There’s been much happening these days…
I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to address first. As the old Chinese curse goes; may you live in interesting times. We certainly are!
Trudeau 2.0
It’s not always good to be right. I’ve been saying all along that one who underestimates Liberals do so at their peril. Andrew Scheer took that to heart and underestimated the lengths that Trudeau and the Liberals were willing to go to win. Such is the path leading to second place.
Trudeau had four years to stack the deck and he did so admirably. He took down Canada’s borders, played favorites with minority groups changed laws to accommodate and invested deeply in the mainstream media. All Scheer did was promise more money in your pocket and an “energy corridor” across Canada. Judging from the eons old battle for reducing trade barriers between provinces, this would’ve likely been a non starter. Justin has more baggage than an airport but Sheer didn’t capitalize on any of it. Instead he allowed the Liberal media to paint him as a nasty homophobe because he doesn’t want to march in a parade. You can’t make this up.
Justin now has a large minority propped up by the NDP; if he wants to do anything at all he has to please Jagmeet. Note that the NDP’s stance on oil and the West makes Trudeau look like a “Rig Pig”. We can expect, as Premier Scott Moe said, “More of the same”. Expect the attacks to be intensified.
Jason Kenny
Premier Kenny’s United Conservative Party swept Alberta. Considering the damage Notley’s NDP did to Alberta in an effort to please Trudeau while appearing to support Alberta and the energy industry, a giraffe in a blue sweater could have won.
Kenny is a federalist through and through. It’s a precarious balancing act for him since a third of Albertans support independence and that support keeps increasing. He has to sit on both sides of the fence, no easy task! Although he tries hard, one has to wonder about chances for success against the Liberal/NDP/Green government. Newly appointed federal Minister Freeland, who self appointed herself as the “Minister of National Unity”, has visited Kenny and although she makes a nice front, her real purpose is to pacify the West so that Ottawa and the Laurentian Elites can get back to business. It’s the same old story with the addition of a red dress. “Be good Canadians (pat on the head), there, that’s better, now bend over.
Always bear in mind as this unfolds that there is a big difference between listening to reply and listening to understand. Actions will decide things.
WEXIT
WEXIT is here! Like it or not, Ottawa. I have asked Peter Downing for input into this blog entry, unfortunately he is rather busy. The movement has great momentum which for the moment is centered on Alberta. As The Polite Separatist has always said, it will start in Alberta, then Saskatchewan, then BC. Very large crowds have gathered for events in Calgary, Edmonton and elsewhere. It’s looking very good!
I’d like to say a few words about WEXITBC. First and foremost, kudos to the interim executive! Their work is very much appreciated. Now let me offer a bit of advice, if I may. As we have seen, the more the movement grows, the more scrutiny it comes under. Plus, there is no lack of people who desperately want this to fail. They will stoop to incredible lows to sink WEXIT in the eyes of the public. As such, optics are vitally important. If one wants to be respected and thought of as a credible professional representative of the movement, one has to look the part. Long unkept hair, thick beards and bad lighting are a no-no. You are being watched…always. Sorry, but there you have it. You’re out to inspire not to be comfy.
WEXITBC will have a much tougher row to hoe than WEXIT Alberta. Why? Because BC is the home of strong left wing forces that support NDP and Green Party policies that are in direct opposition to Western Canadian energy. BC is also home to large special interest groups, LGBT and so forth. All of these folks will have to be inspired to join us.
The Future
To paraphrase Premier Scott Moe, we are in for more of the same. Little Miss Red Dress will try hard to sugar coat the bitter pill to come but it will come. The UN has announced that the earth’s temperature will rise by over 3 percent by 2100, UNLESS governments triple their efforts now. Frankly, they can’t decide on how many genders there are, they can’t reliably predict the weather next week, but they are predicting the temperature 80 years from now? Really?
The sad thing is that Trudeau will take this as carved in stone and woe be unto any “deniers” out there. Expect more taxes on energy as he works hard to please the NDP and Greens and covets a temporary seat on the UN Security Council.
So….
The situation is changing.