About the Episode

Pierre Poilievre is feeding new rubes from the same old bag. That’s the impression I get reading Thomas Mulcair’s comment for CTV. He served as NDP leader in the same House of Commons where a young Harperite named Pierre Poilievre was serving his political apprenticeship as an MP from the Ottawa area, and a junior minister in the Harper Government. About Poilievre Mulcair say “They can lose the glasses, drop the tie, slow the cadence & reduce the Brylcreem.” Those of us who got to know his overheated demagoguery firsthand know nothing will have really changed. As Ottawa replaced its police chief, families were still suffering because a few hundred malcontents had decided they’d occupy Ottawa until the government was replaced. What did Poilievre do to help put an end to the drama? Far from being opposed to those involved in that illegal occupation, he brought them donuts and encouragement. That’s the same Poilievre who talks about the importance of respecting the rule of law. Poilievre tends to see nothing good in…goodness, in generosity of spirit and benevolence. He knows what’s right and he’ll try to shove it down your throat if you don’t see things the way he does.

In Calgary, no adequate government response to the outbreak of E. coli in Calgary daycare centres – 190 cases – 27 children are in the hospital, of whom 20 have “severe illness.” Andre Picard Health columnist Globe and Mail writes Premier Danielle Smith and provincial Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange have been “sending thoughts and prayers” to parents. Argh. Picard is on the money. The uncomfortable truth here is that that United Conservative Party in Alberta is next to useless governing during a public health emergency. Whether it was Jason Kenney during Covid or Danielle Smith during this E-Coli outbreak, the serious and serial truth is the UCP is a public healthy emergency in Alberta.

In Western Africa two countries are devastated by natural disasters.

In Morocco the official death toll in their 6.8 Earthquake near Marrakesh is approaching 3,000 people. Down the road in Libya flooding has killed thousands. We don’t know how many thousand. We do know that 10 thousand are missing.

Aaron Rodgers will likely be missing in action for the next few weeks. The new Quarterback for the Jets hobbled after being tackled in the opening seconds of the first quarter. A no name Quarterback who wasn’t even drafted piloted the Jets to a squeaker of a Monday Night Football win over Buffalo.