There’s a documentary making the rounds called Canada Is Dying and its companion piece Vancouver Is Dying.
But it’s just another shameless hook to lure viewers into the blame game and the same, old F*** Trudeau trash, with a side order of “common sense” solutions over “elitist” Liberal/NDP social engineering.
The inconvenient history is ignored or glossed over, so that none of these social issues were actual problems manifesting themselves before 2015, when Stephen Harper was prime minister and Christy Clark (and Gordon Campbell before her) occupied the premier’s chair in Victoria.
Or that conservative provincial governments in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario have been just as ineffective at dealing with homelessness, toxic drugs, addictions, mental health and chronic criminal offenders.
If there’s one thing David Eby has in common with Danielle Smith, Scott Moe and Doug Ford, it’s blaming Justin Trudeau when it’s politically convenient, as all premiers have always done to all prime ministers going back to Confederation.
Is a serious reconsideration about safe supply and harm reduction policies needed?
Absolutely.
How can anyone say with a straight face those policies are reducing harm and making drug use safe as tens of thousands of Canadians are still dying each year with no end in sight?
A hard look is also needed at a criminal justice system that seems to treat criminals as if they’re victims who need more hugs while not fully addressing the root causes behind why Indigenous people still go to jail more often and for longer terms than non-Indigenous offenders.
But those are complex issues and unpacking them will require abandoning ideology and admitting previously held beliefs were wrong or misguided.
Instead of mouths closed and ears open, it’s so much easier and gratifying to take to social media with cheap shots and draping oneself in the victim cloak to garner likes from supporters.
As Canada Is Dying maker Aaron Gunn did when he posted this past May on social media that YouTube was holding back the viral attention his doc was getting, because the number of viewers had flattened.
Except that’s exactly what happens naturally to all viral online activity, as it’s quickly replaced by the next viral thing.
The post was nothing more than Gunn wanting to generate outrage (and more views) with the conspiracy theory that his film was being censored.
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer couldn’t resist the bait, responding with “JT made a call…”
Almost certainly a joke but BZ gets to have it both ways. Some of his supporters might actually believe that YouTube would lend a hand to the same JT that has been demanding Google, YouTube’s owner, pay the government hundreds of millions of dollars by obeying the Online News Act.
There is so much to criticize about Justin Trudeau, a floundering prime minister leading a floundering government.
So why make things up or blame solely him for stuff that he bears only partial responsibility for or isn’t to blame at all?
Neil Godbout is the Citizen’s editor.
