When someone takes a position of power over the public, they have to earn respect, rather than being given respect automatically. With his connections to Justin Trudeau and the Trudeau Foundation, David Johnston has failed to earn that respect, and his unwillingness to leave the ‘special rapporteur’ role continues to discredit him.
Conservatives have tried being ‘nice’ and ‘polite.’ They’ve tried listening to criticism from the Liberals and the Liberal Media.
What was the result?
They got smeared as ‘racists’ and ‘bigots’ anyway. Nothing mattered. Nothing made a difference. Being nice was seen as weakness, and that weakness was exploited.
Millions of Canadian Conservatives have had enough, and that’s a big reason why you see more combative voices (like Yours Truly) rising in independent media. And it’s why Pierre Poilievre won such a dominating victory.
Poilievre made it clear he would fight, rather than give in.
And right now, there is a lot to fight for:
Our economy is awful, with per capita GDP declining, Canada falling behind many of our peers, and housing completely unaffordable for more and more people.
Crime is out of control, with every day seemingly bringing a new headline of an awful violent assault, stabbing, or shooting in places we once considered safe.
And our democracy is under siege, with more and more revelations emerging about China’s interference in our elections and attempts to co-opt our core institutions.
The danger of Canadian ‘niceness’ and ‘politeness’
Being ‘nice’ isn’t inherently a good thing. While it can help smooth over social situations, it can also be easily exploited by those who have bad intentions.
Sometimes, being direct and strong in calling someone out is exactly what is necessary to resolve a situation or at least start bringing attention to it.
With that in mind, let’s consider the letter Pierre Poilievre issued to Trudeau’s ‘special rapporteur’ David Johnston:
Dear "rapporteur": pic.twitter.com/fdzXlSUHcT
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) April 12, 2023
Some, including some on the ‘right,’ are criticizing the letter as ‘snarky’ or not serious enough.
But those complaints are misguided and weak.
Poilievre is asking a perfectly reasonable question here: Given that the Trudeau Foundation must be part of any real independent investigation into China’s interference, and given that David Johnston was part of the Trudeau Foundation, how can he be considered unbiased on the issue?
Simply put, he can’t.
David Johnston is also a family-friend of Justin Trudeau, further reducing his credibility. Johnston and Trudeau are both part of the same political power structure that has been glad to get closer and closer to China and allow China to influence our nation. That entire power structure of Trudeau Foundation insiders and elites has an interest in China’s interference seeming like ‘no big deal.’ Thus, to call on people within that power structure to investigate it is like asking them to investigate themselves.
What we see from Trudeau and Johnston and their ilk is a contempt for Canadians. It’s contempt often hidden behind ‘politeness,’ and ‘niceness,’ where they say all the right things and act in all the right ways, while failing to actually stand up for the Canadian People or defend our national interests.
In confronting that, ‘niceness’ would be counterproductive. It would simply make it easier for our country to be screwed over.
So, what is needed is toughness, and a willingness to call out those who are damaging our country. That means some insults, some ‘snarkiness,’ and some relentless and even ‘mean’ criticism will be necessary. The stakes are too high for anything else.
Spencer Fernando
