Kings, Apologies, Narcissists, Obfuscation & Ostriches
Post 89 | Weekly Political Grab Bag
Today’s article takes a “weekly round up” approach as we skip across a handful of topics.
King Charles did a creditable job of delivering the Throne Speech, with perhaps even a few of his own words tossed in. This was the first time a real royal has read it out since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1977. I know some don’t like the pomp, stuffiness and strange traditions of the British royalty and wonder why we pledge allegiance to an old guy from a small country across the ocean. But I’d first say, read your history. Secondly – would you rather pledge to Justin Trudeau or Mark Carney? Personally, I’m content to stick with an old-fashioned and symbolic institution reflective of our proud history than to passing leaders of the day, even though it’s the office and not the man where we would direct fealty. Just imagine how our American friends feel about to whom they pledge their allegiance these days.
As Chas read aloud the ambitious Conservative…err…Liberal plan for Canada I couldn’t help wonder what most of it will really mean in practice, couched as it was in sweeping generalities and subject to endless caveats after the fact. Or how Mark plans to fund it given a lack of budget. But mostly I was struck by how shamelessly the Liberals adopted the Conservative platform, without even a nod of thanks or apology for plagiarism.
Speaking of apologies – the King’s speech began with a now-standard apology, more jarring than usual for being delivered by a British sovereign, and declaring that even the seat of our federal government apparently sits on stolen land saying, “I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people.” These verbal acts of penance and self-flagellation continue unabated in almost every setting – whether theatre, hockey game, government meeting, company or community event. I was subjected to one this week at a not-for-profit function hosted in a church, where it kicked off by telling us of our gratitude to be “sharing” the land we apparently took and how we needed to continue reconciling, partnering and working on something or other.
As historian John Robson recently wrote in a clear-eyed article, “either give the land back or stop saying it’s stolen”. Indeed. I’m waiting for someone to tell me what exactly I’ve done, to whom. And what continued penance I must pay, to whom, in what form and for what duration before I am apparently absolved. And - are we partnering or apologizing; sharing or paying?
These ritual declarations tell nearly 40 million (95%) of 41.5 million Canadians we are uninvited guests in our own country and are not just something innocent to awkwardly sit through - where even our federal government and churches are compelled to utter the words. Rather they set precedents which slopes grow increasingly slippery including as evidenced in BC’s decision to ban non-indigenous visitors to a popular provincial park for 100 days this year while restricting access to another park for non-indigenous people. Do you have another term for this other than discrimination and racism?
Back to the King.
In a world of hoodies and sweatpants it was delightful to see the formality and finery of the Throne Speech event itself, even while a bit archaic and silly at times. Give me formal and stiff upper lipped behaviour any day over the loosie goosieness of much of our life, including the carnival barker reality show masquerading as government to our south.
Speaking of silly - our attention starved, narcissist ex-PM may as well have shouted “Hey, look at me everyone – I’m desperate for you to notice me!” as he sported tennis shoes at the event, preening in the front row. Good riddance to old baggage even though he left us the biggest hangover our country could ever have wished against.
Meanwhile last week - his party again voted against the option provided by the Reform Act to give their MPs the future right to vote out their leader. Even after being stuck for years with no recourse to unseat an inept and destructive idiot who stubbornly refused to leave, they have inexplicably voted for the same impotence.
Delusion, myopia, arrogance? I simply don’t know how to explain it. But it amounts to little more than self-inflected authoritarianism.
The Carney cult-of-personality smells already like early Trudeau days. A perfect example is the fawning quote from Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan who voted against the removal option, apparently due to Carney’s advance awesomeness - saying, “Mark Carney is by far the greatest leader that we’ve seen since Lester B. Pearson.” What can I even say to that?
In related news, watch for Sheehan’s motion to have statues of Carney erected around the country - perhaps in place of all the ones of Sir John A. Macdonald the Liberals allowed to be torn down while tsk tsking at “inappropriate” truckers and passing off church burnings as “understandable”.
If this kind of thing affected only their own party I truly wouldn’t care. But after the carnage wrought on Canada, we should all realize even inner party decisions like this affect us all.
The first full day of the House then began Wednesday where MPs will sit for an exhausting four weeks! – before departing again for summer break. The poor dears must be tuckered by the past 6 months of campaigning on our dime.
Their first motion was to repeal the carbon tax – that symbolic boat anchor of planetary sainthood on which the Liberals pinned undying loyalty for nearly a decade…until it was no longer convenient. I give them full points for gall wrapped in raw duplicitousness.
Meanwhile, Carney demoralizingly displayed almost a carbon copy of Trudeauian obfuscation as he refused to answer anything in his first Question Period – including why we’ll operate without a budget for another half year despite promising fiscal prudence and being lionized as an economic savant. And deflecting when effectively asked whether he’ll ever utter the word “pipeline” amidst all his grandiose promises. Taking it all for a good bit of fun he trotted out the new regime’s talking points we’re sure to hear ad nauseum, about the grand “nation building projects” to soon be embarked upon while “working with” Provinces – despite the former having no details or budget attached and the latter as a nifty get-out-of-jail card to assign blame if it all goes pear shaped.
So while the Throne Speech promised a “fundamentally different approach to governing”, apparently promising a break from the horrible past ten years of… themselves - Day 1 set us off to the same start with big promises, no details to achieve them, no plan to fund them and no intention to be held accountable.
We’re the Liberals and we do what the hell we want.
Carney further foreshadowed his arrogance to come when twice stating, “we expect the support from all in this House”. He did not seek to earn that support nor ask of it - but rather to “expect” it.
Better be careful, Mark. Being confident and having some pep in your step is good, if backed by substance. But we’ve just lived through a decade of arrogance and don’t need more of it.
Rounding out other news this week we saw significant attention on the mandated cull at an ostrich farm in BC due to an avian flu outbreak – that attention including US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and US Administrator for Medicare and Medicaid, Dr. Mehmet Oz. And while I appreciate their interest in this decision that seems heavy-handed, though I’m no ostrich expert, I wonder how on Earth they find time to engage such contextually minor matters beyond their purviews and geography – given they each have a massive job to do inside their own borders as US health outcomes-by-expenditure are worst in the world and health entitlements eat up 29% of their federal budget already due to explode.
It’s not entirely surprising, however, that senior US officials are easily distracted as they take cues from their Capo Di Tutti Capi, Grifter-in-Chief who is busy monetizing the presidency with his crypto currency, golf courses, real estate deals and Qatari airplane bribes. All this while he pushes on a budget that will sink the US into nearly irreconcilable debt, with the bond market shuddering in reflexive horror.
But at least we’ve all got that big beautiful Golden Dome to look forward to - particularly if Canada is daft enough to sign on.
Not sure where to look in the news for relief these days.
Maybe I need to make like one of those ostriches and bury my head in the sand for a while, before it gets lopped off.
Stay tuned and stay pragmatic.
Well done, excellent read. I would like to hear more about the "land acknowledgement", how it came to be and what is the purpose. In Ontario, it's even shamelessly wrong as Cambridge pays homage to the Haudenoshonee, who received the land from the British Crown for services rendered during wars with the Americans.
Terry Sheehan should be praising Jagmeet Singh as the best leader since Tommy Douglas. If the NDP would not have collapsed the Conservative candidate surely would have won the seat. He only won by 271 votes in 2021.