Attending question period in the House of Commons for the first time in a long time Tuesday, I was struck by how much things change, yet they remain the same..I finally received my media pass with the Western Standard this week after being forced to jump through a variety of hoops after my hiatus working for U.S. media. I hadn’t attended QP since it had moved from Centre Block to West Block and was astonished how the designers had managed to make the new location look so much like the former one. Except for the ceiling of course. It was sort of like sitting in a film set and watching the actors below unleash the drama..But the discourse hadn’t changed at all. There was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defending his handgun hoax legislation, pretending Canada is in the midst of an “existential threat” only a freeze in handgun sales will arrest as well as the state’s confiscation of anything Trudeau deems to be an “assault rifle” and you can bet that definition will be broad..He has no plans, of course, to stop gang violence or keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, just out of the hands of law abiding firearm retailers. This is all about Trudeau lecturing Canadians as usual about how they don’t require security while of course, he has all the security he needs, thank you very much..And it was like time had frozen still: Trudeau was still referring to carbon dioxide as “pollution” and saying it with just enough conviction to sound like he actually believed it. Of course, C02 is not pollution, it is a naturally occurring gas people like Trudeau believe is perpetuating catastrophic climate change that will soon trigger an environmental Armageddon of sorts. That’s why Trudeau needs to build a gargantuan carbon footprint by jet-setting around Canada and the world on his government Challenger jet. At least U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry, uses a private jet to exercise his gross hypocrisy as he insists everybody else but he retreat to the stone age..And the deputy prime minister was at her arrogant and hectoring best, lecturing the opposition Conservatives about how the carbon tax was benefiting all Canadians. Chrystia Freeland should win an award for being the most obnoxious cabinet minister in NATO — and she could still steal the prize no matter how ridiculously large that organization is getting. My old friend, MP Ed Fast (CPC-Abbotsford), was complaining how much his constituents are paying for a litre of gas — well over $2.20 — and Freeland insisted it was no big deal because so much stolen carbon tax money was flowing back to his community. .I know we’re not supposed to use the old imperial measurements, but sometimes it helps in clarifying just how much we are paying for gas: $2.20 a litre is equivalent to $10 a gallon. They are paying about $6.50 a gallon in California right now and the economy is at the breaking point. We can hardly stand much more of this in Canada either, but don’t look for the Trudeau government to end the carbon tax or reduce the other levies on gasoline any time soon: it’s the principle of the matter, you see. They would rather see Canadians suffer in the name of the climate cause even if Trudeau and his lot are well insulated from any economic disturbances..What didn’t come up in QP, and which might come up today, is the revelation the Trudeau government has been thriving on the use of secret Orders in Council (OIC). Now, wait for this, the CBC actually reported on this Wednesday morning after doing an access request and also told the truth about the Privy Council Office refusing to reveal what some of those secret OICs were about. I don’t often say this, but hats off to the state broadcaster for this one..Interestingly, an OIC is like an executive order in the United States and is signed by the governor general after only a minimum of four cabinet members seek its approval. So that means half the government might not even know what these orders are or even that they are being issued..It seems the Trudeau government sought a couple of these secret OICs during the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa. One of them was issued exactly four days after Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14. Could that have been a legal guarantee to the police forces that their members could not be held legally responsible for any physical harm against protesters or any damage to property or livelihood? It makes perfect sense..At any rate, the Trudeau government used secret OICs 72 times since coming to power in 2015. That’s almost three times as much as the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper used this mechanism and the Liberals complained mightily about that..This revelation the Trudeau government is increasingly trying to run the country by secret dictate is not just alarming, it is unacceptable and another reason why we shouldn’t be worried about C02 being pollution. .Trudeau is exhibiting a febrile authoritarian streak in his willingness to stamp out opposition and censor anything he declares to be disinformation. He is trying to distract from the gutted economy by declaring a fake handgun crisis. He continues to be an elitist who has no real connection to real Canadians and thinks the can buy off the media with subsidies and buyouts. .He must be looking for blood at the CBC for this story on secret OICs..But even a state broadcaster can be toadying, sycophantic and gutless for just so long..It really is time to take back this country..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
Attending question period in the House of Commons for the first time in a long time Tuesday, I was struck by how much things change, yet they remain the same..I finally received my media pass with the Western Standard this week after being forced to jump through a variety of hoops after my hiatus working for U.S. media. I hadn’t attended QP since it had moved from Centre Block to West Block and was astonished how the designers had managed to make the new location look so much like the former one. Except for the ceiling of course. It was sort of like sitting in a film set and watching the actors below unleash the drama..But the discourse hadn’t changed at all. There was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defending his handgun hoax legislation, pretending Canada is in the midst of an “existential threat” only a freeze in handgun sales will arrest as well as the state’s confiscation of anything Trudeau deems to be an “assault rifle” and you can bet that definition will be broad..He has no plans, of course, to stop gang violence or keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, just out of the hands of law abiding firearm retailers. This is all about Trudeau lecturing Canadians as usual about how they don’t require security while of course, he has all the security he needs, thank you very much..And it was like time had frozen still: Trudeau was still referring to carbon dioxide as “pollution” and saying it with just enough conviction to sound like he actually believed it. Of course, C02 is not pollution, it is a naturally occurring gas people like Trudeau believe is perpetuating catastrophic climate change that will soon trigger an environmental Armageddon of sorts. That’s why Trudeau needs to build a gargantuan carbon footprint by jet-setting around Canada and the world on his government Challenger jet. At least U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry, uses a private jet to exercise his gross hypocrisy as he insists everybody else but he retreat to the stone age..And the deputy prime minister was at her arrogant and hectoring best, lecturing the opposition Conservatives about how the carbon tax was benefiting all Canadians. Chrystia Freeland should win an award for being the most obnoxious cabinet minister in NATO — and she could still steal the prize no matter how ridiculously large that organization is getting. My old friend, MP Ed Fast (CPC-Abbotsford), was complaining how much his constituents are paying for a litre of gas — well over $2.20 — and Freeland insisted it was no big deal because so much stolen carbon tax money was flowing back to his community. .I know we’re not supposed to use the old imperial measurements, but sometimes it helps in clarifying just how much we are paying for gas: $2.20 a litre is equivalent to $10 a gallon. They are paying about $6.50 a gallon in California right now and the economy is at the breaking point. We can hardly stand much more of this in Canada either, but don’t look for the Trudeau government to end the carbon tax or reduce the other levies on gasoline any time soon: it’s the principle of the matter, you see. They would rather see Canadians suffer in the name of the climate cause even if Trudeau and his lot are well insulated from any economic disturbances..What didn’t come up in QP, and which might come up today, is the revelation the Trudeau government has been thriving on the use of secret Orders in Council (OIC). Now, wait for this, the CBC actually reported on this Wednesday morning after doing an access request and also told the truth about the Privy Council Office refusing to reveal what some of those secret OICs were about. I don’t often say this, but hats off to the state broadcaster for this one..Interestingly, an OIC is like an executive order in the United States and is signed by the governor general after only a minimum of four cabinet members seek its approval. So that means half the government might not even know what these orders are or even that they are being issued..It seems the Trudeau government sought a couple of these secret OICs during the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa. One of them was issued exactly four days after Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14. Could that have been a legal guarantee to the police forces that their members could not be held legally responsible for any physical harm against protesters or any damage to property or livelihood? It makes perfect sense..At any rate, the Trudeau government used secret OICs 72 times since coming to power in 2015. That’s almost three times as much as the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper used this mechanism and the Liberals complained mightily about that..This revelation the Trudeau government is increasingly trying to run the country by secret dictate is not just alarming, it is unacceptable and another reason why we shouldn’t be worried about C02 being pollution. .Trudeau is exhibiting a febrile authoritarian streak in his willingness to stamp out opposition and censor anything he declares to be disinformation. He is trying to distract from the gutted economy by declaring a fake handgun crisis. He continues to be an elitist who has no real connection to real Canadians and thinks the can buy off the media with subsidies and buyouts. .He must be looking for blood at the CBC for this story on secret OICs..But even a state broadcaster can be toadying, sycophantic and gutless for just so long..It really is time to take back this country..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.