#ontario is a racist province

[newsfromstolenland]

The mayor of Pickering and several city council members want the province to legislate stricter sanctions for the conduct of municipal officials after a councillor appeared on a controversial podcast where the host labelled her colleagues pedophiles, Nazis and fascists.

Coun. Lisa Robinson was a guest on a July 30 episode of "Live with Kevin J. Johnston" – a podcast hosted by Johnston, who has repeatedly displayed racist behaviour in recent years and previously pleaded guilty to a hate crime in Ontario in connection with anti-Muslim posts he shared online.

In a statement issued this week, Pickering's mayor and councillors called Johnston an "extremist" podcaster, saying the episode attacked the 2SLGBTQ+ community and vilified the Black Lives Matter movement.

Full article

Tagging: @allthecanadianpolitics

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Julia Malott

Published: Sep 18, 2023

In the coming days, Canada will see heightened activity in the nation’s ongoing gender identity politics debate. The “1 Million March 4 Children” protest against how gender identity is taught in schools, is set to occur on Wednesday, with synchronized events in more than 50 cities countrywide. Two days later, separate Toronto rally will spotlight two figures prominent in the gender-critical movement: Chris Elston, colloquially known as “Billboard Chris” for his distinctive method of protesting against childhood medical transition, and Josh Alexander, a Renfrew, Ontario student who was expelled earlier this year after objecting in class to his school’s transgender washroom policy.

Organizers of these events bill them as a defense of the safety and wellbeing of children, though the protesters’ opinions span a wide spectrum of positions. While some desire personal discretion in how matters of gender identity are handled for their own children, others urge broader constraint on transgender-related discussion and accommodations for the entire student body. The perspectives reflect the diverse community backing the movement.

As parents’ voices grow louder, there’s a perception in the progressive left that all of these emerging movements are rooted and inspired by “far-right” extremism. Many in leftist circles suggest that parental rights advocacy is a dog-whistle: a veiled attempt to advance anti-transgender policies. A recently leaked video from an Ontario Federation of Labour meeting offers a glimpse into how some of the province’s most influential union members perceive these protests. As one member notably stated during the meeting: “The fascists are organizing in the streets … . This is far more than a far-right transphobic protest. They’re fundamentally racist, they’re fundamentally anti-union, they are fundamentally transphobic, and it’s just a matter of time before they come for us.”

Such language of a growing fascist movement, evoking images of 1933 Berlin, is more than a little unhinged, particularly when all they are discussing is parents uniting together to demand involvement in their children’s education. As a covert spectator in the union meeting, there was an undeniable sentiment among participants that if not for them democracy would surely collapse.

It’s a grave mistake to deride the parental collective pushing back against the status-quo as fascist sympathizers motivated by transgender hate. A glance past such alarmist rhetoric reveals that — while a fringe group of hate has always existed — the concerns many parents are championing are much more moderate than a “far-right” moniker suggests.

For many parents, the core issue at hand is preserving their agency and autonomy over the ideological content of their children’s education. They want transparency about what is being taught, the option to excuse their child from content they believe doesn’t align with their values, and the discretion to determine age-appropriateness for activities, such as certain reading material or events like drag queen performances at schools. Perhaps least surprisingly, parents want to be involved in the key decisions of their own child undergoing a social transition in the classroom.

Many of these matters have been surfacing in school board meetings for several years, largely to be ignored by Trustees and Education Directors. The shared sentiment among these parents is the perception that the education system increasingly sidelines them, diminishing their role in their children’s upbringing. This sense of alienation is leading a growing number of parents to take a stand, even if it means confronting accusations of extremism.

The matter of social transition behind parents’ backs in particular is so condemning of their role in upbringing that it has thrust the entire gamut of gender identity matters into the national spotlight, revealing just how out of balance transgender accommodation has become. The manner in which the left has responded — by doubling down in their rhetoric and deriding parents as militant zealots, has played powerfully into the rapid growth of this grassroots movement.

Many parents, even amid those who will stand in protest, have little desire to limit other families’ decisions regarding gender teachings and expression for their children. They realize that their objective of ensuring their own parental autonomy is intertwined with safeguarding those same freedoms for other families as well.

Over time, the persistent branding of even modest parental rights positions as far-right extremism does injury. As the left cries foul each time they encounter a perspective they don’t like, they desensitize the meaning in such a label. By regularly branding modest parental concerns as extremist, progressives may very well be shoehorning the adoption and normalization of more hardline positions that do straddle the line of the parental rights of others. As grassroots gain traction, a vocal minority have now taken to calling for sweeping bans on gender affirming teaching and accommodation for all children and families alike within the public education system.

So where do we go from here? What might a balanced approach to parental rights look like within the nuanced landscape of gender identity politics? Fortunately, we need not start from scratch; history offers us a model for the coexistence of diverse ideologies within our educational institutions. Look no further than religion.

For years, Canada has upheld an educational system truly inclusive of students from all religious backgrounds. The classroom approach to religious topics is robust; it sidesteps direct religious instruction, and when religion intersects with the curriculum, it is presented academically rather than doctrinally. Instead of dictating what’s “true” in religious contexts, educators shed light on what various groups “believe,” cultivating an environment of both choice and critical thinking.

Amid religious diversity, we teach acceptance. Students are taught to make space for varied faith expression among their peers, whether through clothing or other customs, and with a strong desire to maintain neutral, religious symbols are not adorned by the institution. The lesson for students is to embrace and include, even where personal beliefs diverge; Meanwhile, the guiding principle for the institution is to avoid actions that display favouritism toward any specific religious doctrine.

Such a solution could address a significant portion of the concerns fuelling the rising parental unrest. Moderate parents would applaud such an education system, and this would still be inclusive of transgender students. But in order for this to be realized, the two factions moving ever further apart will first need to come to the table and talk. Given the recent rhetoric from progressive quarters, the prospect of this dialogue anytime soon appears distant.

[ Via: https://archive.md/sPIaA ]

==

It's a deliberate tactic by activists with no argument. If you poison the well with an Ad Hominem, you never need to justify your claim: parents are, by default, "far-right" and "fascists" and can be ignored. And by calling it a "dogwhistle," they need never say what you want them to say, you can just claim that's what they actually meant, putting words in their mouths.

There's fewer better ways to piss off voting parents than by trying to cast their concern about their children and the undermining of their parental rights as "far-right" or "fascism."

[beardedmrbean]

Canada's first-ever anti-Islamophobia tsar is facing calls to resign after an op-ed resurfaced in which she called Quebecers Islamophobic.

Amira Elghawaby was appointed last week to the new position by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In 2019, she co-wrote an opinion piece attacking a Quebec law that banned public servants from wearing religious symbols, including hijabs.

Last week, after her words resurfaced, she walked back her comments.

She said her article was meant to be a criticism of the law, not Quebecers themselves.

The op-ed, which she co-wrote in 2019 with a social activist for the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, read: "Unfortunately, the majority of Quebecers appear to be swayed not by the rule of law, but by anti-Muslim sentiment."

On Wednesday, amid mounting criticism, Ms Elghawaby apologised to Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, who is the head of Quebec's federal separatist party.

"I am convinced, and I know and say it, that Quebecers are not racist," Ms Elghawaby said, according to the Montreal Gazette.

"It was not my intention, and because of the injuries caused by my words, I sincerely apologise."

But her apology did not immediately quell calls for her resignation.

On Thursday, Mr Blanchet said Ms Elghawaby was "hostile to the values ​​of Quebec" and urged Mr Trudeau to abolish the position entirely.

Mr Trudeau said he supports Ms Elghawaby "100%", while adding that he did not agree with her op-ed. "Quebecers are not racist," he said.

The prime minister has been a vocal critic of the bill, arguing it restricts people's freedom of expression and religion, but he has said the federal government will not intervene right now in the court process.

Bill 21, which came into law in Quebec in 2019, prevents judges, police officers, teachers and public servants from wearing symbols such as the kippah, turban or hijab while at work.

The law is currently being challenged in the courts.

Ms Elghawaby's appointment comes amid growing concern about Islamophobia in Canada as a whole.

In 2021, a man drove his vehicle into a Muslim family, killing four in the city of London, Ontario.

In 2017, six people were killed and eight injured in a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City.

Ms Elghawaby's appointment was heralded as a necessary step by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).

Stephen Brown, head of the NCCM, said: "Islamophobia has been rising in recent years as mosques are consistently vandalised and Muslims are constantly harassed across the country. This cannot continue, enough is enough."

But the legislation remains popular in Quebec.

The province has a long and bitter history with the Catholic Church, which controlled many public institutions in the predominantly French-speaking Quebec for over a century.

Proponents of the bill have argued it is not anti-Muslim, but pro-secularism.

[transmasc-wizard]

neeko ink told me to ask u what theyre learning on discord abt canada today

canadians have dollar coins (+ what loonies and toonies are)

canadians have animal imagery on our money

canadians consume american media, hence my possession of 9/11 bear

the name of some canadian prime minister

canada is still racist, unfortunately

some gay canadian history

how the canadian election system works, generally

what a province is

how big ontario is

quebec is not a country

canadians do, in fact, have valentine's day

canadians do, in fact, have elections!

canadian "merch" exists. you can get this in july. this is because of canada day, NOT because of "canadian awareness month"!

canada participated in world war two

canada did not have a war for independence

canadians can, unfortunately, access the show seinfeld

i am also about to teach them what timbits are if i can get them to look away from Streamer's Streaming, so watch out for that

[lestis]

At first i thought this was referring to what happened in March 2020, but no. Things haven’t changed! Even as far back as 1918 this was happening! (More on that later.)

The health center in this case was in Seattle, not Canada, but it’s close to the border for a reason. it’s explained further by this article:

When Canada shut its borders to stem the flow of COVID-19 last year, people continued to cross freely into Indigenous communities in Ontario and B.C. by water—mingling with residents who had scarce access to masks or even clean water for hand washing.

Native communities in both the US and Canada are severely neglected and actively endangered.

Indigenous people weren't consulted when lockdowns happened. They don't have a seat at the table. Whether you're talking about the federal, provincial or the local level, they're not asked their opinion. In B.C., the federal government closed borders without their knowledge.

In Ontario, when they opened up the province in July, they didn't talk to First Nations people. They didn't seem to realize people would get in their boats and come to the First Nations, bringing COVID to our communities. People would tie their boats off and walk into the communities like there was no pandemic. To me, that was a huge eye-opening piece. (University of Toronto)

It's expected that epidemics hurt those of lower socioeconomic means in particular, which many tribes are unfortunately within. Other communities of color—specifically Pacific Islander, Latino and Black communities—were hit heavily as well, having a "COVID-19 death rate of double or more that of White and Asian Americans."

Indigenous communities still have the highest percentage of deaths, which the Great Falls Tribune attributes to long-term disinvestment, racist public policies, ongoing settler colonialism. Chronic underfunding (especially in healthcare) with outdated machinery, crowded homes and deficient plumbing also contribute to the issue. Many reservations have little access to clean water, despite tribal water rights legally recognized for over a century. It makes sense that on reservations in particular, there often isn't enough room for people to quarantine the way that most of us are able to.

Native American communities are often the latest to be addressed when it comes to federal resources. This is consistent with what happened in 1918, which Dana Hedgpeth of the Washington Post pointed out in her article "Native American tribes were already being wiped out. Then the 1918 flu hit" (unfortunately the whole article is behind the paywall).

Frustratingly, articles such as this one attribute the high death toll to (as well as underlying health conditions), "lack of institutional resilience, the relationship between the federal governments and tribal governments, and lack of social trust." This may be true, but if so is not unwarranted given the many, many legally-binding treaties that have not been upheld. There is a whole History article on Broken Treaties with indigenous populations, and that's only covering some of the most famous ones!

Not to mention that Indigenous Americans have lower life expectancy and significantly disproportionate rates of diseases and chronic conditions, which as we know makes them all the more vulnerable to death upon contracting disease. In fact, an analysis of disparities conducted by the Federal Health Program for American Indians and Alaska Natives states, "American Indians and Alaska Natives continue to die at higher rates than other Americans in many categories, including chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, unintentional injuries, assault/homicide, intentional self-harm/suicide, and chronic lower respiratory diseases."

Suffice to say, despite the many leaps in indigenous representation and recognition, indigenous tribes are often given the short end of the stick, especially when it comes to healthcare. We have to make it so that the next time something like this happens—and make no mistake, it will happen—things will be different.

[virtue-boy]

this year two things happened that have lead to me to dive into developing a knowledge and understanding of the prison system here better. I created a small test project where I formated printed and bound open-source papers and esays on prison and prisoner life and rights to make them more accessible. While I was working on this, a friend of mine's father was murdered in prison, which was a very sobering surprise reminder of what is truly at stake here. Anyhow I'm just dumping a bunch of links here in going to read later

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.1855773

[college-girl199328]

What have Canada's premiers said about the trucker convoy protests?

Several Canadian premiers have voiced concerns about the ongoing trucker convoy protests taking place across the country ahead of what many anticipate to be a busy weekend of demonstrations. With the "Freedom Convoy" settling in for its second weekend of protests in downtown Ottawa, calling for an end to COVID-19 mandates, similar convoys are allegedly being planned elsewhere this weekend, including in Toronto and Quebec City. Meanwhile, Winnipeg police were on call Friday for a demonstration at the Manitoba legislature.

During a virtual news conference discussing federal healthcare funding, several premiers were asked about their position on the convoys, many taking a tough stance.

"It’s not a protest anymore; it’s become an occupation," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday about the ongoing disruption in Ottawa. "It’s hurting families." It’s hurting businesses that these folks are supposed to be supporting. People want to move on and get through this. "It’s time for this to come to an end."

With the city of Toronto poised to receive its own convoy this weekend, Ford said he has full confidence that the Toronto police will be able to handle any protests and noted that acts of harassment, hatred, or violence will not be tolerated. "What’s happening in Ottawa, in my opinion, is unacceptable," he continued, calling for an end to the nearly weeklong protest. "We’re so close to getting back to normal, we have to be united."

While organizers of the "Freedom Convoy" say they won’t leave until COVID-19-related mandates are removed, Ford noted that Ontario is taking steps to reduce public health-related measures in response to lower hospitalization rates and case counts. "You're mistaken if you think I or any of the premiers like this--if you think we like lockdowns or public-health measures." "They were necessary," he said. "We’re seeing the hospitals have a lot more capacity as we move day by day; it’s going in the right direction."

In neighboring Quebec, protesters started to trickle into Quebec City to protest in front of the province’s legislature this weekend amid a heightened police presence. Premier Francois Legault said that while protesters have so far been respectful, he urges those involved in the demonstration not to interfere with the Quebec Winter Carnival, which is happening at the same time, noting there are tow trucks on call to deal with any escalation, should it arise.

"I do not want protesters to keep the people of Quebec City or tourists from having a normal life and from going to restaurants, hotels, and doing various activities," he said in French. "For the time being, it is peaceful, and we hope that remains the case." "If we have trucks that we have to move, we’ll move them."

Speaking briefly on the matter, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the protest at the province’s legislature has so far been peaceful, but said a building-wide mandate asking employees to work from home was necessary to protect the safety of those in the building. "If things change and start to deteriorate, we’ll continue to monitor the situation and take action if needed," she said. "I just want to say to Winnipeggers and Manitobans that we’re here to ensure that you’re able to continue to flow and go about your day-to-day life."

Earlier this week, Stefanson issued a statement condemning the use of images or symbols of hate during protests after opposition parties in the province raised concerns about the Progressive Conservatives' "silence" on the matter. "We have to stand strong and firmly against those who wish to use protest platforms for hate," Stefanson said in the statement issued on social media. "Nazi symbolism, anti-Semitism, racist imagery, and the desecration of war memorials are deplorable," she said.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who has voiced support for the trucker convoy, called on the provinces to find a "sustainable approach forward" while encouraging protesters to follow the law. "All Canadians do have the right to protest; however, they do have the right to protest peacefully and within the confines of the law," he said.

"We had a broad discussion today about what is driving these protests. "People all over Canada are tired of navigating COVID in their personal and professional lives. "As well as the public health measures that have been in place for a long time." On Wednesday, in a video shared on social media, Moe mused about putting an end to COVID-19 public health measures in the province, saying, "This perpetual state of crisis is harming everyone."

This comes less than a week after his Jan. 29 letter in support of the convoy, where he first signaled that his government would end its proof of COVID-19 vaccination policy "in the not-too-distant future." In the letter, Moe also claimed that while he supports vaccination, it "does not reduce transmission."

B.C. Premier John Horgan, who led the virtual meeting, said the convoy protest had been discussed by all of the premiers in attendance in light of the ongoing discussion about COVID-19 restrictions and their impacts on healthcare systems across the country. Horgan said the premiers are "of one voice" when it comes to the belief that provincial immunization programs have been successful in reducing the transmission and severity of COVID-19, specifically the latest wave linked to the Omicron variant.

"For how we'll deal with situations in our various communities, frankly, that's up to the public's tolerance, and the message was pretty clear—we hear the voices of disappointment, but we also want those voices to respect the rights, and liberties of others," he said. "When your desire to have your voice be heard starts to interfere with the lives of other people, that’s when lines are drawn."

Though Alberta Premier Jason Kenney did not comment on the matter during Friday’s meeting, his government has been at the center of another highly contested protest at the Coutts, Alberta, border crossing, where a convoy has been blocking traffic for days. In a Jan. 30 statement, Kenney said that while Canadians have a democratic right to lawfully protest, the blockade is unlawful and "must end."

"The blockade of the Coutts border crossing violates the Alberta Traffic Safety Act," he said on Twitter. "It is causing significant inconvenience for lawful motorists and could dangerously impede the movement of emergency service vehicles." "This blockade must end." Speaking to Fox News, Kenney echoed his sentiment toward those protesting in Ottawa, saying, "People do have a right to peaceful protest; I just always encourage them to do it in a way that’s respectful, make their point, and certainly not to dishonor our war dead in the process."

Meanwhile, Kenney has said that if current trends continue and pressure on the province’s hospitals begins to ease, he will start relaxing COVID-19 restrictions, including its vaccine passport system.

As the trucker convoy took shape on its journey to Ottawa, Nova Scotia’s premier issued a stark warning to those thinking about protesting in the Atlantic province. "Don't do it," Premier Tim Houston said during a COVID-19 briefing last week. "Nova Scotians have no patience for highway blockades, and personally, as many people would know, I have even less."

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Just wanted to throw my two cents in as a trans person from a conservative led province, and as someone from one of the poorer provinces (Nova Scotia): While the general population of the province is kind to trans people, we've had our fair share of alt-right popping up as of recent. Also, like the rest of Canada, our healthcare system is severely underfunded and accessing trans healthcare is semi difficult even once you get into the system.

Additionally, like others have said, unless you have a decent job lined up and a lot of luck I would not risk it. As Halifax's rental situation stands we have people working full time above min wage who are still homeless. I know people who have salaries good enough that they could have afforded a home back in 2018, and if they get evicted from their current apartment they would most likely be homeless. Unless you already have a support system here, it's a risky move.

Also one more thing, NS has recently picked up a really vile attitude around immigration if you are a visible minority. Or at least, people are getting bolder about saying things that were not "acceptable" previously. Things are getting more openly racist here by the day. White immigrants tend to fall under the radar a lot of the time (unless you're from Ontario, lmao). Please keep this in mind if you're a poc immigrant!!

~~~~

[feyarcher]

Okay, I know the English internet spends a lot of time staring and ongoing political disasters in the US and the UK and oh what disasters they are, but CANADA ��🇦 WE GOTTA FOCUS FOR A MINUTE.

Ontario has municipal elections THIS MONDAY OCTOBER 24th! And you need to show up and vote!

Just like all our regular provincial and federal elections, it is okay if you aren't sure if you are on the voters rolls or if you info got updated after you moved or whatever - YOU CAN DEFINITELY VOTE AS LONG AS YOU ARE A CANADIAN LIVING IN THAT SPOT. You just bring proof of your address to the polling place and you'll be fine, I promise. I've done it. It takes like 2 minutes to sign the paper declaring you do indeed live there.

Now you may be asking "but do these elections really matter?" And the answer is YES THEY MATTER SO MUCH. There are racists and xenophobes and transphones and sexist and antisemitic and antivax people running all over the place and the one thing we know by now is that bigots get organized to get to the polls so we have to also organize to counter them by voting!

There are probably 3 things you need to look up who to vote for in your area: mayor, councillor, and school board trustee. All three matter! Please don't only focus on mayor, if the terfs get onto the school boards, they'll do serious damage.

So what can you do?

- First, search "[your town] election" and you'll get the link to the official election page on your city website. It'll tell you the poll hours for THIS MONDAY OCTOBER 24th and you'll be able to find your polling place and a sample ballot showing all the people running for all the roles (mayor, councillor, school board) in your district.

- Check out the candidates! If you want to narrow it down, for major things like mayor you can see which 3 or 4 people have a realistic shot of getting more than 10% of the vote based on polls and then look at the platforms for just those people. For more niche things like school board, you probably need to look at every candidate but less will be running. Please check the CBC article I linked above to narrow down the obvious terfs.

- Make a plan of when you are going to vote! Know what time is best for you to go and how you will get there.

- Get your friends and family to plan to vote too! Help them out by sharing your research and let them know who you are voting for for each part. Sometimes the idea of doing the research into candidates is too daunting, but if you share your plan with them, you can get more people to the polls.

- IF YOU AREN'T IN ONTARIO: Reach out to your friends and family here and ask what their plan to vote is. Help them out with the above if you can.

So much stuff gets decided at the municipal level, but they are expecting record low turnout and low turnout is dangerous for shitty people getting into positions that matter. We are already stuck with a clown at the province level. We need to make sure people who will work against him get elected at your local level.

It's one day, probably 45 minutes of your time including travel both ways and any line at busy times. Honestly, voting usually takes me 7 minutes at most at the polls even whe I was a student and voting in weird ways. They make it so easy if you just show up.

MASK UP AND GET TO THE POLLS ONTARIO!

[senrrrra]

Sharks don’t live in the river

Maybe over in racist province they don't, but here I see them 24/7 because I too live in the river.

Everybody in Ontario lives in the river. When I go to work every day, guess what I see in the river? Sharks and people, cohabiting perfectly. We are best friends and family, honestly. Jaws? That's my dad... He's my dad...

[thehappyfarmdogs]

My dog training mentor talked about her decades long career as an SPCA officer, and the impact of animal rights groups trying to place what were (at the time) dog fighting pits into the average American household.

We had dogs that we specifically bred to be aggressive (specifically towards other dogs), who’s success and lineage was dependent on how good they were at killing, being handed off to whoever wanted to take them. It was a disaster, of course people got hurt. There’s a decent amount of distance between the time mass dog fighting rings, and puts being plucked straight from those situations, but genetics are a hard thing to out run.

Pits closest to their fighting roots have a higher genetic propensity to find aggressive behaviour rewarding. Nanny dog myths, obscuring breed heritage, and “no such thing as bad dogs just bad owners” creates this false narrative that there’s no potential harm if you just love these dogs enough. That doesn’t serve the dogs, or the people in these situations. Not all pits will have aggression issues, and many are perfectly lovely pets, can also be true.

All that being said, it is important to note the racist history of weaponizing dogs against POC, laws regarding black dog ownership, the association of pits with gang life, and how that plays into breed specific legislation. Considering there’s other breeds with high bite statistics that don’t get banned, it’s hard not to notice the racist implications of pit bans.

We’ve seen grater success in places like Calgary, where they opted for dog bite education, as opposed to my province of Ontario which saw either no difference or an increase in bite statistics during our pit bull ban. It seems the best tool we have is education and transparency. Arming people with the understanding of dog behaviour, and breed history, gives them the chance to make the best decisions regarding the dogs in their lives.

bro you have got to be kidding me (look at the breed labels)

this is literally just from the first 2 pages on this shelter's website

[moosekateer13]

Chapter 6: Be Still

8 months later…

Rancher House 

Vancouver Canada

Padalecki Household

Cradling our firstborn not even a year into our marriage feels otherworldly. Sam came early; he was supposed to be here in May.

It was a shock to both of us. I got pregnant right away. My parents love being grandparents and Sam already has them wrapped around his finger, Jared’s parents love the latest addition to their family

Jared is an amazing father already. He takes the night shifts so I can get some rest.

Our show ended up having to write the pregnancy into it. Not that either of us minded it. Julie was already becoming a fan favourite, and they didn't want to write her out. The Winchesters have been through enough loss. Sam’s lost more loved ones than they can count. Losing his wife so early in the marriage would be unthinkable.

We liked to keep things private. So the public didn't know about our marriage or my pregnancy till they wrote it in. To say it shocked them would be an understatement. Some were ecstatic at the news, but obviously, we had haters. At one point we had to turn off the comments on our posts. It became a hassle to delete and block the racists/haters. Jared, the protector, was going to tell them off. I told him not to. They'll just twist his words/actions.

We've got a rental house here in Vancouver. We'll stay here during the filming. When we are on hiatus, we'll split our time between my home province of Ontario and Jared's home state of Texas.

I hear Jared's familiar footsteps walk down the hall of our house. He tries to drop by during his lunch hour every day and sometimes Jensen joins him. 

Jared greets me with a quick kiss.

“'Afternoon darlin'. How are you and Sam doing?” Jared asked.

"We are doing well. He's down for his nap. Come sit. I've just finished making steak sandwiches." I replied.

Jared licks his lips in response.

I get up to grab  4 sandwiches, knowing he's always extra hungry after filming. I eat one and Jared eats the rest. He’s always seemed to love my cooking despite me not thinking I can.

We spent some time watching some reruns of our show before he has to return to work. I love these days when he can come home for lunch.

Chapter 7:

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Treatment of Indians Is Declared Unfair,” The Globe and Mail. November 28, 1938. Page 5. ---- W. R.Brown of Port Arthur Claims Treaties Broken ‘Every Day’; Says Hunting Right Are Taken Away ----- NO ATROCITIES FOUND --- Speaking with the authority of ten years experience as Indian agent, and a lifetime devoted to the interests of Indians in Thunder Bay, Alderman W. Russell Brown of Port Arthur in an interview yesterday charged that Canadian Indians are not receiving fair treatment from the governments that are sworn to protect their rights.

‘There are no atrocities being perpetrated on our Indians,’ he said, ‘in spite of what the Nazi press might charge. But there is ample evidence that these people are not treated fairly and that the treaties signed with their forefathers are being broken by our governments every day.’

Lost Hunting Rights Mr. Brown cited particularly the fact that Indians have been deprived of their hunting rights throughout Canada despite treaties which granted them unrestricted hunting and fishing privileges ‘for ever.’

‘The Dominion government still pays $4 per head to the Indians under these treaties,’ he declared, ‘but it does not interference when Ontario government officials arrest, fine and jail Indians for shooting game.’

He quoted a press report in which Hon. Harry Nixon, provincial secretary, was reported as saying, ‘We intend to take every step possible to meet the menace offered by Indians to animals in the north. We intend to fight to the limit the claim that Indians have the right to hunt under an old treaty.’ The attitude was laudable enough from a standpoint of conservation, Mr. Brown maintained, but it was resulting in serious privation for Indians.

Indians’ Attitude ‘The Indian, whose livelihood depends on his right to hunt and fish, finds this very unfair,’ he said. ‘His contention is that, when the Ontario government takes money from him in fines it virtually amounts to theft.’

He told of an instance last winter when a treaty Indian in Port Arthur was convicted of killing a moose to feed his half-starved family, and pointed to the case as an example of injustices being wrought throughout the province.

‘The people of Canada should not forget the way our Indian population rallied to the colors during the Great War,’ he said. ‘They went from every province in Canada, and in my own district the Indian boys came out of the bush to enlist in the three battalions we sent, while in some parts of Canada young men were going into the bush to escape enlistment. All Indian soldiers were volunteers, as they were exempt from conscription, and their attitude in our time of need entitles them to some consideration now.’

Went to Ottawa. ‘A few weeks ago, ‘Alderman Brown continued, ‘the Indians of the Lake of the Woods area sent a delegation of four chiefs with an interpreter to Ottawa, to protest to the Department of Indian Affairs about the way their hunting rights were being taken away. They represented 3,000 Indians and travelled hundreds of miles, but although they stayed in Ottawa for six days, they were informed that the Minister was too busy to see them. Had these men represented 3,000 voters they would, no doubt, have been granted the courtesy of an interview.’

Alderman Brown, who was honored by the Ojibway Indians some years ago by being made Chief Clear Sky - an honorary chieftain of their band - has studied the Robinson-Superior Treaty thoroughly. He expressed the conviction that the Indians would be granted their treaty nights if the case were taken to the Privy Council.

‘The Dominion Government won’t take the case there,’ he said. ‘They will not bother with these simple, loyal people. And, of course, the Indians cannot raise the funds themselves.’

[AL: Of course, the language is racist, the attitude is deeply paternalist and not ‘radical’ in its critique, and the speaker was an Indian Agent, the very official tasked with supervising and controlling the reservation system and First Nations bands. But this is a pretty excellent example that settlers in Canada knew full well decades and decades ago that settler colonialism involves ignoring or violating legal treaties and depriving Indigenous people of their livelihood and rights.]

[cree-n-jewish-thoughts]

Also Ontario priemere said something racist during a cabinet meeting, another member stood up and said "that's racist".

Can you guess who got thrown out of the cabinet meeting?

The guy who called out racism said by the premiere of a very multicultural province.

This racist

More about racist

ANTISEMETIC REMARKS

Like WHAT

Annd I'm done now. <-video

WTF CANADA??

A terrorist, CONVICTED IN 4 MURDER IN FRANCE.

Is going to be the new professor of Carleton University for social justice.

I have to admit. There's something really unlawful about how no one's talking about it.

Bnei Brit has a petition you can sign on

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/hassan-diab-must-face-justice-following-terrorism-conviction

@cree-n-jewish-thoughts heard anything about it?

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Ontario's drug-dealer premier is shockingly bad at distributing vaccines

Ontario politics are a wild ride, but they rarely escape the province, or, at most, the nation. Which is weird, because Ontario has been a leading indicator of neoliberalism's cruelty, paranoia, and surrealism since (at least) the mid-nineties.

Start with the 1995 election of Conservative Premier Mike Harris, a bland, dead-eyed sociopath whose "Common Sense Revolution" slashed Ontario's excellent public services and implemented a forced-labor program for poor people, AKA "workfare."

Harris was a Romneyish sort of fellow: a personality-free, interchangeable suit who didn't raise anyone's pulse but excelled at administration. His major achievement was the amalgamation of Toronto: a forced merger of the City of Toronto with its heretofore separate suburbs.

This was an incredible power-move. The old City of Toronto is the province's economic engine and the seat of its parliament. It is far, far to the left of the suburbs, and has entirely different priorities from them.

Dissolving the City of Toronto let Harris depose the popular left-leaning Mayor Barbara Hall. The election that followed saw the clownish crook Mel Lastman - who long ruled over my birth-suburb of North York - promoted to the big league, as the megacity's first mayor.

Lastman was a shitshow. He was known for his discount appliance store TV ads and for a string of scandals, from fathering and abandoning a secret child with one of his employees to covering up his wife's shoplifting arrest by threatening to murder a reporter.

He also pioneered a lot of the performative, own-the-libs culture-war bullshit that dominates our politics today, with idiotic stunts like ordering the free weekly Now Magazine removed from City Hall over its personal ads.

When the residents of old Toronto had Lastman forced on them by their suburban neighbours, it set the tone for Toronto/Ontario politics for decades, as Harris's masterstroke of disenfranchisement ensured Torontonians would never again get a say in their governance.

In electoral map after electoral map, you can see mayors and premiers coming to office despite the overwhelming disapproval of City of Toronto voters. This 2010 map by Torontoist's Marc Lostracco is pretty typical.

https://torontoist.com/2010/10/which_wards_voted_for_who_for_mayor/

Amazingly, Mel Lastman was the *least* clownish champion of Toronto's suburban voters. These voters quickly converged on the uh, colourful Ford brothers, Doug and Rob.

You remember Rob, right? The crack-smoking mayor who brought sex workers to City Hall, engaged in routine public racism and homophobia, and made demeaning cunnilingus jokes when asked about his marital infidelity?

He and his (marginally smarter) brother Doug ended up in city government thanks to their father - Doug Sr, a Tory MPP who made a fortune with his label-printing business - and their Rush Limbaugh-style talk radio show.

This was the show that featured their paid stooges, who'd call up pretending to be outraged Ontarians who'd rail at socialism or whatever and praise the Fords for their excellence.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-s-friend-dave-made-calls-to-mayor-s-radio-show-1.1405251

But that revelation did nothing to cool suburban Toronto's ardour for the failsons of a label-making kingpin. For these low-information voters, a steady output of xenophobia, cruelty, and racism trumped any scandal. And I do mean ANY scandal.

In 2013, the Globe and Mail's Shannon Kari and Greg McArthur broke a *huge* Ford story, detailing Doug's career as a major hashish dealer and his brother Randy's involvement in a drug-related kidnapping.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/globe-investigation-the-ford-familys-history-with-drug-dealing/article12153014/

And then there was his sister Kathy and her circle of violent racist cronies. Kathy was once shot in the face by a hash dealer, who remained in the Fords' good books, appearing with his family in videos and pictures, hanging out with Doug at an election-night party.

But nothing stuck. After Rob Ford died of cancer, Doug Ford - incredibly - became leader of the Ontario Conservative Party and won an election through the most laughable, corrupt politics imaginable.

For example, he refused most press interviews, and instead hired a "journalist" to ask him softball questions for his own Youtube channel (ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 'personal responsibility' movement!).

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2018/05/06/doug-ford-evades-real-scrutiny-by-hiring-his-own-reporter.html

The Fords were Canada's Trumps, and Doug's 2018 election campaign shamelessly stole from the Trump playbook, right down to the paid actors going nuts at his rallies:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/05/08/doug-ford-campaign-confirms-actors-were-hired-to-play-the-part-of-pc-supporters-at-mondays-debate-rally.html

Despite all this, the suburban voters continued to support him, even after Rob Ford's widow accused Doug of stealing her children's inheritance, misappropriating millions of dollars from Rob's estate:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-faces-multimillion-dollar-lawsuit-1.4691378

Doug Ford really proved that millions of selfish assholes will vote for rotting roadkill if it promises them $0.25 off their tax bill, blended with gratuitous cruelty. Doug's GOOD at cruelty, vicious stuff like eliminating sedation for colonoscopies:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/05/08/doug-ford-campaign-confirms-actors-were-hired-to-play-the-part-of-pc-supporters-at-mondays-debate-rally.html

But Doug is a Trump, not a Romney. He is good at performative culture-war bullshit, but he sucks at making deep structural changes. When the national government levied a carbon tax on gas, Ford ordered stickers on every pump decrying the tax.

But in you-can't-make-this-up failson fashion, these labels - ordered by the son of Ontario's most successful label-making kingpin - all fell off the pumps thanks to their defective adhesive.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/anit-carbon-tax-stickers-falling-off-1.5287869

Of course, none of this matters to the roadkill-and-tax-cuts Ford base who continued to support him through a series of blunders...until the pandemic. Turns out you can't defeat a public health scourge with racist jokes and paeans to personal responsibility.

Toronto is heading back into lockdown (again). From nursing homes to First Nations reservations, the province has been scoured by covid on Ford's watch. And Ontario's vaccinations are an utter shitshow.

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2021/03/30/tight-lockdown-coming-for-toronto-predicts-member-of-ontarios-science-advisory-table.html

As ever, this crisis has awakened the best in political satirists, notably The Beaverton's Luke Gordon Field, whose "Drug dealer shockingly bad at getting people drugs" deserves a place in the gallows humour hall of fame.

https://www.thebeaverton.com/2021/03/drug-dealer-shockingly-bad-at-getting-people-drugs/

> “Electing a guy whose only work experience was ‘drug dealing’, ‘running the family business into ground’ and ‘doing a weight loss challenge with his more popular brother’ was always going to be a risk,” said Political analyst Keith Burns. “But we thought the one thing he is well-suited for would be distributing powerful drugs in an efficient and organized manner.”

> Ford denied that he was failing his “customers. I mean taxpayers. I mean citizens.” He made it clear that if anyone has any issues, the fault lay entirely with his supplier JT.

For a more serious - and ongoing - take on Doug Ford, tune into Canadaland's excellent "Wag the Doug" podcast, wherein Jonathan Goldsbie and Allison Smith document the rampant bumblefuckery of the Ford regime.

https://www.canadaland.com/shows/wag-the-doug/

[forever-ago]

London isn’t as racist as other underpopulated towns in Ontario or other provinces.

Ok so??? I’m sure there are other MORE racist parts of Canada 100%. Doesn’t mean London still isn’t *racist* in and of itself. Again- I’ve been. Maybe fuck off and stop sending me passive aggressive Canadian style messages if you aren’t actually looking to LEARN from a non white person. Yikes