A Picture Worth A Thousand Words

Comrade Common Sense (@komradeperogie) hit the bullseye spot-on when Tweeting out yesterday:

“Let me get this straight. Last speaker gets the boot for introducing an actual Nazi in the House of Commons.

“New speaker, who called regular Canadians Nazis during the convoy, gets playfully dragged to his chair by a beaming leader of the official opposition.

“This is politics in Canada.”

So sadly true, Comrade Common Sense, and millions of vastly unrepresented Canadians know it.

Some see the collegial photo of PM Justin Trudeau and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre ‘dragging’ new House Speaker Greg Fergus up to his Speaker’s seat for what it really is: a sickening picture of the Bee Ess of Canadian Politics on full public display. ‘Some,’ including Canada Free Press (CFP).

Supporters of both Trudeau and Poilievre would argue that it was only protocol, a kind of protocol that is “traditional” and that happens all over the world.

They are missing the point that Trudeau and Poilievre feed off each other for publicity while Canada is a woebegone ship, sinking under the waves.

‘MPs elect Greg Fergus as next House of Commons Speaker’ (Montreal Gazette, Oct. 3, 2023).

“Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drag Greg Fergus to the Speaker's chair, as is tradition. ()

“The election was triggered by last week's resignation of Anthony Rota, after he honoured a man who had fought for the Nazis.”

Aside from “traditional protocol”, this is who new House Speaker Greg Fergus is:

Let me get this straight. Last speaker gets the boot for introducing an actual Nazi in the House of Commons.

New speaker, who called regular Canadians Nazis during the convoy, gets playfully dragged to his chair by a beaming leader of the official opposition.

This is politics… https://t.co/p0CQ8USLK4

— Comrade Common Sense™ ???????????????? (@komradeperogie) October 3, 2023

'That's what scares me': Quebec MP gives impassioned speech condemning Confederate flags in Ottawa protest’ (CTV News, Feb. 2, 2022)

“Ottawa residents were shocked to see Nazi and Confederate flags being paraded through the city's downtown core this past weekend mere steps from Parliament Hill during the trucker convoy protest, but for Black Canadians such images came at a particularly sensitive time.

“Tuesday marked the beginning of Black History Month when Canadians normally reflect on the legacy of Black Canadians and the leaders who paved the way for equality and justice. But as Quebec MP Greg Fergus said, “these are not normal times.”

“In an emotional speech in the House of Commons Wednesday, the MP for Hull-Aylmer denounced the hateful symbols that were freely displayed without intervention.

“Let's not mince words. The Confederate flag is a symbol for slavery. Whips deformed Black bodies, forced labour, mangled limps (sic), torture almost always preceded lynchings,” the MP said.

“Fergus, who is also chair of the Parliamentary Black Caucus, went on to say that he assumed few people today tolerated the displaying of the flag in the name of freedom of expression, but wondered who else would support it. “Without realtime denunciations, how am I to know?

"That's what scares me.”

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“He added that even 188 years since the abolition of slavery in Canada, in some people's eyes, “I am not equal nor should I be free. This is why I celebrate Black history, Black Canadian history, every February and throughout the year," he said to a round of applause in the House.

“Fergus shared a video of his speech on Twitter to mark Black History Month in Canada, expressing his support for people’s right to peacefully protest.

“The only way to eradicate all forms of hate in our society is to not passively stand by when it happens,” he said in his post.

"Videos of protesters flying the Confederate flag in the nation's capital were spreading on social media over the weekend.

“Videos also showed the Patriote flag, used by Francophone rebels in the 19th century but has since been adopted by far-right ultranationalists from Quebec in the modern era. Others held up signs touting COVID-19 and vaccine conspiracy theories and misinformation.

MPs elect Greg Fergus as next “OTTAWA — Greg Fergus first came to the House of Commons as a page, sitting at the foot of the Speaker’s chair and serving water to MPs — only one of whom is still a sitting member of Parliament.(Montreal Gazette)

“On Tuesday, he sat in that chair himself, now tasked with restoring confidence in the chamber in a role that Fergus described as a continuation of his “lifelong love” of Parliament.

“Fergus said he subscribed to Hansard — the daily transcripts of debate in the House of Commons — at 14 years old.

"Now, 40 years later, the 54-year-old Quebec Liberal MP has become the first Black Canadian to serve as Speaker.

“After MPs elected him to the role by secret ballot, he promised them that he would lead with respect, and encouraged them to respect each other, too.

“Canadians are watching, he noted.

“The Speaker, to use the old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee,” Fergus said in his first speech from the chair.

“And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that nobody pays good money to go see the referee. They go to see the stars: you.”

“The rare mid-session election was held to replace Anthony Rota, who caused an international uproar over his actions during a recent visit by Ukraine’s president.

“The former Speaker invited a veteran who served in a Nazi unit in the Second World War to the House of Commons chamber, and asked parliamentarians and dignitaries to applaud the man as a hero.”

And they did applaud loudly—the entire House of Commons.

“He has since apologized and remains a Liberal caucus member. However, he was not in his seat during the Speaker election, with a seat-filler in his place instead. (Montreal Gazette)

“Fergus was first elected to represent the Quebec riding of Hull-Aylmer in 2015, and has served as parliamentary secretary to the prime minister and treasury board.

"All MPs gave Fergus a standing ovation as he was announced the winner of the vote, and members of the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois caucuses shook his hand and hugged him, as did a small number of Conservative MPs.

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Fergus was elected to help parliamentarians remain civil in debates “and remind us that we are all here for the same reason, which is to serve Canadians.”

“They expect us to behave to the highest standards. Mr. Speaker, I know you will help us rise to meet this moment,” Trudeau said in the House of Commons Tuesday.

"In his own speech, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh described Fergus as one of the friendliest members of Parliament who always has a smile on his face.

“I want to acknowledge the incredible weight that you now bear and the incredible feat that you achieved,” said Singh, who said his election is a powerful moment for many.

“There’s kids who have maybe come here and have not seem themselves on the walls. And that’s going to change now.”

In the days leading up to the election, some Tories had drummed up attacks against Fergus.

A top adviser to Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre, Jenni Byrne, noted that Fergus had vocally defended Trudeau during “elbow-gate” _ when Trudeau inadvertently elbowed an NDP MP during an uproar in the House in 2016.

“Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner also pointed out on social media that Fergus had been found earlier this year to have breached the Conflict of Interest Act while serving as a parliamentary secretary to Trudeau. He wrote a letter in support of a TV channel’s application to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for mandatory carriage — something those in such positions are not allowed to do.

“The other six candidates for Speaker had called for civility and rule-following in speeches ahead of the vote.

“Fergus promised he will improve decorum and insist on respect so that MPs can take on friendly, respectful and passionate debate.

“I’m going to be working hard at this, and I need all of your help to make this happen,” he said, adding that he will be meeting with deputy Speakers Tuesday to discuss how to improve decorum.

“As is tradition, the new Speaker was “dragged” to the chair in the House of Commons by the prime minister and Opposition leader after votes were counted Tuesday afternoon.

“Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre congratulated Fergus. He said he knows Fergus has strong enough arms for the job, noting he had “the difficult task of dragging you all the way to that chair.”

"He then shifted his speech to criticize the Liberal government, describing it as “excessively” costly and “overly greedy.”

“So now, more than ever, the role of Parliament in restraining the power of the prime minister is primordial. And we will continue to carry out that role proudly on the floor of the House of Commons because we will always remember we’re servants, not masters,” Poilievre said.”

Because of his racially motivated background, Canadians know who Greg Fergus is.

Perhaps somewhat fortunately Canadians also now know who Trudeau and Poilievre really are.

While proudly “dragging” new House Speaker Fergus to his long coveted seat, they continue dragging Canada down into a sovereign-less nation status, already ceded over to the Klaus Schwab-led World Economic Forum.

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