People are beginning to look into the sources of support for the occupation of Ottawa. What they're discovering is deeply troubling. David Climenhaga writes:
The evidence of American interference in the attempt to overthrow the recently re-elected Liberal government with truck blockades supposedly protesting provincial vaccine mandates is compelling.
The paw prints of malign actors like former Trump administration ideologue Steve Bannon are all over the occupation of Ottawa by the “Freedom Convoy” and disruptions of other Canadian cities and transportation corridors by far-right rent-a-mobs.
Journalist Sandy Garossino, a lawyer and expert on the Canadian charitable sector, calls the $10.1 million raised by convoy protest organizers’ GoFundMe campaign in the two weeks before the crowd-funding site suspended it Friday “extremely suspect.”
“If you think there’s something extremely fishy about the GoFundMe ‘Freedom’ campaign, you’re onto something,” she wrote in the National Observer.
For one thing, she said, “the campaign’s donation pattern is wholly unreliable. To any knowledgeable observer just looking at the data itself, the irregularities are a five-alarm fire.”
And among right-wing loudmouths in the United States, the trucker convoy has become a cause celebre:
Former U.S. president Donald Trump and his eponymously named son both pumped the protest, as did billionaire Elon Musk.
In a statement, the elder Trump called Canada’s prime minister “far-left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane COVID mandates,” showing a remarkable level of ignorance for a former head of state about Canadian jurisdictions, the reliable neoliberalism of Trudeau, and the current undestroyed state of the Dominion.
Apparently also unaware that Canada is a sovereign country, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state officials in Virginia and Louisiana vowed to investigate GoFundMe for not handing the cash donated by U.S. supporters to the law-defying rent-a-mob.
Well, to give DeSantis his due, he’s probably right to say American donors should get back the money now permanently frozen by GoFundMe — if only to help Canadian authorities identify who those donors were.
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, the notorious white supremacist and QAnon follower, called GoFundMe “corporate communists” and said “they should be arrested” for interfering with the right of Americans to fund insurrection in Canada.
Right-wing American media personalities also piled on. For example, according to Fox News bloviator Tucker Carlson, “there’s no more fearful despot than Canada’s prime minister.”
The American Disease has made a mess of Central and South America. They must not be allowed to do the same to us.
Image: The Medium
18 comments:
I wonder who could have been orchestrating American funding behind the scenes. Sounds like a job that would be right in the bailiwick of the Chairman of the International Democrat Union. There's a smell of brimstone about this.
Cap
The stench keeps getting stronger, Cap. And there's always been a stench around Stephen.
At the risk of appearing like some conspiracy theorist, I spent some time yesterday reviewing the 2006 US counterinsurgency field manual, FM 3-24. Growing up in the early postwar period I was immersed in this stuff - the Brits in Malaya, the French in Indo-China and Algeria, and then the Americans in Viet Nam.
I don't suggest that these truckers are the Viet Cong of the True North, not by a long shot, but some of their strategy seems to have been lifted from an insurgency handbook. Two examples. Maximum chaos with minimum expenditure. A core of truckers choking the critical part of Ottawa or shutting down the flow of goods across the bridge in Windsor or Coutts in Alberta. That's a real demonstration of muscle, even impunity. The second is to undermine the public confidence in government by showing the politicians ineffectual at protecting the public. In this case it was the residents of downtown Ottawa enduring the incessant horn blaring. All this had the added bonus of attracting hobby-dissidents to their "cause."
Blaring horns and blocked roads are not suicide vests but they still achieve their purpose.
The Trudeau government is plainly reluctant to use the powers to deal with this sort of unrest. This is a "public order emergency" as prescribed in the Emergencies Act.
8 (1) While a declaration of a public welfare emergency is in effect, the Governor in Council may make such orders or regulations with respect to the following matters as the Governor in Council believes, on reasonable grounds, are necessary for dealing with the emergency:
(a) the regulation or prohibition of travel to, from or within any specified area, where necessary for the protection of the health or safety of individuals;
(b) the evacuation of persons and the removal of personal property from any specified area and the making of arrangements for the adequate care and protection of the persons and property;
(c) the requisition, use or disposition of property;
(d) the authorization of or direction to any person, or any person of a class of persons, to render essential services of a type that that person, or a person of that class, is competent to provide and the provision of reasonable compensation in respect of services so rendered;
(e) the regulation of the distribution and availability of essential goods, services and resources;
(f) the authorization and making of emergency payments;
(g) the establishment of emergency shelters and hospitals;
(h) the assessment of damage to any works or undertakings and the repair, replacement or restoration thereof;
(i) the assessment of damage to the environment and the elimination or alleviation of the damage; and
(j) the imposition
(i) on summary conviction, of a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both that fine and imprisonment, or
(ii) on indictment, of a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or imprisonment not exceeding five years or both that fine and imprisonment,
for contravention of any order or regulation made under this section.
The organizers of all of this know something about insurgencies and insurrections, Mound. And they are making use of those who, for various reasons, lack the perspective to put this in context.
Doug Ford held a news conference this morning. Ontario is moving to take back its streets and infrastructure. Let us hope that other governments will use their authority to protect the commonweal.
I admit that I am surprised.
well
We are exactly the same
their disease is our disease
If we were 1% different
you would have actual chimpanzees
We are not 1% different
America won't do it to us
as noted it will be the harpers and Poilievres and Kenneys
AND the money has always been fishy
most resource rich country in the world
and homelessness, under financed education ,healthcare ?
Trace money back in anything and it is not molly and fred Canadian
It may be a elite world player with a long time Canadian address
but that is as Canadian as you get
But that's what years of enticing foreign investment gets you
Between mining, and military compliance AND OUR LACK OF DIFFERENCE
We have made a mess of Central and South America as well
To think we are above is to really not recognise what we do and where we at
It ain't nasty other folks
it is nasty us
post script
apologies if necessary
think i might a been channeling rick mercer
OMG how Canadian is that ???
That's pretty Canadian, lungta.
Watched Doug Ford's press conferance this morning and was not surprised about what he said. These "truck protestors" have an agenda way past removing mandates, Ford Knows it and he isn't about to let it run amuck in Ontario. these "truckers" are not only inconveniencing the public and business, its costing the government a great deal of money and having to pay for COVID services is enough of a burden on the Ontario budget. Would not be surprised if Ford took action against the "truckers" before the feds do.
What all of these protests have clearly demonstrated is many canadian cities, provinces are inadequately policed, too few officers in case of an emergency, not enough equipment to deal with this type of emergency.
COVID has clearly demonstrated Canada does not have enough hospitals or medical professionals, that the elderly are simply being warehoused with less attention than dogs at the SPCA,
Canadians need to understand that they may have to pay more in taxes to keep the country running as it prior to COVID. Big business needs to be adequately taxed, they benefit from an orderly country. If governments can't get a handle on what is essentially small demonstrations, then we as a country are in real trouble. What if something major ever happened. Politicians and police need to understand this is not going to end quietly. If its going to end, it will require some "force" and it won't be all that pretty. Now it maybe these "demonstrators' aren't that "brave" if they are met with force and its time force is used. They are not the government. They don't get to decide what the government ought to do in a situation they know really nothing about. How many of these truckers/protestors are scientists, doctors, etc.
Ford said we change things at the ballot box, e.a.f. We must not forget that principle.
In his essay today David Climenhaga asks what many of us have been wondering about.
"Meanwhile, you have to wonder how Canada’s multi-billion-dollar security and intelligence agencies managed to miss the convoy coming down the pike.
We Canadians pay about $1.5 billion every year just to operate the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Communications Security Establishment, plus another $3.4 billion for the RCMP, and God only knows how much for oxymoronic military intelligence and numerous smaller agencies.
Yet not one of them apparently had a clue this was about to happen.
It didn’t take CBC reporter Judy Trihn long to put it together that the convoy includes many former police officers and soldiers, including a former member of the prime minister’s security detail and a former military intelligence officer, whose tactics have helped entrench the trucks in downtown Ottawa.
So what were CSIS and CSE looking for when they weren’t looking for domestic threats to Canada’s national security?"
https://albertapolitics.ca/2022/02/economic-shock-of-border-blockade-grows-canadian-conservatives-change-their-tune-a-little/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=economic-shock-of-border-blockade-grows-canadian-conservatives-change-their-tune-a-little
Either CSIS, CSE and the RCMP are incompetent or the politicians are refusing to believe their briefs.
Good questions, Toby. Somebody wasn't paying attention.
.. The only thing(s) I would add at this point, re your Post & comments or other excellent Indy Posts & comments is this.. watch what’s happening with Tucker Carlson & Sean Hannity.. what may seem to be sensationally laughable & insulting buffoonery seems for more complex, perhaps Joe Rogan too who has far far more followers will kick in ?
Canada’s ‘authorities’, especially Trudeau & ‘His State Media’ are presented as cowardly lizards or something something, scabrous tyrants abusing children, cracking heads bla blah.. But seen via a concerned lens, they are promoting Canadian truckers as innocent outnumbered brave & patriotic victims.. while pimping that American Trucker Patriots are going to avenge them while showing the worldthat Biden’s corrupt hordes will pay pay & pay more.. GOP Justice will be served
In a nutshell, they are systemically & daily fomenting a far bigger Jan 6 righteous insurrection..WITH WEAPONS, Lots & lots of weapons
I see, hear & sense that Canadian Mainstream Media is now walking back partisanship at the same time.. finally admitting that Trudeau has been following a realistic legal pathway, all this while Partisan Conservative Premiers were slow to abandon Poilievre, Bergen et Inc.. who were caught dreaming & drooling that there was a perfect Trucker Protest wave & pathway they could hitch their wagon to
Our reality in Canada is not going to end well at all in my view. Via Twitter I’ve already defined the Protesters as well as their Adversaries.. and all the component factions involved - on both sides. In the eyes & minds of disenchanted Americans it will be seen as time to rise up. Its dark what’s happening .. truly dark.. being cleverly executed. Hannity & Carlson are diseased freaks.. very much like Alex Jones or Donald Trump, McConnell, DeSantis et al
Either CSIS, CSE and the RCMP are incompetent or the politicians are refusing to believe their briefs.
There is plenty of blame to spread around.
Career politicians and law enforcement persons have much to answer for.
We must not forget that it was we the voter that put the politicians where they are and often re elect circumspect MP's MLA's and others time after time not because of their decisions but because of their political affiliation.
To make a bad matter worse when elected these officials are whipped to the desires of the party leader who currently is one incapable of serious decision making.
TB
Nobody was paying attention because CISIS are usually chasing some small time stuff, which in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter. For CISIS to have uncovered this plan they would have had to actually done some work and that isn't going to happen any time soon.
We all have a view of canada, well the middle class and up that things like this doesn't happen in Canada, the U.S.A, other countries, but not us. Politicians need to wake up and CISIS AND the RCMP need to do some real work instead of shuffling paper. These organizations can't even get money laundering and fent. under control in the country.
CISIS and departments like it usually like to chase people of colour, so all those white people at the "protests" weren't considered a problem.
these organizations are so inept, they didn't know a hockey bag can hold $750K in twenties. those hockey bags went in and out of B.C. casinos for a time. we launder money through Canada in the billions so the money collected by the protestors isn't that much, but it is a very easy way to "snow wash" money.
these protestors are creating a major problem for our economy, our stability, our citizens. It is doubtful the issue is mandates. Its more I'd suggest about how destabilize our country. The protesters are simply a pawn in a game which CISIS and others are not dealing with.
@ e.a.f
Would not be surprised if Ford took action against the "truckers" before the feds do.
Well, that is his job. The Federal Gov't has little or no jurisdiction here. What is happening comes under provincial jurisdiction. In Ontario, Ford with an election coming up and fearing losing votes to tho People's Party or maybe Randy Hillier's new party went into hiding to let the Liberals take the heat. Kenny out West just seems to hide as a matter of course though he may still think he has a hope of keeping the Premiership..
As The Disaffected Lib, says there is the Emergencies Act that looks like using a sledge hammer to crack a walnut. It would play directly into the hands of the Alt-Right organizers. The gullible fools in the occupations would see it as a serious attack on their "freedoms", which to some extent it would be and it would just give the grifters/organiser some more cannon fodder.
The last time the War Measures Act was invoked was when we had an active terrorist group merrily tossing bombs about in Montreal plus a Québec cabinet minister and a British diplomat had been kidnapped; the cabinet minister later murdered.
The diseased freaks have now taken centre stage, sal.
This is when the rubber hits the road, TB. We will know what our votes accomplished.
Depending on how the injunctions are met, jrk, we may see the Emergencies Act implemented.
That's exactly what it is, e.a.f. It's an attempt to destabilize the country.
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