As noted previously, there have been moments in the House this week when the rhetoric and language felt, very literally, dangerous. This isn’t about saying not nice things about one another, or being mean. It is about carelessly, needlessly, inciting a violent sort of fury and division—forces we cannot easily control once unleashed.
Immediately after Question Period this past afternoon, the NDP’s Libby Davies rose and asked that Conservative Dean Del Mastro be made to withdraw various invectives hurled in the direction of the New Democrats. Apparently Del Mastro had referred to Ms. Davies and her peers as “traitors.”
Del Mastro stood and twice, instead of apologizing, defended his slurs. His fellow Conservatives applauded him.
After Question Period, the NDP’s Nathan Cullen scrummed with reporters and explained that the night previous a sign advertising his riding office in B.C. appeared to have been, in his words, “firebombed.” (David Akin has a picture.)
It is, of course, entirely possible that such destruction is entirely unrelated to the discourse in Ottawa this week. But then the mere possibility of a connection—after an election campaign that included dangerous acts of anonymous aggression—might be enough to justify serious worry for what is being done to this country right now.
After the jump, the full transcript of Cullen’s exchange with reporters.
Question: So I understand that you put up signs in your home riding, advertising your phone number and that sort of thing. Someone’s interfered with one, is that right?
Cullen: Someone late last night essentially firebombed one of our signs, they, in the middle of the night. We assume the police have begun an investigation to find out if they can determine who did this, but you can see the result of the incendiary language that’s coming out of Parliament that is invoking a lot of fear and anger and hatred. And it’s, I think the Prime Minister has to take some account of this.
Question: Was it completely destroyed or what?
Cullen: Very nearly. We can, we’ll send you some photos to see, but it was, it’s a big thick aluminum sign. They had to spend quite a bit of time and effort to, to burn this up. It was
Question: Do you think this is a sign things are getting a little bit nasty, or what?
Cullen: I think this is, the economic crisis is where this started. The Prime Minister has turned this into a political and now a national unity crisis and it’s, we have to pull back from the edge and he’s got to learn to step back from this type of language because it’s having an effect on Canadians.
Question: Let me ask you this. In, in that theme, pulling back from the edge, the Prime Minister sat, prorogued Parliament for two months for a cooling off period, (inaudible) presumably facing (inaudible) gets back. What do you think can happen on, in any party on any side in that two months to calm things down?
Cullen: I think that can start right now, and it doesn’t actually require the Prime Minister shutting out parliamentarians for two months and doing nothing about the economy. He can step up and do his job as Prime Minister of this country. His duty is to this country and this Parliament. It is, it is not for him to determine that a democratic vote may or may not be taken. This is, this has gone beyond anything and any sensible reaction we’ve known from a Prime Minister before. He has to understand that taking two months may make the situation much worse. It certainly will make it economically much worse.
Question: You don’t think it’ll, it’ll help calm tensions? Then you (inaudible)?
Cullen: I, I very much doubt that the Conservative party is going to spend those two months trying to bring the country together.
Question: What do you think they’re going to do?
Cullen: I think they’re going to continue their campaign of trying to put, instill fear and rage in Canadians. And we see it. We see language like traitor being used by Conservative members. When I showed my signs, pictures of my sign to members of the government, they said it was, I had it coming. I mean, these guys are, it doesn’t seem to be in their nature right now when they’re so desperate to pull back from this anger and (inaudible) policy.
Question: I am hearing like anecdotally though (inaudible) there are NDP members who are (inaudible) they are not happy with what you’re doing. There are some that are (inaudible). They feel that, (inaudible) the NDP is now going to acquiesce to the Bloc (inaudible) even more money than you did in the last election into Québec. (Inaudible) what you’re doing?
Cullen: I, I’ve been on the phone non-stop, both with people who are supportive and people who have concerns. Those that have concerns, we’ve been able to have very good conversations and actually correct some of the mistruths. The government, the government
Question: (inaudible)?
Cullen: Sure. The government, the Conservatives have talked about a constitutional crisis. Not true. They’ve talked about the Bloc being in the cabinet. Not true. Look at, in this heated political rhetoric, the government has gone so far as to illicit these types of reactions from Canadians. These are, these are, I know these people. These are may neighbours, this is home town. We can have debates. We can have disagreements. When it comes to this, somebody has to take responsibility and tone it down. That screaming traitor over and over again in the House of Commons at elected Members of Parliament, representing their constituents and their country can only lead down one path and that is towards further destruction and ripping up the fabric of this country.
Question: (inaudible) what is the message you’re taking from that (inaudible)?
Cullen: I think it’s an attempt to intimidation, it’s an attempt to bullying me or my staff and to send a signal through the constituency. I think it will backfire. I think the rallies that are being held in, in my community and communities across the North of BC tomorrow are going to show them otherwise. And this is, this is hope winning out over fear and, and we will not bend to this intimidation. I’ve already received calls from folks back home saying you know, stand strong. Do not, do not bend down to these guys.
Question: Does this raise concerns for you about (inaudible) when it comes right down to it? I mean, burning a sign is one thing (inaudible).
Cullen: I, I, you know, I think if the Conservative Party continues this campaign of fear, it’s, it’s unpredictable. I think it’s what they are doing. And they’re inciting this type of anger and violence. It seems unreasonable to think otherwise, that they can use this language, they can present this to Canadians and not expect there to be some kind of result at the other end.
Question: It’s unfair. If there isn’t too much (inaudible), do you think this will accelerate these types of acts or (inaudible)?
Cullen: The, the strategy that we’ve seen from the Conservatives is to spread mistruths to invoke anger and disruption in the Canadian people to produce backlash. They will no doubt continue that. These folks do not seem at all interested in finding another way, a way of reconciliation with the other parties and (inaudible) is the only way I can look at it. They way they’re talking about Quebec, the way they’re talking about increasing western alienation. This is something that they absolutely have no regard for the unity of this country. And created a unity crisis from a political crisis that started as an economic crisis. This is absolutely insane that the Prime Minister is doing this.
Question: Can you describe the sign (inaudible) and what actually happened to it?
Cullen: Sure. We can, we can send you photos as well. Someone in the middle of the night essentially firebombed it. It’s a big thick aluminum sign. We’ve had them up for years and they just give office information. Somebody essentially burned almost the thing right off. And they were very determined.
Question: Are people in your (inaudible) and staff members I guess in your riding, are they quite concerned (inaudible)?
Cullen: I mean we’ve talked to the police of course, and we’re going to have more vigilance about goes on. They’re feeling, some are trepidatious for sure. I mean, if you showed up to work and your company sign has been burned in the middle of the night out of pure hatred, I mean you’d probably have some (inaudible). (Inaudible) did on your lunch break.
Question: (inaudible) riding security (inaudible)?
Cullen: We’ve, we’ve talked (inaudible) security in terms of what’s going on. The topic of (inaudible) and the threatening letters. We’re now engaged with (inaudible) RCMP to make sure they’re well aware and they’re very supportive.
Question: (inaudible) and I’m paraphrasing (inaudible) he said it was time for a time-out. He said things had gotten a little wound up and (inaudible) wondering what you think about all that?
Cullen: Yeah, I’m not sure that
Question: (inaudible) Sure. I just, I just want to finish this and then we can (inaudible).
Nathan Cullen: I’m not sure if the Conservatives are so invested in this campaign of fear and anger that two more months of this would do any good. I think they’re quite committed to soliciting this type of reaction from Canadians to, to provoke anger. And I don’t know, I just think it just serves the Conservatives (inaudible) to try to get away from the democratic vote.
Question: So would you be calling for a cooling off period as well?
Cullen: I’m, I’m asking all the MP’s in the House to cool off. We had, asked a member today of the Conservatives to stop screaming traitor out at the top of his voice. And he got up and told us to take a hike.
Question: Who was that?
Cullen: Dean Del Mastro. From Peterborough. That’s what he spends his Question Period doing. And he got up today and defended himself and said he has every right. So, is this, is this a group of people that look invested in reconciliation?
Question: Thank you.
Cullen: Not a bit.
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Comment
Terry,
Yes, respectfully, I agree that unionization and political action are viable options if there are multiple dissenting voices. And I don’t disagree that the possibility of corruption exists in large federal agencies like the Wheat Board, but would like to *maybe naïvely optimistically* think that most large agencies are fair and impartial to those they regulate.
Baldy> There is an easier way to ensure the corruption goes down. Make the CWB compete for my business. It is supposed to be in the business not of regulating my father, but marketing grain for him. There is no public health or safety issue in the CWB’s mandate.
If the CWB truly wants to be in the best interest of my father, then it would allow him the freedom to pursue his own interests. If you think I am lying about the corruption in the CWB, it wouldn’t be my father’s concern anymore how corrupt it was if he wasn’t forced to be under its power.
If the CWB truly has the connections, the resources, and the expertise to get a good price for the wheat, it will have no problem getting customers. Private grain brokers exist across the prairies for other crops, and even the marketing allowed within the restrictions of the CWB.
Terry,
I didn’t state or insinuate that I believe you are lying. I stated that I try to have faith (possibly naïvely) that most bodies are not corrupt. I didn’t say the Wheat Board isn’t. It may well be, as you certainly believe. And I don’t believe you’re lying.
Is the problem that your father doesn’t feel he gets a fair price for his wheat, or that he can not sell it period? (This is an honest question–I really want to understand what’s going on, from your perspective).
Terry
“Add Manitoba, Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba and most of B.C. to that archangel, which means more population and more geographic area.
Still only one quarter of Canada’s population, even if including the Yukon and the territories. Still think you guys are hard done by? You want 25% of people to lord it over the other 75%?
I smell a revolution in the air.
Sometimes he can’t get the best price for his wheat, and he can never sell wheat or malt barley outside of the board.
Once upon a time there was a subsidy called the Crow Rate, which was put in place by the government to ship grain cheaply by rail. The CWB came along later as a government measure to assist marketing grain during the depression, then it was made mandatory in 1943 as a war measure to control the price of flour and ensure a supply to Great Britain.
The Crow Rate was abolished in 1995 by the Chretien government. Largely a few large corporations exist anymore that buy grain, and the CWB sells to them. There was no incentive for either institution to change the way they did business because the shipping costs fell entirely on to the farmers themselves. So we lost the grain subsidy that was to support Canada’s ports and rail lines, and we cannot choose to ship it to markets on our own south of the border. Things carry on largely as they were before the Crow rate was cancelled.
While there has been a flowering of smaller companies that have sprung up on the prairies to value-add to secondary crops, but due to the stranglehold of the CWB, there has been no diversification of industry for wheat. This is because the large agricultural corporations don’t see any profit to establishing a domestic base for processing wheat, and farmers are stymied from doing it themselves by rules that state you have to sell your wheat to the CWB and then buy it back again. Since they are paying the same price for their own crop as Cargill does, they can’t price themselves competitively. The CWB has also proved absolutely useless for over 20 years to come up with a system to handle organic farming. It has done so because it is unable to adapt because there are no penalties in lost business for failure. We have to sell to them.
So the biggest stumbling block to farmer-owned value added wheat products and organic wheat products is the CWB. That’s why we can only look enviously over at Ontario and the Atlantic provinces with what they have been able to accomplish, where you don’t have to sell to a mandatory marketing board.
There is abundant evidence on this blogsite that conservatives proceed from anger and hatred. Their frequent, angry and hateful Quebec bashing make them the real threat to national unity.
Yeah, exactly, archangel. Besides, “Western alienation,” like Quebec nationalism, can never be satisfied: it’s not a list of demands, it’s a mood.
They aren’t even moods, they are institutions.
So the biggest stumbling block to farmer-owned value added wheat products and organic wheat products is the CWB. That’s why we can only look enviously over at Ontario and the Atlantic provinces with what they have been able to accomplish, where you don’t have to sell to a mandatory marketing board.
So…. why do people still b_tch about Trudeau asking rhetorically, “Why should I sell your wheat?”
>There is abundant evidence on this blogsite that conservatives proceed from anger and hatred. Their frequent, angry and hateful Quebec bashing make them the real threat to national unity.
GIve it up. NDP and Liberal supporters say and write hateful things about Conservative supporters, too. For example, while being personally irreligious, I’m appalled at the language directed from “progressive” origins toward Christians. I know plenty of fundamentalists, and not very many who genuinely wish to persecute others for any reason.
Accusing people of proceeding from anger and hatred is in itself an intolerant remark. Is there a PC manual somewhere that sets down which groups may be named and slagged, and which may not? Throw stones; but don’t pretend there are some who are without sin.
How about this: That french leader doesn’t belong with us.
Three guesses which enlightened member of the Cons read that statement into the record on Tuesday night.
I loved that post-Meech period in QC, didn’t you? Awesome, another referendum on the horizon. Although with the death of Responsible Government, we can dispense with the whole Peace, Order & Good Government hoo-haa and just go straight for military intervention. Unless, of course, we could find some smart, well-spoken guy, like a top intellectual or something, take to the airwaves, classrooms & conference halls to argue the case for Canada. I mean, I’m sure we’d show our appreciation for such selfless idealism by fair treatment of him in the English media, even as he gets ripped by the nationalist, not to say, separatist, French media and lives with daily death threats. I mean, after seeing how Dion has been treated, I’m sure there are dozens of such francophones just raring to go. But such fellows should understand that just because the Anglo media doesn’t speak a lick of French, the fact they may speak English grammatically isn’t enough if they’ve got ,horrors!, an accent.
I am struck by how few Anglos have realised the media treatment of Dion has made the separatists’ case. I mean, if Anglos will treat Captain Canada this way, then what can the rest of us expect? And why would any idealistic federalist ever speak up again, or enter politics? One day, unfortunately, Canada will need Dion or someone like him again, to fight for the country in QC. How many takers do you think there will be?
Gene, would that be western separatism that is fomented?
Because Quebecers might consider that a minority of whiners
in their beautiful province is turning an increasing number of
Canadians cold to the rhetoric. And in the west there is a solid
CPC backing. And enough cash flow to go it alone.
And with or without the media Dion has let Layton and Duceppe
turn him and the Liberal party into a laughing stock.
CBC neutral indeed.
Point: Cons are setting into motion a movement that could change that minority into a majority. Note: incoherent & hypocritical to bang your chest about separatists and then threaten separation. Perhaps you & your ilk need to come to Montreal and get laid.
Been there…done that…repeatedly
That said, 40 + years of threats from a minority in Quebec trying to hold les Anglais to ransom.
It maybe that this sorry “coalition” is enough to push westerners away. No banging of the chest. No hypocrasy. Just people getting to the point where they have had enough abuse from a vocal minority.
And Dion ooooozes incompetency. One only has to point a camera at him for a demonstration.
The troika set this in motion when they decided to pull this gambit…prior to the house even sitting.
Game and Set to Harper. Match is still in play.
Finally some entertainment value in Canadian politics. I’m getting my money’s worth for a change.
me too
@ Pol & Lord Kitchener’s
Thanks Pol – especially that you would say that without conceding your view, because it’s right. And you LK, pwnd me. Tried to explain where I was coming from here.
Eugene – yeah I lost all real respect for Harper when he didn’t think twice about pasting the redo question on Dion. The man has no real concern for the country. Sadly the only thing I want less than Harper is a coalition.