Radicalized truckwits hold Ottawa hostage, and other recent events
What Just Happened? | Stephen Whitworth | Feb. 10, 2022
Honk-happy, antivaxx buttheads peeing on soldier memorials would be bad enough, but the praise they’re getting from Canada’s conservative politicians? It’s just grotesque. From Scott Moe’s official letterhead-stamped #FluTruxKlan support to the federal Conservatives hitching their wobbling right-wing wagon to a convoy of anti-science buffoons, 2022 sure is off to an anger-making start.
MONDAY JANUARY 17: Betty White would have turned 100 today had she not died on new Year’s eve. While the beloved actress is deeply mourned, she would likely have been thrilled to learn animal welfare causes received millions in her memory today. On Jan. 21, Meta announced the Betty White Challenge received $12.7 million in donations through Facebook and Instagram.
Also today, the Angus Reid Institute reported potato Premier Scott Moe’s approval rating rose slightly from its October low (43%) to 45 per cent. That puts the Sask. Party leader right in the national middle between Nova Scotia PC Tim Huston (57%) and Manitoba PC Heather Stefanson (21%, ouch). And because I know you’re wondering, Justin Trudeau has a 42% national approval rating right now (24% in Saskatchewan, big shock).
MONDAY 24: I had a really nice nap today! In less important news, something about a truck convoy unreasonably unhappy about something passing through Saskatchewan’s capital city? I’m sure it’s nothing too important.
TUESDAY 25: Alleged intellectual Jordan Peterson appeared on Joe Rogan’s famous misinformation-spewing podcast today to talk out his ass about climate change models, which he isn’t any kind of an expert on but nevertheless claims don’t work (they do). In a fun article headlined “Word Salad Of Nonsense”, The Guardian spoke to several climate scientists about Peterson’s shockingly stupid comments, with one saying, “He sounds intelligent, but he’s completely wrong. He has no frickin’ idea.” It’s an entertaining read that’s worth Googling.
Incidentally, Peterson retired from the University of Toronto this January. In his National Post column (because retiring right-wing windbags get National Post columns apparently), he denounced equity hiring, accused academia of bias against white, male professors and said there are not enough “qualified” Black, people of colour and Indigenous scholars to fill professor jobs. One might suggest that view qualifies as blatant racism, which sadly isn’t surprising coming from the Post’s opinion pages.
THURSDAY 27: Oh right, that diesel-fuelled convoy of antivaxx chucklefucks. Today, anti-government multi-billionaire Elon Musk tweeted “Canadian truckers rule” in support of the baby-tantrum-throwing needle-wimps. Anti-mandate Twitter applauded Musk, of course. One might suggest that is hilarious, considering Musk’s company, Tesla, is developing driverless trucks that will put these goofs out of work. Hilarious, but not surprising.
SATURDAY 29: Unless they hid indoors wearing earplugs, Saskatchewan city-folk thinking they could ignore today’s national protests quickly learned they were mistaken. Saskatoon and Regina were invaded by furiously honking antivaxx ding-dongs demanding the country’s prime minister resign because he had the audacity to proclaim scientifically supported public-health measures during a pandemic. Premier Scott Moe, who, like Brad Wall before him, has a long history of unwavering political solidarity with the federal Conservatives regardless whether or not that’s in Saskatchewan’s interest, wrote them a nice letter hinting public health restrictions would soon be relaxed. Medical professionals cautioned that sounded like a very, very, very bad idea but why would Scott Moe listen to experts when he can pander to irrationally Trudeau-hating dumb-dumbs?
In Ottawa, demonstrators demanded food from a soup kitchen, urinated on a national monument to dead soldiers and hung stupid signs on a Terry Fox statue. Seems like a likeable crowd.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2: Not much happened today. The federal conservatives booted party leader Erin O’Toole because he wasn’t fascist enough, Go Fund Me paused a controversial fundraiser supporting protestors occupying Ottawa, and the Saskatchewan Legislature’s head of security resigned over Bill 70, a sinister piece of government legislation that would strip most of the power from current security and give it to a new force that reports directly to the government and presumably would do a better job keeping peaceful and respectful Indigenous protestors off the Ledge lawn.
FRIDAY 4: Private companies doing PCR testing got a boost after Scott Moe’s government changed Covid test eligibility rules to stop so darn many people getting tested (it turns out that testing people and data makes Saskatchewan Covid numbers look bad, you see). While the move makes sense for politicians desperate to hide unflattering pandemic numbers, it could also be viewed as an example of stealth health care privatization. Want a Covid test? Sure, just pay this private provider.
Conservative Saskatchewan MP Kelly Block introduced a private members bill today called the Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act. Don’t have the space, energy or patience to get into it right now but these things are stealth anti-abortion bills made to help anti-choice physicians and pharmacists make it harder for pregnant Canadians to terminate a pregnancy (as is their legal and moral right). That was fast. O’Toole is gone for two days and Conservative yahoos are up to their old bible-thumping, social-conservative nonsense.
SUNDAY 6: Today was the last day for the Saskatchewan government’s daily Covid reports, which were scrapped because reporting on record hospitalizations and rising deaths day after day could have eventually led Saskatchewan voters to the conclusion their premier was some kind of maliciously inept fool in way over his big, potato-shaped head. Oh also, there were six more Covid deaths today bringing our total 1,012.
TUESDAY 8: As this paper was going to press, Scott Moe announced the province’s vaccination mandates, such as they are, will end Feb. 14. Happy Valentine’s Day, Saskatchewan!
