Welcome back, Possums! The air seems a little fresher today, a little less endiesel-ated. Our castles are bouncier today, theirs less so.
You know who I mean.
And, of course, there can be no doubt that our tubs are hotter than theirs.
Here we go y’all.
Our video, from CPAC, with over four thousand watching live, surely a record:
And here are our bingo cards:
- First Generation
- Second Generation
- Third Generation
- Fourth Generation
- Fifth Generation
- Sixth Generation
- Seventh Generation
- Eighth Generation
- Ninth Generation
- Tenth Generation
- and all of our other Covid Briefing Bingos are on the category page.
Mark Starts More Than Ten Minutes Late, Blue Suit, I should totally put a square for “Wears a tie I like” although he wouldn’t get it today. I mean, you can’t expect compliance if you don’t reward compliance, eh? and Freeland square. Mark Drinks Water and Pearls and Touches Hair.
Practically a bingo right off the bat, and nobody’s said a word yet.
I don’t know who Miranda is, but a lot of the occupiers seem very concerned with her rights.
Naturally, their bail hearings are going swimmingly.
And the Conservatives are definitely, definitely holding it together well.
Do y’all like threads? I love threads. Here’s one that I particularly love. Some people on Twitter have announced that because of the friendly tone of the New York Times towards the fascist occupation, they’ll be cancelling their subscriptions to the Times. I don’t have one, but every time I think about getting one, they pull shit like this.
So I ran across this article this morning. After having read it, and it’s predictable attempt to humanize those involved. Something jumped out at me.
It is this statement by one of the truckers who came down and took part in it, that has my attention. Particularly the implication that as he was taking part someone who giving him money.
That every now and then someone shows up and gives him money is an enormous point of departure. It answered some of my questions about how people could do this for weeks without work or pay. They were being funded. To stay.
It is all the more important that we examine where all the money came from. This was not a protest, but a well funded occupation of a capital city. With the goal of imposing a will on a democratically elected government.
This also something to mention. Just because there are people who agree with you does not make you right. Sometimes you should be alone, if for example you push white supremacy or fascism. It is a bloody good thing you feel alone you should!
And to write articles that try to humanize a person who said they feel crazy but found other people and finally they don’t feel alone? Fuck that, that is not something to shed a tear over. It is an attempt to illicit sympathy for those that deserve none for the behaviour.
It is important that we make intolerance feel alone. It is not something to hold your heart over. We don’t fawn about the romanticism of one racist finding a larger groups of extreme people that make them feel welcome. And the fact this article does it so openly is disturbing
Originally tweeted by 🌸🏳️🌈Kate River🏳️⚧️🌸 (@KateRiver1) on February 21, 2022.
Anyhoodle, back to live coverage.
In just a sec. Any second now, I swear. We just need to get our terminology straight. Oh, and mark your I Make A Coffee And Forget It In The Kitchen square.
Mark Begins in French as well. Is that a Flashes Wedding Ring? Yes, mark it. Oh, and Haircut too. I’ll be damned if he isn’t actively TRYING to give you a bingo today.
No Reporter in Front Row though; I would have thought they’d have a full house for this. You’d think, wouldn’t you? But then apparently everything North of Sparks Street (ie Wellington street; that’s all that’s north of Sparks street) is still closed and reporters might have felt safer phoning in. Not that any of the KKKonvoy could ever figure out which building Trudeau was in, even though it’s in a press release every day. Some people still insist he’s in Tofino: people who have never been to Tofino in their lives, clearly. Not tremendously snowy there, ever. These people have literally never heard of Harrington Lake in their lives, and I’ve been deliberately not naming it because who wants to help out a buncha weaponized fascist chuds? Not me.
Anyhoodle, we’re this many words in and none of the Ministers, even the Prime one, has uttered a word. Although the moderator did cut him off when he tried, to introduce herself which was um, not necessary.
Okay. Okay but for reals, here we go.
These past weeks have been incredibly difficult for the people of our capital city. They’ve been stressful and disturbing for all Canadians. The situation is not anything anyone wanted, and quite frankly not anything we want to see again.
Justin Trudeau
Shout out to Law Enforcement from across the country (literally, 4500 miles away), and an ironic “Reiterates borders are OPEN” but for very different reasons than I have a square for it to be closed. It’s still closed to the unvaxed, so mark that square. What can I say, kicking fascism in the teeth puts me in a generous mood.
We didn’t want to use the Emergencies Act. It’s never something to turn to without serious consideration. But after weeks of dangerous and unlawful activities, after weeks of people being harassed in their neighborhoods and small businesses forced to close, after billions of dollars were stalled in trade, putting people’s jobs and livelihoods at risk, after the National War Memorial was desecrated, after evidence of increased ideologically motivated violent extremism activity across the country, after a flood of misinformation and disinformation washed over Canada, including from foreign sources, after these illegal blockades and occupations received disturbing amounts of foreign funding to de-stabilize Canada’s democracy, it became clear that local and provincial authorities needed more tools to restore order and keep people safe.
Justin Trudeau
He’s talking of the desecration of the war memorial, misinfo and disinfo “including from foreign forces” and “disturbing amounts of foreign funding to destabilize Canada’s democracy”. This is an excellent speech. It’ll go down in history. The Sister tells me it made her cry.
For the past few days parliamentarians have been debating the Emergencies Act, and we’ll be voting on it tonight. I ask all members of parliament to take action [Mark Shades Conservatives] against illegal blockades, and to stand up for public safety, and for the freedom of Canadians.
Justin Trudeau
That neatly boxes in the CPC, who are That Guy On Sparks Street walking up and down in a flag cape, bellowing FREE DOM! FREE DOM! Fucking Earl, man.
Trudeau is reiterating the need for the Emergencies Act and its role in keeping the borders secure and open. Strenuous Nod square from Freeland. Repeatedly.
Invoking the Emergencies Act has been necessary. Law enforcement agencies relied on it to set up secured areas in downtown Ottawa, and at border crossings. It prevented foreign money from continuing to fund illegal blockades. And it’s making sure our borders remain open. It has been the responsible thing to do.
We now have a choice to make as a society: We can choose to keep reliving these scenes that tear at the values that bind us as Canadians, or we can choose to remember who we are [mark that square!] and the best vision of what Canada can be.
What we’ve seen in the past few weeks is NOT the story of this pandemic.
The story of this pandemic is one of unity and solidarity.
Justin Trudeau
And according to statistics, he’s not wrong about that.
And now on to the French, which is completely different and more family-oriented than the English section. Mark Feels Parents Pain, but then we’re back to English. Sorry, Francophones, you get just a handful of sentences. That’s what you get for making up roughly 60% of the occupation, I guess.
Trudeau highlights Canadian’s being among the most vaccinated in the world, leaders in health outcomes, economic recovery and job creation.
Throughout this pain and heartbreak, Canadians answered the call, because Canadians are good people.
It took courage. It took resilience. But we did it, together.
Justin Trudeau
Now he goes on to say that disagreement and debate is necessary, a fundamental part of our democracy, and that freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are central to our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And Who We Are again, mark it twice. He’s getting colloquial; not sure if that’s practiced or spontaneous but his “You cannot’s” have slid into “Ya can’t’s” and we’re all for vernacular around these parts, y’all know that. Mark Covid Fatigue for what he says in French.
I wish I had a square for Shout Out To Free Press. I didn’t honestly think I’d need one. He’s also saying if you want to make your voice heard, you can vote. You can even run for office (but can you do that with a sedition charge in your criminal history? Asking for a…well, not a friend.
Asking for Earl. Fucking Earl.
A friend wisely points out that now that they’ve got criminal charges on their records, they may well be banned for life from entering the United States, so great career move there, Truckers Who Are So Concerned About Their Ability To Freely Enter The United States.
Freeland continues to nod, even in French. While the PM is speaking French that is. I don’t think you could stop her from nodding during these briefings if you tried. But if you could harness that power you could probably provide power to a medium-sized Ontario town, say an Almonte. There is no Chrystia Freeland bobble head (Funco, get on that!) but there IS a Justin Trudeau one.
Trudeau says that “now is the time to reflect on the kind of future we want for our country.”
There’s a lesson for all of us in what happened this month. We don’t know when this pandemic is going to finally end, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start healing as a nation. And it starts with all of us.
Justin Trudeau
I am paying NO ATTENTION AT ALL to his suggestion that Extremely Online people should try looking outside every now and again, in part because it’s dangerously close to a Jordan Peterson line (one which Jorp himself ignores, as he does all his own diktats).
He (Trudeau, not Jorp) says that if you haven’t seen your cousin in awhile because they’re unvaccinated, or because they are vaccinated, give them a call. But, have you met some of my cousins? And he says if someone left a gathering early because the conversation got heated, you should phone them.
I have just one question: What is a “gathering?”
As a country, let’s aim for more decency in our public discourse, not less. Let’s cherish the democracy we have, and let’s commit ourselves every day to working together to make it even better.
Justin Trudeau
Even if you don’t like Trudeau, you gotta admit this compares very favourably to “grab ’em by the pussy.”
Now we’re on to the questions, and the long-winded moderator repeats herself and tells the PM and ministers to be brief with their answers because they don’t have a lot of time. And then she takes the time to tell people on Zoom how to use Zoom. Okay, Boomer.
First question is from David Thurton, at CBC @cbcdavid: Do we still need the Emergencies Act, he asks, in a room only half-full because of fear. Answer: Heavy sigh.
The Emergencies Act is not something to undertake lightly, and it’s something that needs to be momentary, temporary, and proportional.
Justin Trudeau
He mentions that they’re meeting every single day and “this state of emergency is not over.” But that he doesn’t want to keep it a day or a minute longer than is necessary. But from the truck rodeos in Arnprior and elsewhere, it looks like it’s necessary for now.
Marco Mendicino gives another shout out to law enforcement for using minimal force and patience with dealing with the illegal occupation. And Bill Blair stresses that they don’t want the EA in force a moment longer than is necessary, but that it is still necessary right now.
Second question from Laurence Martin @laurencem_rc of Radio Canada, and mark your Chevelure Deteriorates square, even if you don’t know what that word means. I love that word. Not as much as donc, but it’s up there. Anyway, she asks how long this is going to continue. Trudeau replies that as of right now, the situation is still tense and that he cannot give a specific date for the lifting of the EA but they will continue to monitor the situation.
An update on the progress in implementing finance-related measures under the Emergency Economic Measures Order:
Readout of seventh incident response group
It includes the freezing of 113 financial products, the disclosure of 47 entities, 251 Bitcoin addresses have been shared with virtual currency exchangers, and one financial institution proactively freezing the account of a payment processor to a value of $3.8 million.
Oooh, good for @AnnieClaireBO asking about Briane and Other Person who donated $50 or less (and who may or may not exist) to the KKKonvoy. UPDATE: She does not. Freeland has good instincts.
Freeland is SHADING THE HELL out of those, yes, Conservative politicians who claimed that this happened. SHADING THE HELL out of them, saying it’s important to be sure our facts are correct. She does not think Briane exists. She does not think Other Person does. You can’t fool a reporter. Well, not a real one. You can fool Rebel or Fox. See this thread:
Seriously crushing harder on Freeland than Trudeau recently, and she isn’t even my type.
She reminds us the measures only apply as of Feb 15th. She also says for people who suspect their accounts were frozen as part of their support for the occupation, the solution is to stop supporting the occupation.
Poor Freeland. Her French is better than mine, but I FEEL her struggle when she gets a complicated question in French. If I were a Deputy PM I’d have an aide in my earbud translating for me.
And now mark your Sign Language Interpreters Swapped Out square.
New question from Le Devoir @LeDevoir although I don’t think the reporter said her name. And the question is THE QUESTION of the day, ie: what if the Emergencies Act vote turns out to be a vote of non-confidence? Trudeau’s entire legacy hinges on this question, as does his career. You can guide a country through a pandemic well, but if Parliament dumps you when you try to go to bat for democracy itself, well, your form of democracy is doomed. And the one waiting in the wings? It looks a lot more like fascism, doesn’t it?
Interesting line from Conservative MP @Eric_Melillo – “We are seeing people accusing the Prime Minister of being a communist dictator, which is ridiculous and untrue. We are seeing hate and polarization all across this chamber and across this country” 1/2 #cdnpoli
“We have a Prime Minister who was democratically elected three times, who commands the confidence of this chamber, yet there are many people across the country who are not seeing it as legitimate and that is a very big problem in our democracy”
“I disagree with the use of the Emergencies Act. I believe it is far-reaching, but it does not make the Prime Minister a dictator. He is within his right to invoke it.”
Originally tweeted by David Ljunggren (@reutersLjungg) on February 21, 2022.
Trudeau reiterates that he can’t imagine any Member of Parliament voting No against the Emergency Measures Act (Trudeau is much more of an optimist than I am; I expect the Conservatives to assign their more middle of the road members to vote Yes so that their nasty fascists can vote No without actually costing everyone in the House their actual jobs and personal safety and pensions). Trudeau says most MPs will vote to pass the EA and to protect Canadians and the economy and freedom. Although he sounds very drained and depressed while saying it. Then he says it again in English,
I can’t imagine that anyone who votes No tonight is doing anything other than indicating that they don’t trust the government to make incredibly momentous and important decisions at a very difficult time, but like I said I am confident that the majority of Parliamentarians will stand up to support our values, will stand up to support our democracy, stand up to support their fellow Canadians.
Justin Trudeau
David Akin @davidakin from Global “Thank you for taking our questions, and thank you for the kind words about supporting our work. I would suggest that the best way to do that is of course to take an extended amount of time for questions from journalists.” This gets you the Room Laughter and the Twinkleface squares, so thanks David! But what it does not get us is one more minute of time for questions. We have to save it all for the moderator.
Akin is trying to wedge him into a corner, asking for specific measures in the EA that are not already present in the provincial or criminal or other already-existing codes (but of course that assumes a competent and ethical premier, and instead we’ve got Doug Ford). Trudeau’s reply that it was, for instance, difficult to get tow trucks to come and tow big rigs. He’s referring to the companies already under contract to the City of Ottawa and other authorities. The EA gives the government the power to compel those towing companies to do the jobs for which they are under contract. Trudeau also references the truck rodeos at Arnprior and Embrun, waiting just offstage for a cue to power back to Wellington Street.
The Sister and I agree Wellington Street should be closed to traffic, and that it would make a MUCH better place for restaurants than Sparks Street, which is a narrow corridor between bleak skyscrapers on both sides. Wellington at least is pretty, has views, and gets direct sunlight some of the time. C’mon, New Mayor Taking Over After Lame Duck Watson, make it happen.
Trudeau also says the EA gives the power to declare border crossings, or even the surrounding approaches as essential infrastructure, areas where people can be turned away if they wish to occupy the space. The “Manitoba Ottawa border?” Mark your “Mis-speaks” square.
Oh, and mark your “Fails to translate into the other official language square if you haven’t already. I can see Freeland still nodding away, as her mask protrudes at roughly Trudeau’s elbow height.
Next question from Lee Berthiaume @leeberthiaume of CP, who says that Trudeau has said they’re looking at making some of the Emergency Financial Measures Act permanent (these are the RICO-like laws that IMHO we should have had decades ago and would have made all of BC a much more affordable place to live). He asks what other measures the government wants to make permanent. This is the “keeping a watchful eye on our freedoms over the long term” question, and a very good one to ask every time the feds grab more power. It’s always foolish to simply assume they’ll give it up, no matter how cute they look with pandas.
Response: Trudeau says that one of the good things about the EA is that there are many points of review and oversight in its use including court cases that are coming down the pipeline. And he again references how Canadians’ lives can be disrupted by disinformation and misinformation, which is a rather pointed attack at the people claiming there is NO oversight at all. A key fascist talking point, which is not true, is that the EA supersedes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, so there’s one example of what he’s talking about here. I’ve heard that line from Australia, the US, and Scandinavia in the last 48 hours. Whoever it is, they’re operating globally. Trudeau says he welcomes debate and oversight because these are important issues.
Now to the Zoom questions, and let’s see how much time the moderator takes to explain the concept of Zoom and the internet before chiding the ministers not to take up too much time.
Oh, I see Trudeau shoving a box back in front of the podium for Freeland to stand on, so mark your square for Someone Important Forced To Stand On Box. Haven’t had that in literally more than a year. This question is from an unidentified reporter, sorry. And it’s in VERY complex French, which I cannot follow as I am not a financial journalist in either official language. Man, if I were Freeland I would instantly turn to my fully bilingual friend and whisper “Help me!” But she does not, for she is the Deputy Prime Minister and DPMs don’t do such things.
She wades in and answers, very slowly, talking about the seizure of accounts and donations and how it’s only under very certain circumstances and only with solid proof and good reason. And that is not retroactive. Now Trudeau is strenuously nodding at Freeland’s answer, do we have a Role Reversal square?
Now John Ibbitson @johnibbitson from the Globe and Mail is up, with a question about Ukraine, asking if Russia recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk (from Ukraine) and sent troops into the region, would that be sufficient to trigger sanctions by Canada? Trudeau says…
We continue to see Russia trying to create reasons to violate Ukrainian territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Ukraine and we continue to stand against such measures.
Canada stands with Ukraine. Canada stands with its allies against this aggressive Russian positioning, and will respond, strongly and firmly, with our allies in case of any territorial violation of Ukraine.
Justin Trudeau
Unidentified reporter with garbled mic (mark your Audio Difficulties square) asks a question I didn’t catch, Trudeau responds with “We’re all tired” in French and mentions misinfo and disinfo and fascism and anti-science talking points. And yes, we’re tired of it all. Mark Gesticulates square. This is the part where he says “Les uns pour les autres” about six times. Yeah, I do need to make a new square, don’t I?
Last question from Jacques Gallant @jacquesgallant from the Toronto Star. He asks about when the Parliamentary Committee to oversee the EA will be struck and what exactly it’ll be empowered to do.
Trudeau replies that it’ll be made up of House and Senate members “the discussions are ongoing” and hands it over to David Lametti. Lametti says they can look at the declaration itself as well as any specific action. And Gallant asks for a followup: about the vote of confidence/non-confidence tonight, and Trudeau reiterates that he for one is confident that it will pass.
And that’s all, folks!
To wrap up:
Something to think about: all these guys blockading with their trucks are by definition guys who aren’t working as truckers. And how bad do you have to be in order to NOT get work as a trucker in Canada right now? Every trucker I know is netting six figures a year. Well, these guys aren’t helping themselves any; I sense some lateral career moves in their future. Maybe I should get a license, hmm?
raincoaster 