Rex Murphy on Kathleen Wynne

I hope no-one will be misled by the headline. Rex Murphy is not literally "on" -- as in "on top of" -- Kathleen Wynne. The very thought boggles the mind. But buddy dere has been talking about Ontario's openly lesbian (and proud of it!) Premier, as has the openly heterosexual man she replaced. See "Ontario's lesbian Premier thrown under school bus by former boss" (WWW 26/11/15).

Ms/Mr Wynne has a self-righteous, dogmatic approach to "conversations" about such things as "gender fluidity", sex education, diversity and any other issues on which she knows she's right. Her liberal (and Liberal) bias was made even more clear than usual earlier this week when she called the 67% of Canucks who had misgivings about the federal Liberals' plan to import 25,000 Muslim refugees "closet racists".

One of the many who advocated for a more thorough screening than the original plan allowed for was Ujjal Dosanjh, a card-carrying Liberal, former Premier of British Columbia, and former federal cabinet minister. Mr. Dosanjh is himself an immigrant to Canada, and has been a target of racists attacks, including a brutal beating by Sikh extremists. He was quite understandably miffed by Ms/Mr Wynne’s statement that critics of the latest example of Liberal pandering to vizmins were "tapping into a racist vein." Mr. Dosanjh shot back that he didn’t much like being called "a racist and a xenophobe."

In his column in Canada's National Post, Rex Murphy calls Ujjal Dosanjh "a truly admirable Canadian", and takes Mr/Ms Wynne to task for her narrow-minded attitude. He writes:

Wynne has lately shown an unseemly eagerness to mark any disagreement with her "progressive" worldview as the product of corrupt thinking or moral defect. She seems unwilling or unable to believe that others can have ideas different from those she espouses, unless they, her critics, are morally inferior to her and their ideas are the products of ugly or ignorant minds.

This stance is unworthy of any citizen in a democracy, especially a premier. Progressives share with the most regressive fundamentalists, this tendency to mark off the world into good and evil. Naturally, the progressives are on the positive side of that table. It is a nasty phenomenon. And if it results, even indirectly, in an indictment of Dosanjh as less of a moral being than those he challenges, as being in the camp of racists and xenophobes — the very forces he has faced with personal courage and resolve — then it is very easy to see how shameless and bankrupt that line of thinking really is.

Ontario's lesbian Premier thrown under school bus by former boss

Sometimes a picture really is worth 1000 words. Here's a photo of former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty looking away in embarrassment as his successor, Kathleen "Lesbian and Proud of it!" Wynne, announces that her intention to reintroduce the pro-queer, pro-perversion sex education curriculum that Mr. McGuinty previously put on the shelf.

Mr. McGuinty, now lucratively retired, wrote a very self-serving memoir, Dalton McGuinty, Making a Difference, which hit the bookstands last weekend. [It should be in the remainder bins come Boxing Day. Ed.]

Haven't read the book myself, but according to "From Sharia law to sex ed and the Queen: 17 things to know about Dalton McGuinty’s memoir" (National Post 21/11/15), "Premier Dad" wants to correct the public record on his role in the creation and withdrawal of the Liberals' new "dirty" sex education curriculum.

Mr. McGuinty told the NP interviewer that he "had no idea our government was even considering changes to sex ed until a reporter asked me about it" back in 2010. He went on to say that he didn't cave to "pressure from Christian fundamentalists" as has been suggested by many, including Ms/Mr Wynne. In the book, her former boss writes "She disagreed with my decision to put our sex-education reforms on hold. She felt we were caving to right-wing ideologues. I felt we were being prudent.'"

As PAFE (Parents As First Educators) has been saying for over a year now, Mr. McGuinty promised a proper consultation on the new curriculum, but his successor refused to honour that promise, undoubtedly because she knows that the majority of Ontario parents oppose her immoral, pro-LGBT, "if it feels good, do it!" agenda.

Footnote: Canada's new Liberal government, led by Justin Trudeau (for whom Ms/Mr Wynne campaigned relentlessly) announced earlier this week that the allegedly Syrian "refugees" it will be importing to Canada in the next few weeks will be women and children and families, but not single men... unless of course the single "men" happen to be gay or trans-gendered or bi or otherwise queer. Fancy that.

Further reading:
"McGuinty & Wynne: A decade of disaster". Editorial in the Toronto Sun, 3/10/13.
"Ontario's "dirty" sex ed curriculum going ahead. Worried parents scramble to get kids out" WWW 2/9/15
"Stop shaming parents who balk at sex education in schools" WWW 21/9/15

Pro-LGBT sex ed coming back to Ontario schools

Here we go again, skipping gayly (geddit?) down the road to "gender diversity" and the "education" of children as young as eight in the benefits of the LGBT lifestyle!

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, having won a new mandate for her ultra-liberal, ultra-PC policies, is set to re-introduce a bill to mandate pro-gay sex education in Ontario elementary schools -- Catholic as well as "public" -- beginning in the fall of 2015.

Depending on how you count, this is the second or third time Ms Wynne has tried to push the LGBT agenda down the throats of Ontarians. She first trotted out the new curriculum in 2010, when she was the province's education minister. The reaction of the non-gay 90% of the population was so fierce that her boss, Dalton McGuinty, cancelled its implementation just hours after his own cabinet ministers had vigorously defended it.

Why were average citizens, especially the parents of school-age children, so horrified? Because the new curriculum called for teacher-led discussions of topics such as masturbation, oral and anal sex and homosexuality by Grade 8, and the general topic of sex and where babies come from as early as Grade 3!

Mr. McGuinty said the province "hadn’t consulted enough with parents", even though his own ministers insisted they'd been "having a conversation" with the public for two years. And so the pro-gay curriculum was quietly buried. But after Mr. McGuinty resigned and the premiership was handed over to Ms. Wynne, it was resurrected again! See "WARNING to Ontarians: queer sex ed is back on the table!" (WWW 14/10/13) and "Are perverts pushing Ontario's sex education curriculum? Could be!" (WWW 10/7/13).

But then Ms. Wynne, who headed a minority government, was forced to call an election, which she won, thanks to the ineptitude of Ontario's oxymoronically-named Progressive Conservatives. And so, as surely as "shoes" follows "sensible", the bill requiring the "updating" of Ontario's education curriculum is to be brought forward yet again.

This time, Ms. Wynne’s government says it will use an online survey to consult with parents before the new curriculum is rolled out. Do they mean all Ontario parents? Errr, no. They'll be asking the opinion of 4000 parents -- possibly including same-sex couples who have somehow acquired a child -- hand-picked by school principals to participate.

Let's see now. Who do the school principals work for? That's right. The Ministry of Education which is determined to get its new programme approved. Walt thinks it not unlikely that most of the parents selected will be the chairs and members of school councils who can be relied on to rubber stamp the proposed curriculum.

So sure of that is the Wynne government that Education Minister Liz [sic] Sandals has already said that the survey process is unlikely to lead to any changes. Nor will the province inform all parents about the contents of the new curriculum, which will be left up to individual schools. So much for "meaningful consultation".

Opposition to the new curriculum is being led by Parents As First Educators (PAFE), which has launched a petition objecting to the "graphic" revision of the sex education curriculum.

In "No input from Ontario parents, school trustees on Kathleen Wynne's new sex-ed curriculum: what are the Liberals trying to hide?", PAFE makes a good argument that what Ms. Wynne and her good friend Ms. Sandals want is to appear to be consulting with parents in the manner of the Jesuits of old -- letting the parents find their own way to a conclusion which has already been determined.

Canucks choose world's first lezzie governor

Agent 3 has recovered from a dreadful hangover -- the kind where your hair hurts,  your teeth itch and your mouth tastes like the Chinese army has run through it with muddy feet. So he writes from Toronto, where he was driven to drink (he claims) by the selection of one of these two lovely ladies (?) as the new leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

The Liberals have the largest number of seats in the Ontario Legislature. Under the Canadian parliamentary system of government, the leader of the party with the largest number of seats becomes the premier -- the head of the provincial government, akin to being a state governor in the USA. So that makes Kathleen Wynne -- the less butch-looking of the two -- the new premier. She is Ontario's first female premier, and the first openly gay woman to head any government in any state or province or any country anywhere! Isn't that great?

Agent 3 doesn't think so. What's the problem with that, one might ask. Sexual orientation (or whatever the PC term is today) shouldn't be an issue in this day and age. Right? Well, that depends. Sexual orientation is a bit like religion. What works for me may not necessarily work for you, and if I try to force my beliefs and practices on you, you have every right (it seems to me) to tell me to go to my own chosen hell.

And that's the problem with Kathleen Wynne. It's not that she's a proud lesbian. It's that she wants to force the gay agenda down the throats of everyone else in the province which she now governs. [You used that metaphor a couple of days ago. Ed.]

Let it not be forgotten that Kathleen Wynne was Ontario's Minister of Education in the government of her predecessor, Dalton McGuinty. It was she who drove the attempt to revise Ontario's curriculum for sex education so that children as young as 6 or 7 -- first graders -- would be taught that it's OK to be gay, OK to have two female parents or two male parents, and so on ad nauseam.

Public reaction to the new curriculum was so negative that the government was forced to withdraw the proposal "for further study". And the lovely Ms Wynne was quietly but quickly moved to another portfolio where she would do less damage to the Liberals' chances of re-election. Now that she's in the driver's seat, how long will it take before a new Minister of Education (Laurel Broten will be made to walk the plank for the recent teachers strike) reintroduces the LGBT-friendly curriculum?

Walt predicts lots of queer things in Ontario's future. Lifetime pct .991.

Toronto cardinal condemns Ontario government promotion of "gay-straight alliances" as attack on religious freedom

Last week Walt told you how another self-styled "Catholic" politician -- Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty -- wants publicly-funded "Catholic" schools to allow the use of the soubriquet "gay-straight alliance" for "anti-homophobia" or "anti-bullying" clubs, if students so choose. Walt's choice would be "hug-a-queer clubs". But if the students want to use a heavily politicised phrase which comes to Canada from the American "LGBT rights" movement, McGuinty has no problem with that.

Who could have a problem with such a progressive concept as a "gay-straight alliance"? The Roman Catholic Church, that's who. Yesterday Thomas Cardinal Collins, the Archbishop of Toronto called the latest ukase from the Ontario Ministry of Education an attack on religious freedom. Which is exactly what it is.

"Why," asked the prelate "is an Act of the Legislature being used to, in a sense, micromanage the naming of student clubs? If the government at Queen’s Park comes in, the law comes in, and says this approach is going to be imposed across the board, anyone, any school, any person, any one student anywhere can trump the principal on this thing, this is...remarkable. Where’s the flexibility? Where’s the inclusivity?"

His Eminence is angry not just because of moral problems with the concept, but also because until Friday's announcement by Lauren Broten, the Minister of Education, the Catholics thought they had a deal with the McGuinty government to handle the issue in their own way. Cardinal Collins had spoken personally with the premier about the matter, and other church officials had been in ongoing discussions with the Liberal government over the new "bully law", so were blindsided by the minister’s unilateral announcement.

Christina Blizzard, writing in the Toronto Sun, calls the move "a breathtaking ambush... with far-reaching implications". Ms Blizzard also calls the last-minute amendment to the proposed legislation a remarkable display of hypocrisy on Broten's part -- her children go to a Catholic school -- as well as the pseudo-Catholic McGuinty, whose wife actually teaches in the Catholic system.

"As professionals, as politicians and as parents," the article continues, "they are well aware why the Catholic system exists and what its values are. [As Cardinal] Collins pointed out, if McGuinty tramples Catholic rights, he’ll walk over anyone. 'If you can do this to one group, you can do it to others.'" [My emphasis. Walt.]

In his press conference yesterday, Cardinal Collins said the Church was still taking legal advice as to the feasibility of mounting a court challenge under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Such an action would be on behalf of the majority of parents -- not just Catholics but parents of all faiths and no faith -- who told recent hearings here they opposed the "gay-straight alliances" and the Liberal government's continued pushing of the queer agenda. The issue is nothing less than one of religious freedom.

"Catholic" Premier of Ontario caves, allows "hug-a-queer" clubs

Dalton McGuinty, the Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario, claims to be a practising Catholic. (About half of Ontarians who identify themselves as "Christians" are Catholic, at least in name.) He is obviously a heterosexual, with a beautiful wife and numerous kids, and never hesitates to proclaim his belief in "family values". But when it comes to following the teachings of Holy Mother Church, he constantly proves himself one of those "cafeteria Catholics" who takes a pass on any Catholic principles that might cost him votes.

Latest case in point: McGuinty's government's continued pushing of the LGBT agenda in the Ontario educational system. The proposal of former Education Minister Kathleen Wynne -- a proud lesbian -- to start teaching kids as young as 8 or 9 that it's OK to be queer was quietly shelved after cries of outrage from parents (i.e. voters) of all faiths.

But the "gay community" keeps pushing, while at the same time working to hide their agenda under the cloak of something more innocent-sounding. Like anti-bullying legislation. No-one can defend bullying in schools or workplaces, right? And who gets bullied more than homosexuals? Everyone knows that queer-baiting goes on all the time in playgrounds and locker rooms across the province...nay, the nation!

The solution? "Gay-straight alliances". That's what the LGBT crowd wants us to call "hug-a-queer" clubs. And they want every school to have one, with a dedicated space in which gay boys and girls (or those who haven't made up their minds yet) can meet to... errr... do whatever it is they do. [Didn't it used to be the washrooms? Ed.]

Ontario's public school boards, generally dominated by liberal humanitarian "educationists" had no problem with this latest wheeze, but some Catholic boards -- Ontario has a separate, tax-funded "Catholic" school system -- and Catholic school principals drew a line in the sand. They were spurred on by a rare reminder from their bishops of the Church's teaching that homosexuality is morally and physically disordered -- contrary to God's law and natural law. "No gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools!" they said.

You might expect a government led by a Catholic to say it's up to the schools, and they didn't have to have GSAs if they didn't want to. But nooooo... The McGuinty government is a minority government, which means it could fall at any time, precipitating an election. And the queers have a lot of money and a lot of votes. So, better not offend them.

Hence a sudden (but not unexpected) flip-flop on the issue. At a student conference yesterday, Education Minister Laurel Broten announced the Liberal government’s Accepting Schools Act (sic), which gave schools a veto on names for any student club, would be amended, so that all schools — including those in the Catholic system — will not be able to stop students from calling "anti-homophobia clubs" "gay-straight alliances".

"Let’s remember these are student clubs and student voices matter in the naming of a student club," Ms Broten told reporters. A Mississauga student activist was thrilled.
"Our school forced a name on us," said Leanne Iskander, a self-described "queer" who goes to St. Joseph Secondary School, and belongs to the "Open Arms Club" that members hope to re-name.

And you thought Walt was being homophobic to use a word like "queer". That's pretty much what the light-in-the-loafers crowd call themselves. So, no more hissy-fits please.

Will there be a court challenge to the amended legislation, if it passes? Tom Collins -- the cardinal, not the drink -- will make a statement Monday.

Further reading: "Analysis of the Catholic Bishops of Ontario's response to the GSAs demanded by Dalton McGuinty", from Campaign Life Coalition.

Pro-queer schools agenda returns as "anti-bullying" legislation

On August 6th Walt warned you that the Ontario government is still hell-bent [excellent choice of words! Ed.] on pushing former education minister Kathleen "Sensible Shoes" Wynne's LGBTQ-friendly agenda into Ontario's publicly-funded schools. Yes, even those that are laughingly called "Catholic" schools. (The real Catholic schools, realizing that he who pays the piper calls the tune, remained private when the Catholic boards drank the Kool-aid.)

Six days ago, in "'Don't confuse me! I'm a girl!' sparks homo hissy fit", I wrote about the advertising campaign being mounted by the Institute for Canadian Values. The point is to get the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty to stop forcing "equity and inclusive education" down the throats (or other orifices) of Ontario students.

But I didn't talk about the Libs' latest tactic. Knowing that gay-friendly programmes -- particularly the "Gay-Straight Alliances" which are being mandated under the latest version of the legislation -- are facing strong opposition, the Queen's Park spinmeisters are now positioning the pro-queer campaign as an exercise in stamping out bullying [queer choice of words! Ed.] in Ontario schools.

How so? Well, today's party line is that the main reason why kids pick on other kids is not because the others are fat or stupid. It's because they're gay, silly! Some of them are openly gay, and others are really gay but just don't realize it yet. They need to be taught that they're gay so they'll know why they're being bullied, and then the Correct-Thinking People can put a stop to it. A stop to bullying, that is, not a stop to being gay.

ICV isn't the only group speaking out against this. A larger and older group, Campaign Life Coalition, comprised of (mostly) Catholics and (some) evangelical Protestants, is calling on concerned parents to lobby their school board trustees and other politicians to block this diabolical deception. Here's a summary of Campaign Life's position on the question.

The primary purpose of Catholic education is to assist Catholic parents in the task of forming their children in the image of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, it is to inculcate in children the knowledge of, love of, and fidelity to, Jesus and the official teachings of the Catholic faith.

Today there are many voices who claim that a primary objective of Catholic education (beyond simple academic knowledge) is to promote "diversity" and "equity". Unfortunately, those terms have been politically twisted. They no longer resemble their original meaning, and now conceal a subversive agenda to undermine Catholic moral and sexual teaching.

Unfortunately, many Canadian Catholic school boards have accepted curriculum, speakers and resources which contradict Catholic teaching, principally in the area of human sexuality.

And it's not just the Christians who are taking up the poliltically incorrect cause. Here, from the Toronto Star, is a picture of Mendel Kaplan, of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis, along with lay leaders from the Catholic and evangelical Protestant communities.


At a press conference on December 12th, they denounced Premier Dalton McGuinty’s anti-bullying legislation, calling it a front for his radical sex education agenda. The man in the middle, Rondo Thomas, said "The anti-bullying legislation that Mr. McGuinty is proposing constitutes a violation of our religious freedoms that are guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and further to that, it violates the common law of separation of church and state."

Mr. Thomas went so far as to quote the premier’s mother. "The premier’s mother said to him, 'Dalton, I didn’t raise you this way'", he said. Jack Fonseca, representing the Campaign Life Coalition, also attacked McGuinty’s faith, calling him a "convenient Catholic" who proclaims his faith only at election time when he needs Catholic votes.

"Dalton McGuinty is unfortunately not a great Catholic on the moral issues," Mr. Fonseca said. "He supports abortion on demand, taxpayer funding of abortion and he supports gay marriage."

Fonseca accused the premier of misleading Ontarians as to the real meaning of the anti-bullying legislation, which he called "an attack on faith-based schools". Rabbi Kaplan agreed, saying he believes "the legislation encroaches on our religious freedoms."

Final comment (for today) from Walt: Ontario is not the only place where the powerful LGBT lobby is pushing its let's-all-be-queer agenda. Nor is Ontario the only place where nominally Catholic politicians totally disregard the teachings of their religion when crunch-time comes. Believers, stand up for what you know is right!

Don't confuse me! I'm a girl!

Walt regrets not having space for a larger copy of this ad, which appeared earlier this week in Canada's National [sic] Post. Just click on the ad to enlarge it to a readable size.

This ad, already being panned by the LGBT critics, is directed at next week's election in the province of Ontario. The suggestion is that if the McGuinty Liberals are re-elected, Ontario kids will have the "OKness" of homosexuality and the LGBTQ and other perversions thrown at them as early as Grade 3, following a curriculum first proposed by former Education Minister Kathleen Wynne.

Ms Wynne, a well-known fancier of sushi and sensible shoes, was shuffled into another portfolio following a public outcry over the new pro-queer curriculum. However, she is standing for re-election as Member of Provincial Parliament, and if her party gets back into power, who knows.

A press release from The Institute for Canadian Values, the sponsor of the ad, asks its 52,000 members and like-minded citizens to call on the leaders of the three main parties contesting the Ontario election to commit to removing age inappropriate gender teaching from the school curriculum.

The ICV's President, Charles McVety, said parents across Ontario are outraged children are still being taught these subjects while being forced to do gender role plays and make posters for Gay Pride parades.

If you're an outraged Ontarian, click here to read and sign the IVC's petition. And don't forget to pass it on to other like-minded -- read "straight" -- people.

"Anti-homophobia" clubs mandated by Ontario government, "Catholic" schools

We live in interesting times, as the Chinese say. Especially in the politically correctest city in the politically correctest state or province anywhere. That would be Toronto, Ontario.

Wringing its hands over the persistence of "homophobia" in Ontario schools, the government of "Premier Dad" McGuinty has pronounced itself in favour of "gay-straight alliances" or "anti-homophobia clubs". This is all part of its policy of "equity and inclusive education". God forbid... [You're not allowed to say "God". Ed.] OK... Richard Dawkins forbid that we should offend or upset anyone, no matter how "special" or "different" they are.

The comrades and progressive thinkers at the Toronto school boards, both Catholic and "public", have rushed to jump on the LGBT bandwagon. The Toronto Catholic board has proposed an Equity and Inclusive Education policy, to be voted on at the end of August, which includes "anti-homophobic measures". The "public" Toronto District School Board already has a similar "inclusionary" policy.

In the Catholic board's proposed policy, we read "The Board recognizes that any form of social or cultural discrimination is incompatible with Catholic moral principles and is in violation of the Ontario Human Rights Code". Ah yes, the dreaded Human Rights Code, which puts the fear of the Crown (if not the Lord) into all Canadians.

Apparently the so-called Catholic board has forgotten that it is a tenet of the True Faith that homosexuality is morally disordered, contrary to the laws of God as well as the laws of nature.

But Coptic Christians -- mostly immigrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti -- have not forgotten. Fr. Jeremiah Attaalla of the Ti Agia Maria and St. Demiana the Martyr Coptic Orthodox Church said his congregation is upset by the Toronto Catholic School Board’s proposed gay-friendly policy.

"In these young grades, we don’t want teachers talking about God creating Adam and Steve," Fr. Attaalla said. "It’s Adam and Eve."

The Coptic Orthodox parents are threatening to pull their children out of Toronto’s Catholic schools if the board goes ahead with its proposed equity policy. In a letter to the board on behalf of four Coptic Orthodox churches, Fr. Attaalla said the Coptic Church is vehemently opposed to any education about homosexuality.

The letter demands that teachings in Catholic schools remain true to Catholicism. “Our members do not want gay-straight alliance groups in our Catholic schools,” the letter says. “We will pull our children from the Catholic schools if they go ahead with it.”

A not unreasonable position for Christians adhering to one of the oldest branches of the Church. But, since the "public" board -- the one that provides prayer rooms for Muslims -- already has pro-gay policies, the Coptic congregations may have no choice but to go private.

"Having our own school may be our only option, especially for people who can’t afford private school," said Fr. Attaalla. "But we are a rich church, so we’ll fund a new school if we have to."

Catholic and Orthodox Christians! Pray to St. Michael the Archangel to defend your schools against the attempts by the state to remove from Catholic schools the last remaining shreds of true Catholic teaching.

And pray that the weak and deluded "Catholic" trustees of your school boards may be confounded in their efforts to impose the will of the secular humanists on those who still believe in the True Faith handed down to us through the Apostles by Our Lord Himself.

Call for tenders - paint and related products

Calls continue for an inquiry into the actions (and inactions) of the police during the G20 summit in Toronto at the end of June. Toronto police and their allies (who came from 1000s of miles away -- kind of reminds you of Afghanistan!) are accused of both not doing enough to prevent the vandalism and violence or of using excessive force on 100s of innocent bystanders, in other words doing too much.

In response, the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, first said there would be no inquiry. Then Toronto police chief "The Bill" Blair said the police would conduct an "internal review". In other words, they would investigate themselves.

This announcement was, for some reason, greeted with scepticism. Remarks like "couldn't find a blackberry in a saucer of milk" were heard. So now the Special Investigations Unit has been called in. That's the provincial body -- staffed by cops, ex-cops, crown lawyers and such -- whose mission is to exonerate the police of any misconduct in cases where civilians wind up in hospitals or morgues as a result of police actions.

But some people will never be satisfied. Protesters continued to demand a civilian investigation. So now the Toronto Police Services Board, to which the police are supposedly accountable, has announced its own "independent review", to be conducted at a later date, by person or persons unknown, with a mandate to be announced ... errrr ... later.

Expressions of interest are invited for the supply of several thousand gallons of whitewash for use by the three (and counting) inquiries. Bids should be sealed in a plain brown envelope (approx. 2.5" x 6") addressed to "Justice, Queen's Park".

Footnote: The TPSB, in a display of back-pedalling which would make a champion cyclist green with envy, has added that it only has jurisdiction over the Toronto police, so anything done by the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP, the Montréal police, the Regina police [that's enough police. ed.] won't be looked at.

Canadians love their cops

OK, here's the straight poop on the riot in Toronto on G20 weekend.

Some have objected to my use of the word "riot", but there were thousands of cops and fewer thousands of demonstrators/protesters/rioters in the streets, over 900 arrests, over a million dollars in property damage, burning police cruisers...the lot. If that isn't a riot, what is it?

The G20 leaders and some invited guests (like the president of the great state of Malawi) met in Toronto this past weekend to resolve the problems of the world: recession, fat cat bankers, "maternal health" (read: abortions for Africans) and so forth.

They were invited by Canadian Prime Minister "Call me Steve" Harper, presumably to get even with Toronto for not electing a single Conservative MP to sit in the rows of trained seals behind him in the House of Commons.

Toronto's leftie mayor, David Millertime, and rightie police chief, Bill "The Bill" Blair [you have to be British to get that - ed.] warned that there'd be trouble, but no-one listened, except to decide that maybe now would be a good time to beef up security.

So over a billion Canadian taxpayers' dollars was spent to bring cops in from all over Canada -- as far away as the Northwest Territories -- for an all-expenses-paid weekend in the Big Smoke.

And of course there were toys for the boys:

• shiny black storm trooper outfits straight out of Star Wars
• gas masks to be donned when the world leaders spoke [really? ed.], and
• brand new cannons -- water and sound, the use of the latter being blocked by court order just before the fun began

Some construction work was done too. An old film studio was converted into a temporary "holding facility" -- i.e. a jail -- capable of housing 500 protesters/anarchists/innocent bystanders. And a Really Big Fence was built around several downtown city blocks, either to keep the residents in or keep the rabble out.

The Fence is central to this story. Just before the storm broke, the police announced that anyone approaching within 5 meters (about 16 feet) of the fence could be stopped and asked for ID, searched...and arrested if they didn't comply.

On being questioned about their authority for this, "The Bill" told the media that these powers had been confirmed by the Ontario government a few days earlier, in a secret Order-in-Council which would be gazetted (government-speak for "published") next month. Deputy Police Chief Eric Cartman said, "Don't question my authoritie!" [Are you sure about this? ed.]

It turns out that ... errrr ... there was no such law or regulation on the books. Never was. The cops lied about that. Caught in the lie through the efforts of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the media, "The Bill" now says, in effect, that it was better for the public to think the cops had extraordinary powers of arrest, even though they didn't. In other words, the end justified the means.

Here's a quote from this morning's Globe and Mail column by Adam Radwanksi.

"Not only did Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals place limits on civil liberties without telling anyone – but they also then washed their hands as police misrepresented and misused their new powers.

"It’s a glaring abdication of responsibility, reflective of a government overly content to give police carte blanche even in the most volatile situations."

Why would the Ontario government -- and the federal government which was ultimately responsible for this fiasco -- let the police be a law unto themselves? Let me give you two answers.

First of all, the government of Ontario has no policies or principles. The Premier, Dalton McGuinty -- who it is rumoured recently turned down the lead role in a remake of Father Knows Best -- has yet to have Idea One about what a government should or should not do. So he does what "staff" (i.e. the bureaucrats in Queen's Park) tell him is good to do.

That's not the same as "the right thing to do", in spite of his parrotting of this phrase to defend the new Harper Sales Tax. Another case in point: the recent flip-flop over whipping the LGBTQ sex-ed agenda on 8-year-olds in Ontario schools. See Walt's blog, passim.

Reason Two. The plain truth is that our governments -- federal, provincial and municipal -- are afraid of the police. Why else would they spend ten times more than has ever been spent before on defending a city which didn't want the damned summit against a "security threat" which became a self-fulfilling prophecy?!

The whole riot could have been avoided by holding the Big Powwow in a more appropriate place. La Ronge, Saskatchewan, would have been a good choice. Walt lived not far away, once upon a time. Nice lake there. They wouldn't have had to build a fake one...inside a downtown building. But nooooo....

"There's gonna be trouble!", the cops told us. "Better give us more arms, and lots more boots on the ground. Oh yeah, and more power too. When we say 'Jump!', those pinko queer protesters better ask 'How high?" And so it came to pass.

We are left with the disturbing image of what has been called "a police state". Canada is not a police state like China or Zimbabwe. But it is a state which is over-policed.

Let us not kid ourselves that the boys and girls in blue can do no wrong. They can...and they do. Cops are bullies. It's the nature of the beast. The kids at school who wanted to be hall monitors or prefects are the same ones who grew up to be cops.

The police love their authority. They revel in it. They wallow in it. They delight in pushing people around. And unless they get called on it -- perhaps by the inquiry which ought to follow the events of this weekend -- it will just get worse and worse. Don't expect the G20 riot to be the last.

FOOTNOTE: A reader writes in New Canadian English to say that only $122 million was spent on beefing up the police presence. Whether it was $122 million or ten times that amount is beside the point. A small fortune was spent needlessly and Toronto still got trashed. Ed.

Normal people speak up, government listens ... for once

Homosexuality is normal! That's what the huge and vocal gay lobby would have you believe. And that's what the Globe & Mail editors say in their lead editorial yesterday.

Don't you believe it! According to their own estimate, about 1 out of 10 adults is gay. That's 10 percent of the population. That means that 90% is straight. If 9 out of 10 people have one sexual orientation, and 1 out of 10 has another, which one is "normal"?!

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that homosexuality is common! Lots of people do it. Like murder, theft, and drunk driving. Lots of people do those things too. But that doesn't make them right!

Think about it. Next time a cop pulls you over and accuses you of DUI, are you going to say, "Don't worry about it, officer. Some of my best friends do it, and I've done it myself many times before."? Tell that to the judge and see what happens.

Nor should we teach our children that drunk driving or theft or murder are socially or morally acceptable. Clearly they are not. Neither is homosexuality.

I mention this because the government of Ontario has just bowed to public opinion (for once) and abandoned a plan to force its public schools to teach in sex ed classes beginning in Grade 3 that homosexuality, masturbation and other deviant behaviour is "normal". See Walt's column of March 4th.

It's tempting to hail this as a triumph for common sense, morality and the vox populi. But the opinion-makers, especially the liberal media (hello Globe & Mail! hello CBC!) are moaning about "intolerance", "a return to the dark ages", "homophobia" and of course "hate crime" and "human rights".

There's also the spectre of the gay lobby and Forces of Progress pushing and pushing until the "new enlightenment" creeps back into the curriculum. "After all," they'll tell you, "this is the 21st century. Anything goes!" Don't you believe it!

One last (?) thought... Please, normal people, be more vocal! According to the media it was pressure from "Christians and Muslims" and "the religious right" that forced the McGuinty government to back away from this diabolical plan to corrupt our children. In fact it was the individual, small but courageous acts of 1000s of ordinary but outraged citizens that made the Liberals sit up and take notice.

I say "courageous" because it takes real courage, these days, to speak up. Write a letter to the editor, send an e-mail, forward an article to your mailing list, write your MP or MPP, say anything that deviates from the secular liberal agenda, and you risk being labelled a "right-wing nut", a "religious extremist", or a "hater".

Just remember, the ordinary, normal people still think of our North American society as a Christian society. We still have certain principles in which we believe. We can still tell right from wrong. When something is wrong, we must not be afraid to say so!

Footnote: For more on the controversy and a sampling of opinions, check out "Muslims, Christians challenge Ontario’s more explicit sex ed".

From that article, here's the opinion of Murielle Boudreau, of the Greater Toronto Catholic Parent Network. “I don’t understand how the business of sensual behaviour between consenting adults has anything to do with Grade 3,” she said. “Grade 6? Getting them ready for masturbation and vaginal lubrication? Give me a break. They’re going to traumatize these children!”

What the HSP will mean to Ontarians

The following comes from Agent 23. Walt is signing the petition and hopes all Ontarians reading these words will unite to fight a regressive tax that punishes those who can least afford it.

Next summer the Ontario Government of Dalton McGuinty and Dwight Duncan -- pushed and cajoled by "Call Me Steve" Harper and Jim "What Recession?" Flahtery -- is set to put into force its new harmonized GST/PST. Thus a 13% sales tax will be applied to virtually everything we purchase.

Things that were not previously taxed under the current Ontario Provincial Sales Tax (PST) will be taxed at 8%. The new 13% tax will therefore apply to things like your electric bill, your gas bill, your water bill, condominium fees, insurance premiums, and every other good and service you purchase. There are almost no exemptions.

The current Ontario PST tax does not apply to services, nor does it apply to the purchase of certain goods. The new 13% tax will therefore extend the old 8% PST tax rate to the purchase of all goods and all services. You'll have to pay the new tax on your haircut!

The new HST will also apply to all purchases of all new homes. If a person were to purchase a new $1 million dollar home in Toronto, they would have to pay roughly $200,000 in taxes as a result of the Ontario land transfer tax, the new city of Toronto land transfer tax, and the new harmonized 13% GST/PST.

Think about that and what that would do to real estate values in Toronto. It will cause property values to fall and kill the new home construction industry and the jobs it creates. And it won't be long before you'll hear our elected representatives telling us that, because of the harm that has been inflicted to the new home construction industry by the new 13% tax, it would be "fair" to extend the new 13% tax to sales of existing homes.

Canadians have had two things that they have always been able to count on as being tax free - things that they could use to save money and accumulate wealth. They are your: (a) primary home; and (b) RRSP. That's it.The extension of the new 13% HST to homes is simply a tax assault by the government on your primary home. They want to tax your primary home and you will suffer because of it. Why? Because if a purchaser has to pay almost $200,000 in taxes to buy your $1 million dollar home, the purchaser is going to pay less to you for your home. The purchaser will reduce the amount he or she is willing to pay to you in order to pay all the taxes.

Your income tax will go up! The combined Federal/Ontario income tax rates are roughly 25% on the first $20,000 of taxable income, 42% on the next $40,000 of taxable income, and 46.5% on each dollar of taxable income over $60,000. On top of that you have to add the "Fair Share Health Tax" of up to $1,000 each of us has to pay.

If the Ontario Government gets away with implementing their new harmonized GST/PST sales tax of 13%, the top effective income tax rates in Ontario will be as follows (since you can't spend any of your tax paid dollars without paying the new harmonized 13% GST/PST tax): 38% on the first $20,000, 53% on the next $40,000, 59.5% on every dollar over $60,000.

On top of that, you have to pay your Ontario Fair Share Health Tax, your city realty taxes, your city garbage fees, your city water fees, your city street parking permit fees, your annual Ontario and new city of Toronto vehicle license plate fees, your Ontario land transfer tax, your new city of Toronto land transfer tax, your gasoline taxes, your liquor taxes, your air departure taxes, your entertainment taxes, and so on.

OF ALL THE MONEY YOU WORKED HARD TO EARN, WHAT PERCENTAGE ARE YOU REALLY KEEPING FOR YOUR OWN USE? 25%? 20%? 10%? ENOUGH IS ENOUGH - FIGHT BACK!

I URGE YOU TO TAKE THIS ISSUE SERIOUSLY AND TO FILL AND AND SIGN THE PETITION AGAINST THE NEW HST AT www.unfairtaxgrab.com.

When you visit the site you'll see that it's an NDP initiative. Even though the NDP has a snowball's chance of forming the next provincial government, Walt congratulates them for leading the fight against the HST. The McGuinty Liberals have proposed it, the federal Liberals are waffling, and the provincial Tories are sitting firmly on the fence. claims "no one is complaining" about his unfair tax grab. You proved him wrong this week.

Every now and then -- as in the Maid of the Mist lease story yesterday -- the voice of the people prevails! Sign the petition! Pass this post on to your friends, your family, your neighbours...everybody! Together we can stop the HST!

Power to the people of Niagara Falls

The Niagara Parks Commission has been, for years and years, a notoriously secretive and arrogant agency of the Province of Ontario.

Governed by a law passed in the 19th century which has barely changed since, it is pretty well a law unto itself. Its members, although public officials, are sworn to secrecy and cannot divulge what goes on at its meetings to anyone, even the municipal councils whom some of them represent.

Their books are not open to the public. Audited accounts have not been published in a timely fashion. Management and business decisions have been made on the bases of cronyism, favouritism and, allegedly, corruption.

The allegations have been made by Bob Gale, a Niagara Falls businessman and former NPC member who resigned in disgust, and by Preserve Our Parks, a citizens' action group which has taken on the mission of lobbying for Niagara Parks to be managed in the best interests of all the residents of Niagara.

The most monstrous example of puck-nailed-to-the-stick decision-making was the NPC's decision to renew the lease contract for the famous Maid of the Mist, made in haste and secrecy in April 2008, more than a year before the current lease expired. A sweetheart deal was given to a company controlled by James Glynn, an American with close connections to prominent politicians -- both Liberal and Conservative -- and the supposedly independent Commission.

Under the new lease, the NPC would actually have received less revenue, over the course of the 25-year contract, than it does now. Who would have kept the rest of the money? Glynn, of course. Worse yet, NPC chairman Jim Williams kept hidden from the Commission the fact that at least two other boat tour operators had expressed interest in taking over the operation, providing more modern equipment, enhanced service and increased (and direly needed) revenue for NPC.

In the face of the hue and cry raised by Bob Gale, Preserve Our Parks and Bill Windsor (one of the would-be bidders for a new lease), Ontario's Integrity Commissioner launched an investigation. In her report, Lynn Morrison said she "could not find any evidence of wrongdoing" on the part of Commissioner Williams. It is rumoured that the Integrity Commissioner also has trouble finding a blackberry in her saucer of milk.

However, the Integrity Commissioner suggested that it might be in order for the NPC to "review" its decision to renew the lease with Glynn. This the NPC did. To no-one's surprise, the NPC found it had done nothing wrong, and recommended the same renewal, on the same terms, without any tender or competitive bidding!

Like King Balthasar (Daniel 5), the NPC would not read the handwriting on the wall!

In response, Preserve Our Parks and Messrs Gale and Windsor stepped up the pressure on Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the feckless Minister of Tourism Monique Smith. (Ms Smith owes her position chiefly to being a pliable woman, appointed to pretty up the cabinet picture.) And, believe it or not, they won!

Yes, Minister Smith (not Chairman Williams) announced yesterday that the Niagara Parks Commission will at last solicit competing bids from companies interested in leasing the property needed to provide the Maid of the Mist tours.

"For once, the taxpayers have won. It's unbelievable," said Bob Gale. Click here to read his statement, published by OPSEU Local 217, the union representing NPC employees. The union has for years complained of the mismanagement and high-handed attitude of the Commission and its chairman, and has been very vocal in calling for reform of the NPC.

In effect, the Liberal government told NPC to get real! How could they just, for the sake of doing a favour for a friend, leave on the table nearly $100 million of potential income from a new boat tour operator, especially when NPC is running deeply in the red, as at present.

After the eHealth scandal, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced a new policy aimed at opening government-issued contracts to competitive bids more regularly. Why a new policy should have been required is a good question, but nevertheless...

"We think that this process aligns itself well with that," Smith said in an interview just hours after she recommended [really? it was her idea? ed.] cabinet not give its approval to the deal the NPC handed on a platter to Glynn's Maid of the Mist Steamboat Co.
"I think this is the appropriate course," Smith said. "It ensures all interested parties get the opportunity to submit proposals in a fair and open competition."

Parks commission chairman Jim Williams said his board will abide by the order. According to the Niagara Falls Review, Williams said, "As a dutiful agency of government, we are not our own masters. We work for the government. They're wanting an open, transparent process. We will certainly follow that recommendation." Snorts of derision were not recorded in the Review account.

Speaking for Preserve Our Parks, James Bannister said the group was encouraged that at last a proper and businesslike bidding process -- one that was called for by the government's rules -- would be followed. However, he cautioned, "the NPC is still badly in need of reform. The old boys club that tried to push through the sweetheart deal is still in charge of NPC. Preserve Our Parks won't rest until the rascals are thrown out!"

Stop the unfair tax grab! Sign the petition against the HST!

The following comes from a source who must remain anonymous...

A Boomer Wealth Coach Analysis for Ontario Seniors

Was the Liberal Budget presented to Ontario on 26 March 2009, a tax grant or a tax grab? Depending on whose politics or what lobbyists, the answer will be GRANT! Or GRAB! ..... Or somewhere in between.

Our staff did something different. We read the Budget document, called the Ministry Office for details, and added up the numbers. Then, we looked at the results as to how these proposals would affect the retired, or soon to be retired. It tired us out! Our Report follows. We would encourage you to forward this Report to friends and family. There is a very real need to plan for retirement comfort -- even more so, with the proposals recently introduced.

THE TAX GRAB -- 8% more for NOTHING more

Seniors living in retirement enjoy a lifestyle different than the one they lived while working. In retirement, to be active often means paying a fee, a membership, an admission, a subscription or for costs for travel, etc. We have calculated that the impact of this Liberal Budget will be more costly for Ontario seniors than anyone has reported.

Consider a retired couple, receiving total retirement income of $41,400 after tax per year*, healthy enough to enjoy some comfort in retirement. Many of those items used on a daily basis will now be subject to an 8% cost increase, because of the new harmonized sales tax introduced by the Liberal provincial government in this Budget.

Look at just a few of those items that will cost more, without getting more.
Cable TV: if $60 monthly, yearly increase is $57.60 more.
Golf Fees: if $1,500 yearly X 2, yearly increase is $240.00 more
Gym Membership: if $35 month X 2, yearly increase is $67.20 more.
Hydro: if $85 monthly, yearly increase is $81.60 more.
Haircuts: if $450 X 2 annually, yearly increase is $72.00 more.
Heating Fuel: if $800 annually, yearly increase is $64.00 more.
Internet: If $65 monthly, yearly increase is $62.40 more.
Income Tax Prep. If cost is $150 X 2, yearly increase is $24.00 more.
Legal Fees: for wills, P.Of A., advice, etc. If $400, add 8%, $32.00 more.
London Knights tickets: 4 games X 2, yearly incr. Is $11.52 more (note Senior Season Ticket $484 X 2, yearly increase is $77.4 4 more)
Magazine Subscription: $25 annually X 4, increase is $8.00 more
Movie Tickets: one per month X 2, yearly increase is $16.32 more
Newspapers Subscription: $20 monthly, yrly incr. Is $18.91 more
RRIF/RRSP**: $400,000 family savings, yrly incr. $1,040.00 more. **This is a NEW HIDDEN TAX OF $52 per $20,000 on deposit, ANNUALLY
Telephone: if $48 monthly, yearly increase is $46.08 more
Tim Hortons Coffee: 3 per week X 2, yrly increase is $41.18.
Toronto Theatre: 2 X $150 ticket, yrly increase $24.00
Vacation Travel: $450 airline ticket X 2, yrly increase $76.00 more
Veterinarian: Beagle is Family! Add $32.00 more.
Vitamins: $60 monthly X 2, yrly increase $115.20 more

Are you ready for the TAX KICK coming?
For just these listed items***NEW TAXES OVER $2,100.00 MORE EVERY YEAR ..!!
THIS TAX IS COMING IN 2010

Go to this website to sign a petition against the new HST (harmonized sales tax).
www.unfairtaxgrab.com

Note from Walt: When you go to the website, you'll find it's sponsored by the NDP. God forbid that we should ever again have an NDP government in Ontario -- remember Rae! -- but you'll find that they are the only party fighting against the HST. Why don't the provincial Tories oppose it? Where's their great white hope, Tim Hudak, in this debate? Nowhere!

Do you want to know why? Because the HST is not just the will or fault of the provincial Liberals. It is just as much the wish and fault of the federal Conservatives, the government of "Call Me Steve" Harper. So much does Harpoon want McGuinty to wear this one, that he (or his finance minister, Jim Flattery) has sweetened the deal with a "grant" of $4 billion to ease the pain...and help Dwight Dunkin Donuts balance the books a tad sooner

Make no mistake, fellow citizens! HST really stands for Harper Sales Tax! It was Mulroney that brought us the GST, and now his successor aims yet another kick at our pocketbooks...and sucks McGuinty into joining in kicking us while we're down.

Tax revolt...against whom?

Ontario political pundits are having difficulty reading the entrails of the St. Paul's by-election and recent opinion polls. It was hoped by new Tory leader Timmeh Hudak, and feared by Liberal backroomers that pissed-off voters would trounce the new and very liberal Liberal candidate.

Instead he won in a walk, in a by-election in which only about 25% of eligible voters bothered to come out. Neither the proposed Harmonized Sales Tax nor the scandals at e-Health or the Ontario Lottery Corporation seemed to exercise them much.

For those who have been asleep, the HST is being put into place by Ontario's Liberal government at the behest of "Call me Steve" Harper's federal Tories, to take effect next summer. The McGuinty Liberals, having resisted harmonization for years, say that we need it now because of the recession. So will it be dismantled when the recession is over? Don't hold your breath!

What they're saying down at Tim's is that it doesn't matter, because we're already paying 13%in taxes -- 8% to the province and 5% to the feds. What they don't seem to realize is that many ordinary, everyday things are presently exempt from the provincial sales tax. When the HST goes into effect, you'll see an immediate 8% increase in the cost of a haircut, a newspaper and your daily double-double!

Doesn't anyone care about this? In other countries they'd be out marching in the streets. The only marching we see in Ontario is during multicultural festivals!

Here's a twist! It's just possible that the voters may be smart enough to place the blame for the HST squarely where it should like -- with the Tories!

A poll in today's online Toronto Star asks "Will the introduction of a harmonized sales tax be a key issue for you in the next federal election?" As I write, the tally is "Yes" 63%, "No" 36%. Harper has been a study in silence, leaving McGuinty to take the flak for this blatant tax grab, but perhaps we hosers won't be taken in, after all.

Footnote: Chantal Hébert has an excellent column in today's Toronto Star making this same point. And we didn't even discuss it before sitting down at our respective keyboards!