Check It Out: Contradictions in Canada

By Joan Janzen

Two kids were arguing. The girl accused the boy of throwing something at her. “I didn’t do it! I never threw that! You can’t prove I threw it,” the boy yelled back. “Besides, I missed didn’t I?”

The government has recently been taking aim at Canadian hunters, and they’re not happy about it. “I want to assure hunters and target shooters in this country that nothing that we are doing today, or will do in the future, is intended to interfere with this lawful, responsible and legal activity,” Justin Trudeau said.

Brian Lilley from the Toronto Sun said, “They’re doing something they claim they’re not.” As part of the amendment to Bill C-21, designed to get assault weapons off the street, they continued to add hundreds of different hunting rifles and shotguns to the list. “But every time it was raised they said it wasn’t true and it’s disinformation,” Lilley said.

According to our local Saskatchewan You Tuber, Quick Dick McDick, the list includes, among other rifles, a duck hunting gun, a bolt action rifle and a Plinkster, which is said to be a great starter rifle. “This legislation is not about stopping gun crimes,” Quick Dick said.

But all it took was one comment on social media, by NHL legend, Carey Price, to capture the Prime Minister’s attention. Price posted a photo of himself decked out in hunting gear and holding a rifle and said. “I love my family and my country. I care for my neighbour. I am not a criminal or a threat to society. What Justin Trudeau is trying to do is unjust.”

His comments spread quickly, and soon afterwards Justin Trudeau had a change of tone. “We just put forward a list and we’re consulting with Canadians on that. We’re hearing a lot of feedback around concerns that hunters are saying about guns that they are using for hunting.”

Suddenly disinformation became reality. But Brian Lilley noted the real issue regarding gun crime is the government lowering and eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes. The government is not only getting rid of the mandatory one year sentence for a first offence, but are also getting rid of mandatory minimum sentence for second, third and subsequent offences, on issues like gun smuggling.

Buying back rifles and shotguns that haven’t been used for crime will cost taxpayers billions of dollars, instead of addressing the real issue of gun smuggling. “We’re listening for feedback now to make sure that we’re not capturing weapons that are primarily hunting weapons,” Trudeau continued to say.

Listening to feedback from ordinary Canadians isn’t necessarily one of the best known attributes of the Prime Minister. However he does promote freedom of expression elsewhere in the world.

“Obviously everyone in China should be allowed to express themselves. They should be allowed to share their perspectives and indeed protest,” Trudeau said. “We’re going to continue to ensure China knows that we’ll stand up for human rights, and with people who are expressing themselves.”

According to an article in the Epoch Times, hundreds of protesters gathered at Grande Park in downtown Toronto, calling out Beijing’s draconian “zero-COVID” policy and brutal persecution of religious and ethnic minorities.

Trudeau also backed the protests in India by local farmers. The ministry of external affairs said the Prime Minister commended the government’s efforts in handling the protest and for choosing “the path of dialogue as befitting a democracy”.

Trudeau said, “Canada will always stand up for the rights of peaceful protests anywhere around the world. And we’re pleased to see moves towards de-escalation and dialogue.”

However, on the home front, we’ve seen his views of peaceful protests are quite different. Trudeau has said on Global News, “Protests to demand changes to public policy is something that I think is worrisome.”

And, as the truck convoy headed towards Ottawa, he said, “The small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa, are holding unacceptable views that they’re expressing.” The protesters’ requests for an opportunity to dialogue with the Prime Minister were refused. “The path of dialogue as befitting a democracy”, and “de-escalation and dialogue” evidently do not apply in Canada, if the protestors hold views which contradict those of the Prime Minister.

“I’m expecting that the tools police have at their disposal are put in place to make sure there’s no repeat of the occupation which hurt many people in the last year,” he stated.

While the protests in China were ongoing, Trudeau noted, “We also need to make sure that China and places around the world are accepting journalists and their ability to do their job.” However the government’s Bill C-11 is said to be a gateway to online censorship in Canada, thereby preventing journalists from doing their job.

Perhaps this quote by the Prime Minister will help explain why Canadians are witnessing these contradictions. “Trying to bring people together is not always compatible with respect for human rights, with the best way to move things forward.”

I’ll end with a quote, “When your actions contradict your words, your words don’t mean anything.” - Quentin McCall

Joan can be reached at joanjanzen@yahoo.com