PONDERABLES
Why does ultra-conservative People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier continue to run candidates in federal elections (most recently, himself, in this week’s York Central by-election) when all he’s accomplishing is helping elect Liberals.
When Bloc Quebecois MP Julie Vignola, filling in for a regular commons ethics committee member, voted with the Liberals to end investigating Trudeau’s involvement in the WE scandal, was it, as she maintains, because she misunderstood a translation, or did the Liberals make a backroom deal?
Who knew that when the late Pat Quinn knocked out Bobby Orr with a controversial bodycheck on April 2, 1969, that it would affect Orr’s judgement in October, 2020?
THINGS I FIRMLY BELIEVE
If baseball doesn’t enact and enforce rules to speed up games, it will not only fail to attract new fans but will continue to lose existing ones.
THE INCORRIGIBLE PATTY HADJU
Federal Health Minister Patty Hadju’s hypocrisy and sense of self-entitlement is truly staggering. She was photographed Sunday night in a public waiting area at Toronto’s Pearson Airport without a face mask anywhere in sight. Trying to deflect the ensuing criticism, she said that she was wearing her mask at the airport except when she was eating or drinking. But also nowhere in sight in the picture is any evidence of food or drink. In July her office admitted that during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, while publicly urging Canadians to refrain from travel except for essential purposes, on four occasions she used a government aircraft to fly from Ottawa to her home in Thunder Bay and back. No details of any constituency requirement that would render the travel “essential” have been offered.
GREEN PARTY LEADERS’ BLUES
Although newly-minted Green Party leader Annamie Paul, by capturing about one-third of the votes, fared very well in Monday’s Toronto Centre by-election, like her predecessor, Elizabeth May, she failed to initially win a seat in parliament. May had to run in three elections in three provinces before being elected in the B.C. riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands in 2011. She lost in London North Centre in 2006 and Central Nova in 2008. Because Paul is much more likeable, is not just a one-trick pony, and has tremendous growth potential, she’s poised to be a significantly more effective leader than May.
ANOTHER TV PERSONALITY IN PARLIAMENT
By winning the by-election in Toronto Centre, veteran CTV journalist, Marcia Ien, has joined fellow Liberal Seamus O’Regan and Conservatives Peter Kent and Kevin Waugh as former TV personalties elected to parliament. You can be forgiven if Kevin Waugh’s name doesn’t ring a bell; he’s a former Saskatoon sportscaster. Their presence in Ottawa is an indication of the importance of name recognition in elections.
THOUGHTLESS SELFISHNESS
Los Angeles Dodger third baseman Justin Turner was removed from his team’s World Series winning game after the seventh inning when it was discovered that he had tested positive for COVID-19. But in a monumental display of thoughtless selfishness, when he should have been long gone to self-quarantine, he returned to the field and joined in the team’s post-game celebration, hugging teammates, and removing his mask for the team picture. It’s reported that Turner’s current salary is $12 million U.S. a year, so he should be hit with a significant fine, payable immediately, and a lengthy suspension to be served next season. Why such stiff punishment? Because in addition to the possibility of being a one-man super-spreader, he’s a role model who set a deplorable example witnessed by millions on TV.
THE MITCHELL MILLER SITUATION
Should the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes have dropped their fourth-round draft pick, eighteen-year-old U.S. college player Mitchell Miller? On the “yes” side is that Miller was convicted of assault for physically bullying classmate, Isaih Meyer-Crother, while they attended a junior high school in Ohio in 2016. He also admitted to calling him the N-word and “brownie.” On the “no” side are the facts that Miller completed his sentence of 24 hours of community service and has apologized to Meyer-Crother, There’s also the question of how long he has to continue to pay for his transgression. Before the draft, the NHL alerted all teams about MIller’s background. Coyote management said they drafted him anyway because they felt he deserved a second chance. It would be helpful if they now divulged why they’ve changed their minds.
STRONG EVIDENCE
Doubters of the importance of physical distancing would do well to note the case of a recent wedding celebration in the outskirts of Toronto. Contact tracing has tracked at least forty-four cases of COVID-19 to the event which was attended by 100 people.