01.24.2017 10:10 PM

At what point does silence become complicity?


23 Comments

  1. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Warren,

    You have to carefully pick your fights and then the correct timing. In our case, NAFTA, NATO and TPP have to come first. Any change in Trump’s positions will benefit Canada.

    Immigration and the Wall have to be dealt with privately as there is no net benefit for Canada. As for family planning, they will throw Harper’s position right in our face.

    • Matt says:

      There is no more TPP.

      It cannot proceed without the USA.

      • Alex says:

        There are talks among the remaining TPP partners to save the agreement. For instance, this week Singapore, New Zealand and Australia talked about inviting China into the agreement. There have also been discussions about changing the agreement so the TPP can come into force without the United States. We should also remember that Japan ratified the TPP in December, and that they are looking at different options to salvage this trade deal, with or without Washington.

        Here are some of the options that TPP partners are considering: (a) ask China to join the TPP; (b) scrap the TPP and join the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership; (c) alter the agreement so the TPP comes into force with the United States; (d) use elements of the TPP for bilateral and/or multilateral agreements.

  2. the salamander horde says:

    .. Herr Trumph just completely silenced the EPA – Environmental Protection Agency.. And an employee including scientists, biologists etc cannot communicate with any type of media in any way, shape or form. As Canadians we understand this .. after all, we let a Prime Minister do so. Or only with after ludicrous instruction & supervision via some greasy complicit sellout thug

    All the other Executive Orders being shovelled out of the Oval Office ? With a crowd of smiling faces backing a buffoon who flaunts the paperwork ? It will mainly be the Indy Bloggers, tweeters etc who do the heavy lifting, and show any courage in the face of these cowardly acts. And of course, the onsite protesters..

    I knew the Bannon types, Pence type evangelicals would be sick to watch.. but its Trumph who’s fronting the massacre of reality & democracy.. Speak up folks.. this is ultimate dirtbag politics of the New Twisted Order.. break every rule in the book & then say you never did.. its always somebody else is at fault.. This is the Ugly American merging with political droogs a la Clockwork Orange

    • Warren says:

      And don’t be a bystander.

      • Lance says:

        You know he doesn’t give a shit, right? The issue is, how far does “not being a bystander” take you when the protests fall upon absolutley deaf ears? Then what? What comes next? Like Sean Connery’s character said in the movie The Untouchabes – “what are you prepared to do?”

  3. Jimmy says:

    The best thing for Canada is for the government to keep quiet about it, especially when dealing with such a thin skinned bully like Trump.

    America is still a democracy. If they have a problem with what’s going on in their country (and I’m pretty sure they do…… After all, 52%….before a good deal of the crazy) then they will sort it out for themselves.

  4. Matt says:

    Trudeau was apparently asked today if he thinks Trump is a misogynist.

    He responded by saying it’s not his job to opine on US electoral system.

    Now, i grant the question was……… odd and a no win for him, but surely he could have come up with a better answer than he won’t comment on their electoral system.

    • the salamander horde says:

      .. Mr Trudeau was quoted in Calgary as saying ‘the principal duty of the Prime Minister is to ensure resources get to market’ – Now that’s a new one to me. Somewhere, there is a job description for PM’s, perhaps even in an order of priority. There must be someone following Warren who can answer that question.

      • the salamander horde says:

        .. Correction – quote now reported as ‘the responsibility of any PM is getting resources to market’ which is not really argueable.. and he extended that to include fossil fuels etc

  5. rww says:

    It seems Keystone XL was the point the federal government would say something. They said YAY TRUMP !

  6. Tim Sullivan says:

    We have to pick our fights, select the proper place to to fight that fight, and mind our knitting.

    Regarding NAFTA, we respond within context and according to the rules. We can advocate quietly and loudly, depending.

    Regarding TPP, same thing, but it seems dead. Maybe Canada can pursue agreements bilaterally. This is an opportunity but there no need to be loud and public about this.

    Regarding US Immigration, we follow the rules and we should expect the US to do the same insofar as it affects us.

    Regarding the Wall, who cares? If Canadians bid on building it, if it ever comes to that, great. The wall cannot be built for any number of reasons so we can just watch in horror or in triumph how this plank of a platform crumbles. Congress will not fund the billions and billions it will take. The Wall cannot even be build along the border without significant expropriation of private property. This is a domestic issue, one on which the president was elected. We have nothing to do with it.

    And like my 8 year said, can’t people swim and fly?

    A propos of nothing in particular, maybe Canadians should sell high ladders, gliders and life preservers in Mexico.

    Canada has a lot of problems to solve before we start boy scouting around the world.

  7. daveconstable says:

    Cutting the funding for overseas NGO’s that include abortion option makes cuts to all the other programmes those NGO’s offer, which is a lot of services. As for abortions,it means women who choose to have and abortion can now choose a medically unsafe abortion, rather than a medically safe abortion.

    I notice this morning that Netherlands has said (and done) something n this issue.

  8. No doubt the Liberals are happy they will never have to get off the fence on the TPP.

  9. Lyndon Dunkley says:

    Maybe Trump made a donation to the PET foundation – that appears to have bought Ottawa’s silence on China, who could be accused of all this and worse.

  10. Danny says:

    Canada has been bought.
    Keystone XL will move over 600K barrels of oil a day. That is over a quarter of the Oil Sands daily output. At todays price of $50 a barrel, that is $10 Billion a year, flowing into Canada. At the old price of $100, it becomes $20 Billion a year.
    An honest politician is one, who when bought, stays bought. We have 20 billion reasons to keep our mouth shut.
    Sorry.

  11. Lance says:

    Trump has told the “sanctuary cities” that if they insist on continuing to thwart the federal government regarding illegal immigration, they will have their funding withdrawn. We’re about to see if these mayors have the courage of their convictions and bravado in carrying out without that funding. But how will they make up for that shortfall? Raise taxes? Good luck taking the idea of funding the protection of illegal immigrants with an increased tax roll to those cities’ citizens. Trump is dividing and conquering like a master.

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