PONDERABLES
Why would anyone be surprised by another example of Andrew Scheer’s poor judgement?
THINGS I FIRMLY BELIEVE
As a friend recently commented, if someone had predicted a year ago the changes in our lives during the last nine months, no one would have believed it.
REALLY, CHRYSTIA?
The Bank of Canada is going to replace Sir Wilfrid Laurier on the $5 dollar bill and has released a list of eight names under consideration. Seven of them are: Pitseolak Ashoona, Robertine Barry, Francis Pegahmagabow, Won Alexander Cumyow, Lotta Hitschmanova, Isapo-muxiha, and Frederick Ogilvie. Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, said “These people deserve recognition for their remarkable contributions to Canada… they all …have inspired generations.” (Emphasis is mine.) I suspect the list of generations that have been inspired by the contributions of these seven would be very short. So to equate them to the eighth name on the list, Terry Fox, is patently absurd. This is a classic example of the never-ending virtue signalling from a government that can’t resist doing so at every opportunity, no matter how inappropriate it may be.
ERIN O’TOOLE COURTING UNIONS
In a recent virtual event hosted by the Canadian Club of Toronto, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole made a pitch for union-member votes by stating he appreciated the important role private-sector unions, such as in the construction industry, play in obtaining job security and benefits that would otherwise not be available to many thousands of Canadians. His strategy is clear. The Conservatives best chance of winning an election is usually for a strong NDP to take away votes from the Liberals. Due to fund-raising difficulties, and a pathetically inept leader, the NDP is anything but strong. It’ll be interesting to see how O’Toole’s strategy plays out, particularly when his pitch was not appreciated by many hardcore Conservatives, including members of his own caucus. And it doesn’t help his cause that Canada’s most powerful union leader, Unifor president Jerry Dias, said something along the lines of “I like what he said but I don’t believe him.”
After newspapers reported O’Toole’s left turn I received the following message, “As a Conservative and union hater, this probably doesn’t sit well with you.” I actually think O’Toole has more to gain than lose by moving closer to the center. And to set the record straight, I have no problem with private-sector unions. Corporations that become unionized probably deserve their fate. It’s public-sector unions I abhor. They tend to benefit only their greedy leaders and the incompetents among their membership. When a private-sector union goes on strike its effect is to put pressure on the employer being targeted. But when a public-sector union goes on strike, it’s the general population that is harmed.
GUN CONTROL WRONGHEADEDNESS
Justin Trudeau has criticized Ontario Premier Rob Ford for not getting behind his ridiculous idea that banning hand guns would significantly reduce gun crimes in Toronto, whose mayor, John Tory, during a previous mayoralty campaign said that such a ban would be ineffective, hurting only law-abiding gun owners. But Tory has now changed his mind. Both Trudeau and Tory surely must realize that criminals pay no attention whatsoever to laws. So why are they flogging this dead horse? With Trudeau, it’s just more virtue signalling, but Tory’s about-face is completely inexplicable.
I REST MY CASE
I’ve written before that Trudeau’s current cabinet is probably the weakest in Canadian parliamentary history. Earlier in the week, the Minister Of Women And Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, Maryam Monsef, added to the body of evidence exhibiting her particular incompetence by admitting on national television that she doesn’t know what her annual salary is. The body of evidence referred to is Monsef’s earlier dismal failures as minister of democratic institutions and minister of international development. As a matter of interest, her annual salary is $269,800. She’s also entitled to a living allowance and a number of other valuable perks which probably brings her annual gross to well over $300,000. Thankfully, Trudeau didn’t make her minister of finance when he forced out Bill Morneau.
Then a couple of days later Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan admitted she hadn’t read the Supreme Court verdict in the Marshall case, just someone else’s summary of it. As the Marshall case is the genesis of the serious ongoing lobster fishing dispute in Nova Scotia, its entire transcript is clearly required reading for the fisheries minister.
THE POWER OF TELEVISION
On Wheel of Fortune last Wednesday Vanna White mentioned that as a kid she loved biscuits and molasses. Almost ten years ago I posted an article entitled The Ritual of Eating Biscuits and Molasses. Within hours of Vanna’s comment ten people had read it online.