Month: January 2021

A big thanks to the Bloc Québécois, and especially to Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (for this motion) and all our good Canadian lawmakers, including Mr. Trudeau himself (for his vote).

All the media of the world reported the great news. Here is one example from France 24: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210128-canadian-lawmakers-vote-to-grant-citizenship-to-saudi-blogger

However, for unknown reasons, we are hearing now that our PM is refusing to execute this injunction. This is apparently strange because Mr. Trudeau is a good-hearted man/father who likely enjoys his image of defender of oppressed people and minorities… and here he has a case of true oppression.

As a reminder, Mr. Raif Badawi is a blogger like Bambi. Yes, he is still in jail in Saudi Arabia. Remember that he was sentenced to 1000 lashes, a 10 year sentence, and a fine of 200,000 Saudi Arabian riyals (CAD $69,381). Even if he gets out of jail, he cannot leave his country to join his family in Sherbrooke, PQ, Canada for at least 10 years. His kids are growing up without him nearby. He and his spouse have not seen each other for God knows how long. All this because he was accused of blasphemy. Can you imagine? Bambi had wished Saudi Arabia had Bill 21 like Québec… but this is not how things work in this country in the Middle East unfortunately.

Indeed Saudi Arabia has Islam as the state religion. Not any type of political Islam. Despite its latest many modern reforms (e.g., yes, women can drive now!), Saudi Arabia is associated with Wahhabism (a very hardcore conservative movement within the Sunni branch of Islam). In the past, it has caused problems to Saudi Arabia for reasons we all know too well ( http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/244737) , especially if we did not voluntarily lose our memory (i.e., the 911 tragedy is just one example).

Now let’s come back to Mr. Trudeau. Why is his government doing this? Is it for some political calculations ahead of any elections? Is it to punish Ms. Haidar for supporting the secular Bill 21 in Québec (see earlier post on the topic)? Is it because he is lacking courage ahead of an international meeting? Is it to serve the interests of our neighbour with regard to Saudi Arabia? Or is because of Canada’s interests or issues with Saudi Arabia? Is it because the Prince himself may be under pressure by the sweet Islamists of his country? Oh, by the way, who killed journalist Jammal Kashoogi in the utmost horrible and stupid way (in the embassy of his country in Istanbul, Turkey)?

To conclude this post, if Mr. Trudeau himself, or you as a reader, can guess the answer to the latter question, it means that Mr. Badawi deserves the Canadian citizenship… and NOW please! So, Mr. Justin Trudeau, please read the tweets of your colleague below. Mr. Blanchet posted a straightforward short message in French. Please listen to your colleague. He is speaking on behalf of Ms. Haidar (and indirectly on all of us).

Thank you Mr. Trudeau for your consideration.

Contrary to many others, Ms. Ensaf Haidar knows radical religiosity sadly too well. This is why she defends Québec’s secularism bill 21

On this World Press Freedom Day, a refreshing documentary on China by the CBC… from 2012, along with hypocritical blahblahblah by Ms. Chrystia Freeland

Bambi shares your loss, Dearest Maya, Carla, Nayla et al. in Lebanon, Canada, the Netherlands, and France. May your uncle rest in peace and may his smaller family in Beirut find inner peace. May the Head Nurse, cousin of your mom Carla/Nayla, also read in peace. Thanks to her for her long service.

Thanks to journalist, Ms. Roula Douglas (who recently lost five people in a single day, including two students), for sharing this BBC NEWS short documentary on Lebanon’s struggle with the management of the coronavirus pandemic on top of multiple crises (financial crash and the resulting revolution of October 17, 2019, capital control, poverty/famine, no new Government since the explosion of August 4, 2020, and the regional increasing threats and hegemony of one powerful heavily armed group, etc.). This video shows us that some patients are being refused in more than three, four or even up to seven hospitals because of lack of beds. Thanks to the Lebanese Red Cross for its incredible volunteering work and to all the hospital healthcare providers who are beyond tired!

Lebanon is getting ready to receive its first batch of vaccines in February. If all goes as planned without much further delays, this country seems to have a relative good vaccine strategy. The country is targeting an 80% vaccination rate. The access to the vaccine will be free of charge and not mandatory. It will be accessible to everyone, even to those who cannot leave their homes (disability, illnesses, other, etc.). The latter will receive the vaccine in their own homes. If Bambi understood well, there are two official public health committees responsible for overseeing the vaccination of refugees (Syrian and Palestinian citizens). At least on papers and, of note, in an electronic platform of registration (in its 2nd or third day of operation), all seems to be put in place well in order to be effective in the implementation phases.

Bambi hopes that the Lebanese historic efficacy in times of crises will prevail over other undesirable factors like any disorganization, temptation of identity politics or power-related temptation, cheating, delays beyond the usual, or misinformation.

Good luck to tiny, bankrupt, and exhausted… yet always eternal Lebanon! Hang on!

Bambi has always been an optimistic deer since her early years of life and throughout a very long civil war in her birth country. She remained like this in her late teenage years in our beautiful yet changing country (sadly for the worse).

She is still positive when it comes to the pandemic. Eventually, like any other crises in life, it will come to an end in one way or another.

This being said, she would not lie to you. She is worried about our long-term future post-pandemic, and she is not talking about the economic disaster awaiting us.

She is talking about our collective silly times filled with toxic ideologies (i.e., wokeism) and identity politics. You are only holy if you are of this or that colour, of this or that gender, of this or that religion, etc. Accept this and shut up. Otherwise, you risk being called racist… or cancelled.

Bambi has always told herself that this (ideologically toxic) pendulum will eventually shift. People will come to their senses. They will dare to question the new, absurd societal orthodoxies of the so-called wokeism (or postmodernism? Or whatever it is called).

That was what she told herself at first, but sadly not anymore.

What we are observing is an ideological bulldozer in action, not a pendulum.

If the bulldozer does not use its brake, it will crush us all.

If you do not believe Bambi, just think what schools are teaching our kids or de-teaching them… and us. In some places, they keep repeating mantras over and over. In other historic community organizations, they don’t want to sing our national anthem anymore (Yak… how racist, they may think), and across Western countries, we see mobs destroying historic figures, with the tacit endorsement of those in power. Can you imagine a lower level of self-respect than that?

Indeed, when a society stops acknowledging its past (with its faults), celebrating its milestones, and believing in itself and its civilizational or cultural future, it is hard to remain optimistic… unless our youth will surprise us by waking up, and saying no to the radicalism of all this.

Bambi will try to explain herself. If wokeism is like a secular religion, it will take people from within organizations (governments, universities, other places) to wake up and say it is too much. Enough is enough. It would be like Muslims saying no to Islamism (political Islam), for instance.

Why are we allowing mysterious yet destructive forces to divide us, one against the other. We are no longer Canadian citizens or human beings. We must only see each through the lens of identity politics (or racial socialism) and only focus on one reduced aspect (i.e., blacks versus whites, settlers versus indigenous, illuminated versus retrograde, righteous “racialized” versus the racists, disgusting men (not any males, usually, white males, one must say… because it would be racist otherwise) versus women, trans versus God knows what (it is hard to keep track of all the new genders), people who sign emails or names on TV screens with pronouns and all those who do not care as long as they are called and being respected.

No, we cannot be all the above at once… or not care about any whilst at the same time respecting everyone. As they say, we can only be anti-racist (when we are white) otherwise we would be racist… and racism can only go in one direction only. Otherwise it would be racist.

Do you also see the stupidity of all this? Or are you afraid to agree because you would be a horrible citizen deserving self-flagellation for repentance of original sin?

If you think Bambi is exaggerating, please read the following. Sadly, the author is a journalist who graduated from one of our Canadian schools. As for the professor reported in one of the articles, this individual is holy. How could he/she be otherwise when a BIPOC [yes again that stupid acronym that Bambi is supposed to fit in 🙂 or 🙁 ]?

If this is not ideological brainwashing, what is it then? Can someone tell Bambi please?

https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/10318263-guilty-of-doing-something-racist-or-problematic-ask-yourself-these-questions/

https://www.toronto.com/news-story/10073062-terms-about-whiteness-you-should-know/

Bambi would like to react to a Letter to the Editor published in the New Wark Times (of Sackville) entitled “Opinion: No future in fossil fuels, Trudeau should act now to protect workers”

To begin with, it is always informative to read opinions. Thanks to Ms. Stearns-Anderson for sharing her thoughts and thank you Mr. Wark for publishing this as Letter to the Editor.

Here is the full text for you (taken from: https://warktimes.com/2021/01/29/opinion-no-future-in-fossil-fuels-trudeau-should-act-now-to-protect-workers/). Bambi will bold the text she will comment on.

“By Vallie Stearns-Anderson

Dear editor,

In response to US President Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, economist Jim Stanford made an interesting statement. Stanford said: “it is now undeniable: fossil fuels will disappear from most uses in the foreseeable future. And fossil-fuel industries will never again be an engine of economic growth and job creation in Canada.”

This is something that the climate movement and Indigenous land defenders in Canada have been saying for a very long time but, now, we’re hearing it from economists too.

For some reason, however, the message still hasn’t reached Prime Minister Trudeau and politicians like Jason Kenney who remain convinced that there is a pathway toward building this project.

Instead of trying to save this doomed pipeline, maybe Canadian politicians should get to work in service of the workers they claim to support. In the 2019 election, Trudeau promised to deliver a Just Transition Act that would support workers through the transition to a green energy economy with new jobs and retraining programs. It feels like this would be a good time to follow through on that promise.

Sincerely,
Vallie Stearns-Anderson
Sackville NB

Note: This is the first letter to the editor Warktimes has published. Readers usually express their views in the comments section. Occasionally however, readers may wish to comment on topics not covered in a previous article and in such cases, a letter to the editor would be appropriate.”

End of the text here.

You may be curious to see the picture in question, please bear with Bambi. She will first reply to the three bold sections of the letter for her own fun (she knows no one cares for such “retrograde” opinions in our “Sweet Little (and holy) Sackville”).

First, the writer seems to be putting all the Indigenous citizens in the same basket, assuming that all members of every group think the same. How is that possible? When in Bambi’s same family, all three siblings do not think the same ??

Seriously, Bambi means that some workers in this sector are Indigenous and they do not want to lose their jobs or they want pipeline projects to earn a living from whilst ensuring a better safety to their fellow citizens (in comparison to train transportation of fossil fuel) and awaiting a transition to a renewable energy.

So, the association between “the climate movement and “Indigenous land defenders in Canada” may not be existent (or fully existent) for all, as this statement wants us to believe. For some, it is. For others, it is not. Yet for others, it is somewhere in-between: Preferring to get to renewable energy, but until scientific discoveries and commercialization, we still have at least 100 years ahead (and Canada is far from being a leader in this area…). Plus, we may lack fossil fuel until then, who knows?

Second, when Ms. Stearns-Anderson tells us that politicians need to work for the workers, this seems very noble. With this regard, let’s see what workers want to say to our leaders… Yes here is the promised picture, thanks to the friend who took it ?:

If everyone recalls, when the pro-pipeline protest convoy of workers braved the cold all the way from the West to Ottawa to express themselves to our leaders, Mr. Trudeau snubbed his nose at them. If Bambi recalls (and she may be wrong), Mr. Maxime Bernier (from the PPC party) was the only leader who went out in the cold to greet them. Worse than that, our media tried to portray them as a being “racist” (maybe some were, who knows? However, this applies to any group).

Third and last, Bambi agrees with Ms. Stearns-Anderson, our PM seems to be talking the talk, but not walking the walk. We definitely need a “Just Transition Act that would support workers through the transition to a green energy economy with new jobs and retraining programs”.  

To conclude this post, Bambi has a question for both Ms. Stearns-Anderson and Mr. Trudeau: Why don’t they spend more time on the technological aspects of renewable energy to actually make it happen?

First here is an official statement by our federal government as well as interviews and tweets by our Canadian Heritage Minister, the Honourable Mr. Guilbeault:

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/statement-by-the-prime-minister-on-the-fourth-anniversary-of-the-fatal-shooting-at-the-centre-culturel-islamique-de-quebec-804670675.html

Regulatory framework to monitor hate speech online is coming soon: minister

Second, is it normal for a (minority) government to unilaterally resort to such legislation in a democracy?

Why aren’t Canadian citizens concerned, like Bambi?

The irony of all this is that our government is shamelessly using a VERY SAD day like today (i.e., memory of the mosque tragedy in Québec city) to make us swallow their legislation.

Even Lebanon, with all its issues, did not resort to such nonsense.

Bambi is speechless…

Who needs another Lac Mégantic rail disaster in Canada?

Bambi will never ever forget this disaster that took place on July 6, 2013, neither her parents who heard about the tragedy from as far as Beirut before starting their trip all the way back to Canada (to Sackville, NB).

If you have forgotten, 42 citizens got killed and five remained missing. The whole downtown area was destroyed. If Bambi is not mistaken, this may have been the fourth deadliest rail accident in Canadian history (see the short video below, as a reminder).

Now, in an article published in the National Post (by Mr. Jessy Snyder), we can read following: ‘It’s a big threat’: U.S. aims to shut down another cross-border pipeline — Line 5 to Ontario. Line 5 is yet another point of contention between the U.S. and Canada on the energy file after President Joe Biden revoked a permit for Keystone XL”

Will our politicians know how to stand up for Canada’s safety and economy?

What will they do now with the second dramatic outcome of the Biden-Harris administration’s so-called “existential” executive orders on climate and environment?

Will Mr. Trudeau tell us again that we need “to look past Keystone XL pipeline to areas of mutual Canada-US alignment“?

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/look-past-keystone-xl-to-areas-of-mutual-canada-u-s-alignment-trudeau-suggests-1.5278192

Bambi hopes that he is not talking about the alignment of blind globalism, of any political shenanigans with interest groups over the interests of one’s own country, and of… wokeism.

Sarcasm aside, Bambi still wants to remain positive. Politely, she will thank you Mr. Trudeau et al. for any sincere effort to truly stand up for Canadians!

First, here is a call on all federal public service leaders to:

• “Appoint Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to and within the Executive Group through career development and talent management
• Sponsor high-potential Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles
• Support the participation of Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees in leadership development programs (for example, the Executive Leadership Development Program) and career development services (for example, official language training)
• Recruit highly qualified candidates from Indigenous communities and Black and other racialized communities from across all regions of Canada

And the text continues as follows:

A further call “to invest in developing inclusive leadership skills and in establishing a sense of belonging and trust for all public servants, as well as those joining us now and in the future, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation or gender expression by:

• Committing to personally learning about racism, reconciliation, accessibility, equity and inclusion, and fostering a safe, positive environment where these conversations are encouraged throughout our workplaces
• Combatting all forms of racism, discrimination and other barriers to inclusion in the workplace by taking action on what we have learned, empowering employees to speak up about bias and oppression, and better equipping managers to address these issues
• Enabling and advancing the work of grassroots networks and communities within the Public Service by providing necessary resources and bringing them into discussions at senior executive tables
• Including voices from diverse backgrounds in the identification of systemic racism, discrimination and barriers to inclusion, and the design and implementation of actions to address them
• Measuring progress and driving improvements in the employee workplace experienceby monitoring disaggregated survey results and related operational data (for example, promotion and mobility rates, tenure) and acting on what the results are telling us…“.

We even read the following at one point:

“We must encourage and support the voices that have long been marginalized in our organizations. We must create opportunities where they have long been absent. We must take direct, practical actions to invoke change. This is a true test of leadership, and one we must meet head on. Now.

Here is another initiative among many excellent “strategy hives” (truly meant to improve children’ and families’ well-being!):

“Strategy Hive #5  Inspiring Healthy Futures:  Racial and structural equity for all . The past year taught us once again that we have a long way to go as a nation to address the structures that create historical inequities for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour communities. In this Hive, we will explore how we mobilize around the social movement to action on rights, reconciliation and racial and structural equity for kids, youth and families across Canada. Together, we will identify the policy, knowledge and programs that could make the biggest difference to address structural and cultural inequities, now and for the future. Date and Time: Wednesday February 24, 2021 from 3-5pm ET”

Why is our government pushing this nonsense on all of us?

Why do we see medical conferences starting with “land acknowledgements”, that resemble secular prayers, which literally tell us that we are “settlers” in our country?

Why do delegates (some trainees and other more seniors) feel the need to repeat the same mantra, over and over (in their talks and even in 2-minute presentations)? Wasn’t it enough for them to hear this at the start of each of their busy long days?

In other terms, whether we agree or not (this is not the issue!), why are our national medical conferences bringing politics into medicine and science?

If Lebanon’s hospitals and the Lebanese Red Cross managed to keep politics and political ideologies out of their practice during a chaotic 15-year-long civil war in order to serve everyone, why can’t we do the same in our peaceful Canada?

Bambi is asking because, despite the noble intentions, she does not believe that such words will bring drinkable water to First Nations Reserves or concrete steps toward justice to our Dear fellow Indigenous citizens.

All that such initiatives will achieve is to look odd and, more seriously, perhaps create divisions in our societies and communities. This is so common now that our country seems to begin to look like a giant Evergreen campus (you may wish to watch the video in an earlier post).

Is our collective aspirations to imitate the former USSR where people used to repeat ideologies they did not believe in, just because such ideologies were pushed on them from the top of the pyramid of governance? Is this the kind of robotic and guilt-ridden citizens we want Canadians to become?

Plus why are we being disrespectful to the so-called “racialized” (what a condescending term!) “Black, Indigenous, and people of colour” (referring to the stupid acronym of BIPOC that Bambi is supposed to fit in to ? )? Who came up with this absurd language? Plus, more seriously, don’t we believe that the so-called BIPOC’s merit or excellence can bring them to the so-called “top” like everyone else? Isn’t this insulting actually? Why does it feel that we are using them and no one cares about them for real? At least, this is what Bambi thinks.

In addition, and perhaps more alarming, why are we being both unfair and disrespectful to the whole society, that is the silent majority (which also includes most of the invisible and visible minorities who refuse all this non-sense)?

We may be tempted to think that these are noble initiatives, but in reality this woke movement is dangerous to the point that Bambi keeps wondering which (external?) entity may be fostering it or behind it, perhaps by funding it? And if you tell Bambi she is being unreasonable now, she will tell you: She hopes it is not our tax-money then!

Based on a second life in war-torn Lebanon and on common sense, Bambi is convinced that this woke movement is a recipe for a disaster. Yes, it has the potential to bring divisions, racism (ironically in the name of anti-“systemic” racism, whatever the latter means), and mediocrity for all of us, as a country.

To conclude this post, in order to be truly fair, remain professional, and to serve the population with excellence, there should be no place for ideologies in medicine, whether political, religious or other (just knowledge and humanity). So, please Mr. Trudeau et al., WAKE UP. Yes, wake NOT woke up before it will be too late! Please!!

According to his physicians and as reported in the American media, President Biden is in an excellent health, even if he does not look like it, thank Goodness for him (and his family!):

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/blog/meet-press-blog-latest-news-analysis-data-driving-political-discussion-n988541/ncrd1103456#blogHeader

Now, this being said, here is his tweet:

How does Mr. Biden define “systemic” racism? Bambi is curious.

At his inauguration, when he said some words along those lines of wokeism, Bambi looked at the faces of people in the audience (when the camera was moving). Although she may be wrong, she noticed one man not applauding then, even if he could just have been listening or absorbing. This man was Former President Clinton.

Does all this new language of apparent communism (equality of outcomes and not of opportunities) make sense to him? Bambi wonders.

And then we wonder why so many Americans of Latino, African-ancestry, and even Lebanese ancestry did not vote for Mr. Biden (even if some of them may have been traditionally Democrats). Mmm… (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/11/03/floride–les-latinos-auraient-davantage-vote-pour-trump).

When a teacher in France was decapitated (sadly in the name of a beautiful religion hijacked by a minority of radicalized individuals), Mr. Trudeau refused to stand up for free expression.

Bambi was disappointed by our Prime Minister’s attitude (see an older post on this topic below). Back then, she wondered if he was pandering to any interest group or potential voters? Or perhaps he was just being naive or maybe lacked courage? Could it be?

This week, we heard our Minister of Canadian heritage (himself a former environmental radical, for the record) putting child pornography/sexual exploitation and “terrorist” propaganda in the same basket as “hate speech” or even “violent content”:

Canadians support government crackdown on hate and racism on social media, poll finds

How does he define hate speech and what is violent for him?

A cartoon, a movie, the news, or citizens, like Dr. Pardy or even Bambi, informing our Minister that they disagree with him (as shown below)?

In all honesty, is our government being truly and completely sincere in wanting to create a so-called online “safe space” (as if we did not have enough of those in our non-virtual world already where we are being rather over-protective)?

Or is our government trying to cleverly silence (or cancel) the political competition during the next electoral campaign or in the decision-making process of the current minority government?

Or is it mainly/only interested in silencing voices of dissent? By that Bambi means those worried about the direction(s) our government is taking our country into?

Please Mr. Guilbeault, try not to copy the apparently “fascist”, or at least controlling, strategies used lately in our neighbouring country. They may have a cultural war (of opposing political views), and even this does not justify excesses in Bambi’s mind, at least. Why should we be that extreme when our society tends to be more passive or conformist, in comparison?

Canadians deserve better than what is resembling more and more “a soft dictatorship”, at least in Bambi’s eyes.

Why don’t you engage in a true conversation with us instead of seeming to impose on us biased polls and policies?

In addition, Bambi (and likely other citizens) would appreciate it if you can refrain from the temptation of using this pandemic OR take advantage of your weak official opposition in Parliament (the so-called Conservatives or at least their Chief) to pass such legislation.

So, to conclude this post, one question: Is a risk of a “soft dictatorship” the Canada we want for us and for our children… or children of our children?

Thank Goodness, Bambi does not have offspring to worry about. However, she loves her Canada from the bottom of her heart. She also loves freedom in life. Because of this, and without wanting to sound (too) alarmist, she is worried about our long-term future, as a country if we do not take the time to reflect before engaging in short-slighted political decisions.

Yes, she is worried… and, as a reminder, she has almost always voted for the Liberal party over three decades (minus twice). She is truly a classical liberal. When she does not recognize herself in our current government’s policies anymore, this means that we are past the slippery slope.

We are on the edge of a cliff.

Mr. Trudeau’s refusal to defend free expression: Why is he putting us all at risk, including Muslims and Arabs?

Bambi posted about this story (see below please). She read about it in the Indian media, imagine. Yes, in foreign media, not our in own Canadian media.

Is this our Canada, Mr. Trudeau et al.?

She thought it was this one rather:

“From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee”.

—–

Can Mr. Trudeau clarify if “he helped China to cover-up origin of Coronavirus at inception of the outbreak”, as reported by an Indian media, citing “a Canadian portal quoting military document”?