Justin Trudeau's 'Elbowgate' and the dark side of sunny ways

By Simon Dougherty 

Seems Trudeau’s temper tantrum not only hit a couple of people; it hit more than a few nerves.

Yes, yes, I know: He apologized a million times as per Canadian custom. There are also plenty of partisans trying to make hay of the whole thing to score political points. It’s all so “boring.” And yet, even those who are “so over it already” can’t stop talking about it. It really did hit a nerve. There must be some significance to it all if it got polite Canadians this unusually excited. I’m interested in why that is.

On the surface of it, politicians were just playing political games. Trudeau took an idea right out of Harper’s play-book and tried to ram through some legislation by limiting debate. In response, the NDP used the same delay tactics they used against Harper when Conservatives pulled the same stunt. “Childish,” say some. Maybe, though no progressives were saying that when the NDP was delaying Harper from ramming through legislation without due process. In any case, there’s nothing that justifies what happened next. Trudeau didn’t respond like a child, but like a bully. He couldn’t ram through his legislation so he took it upon himself to ram through people, swear at them, grab one colleague, and incidentally elbow another. Then a lot of Canadians responded in kind to defend the bully and reserve the bulk of backlash for the woman who got hit.

Wow.

A lot of people have tried to minimize what happened, but no excuse matters. It doesn’t matter that the “collateral damage” was an accident – the swearing and grabbing certainly wasn’t “unintentional.” It doesn’t matter that opposition parties “provoked him” by responding to government tactics with opposition tactics. It doesn’t matter “who started it,” or that there’s more contact in a hockey game or on a bus (really, though? people regularly see people grabbing and dragging people on buses?).

In any case, Trudeau wasn’t riding public transit – he has a chauffeur for that. He isn’t playing a contact sport. He’s not a kid in a school yard. This was the Prime Minister of Canada channeling the petulance of Jean Chretien, Rob Ford, and his father, Trudeau the First. Trudeau the Second rammed through people at work to deliver a Shawinigan Handshake to the Opposition Whip and yell “fuddle-duddle” at colleagues while elbowing a woman in the process. People have lost their jobs for less – verbal harassment without any physical contact has been enough to get people fired from six figure salaries (remember that guy at Hydro One?). There’s no excuse for any of this behaviour at a workplace, especially Parliament.

Not even the minimizing metaphors hold up. There are still “holding” and “elbowing” penalties in hockey. No one is allowed to grab and pull passengers on a crowded bus. School yard kids get suspended or expelled for bullying. Trudeau should know this already. He was a teacher, after all. But people seem to forget he was also a bouncer. Maybe what really upsets his defenders is that he acted more like a bull in a china shop than someone teaching the sunny ways of democracy.

The illusion is over. The sun has set. It’s clear for all who didn’t know already that our PM has a stormy side. He thundered across the floor and shocked more than a few MPs. He made it strikingly obvious to the nation that no amount of personal branding hides the fact that he has a bullying side. He needs to deal with his rage. And since he’s our Prime Minister, we also need to deal with him.

But he said “sorry.” Yeah, he also said “sorry” the morning before the incident. Heck, even Stephen Harper got emotional and said “sorry” to First Nations in an even more epic and widely televised apology.

What do any of these apologies mean if Prime Ministers can try to ram through legislation – physically now – without respect for democratic debate?

But who cares about Trudeau’s “collateral damage” from the policies he’s ramming through? None of it’s “intentional.” Who cares about the “collateral damage” to democracy and human rights from Trudeau’s arms deal with Saudi Arabia, or his continued support for the draconian law that came out of C-51, or his stacking the deck against proportional representation? Who cares about the “collateral damage” to workers from his support for the Trans Pacific Partnership? Who cares about the “collateral damage” to Indigenous sovereignty and the environment when he approves more oil production and pipelines?

These things are just so “boring,” ammiright?

Apparently, we should just “get over it” because the PM’s not “intentionally” hurting anyone. A charming teacher would never do anything harmful on purpose because he’s Just So Nice.

Or, maybe, the former bouncer can be a bit of a bully sometimes. Maybe that’s why he rams through people and policies, and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process – the apologies only come after when his image is at stake. But now that more of us know he has a bullying side, maybe we won’t wait for a future Prime Minister to say “sorry” for trampling over human rights, workers, and the environment. Maybe more people will do something about it now. Maybe that’s what’s at stake beneath it all, and why Trudeau’s bulldozing contempt for democracy actually matters.

This post first appeared on the new leftist online blog & forum whatisleftdotnet  and is reprinted here with permission.

Simon Dougherty is a former NDP candidate from Scarborough, Ontario. The son of Irish and Slovenian immigrants, he worked in trades and senior care like his parents, and then in education before graduating from York University. Simon has also done work in community organizing and videography. He is currently conducting doctoral research at ACU’s Institute for Social Justice in Sydney, Australia.

See also: At what cost power -- Whither the NDP & Leap?

See also: Ontario's poverty gap puts the lie to Wynne's 'social justice' pretensions

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?


Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

Clay Baked West Indian Style Pork Chops

As any follower of this blog knows, I am a big fan of the ancient technique of clay baking.

Today we are going to take a look at a way to do West Indian style pork chops in the clay baker. They come out very moist and with a nice touch of heat.

First you need to blend the seasoning for the chops. I made 6 large bone-in chops, so all the measurements are for around that quantity.

Thoroughly mix 2 tablespoons of jerk seasoning, 2 tablespoons of curry powder, 2 tablespoons of paprika and 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper.

Season your chops with black pepper and salt to taste, and then coat the chops all over with the seasoning blend.

This seasoning blend also works well for baked chops, but we are going to clay bake them in stock for more flavour.

Fill both sides of the baker with water and let sit for 15 minutes.

Empty out the water and place the seasoned chops in your clay baker and add 2 cups of chicken stock, 4 minced cloves of garlic and a thumb sized piece of crushed ginger.

Place the clay baker, top on, in a cold oven (as always) and set to 425. Cook for 1 hour or until tender.

These chops will be spicy and delicious. They go well with rice or rice and peas.

They can also be served with a poached or fried egg on top. This is a very tasty way to enjoy them, especially as leftovers for breakfast or lunch.

Enjoy.

See also: Clay Baked Chicken: Clay baking a whole chicken..."Roman" style

See also: Clay Baked Spicy Curried Goat

Beware the echoes of Toronto's 'Year of the Gun'

A terrible crime.

A short term surge in gun violence.

A seeming escalation to out-of-control according to right-wing media types and hysterical CBC/ CTV / Global/ CITY TV fellow travelers.



Suddenly, some politicians and the police are on the offensive demanding new measures, new laws, new funding and new or continued powers.

Sound familiar?

Well it should. Because it happened in Toronto before in the wake of the tragic innocent bystander shooting of Jane Creba that was the culmination of the notorious so-called  "year of the gun" of 2005.

After Creba died in the crossfire on Yonge St on Boxing Day, the Harper led Conservatives and the forces of so-called law-and-order were quick to seize the initiative in portraying the situation as a "crisis" in Toronto and beyond and in calling for draconian changes to criminal law in the country.

The desperate for power and pandering progressives in both the Liberals and Jack Layton led NDP were quick to follow suit.

With the appropriate parliamentary gravitas and sloganeering, the new mandatory minimum sentencing laws were launched, initially with the full acquiescence of the "left".

And one-by-one they were later struck down by the Supreme Court.

Remember this as we head into a new supposed upsurge in gun violence in Toronto that has not lasted long enough to be seen as anything other than a statistical blip, and as another horrific "wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time" killing of a pregnant woman rightly enrages a city.

The Toronto police union -- quick as always to seek to justify their department's staggeringly bloated funding and the massive and continual diversion of civic funds to their members and their alleged needs -- took out a full page ad in two major newspapers condemning recent and long-overdue talk of reigning in police spending.

Predictably the media is also wringing its hands and spreading the fear that so bolsters police bottom lines.

Yet, as in 2005, this hysteria is hardly warranted.

In 2013 Canada's crime rate was at its lowest point since 1969. In 2014 it declined even further.

While it is true that gun crimes (at least according to the somewhat dubious stats of the police themselves) are experiencing a likely temporary spike, they have historically not been experiencing that at all.

By the Toronto Police's own statistics the total "year end shooting" occurrences were 279 in 2012, dipped to 205 and 178 in 2013 and 2014, and then rose to very slightly above 2012 levels to 282 in 2015.

Homicides were actually lower in Toronto in 2015 than in either 2013 or 2014 despite the alleged increase in gun crime.

In other words, there is nothing to see here yet unless you want to.

After a brutal crime it is always easy to inflame passions with fear over reason.

That does not make the police narrative anymore true. Carding was and is still racist and ineffective. The police budget is still outrageous. And there is no evidence at all that Toronto is any less safe than it was a generation ago.

Quite the opposite.

See also: Unconstitutional mandatory minimums and the role of pandering progressive politicians

See also: Toronto budget prioritizes policing -- Yet again

NDP inhibits internal democracy with steep leadership race entry fee

Excited about the possibilities that the upcoming NDP leadership race might allow?

Wondering if an insurgent campaign might arise and if an outsider or unexpected candidate might lead to something akin to what happened with Corbyn in the Labour Party?

Given the interesting left shifts we are seeing and the unanticipated socialist moment that has arisen in North America due to the Sanders campaign in the US and given the repudiation of the establishment by the ouster of Mulcair as leader one would have every right to think that maybe, just maybe, now was finally the time where something might occur to shake up the deadening centrist rot that has been eating away at the NDP.

That just got a lot less likely.

Yesterday the NDP's Federal Council announced:

In order to run, Candidates will be required to provide a registration fee of $30,000.   The spending limit has been established at $1.5 million. Administration fees of 25% will be levied on all monetary donations.

That's right. In order to even run at all a candidate will have to pony up $30,000 just to get in the door.

One could make a very strong argument that monetary barriers to running for a position of any kind in a party that claims to be the "real progressive" alternative to the Liberals, that occasionally purports to represent working people and to be opposed to inequality and that from time to time will claim to care about systemic injustices, runs deeply counter to the entire project and purpose of the party itself!

But a fee this high -- double what it was just four years ago in the last leadership contest -- makes it very likely that only MPs, MLAs or MPPs, candidates with serious establishment or labour leadership backing or the independently wealthy will be able to afford to even try to mount a campaign.

This makes a farce of pretensions of party democracy and ensures the stifling of diverse, radical or insurgent voices.

Its aim is directly to limit the race to those the party insiders see as "serious" candidates and to minimize the possibility that someone, or a variety of candidates, might somehow "embarrass" the party or distract from those campaigns the party wants to see.

It is entirely in-line with other efforts, often rather Orwellian, to limit what members can actually run for or for them to have a meaningful voice within the party.

Just when change seems to be in the air, the NDP shows that it is intent on more of the same old story and song that led them to where they are now.

See also: Fred Checkers and the state of democracy in the NDP

See also: There was no NDP Leap

Quick Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots

Submitted by Natalie

Have you ever made a recipe that calls for one jalapeno? What do you do with the remaining peppers if you have bought a pack of six or eight?

We love La Costena's pickled jalapenos and carrots and this recipe is inspired by them as well as the freshly pickled peppers you can get in places like Toronto's Kensington Market.

This recipe is easily doubled or even tripled, just adjust the recipe below as required. Be sure to wear gloves when prepping the jalapenos as we call for keeping the seeds in so you can experience that wonderful heat.

To make these you use 3 unseeded jalapenos, washed and sliced lengthwise or in rings.

Also use 1 medium carrot sliced into rounds about 1/8 " thick.

You can, course, use more, just adjust the recipe below as required.

Set aside in a bowl.

Bring to a boil a mix of the following:

3/4 cups white or cider vinegar (or a mix works well...you decide!)
1/4 cup water
1 TB sugar
1 grind of pepper or 1 peppercorn
sprinkling of cayenne (optional)

Once boiling reduce heat and when your mix is simmering add the peppers and carrots and gently keep simmering for about 5 to 10 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool in the vinegar mix.

Can be consumed immediately! It is a quick mix. These are great to use as a condiment on burgers, dogs, etc...or however you use pickled jalapenos.

If storing some or all for later use, for food safety store in a clean sterilized jar with a lid. (Here is a link to a video showing how to sterilize a jar -- it is very easy). Can be kept in the refrigerator for at least a week.

This is an easy recipe to modify and experiment with. Other vegetables (for example sliced onions) can be added or used.

Try your own variation and let us know your mix in the comments!

See also: Easy homemade jalapeno hot sauce

See also: Fiery Okra Jalapeño Slaw‏

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?

Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

The New Outlook @ Sam Smith Park -- The Lakeside Parks of South Etobicoke I

For obvious reason Sam Smith Park is a birdwatcher favourite! 

In a past blog we took a trip to the spectacular and little-known Lake Ontario urban lakeside spot, Whimbrel Point. Whimbrel Point lies at the furthest south you can go in the marvelous piece of urban nature land that is the very large Sam Smith Park that sits at the foot of Kipling Ave. and that borders the South Etobicoke communities of Long Branch and New Toronto.

Today we return to Sam Smith Park and visit the new outlook that the city has built that allows you to view the large pond and its wildlife that is a central Sam Smith Park feature.

This is the first visit in what will be a series of blogs about the incredible waterfront parks that are to be found in South Etobicoke and that stretch from the eastern most reaches of Mimico/Humber Bay to Marie Curtis Park at the border of Mississauga.

Sam Smith Park has at its northernmost border Lake Shore Blvd. and runs surprisingly far to the south jutting out into the lake. It features stunning, panoramic views and a labyrinth of nature trails that lead to little hidden spots, beaches, a marina, a winter outdoor skate trail, the aforementioned Whimbrel Point and, among it all, a large pond.

Looking north to the entrance of the new outlook.

There are few spots like it in the metropolis and it is a wonderful place to walk away an afternoon with friends or family or have a picnic (maybe pick-up some top-notch Caribbean take-out from Michael's which is just a short walk away).

It is also surprisingly little known, despite being on the 501 streetcar line or just a short bus ride to the subway, and there are seldom large crowds even on sunny weekends. On weekdays the park almost feels deserted once you get south of the Humber College Campus and high school that lie at its edges.

We visited on a slightly overcast Saturday afternoon to check out the new metal outlook that the city has recently opened to replace the previous wooden one that had become structurally unsound. I won't tell you how to find it in the park -- doing so on your own is half the fun!

Even without the lush green that is to come, this park is gorgeous in all seasons.

(click on images to enlarge)

The Sam Smith Park ravine 

A trail beside the ravine

A trail leading to the pond and outlook

The new outlook

Views from the Outlook

Other Spots in-and-around Sam Smith

Pond by the marina

Lots of this information plaques dot the park

The lake

A beach with geese!

Another beach

A different view of the pond...the outlook is on the left

Sam Smith Park is on the 501 Queen St. streetcar line. You get off at the Kipling stop and walk a very short walk south. From downtown you can expect an off-peak ride of about 45 minutes to an hour to get to Kipling.

Alternately you can take the subway to Kipling station and the 44 Kipling South or the new 180 Kipling Express bus to the park. Simply stay on the bus to the very end of its route. You will get off the bus right at the northern end of the park.

If you are driving you exit at the Kipling exit of the Gardiner Expressway and go south.

For more information on the park and the winter skate trail see the City of Toronto website. 

You can also learn more about the history of and efforts to preserve the park at the Friends of Sam Smith Park blog.

All photos by Michael Laxer

See also: A Trip to Whimbrel Point -- One of Toronto's Best (and Least Known) Lake Ontario Nature Gems

See also: A Walk in the South Etobicoke Snow

See also: Michael's West Indian Flavor: Perfect Oxtail in New Toronto

Reefer Madness, Transit Lanes, Ward 2 & more -- Left Chapter Toronto City Politics Journal I

Left Chapter City Journal I

A new feature on the blog, I will be doing a left round-up of civic news and events in Toronto. It will be out every two weeks until the 2018 election comes, at which point it becomes weekly.

As, always, thoughts, feedback, suggestions and ideas will be more than welcome.

Reefer Madness!

They are everywhere!

It seems everyone with access to pot and money for first and last month's rent is opening up a neighbourhood "medical" marijuana shop in Toronto. Two have sprung up within a five minute walk of my house in the west end neighbourhood of Long Branch.

According to reports this is not an exception but is increasingly the rule citywide. With the pending legalization of pot approaching and with medical marijuana already completely legal, there is a rush to get in on the storefront pot selling action by budding entrepreneurs.

This has led, inevitably, to a hue-and-cry from parts of the media and from Toronto's municipal politicians that, needless to say, has strong elements of "what about the children" alarmist rhetoric to it.

Mayor Tory has called for a crackdown via city regulation on the "alarming" growth of such shops, especially emphasizing the alleged need to keep them away from schools and community centres and so on.

Of course, this is the usual silly logic that is akin to thinking that if only LCBO outlets were in isolated industrial parks kids would never find out about or drink alcohol underage! Kids too young to really get what the shops are are not suddenly going to be asking mom and dad if they too can toke up at recess and in the case of older kids and teens, as with cigarettes and booze, the factors that lead to use or abuse are far more complex than such misguided worries would lead one to believe.

Given the explosive growth in them, the market itself will likely take its course and simply weed a fair number of them out over time on its own.

But all businesses in Toronto are regulated and do have to exist within a municipal licensing and regulatory framework and these should not be any exception.

Due to the nature of the business, I think we can expect a fairly heavy-handed response in the near future.

Dedicated transit lanes.

There have been some positive and, at least to me, unexpected developments on the transit front in Etobicoke Ward 6 lately.

The 501 streetcar route has been split so that the line operates from the Humber Loop west to the Long Branch loop separately from the rest to the east. This has led to a large decrease in delays on the western part of the route (most of which were initiated in Parkdale or downtown) as well as to far fewer short turns at Kipling.

Also, the TTC has introduced an Express Bus that, for no extra fare, goes pretty much directly from Lake Shore and Kipling to the Kipling subway station. This is long overdue as likely 90% of passengers boarding at Lake Shore are going to the subway.

Possibly the most potentially interesting idea, however -- and one that somewhat surprisingly seems to have the support of the local Councillor Mark Grimes -- is the idea of introducing dedicated transit lanes for the bottleneck in the Park Lawn and Lake Shore area.

“Park Lawn-Lake Shore is at a tipping point right now. It’s a major kerfuffle,” he said, adding extra congestion comes from drivers avoiding the Gardiner and taking Lake Shore as they head into town or out of it during rush hours. “We have to give priority to people that are taking public transit.”
The area has a confluence of different public transportation routes, including the 501 streetcar, the 66 Prince Edward bus and the recently added 145 Downtown/Humber Bay Express bus. But Grimes said sharing all the lanes with vehicles makes the situation “unacceptable” for those taking public transit.
“I was there this morning (Tuesday) with TTC CEO Andy Byford, talking to other riders,” he said. “I tell you, I couldn’t count very many cars with more than one passenger. It’s just unfair.”

The pro-transit (and mildly anti-car) rhetoric is refreshing (especially given the source) but this would also be a truly dramatic improvement for transit users and one that should be considered, and would hopefully be a precedent for, many other areas of the city as well.

In fact, in a city the size of Toronto, all of the streetcar lines should be on some type of dedicated lane (at least during business days). More on this in a future blog!

Ward 2 By-Election

A few candidates have come forward to contest Michael Ford's coronation in  Ward 2 Etobicoke North.

Humorously one of those was originally misidentified by The Toronto Star as Russ Ford, who ran against Mark Grimes in Ward 6 and lost in 2014.

It was actually Christopher Strain, an NDPer who was the "strategist" for Russ Ford's milquetoast say-nothing but sound progressive run. I saw that one up close when I also ran (on a leftist platform) for that council position in 2014. In  the end, despite framing his entire campaign around being the only candidate who could win against Grimes, Ford did not even come close, though with enough of a vote that it was not a disaster like some other much celebrated (at the time) liberal style campaigns.

One can anticipate a similar platitude driven campaign from Strain I would expect. Like Russ Ford, Strain also does not live in the ward he is running in. Unlike Ford, Strain does not even live anywhere close and has no intrinsic connection to the community or to Etobicoke at all.

He made this rather clear in comments to the Sun:

Strain has worked with candidate Russ Ford — no relation to the late incumbent — and ran unsuccessfully for councillor in Ward 6 (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) in 2014.
“That’s my background in Etobicoke,” he said. “That’s why I think I’m qualified to run in Etobicoke.”

That, of course, is no "background" at all and Ward 6 is actually very different in fundamental respects from Ward 2 -- as anyone who knew anything at all about Etobicoke or had spent more than a few weeks there would know. Strain clearly does not.

He does go on to say that voters need a choice, which is always true and worthwhile.

So far they have Strain, Michael Ford, perennial candidate Kevin Clarke and Glen Smith.

Nominations close June 10th. Stay tuned.

TDSB By-elections

TDSB Wards 5 (York Centre) and 14 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale) are also having by-elections.

Ward 14's nominations are now closed and 12 candidates have come forward. One of these, Chris Moise, is a solid progressive who is closely aligned with City Council's NDP left.

This should benefit him given the area and, while he has run before, he seems poised to win this time.

We will take a closer look at this race down the road.

All candidates in both by-elections can be found on the City of Toronto website.

Uber 

In the long and drawn out battle between Uber and the taxi industry I think it is safe to say Uber won.

While the taxi industry is not (at all) without fault and has contributed greatly to the dim view so many take of it, cab driver Lincoln Samuel wrote fairly movingly of how Uber is destroying livelihoods, though to no avail.

It seems we can now look forward to the worst of both worlds -- depressed earnings for all the actual drivers and the institutionalization of things like "surge pricing", which is really just a fancy way to say gouging.

One thing is clear, what passes for the left in Toronto got outmaneuvered in its constant attempt to cut deals with the city's fundamentally right-wing and free market Mayor.

Two articles are worth reading on this. Jonathan Goldsbie outlines how a deal the left thought it had fell apart. Also, David Nickle has an interesting take on the left's basic powerlessness right now. 

See you in two weeks! 

Please post any thoughts or ideas in the comments here or on the Facebook group.