Thanks as always for your excellent reporting, Terry.
What I can’t bloody stand is the gaslighting. Little Potato is on the record describing David Johnston as a “family friend” and extolling their friendly dinner conversations. Johnston is on the record describing the joint family ski holidays. So tired of the folks insisting it’s an “ad hominem” conspiracy theory planted by the conservatives to point this out and how dare anyone impugn the honour of the venerable Johnston. It’s difficult to find very many like yourself who dare to point out that Johnston has his own shady dealings with the CCP. (As have all the major political parties, apparently.)
Eventually Canadians are going to get sick and tired of this lot.
Trudeau is very arrogant and confident. He's gotten away with things so far. I doubt most Canadians know much about David Johnston, his time at Waterloo U when he helped establish the Confucius Institute, the fact that both of his daughters went to university in China. They're told that as a previous GG, he has impeccable qualifications to do the job, as if that's all they need to know. It's, spin, spin, what the Liberals are best at.
The contempt that Trudeau has for Canadians and for our democracy never ceases to amaze me. What's worse is the apathy and ignorance of so many Canadians. They just don't care. Yet...
The majority of Canadians care. We just don't have any tools to make our government respond. Letter writing is useless. I've written letters to all the party leaders, senators and MPs. Only two ever acknowledged my letter and it was a form letter several months later along the lines of 'thank-you for writing. We value your opinion.'
This report was such a bait and switch. He basically confirms the main pieces of evidence, but then finds some non-sequiter to explain it away.
Yes there's evidence that PRC intended to send a specified amount to specified candidates, but we're not sure if it reached federal candidates, so don't worry about it.
Sure 11 specified election candidates are identified as targets of influence campaigns, and we know they target candidates with influence campaigns, but they aren't working as a coordinated network, so don't worry about it.
Well grounded irregularities were observed with Han Dong's nomination and he has regular clandestine meetings with the Chinese Consulate, but Han said he didn't say some of the things alledged, so don't worry about it.
China probably directed influence campaigns against anti-China MP's, but it was "party agnostic" so it doesn't count.
But every case is screaming for a public inquiry. Lets find out what happened to the 250K, what do the 11 people in the influence scheme know about it, why was han dong talking to the consulate in the first place? Where did the anti-PC wechat stories originate from. To do this you need subpoenas and sworn testimony, and lawyers arguing both sides.
Isn't one of the problems the period when they look at possible interference, ie once the writ has been dropped? Apparently some of the shenanigans take place before that, so aren't looked into. I can't believe that the NDP and LPC allow non citizens and non permanent residents to nominate candidates. According to the press, Chinese international students were bused to a candidates riding to vote for him. Some say that Singh got his nomination that way too. What a way to run an election!
I have copied this from an online dictionary (Oxford): Colonialism: the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
It seems to me that Trudeau is enabling the colonial takeover of Canada by the Communist Party of China, and of necessity he must declare Canada to be postnational state.
If we had an independent media with the fortitude to do their job, our politicians wouldn't be able to escape unscathed from their legal and ethical lapses. With the exception of a few courageous souls like Terry, most of the media act like frightened mice, either silent or actively running cover.
If the CCP's interference in Canadian politics and threats against our citizens was known 17 years ago, it encompasses both the Conservative and Liberal governments. Why is our government paralyzed when it comes to doing right by Canadians? My judgment is the benefit of silence outweighed the consequences of acting. Canadians want to know, what were those benefits?
Long overdue. Singh will hang onto his one chance in a lifetime to be a power broker. He won't let go until the pain of hanging on outweighs the pain of letting go. He will not respond to moral suasion so better start looking for the political leverage to pry his hands loose.
The good news is that "Canada is back!" - punching above our weight in the international arena. The bad news is that we are doing so under the influence of and on behalf of China.
Back to what? OECD predicts Canada will be the worst performing advanced economy until 2030, we have the least affordable homes from about 20 countries, we have the fourth highest use of anti-depressants from about 24 countries, and although we're considered to be one of the least racist countries on the planet, our average frequency of the words, racism and racist used in the press are at the top of a chart of eight advanced countries. Most young people here have no hope of owning a home. And what is more, we seem unable to solve problems.
It's worse than you think. 'Truth' is an outmoded concept. 'Men' and 'women' cannot be defined. People are dying suddenly. Bad investments are driving out good. This is what happens when the high school student council becomes politicians.
Justin Trudeau’s supporters are much like Donald Trump’s supporters. They can’t stand any criticism of their beloved leader, no matter how much it is deserved. No criticism of Trump is ever accepted by his most devoted supporters, in particular the Q-Anon people. It is the same with the devoted TruAnon supporters of Trudeau. I even know a few of these TruAnons, and cannot stand talking to them anymore, as they are unable to acknowledge facts. Some people are just fact resistant. Very sad.
An inconsistency that I'd like to know more about.
" "Our pal Margaret McQuaig Johnston from the University of Ottawa, now with the freshly-minted China Strategic Risks Institute, says the quiet part about Johnston’s idea, out loud: “He clearly doesn’t know that that would be dangerous for them and attract more threats. They should not be forced to appear in public just because he wants to hold public hearings.” " - Terry Glavin
v.s.
"Leaders of Canadian activist and religious groups targeted by Beijing are calling for a public inquiry into foreign interference, saying it isn’t enough for former governor-general David Johnston to hold hearings to listen to their concerns about China’s efforts to silence their criticism." - Robert Fife Ottawa Bureau Chief, Steven Chase Senior parliamentary reporter - The Globe and Mail.
Can’t wait to read it. I do hope you’ll get into the bizarre interaction/non interaction between PCO and PMO. I mean. Johnston, who we all understand to be an Eminent Canadian, just lazily reports the very carefully constructed system of plausible deniability. No one reading anything or reporting to anyone. Well, then. What, exactly are our elected officials and public servants actually DOING? And. Call me a cynic. But I happen to believe that the top layer in PCO and PMO knew exactly what to expect from Johnston. This has been their MO for 8 years now. It’s just that some Canadians are finally shaking their heads. Long overdue. Hit it out of the park, Terry!
This is a real Canadian Disaster.. Nothing is burning or flooding. It’s not weather related .. no typhoon or tsunami . If it was a natural disaster, we would know what to do. We can build back better. Move the bridge up higher. For-go logging near rivers. Prevent chemicals from getting into the river. To do that, we have rigorous accident investigation models. We commend and correct old procedures and processes.
This Disaster is different, no one is looking at any of the many points of contact. It’s a free for all..So how the hell could we possibly ever think we can fix this, going about it like we are?
This isn’t rocket science.. start collecting the story. Assemble the data.
I was irate when Trudeau smugly promoted this BS a few years ago. I've yet to speak to anyone who agrees with his nonsense. I can hardly wait until I can say Canada is a post Trudeau country.
Thanks as always for your excellent reporting, Terry.
What I can’t bloody stand is the gaslighting. Little Potato is on the record describing David Johnston as a “family friend” and extolling their friendly dinner conversations. Johnston is on the record describing the joint family ski holidays. So tired of the folks insisting it’s an “ad hominem” conspiracy theory planted by the conservatives to point this out and how dare anyone impugn the honour of the venerable Johnston. It’s difficult to find very many like yourself who dare to point out that Johnston has his own shady dealings with the CCP. (As have all the major political parties, apparently.)
Eventually Canadians are going to get sick and tired of this lot.
Trudeau is very arrogant and confident. He's gotten away with things so far. I doubt most Canadians know much about David Johnston, his time at Waterloo U when he helped establish the Confucius Institute, the fact that both of his daughters went to university in China. They're told that as a previous GG, he has impeccable qualifications to do the job, as if that's all they need to know. It's, spin, spin, what the Liberals are best at.
The contempt that Trudeau has for Canadians and for our democracy never ceases to amaze me. What's worse is the apathy and ignorance of so many Canadians. They just don't care. Yet...
The majority of Canadians care. We just don't have any tools to make our government respond. Letter writing is useless. I've written letters to all the party leaders, senators and MPs. Only two ever acknowledged my letter and it was a form letter several months later along the lines of 'thank-you for writing. We value your opinion.'
The fact that Trudeau keeps getting elected indicates to me a lack of caring. If an election were held tomorrow, he’d probably win :-(
This report was such a bait and switch. He basically confirms the main pieces of evidence, but then finds some non-sequiter to explain it away.
Yes there's evidence that PRC intended to send a specified amount to specified candidates, but we're not sure if it reached federal candidates, so don't worry about it.
Sure 11 specified election candidates are identified as targets of influence campaigns, and we know they target candidates with influence campaigns, but they aren't working as a coordinated network, so don't worry about it.
Well grounded irregularities were observed with Han Dong's nomination and he has regular clandestine meetings with the Chinese Consulate, but Han said he didn't say some of the things alledged, so don't worry about it.
China probably directed influence campaigns against anti-China MP's, but it was "party agnostic" so it doesn't count.
But every case is screaming for a public inquiry. Lets find out what happened to the 250K, what do the 11 people in the influence scheme know about it, why was han dong talking to the consulate in the first place? Where did the anti-PC wechat stories originate from. To do this you need subpoenas and sworn testimony, and lawyers arguing both sides.
Isn't one of the problems the period when they look at possible interference, ie once the writ has been dropped? Apparently some of the shenanigans take place before that, so aren't looked into. I can't believe that the NDP and LPC allow non citizens and non permanent residents to nominate candidates. According to the press, Chinese international students were bused to a candidates riding to vote for him. Some say that Singh got his nomination that way too. What a way to run an election!
That makes great sense as to why he continues to back and hold the Trudeau Liberals in power. To save himself.
Good point. Hadn't thought of Johnston saving his own miserable hide. Hence Trudeau always choosing people with a lot to lose if the facts come out.
I have copied this from an online dictionary (Oxford): Colonialism: the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
It seems to me that Trudeau is enabling the colonial takeover of Canada by the Communist Party of China, and of necessity he must declare Canada to be postnational state.
If we had an independent media with the fortitude to do their job, our politicians wouldn't be able to escape unscathed from their legal and ethical lapses. With the exception of a few courageous souls like Terry, most of the media act like frightened mice, either silent or actively running cover.
If the CCP's interference in Canadian politics and threats against our citizens was known 17 years ago, it encompasses both the Conservative and Liberal governments. Why is our government paralyzed when it comes to doing right by Canadians? My judgment is the benefit of silence outweighed the consequences of acting. Canadians want to know, what were those benefits?
Is it time to begin a full court press on Singh yet?
Long overdue. Singh will hang onto his one chance in a lifetime to be a power broker. He won't let go until the pain of hanging on outweighs the pain of letting go. He will not respond to moral suasion so better start looking for the political leverage to pry his hands loose.
Angus Reid today. Let's see if it budges Trudeau.
https://mailchi.mp/angusreid.org/election-interference-canadians-tilt-towards-calling-for-a-public-inquiry-majority-call-government-response-evasive?e=df8c1ef89d
The good news is that "Canada is back!" - punching above our weight in the international arena. The bad news is that we are doing so under the influence of and on behalf of China.
'Canada is back' begs the question, back to what? Our PM told the world Canada is a post-national country.
Back to what? OECD predicts Canada will be the worst performing advanced economy until 2030, we have the least affordable homes from about 20 countries, we have the fourth highest use of anti-depressants from about 24 countries, and although we're considered to be one of the least racist countries on the planet, our average frequency of the words, racism and racist used in the press are at the top of a chart of eight advanced countries. Most young people here have no hope of owning a home. And what is more, we seem unable to solve problems.
It's worse than you think. 'Truth' is an outmoded concept. 'Men' and 'women' cannot be defined. People are dying suddenly. Bad investments are driving out good. This is what happens when the high school student council becomes politicians.
Justin Trudeau’s supporters are much like Donald Trump’s supporters. They can’t stand any criticism of their beloved leader, no matter how much it is deserved. No criticism of Trump is ever accepted by his most devoted supporters, in particular the Q-Anon people. It is the same with the devoted TruAnon supporters of Trudeau. I even know a few of these TruAnons, and cannot stand talking to them anymore, as they are unable to acknowledge facts. Some people are just fact resistant. Very sad.
An inconsistency that I'd like to know more about.
" "Our pal Margaret McQuaig Johnston from the University of Ottawa, now with the freshly-minted China Strategic Risks Institute, says the quiet part about Johnston’s idea, out loud: “He clearly doesn’t know that that would be dangerous for them and attract more threats. They should not be forced to appear in public just because he wants to hold public hearings.” " - Terry Glavin
v.s.
"Leaders of Canadian activist and religious groups targeted by Beijing are calling for a public inquiry into foreign interference, saying it isn’t enough for former governor-general David Johnston to hold hearings to listen to their concerns about China’s efforts to silence their criticism." - Robert Fife Ottawa Bureau Chief, Steven Chase Senior parliamentary reporter - The Globe and Mail.
Can’t wait to read it. I do hope you’ll get into the bizarre interaction/non interaction between PCO and PMO. I mean. Johnston, who we all understand to be an Eminent Canadian, just lazily reports the very carefully constructed system of plausible deniability. No one reading anything or reporting to anyone. Well, then. What, exactly are our elected officials and public servants actually DOING? And. Call me a cynic. But I happen to believe that the top layer in PCO and PMO knew exactly what to expect from Johnston. This has been their MO for 8 years now. It’s just that some Canadians are finally shaking their heads. Long overdue. Hit it out of the park, Terry!
This is a real Canadian Disaster.. Nothing is burning or flooding. It’s not weather related .. no typhoon or tsunami . If it was a natural disaster, we would know what to do. We can build back better. Move the bridge up higher. For-go logging near rivers. Prevent chemicals from getting into the river. To do that, we have rigorous accident investigation models. We commend and correct old procedures and processes.
This Disaster is different, no one is looking at any of the many points of contact. It’s a free for all..So how the hell could we possibly ever think we can fix this, going about it like we are?
This isn’t rocket science.. start collecting the story. Assemble the data.
Great Writing Terry..
I look forward to the remainder of your writing on this. It has been thoroughly informative. Sadly, most people I know have no clue about any of this.
Pretty hard not to be cynical over this whole charade.
Terry Terry Terry...
Your piece on West Coast potato farming by various local indigenous was so much more uplifting!
Further - I admire both your in-depth reporting and your ability to stay optimistic! Terry for PM?
I was irate when Trudeau smugly promoted this BS a few years ago. I've yet to speak to anyone who agrees with his nonsense. I can hardly wait until I can say Canada is a post Trudeau country.
Amen to that!