Beware Liberals Bearing Gifts

Supporters of the Canadian truckers’ Freedom Convoy’s agenda to end mask and vaccine mandates and to replevin the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are waxing lyrical over a press conference by Liberal MP Joel Lightbound, in which he argues the time has come to lift, or rationalize, the Covid restrictions that have paralyzed the country for the last two years. The tide is finally turning, the optimists exult, the dominoes are beginning to fall. The spectacle of a Liberal parliamentarian cutting a populist figure is just too appealing to resist.

International "woke joke" Justin Trudeau

Citing the World Health Organization and epidemiological authorities, Lightbound recommended the gradual return to normality and was critical of his own party for driving a "wedge" between government and public. A breakthrough had apparently been made and Liberal party cohesion was not as muscle-bound as had been thought. Some people may believe that an apparently disaffected Liberal MP like Joel Lightbound is the Canadian version of Joe Manchin.  Enthusiasm for change in the Liberal Party’s management of the pandemic and jubilating over the presumably sinking fortunes of the international "woke joke" Justin Trudeau is premature. There is a considerable amount of shallow commentary by pundits who cannot penetrate beneath the superficial glitter of what is essentially a non-event, a partial critique of his Party by a Liberal stalwart. It’s like bingeing on cotton candy. At first you get a sugar high, later you feel nauseous. It behooves us to take another listen to the address, which is far from encouraging and steps only a little distance outside the established chalk lines. For Lightbound is no bearer of the democratic torch, and tends to sound very much like the controlled opposition who, at bottom, does not scruple to pander to the most grotesque prejudices. Lightbound made all the approved Liberal noises at the beginning of his speech about "hideous acts" and swastikas and confederate flags and far-right sentiments "displayed by some demonstrators." What demonstrators? This garbage is straight out of the national media intent on portraying the truckers as fascists and antisemites and is nothing short of contemptible. He seems to have no awareness or understanding of the nature of false flag operations. Or perhaps an honest appraisal of the truckers’ bona fides doesn’t suit his rhetorical purposes. In thus slandering the Convoy, generalizing from a few unidentified and random individuals, Lightbound is promoting the standard narrative of duplicitous vilification. We then learn that it is "time for truckers to leave," that "protesters should show their good will" and depart, and that it is important "to denounce far right groups,"—again, what far-right groups? As a sop to those he has offended, Lightbound professes to be impressed by a "kind grandmother who looked nothing like a white supremacist"—a supremely condescending remark. The fact is that none of the truckers who have spoken and been copiously filmed for nearly two weeks looks anything like a white supremacist. Rather, the truckers look like honorable, salt-of-the-earth working people who have a legitimate grievance against an authoritarian and repressive government.

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Lightbound has clearly never even heard of Malone and is utterly ignorant of the real science that vitiates his claims about vaccination

Of course, Lightbound purveys all the socially correct bromides about tolerance, about healing divisions, about public health policy including vaccine passports needing to be re-examined in order "to adapt to changing data." But the real problem, according to him, is simply lack of informative clarity. "The government should provide a roadmap to clear and measurable targets to lift all restrictions"—though, as it turns out, not immediately. Furthermore, governments should explain the restrictions clearly so Canadians can show "solidarity." Once the benefit of the Covid measures can be clearly explained with data, we can prepare for the next wave—an implied threat to shore up his narrative of concern.  Indeed, we should be "proud of and celebrating" our high vaccine level—a level achieved by coercing many Canadians to take an experimental drug they did not want. He is distressed primarily by the absence of proper messaging by the Liberal administration to justify its policies. This is the crux of his testimony. But Lightbound is egregiously misinformed. Though having mentioned epidemiological authorities, albeit without naming any, he shows no recognition of the world’s leading virologists and infectious disease experts—Robert Malone, Peter McCullough, Byram Bridle, Joseph Mercolla, Sucharit Bhakdi, the late Luc Montagnier, the signatories of the Great Barrington Declaration, and many others—who know the vaccines to be counterproductive if not downright harmful.  Dr. Malone is probably the world’s leading authority on the genetic vaccines and is profoundly alarmed by their virulent effects. His Open Letter to the Canadian Truckers thanks the truckers for their service to the country and the world and praises their integrity, dignity and community. Lightbound has clearly never even heard of Malone and is utterly ignorant of the real science that vitiates his claims about vaccination. Despite his attempt to soften government regulations, which is laudable on its face, he is, frankly, out of his depth. Moreover, his deposition is contradictory. Restrictions should be lifted, at least in part, yet vaccination remains the holy grail, as it does for Justin Trudeau.

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Lightbound is being eulogized in many blogs and sites across the country as a courageous dissident whose critique of the coercive Liberal agenda must be acknowledged and admired. There is some truth to that, but his performance is by no means as striking as many people seem to believe. There isn’t much to rejoice over here. True, Lightbound has just resigned his post as chairman of the Quebec Liberal Caucus. It is a bold gesture that may have been made to pre-empt his removal from caucus, or from motives of conscience or, for all we know, as strategic positioning for an eventual challenge to Trudeau’s defective and divisive leadership of the Liberal Party and his miserable performance as prime minister of the nation. We note, too, that Lightbound has chosen not to leave the Party and sit as an Independent. He remains a good and loyal Liberal and has received support from three-term Quebec Liberal MP Yves Robillard, who agrees that the federal government’s response has become "politicized" and "divisive." Lightbound had caused turmoil within the ranks, but may yet represent the future of the Party, though it will take more than two weeks to "flatten the regime." A flattened regime, however, is still the Liberal Party with its history of punitive taxation, "social welfare" extravagance, destruction of the energy sector, its privileging of Eastern Canada (the Laurentian Elite) over the West, and uncontrolled borrowing and spending. It’s not a pretty picture. Nonetheless, Lightbound may be making his play. His address sounds like a warning shot across the bow and may augur a move to eventually replace a prime minister who has polarized a nation and who is demonstrably losing control of an escalating crisis.  If this is the case and if Lightbound is successful, the result would be only a kinder, gentler autocratic juggernaut, a fist in the proverbial velvet glove. We should not allow ourselves to be deceived. We need to remain alert. Whenever a Liberal has something tempting to offer, you know the gift is tainted.