Anthony Housefather's History of Dirty Campaign Tricks.

News item:

Quebec Liberal volunteer caught disposing of 

Conservative campaign literature

"A volunteer helping out with the re-election campaign of Quebec Liberal Anthony Housefather was caught disposing of Conservative literature out on the campaign trail.
The incident was witnessed by a Conservative volunteer who happened to be canvassing the same apartment building in Côte Saint-Luc, Que., on Sept. 25. 
Documents shared with CBC News show that the witness claims Housefather was campaigning with several volunteers at the time of the incident.

The Liberals deny the MP himself did anything wrong. Housefather was photographed in the building with his campaign team at the time. A spokesperson for Housefather confirmed a volunteer has been spoken to about this issue.  "Mr. Housefather had no involvement in this incident," spokesperson Daniel Gans wrote in an email, adding the candidate has "addressed the matter directly with the volunteer involved in the incident."  "Moving forward, and in order to prevent this kind of behaviour, Mr. Housefather will be taking steps to ensure all individuals participating in his campaign understand that this behaviour is not acceptable in any way."CBC

Something about the above article piqued my memory.
I checked my email archive for a correspondence I had received from a contact, a person whom I have great respect for and someone who has been a valuable and credible source in the past.
Back in February of this year, he wrote to me about Anthony Housefather and how the Mount-Royal Liberal member of Parliament was caught red-handed destroying campaign posters of the opposing NO camp, way back in 1992 during the referendum on the Charlottetown Accord.

Now I never wrote about it because it was a long time ago when Housefather was a college student and youthful indiscretions can be pardoned. But if the behaviour is repeated, especially when one has become an elected Member of the Canadian Parliament official it begs the questions as to whether the behaviour represents a disturbing pattern.

Here is the story as I've been told;

"Did you know that, in a strange but very possible way, the only reason Anthony Housefather is an MP today is because of the kindness of one {redacted} (yes, THAT {redacted}; we used to be best friends)? Let me explain.{redacted} and I worked on the "No" side in the 1992 Charlottetown Referendum campaign. We were putting up posters around NDG/Cote St. Luc for several hours and an MUCTC bus driver came along in his bus, saw us, and informed us that he saw a young male taking down our posters. He said that if we liked, he would act as a witness to identify the young man if we wanted to press charges. Well, you guessed it: that young man -- whom we then searched out and came upon -- was none other than one Anthony Housefather, then attending undergraduate McGill. We not only confronted him but saw him engaged in the dastardly deed as well. I then discussed with {redacted} whether he wanted to press charges (I, like the bus driver, was willing to) and he declined. I daresay that if {redacted} wanted to proceed with the charges, it is very possible that (1) Housefather would have been convicted; and (2) because of the conviction, he wouldn't have been accepted into McGill Law School; and (3) he never would have become mayor or MP. So in a very weird way, Housefather may have {redacted} to thank for his political career."

I contacted the other party mentioned in the post, who grew tremendously uncomfortable with my questions about the incident.
Clearly a Trudeau supporter, he refused to confirm the story, but interestingly when I told him that I would not run the story if he denied it happened, he refused to say that the story was untrue. Perhaps his loyalty wouldn't allow him to confirm the story but his honesty did not allow him to deny it.
He hemmed and hawed and tried to change the subject but when the question was put to him point blank, he just refused to say yes or no.
I have the Facebook Messenger exchange to prove it.

I wrote Anthony Housefather via his Parliamentary email for comment but he refused to answer at all.
Now a few more details have come to my attention.
The incident happened in Cote-Saint-Luc in the afternoon near Cavendish and Cote Saint Luc Road and other than the bus driver and the two campaign workers involved there is another witness.

And so Housefather's pious affirmation that he hadn't anything to do with his volunteer's dirty trick sounds a bit suspect, considering Housefather was guilty of the exact same offence way back when.
Perhaps its time for a healthy dose of the truth.

Since Housefather has chosen to ignore this lowly blogster, perhaps a higher profile reporter could put the question to him.
After all, constituents have a right to know who their MP is exactly.

Trudeau The Lame Duck

I'm not sure of the effect of the latest Trudeau scandal will have on the federal election as voters are a lot less disturbed than the media would have us believe.
Voters have proven over and over again that foibles count less than agenda as Donald Trump has proven with his resilient popularity despite his many moral and ethical failings.

As for the blackface brouhaha, the media has in fact blown up the scandal as if it was the end of the world.
I'm not so sure it is.

Canada is largely a liberal country with the Conservatives generally winning power when the NDP and Liberals split the liberal vote, but the reality is that substantially more Canadians fall on the left-hand side of the political spectrum than the right.

It remains amusing and somewhat sad that the political undoing of Trudeau may (and I repeat 'may') be undone by something so stupid as wearing blackface twenty and thirty years ago.
Like Al Capone whose many crimes went unpunished, it was simple tax evasion that finally sent him to jail for eleven years, ending his lifelong criminal career.

I fully expect this scandal to peter out, but not without repercussions for the Trudeau brand and his holier-than-thou political persona.

For Canadian voters, the alternative is the uninteresting and decidedly bland Andrew Scheer, who has impressed nobody with his anyone-but-Trudeau campaign strategy, a man without morals or even a plan, destined to be a caretaker if elected.

Perhaps that's a good thing considering the damage the Trudeau Liberals have wreaked upon the Canadian pocketbook with massive and unnecessary deficits used to buy voter loyalty, something that Canadians should be ashamed of for accepting.

But Andrew Scheer's election to the Conservative leadership was predicated on a fraud, whereby Canada's dairy industry bought up thousands of phoney memberships in order to support him at the convention in return for his commitment to retain the cartel status of the dairy industry in Canada.
That cynical and fraudulent support led him to a razor-thin victory, something he had the chutzpah to gloat over in his victory speech, guzzling a carton of milk at the podium in tribute.

So the choice for Canadians this election is grim.

A lame-duck Prime Minister Trudeau whose bread and butter feminine/environment/apology game plan is destroyed or a Prime Minister Scheer who has proven that before even getting into power, he will unabashedly play ball with the powerful special interests.
As for the NDP, their numbers are about to be returned to the also-ran status, the party stupidly dumping Thomas Mulcair in the deluded belief that they were a stone's throw from power. Mulcair was, in fact, the best that it was going to get and replacing him with turban-clad Jagmeet Singh ensured that the NDP's power base in Quebec would be destroyed.
As for the Greens, they remain a protest vote for the radical granolas, and while they will pick up votes from the NDP, they are destined to their traditional role of filling a couple of Parliamentary opposition seats in useless and sad ignominy.

Which leaves the only politician who tells it like he actually sees it, Maxime Bernier, who has attacked all that the majority of Canadians hold sacred.
His branding of the saintly, useful idiot Greta Thunberg as unbalanced was perhaps a death blow to his campaign for legitimacy. But he voices concerns that a minority of Canadians hold but are too afraid to say out loud.
His position on immigration, climate, coddled Quebec and big government may be a lot more important than the media will admit, branding him 'Mad Max' for his heretical beliefs that run counter to liberal media bias.

At any rate, if Trudeau gets elected it will be a subdued and diminished leader that will take us forward.
There will be no more moralistic preaching, no more holier-than-thou pronouncements and no more pseudo-feminism or radical environmentalism.
The bread and butter of the Trudeau persona will be forever changed and it remains to be seen exactly what it will be.

On the international scene, Trudeau is a diminished and mortally wounded leader, seen as a fraud, particularly in the United Staes which views blackface as an unpardonable sin.

The newly-minted NBC late-night talk-show hosted by Toronto's Scarborough's own Lilly Singh dumped Trudeau unceremoniously from an appearance, something that augers poorly for the future where Trudeau's golden boy image is forever destroyed.
In light of the blackface scandal, he is seen as a pompous moralistic fraud whose comeuppance is well-deserved.
The mocking is devastating.
I saw a photo  of Trump and Trudeau shaking hands which was mockingly captioned as "Trump still keeping company with white supremacists." Ha! Ha!

While voters may not punish Trudeau at the polls, the legacy of the blackface incident will haunt his political future.
Just one future protester in blackface at a Trudeau campaign rally will be enough to destroy the moment. The blackface tool will be exploited mercilessly by his enemies and opponents.

Paradoxically, a diminished Trudeau may be preferable to the puffed-up moralist and spendthrift of these past four years.
If we are destined to re-elect Trudeau, then the new version might well be more palatable than the last.

And so this election is the saddest of all in-memory where voters will undoubtedly hold their nose as they vote for whomever.

Quebec's Premier to Canada: "Show Me the Money!"

Legault promises zero equalization.."Go ahead, we're listening!"

For Quebec Premier Francois Legault, his staunch disdain for equalization payments from Ottawa that he so hated while opposition leader seems to have morphed into fierce attachment once he became leader of the province.
As Gomer Pyle used to say....
Surprise! Surprise!

It's a little comical and sad to see him tap dance around the issue, a stark contrast to his adamant opposition to the concept when he sat in opposition as leader of the CAQ.
It's the sort of cynical reversal of election promises that should have voters skeptical of any nonsense spewed by opposition leaders when they have nothing to lose.

But we already know that....

What is interesting is the fierce defence of the program made by the Premier in the face of devastating attacks on equalization launched by Alberta Premier Jason Kenny who has, in nicer words than Trump would use, portrayed Quebec as a loser, lazy deadbeat province which is spitting in Alberta's oil soup, strictly out of spite.
He has a point..

And so Mr. Legault's comic defence of equalization is sadder than funny or funnier than sad.
His biggest deflection is that Quebec deserves the money because it is a condition of confederation.

"On Sunday, Legault defended equalization against criticism from Alberta, saying the program was part of the “original deal” when Quebec entered Confederation in 1867.
Kenny pointed out that the first equalization system was introduced in 1957, and the principle of equalization was included in the Constitution in 1982." Link

As for which Premier has a better grasp of history, La Presse has come down firmly on the side of the Alberta Premier, quoting an expert;

La Presse  put the question to Jean-Thomas Bernard, professor in the economics department of the University of Ottawa. After checking, Mr Bernard said the Albertan Premier is right. 

How addicted attached is Quebec to the billions and billions Ottawa sends each year to shore up its lagging economy.?

Well, consider this...

The CAQ youth wing recently held its convention in Sherbrooke.

Like all youth wings of all political parties, the most radical and nonsensical resolutions are passed, motions that the big boys never adopt because they are just too radical or unrealistic.

But when it came to equalization, the youth wing could not bring itself to oppose it, claiming that there were too diverse opinions to form a motion.

Let's face it, equalization is like crack cocaine to Quebec, and the idea of its supply being cut off a frightening and unthinkable scenario, like an addict horrified that his dealer is leaving town

In truth, Quebec is ashamed of its beggar status and its need to take charity from other provinces, but it doesn't stop it from taking the cash sheepishly.
That is why all the Quebec nationalist journalists and commentators have remained eerily silent on the subject.
With the devastating verbal onslaught launched by Premier Kenney, you'd think that outraged reaction would be forthcoming from Quebec's finest Canada haters.
But alas there's not much to say in defence and so silence on the issue seems to reign.
The Bock-Cotés, Bombardiers, Legaults, Proulxs, Martineaus et al, continue to rail against the evil Muslim immigrants and the clear and present danger they remain, while willfully ignoring the issue of equalization.
It is called deflection.
Nobody in the nationalist camp is really interested in debating the issue or defending Quebec.

Yes, there is the fringe commentators over on vigile.net who argue that Quebec still gets a raw financial deal from Ottawa but their arguments play largely to the rabid sovereigntists who are willfully blind.

But let us state the obvious.

1. If equalization went the other way, with Quebec shipping billions of dollars of its wealth to Alberta, Quebec would have separated years ago.
2. If Canada stopped paying equalization payments to Quebec as Mr. Kenney suggests, Quebec would leave Canada in a huff. After all, what's the point of remaining in a loveless marriage if the money is cut off.

So consider this gentle reader.

Quebec remaining a part of Canada is dependant on one thing only.

Not language protections.

Not patriotism or attachment

Not history.

Nope, it is equalization, the glue that holds Quebec fast. 

Chew on that for while.

Aside from all the other fiscal benefits, Quebec receives from the rest of Canada, the $13 billion in direct equalization is the glue that binds Quebec to Canada.

The question that remains is not whether it is worth the money to Quebec to stay in Canada, but rather is it worth it to Canadians to keep paying to keep Quebec satisfied.

What say you?

No Dogs to Return Next Month

Just a short note to apologized for the lack of posts recently.

Unfortunately, I suffered an eye injury (detached retina) that precludes me from writing or viewing a computer screen extensively, for the time being.

I am receiving excellent care here in Quebec with two fine doctors attending my case and although some permanent vision loss in the affected eye is inevitable, I am confident that I'll return to form in a month or so.

Have a wonderful summer and stay safe

Quebec National Assembly Dumps on Bonjour-Hi Again with Nary an Anglo Dissension..

If you ever needed a lesson on the motivation of politicians for self-preservation and aggrandizement to the detriment of their constituency, nothing can better illustrate the point than the shameful vote of our English MNAs in the National Assembly in favour of the ubiquitous anti BONJOUR-HI motion that has once again reared its ugly head in the National Assembly, as if once was not enough.

Piqued that the not so gentle entreaty via a motion in November 2017 to discourage the BONJOUR-HI greeting was completely ignored, the National Assembly, including their English Kapos, decided to have another go at it again, likely to reap the same results.

Frustrated that a law banning BONJOUR-HI would be unconstitutional and that invoking the 'Notwithstanding Clause' would be infinitely more disastrous than Pizza-gate, frustrated politicians are reduced to begging through toothless National Assembly motions that are universally ignored.

If the affair was not so sad, it would be entirely laughable.

The real evilness of the motion is that it tries to perpetuate a myth, one painstakingly concocted and imposed by the OQLF and its political handlers that Montreal is a French city and a French city alone.

It is a fiction as silly as the fable of the emperor who believes he's wearing a fine set of clothes while parading around nude because he's been told that only fools cannot see the finery.

The reality is that east of Parc Avenue/Bleury, the part that includes the downtown core and everything that's interesting in the city, English is as prevalent as French and the language of choice in the tourist and hospitality industry.

A visit to downtown Montreal during Grand Prix weekend illustrates English as the Lingua Franca of the throngs of tourists and is what perhaps triggered the ire of the language zealots and the motion in the National Assembly.

The sad reality for French language defenders is that this English reality is true for the tourist hotspots in the entire world, including France where I was surprised that a taxi driver in Nice picked us up from the dock and immediately greeted us is very passable English. When I asked in French how he came to speak such good English, he was non-plussed and explained that it is an absolute must and that the first thing most tourists ask when hailing the cab is whether the cabbie speaks English.

I know it is tough for Quebec language militants to accept, but them's the rules.

For English MNAs like David Birnbaum who is the Liberal member from the one unofficially designated Jewish riding in Quebec, selling out the English is painfully easy because he knows that as a Liberal he'd be re-elected even if he joined al Qaeda.

Birnbaum, however, had a different take on the motion.
“Like our Liberal party, I can support every word in that motion,” Birnbaum said. “Also like my Liberal party I understand the true promotion of the French language is inclusive and forward-looking.”
Birnbaum, however, said he deliberately got up slowly for the vote because of what was not in the resolution, which he said seems to suggest the English community is an “enemy rather than an ally for the promotion of French.”
“To present the idea the sky is falling, our party understands that is not the case,” Birnbaum said. “But can we get to substance when it comes to the promotion of French?”

Are you kidding me?
What a bunch of bullshit spoken by a political hack extraordinaire.

But the saddest was....

 Kathleen Weil, the former Liberal minister responsible for the English-speaking community, said she stayed away (from the vote.ed) to avoid finding herself in the same situation as in 2017 where she was flooded with complaints about her voting in favour from voters in her riding.“I learned something,” Weil said. 

Yup, she didn't vote and wasn't shy to admit that she hid out during the vote in order to avoid the humiliation of voting against the English community.

Such is our merry gang of idiot representatives who nod up and down like toy bobbleheads.

But the sad reality in all this remains the obscene fiction perpetrated by our government, aided and abetted by a complicit media that Montreal is a French city only.
Begging merchants to keep up this fiction by imploring them not to greet customers in English is another obscene farce which includes the banning of English signs.

Sadly, our Anglo politicos are too busy betraying us, nurturing and protecting their personal position at the feeding trough.
We are in dire need of that fictional little boy in the fable who reminds the crowd by calling out loudly what is so painfully obvious, that is that this emperor is wearing no clothes.