I admit they they weren’t high to begin with. But IMHO Nathan Cullen was one of their most charismatic, sharpest MPs, and if he ever grew some hair on that bald head I think he could have led the NDP, if not to power, than at least to one or two …
Continue readingTag: nathan cullen
BigCityLib Strikes Back: The Odds Of Me Voting NDP Just Went Down
I admit they they weren’t high to begin with. But IMHO Nathan Cullen was one of their most charismatic, sharpest MPs, and if he ever grew some hair on that bald head I think he could have led the NDP, if not to power, than at least to one or
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: The Odds Of Me Voting NDP Just Went Down
I admit they they weren’t high to begin with. But IMHO Nathan Cullen was one of their most charismatic, sharpest MPs, and if he ever grew some hair on that bald head I think he could have led the NDP, if not to power, than at least to one or two …
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: NDP forces Liberals to surrender electoral reform committee majority
The Liberals will no longer exercise majority control over the special parliamentary committee tasked with liberating Canada from its 149-year old anti-democratic first-past-the-post electoral system.
The post NDP forces Liberals to surrender electoral…
Left Over: Wake Up and Smell the Corruption, Canada…….
90 scientists and climate experts call on Trudeau to reject Pacific NorthWest LNG GORDON HOEKSTRA More from Gordon Hoekstra Published on: May 30, 2016 | Last Updated: May 30, 2016 1:41 PM PDT Analysis of the major flaws in Pacific … Continue reading →
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: The NDP Must Stop Victimizing Women if They Hope to be Taken Seriously Again
In early December 2012, the Toronto Star reported: Near-brawl erupts in Commons between Tory Peter Van Loan and NDP’s Nathan Cullen Apparently Van Loan was upset with the NDP’s delaying tactics on getting the Conservative budget measures passed, and crossed the floor to the NDP caucus, pointing his finger and shouting
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: The NDP Must Stop Victimizing Women if They Hope to be Taken Seriously Again
In early December 2012, the Toronto Star reported: Near-brawl erupts in Commons between Tory Peter Van Loan and NDP’s Nathan Cullen Apparently Van Loan was upset with the NDP’s delaying tactics on getting the Conservative budget measu…
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: The NDP Must Stop Victimizing Women if They Hope to be Taken Seriously Again
In early December 2012, the Toronto Star reported: Near-brawl erupts in Commons between Tory Peter Van Loan and NDP’s Nathan Cullen
Apparently Van Loan was upset with the NDP’s delaying tactics on getting the Conservative budget measures passed, and crossed the floor to the NDP caucus, pointing his finger and shouting obscenities.
In typical fashion, Thomas Mulcair began shouting obscenities back, and things could have gotten out of control, had not members of both parties stepped in to defuse the situation. Then Speaker, Andrew Scheer, did nothing.
According to Van Loan, members of his party only left their seats, fearing for his safety; and according to Nathan Cullen, his only concern was for the women folk.
Had a bench clearing brawl erupted, we can assume that only those wanting to engage would jump the boards and everyone else would scatter. He should not have dragged gender into this. What Van Loan and Mulcair did was wrong. They created an unsafe and uncomfortable working environment for everyone.
Last week we witnessed a similar situation in what has been dubbed Elbowgate.
This time the obstructionism was more evident as several NDP members tried to delay the vote on Assisted Dying legislation, by preventing Conservative Whip Gord Brown from making his way to the Speaker. Given that the clock was running out, the Prime Minister left his seat to move things along.
He was angry. He cursed. He was wrong.
During this brief encounter, NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brousseau, who had moved up behind him, got bumped. She stepped back to her bench, laughing and then made a gesture like she had been injured.
However, the issue here is not whether she was indeed hurt, or to what degree. It’s not even about whether or not she took a dive, as many believe she did.
It is about what we know did NOT happen.
She was NOT sexually assaulted. She was NOT molested. And she was NOT the victim of intentional violence. She pushed against Prime Minister Trudeau. He did not seek her out.
But that didn’t stop the Opposition members from turning this into a three ring circus, making it all about violence against women and putting the lives of female MPs in grave danger. Women must feel safe when they go to work, they insisted.
When did women become so fragile that we needed this kind of protection? When things like this occur in the workplace, they are disconcerting to everyone. Believe it or not, we’ve heard the “f” word before and many of us like contact sports, including boxing.
Our female Members of Parliament come from varied backgrounds. They are doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, business people et al. Many rose to the tops of their professions and no doubt took an elbow or two in the course of their careers. Singling them out as frail individuals is misogynistic. Feminism run amok.
As feminist blogger Rachel Edwards says:
“While feminists say that feminism is about equality, actions speak louder than words. These actions suggest an uncomfortable truth. Feminism is not the assumption that we are equal, but the assumption that women are weak… “
Had the NDP stuck to the narrative that Justin Trudeau should not have lost his temper and should not have left his seat to physically move Brown through the NDP wall, they would have come out on top. But by making it about violence against women, they lost all credibility and the public turned on them.
Not just Liberal supporters, but all women who know what sexual assault and violence against them really is. Also many men who are tired of always being painted as “perverts, bullies and misogynists”
Unfortunately, most of the anger was directed at Brousseau, while it should have gone to those who victimized her for political gain.
I know I also found myself upset with the MP, especially after viewing the video, but have since realized that she only played a small role in this farce. What I also noticed from the video, was how easy it would have been for Brown to go around, instead of continuing to try to go through. Sure looked liked a set up.
I also discovered from following social media, that many of the people decrying the bullying of Brousseau, are the same ones who bullied Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, just a week ago; so clearly this was not about protecting women.
NDP MP and self proclaimed feminist Niki Ashton, epitomizes what is wrong with feminism today. She led the charge against Sophie Trudeau when she asked for help in performing her duties, by suggesting that no one asked her to do anything.
Something women have heard for decades, if not centuries. “No one asked you to have those children”. “No one asked you to join a male dominated profession”. “You brought this on yourself”.
In November, Ashton had criticized the prime minister’s wife for taking her son Hadrian along on an official visit, despite the fact that he was still breast feeding.
Feminists need to step back and ask themselves what they are hoping to accomplish and pseudo-feminists need to stop assuming that they know. Only then will we be taken seriously.
What Was This Really About?
I was quite taken aback by several well known Canadian journalists and pundits, who shared stories on Twitter from international news outlets about the incident. They appeared giddy over the fact that this might tarnish Justin Trudeau’s reputation on the international stage. How is this a good thing?
Do they detest him that much that they fail to see that it would also be our country’s image that would suffer?
I doubt it will have much of an impact, but it does shed a light on the true nature of all the uproar.
So instead of #PrayForSophie #Nannygate or #elbowgate let’s just use one to cover everything.
#TrudeausJustTooDamnPopularGate
Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.- Peter Mazereeuw reports on the growing opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership which may result in it never coming into force. And Jerry Dias reminds us why we should be glad if that movement wins out over …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Robert Reich discusses how our economy is rigged so that the self-proclaimed risk-takers actually can’t lose:I don’t want to pick on Ms. Mayer or the managers of the funds that invest in Yahoo. They…
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Wandering in the wilderness with the NDP.
Leader Thomas Mulcair is hardly the only New Democrat with something to prove at the party’s Edmonton Convention April 9 to 10. Sure, he needs to justify his leadership but the real question is where Canada’s New Democratic Party is headed? It is obviously not the direction that Mulcair chose for the last federal election. […]
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on this post as to Nathan Cullen’s proposal to make sure the outcomes of all plausible electoral systems are taken into account in designing a new one. For further reading…- Again, Cullen’s proposal was reported on here, and discussed…
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Nathan Cullen’s Daring Proposal for Electoral Reform
When I first read Nathan Cullen's proposal to kickstart the electoral reform process, I must admit that I thought the NDP had lost its grip on reality.For it did seem a bit unreasonable to ask the Liberals to surrender their majority on a committee…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On double majorities
Nathan Cullen’s proposal for party representation on the Parliamentary committee reviewing electoral reform has received plenty of attention. But it might actually go much further than advertised to validate the results of the committee’s work and legi…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On voting from experience
If I have any concern with Nathan Cullen’s suggestion that Canada hold a referendum on electoral reform only after seeing a different system in action, it’s that it may concede too much to the people looking to set up roadblocks in the face of a clear …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta shows why there will be no NDP-Liberal entente, Nathan Cullen’s mistimed musing notwithstanding
PHOTOS: Loose-lipped New Democrat Nathan Cullen – whatever was he thinking? Below: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, former Alberta Liberal leader Raj Sherman, federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP strategist Ian Capstick. Whatever Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen was thinking when he flapped his lips to the delight of the
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: Firefighters run towards fires; politicians should stay out of the way
Stephen Harper’s forest fire firefighter photo-op gone wrong this week reminded me of the time a campaign I was involved in was faced with a similar fire-related choice. In the summer election of 2004, I was helping with communications in Skeena-Bulkley Valley on the campaign of our Liberal candidate, Miles
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Firefighters run towards fires; politicians should stay out of the way
Stephen Harper’s forest fire firefighter photo-op gone wrong this week reminded me of the time a campaign I was involved in was faced with a similar fire-related choice.In the summer election of 2004, I was helping with communications in Skeena-Bulkley…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Change for the better
It seems so long ago when it was conventional wisdom that no party in contention for government in Canada would dare talk about cooperating to get things done, no matter how many voters wanted to see it happen. But if there was any doubt that the NDP can change Ottawa’s
Continue readingAlberta Diary: NDP leadership debate was amicable, but it ignored the elephant in the progressive political room
Candidate Rachel Notley addresses the crowd of New Democrats Thursday night during the Alberta New Democratic Party’s final leadership debate in Edmonton. Candidates Rod Loyola, in the middle, and David Eggen, at left, are visible in the background. (Photo by Olav Rokne.) Below: Mr. Eggen, Mr. Loyola and 2012 federal
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