It was fun, after Pierre Poilievre delivered his keynote speech to the Conservative Policy Convention, to listen and watch the politically-correct media pundits sputter and stammer over topics he gave short shrift to or left out entirely.
Trans-gender demands, LGBTQ concerns , divisive abortion issues, “Reconciliation” or First Nations’ claims for more billions, allegations of thousands of unmarked children’s graves or “mass graves” were given short shrift in Poilievre’s hour-long address.
And Poilievre didn’t even start his speech by acknowledging he was speaking on the “unceded lands” of any of the dozens of Indian bands within 500 kilometres of the Quebec City convention!
Incroyable!
But instead … this was back to the basics that Poilievre and the Conservatives believe the majority of Canadians really care much more about: sky-high taxes, housing and grocery costs, crime and stopping “the war against the car”.
Media pundits be damned, Poilievre was speaking to/for the Conservative party’s base … and the 28 million Canadians eligible to vote.
And as I watched deliver his election-campaign-style message, I felt he hit SEVERAL points and made promises that would score with ordinary, working, taxpaying Canadians … and pull votes from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Jasmeet Singh and even Bloc Quebecois head Yves-Francois Blanchet.
Including:
His early years as an adopted child, whose parents were both modest-income teachers (an intended clear contrast to Trudeau’s silver spoon upbringing) and the fact that his father was Francophone and his wife’s family were refugees from Venezuela;
How inflation and interest rates have risen, how housing costs before Trudeau were half what they are today, how crime had fallen 25% under PM Stephen Harper, but has risen again under Trudeau’s lax bail laws, and … most of all … how Canada’s economy is shrinking.
“GDP per capita is actually smaller today than it was six years ago, and Canada’s growth is now projected to be the worst in the entire OECD, not just for the next six years, but for the next three decades,” Poilievre told the crowd.
He also noted that, while Canadians used to pay off their entire mortgage in 25 years, now it takes some 25 years just to raise the down payment.
“We don’t know when the election will be, but when it comes, Canadians will have only two options: a common senses Conservative government that frees hard-working people to earn powerful paycheques that buy affordable food, gas an homes in safe neighbourhoods … or, a reckless coalition of Trudeau and the NDP that punishes your work, takes your money, taxes your food, doubles your housing bill and unleashes crime and chaos in your neighbourhood.”
I believe that kind of powerful, provocative, persuasive parlance that will score with moderate, middle class voters … including Millennials and Generations X and Z.
And the vast majority of working Canadians of every age, I suspect, would support Poilievre’s promise to “axe the tax” on carbon and “end the war on vehicles.”
For seniors … and European-origin Canadians feeling beset by attacks from “woke” activists … the Conservative leader also took a swipe at those who criticize, condemn and try to erase Canada’s historical figures, symbols and accomplishments, including the Liberal government’s removal of images of Vimy Ridge, Terry Fox, Quebec’s Chateau Frontenac from Canadian passport pages.
“This business of deleting our past must end…. English Canada must start to learn from Quebec: Quebeckers do not apologize for their culture, their language and their history … they celebrate it, and all Canadians should do the same.”
Celebrate Canada’s English-speaking roots? Instead of putting and literally pulling it down? And recognizing only First Nations, Chinese, Indian/Sikh and Muslim cultures? Not something I’d expect Trudeau to say these days!
But again, what I found most significant was what Poilievre actually left out of his speech: no praise, pandering, promising billions … or even acknowledging claims or grievances of Canada’s First Nations or allegations of thousands of “missing” children … or “mass graves”.
Not a mention.
Clearly once more separating Poilievre/Conservatives from Trudeau/Liberals and Singh/NDP.
Most interesting … and I’m sure not by accident … and, yet, I haven’t seen any pundit who even noticed. However, I suspect First Nations leaders/activists sure did!
And Poilievre/Conservative strategists probably hope many voters did too.
Harv Oberfeld
(Follow @Harveyoberfeld on “X” (Twitter) for FREE First Alerts to all new postings on this BC Blog. No spam, just free alerts to new topics up for discussion.)
Finally someone to ignore the endless demands for money or recognition..
I was on an Air Canada flight a month ago and I noticed they didn’t acknowledge that we were “flying over the unceded lands of blah ,blah, blah”.
Populist, endlessly repeated, drivel that is rapidly losing it’s impact.
Looking at the polling numbers, I wonder if Trudeau will even make it to the next election.
“A walk in the snow” moment?
I have NEVER contributed money to ANY political party.
I have now given money to the Conservatives just to (hopefully) help rid us of these Gucci clad socialist children running Canada into decades of ruinous debt.
Criminal doesnt even begin to explain it.
(Response: Months ago, I wrote that I sensed millions of Canadians … ignored by the media … were fed up/not buying into the constant First Nations acknowledgements, pandering and shelling out billions of dollars by the various levels of government, almost on demand. Poilievre and his Tory strategists now seem on to that: he has offered to include them in consultations (and so he should) but the fact he totally ignored them in his speech …unless they include themselves in his references to “all” Canadians … I believe was very significant, although missed or ignored by virtually all the “working” media/commentators. h.o)
Conveniently ignored by the MSM…..
What ever doesn’t pander to the populist politically correct pabulum de jour…..is ignored.
If the MSM does nt report it …It didnt happen.
Case in point.
Burnaby held a dedication for soccer player Christine Sinclair in Burnaby on Sat am. They opened a public building named after her. A few hundred, maybe a thousand, showed up and she signed autographs for the kids.
The Media was all over it.
At the same time on the same day a vintage car show in Langley drew tens of thousands of people.
Not…a….peep from the MSM.
Propaganda?
Pandering to the Liberal agenda?
Plummeting viewers and readers……
They earned every bit of it.
(Response: On the CBC today, I saw some of their favorite “panelists” harumphing over some of the wackier resolutions at the policy convention, on transsexual issues, child gender identification, bathroom use etc., even though I’m sure they ALL know delegates at every party’s “grass roots” conventions often pass controversial resolutions that their leaders are not required to follow and often ignore. The “woke” lefties may be shaking their heads, but Poilievre and the Tories see their road to victory by pushing other issues they believe are much more important to the majority of Canadians … taxes, inflation, housing costs, crime. Oh, and reeling in the CBC! h.o)
Music to my ears!
The Abacus polling firm carried out a big survey over the summer months, the results were released in late August. The headline story was, of course, the Conservative Party hovering at Majority Government status. But what I found interesting was an extensive questionnaire put to people taking the poll (that didn’t get as much airtime but the results are available online). Abacus presented a list of about 25 policy issues facing the county and participants were asked to rate how important they were to them. The major issues of importance were entirely economic (85% plus saying inflation, the cost of housing, rising interest rates, growing inequality etc. were very important). The only non-economic issue that polled at that level was Health Care (75% saying it was very important).
What I found really interesting was the ‘social justice issues’ (for lack of a better term) that the major media outlets always seem to be pushing these days, they hardly drew any interest in comparison. Take the environment/climate change, only about 25% of people saw it as a major or important issue. Electoral interference from foreign governments was about 10%. And it gets even lower for the really far out social issues that take up so much airspace: only about 7% said that the ‘LGBT/trans health for youth’ was an important issue and it was even lower for Residential Schools/FN Reconciliation (which seems to confirm what you said in an earlier post about the issue) and structural/institutional racism.
Its interesting to see Liberal cabinet ministers, NDP MPs and a lot of the media trying to portray the Tories as outside of the mainstream (as if they are some Far Right European party or Canadian style Trump outfit, with endless references to the Trucker convoys). But if the Abacus poll is right, its actually the Left (or Progressives or whatever they like to called), its they, that are outside of the mainstream of Canadian politics today. They don’t have any solutions to the real problems facing the country and when they get called out on it, all they can do is smear their opponents as reactionary bigots. It seems like a crazy strategy to me. Perhaps the Liberals know their time in Government is up and they are trying to shore up their core vote so they don’t get wiped out like they did in the 2011 election.
(Response: Personally, I have mostly viewed myself (and voted) center/left … Liberal/NDP, but on occasion over my life have also voted Conservative and even Green. (One big complication: when I covered the Legislature, I did not vote provincially … and while covering Parliament Hill, I did not vote federally.) However, after leaving those “beats” have always voted … and again, mostly centre left. But now I believe the BC NDP and federal Liberals have lost their way when it comes to ordinary WORKING families and seniors, struggling with paying their bills and feeding their families. So although I’m no great fan of Poilievre, I’m thinking it’s time for change! h.o)
Quote: “Its interesting to see Liberal cabinet ministers, NDP MPs and a lot of the media trying to portray the Tories as outside of the mainstream (as if they are some Far Right European party or Canadian style Trump outfit.”
If Poilievre’s conservatives can mute the Trump/MAGA types from the party (like most Alberta Conservatives) I think he has a good shot at the brass ring.
If elected, can Poilievre deliver?
The problem he will face and what both the NDP and Liberal’s ignore is that the rot in government is so deep that it cannot be purged.
Like it or not Poilievre has to deal with Global Warming, one just cannot tax climate change to end, as the NDP and the Liberals believe.
He will also have to deal with the First Nations and that will be more than problematic as the First Nation “grift” continues. What will he do if the blockades go back up again?
With a bellicose Russia and china, can our military protect our North? Increased military spending is a must, yet current politcal ennui (the years the locusts ate in the 1930’s) prevents that.
The UN is in a shambles, should Canada just walk away and instead bolster the Commonwealth instead.
The G-20 was an embarrassment with no condemnation of Russia, maybe we should just walk away from that too.
Can Poilievre think out of the box can he weed out the Quisling bureaucrats who so distort the facts to suit their own agendas.
Immigration, what will Poilievre do? Obviously the flood of foreign money has distorted our housing, medicare and other social services to the point of fiasco.
If elected Poilievre will face a massive wall of bureaucratic and political inertia that is driving Canada down the road to oblivion.
(Response: Good point: we have no real idea exactly how a Poilievre government will deal with climate change, immigration, housing, First Nations etc. Hopefully the Liberals and NDP will push him on that, in the House and most importantly on the hustings and during the election campaign. But he may prove slippery … believing that an election win will come instead by repeatedly pushing the same buttons in his speech. h.o.)
So much to say, but I will try to keep it short.
As a 7th generation Canadian, with both grandfathers fighting in WW1 (my dad’s father saw his brother killed in July 1918) and my father in the RCN in 1944/45 bobbing around the North Atlantic in a tin can; my roots are strong.
The First nations issue has two parts, Mal-treatment by the federal government and the residential school s and forgotten graves.
The former has been dealt with with apology after apology and massive cash payments, but the latter has not because the federal government is afraid to go after the religious schools, especially the Catholic church for their outrages.
The First Nations ride on the Canadian gravy-train is much more than a thorn in the side of most Canadians. The first nations are living in a 21st centruy fiction, kept alive by the federal government and the huge sums of monies spent.
What is really laughable and so sad, is that for many on the left, hereditary chiefs wield power that our own head of state, King Charles doers not have and would not wield.
The Canada I live in, Trudeau’s Post National Canada is not the Canada I was born in and I have become a stranger in a strange land of utter and total corruption in our politcal system, from civic politics, provincial politics and federal politics.
If Poilievre continues his common man theme and both the Liberals and NDP continue with their arrogant politcal doctrines, I think we will have a majority conservative government.
Mind you, I doubt he will change things and if the Haperites gain control, the Poilievre government will be a one term wonder.
One major point to ponder is the Carbon Tax. In Canada, the Carbon Tax is nothing but a placebo, a tax on the poor to hide the fact that the government is doing nothing about global warming, but wants the appearance of doing something.
40% of total CO2 being released into the atmosphere is from thermal coal and that is what Canada is shipping to China big time!
(Response: I have been very clear about where I stand on compensating ANYONE (First Nations or ANY group) who specfically was maltreated or abused by governments at any level. But I believe a lot of the demands, allegations, blockades and unsubstantiated claims are just part of a huge hoax and, in some cases, even blackmail … and it’s sad to see so many politicians buying into it … and trying to buy votes, with taxpayers’ money, of course. h.o)
Referencing everyone as All Canadians is perfect. Just the way it should be referenced and acknowledged. It’s the politically correct Trudeau and his merry over pandering band of weasels that are running Canada into the ground. Their the ones who are causing divisiveness and a massive debt load because of their crazy sick politics. I for one along with my family and friends of the hard working working and contributing middle class are sick and tired of this culture of over pandering backstabbers governing Canada into a modern day dark age.
(Response: All parties pander to various ethnic and religious groups … but the Liberals have really pushed the “multicultural” button, pouring billions of taxpayers’ dollars into buying votes in those communities, but through increased foreign aid spending as well. Poilievre actually touched on that in his speech … and drew applause when he urged cutting foreign spending to many regimes overseas and spending that money here at home instead. h.o)
It’s so nice to see a politician who isn’t obsessed with climate change hysteria, transsexual issues, multiculturalism, native issues and big government. Regarding native issues, we know that the prime minister doesn’t care because he created a holiday (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation), but went surfing in Tofino on that day.
What Pierre Poilievre needs to do is reduce immigration, increase the number of construction workers in the country, cut taxes and bring back minimum sentences for repeat offenders. Under Stephen Harper, crime decreased by about 25%, but under the radical leftist in charge of Canada (at least in name), it has increased.
Of course I expect to see nothing about reducing immigration in the Conservative Party platform. Many Canadians are immigrants, and politicians are desperate for their votes. The only party that talks about reducing immigration is the PPC, and it will never form government.
(Response: Immigration is a very sensitive issue: we are told we need them to support our growing demands for services and the economy etc., but as I wrote in a recent Blog, the politicians had been avoiding telling us the truth about how immigration was adding to our housing crisis. And, as you point out, there are a lot of Canadians with immigrant links, so I also don’t expect any party to say they’ll substantially curb it, but I would not be surprised to see Poilievre/Tories start talking about “reducing” the numbers and even better “targeting” who we let in. h.o)
“reduce immigration and increase the number of contruction workers in the country”. O.K. How do you plan to have that achieved, without immigration?
If people don’t want to be construction workers that is it. we don’t have slaves anymore, we have a Constituion, etc. If we are going to have more constructin workers, we need to recruit them from other countries. and we have to make it appealing, like reduce the paper work, have departments communicate with each other, ensure the workers have landed status, that they bring their families, and have housing for them. With out those we will just muddle along and PP isn’t going to fix any of that.
When Vietnemese refugees were in camps around Asia, Canada sent foreign service officers to the camps and simply accepted or rejected people. There is an article by a young woman who was in one of those camps and the Candian simply asked question, they didn’t have paper work anymore, and off they went to Edmonton. Now the computer requires you do provide proof of everything, from a country which may no longer have records. If you want construction workers, go to the countries, recruit the construction workers, put them on a plane in a month and viola its done. none of this takes years.
A great piece Harvey and one that coupled with the PP box checking, takes me right back to the lead to the election of Stephen Harper.
At that time, people even those stuck in the left camp, were so fed up with the Liberals, they were willing to vote for anyone who told them what they wanted to hear.
I can remember some of my staunchest long time NDP supporters saying they “liked what Harper had to say.” Later they would be lamenting “what the hell was I thinking?”
Poilievre’s address to the faithful and all Canadians was as masterful a political act, as I have ever seen and it will all evaporate once he is elected, which at the moment, sure looks like he will be.
(Response: I’m sure the Liberals will soon start their own media ad campaign trying to take advantage of the fact that Polievre is NOT emphasizing climate change, social and gender issues, First Nations “reconciliation” etc., but I’m getting the feeling that won’t work anymore. Too many working people are really hurting and feel ignored, or even worse, exploited …as I’ve ranted about in my blog so many times … and Poilievre seems to realize pushing the “basics” button over and over again will lead to success. Now, whether he’ll actually solve those problems if elected ..well, that’s a whole other topic! h.o)
Poilievre leaves the culture war type issues out of his speech (and I have no problem with that) but you have to point that out and now instead of talking about the important issues (housing, inflation, health care, a changing economy due to climate) most of the comments so far are grievances about culture war type stuff.
I find it interesting that you praise Poilievre’s comment about Quebec not being apologetic about their culture yet you have called Quebec racist for some of their cultural and language legislation.
We are not losing our history. We are adding to it. When I took Grade 12 history in 1969, we started with the unification of Germany under Bismarck and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 leading to German power and WWl. WWll was only 25 years in the rearview mirror. The Vietnam War, the Six Day War, African independence were current events. Now those are historical events. Should they be taught at the expense of the Franco-Prussian War. Do we skim over the two world wars and hit the highlights like Vimy Ridge so we can include some of the important events of the past 50+ years. When I taught Social Studies, Japanese internment camps were part of the curriculum but residential schools, in fact much of our Indigenous history (Louis Riel being an exception) was not. How do we fit that in and still keep all the other history.
And using woke as some kind of catch all is laziness. If you don’t like a particular policy then call it out. If you don’t like specific activism, call it out. Being woke is being aware of injustice. Do we dislike the activists fighting for the disabled or seniors or the working poor. No, we don’t. We don’t even dislike activists working for Indigenous people or immigrants or the LGBT. But we may not like some of their policies and actions. Call that out. “All this woke stuff” is meaningless if we are not specific about the actual policy.
OK. Rant over.
As for Poilievre. So far I have no problem with him. I did not like Harper or Scheer but O’Toole didn’t scare me and so far, as you say, Poilievre is hitting the right buttons especially when the Liberals do look tired.
Poilievre has avoided all the topics that got the negative press during his leadership campaign. He isn’t even lashing out at Trudeau as much as he did before. He is not saying “Trudeau sucks, vote for me”. He is saying I have some ideas that will solve the problems that the Liberals are not solving. He hasn’t been too specific on how he is going to do a better job than the Liberals. But we will see what comes out when the campaign starts in what? two years.
What’s great about democracy is that we get a chance to correct our mistakes every four years. Assuming a Conservative win, if Poilievre fails then hopefully the Liberals will be using their timeout as an opportunity to rejuvenate and rethink their policies. If Poilievre is successful, then great. I just hope he stays focused on the the important issues and doesn’t get dragged into some of the extremist views of his own party.
One last thing. The carbon tax is unpopular but dealing with climate is a very important topic. If the Conservative get rid of the carbon tax they better have some kind of policy to show that they care about climate change. Right now, Conservatives have more support than usual with younger voters due to cost of living and housing issues, but climate is truly important to them as well. And if the Conservatives look like they are dismissing it, that could prove fatal to their chances.
(Response: Don’t blame the messenger for reporting WHAT any politician says. Nowhere in my piece did I “praise” Poilievre comment “about Quebec not being apologetic about their culture.” I just pointed out he said it … something I’ve NEVER heard Trudeau or Singh say … and, by the way, it received loud applause at the convention, and I suspect most of those watching at home. Quebec is without doubt the most racist, xenophobic Canadian province, but remember, Poilievre wants to WIN the next election, so don’t expect him (or ANY political leader) to actually say that … not even Singh, whose own turbaned Sikh brothers and sisters are discriminated against under actual LAWS passed and supported in Quebec!
As for social issues, climate change and the carbon tax, you and I can agree they are very, very important … but WE are not running for election. I find it very significant that Poilievre downplayed or left those things out of his speech … sees his path to victory in hammering other more basic issues, and the next polls should show whether he is correct. h.o)
I must be a lot older than you. We were doing the Aztecs in Grade 5. Jr. and SR high school can’t really remember but in first year at UBC history started with Charlemagne. During High school we did go through WW II, remember that . European history was easy, same bunch going to war with the same other bunch. Just change the names and the dates and off you went for a decent grade.
We did not learn about the Japanese Interment. Most likely because we lived in richmond and most of us knew all about it because our class mates parents lived through it.
lAs the saying goes, “if we do not learn from history, we are bound to repeat it” or something like that. We do need to know about Canadian History and that includes Indigenous History.
including eject button?
https://www.blacklocks.ca/canada-the-place-for-slave-goods-mp-tells-washington/
I’m a little, or a lot confused, and even a little bit ticked by a voluntary BC Statistics demographic survey as most British Columbians would have gotten in the mail. It says as many must have read by now or soon that invites any resident of BC 13 and over or even under 13 if a parent or gaurdian sign. The survey is related to questions related to ethnicity, gender and income. Then it goes right into this. We have heard from many Indigenous and racialized people that say they are being left behind because government services weren’t designed them in mind. We can only fix what we can see. To address systemic racism we need to identify where it is happening. Then it carries on to say we are asking people to fill out the voluntary BC Demographic Survey rather than conducting a mandatory census or asking people when the access services. By choosing to take the survey you’ll be doing your part to help identify systemic racsim in public services so we can deliver stronger, more accessible, and more inclusive services for everyone.
Well for one, I and most Canadians abhor rascism and won’t stand for it, but this seems to me over a bit overdone and maybe way into the crazy political correctness zone. This is 2023 and I figure the government andcservices is mostly beyond this. Am I wrong in the way I look at this but in my opinion I don’t think so. I don’t know what to make of it. I shook my head in disbelief and chucked it into the recycle bin. I’m fed up with the over done politics. Another reason I won’t vote for these people. They are like something from looney land. Help my misaligned brain cells because that’s what this has done. Shaking my head in BC.
(Response: I believe there are many Canadians who see a lot of federal/provincial government decisions/actions in recent years as “racist” ..ie REVERSE discrimination, FAVORING First Nations. Just a few examples: many people noticed when Covid vaccines became available ..ALL First Nations members anywhere in the province were given PRIORITY access, even if they live in urban areas and not on remote reserves; also why don’t FN pay the same taxes as the rest of us; why do FN get free houses (on reserves) built/paid for by Ottawa; why don’t they pay the same gasoline/tobacco taxes: and many feel FN now get preferential easier treatment/sentencing in the Courts, even if they are multi-time recidivist criminals (although that generosity in BC Courts seems to me to extend to all thieves, muggers, stabbers these days!). These sentiments, held by many non-Indigenous Canadians these days are real, but they don’t get coverage in the intimidated, politically correct media … However I sense Poilievre and the Conservatives are on to all this growing resentment, based on the fact that he left indigenous acknowledgements/grievances totally out of his speech to the policy convention. That was no coincidence! h.o)
In my opinion, making the injections available first to natives was not a matter of priority. It was done with a very clear agenda. Let me put it this way. It’s well-known that Planned Parenthood likes to put its abortion clinics in minority neighbourhoods. Another example comes from Melinda Gates who said that the injections (of course she called them vaccines) had to first be given to hispanics, blacks and native Americans. If they were really as wonderful as the propaganda wanted us to believe, wouldn’t they have gone to the elites in society first?
(Response: I don\t buy that all. Vaccines are already very well tested over and over again before they get introduced to the public at large. Any suggestion they are given to a particular ethnicity to test them out is ridiculous. Instead I believe in BC it was just political pandering ..ie favoritism! h.o)
Maddy de Garay, a girl who took part in a Pfizer trial at the age of 12, is now in a wheelchair and needs a feeding tube. For her injuries she has not been compensated by Pfizer. If vaccines are as safe as many claim, why can we not sue the pharmaceutical industry when there are injuries and death? The answer is obvious. Money talks. I doubt Maddy de Garay’s mother agrees that the injection was well-tested.
Cherry picking one instance of an adverse reaction to a vaccine is just plain, well you know what I mean. How many people survived because of the vaccines?
Have you fact checked the story?
https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2021/11/fact-check-collection-of-videos-does-not-offer-needed-context-about-side-effects-after-vaccine.html
After reading that letter for demographic survey, I decided to look at little deeper into the online survey and related information. It seems it’s roots or inspiration come from legislation called the anti racism data act. The more I read about scope of everything, it’s kind of an eye opener. By that I mean a little worrisome to say the least and gives one the impression about barriers to be put up and curtains drawn more tightly so much of the public eye cant see or say anthing about their tax dollars going out everywhere. The amount of people that sit on boards and commitees with all sorts of different titles is really quite breath taking. How the BC government arrives at decisions for anti racism legislation seems really lopsided. And they aren’t through with legislation. I get the feeling in my gut that some of these things could be used against people who may even have valid respectul opinions or disagreements on issues of the day. The legislation is a lot to do with Indigenous peoples, but not all of it as anyone can freely check out the site printed on the letter that most British Columbians probably have now that was sent in the mail. How much did this alone cost, and I wonder how much tax dollars are being spent on many of these boards committees, meetings and so many people with all those titles they have that I could have imagined. It’s quite something when one looks deeper. And it’s easy to do. It’s getting more and more crazy and perhaps scarier, and not just in BC by the looks of things, but this provincial government seems to be the example or exception for political correctness going wild with some vote pandering thrown in the mix of course. But it all seems more than just that. And yes of course, as usual, spineless media sits on the sidelines of the intimidated.
(Response: Haven’t received mine yet … can hardly wait to express myself to the government! LOL! h.o)
It’s a random survey. Maybe some don’t get them. Sorry I didn’t see that part. But the site is. antiracism.gov.bc.ca
Canadian’s abor racism. Could have fooled me. Check with women of colour or Indigenous in hospital giving birth. Big difference in treatment. People in the E.R. if they are Indigenous may be ignorned or staff will say, “let them sleep it off”. That is how an Indigenous man died in Chilliwack hospital. There are a lot of cases across Canad where if you’re “white” you receive better care in hospitals. You just have to look.
Ah, lets not forget Harper . decided to spend less money on Indigenous children’s health care and education than other Canadians. That is dam racist. Its partly why the government owes the Indigenous people a load of money.
Have you ever been in a store where there is a crowd and the person of colour is ignored while others are served? Now of course most shops have a number system so that is avoided.
(Response: No doubt we have a good distance still to go in eliminating racism, sexism and anti-Semitism etc…. and, yes, there are far too many people out there who discriminate/treat minorities in prejudicial fashion. However, I do believe MOST Canadians have come a VERY long way in the way we regard/treat others and abhor racism and are truly bothered by it when we see it. But I also regard it as discrimination and reprehensible when governments, agencies or companies give PREFERENTIAL treatment to unqualified members of minorities just because they tick other boxes on the political correctness list. h.o)
I just want to comment on a few things said here. This is my understanding. I welcome corrections.
Indigenous people were given priority for vaccines because they were a considered high risk of getting and of being seriously harmed by covid. This was a medical decision at the federal level and most, if not all provinces, followed the advice. If you think it unfair to the rest of us, consider the unfairness belonging to a group with a high health risk.
SOME, not all, Indigenous people get tax exemptions. If you are a status Indian working and living on reserve, you won’t pay income tax. Non-status Indians and status Indians living off reserve do pay taxes. About 20% of Indigenous people are eligible for the exemption. It goes back to the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the Indian Act of 1876. It;s purpose was to make life possible on reserves instead of sending money off to Ottawa.
Free housing is not completely accurate. People don’t get free houses. Often they are paying rent. I don’t know if this is an accurate analogy but when governments subsidize housing for seniors or people with low income, the housing isn’t considered free. Same applies to housing on reserves.
On the one hand you say, “I have been very clear about where I stand on compensating ANYONE (First Nations or ANY group) who specifically was maltreated or abused by governments at any level.” But on the other hand you resent the billions being given to Indigenous people and communities. The bulk of those billions is payment to residential school survivors and for the federal government’s underfunding of child welfare and education for Indigenous children.
I don’t know why Poilievre said nothing about Indigenous issues but I am more interested in what he does say rather than speculating on the meaning if anything of what he doesn’t say.
Stu de Baker is probably right. Poilievre is saying that right things like Harper did. In a minority situation, Harper needed support from one of the other parties to get legislation passed so he had to compromise. He was a different person with the majority. The same could be true with Poilievre. Still hoping for a minority whichever party wins.
(Response: Lots of good information: thanks. But I would correct a couple of things: on Covid, doesn’t it sound a bit pejorative to you if any government decides that a particular “race” is “considered a higher risk of getting and being seriously harmed” by any virus? We are not talking genetic disposition here: we’re talking about a virus spread through conduct and contact. Just imagine if the government applied that policy to any particular race in the case of STDs!! Sounds like the NDP government didn’t believe that first Nations people were equal to the rest of us in being able to take care of themselves in the face of Covid. I would understand if the policy of priority injection access went to anybody living in a remote or isolated communities, but that would include not just first Nations reserves but forestry camps and all remote towns or villages where any virus could spread rapidly in a contained population. But when the government decided that any First Nations person living anywhere in the province… even large urban communities… could get the shot before others, it certainly looked to me like they didn’t think they could take care of themselves as well as others.
On the subject of funding, as I said, I have no objection to individuals being compensated for any unfair or discriminatory treatment they personally suffered at the hands of any government policy or government agency.
However, there’s a big difference between that and just handing out millions upon millions to various bands (or any community) to spend without any legislated or regulatory requirements to fiscally and openly account for where the money actually goes! Even many first Nations band members want that to be transparent! Unfortunately Trudeau removed that requirement in one of the dumbest moves I believe he ever made.
And as far as taxes are concerned, I suspect most Canadians believe anyone who earns income in this country, whether living on a reserve or not, should pay taxes just like the rest of us… Especially if they demand/expect to reserve receive the same public services that the rest of us get! That should be part of any true reconciliation! h.o)
Harvey, your comment regarding Indigenous people and COVID shots is awful.
It wasn’t because the government thought they couldn’t take care of themselves. Its because studies have been done which demonstrate that Indigenous People are more likely to catch some diseases than non Indigenous People.
The first study I read regarding health and your genetic make up was done at U.B.C. because of AIDS. The study took two groups of Indigenous People. One whose parents or grandparents had been in residental school. The other group’s parents had not been in residential school. Both groups were drug users. The scientists discovered people’s parents or grandparentswho had been in residential schools were more likely to develop AIDs than people whose parents and grandparents had not. The impact on children’s bodies and minds was so severe that it altered their genetic make up. My take on it was, the government didn’t want to make any mistakes this time round.
Logging camps are not reserves. Reserves frequently have poor quality water, food, and housing. Logging camps, not so much.
(Response: I have (had) absolutely no problem with special health protective measures being taken in areas like reserves, where as you state “frequently have poor quality water, food, and housing.” But I believe moving ALL First Nations peoples to the front of the line, including those living in major urban areas, was more NDP political pandering/favoritism than a health decision based on specific scientific study, statistics. h.o.)
Wasn’t Harper said all government money handed out to our natives had to be accountable and Trudeau eliminated it.
He must be eliminated and I suspect be will take the walk in the snow
BUT who would replace him..
(Response: I’m not sure who introduced the requirement that FN bands open their books to full band (and ie public) scrutiny … but yes, it was Justin Trudeau who canceled that … a really dumb move, in my opinion. h.o)
It was Harper.
The Conservatives at that time did not appear to care much for Indigenous People. He also tried to break up the reserve system. That resulted in a back lash. People thought he wanted to do that, so people who owned what had been reserve land would sell to mining companies, etc.
Forcing Bands to open their books to people who are not part of the Band is so “white and paternalistic”. We don’t ask others to open their books. Lots of corporations get money from government. We don’t ask them to open their books. Don’t know if M.Ps have to open their books or account for how they spend their allocations for expenses. The Indigenous communities in Canada are receiving what they are owed and they don’t need every racist in the country coming to check their books.
During Harpers tenure, the Chief of the Appiwaskat started making “noise” about the deplorable living conditions on the reserve. Made Harper et all look bad. Harper’s reaction. Placed the band in trusteeship saying they couldn’t manage their money and the Chief was wasting the money, etc. The Chief and Council did not take this laying down and filed a court case. The Judge ruled t the Band had not misspent any money. Had operated prudently, etc. The Judge did say, the problem was the Harper government wasn’t funding the Band adequently. During this time the Band had submitted a request for funding for 19 new homes. John Duncan then Minister responsible refused to make a decision until after the court case was over. The government having lost the case, denied the Band any new housing. Given the t.v. coverage of the housing, it was not up to standard by any measure. Duncan just wanted to get even. Nasty piece of business that man.
Well, it will be interesting to see if the Conservatives show up to the 1 million march in Quebec and the rest of Canada Sept 20.
Parents have rights too…or so I’m told.
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1-million-march-for-children-tickets-710928605597
OK, let’s see where we are at. And to be clear I am not making this a debate. I am just going to lay out what I think.
You are upset that Indigenous people were given priority for the covid vaccine. You said it was pandering. When I said it was for medical reasons you responded by saying it was insulting to suggest that Indigenous people didn’t know how to look after themselves.
It is my understanding, that for a variety of reasons, poverty being one, Indigenous people are more likely to have higher rates of respiratory diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure etc than other Canadians, making them a greater risk of severe illness if they were to catch covid. Even in urban settings, for a variety of reasons (low income, extended family) they are more likely to live in crowded homes, making it harder to self isolate if one member of the household were exposed. Of course this doesn’t apply to all Indigenous people. But NACI decided that, as a group, Indigenous people should be prioritized.
We can discuss whether the decision to give priority to Indigenous people was the best way to proceed, but I am going to say that it was done for medical reasons and not because the governments of whatever province you want to name sat down and said, “how about we give priority to Indigenous people and secure their vote for the next election.”
You dismissed Gilbert’s conspiracy theory that the vaccines were tested on ethnic groups. In the case of covid, you are absolutely right to dismiss it. But there is a history of tests being run in residential schools. TB vaccines were tested on Indigenous people in the 30s and 40s. There is a history that has made some groups more hesitant to go to hospitals and other government institutions to get the stuff they need to be as healthy as possible. Read about the smallpox epidemic in 1862 near Victoria. Indigenous traders were not given access to any of the medicines/vaccines available and were sent back to their home communities rather than giving them places to isolate. Villages in Haida Gwaii, as one example, were decimated.
History. You can say that everybody in Canada should pay taxes, but the Indian Act says otherwise. We can’t even blame John A on that. That’s on our second Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie who happened to be Liberal.
And what does Pierre Poilievre say about the Indian Act:
“It’s a racist, colonial, hang-over that gives all the control to self-serving and incompetent politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists in Ottawa and takes away the control from the First Nations themselves,” he said.
“I want to make it easier for First Nations that want to opt out of the Indian Act, to do so. So that they can control their own money, their own land, their own resources and their own decisions.”
He also vowed to fully fund inquiries into gravesites and to bring clean water to every reserve.
https://globalnews.ca/news/9409586/pierre-poilievre-vows-different-approach-to-reconciliation-after-speech-to-frontier-centre/
This doesn’t sound like a guy coming in to do battle with Indigenous people. Of course he may just be pandering. Who knows? Poilievre won the leadership by using anger. Now he has to win the general election by bringing people together. We can be angry about whatever it is we are angry about when it comes to Indigenous relations but anger rarely get us to a solution.
He said he’d bring clean water to reserves?????
He didn’t last time he was in government and Harper’s protege. What makes any one think PP will do anything differently than Harper did.