterson observed that “there’s been a real conservative swing, especially among young men.”
A few minutes after those comments, a religious anti-abortion ad plays, telling the story of a woman in “a tumultuous marriage” who already had eight children and was considering ending her ninth pregnancy before reconsidering because “this was the baby she’d asked God for.” The advertisement is not a generic YouTube ad: it includes a promo code for Peterson’s show.
Abortion is still legal in Canada and continues to be treated as a political third rail: although individual politicians may have strongly held beliefs, there is no desire to reopen the issue, especially on the campaign trail.
But in the United States, the court ruling that paved the way for legal abortion, Roe v. Wade, was overturned in 2022, leading to draconian laws in several states limiting or banning abortion.
While opposing abortion and emphasizing traditional gender roles have played a part in religious right-wing politics for years, baby-making is getting a futurist spin as well.
The concept of “pronatalism” has been popularized by Elon Musk, the billionaire tech CEO who holds a highly influential place in U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Musk has fathered 14 children with several different women, and the idea of having a lot of kids — which sometimes includes trying to select embryos for the best traits — is currently popular in Silicon Valley tech culture.
It’s also something Vice-President JD Vance has alluded to, calling for an increase in the birth rate and criticizing “childless cat ladies” who are supposedly “miserable.”
Critics say pronatalism is often associated with eugenics and a desire to populate the world with more of the “right people.” Eugenics, a concept popular in the first few decades of the 20th century, argued people with some genetic qualities should be encouraged to have children, while others should be discouraged or blocked. It has been discredited because of its associations with racism, ableism, white supremacy and practices like forced sterilization.
Poilievre currently has a problem with women: a March 31 Leger poll found that 36 per cent of male respondents picked Poilievre as the best choice for prime minister, but that dropped to just 22 per cent of women. The same poll showed that 38 per cent of men picked Liberal Leader Mark Carney as the best choice for prime minister, compared with 36 per cent of women.
Comedian Clare Blackwood, who took aim at Poilievre’s comments in a video published Friday, had a suggestion for an alternative way to discuss the issue of high housing costs.
“Instead of saying... that you ‘feel for the 39-year-old woman, desperate to have kids but unable to buy a home in which to raise them, her biological clock running out,’” Blackwood advised, “you just say, ‘I’m going to lower housing costs.’”