Dalton McGuinty Has The Balls To Compare Himself To Trudeau

Premier Dalton McGuinty doesn’t have the balls for much else though (we could go way back to when he caved in to the demands of religious wingnuts like Chuckles McVety).

Oh and he draws a comparison to Nixon’s “silent majority” (those that didn’t actively protest the Vietnam war) in addition to comparing himself to Trudeau.

As for Trudeau invoking the War Measures Act in 1970 during the October Crisis. Unlike McGuinty’s MPPs though, I figured it was only a matter of time before that was coming. I heard it from people who condemn the protesters (yes, there are people who should never speak ill of St Stevie and his policies,  nor those of the G20).

I can’t believe we need to attempt to compare and contrast apples and oranges.

As much as I have a distaste for any kind of law, however temporary, that allows for anybody to be arrested or even having your home, car, workplace or your person searched simply for affiliations (be it family, friends, co-workers, neighbours, etc), being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or fitting into some kind of profile without sufficient cause; because it does set a dangerous precedence; particularly after the G20;  I’m going to defend Prime Minister Trudeau for the sake of this post.

For openers,  Then, premier Robert Bourassa and mayor Jean Drapeau didn’t make things up as they went along. They formally requested PM Trudeau to invoke the War Measures Act.  Furthermore, as distasteful as many Canadians (Quebecers in particular) found it back then;  when Trudeau did it, he wasn’t sneaky about it, nor did he pass the buck. He owned it. He made a speech about it “…Just watch me!” Those famous last words seem to echo throughout history of the October Crisis. There was no ambiguity.

Next,  the climate in Quebec, to say the least, was tense for many. The FLQ blew up mailboxes in Westmount, an affluent White Anglophone neighbourhood in Montreal.   British trade envoy James Cross and MNA Pierre Laporte were kidnapped. 

There was no hint of violence in Toronto. The citizens of Toronto didn’t ask for their city to be fenced in. They didn’t ask to have their downtown core to be crippled. They most certainly didn’t ask to have the G20 being held in the downtown core.

And one thing many overlook when justifying that heavy police presence and all those searches of average citizens; were these world leaders ever really in danger?  As I’ve mentioned before, they all never leave home without their own security details that probably taste their food for them before they eat.  Obama probably doesn’t even go to the bathroom without the secret service far behind. In fact, I would even venture to say that in the case of some of these leaders, they were probably safer here than in their own countries.

Given Steve’s penchant for big-assed prisons and minimum sentences and other insidious tough on crime bills, even when it’s clearly not necessary, and his painfully apparent disdain for dissent; turning Toronto into an armed fortress did suit his whim.

Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act in 1970 because he felt he didn’t have any other alternative to deal with the situation at the time.

McGuinty was nothing more than a puppet for Steve.

Trudeau, again, whether we agreed with his move or not,  during that fateful October of 1970, he clearly showed leadership.

Trudeau would never do anything even remotely close to that again.

Can we honestly say that Steve would never put up another police state?

It should also be mentioned that there were far more arrests during that one week-end than there was during the entire duration of the October Crisis.

As for that term, ‘Silent Majority’,  be it regarding the Vietnam War or any other political matter; let’s call it what it is: Apathy with a captital A.

It is laughable though, Dalton McGuinty likening himself to Pierre Trudeau.  Fillibluster has it right; McGuinty with his underhanded callousness, he does liken himself more to Richard M Nixon.

Speaking of Fillibluster, she did the leg work and has found laws on the books that the Toronto police did break outright.

Here’s one, from the Criminal Code of Canada:
C.C.C. – Neglect by peace officer
69. A peace officer who receives notice that there is a riot within his jurisdiction and, without reasonable excuse, fails to take all reasonable steps to suppress the riot is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
R.S., c. C-34, s. 70.
Hmmmmm.

How about this one?
C.C.C. – Spreading false news
181. Every one who wilfully publishes a statement, tale or news that he knows is false and that causes or is likely to cause injury or mischief to a public interest is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
R.S., c. C-34, s. 177.
Yes, Bill Blair, we’re looking at you here, as well as every single cop who knew the Public Works Act only applied inside the security fence, not outside.

Take a look at more indictable offences committed by police and security forces over at G20 Justice, as well as a growing archive of victim statements. Will someone please tell me, what fucking country do we live in again?

Thank you, Fillibluster for doing that leg work in finding those laws.  

Now, there just leaves one question; why is Chief Blair still kicking around? Why is McGuinty?

Better question; why are Canadians or more to the point, Torontonians allowing this? You’d think if Torontonians are seriously for getting tough on crime and criminals, should we get tough on those who enforce the laws they break? Or is a tough on crime agenda only for those who are in dissent or those who are poor or society’s disenfranchised?

I would love to see the Blogging SupposiTories or the other big tough on crime advocates  take a crack at this one.