Canada’s situation is unique. Federally, the conservatives have not been forming govt. the last Harper govt., was less about conservatism and more about supporting Oligarchs and dismissing science. They have put themselves in a cage and now are afraid to leave it. PP is the perfect example of this. He is criticizing the govt for all talk and no action. If he were judged by his own standards, you would get a clear picture. In his over 20 years in Parliament, he tabled one piece of legislation, which was eventually over ruled by the Courts. So, that is the standard. Over 20 years and no accomplishments! PP lamented the condo buyout in BC and tried to empathize with people who are frustrated as they have no housing. These same people are paying for him to squat in govt housing - fully subsidized. FULLY!!!
Well said. And PP cost the taxpayers more money the past four years than Trudeau and Carney, the official government!
Also, why is PP in constant campaign mode, the election is long over. He is using taxpayer supported monies daily to campaign, not to do any good work, like proposing motions, working with the governing body to enact and share the workload of good policies and programs for Canadians. Why is he not doing this? Because he has no interest in everyday Canadian issues, despite his whiny diatribes daily on helping Canadians in need. He has voted against virtually every single affordability measure proposed. Every one. Including dental care, daycare, school lunches, and on and on.
He needs to go. What a revolting excuse for a wannabe leader, Canada deserves so much better .
“he has no interest in everyday Canadian issues, despite his whiny diatribes daily on helping Canadians in need.”
So true.
Doing the actual work as a government in waiting is something he’s never been interested in, especially when being in constant campaign mode does more to encourage divisiveness and populist rage among the masses. He’s never done any heavy lifting politically and his record shows that.
PP was squatting in subsidized housing before he even became an MP, and I'm talking about the type of housing that was supposed to be going to the elderly and the disabled. He's always been an oinker at the trough.
One would hope that this continues to be the case! The Conservatives do not "propose" any solutions - they wait until the governing party makes an announcement and then criticize it. Most Canadians are astute enough to see this but there is still a risk that social media (hasn't it replaced "mainstream media for the younger generations?) convinces some to the Conservative arguments. Social media needs to be reined in so that outright falsehoods and outside sources don't influence our governance (eg Alberta separation) with money and false information
I support this message! I commented yesterday that Conservatives don’t know the difference between opposing and criticizing. They are not working for Canada and Canadians but only for themselves. If they think they will rise to power this way, I believe they have another think coming…
Shankar, thank you for this piece. Boy it struck more nerves in my brain than a fibre optic cable has digital nerves.
The war today is not only kinetic, or economic. It is the war of our very minds. That is the battlefield. Shaping truth, questioning what is truth, removing safeguards to determine truth, flooding every media platform possible with faux news, amplifying the chaos, corruption, cruelty to the degree that it desensitizes a human's response to it because their circuits overload, and overwhelm the senses, logic, and they shut down. Be so radical, so evil that a lesser evil presented seems normal. Almost. That is Vance and also Rubio's attempt. Soften the audience up to accept the smaller evils, which by comparison could seem less dangerous, more palatable. That is the intention by design of these media oligarchs.
And when AI fully takes over it will be far worse. What is truth? And how do we know when we see it? What is bad, what is good? Can anyone remember the difference anymore. These are all up for debate and we need to be very clear what that means as a society.
Those without critical thinking skills, and let's face it, many people don't, and have not had their minds trained in such a thing, will be most at risk for propaganda, falsehoods, the spin, and be trained like seals to suspect those who are actually good. They will paint them if they can as the evil one, the bad bet. All the while they themselves are the ones we need to fear, and watch, shut down.
What we really need is an open-source with some publicly owned suite of platforms and engagement outlets with independent media/journalists who are committed to providing the facts and accurate information, tell it like it is. I'm not sure how that could be developed, or the best model, but it would be useful to partner with the EU and other allies to build a platform to reduce the power and volume of the mainstream media at least to start with. We need a cohesive system that is not in private hands because that can be sold to anyone, including those we want to prevent controlling our access to fair, balanced, and factual information. This should be a national security initiative.
As for the Conservatives in Canada, they are clearly, without question compromised, and not Conservatives. When you have a leader, and others who would stab PM Carney in the back, lie about it, walk over his dead body in order to rule, and only succeed in destroying the country, they are owned by MAGA, working for Trump and the hard right wing fascists. A loyal patriotic Canadian, and party would put country over party any day of the week. Every time. They have never done this in 12 years, but especially in this current sovereignty crisis. That is telling, and all we need to know about them and their agenda.
And the mainstream media is complicit in all of this. By refusing every day to challenge and fact-check the astonishing number of lies daily by these Cons they support their views and give them oxygen. By jumping on the corrupted bandwagon and also accuse Carney and the government of all manner of things, including things clearly in provincial control. Do they not study civics 101 for pity sake? I'm being kind as the language in my brain is not fit for polite company.
I don't know how we address this, but the media must be named and shamed for this. I expect they don't care, but it needs to be done, more people need to call this out loudly, and the only way they will care is in their bottom line. So, I hope people stop all subscriptions, and vote with their wallet. And send letters to parliament. Post media I believe receives funding from the government too. That needs to be shuttered. And independent media supported to grow this industry sector.
We need to take back the supply side for our very minds.
It does boggle the mind to think they know their strategy is clearly not working, yet they double-down? I sincerely thought he would have been ousted at his review, but obviously, the conservatives are fully on board. Pretty sad way to make a living.
His review was a fixed affair. He only invited delegates and they had to pay for their meal. Barely half of them voted and that’s where they got their 80+ percent vote from. Had it been an open party vote as it had been for Carney, the outcome would have been very different.
Agreed. It was also in Alberta not Ontario many can’t afford the flight and expenses. He deliberately cut out the mainstream conservative voter in favor of the hard right and separatists.
I actually believe the Cons are actually happy to not be elected as government. Think about it, staying as opposition they get all the perks without having to actually work or be accountable. Their own party does not even hold them accountable.
Actually, it doesn't, it's the game plan. Keep working at it, spewing lies and propaganda. There are studies which show that lies repeated over and over again gain some traction among parts of the population. Look at fascist Germany. Russia, and others. Many did not start out hating Jews, or "others." This is mind programming, and we so far haven't found a great answer to combat this. Other than a constant stream of countering the false lies with truth, and the issue there is that they are in their own ecosystem controlled by the algorithms, and not consuming anything else.
We need a national plan to combat this, the schools, government, clean social media outlets focused on facts, not lies. etc. and it should be a national security initiative.
Tracy who never gives up, the current situation in the USA should show you that, if one is extremely patient and extremely wealthy, one may eventually subvert the very systems meant to protect “the national security.”
Phil you sound like you’ve already thrown in the towel. That’s your choice.
It’s not in my DNA.
It will always be a battle against authoritarian views vs democratic ones. That is the lesson. The war is never over. The work is daily and while those with evil intentions may be patient and have money, they are fewer.
The power always resides with the people. It may get very ugly but the price of submission is far worse. That’s the mission.
Tracy, I have not thrown in the towel. As a citizen of the USA, I was merely warning you, as a Canadian citizen, that those of us here who saw this happening were unable to stir enough resistance before Trump 45 & 47 made it absolutely clear what was happening. This despite the craven cabal having documented itself at many steps along the way. I am glad The Concis and Concis Canada are available to help delineate the problems and offer some clarifications. You might find Notes from the Circus another helpful read. May Canada maintain itself as a democratic leader.
I'm glad you haven't thrown in the towel. Canada and the USA are very different, despite our border, and there is no question some cultural aspects have permeated here, some not great to be honest. We are watching in total horror at what is happening, the disgusting depravity. Right now we wish we were 10k miles away from the USA.
Our political system is different as well, much harder for the level of corruption Americans have tolerated for decades to take root. And we don't have the same worship of money, extreme capitalism over everything else. Greed.
There is no question we have to be vigilant, and stand up against this MAGA and oligarch movement to take over the world. We elected Carney because most Canadians detest the populist, far right, though Alberta is undergoing some major challenges, partly due to American foreign interference. Our mainstream media is a problem, and many have largely stopped consuming that in favour of the independent media. If you haven't subscribed to Charlie Angus at Meidas Touch, and Medisas Touch generally they are excellent. Charlie is our resident anti-fascist voice.
So, yes we have issues here, and many people are fully awake, but it will be a battle daily because the far right has gained traction in the world, and we need to work with our allies to be a stronger middle power collective.
We're praying for you, but we will also be moving away from dependency on the USA and working more closely with like-minded allies. Cheers.
There is far more far right media in Alberta and the low information voter here is fed grievance daily. It is a steady diet and they love it. It defines who they are. It is all lies of course but they are woefully blind.
They seem to enjoy being dictated to. Blaming others means they are never responsible for what occurs in their lives.
Canada’s situation is unique. Federally, the conservatives have not been forming govt. the last Harper govt., was less about conservatism and more about supporting Oligarchs and dismissing science. They have put themselves in a cage and now are afraid to leave it. PP is the perfect example of this. He is criticizing the govt for all talk and no action. If he were judged by his own standards, you would get a clear picture. In his over 20 years in Parliament, he tabled one piece of legislation, which was eventually over ruled by the Courts. So, that is the standard. Over 20 years and no accomplishments! PP lamented the condo buyout in BC and tried to empathize with people who are frustrated as they have no housing. These same people are paying for him to squat in govt housing - fully subsidized. FULLY!!!
Well said. And PP cost the taxpayers more money the past four years than Trudeau and Carney, the official government!
Also, why is PP in constant campaign mode, the election is long over. He is using taxpayer supported monies daily to campaign, not to do any good work, like proposing motions, working with the governing body to enact and share the workload of good policies and programs for Canadians. Why is he not doing this? Because he has no interest in everyday Canadian issues, despite his whiny diatribes daily on helping Canadians in need. He has voted against virtually every single affordability measure proposed. Every one. Including dental care, daycare, school lunches, and on and on.
He needs to go. What a revolting excuse for a wannabe leader, Canada deserves so much better .
“he has no interest in everyday Canadian issues, despite his whiny diatribes daily on helping Canadians in need.”
So true.
Doing the actual work as a government in waiting is something he’s never been interested in, especially when being in constant campaign mode does more to encourage divisiveness and populist rage among the masses. He’s never done any heavy lifting politically and his record shows that.
Yes exactly right. What an odious creature.
PP was squatting in subsidized housing before he even became an MP, and I'm talking about the type of housing that was supposed to be going to the elderly and the disabled. He's always been an oinker at the trough.
Oof. Thank you for this.
After so many years being pummeled with lies I was beginning to forget what true conservatism means.
One would hope that this continues to be the case! The Conservatives do not "propose" any solutions - they wait until the governing party makes an announcement and then criticize it. Most Canadians are astute enough to see this but there is still a risk that social media (hasn't it replaced "mainstream media for the younger generations?) convinces some to the Conservative arguments. Social media needs to be reined in so that outright falsehoods and outside sources don't influence our governance (eg Alberta separation) with money and false information
I support this message! I commented yesterday that Conservatives don’t know the difference between opposing and criticizing. They are not working for Canada and Canadians but only for themselves. If they think they will rise to power this way, I believe they have another think coming…
Sadly, the conservative media in Australia seem to be succeeding in pushing the same warped opinions that have destroyed the USA.
Shankar, thank you for this piece. Boy it struck more nerves in my brain than a fibre optic cable has digital nerves.
The war today is not only kinetic, or economic. It is the war of our very minds. That is the battlefield. Shaping truth, questioning what is truth, removing safeguards to determine truth, flooding every media platform possible with faux news, amplifying the chaos, corruption, cruelty to the degree that it desensitizes a human's response to it because their circuits overload, and overwhelm the senses, logic, and they shut down. Be so radical, so evil that a lesser evil presented seems normal. Almost. That is Vance and also Rubio's attempt. Soften the audience up to accept the smaller evils, which by comparison could seem less dangerous, more palatable. That is the intention by design of these media oligarchs.
And when AI fully takes over it will be far worse. What is truth? And how do we know when we see it? What is bad, what is good? Can anyone remember the difference anymore. These are all up for debate and we need to be very clear what that means as a society.
Those without critical thinking skills, and let's face it, many people don't, and have not had their minds trained in such a thing, will be most at risk for propaganda, falsehoods, the spin, and be trained like seals to suspect those who are actually good. They will paint them if they can as the evil one, the bad bet. All the while they themselves are the ones we need to fear, and watch, shut down.
What we really need is an open-source with some publicly owned suite of platforms and engagement outlets with independent media/journalists who are committed to providing the facts and accurate information, tell it like it is. I'm not sure how that could be developed, or the best model, but it would be useful to partner with the EU and other allies to build a platform to reduce the power and volume of the mainstream media at least to start with. We need a cohesive system that is not in private hands because that can be sold to anyone, including those we want to prevent controlling our access to fair, balanced, and factual information. This should be a national security initiative.
As for the Conservatives in Canada, they are clearly, without question compromised, and not Conservatives. When you have a leader, and others who would stab PM Carney in the back, lie about it, walk over his dead body in order to rule, and only succeed in destroying the country, they are owned by MAGA, working for Trump and the hard right wing fascists. A loyal patriotic Canadian, and party would put country over party any day of the week. Every time. They have never done this in 12 years, but especially in this current sovereignty crisis. That is telling, and all we need to know about them and their agenda.
And the mainstream media is complicit in all of this. By refusing every day to challenge and fact-check the astonishing number of lies daily by these Cons they support their views and give them oxygen. By jumping on the corrupted bandwagon and also accuse Carney and the government of all manner of things, including things clearly in provincial control. Do they not study civics 101 for pity sake? I'm being kind as the language in my brain is not fit for polite company.
I don't know how we address this, but the media must be named and shamed for this. I expect they don't care, but it needs to be done, more people need to call this out loudly, and the only way they will care is in their bottom line. So, I hope people stop all subscriptions, and vote with their wallet. And send letters to parliament. Post media I believe receives funding from the government too. That needs to be shuttered. And independent media supported to grow this industry sector.
We need to take back the supply side for our very minds.
It does boggle the mind to think they know their strategy is clearly not working, yet they double-down? I sincerely thought he would have been ousted at his review, but obviously, the conservatives are fully on board. Pretty sad way to make a living.
His review was a fixed affair. He only invited delegates and they had to pay for their meal. Barely half of them voted and that’s where they got their 80+ percent vote from. Had it been an open party vote as it had been for Carney, the outcome would have been very different.
Agreed. It was also in Alberta not Ontario many can’t afford the flight and expenses. He deliberately cut out the mainstream conservative voter in favor of the hard right and separatists.
Disgusting ploy.
I actually believe the Cons are actually happy to not be elected as government. Think about it, staying as opposition they get all the perks without having to actually work or be accountable. Their own party does not even hold them accountable.
Actually, it doesn't, it's the game plan. Keep working at it, spewing lies and propaganda. There are studies which show that lies repeated over and over again gain some traction among parts of the population. Look at fascist Germany. Russia, and others. Many did not start out hating Jews, or "others." This is mind programming, and we so far haven't found a great answer to combat this. Other than a constant stream of countering the false lies with truth, and the issue there is that they are in their own ecosystem controlled by the algorithms, and not consuming anything else.
We need a national plan to combat this, the schools, government, clean social media outlets focused on facts, not lies. etc. and it should be a national security initiative.
Tracy who never gives up, the current situation in the USA should show you that, if one is extremely patient and extremely wealthy, one may eventually subvert the very systems meant to protect “the national security.”
Phil you sound like you’ve already thrown in the towel. That’s your choice.
It’s not in my DNA.
It will always be a battle against authoritarian views vs democratic ones. That is the lesson. The war is never over. The work is daily and while those with evil intentions may be patient and have money, they are fewer.
The power always resides with the people. It may get very ugly but the price of submission is far worse. That’s the mission.
Tracy, I have not thrown in the towel. As a citizen of the USA, I was merely warning you, as a Canadian citizen, that those of us here who saw this happening were unable to stir enough resistance before Trump 45 & 47 made it absolutely clear what was happening. This despite the craven cabal having documented itself at many steps along the way. I am glad The Concis and Concis Canada are available to help delineate the problems and offer some clarifications. You might find Notes from the Circus another helpful read. May Canada maintain itself as a democratic leader.
Phil,
I'm glad you haven't thrown in the towel. Canada and the USA are very different, despite our border, and there is no question some cultural aspects have permeated here, some not great to be honest. We are watching in total horror at what is happening, the disgusting depravity. Right now we wish we were 10k miles away from the USA.
Our political system is different as well, much harder for the level of corruption Americans have tolerated for decades to take root. And we don't have the same worship of money, extreme capitalism over everything else. Greed.
There is no question we have to be vigilant, and stand up against this MAGA and oligarch movement to take over the world. We elected Carney because most Canadians detest the populist, far right, though Alberta is undergoing some major challenges, partly due to American foreign interference. Our mainstream media is a problem, and many have largely stopped consuming that in favour of the independent media. If you haven't subscribed to Charlie Angus at Meidas Touch, and Medisas Touch generally they are excellent. Charlie is our resident anti-fascist voice.
So, yes we have issues here, and many people are fully awake, but it will be a battle daily because the far right has gained traction in the world, and we need to work with our allies to be a stronger middle power collective.
We're praying for you, but we will also be moving away from dependency on the USA and working more closely with like-minded allies. Cheers.
Your article today confirms that Canadian voters are more informed and sophisticated than apathetic, low-information USA voters.
The media oligarchs thought their strategy would work in Canada because it continues to work so well in the USA.
There is far more far right media in Alberta and the low information voter here is fed grievance daily. It is a steady diet and they love it. It defines who they are. It is all lies of course but they are woefully blind.
They seem to enjoy being dictated to. Blaming others means they are never responsible for what occurs in their lives.
It also stops them from looking at the real source of most of the problems, the provincial government.
The oligarchs are working on that, our healthcare and education at slowly being eroded by premiers in their pocket.
Vance says Watergate would be a 12-hour blip today and that’s how it should have been. You say you agree with Vance. About Watergate?
It would be a 12-hour blip today because Trump keeps doing things way worse than Watergate.