24 conservative MP's including Poilievre get cozy with convoyers, even while convoy followers threaten libraries and transgender people
PART TWO of a three-part summer-so-far report for June-July, 2022
As a descendant of Scottish settlers, I am grateful to be producing this newsletter in Moh’kinsstis, and the traditional Treaty 7 territory of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. I understand that this territory is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, I recognize that the land I work and live on was stolen from these nations and I have been afforded privileges as a result.
NOTE: I’m breaking this newsletter into three parts. Here is the first, this is the second, and the third and final report will be posted in the next few days.
People continue to be puzzled about convoy protests, and their most recent actions in Ottawa leading up to Canada Day were also bizarre and confusing. Multiple posts on social media keep asking the same questions - what are you protesting? The mandates have been lifted so what do you want?
If you come out in person and meet the convoyers face-to-face, it will quickly become apparent what their real agenda is – to preserve systemic White supremacy. They’re focused on the changes they fear are coming as a result of Black Lives Matter, anti-facism activists, Truth and Reconciliation, and from LGBTQ2S+ people.
Despite what they say, they’re not against tyranny - they cheer on the police when they attack counterprotesters. They are not peaceful, or loving as some of their placards proclaim. They are fully prepared to get what they want by force.
They’re intolerant of transgender folks, and increasingly targeting the entire LGBTQ2S+ community with charges of “grooming children, “ a tactic which is not new, just newly resurrected.
The "freedom" convoy is as much about freedom as the "pro-life" movement is about life.
From Tamara Lich to Daniel Bulford, the convoy organizers have a history of hate towards LGBTQ2S+. Xtra is an online magazine and community platform covering LGBTQ2S+ culture, politics and health. They published a breakdown of some of the key convoy members and their links to anti-LGBTQ2S+ hate. It’s quite an eye-opener.
Remember their names: Six Alberta MP’s showed up for the convoy
In late June, it was reported by CTV News that more than 20 Conservative MPs - six from Alberta - met with convoy spokesperson Tom Marazzo, convoy director of security Daniel Bulford, advisor to former U.S. president Donald Trump Paul Alexander, and Canadian soldier James Topp.
The meeting was held in the parliamentary precinct. Ontario Conservative MP Dean Allison sponsored the group, which gives them access to the area on June 26. This was just days ahead of the widely publicized protest planned for Canada Day in Ottawa.
Here are the six Conservative MP’s from Alberta who took part in the meeting:
Arnold Viersen, Peace River- Westlock
Martin Shields, Bow River
John Barlow, Foothills
Damien Kurek, Battle River-Crowfoot
Gerald Soroka, Yellowhead
Chris Warkentin, Grande Prairie-MacKenzie
So, with another protest planned in the coming days, Conservative MPs were meeting with the convoy representatives, posing for selfies, and expressing their support.
And then, Pierre Poilievre, who wants to be Prime Minister and is running to lead the Conservative Party of Canada, decided to one-up his colleagues.
On June 30, he showed up in residential Nepean, west of downtown Ottawa, to march with James Topp and convoy members as they made their way downtown to the National War Memorial for a Canada Day protest.
Topp is “involuntarily” on leave from the Canadian Armed Forces for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid. According to his website, he is marching to support federal government employees like himself and others who “have been pressured into taking part in medical procedures that they would not otherwise have accepted.”
However, Topp has also shown a willingness to align with more radical, far right elements of the convoy, as reported by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
“Topp has been welcoming to interviews from many in the far right landscape. Speaking to Christian nationalist Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson, the hosts of the Freedom Report – Derek Storie and Ed Jamnisek – and Diagolon’s Jeremy MacKenzie.”
Meanwhile, and after flouting her bail conditions, Tamara Lich was sent back to jail on June 27 and spent the weekend there awaiting a new hearing. She was later released after agreeing to new conditions, including another $37,000 bond, and tightened rules around communication with the same list of convoy-linked people as last time.
The day after the meeting with MP’s, community advocates announced the creation of the Ottawa People’s Commission on the Convoy Occupation. The commission was to conduct a series of public hearings in which residents of Ottawa-Gatineau affected by this winter’s convoy occupation of the national capital “will be invited to describe their experiences, give voice to their concerns and begin rebuilding trust and accountability in a traumatized community.”
“Ongoing local and federal reviews of what happened in the national capital — and across Canada — during the past winter are barely scratching the surface of the dangerous, undemocratic and hurtful occupation that took place,” said Ken Rubin, a local community advocate.
Threatening libraries is the modern equivalent of bookburning
In late June, the convoyers in Calgary, known on Facebook as “Calgary Freedom Central,” a group I’ve written about before, showed their true agenda. They began making online threats against both the Calgary Public Library and the Okotoks Library for their children’s storytime events involving local drag performers.
At least one Okotoks drag performer had to delete their social media presence completely to protect their personal safety. During Pride Month no less.
It's worth noting that all Reading With Royalty books are available for borrowing from the library. The children attend WITH their parents. All the drag performers must undergo a police safety check. Both the people and the books have been vetted.
Members of the community quickly mobilized, showing up in large numbers at the storytime in Calgary on June 21st. Supporters also came out to support the Okotoks event a week later. No one showed up from the convoy. It doesn’t matter though because the threats and intimidation were the goal.
CBC reporter Jonathan Montpetit wrote later in June that libraries in Canada have been “hit by a wave of hate, threats.”
"Members suggested a physical confrontation to show performers they were "not welcome" in Calgary. Another user suggested confronting parents who brought their children to the event."
"Despite being subjected to threats, officials at municipal libraries hosting such events insist on their importance and maintain they won't be intimidated."
You may recall that Okotoks-area MP John Barlow was one of six Conservative MPs who met with the convoy leaders in Ottawa. Political leaders set the tone.
NBC News had a longer article in April of this year explaining the history of the anti-LGBTQ2S+ movement. The story included an interview with Michael Bronski, a professor of women and gender studies at Harvard University and author of “A Queer History of the United States for Young People.”
“There’s a long tradition of making accusations against a minority group, potentially an unpopular one, using the notion of violating childhood innocence, which is seen as the worst possible thing that you could do — to abuse the child sexually,”
“Overwhelmingly, they were never about the children,” he added, referring to the accusations. “They were about mobilizing power within the culture and doing political organizing around it.”
The tactic goes back to former beauty queen Anita Bryant’s “Save Our Children” campaign in 1977 which painted gays and lesbians as a threat to the country’s youth.
As I’ve said before, the convoy is a misguided, malicious group of people spreading lies and undermining our freedom every day...not defending it.
This was them again at another protest later in July. The expectation is that this will continue all summer long.
It’s another multi-part newsletter since I was partly on vacation in June and July, and wholly testing positive for Covid. You can read all about it in my previous post!
Coming up - White supremacy is ubiquitous (more details coming soon for subscribers also) and the climate emergency gets some much-needed wins but way more is needed.
To wrap up this week, here’s an adorable little music video featuring Trixie Mattel with Orville Peck: