Tag / politics

by Aleisha Hendry

And the winner is…

All of us. For now, at least.

Our sovereignty will remain. We will not follow in the footsteps of our neighbours to the south.

Looking at the results though, It was a very near thing. This wasn’t Canada outright rejecting fascism, because holy there’s a lot of blue on the map of the west. Part of me wonders if it’s just the usual Canadian thing where we rotate out the Liberals and Conservatives every few cycles, or if people are still hating on Trudeau even though he’s gone now.

It likely would have been a Conservative minority at minimum if the NDP had kept all their seats. Seeing Jagmeet Singh resign after losing his seat was a little heart-wrenching. But while it stings to see, the NDP will bounce back. We need them in this country. They are why we don’t go bankrupt when we get sick and why we have worker’s comp and old age pensions and so much more that makes us Canada.

We are not a two-party system, and no one should want that for us. We are stronger with all the parties at the table.

I will say… PP losing the seat he’s held for two decades was poetic. Some poor sap in a safe blue riding in Alberta will probably be forced to step aside, because while PP should absolutely resign, he probably won’t. And if he does, no one should feel bad for him either, since he’ll be able to live large off his government pension for the rest of his life. Won’t have to get one of those real jobs he’s always talking about but has never actually done himself.

This would be an ideal time for the Conservative Party to do some serious self-reflection. Their last three leaders could not get them over the finish line to a majority, or even a minority… doesn’t that tell you something? They’re past due for some real hard consideration of what it means to be a right-leaning Canadian. And I don’t mean being a Canadian version of the Republican party.

Because this whole thing where they imitate the far right in the US? It doesn’t work up here. And leaning so hard into it over the last decade or so is what brought the country to this near tipping point. Making the media out to be your enemy really doesn’t help project the image you want, because again, we are not the US. Using the far right buzzwords of “anti-woke” and all that utter bullshit does not endear you to the electorate.

You will pry my right to choose from my cold, dead fist.

We have been bombarded by American media and social media for so long, it’s like people have forgotten that we are not America. I recall seeing a clip somewhere a while back of a guy yelling about his First Amendment rights at a city council meeting and him being told there’s no such thing because this is Canada. Imagine getting so wrapped up in your own rage that you completely forget that we are not the same country with the same laws and rules and regulations… It’s sad, really.

Yet another reason why education is so damn important. Belittling education as elitism is not going to help anything, but neither is gatekeeping. There’s a lot – and I mean A LOT – of bullshit out there on the internet, and while it’s more effort on your end, do yourself a favour and triangulate your sources. This means finding three sources confirming what you’re reading, and I’m talking about reputable sources, not a random Facebook post.

Also, there is a world of a difference between a news article and an opinion piece. What I’m doing here is an opinion piece. I’m just sharing my thoughts about a particular subject that I’ve read a lot about and formed an opinion of. You may not agree with me, and that’s okay. I don’t expect everyone to.

A news article will be the facts with cited sources. Not everything from the news is a “hit piece” or biased just because it doesn’t agree with your preconceived ideas.

At any rate, we’ve still got a lot of work to do. Go for a walk, stand barefoot in the grass, drink some water. Take care of yourself.

Elbows Up.

-A.

by Aleisha Hendry

The Dumbest Timeline

There are few things I thought would happen once that Orange Shitbag was handed the keys to the kingdom of America, but uniting the Canadian people wasn’t necessarily one of them.

Given the divisive campaign the Canadian Conservatives are running with the Other Shitbag at the helm, I was afraid that we were heading down a similar path. That PP would drive the wedge between the convoy Nazis and the rest of us even further than it was going…

Not that we’re all singing kumbaya around the campfire or anything, but nothing seems to unite a country than a good old fashioned Trade War and risk to sovereignty.

The latter has become less of a joke and more of an idle threat, especially after Trudeau’s hot mic episode last week. What are the odds of the US military driving a tank through our ports of entry? Would they actually listen and do it if Orange Shitbag orders them to?

Some folks say that yelling at the people that chose not to vote is useless, because what’s done is done, but I really think those people still need to hang their heads in shame for what they’ve allowed to happen. Like, really show some remorse for what they’ve unleashed upon the world. You know, like Germany had to for decades.

But they’re American, so we all know that won’t happen.

Normally here is where I’d say “I’m sorry, but…” and launch into an explanation or something, but I’m not going to lean into the Canadian stereotype of apologizing for my words. You done fucked up, America. Even worse than you did the first time BECAUSE YOU LEARNED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Alright, I’m done venting about that now.

Writing about this is almost a lesson in futility, since things are changing so rapidly. There’s no time to even process what’s happening before the next stupid thing happens.

There’s nothing we can do about what’s happened in the US. However, we can prevent things from getting worse here. Other Shitbag and the Conservatives cannot be allowed to gain power here. I know we have long been a country of flip flopping between Liberal and Conservative governments whenever one of them pisses enough of the country off.

We can’t do that this time, Canada.

We cannot allow what happened to our neighbours to the south to happen here. I know so many people hate Justin Trudeau, but good god, don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. He’s stepping down. Mark Carny will likely be the next Liberal leader, he will stand up for us; Other Shitbag will thank Orange Shitbag and ask for another.

Do not obey in advance.

-A.

by Aleisha Hendry

One Step Forward, 50 Million Steps back

With all the Handmaid’s Tale-esque bullshit going on in the states, and the way it’s creeping into Canadian politics, now feels like a good time to have a little rant about old white men trying to control women’s bodies.

As I type this, I’m laying on my couch and wincing each time a wave of cramping appens due to the new foreign object that now lives in my uterus.

I got an IUD today. It’s to replace my use of the pill, which I have been on for nearly 20 years. It’s primary use for me has always been to correct the hormone imbalance in my body caused by PCOS; protection from getting pregnant was always a side bonus.

I chose to have this procedure because it’s right decision for me…my body, my choice.

That goes double/triple/quadruple for anything else I want to do with it, and no dipshit dumbfuck politician gets any say in that, ever.

The fuckwits in the states literally have no idea how women’s bodies work...read this and see. Honestly, basic understanding of biology should be a prerequisite before putting bills like that forward.

It’s like these men think that women just get pregnant by magic, that the spunk they spill has nothing to do with it. Every last sperm has the potential to become a human life, so doesn’t that make masturbation murder? Shouldn’t guys go to prison for 99 years for jerking off like they say women will for having an abortion?

And while we’re on the topic, if a fetus has rights at six weeks, does that mean men are responsible for it at that point? Do they have to start paying child support? Maybe there needs to be a male DNA database so dudes can’t say it’s not their fetus…they’d have no choice but to take responsibility for their decisions and the consequences of their actions!

Of course that won’t happen, because these movements aren’t about protecting life… it’s about controlling women’s bodies

Who’s actually going to take care of these unwanted babies? If a woman doesn’t want to be pregnant and is forced to carry to term or face life in prison, what do these men think is going to happen? That the ol’ maternal instinct will just magically kick in and the women will become Stepford Moms? No, you’re going to have these babies wind up in the foster system, and will be the government’s problem, which is fitting since they’re the ones that made this happen.

If these assholes were actually pro-life, they’d care about all the kids in foster care, or the kids being held in cages at the border. They’d use their wealth to adopt a dozen kids and give them a better life, or donate to social programs to improve their lives.

But they don’t. And they never will. Because they’re not actually pro-life. They’re anti-women.

America is ass-deep in The Darkest Timeline, but Canada is sinking into that territory with Saskcatchewan MP Bradly Trost wanting to dive back into the abortion debate, and Ontario MP Sam Oosterhoff wanting to make abortion “unthinkable” in Canada.

Who the fuck do these guys think they are?! There are so many issues in this country and this is the fucking hill they want to die on?

Things are gonna be rough for a while, reading/listening to this garbage every day is going to be exhausting and terrifying. We have a federal election in October and that will be the time to shut this shit down.

Don’t give up hope. We will win this fight.

-A.