Poilievre Plays Nice

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Pierre Poilievre has truly put the “con” back in Conservative. In his latest incarnation, Pierre is the peacemaking co-operative consensus building pure-hearted politician who just wants to help the Liberals make life more affordable for everyday hard working Canadians. Gee whiz, claim Pierre and Party, it’s the Liberals who have been slowing things down in Parliament.

Except it’s not.

I went on a fact-checking spree while reviewing some of Mr. Poilievre’s latest claims to the media, and ran an AI Google search on him. Here’s what “no-bias” AI has to say about him:

AI Overview: Canada election: Poilievre takes questions as his lack of security clearance in campaign spotlight | Radio-Canada.ca

Fact-checking of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s attacks on the Liberal government record indicates a pattern of mixing accurate criticisms of Liberal policies with exaggeration, misrepresentation of context, and misleading data. While Poilievre has correctly highlighted high inflation and housing shortages, his specific claims regarding the causes and scale of these issues are frequently disputed by independent fact-checkers.”

Ah … exaggeration, misrepresentation of context, and misleading data. That sounds more like the Pierre we know and loathe. With his approval rating going nowhere quickly, Mr. Poilievre had to shift gears, lose the snarky, create-a-crisis rhetoric, and present an image of the guy who’s going to help Make Canada Great Again.

Observe his con-artist logic. After months of their negative media attacks, delay tactics and obstruction of Liberal bills and policies that would have moved the Government’s agenda forward for Canada, the Conservative Party suddenly casts a unanimous vote in favour of fast-tracking Liberal Bill C-19.

That Bill just happens to address affordability issues for low-income Canadians. Affordability just happens to be the major sound byte in Mr. Poilievre’s media spiels.

Can’t let the Liberals take credit for that, so spin the event. Affordability has come to Canada NOT because of a Liberal Bill, but because the Conservative Party cares about Canadians. Yep the Conservative Party cared enough to get out of the way and let the Bill pass!

Consider the timing of this change of heart. On January 31, 2026 Pierre Poilievre receives a resounding vote of confidence from the 2500 Conservative delegates at the leadership convention. Two days later on February 2, 2026. The Party votes to support the Liberal Bill. Coincidence? Not at all. It was a deliberately calculated move to portray the renewed leader as a captain for Team Canada. Would it be enough to cover “Poilievre’s attack-dog style, his strained relationship with much of the national media, and his perceived alignment with American populism, particularly Donald Trump?” *

Mr. Poilievre claimed, “with humility” that the Conservative Party could save Canada if only the Liberals would “work with us to fast-track results for an affordable, safe, self-reliant Canada.” Sorry Pierre, but it’s the other way around. The tail is not wagging the dog. The Conservative Party needs to work cooperatively as a constructive part of the Canadian Government as you promised after your resounding personal defeat in the last election. If we watch that little puckered mouth closely, we realize it’s pushing out the same old el-toro-pooh-pooh that it always has.

Mr. Poilievre, your new disguise is a clever way to try and stop you from flatlining, but we’re not buying the con. The reality is, that if you and your Party had started cooperating with the government immediately after the last election we’d be well on our way to a more affordable, safe and self-reliant Canada. The way I see it.

***

* Photo from CBC

*Quote from The Conversation, February 1, 2026

What’s in a Name

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Obituary information for Rose Flores“A rose by any other name would would smell as sweet.”  Or the well-known, “If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck.” And how would our perception be swayed if we changed the name of “Rape and Pillage Project Management Corporation” to “Strawberry Fields Forever ULC”?

Now, if a company is called Greenfields Farms Lid. you would be forgiven if you thought it was an organization devoted to farming and sustainable food production. Alas, this fictional company is owned by an ambitious developer and is a landholding and development company with no attachment at all to agricultural endeavours. If it looks like a scam, and it hides in doublespeak like a scam, it must be a scam.

The owners of Greenfields Farms Ltd. are obviously very successful and wealthy businesspersons, able to donate tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars to  local politicians and charitable causes. They may even have their family names on medical centres or libraries or food banks for at risk families. These charitable endeavours would have cost millions, expenses that , fortunately for the philanthropic developer, can often be claimed for tax breaks.

When you hear a politician suspected of being too close to a wealthy developer say, “Mr. Doofensmertz makes financial donations to all political parties, and has contributed generously to our community’s charities and community groups, as well as to private political fundraising events.”  Why, when we hear this, we’re more than happy to stop our protests against Doofensmertz and Company’s plan to clear-cut our heritage forests.

When you look up Greenfields Farms Ltd., or any similar greenwashing company, on Google, it’s AI will tell you the “family” who runs the company will often be listed as “Philanthropists and Developers”  … go ahead, try the search on any company you may suspect is pulling the wool over your community’s eyes.

The deceptive headline would read: “Ms. Flim-Flam, a philanthropist and developer, denies any allegations that she has been bribing public officials. ‘I donate equally to all political parties,’ declared Ms. Flim-Flam

Note that “philanthropist” comes first in that descriptor. It creates a halo of goodness around the negative traits often associated with developers and their numbered or quaintly named companies. I confess, I have never used Google AI before so it was fascinating how quickly it cut through the BS (much like Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech in Davos) and informed me with cool robotic logic that:

Philanthropy can act as a cover for ill-gotten wealth when it is used strategically to sanitize a donor’s reputation, shield assets from taxation, or exert undue influence to protect the immoral or illegal business practices that generated the wealth in the first place. This phenomenon, often referred to as “reputation laundering” or “impact washing,” allows individuals to appear benevolent while obscuring the source of their funds. 

I was shocked! How could AI so coldly smear some developers and their philanthropic gifts with such allegations of impact washing and ways of obscuring the sources and amounts of their wealth. Shame! It’s a good thing none of the politicians or developers operating in our little Town are guilty of reputation laundering.

However, as my old Dad used to say, “Son, sometimes when it looks like a cat, it’s really a skunk.”  And if it smells like a corpse flower, it’s probably not a rose.

The way I see it.

*****

*image, fittingly, from Maxwell P. Dunne Funeral Services

 

 

The Real Reason

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The real reason President Trump is angry about Doug Ford and Ontario airing the Ronald Reagan speech warning about the dangers of tariffs and his support for fair and free trade has nothing to do with his trade policies. The public domain speech simply illustrates how a President can deliver an articulate, factually informative speech in five minutes. No dancing, no ranting off topic, no one hour diatribes of meaningless drivel – just the need to know, clean and clear.

President Reagan was no saint (then CIA  director George Bush and the Contra Scandal) but he knew how to read his lines with dignity and eloquent authority. Now, someone else may have written those speeches, but they also were literate members of staff. It appears that literacy is no longer an employment standard, only loyalty to the Emperor Who Has No Clothes.  Wake up America!

The real reason President Trump is angry is because he can’t compete with the class act that surrounded Ronald Reagan. “Garbage in, garbage out”, Donald.

And it’s time to take out the trash, the way I see it.

King or Dick Tater

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Recently in the “United” States of America, there have been protests over America’s slide into autocracy. These “No Kings” protests took place in over 2,100 cities and towns across that nation, drawing over 5,000,000 people together in a fight for democracy.

I think they got it wrong. A King is a male monarch who exercises sovereign power over a nation or territory; it is usually hereditary, and the monarchy can be either absolute or constitutional. A King in this hierarchy also serves at the pleasure of an all-powerful Emperor.

On the other hand, a Dick Tater is defined in the Urban Dictionary and on fastslang.com as the following:

The term “Photo by Sy & Alex Mom and pops collectibles 562 (@momandpopscollectibles562) · September 2, 2025Dick Tater” is a slang term used to describe a person who wields an excessive amount of power and authority, often in a cruel or oppressive manner. The term is a play on words, combining the word Dictator” with the slang term for the male penis, “dick” and the slang term for potato, “tater” – a dense and starchy vegetable. It is typically used to criticize politicians, leaders or other individuals who abuse their power and engage in tyrannical behaviour.

A “Dick Tater” is someone who seeks to control every aspect of people’s lives, often through the use of force or fear. They may use propaganda, censorship, and other tactics to manipulate public opinion and maintain their grip on power.They may also engage in corruption, nepotism, and other forms of unethical behaviour to further their own interests at the expense of others.

One of the defining characteristics of a “Dick Tater” is their willingness to use violence and intimidation to achieve their goals.They may employ secret police, military forces, or other means to suppress dissent and maintain order, They may also engage in mass surveillance, torture and other human rights abuses to maintain their hold on power.

Despite their ruthless tacticsThe 12 Labours of... Putin" an art exhibition in Russia for Vladimir Putin's 62nd birthday which portrays him as a Herculean hero of Russia, 2014 : r/PropagandaPosters, “Dick Taters” often portray themselves as benevolent leaders who are working for the greater good. They may use slogans, symbols and other forms of propaganda to create an image of themselves as heroic figures who are fighting for the people. However their true intentions are usually far from noble, and theory are often motivated by greed, ego, and a desire for absolute control.

In many cases “Dick Taters” rise to power through democratic means, only to subvert the very institutions that put them there. They may use emergency powers, executive orders, and other legal loopholes to bypass the checks and balances of democracy and consolidate their power. Once they have achieved this, they may dismantle the very institutions that enabled their rise to power, leaving a trail of destruction and oppression in their wake.

Overall, the term “Dick Tater” is a powerful and evocative way to criticize those who abuse their power and engage in tyrannical behaviour. It serves as a reminder that even in democratic societies, there are always those who seek to undermine the principles of freedom, justice, and equality. By calling out those individuals and holding them accountable for their actions, we can help to ensure that our societies remain free and just for all.

Yep, No Dick Taters! The way I see it.

*****

*illustration from Instagram, Sy and Alex Mom

* image from Reddit

 

The Most Secretive Municipal Government in Canada

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On August 20, 2023 in the Town of Caledon, Strong Mayor Annette Groves, after firing most excellent CAO Carey Heard, sole sourced and hired Nathan Hyde, former CAO of Erin, Ontario. During his time in Erin, Mr. Hyde made quite a reputation for himself and his style of governance, so much so that it enabled the little town of Erin to win a Canadian media award.

In 2020, The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) published this report: “OTTAWA, Feb. 24, 2020 /CNW/— The Town of Erin, Ont., is the 2019 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the category of municipal government.

The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) to call public attention to government departments and agencies that put extra effort into denying public access to government information to which the public has a right under access to information legislation.

The awards jury, which is comprised by representatives of the four press-freedom advocacy groups, recognized the Town of Erin with this citation:

It has become commonplace for The Town of Erin to refuse to be transparent with the media and therefore local residents on even basic matters of public interest. Local officials regularly avoid interviews with the media, insist that all communications from media must go through a recently hired communications officer, and Chief Administrative Officer and only by email. Even these requests are then dodged or refused. Worse yet, Erin officials have failed to inform the media of meetings at which major decisions will be made.

In response to a large number of senior staff and department heads being fired a couple of years ago staff at the Wellington Advertiser submitted FOI requests for details of severance payments. Erin refused these requests and Erin Mayor Allan Alls told the media they would not release these details unless forced to by the commissioner.

Combine the unleashed powers of a Strong Mayor with the devious secrecy of a powerful CAO and you have a match made in autocratic heaven. And democracy can go to hell. Our new Integrity Commissioner needs to open his eyes – you charged the wrong person with breaching the Town’s Code of Conduct. Take a closer look at the two people who brought forward that charge against Councillor Sheen, especially the one who, after she was charged with breaching the Code, skipped the last Commissioner’s mandatory training session on issues of ethics and integrity.

Councillor Dave “Integrity” Sheen had it absolutely right. The way I see it.