08.15.2021 12:14 PM

My take on Day One in tweets


  1. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Yup. Vaccination is the potential black swan sleeper for any or all of the leaders. We’re talking a political campaign here — not constitutional reality. Absolutely, every party leader needs to make it mandatory, à la Chrétien, if you want to be a candidate, period. Every party needs to make it mandatory for public service employees and those in federally regulated companies who work for private companies, like yours truly.
    Of course, way after the fact when these issues inevitably reach the SCC, I doubt any of these mandates will past the constitutional charter(s) test but that is neither here nor there in the political reality of an ongoing fast moving campaign.

  2. Pam Ingold says:

    The patronizing tone Trudeau takes towards Canadians is what irks me the most. I will not be talked down to by this phoney. I am not the one who groped, repeatedly donned blackface and pranced around India dressed like a loon…

  3. RKJ says:

    Why would O’Toole equivocate on requiring Conservative candidates to be vaccinated? Yet another example of potentially blowing a winnable election. I will be reluctant to donate funds to Conservatives if they willfully put a “kick me” sign on their hind ends.

    • Ronald O'Dowd says:


      O’Toole has to do the 360 before Trudeau does. Otherwise, Trudeau gets the brownie points and gold stars right out of the gate for converting himself on the Road to Damascus the very next day, which will make O’Toole look foolish for not doing it first on Monday, August 16th. Wake up Erin and smell the coffee before Trudeau does…and while you’re at it, denounce that ridiculous ad and FIRE the pea brain who came up with that idiocy. That moron has played right into the Liberals’ hands. Get rid of him or her now.

  4. Doug says:

    Agreed that O’Toole must have known questions about mandatory vaccination would come and should have been prepared.

    As a political communications expert, how do you think he should have answered? I am too blinded by bias against the Liberals and utter contempt of all things Trudeau…. but…. Couldn’t O’Toole have turned the question around with a series of questions :
    -Have the Liberals obtained a legal opinion on mandatory workplace vaccination?
    -What would happen to federal civil servants who won’t get vaccinated? Would they be dismissed for cause and not paid severance? Would they be dismissed for cause and be paid severance? Would they be placed on unpaid or paid leave? This would be a no win question for Trudeau as it would risk upsetting his public sector union supporters.
    -If all Liberal candidates are to be vaccinated, how will their status be authenticated? Will these candidates post their vacxination records online as proof?

    Once again, O’Toole came across as hiding from the Conservative agenda. He needs to unabashedly stand for some policies while attacking the Liberal’s on their policies. Otherwise, in an election about nothing, the candidate with the nice hair and celebrity lineage will win again.

  5. J.Ph. Brunet says:

    “Canadian bureaucracy is standing between desperate Afghani embassy workers and our country’s collapsing promise to ensure their safety.”
    –Toronto Sun, 15.08.21
    Remember this betrayal when you cast your vote.

    • Ronald O'Dowd says:


      The Sun is full of shit. Trudeau could have gotten all of them out, and their families, in 2015 or 2016. Afghanistan is an unmitigated but highly predictable disaster and they all get to wear it in every Western capital, no more so than in DC and that means Biden is more responsible for it than any other head of state or government. The blame stops on his desk.

      • Ronald O'Dowd says:

        Meanwhile, the fucking morons at State and the CIA actually thought Ghani could hold out for another couple of months. IQs of below ten, I presume?

        What was it 7 Trillion spent with an end result exactly the same as if they hadn’t spent a dime? Real peachy. Our brave NATO soldiers died for nothing.

      • Sean says:

        I don’t buy it. Stephen Harper surrendered on behalf of Canada in 2011 because that’s exactly what Canadians wanted. Donald Trump threw in the towel on behalf of America in 2020 because that’s exactly what Americans wanted. Biden is just the last person left waiving the white flag. At least he won’t pass it on to his successor.

        • Sean,

          Didn’t our last CF trainer troops leave in 2014? In any event, both governments had a sacred obligation to protect those embedded with our forces and they didn’t do that in a timely manner. So, the blood of those people, and some of their families is on their hands.

  6. Jim says:

    First – O’Toole will not support mandatory vaccinations because he cannot lose the crazy vote to Bernier. At least 1/4 of the bedrock Conservative vote would walk if he did.

    Second – Trudeau threw the best first day grenade that we have seen in any recent election. You might not like his tone. You might not like the issue but he has defined the Conservatives as not caring about your health. Will it be a winner? Probably.

    Finally the idea that the SCC is going to strike down vaccination mandates is laughable. Presumably you also think that the SCC is also going to strike down speed limits, public nudity laws and permit drunk driving. There are tons of laws restricting individual freedoms for the benefit of the public and they have not been struck down.

    • Jim,

      Did I hear incorrectly? Does this mean that the Liberals said in both official languages that all of their candidates are vaccinated and that all Canadians must be vaccinated without an opt-out? Seems to me I didn’t hear that.

      Now to your conclusion: if the unvaccinated are wearing masks in public places, are using hand sanitizer and are respecting social distancing, as directed by the PHAC and provincial/territorial health agencies, is there a legitimate reason to absolutely compel vaccination when they are taking these other mandated precautions? In short, we’ll see.

      • Peter Williams says:

        Remember an unvaccinated Trudeau (one dose) went to a G7 meeting. He also spent time with a 90+ year old woman.

        But now he’s saying all federal employees must be vaccinated? Or what Justin? What will you do? Fire them?

  7. Martin says:

    Given the annoying, smug, arrogant smirk JT has had permanently plastered on his face since birth, I am giving O’Toole a pass on that one.

  8. Quo vadis says:

    It would seem that Trudeau’s vacine policy is identical to
    O’toole’s. Let’s see if the rest of the media picks up on this critical point.


  9. The Doctor says:

    I see the Liberals’ new Pee Wee Word of the Day is “progressive”. Liberals, including but not limited to Selfie Boy, are regularly dropping that word into their pronouncements. Obviously must have tested well with focus groups.

    • Doc,

      They must have made an error in those focus groups: it should be all about how with each passing year in government they became more and more progressively stupid and corrupt.

      A minor distinction but an important one.

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