, 09.18.2021 02:00 AM

My latest: an open letter to Canadian women

Dear Female Voters:

Yes.  This is a guy writing an open letter to you on the weekend before the big vote.  I’m a man, with all of a man’s (many, many) faults. 

I am writing to you because, if it wasn’t for you, Justin Trudeau would have been a historical footnote by now. Sorry, but it’s a fact. Without your support in 2015 and 2019, the Liberal leader would have been consigned to memory long ago.

He wasn’t.  He won, and won again.  Mainly because women stuck with him.  Men didn’t.

Was it because he claimed, repeatedly, to be a feminist?

Personally, I’ve never believed a man should ever, ever say he’s a feminist. That’s a coveted designation that women, alone, are entitled to hand out. Not men, and certainly not men talking about themselves.

Best case, men can and should be allies to women – for equality in and out of the workplace, for reproductive rights, for everything, really.  

But a man calling himself a feminist? That’s arrogant. And when a man gropes a reporter at a beer festival – as Trudeau did, according to a female reporter whose allegations were never refuted – he’s worse than arrogant.

He’s a liar.

On the #MeToo movement, too, Justin Trudeau claimed to be onside.  All dewy-eyed, he said he believed in #MeToo, and it again seems like not a few Canadian women believed him. 

Personally, I am generally pretty unenthusiastic about hashtag campaigns. Most of the time, they are just slacktivism.  You know: the false belief that posting something on social media is enough. It isn’t.

And, most of the male responses to #MeToo have been completely idiotic. Stuff like: I have daughters, and now I understand, etc. Or: Sure, but don’t blame me, etc.

Mostly, I resisted writing or saying anything about #MeToo because I felt men should just shut up and listen, for once. But Justin Trudeau couldn’t. He can’t help himself.

So, when asked about #meToo by Paul Wells of Maclean’s in 2018, Trudeau solemnly declared: “There is a massive shift going on in our society and our workplaces and important conversations that are really, really overdue.”

Fine.  Pretty words.  All true.

But when Wells referenced the groping incident, Trudeau didn’t deny it. He just smirked.

And therein lies the problem, Canadian female voters. Justin Trudeau’s rhetoric soars. It glistens. It lifts hearts and minds.

But then the grim, gritty reality intervenes.  Over and over and over.

Examples of that ugly reality abound: knowing about the General Jonathan Vance sexual harassment allegations – but claiming, with a straight face, that he didn’t know they were about sexual harassment.

Knowing about allegations of sexual harassment and assault by Liberal MP Marwan Tabbara – and allowing him to run anyway.

Knowing about recent examples, too. Such as: a member of Trudeau’s Liberal caucus had been the subject of multiple complaints of sexual misconduct – and one of the complainants actually attempted suicide in the MP’s office.

Trudeau’s response? He said he believed the MP.  Later on, the MP resigned his campaign – but his name is still on the ballot.

Then, this week, yet another one: Kevin Vuong, the Liberal candidate in Ontario’s Spadina-Fort York, was revealed to have been charged with sexual assault in 2019 (no trial took place because the alleged victim could not participate in the prosecution, the Toronto Star reported).

Trudeau’s reaction? He smirked, again. And he refused to rule out permitting Vuong to join the Liberal caucus, should he win on Monday.

It goes on and on and on.  Justin Trudeau says he is a feminist.  But does act like one?

He says he believes in #MeToo.  But does he, really?

No, no, no.  And you know it, female Canadian voters.  You know it.

Time to act on it.

Sincerely,

Warren

 

 

22 Comments

  1. Pedant says:

    Warren, they don’t care. I think you’d find it difficult to find common cause with these people ever again, even after Trudeau is gone.

  2. Pedant says:

    TruAnon on Twitter is now calling O’Toole’s wife fat, btw.

    This is your former party, Warren. I hope you never offer your valuable services to it ever again.

    • Obvious Sockpuppet #12 says:

      Pedant, a couple of things:

      (1) … several days ago, now, in this forum, you called me out for misreading the polls; you were right, I was misreading them.

      (2) As to the above: no, I disagree with you.

      If the LPC crashes and burns on Monday — or, worse (for it and us), if it does very well … and then, in the following election, two years or four years from now, is reduced to a smoking crater where Canada’s Natural Governing Party™ used to be, … due to what Himself™ will have been doing in its name in the meantime, … then it will have to be rebuilt. From scratch. Or even from less than scratch. It will *have* to be.

      I write here as someone who sits on, or has sat on, federal & provincial Boards of Riding Associations of conservative parties, in two provinces, going all the way back to 1997. So, no “Yay, Libs” here, by me.

      But …

      Liberal democracies (that’s a capital ‘L’ there at the start of the sentence, only because it’s the start of a sentence …) such as Canada’s *need* realistically electable threats to whatever party is in power, as a check on every political party’s natural flaws and excesses. And every party has them. And if a given party stays in power without such a political threat of a realistically electable alternative, these inevitable partisan flaws fester, grow, and metastasize. To the country’s detriment.

      Now it may be, that the opposing pair of alternatives federally *could* be CPC/NDP (it nearly became that, half a decade ago) — … but I simply don’t see the political stars ever aligning that way again: Jack Layton is no more; Tom Mulcair’s pragmatism was given the boot by that party — and so here we are. The federal NDP is simply in no realistic position to ever become the government.

      Meanwhile, sooner or later, we’ll be post-Justin. (Unless he’s actually the Antichrist or something, and sometimes I wonder …)

      Whether it’s on Tuesday or five years from now, the incredible damage done to Liberal party cohesiveness and credibility (“the Brand” if you will), and to its once-diverse party membership, its former capacity for deep political analysis and policy formation, and to its erstwhile capacity to draw credible, competent candidates (“the Product”, if you will) — all that damage will have to be painstakingly repaired.

      And as much as my baser, Conservative partisan self rejoices at the thought, my Adult sense of civic responsibility disapproves of the possibility of Conservative federal governments running the country for the next fifty consecutive years. Or any party doing so.

      And since it is in the interests of the country that the Liberal Party be rebuilt, once the TrueDolt is finally gone away, and moreover, in the interests of the country that it be rebuilt well, then it is precisely such talented people as our gracious host who will be needed for that task. And so, when the time is ripe, I do hope Warren feels the urge to sign a Liberal Party of Canada membership card once again.

      And I will be over here, on Blue Team, working against whatever he and his friends rebuild. 😉

      Eventually.

  3. Maureen says:

    This is one woman who never voted for the Liberals under Justin Trudeau. He never fooled me or two of my sisters. (My third sister always votes Liberal because she loved PET.)

  4. Douglas W says:

    Annamie Paul’s verbal smackdown of Trudeau, in the early moments of the debate, should have been the centrepiece of a Conservative attack ad: Trudeau’s distain for women.

    Conservatives again … missing a wide open net.

  5. Sean says:

    If he gets back in, it is just a sign of the times. People love to imagine that they are on the right side. Voters don’t have the time or patience to figure out whether or not its true. They love what he says but no one seems to care what he does. Canadians are likely in for another 18 months of misery and despair. Canadians deserve every last minute of it.

  6. Gyor says:

    “According to the source, 21 percent of male respondents fully considered themselves feminists, while the same was true for 19 percent of Canadian women.”

    There are more Canadian men who consider themselves fully feminist then Canadian women, so he’s popularity isn’t from a feminist, no clue what it is honestly.

  7. Scot says:

    I approve of sexual harassment. I’m at Saunders3@aol.com

  8. Robert White says:

    I wrote my B.A. Honours thesis on Bertha Pappenheim who is one of the historical pioneer Feminists often cited in the literature regarding feminism.

    As a Marxist I fully support the Feminist cohort, but even I have my biases via gender and the historiography.

    I consider myself to be aligned with Feminism as a movement, but I’m always going to be in the Marxist camp as a ‘feminist’ supporter.

    Growing up as a fraternal twin to a twin sister forces one to view gender as political. In addition, gender is achieved developmentally via DNA. All genders are a product of male & female genes.

    Yes, men can be Feminists, technically, and theoretically.

    RW

  9. JH says:

    I swear it’s a cult! Trudeau Bimbos & Himbos! The ones who should truly be ashamed are members of Canada’s female press corps who sweated and swooned over this jerk, knowing full well the treatment he was handing out to women he disagreed with and didn’t respect.
    And it’s not just the usual Liberal entitlement at play. Take a look at the family history on both sides, that explains the disrespect and distain for women and their place in society. Trudeau learned it all at home.

  10. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Lord Acton: “All power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

    This Prime Minister is a classic example of that in terms of ideas and political philosophy. And now Himself not only wants — he EXPECTS voters to give him another majority. I imagine it takes everything for the Liberal leader not to demand that majority.

    More now than before, buyer beware. This PM lives in a parallel universe and thrives there. Most of the rest of us don’t want to go there. So please act accordingly on Monday. Thank you.

  11. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Mainstreet: Tie

    Léger: Conservatives +1

    Nanos: Liberals +2

  12. Gary says:

    There is a theme that runs through any history of the Trudeau liberal government – from his weird wapologia for ISIS, his rejection of Yazidi refugees, the alleged creepy behavior around staffers, covering for the pervert Generals, ignoring Uigher victims of gang rape, covering for Sani, ect, ect…..

    That theme is a pervasive acceptance, even celebration, of sexual violence, and a warmth to those who perpetrate it, accompanied by a contempt for its victims. It’s a deeply rooted part of the Party’s culture and It all stems from their ideology.

    I’m shocked that none of the mainstream press have woken up to it.

    When will the affidavits be released???

  13. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    EKOS: Liberals +3

  14. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Those on Twitter who attack honorable people, who themselves haven’t got the intellectual capacity to politely and respectfully debate about parties and ideas are the scum of the earth. They revel in being classic pieces of shit but of course, the joke is on them, especially upon TheEmpressOfSlimeTM. Just wait until that personal reckoning comes, wrapped up in delicious karma, they will rue the day they quite deliberately chose to become the assholes that they truly are. Hell on earth is coming individually for that lot. Enjoy it when it finally gets here.

  15. jsa says:

    “There is a massive shift going on in our society and our workplaces and important conversations that are really, really overdue.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMM4iwkD3o8

  16. Doron Berger says:

    Women be like “that $10 daycare though”

  17. Peter Williams says:

    $700 billion debt? Don’t worry the increased carbon taxes will take care of it.

    And Quebec; once Justin taxes hydrocarbons out of existence, how long will it take before Justin taxes electricity?

  18. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    This Prime Minister is lucky that his nose hasn’t grown in the final days of this campaign. I’ve never seen in politics a more enthusiastic liar when it comes to other parties’ campaigns and platforms. Trouble for him is that most Canadians aren’t buying what he’s pedaling anymore — they now know this Trudeau only too well and so he’s going to have trouble, at the very least, to hang on to power. Hopefully, he’s FINALLY gone politically in a short window after this election is over.

    • Robert White says:

      If Trudeau takes a leave of absence after winning a minority I’m pretty sure he could get himself a municipal council seat in the upcoming byelection for Ottawa City Council. Then, he could unseat Mayor Watson in the 2022 municipal election.

      RW

  19. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    If we lose, it will be primarily because our leader did not follow Warren’s and my advice: namely, when you are given a negative shovel in a campaign, quickly throw it away into the bushes and stop shoveling with it: in this campaign it’s called some candidate non-vaccination…O’Toole has decided to remain tone deaf on this issue and not change course, so he will bear the sole responsibility for the effect that this issue will have had on voting patterns in this election. End of story.

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