Juno News - Oh, Canada

00:00:00.000 Welcome to Canada's most irreverent talk show. This is the Andrew Lawton Show, brought to you by True North.

00:00:12.900 Coming up, fired for singing the national anthem, not woke enough for the military, and tased for enjoying a drink without a mask.

00:00:21.980 The Andrew Lawton Show starts right now.

00:00:25.480 Hello, welcome to the Andrew Lawton Show here on True North.

00:00:31.740 If you want to stand up and sing O Canada, apparently, if you want to do it for the Canucks anyway, the Vancouver Canucks,

00:00:37.940 you have to be in full support of lockdowns and full support of masks, and there is no deviation from the official narrative.

00:00:44.880 That's pretty much the only takeaway I can extract from the unceremonious firing of former Canucks anthem singer Mark Donnelly

00:00:52.380 for the offense of planning to sing O Canada at a freedom rally in Vancouver on the weekend.

00:00:58.880 Now, I'm not a big sports fan, and I've said in the past that there are very few cases and stories and news happenings

00:01:04.740 that tend to bring me into the sports realm, but this is one of them.

00:01:07.460 So if you're longing for sports content every time you watch or listen to the Andrew Lawton Show,

00:01:12.140 this one will have nothing to do with hockey, but it's peripherally connected to the Vancouver Canucks.

00:01:16.220 So you have to just take what you get if that's what you're interested in.

00:01:21.600 But Mark Donnelly was planning to sing O Canada at this freedom rally, and the Vancouver Sun wrote about it,

00:01:27.700 the paper of record in Vancouver.

00:01:29.740 And then the owner of the Canucks, this Vancouver billionaire, Francesco Aquilini, saw the article, tweeted it out,

00:01:36.940 and the article headline was Canucks anthem singer Mark Donnelly to perform at anti-masker rally.

00:01:42.520 Finally, Francesco said, hey, Vancouver Sun changed the headline to former Canucks anthem singer,

00:01:49.300 and then, of course, appended the wear a mask hashtag.

00:01:53.260 Now, I don't know the nature of the employment relationship between Donnelly and the Canucks.

00:01:58.000 I don't know if he was a contractor or whatever.

00:01:59.940 It doesn't matter.

00:02:01.020 But what Donnelly has said is that he has so far not heard from anyone, from Francesco or anyone else in the Canucks organization,

00:02:08.800 that he's apparently been terminated or that his services are no longer required.

00:02:13.680 All he's seen is that tweet.

00:02:17.080 So we're talking about a particularly callous way of dismissing someone by just tweeting publicly

00:02:23.260 in an effort to score these, you know, anti-lockdown or pro-lockdown virtue signaling points

00:02:28.740 that someone is no longer part of your organization.

00:02:32.060 So that in and of itself is a bit dangerous.

00:02:34.760 And then if you look at what has actually happened here, he didn't cower to the mob.

00:02:39.320 He didn't bow down.

00:02:40.180 He didn't grovel for his job.

00:02:41.380 He carried on.

00:02:42.540 He went back.

00:02:43.240 And you know what?

00:02:43.680 He actually gave a speech instead, or as well as singing the national anthem.

00:02:48.460 Donnelly had pointed out what was originally sold as a 15-day hunkering down sprint for the common good

00:02:55.140 has turned into a 10-month marathon from hell,

00:02:58.360 where the finish line is constantly being moved further into the distance.

00:03:01.980 He further said,

00:03:04.100 As someone known for singing our great national anthem,

00:03:06.820 I'm standing up against what I feel is tyranny, plain and simple.

00:03:10.380 And it sounds like the crowd quite liked what he had to say.

00:03:13.720 And certainly the guy has been singing for the Canucks for almost two decades.

00:03:16.980 So we know he's got a good voice.

00:03:18.440 But here's the thing.

00:03:19.560 I would want to believe,

00:03:22.180 and I know this is not where we are as a society,

00:03:24.680 but I would want to believe that we are going to just continue to shrink the bounds of discourse

00:03:29.260 further on more issues, and including lockdown and COVID stuff,

00:03:33.320 where you are no longer allowed to have a different opinion.

00:03:36.320 Now, we know this is happening.

00:03:37.420 We look at how doctors that have criticized the mainstream narrative have been pilloried.

00:03:42.100 We look at how media officials, politicians, all of these things.

00:03:45.380 But now even if you can be,

00:03:47.240 and I don't want to diminish Donnelly's role,

00:03:49.000 but even if you can be the lowly national anthem singer,

00:03:51.960 you are not allowed to have an opinion if it deviates from the so-called norm.

00:03:56.560 And this is the sort of stuff we've seen with various religious beliefs,

00:04:01.400 with social views, with, you know, if you're in academia,

00:04:04.100 pretty much any conservative position.

00:04:06.440 But now this is expanding.

00:04:08.420 And it is political correctness, but I don't want to downplay it.

00:04:11.940 I mean, this is a very significant thing.

00:04:14.220 What's happening when a guy gets fired in this way,

00:04:16.900 and people cheer for it.

00:04:18.500 This is the thing.

00:04:19.180 People were cheering on Francesco Acolini's tweet,

00:04:22.140 saying, you know, yes, he's taking a stand or whatever.

00:04:24.060 All of a sudden, like the billionaire hockey team owner

00:04:26.700 is actually the hero of the story and not the villain.

00:04:29.940 And typically in this day and age,

00:04:31.640 billionaires are the villains, not the heroes of the story.

00:04:34.520 So that's how this culture war has ingrained itself in this.

00:04:38.540 But what's happening when this occurs

00:04:40.660 is it shrinks the bounds of acceptable discourse.

00:04:44.540 So all of a sudden,

00:04:45.380 if you're someone else who works for the Canucks

00:04:46.940 that you might've agreed with Donnelly,

00:04:48.440 or maybe you don't, but you think,

00:04:49.940 ah, you know, I'm not a huge fan of this lockdown stuff.

00:04:52.300 Well, you can't say that now because you're worried

00:04:54.320 that if you say it, you're going to get fired as well.

00:04:56.720 And now no one sees anyone on the Canucks organization

00:04:59.720 speaking up.

00:05:00.680 So that is now a monolithic organization

00:05:03.080 when it comes to this issue.

00:05:04.480 And then other people and other jobs and other sectors

00:05:07.100 and other parts of the country go through the same thing.

00:05:09.700 They say, well, I didn't like how that guy got fired

00:05:11.640 for being at an anti-lockdown rally.

00:05:14.380 I don't know, my company is,

00:05:16.880 they do some work with the Canucks.

00:05:18.460 Maybe they're gonna get rid of me too.

00:05:20.700 And eventually what you've done

00:05:21.860 is you've created this entirely artificial realm.

00:05:26.240 And I'll tell you why it's artificial in a moment,

00:05:28.180 but this entirely artificial realm

00:05:29.980 where people are going against what they believe,

00:05:33.260 what they think, what they might naturally say,

00:05:36.320 because they're scared of the consequences

00:05:38.300 by people in positions of power.

00:05:40.660 And why I say it's artificial

00:05:42.440 is because the logical conclusion of this

00:05:45.340 is that 100% of people represented in civil society

00:05:49.520 and media and leadership and politics

00:05:51.420 and corporate positions,

00:05:52.720 100% of them will think the same thing

00:05:54.840 or will speak as though they think the same thing.

00:05:58.280 But we know that the broader population

00:06:00.340 is not that homogenous.

00:06:03.260 I don't know what the numbers are.

00:06:04.780 I've seen polls that have suggest

00:06:06.120 major groups of people oppose lockdown.

00:06:08.840 You don't wanna put too much stock in polls,

00:06:11.220 but I know that people think different things.

00:06:13.220 When you look at thousands and thousands of people

00:06:15.220 showing up at anti-lockdown rallies,

00:06:17.300 and remember, the ones who go to rallies

00:06:19.300 are only the most fervent.

00:06:21.320 They're only the most dedicated to this.

00:06:23.900 There are a lot of people across the political spectrum

00:06:26.620 that are saying,

00:06:27.780 ah, you know, I'm not sure lockdown's the way to do this.

00:06:30.080 And whenever we see people like Brian Pallister,

00:06:33.040 who we spent a lot of time talking about

00:06:34.860 on the show earlier or last week,

00:06:36.940 whenever we see people like Brian Pallister

00:06:38.560 that are coming out

00:06:39.340 and making enforcement the priority,

00:06:41.140 when we see Mark Donnelly from the Canucks fired,

00:06:43.720 this only forces more and more people,

00:06:46.420 or at the least coaxes them,

00:06:48.420 into resisting this.

00:06:50.180 Because, well, quietly, quietly,

00:06:52.340 because they see this happening

00:06:53.460 and are like,

00:06:53.940 ah, you know, I don't,

00:06:54.960 I think that might be going a little too far.

00:06:56.900 And, you know, yeah, I think COVID's real,

00:06:58.660 but, you know, I don't quite think

00:07:00.540 that we need to shut everyone down,

00:07:01.920 lock everyone down,

00:07:02.880 fire them, find them, do that.

00:07:04.860 And people that are more moderate on this

00:07:07.860 actually start to be feeling like they are fringe.

00:07:12.460 Because that is the narrative

00:07:14.020 that the status quo, the intelligentsia,

00:07:17.020 that's the narrative that is being set out.

00:07:19.580 Is that if you believe anything

00:07:21.040 in the line of what the anti-lockdown people believe,

00:07:23.620 well, you're just fringe.

00:07:24.480 You're just a radical right winger.

00:07:26.400 And let me tell you,

00:07:27.280 a lot of the people that I know

00:07:28.640 who are opposed to the lockdowns,

00:07:31.220 opposed to mass,

00:07:32.000 yeah, they're people on the right.

00:07:33.020 But I'm also seeing a ton of people on the left

00:07:35.980 or people who are completely apolitical

00:07:38.060 that are joining this fight.

00:07:40.540 And this is an interesting thing

00:07:41.880 because a lot of the people

00:07:42.840 that own small businesses

00:07:43.840 are people that don't have time for politics.

00:07:45.780 They aren't interested.

00:07:47.040 Maybe they're liberals,

00:07:47.840 maybe they're conservatives,

00:07:48.660 but they're not culture warriors.

00:07:50.700 A lot of people that own businesses

00:07:52.060 are not in the trenches

00:07:53.300 on the free speech fights

00:07:54.820 like a lot of us

00:07:55.800 and certainly like I am.

00:07:57.280 So they're not in this.

00:07:58.900 They don't know there is

00:07:59.760 this cultural dynamic happening

00:08:01.460 that they're now seeing.

00:08:03.840 And take, for example,

00:08:04.880 the story that we just published

00:08:06.020 on True North today.

00:08:07.880 A woman in Charlottetown, PEI, Angie Label,

00:08:11.200 who wanted to go and buy some stuff

00:08:13.520 at a thrift store.

00:08:14.800 She wanted to go into a mission thrift store 0.92

00:08:16.920 and she wasn't allowed

00:08:18.280 because she wasn't wearing a mask.

00:08:20.040 Now, Charlottetown has a minimal,

00:08:22.140 minimal number of cases

00:08:23.680 because Atlantic Canada

00:08:25.500 has basically been walled off.

00:08:27.160 And that's why mask mandates

00:08:28.420 came fairly later on in PEI.

00:08:30.960 I think it was November 20th or something.

00:08:33.020 But this woman wanted to go 0.99

00:08:35.180 to a thrift store.

00:08:35.740 She cannot wear a mask.

00:08:36.980 She has a medical exemption.

00:08:39.200 It is documented,

00:08:40.360 but she has a medical exemption

00:08:41.740 that precludes her from wearing a mask. 0.56

00:08:43.520 She told them this at the store,

00:08:45.780 which, by the way,

00:08:46.780 did not look like it was all that full

00:08:48.420 in a video that was reviewed

00:08:50.140 by me and by True North.

00:08:52.460 So what happens is

00:08:53.960 she is denied,

00:08:56.260 eventually removed by police.

00:08:57.940 Police were called to the property

00:08:59.640 and they escorted her off.

00:09:00.800 And at that point,

00:09:01.600 it's a trespassing issue.

00:09:02.940 Police aren't there

00:09:03.860 to litigate the mask law.

00:09:05.180 Police are there

00:09:05.680 because the business says

00:09:07.160 we don't want her there.

00:09:08.380 It's their prerogative.

00:09:09.440 If you have a grievance

00:09:10.160 with the business,

00:09:10.680 you have to take it up later.

00:09:11.960 So she's filing

00:09:12.800 a human rights complaint

00:09:13.880 saying that it's denying her right

00:09:15.560 as an individual

00:09:16.700 with a condition

00:09:17.660 that precludes her

00:09:18.400 from wearing a mask

00:09:19.180 to go shopping.

00:09:20.760 And what was interesting

00:09:21.860 is the PEI government's website

00:09:23.580 specifically says this.

00:09:25.120 Sometimes reasons

00:09:26.500 are not visible to others.

00:09:28.360 Speaking about reasons

00:09:29.480 for exemptions.

00:09:30.920 Islanders and businesses

00:09:32.080 are encouraged

00:09:32.700 to be trusting and kind

00:09:33.900 and show compassion

00:09:35.080 and understanding

00:09:35.880 in these cases.

00:09:37.220 Well, there was no understanding.

00:09:39.240 There was no understanding,

00:09:40.540 but the whole point is

00:09:41.460 is that we have now made it

00:09:42.720 so that people

00:09:43.600 who don't go along

00:09:44.860 with aspects of this

00:09:45.900 are viewed as pariahs,

00:09:48.100 are completely otherized,

00:09:50.840 which is a dangerous path

00:09:53.160 to chart for a society

00:09:54.760 that is supposed to respect

00:09:56.200 each other's differences.

00:09:58.140 And we move further

00:09:59.400 and further to that

00:10:00.180 because what happens is

00:10:01.280 you start to get to a point

00:10:02.740 where your views

00:10:03.460 are disqualifying.

00:10:05.180 Your views disqualify you

00:10:06.680 from existing in civil society.

00:10:09.260 This is not related to lockdown,

00:10:10.720 but it's the same dynamic.

00:10:12.140 And Lindsay Shepard,

00:10:13.220 my colleague at True North,

00:10:14.260 actually broke this story

00:10:15.340 at tnc.news.

00:10:17.140 Mark Hecht,

00:10:17.840 who is a Mount Royal University

00:10:19.620 geography professor,

00:10:21.780 was denied a posting

00:10:23.940 in the military reserves,

00:10:26.080 denied an opportunity

00:10:27.260 to serve his country

00:10:29.000 because of an op-ed he wrote

00:10:30.940 criticizing diversity in 2019.

00:10:34.980 Now, he wrote an op-ed

00:10:36.000 in the Vancouver Sun.

00:10:37.860 A lot of our stories

00:10:38.540 are Vancouver today,

00:10:39.400 so we've been focusing

00:10:40.320 too much on Ontario.

00:10:41.340 We're giving the West Coast

00:10:42.340 some love.

00:10:43.340 Ethnic diversity harms 1.00

00:10:44.580 a country's social trust,

00:10:45.700 economic well-being,

00:10:47.220 argues professor.

00:10:49.140 And this is, I think,

00:10:50.140 a very valid piece.

00:10:51.360 Lots of people criticized him,

00:10:52.680 especially in the academic world.

00:10:54.040 They didn't like that

00:10:54.700 he was pointing to,

00:10:55.980 you know, this example,

00:10:56.880 that example.

00:10:57.480 It doesn't matter.

00:10:58.440 Even journalists,

00:10:59.300 mainstream media journalists,

00:11:00.480 were criticizing him.

00:11:02.040 But you fast forward to now,

00:11:04.740 and Hecht had actually been

00:11:06.460 trying to go through

00:11:07.140 the recruitment process

00:11:08.180 to join the Naval Reserves,

00:11:10.220 the Canadian Armed Forces

00:11:11.140 Naval Reserves.

00:11:11.940 He had completed four-fifths

00:11:13.680 of the recruitment process,

00:11:14.900 met with a recruiter,

00:11:16.120 passed his aptitude

00:11:17.040 and fitness tests,

00:11:17.960 and completed his

00:11:18.800 medical examination.

00:11:20.200 The last task on Hecht's checklist

00:11:22.140 was a written exam

00:11:23.200 specific to the public affairs

00:11:25.100 officer position,

00:11:26.200 which he was encouraged

00:11:27.080 to pursue by a Canadian

00:11:28.700 Armed Forces recruiter.

00:11:30.920 And then in October,

00:11:32.060 he got a letter that said,

00:11:33.680 in light of an article

00:11:34.840 that you published in 2019,

00:11:36.220 it was deemed that

00:11:37.140 the views you expressed

00:11:38.580 do not reflect

00:11:39.840 the Canadian Armed Forces policy.

00:11:41.940 on discrimination,

00:11:43.520 harassment,

00:11:44.040 and professional conduct.

00:11:46.000 So an op-ed

00:11:46.900 that was entirely valid,

00:11:48.980 had some great ideas,

00:11:50.320 was published by

00:11:51.040 a mainstream media newspaper,

00:11:52.920 was disqualifying to serve

00:11:54.960 in the country's

00:11:56.400 Naval Reserves.

00:11:58.220 Now again,

00:11:58.700 I'm always of the mindset

00:11:59.700 that when it comes

00:12:00.500 to private institutions,

00:12:01.580 people have a right

00:12:02.720 to decide who they want

00:12:03.780 to associate with

00:12:04.600 and who they don't.

00:12:05.340 And then people have

00:12:06.280 a right to push back.

00:12:07.780 With the military,

00:12:08.620 standards are important.

00:12:09.780 I agree.

00:12:10.400 With the Canadian Armed Forces,

00:12:11.400 it's important to have

00:12:12.340 standards on any number

00:12:13.820 of things.

00:12:14.740 But the fact that

00:12:15.700 this is the hill

00:12:16.700 that they want

00:12:17.940 to make him die on,

00:12:19.000 this is the hill

00:12:19.540 they want to kill him on,

00:12:21.340 is actually quite dangerous.

00:12:23.420 And now it means

00:12:24.220 that the military

00:12:24.800 is moving more and more

00:12:25.900 into a place

00:12:26.500 where the Overton window,

00:12:28.060 as they call it,

00:12:28.940 is not just shifting,

00:12:30.000 but also narrowing

00:12:30.900 and narrowing.

00:12:32.080 So we are at a point

00:12:32.920 in time where

00:12:34.240 if you take a stand

00:12:35.600 against diversity,

00:12:36.660 you are no longer suitable

00:12:38.080 to serve your country

00:12:39.020 in this way.

00:12:40.600 So what are the implications

00:12:42.140 of that when other people

00:12:43.660 who might want to serve

00:12:44.480 look up and say,

00:12:45.220 oh, well, I guess my thoughts

00:12:46.660 aren't welcome.

00:12:47.260 Well, all of a sudden,

00:12:48.120 you start closing off people

00:12:50.060 that exist in Canada,

00:12:51.240 are a part of this country,

00:12:52.500 have something to offer

00:12:53.700 this country.

00:12:55.200 And I'm not just talking

00:12:56.140 about military service.

00:12:57.200 This is whether you're singing

00:12:58.100 the national anthem,

00:12:59.620 whether you want to join

00:13:00.420 the Naval Reserves

00:13:01.200 as a public affairs officer,

00:13:02.580 you want to be a professor,

00:13:03.540 you want to be a journalist,

00:13:04.680 you want to be in politics.

00:13:05.700 It doesn't matter.

00:13:06.640 The same things are happening.

00:13:08.780 And this is why discourse

00:13:10.200 is so important.

00:13:11.800 And this is why

00:13:12.300 political correctness

00:13:13.380 is such an important fight.

00:13:16.000 Because it allows people

00:13:17.300 to win the argument,

00:13:18.560 not by having the better argument,

00:13:20.300 but by just ensuring

00:13:21.320 that debate never happens.

00:13:23.120 By ensuring that one side 0.99

00:13:24.580 is not allowed

00:13:25.300 to show up to debate.

00:13:27.560 And this is what's happening

00:13:28.900 with lockdown stuff.

00:13:30.020 It's what's happening

00:13:30.640 clearly with the diversity,

00:13:32.340 the diversity cult in academia.

00:13:34.660 And it's happening

00:13:35.880 in many other areas.

00:13:37.360 And a lot of these stories

00:13:38.080 kind of paused

00:13:38.820 when the pandemic went on

00:13:39.960 because everyone was so focused

00:13:41.060 on COVID-19.

00:13:42.680 But this just proves

00:13:43.780 that nothing has really changed

00:13:45.720 in this regard.

00:13:47.320 So I'm sorry.

00:13:48.440 My heart goes out to act.

00:13:49.580 He wanted to serve.

00:13:50.400 He wanted to step up.

00:13:51.440 And now he can't

00:13:52.340 because he took a position

00:13:53.400 that a lot of people

00:13:55.180 will try to make him think

00:13:56.420 is fringe,

00:13:57.420 but I know is shared

00:13:58.660 with a huge number of Canadians,

00:14:00.140 which is why this divide

00:14:01.320 between the intelligentsia

00:14:03.040 positions

00:14:03.560 and ordinary people's thoughts

00:14:05.360 is such an important one

00:14:06.940 to note

00:14:07.320 and to understand

00:14:08.120 the width of.

00:14:09.860 We'll be back

00:14:10.560 in just a couple of moments

00:14:11.460 with more of

00:14:12.140 The Andrew Lawton Show.

00:14:13.080 Stay tuned.

00:14:14.860 You're tuned in

00:14:16.020 to The Andrew Lawton Show.

00:14:19.900 Welcome back

00:14:20.720 to The Andrew Lawton Show.

00:14:22.100 This is True North

00:14:23.200 and Canada's

00:14:24.040 most irreverent talk show.

00:14:25.700 You know,

00:14:26.100 we've talked on the past

00:14:27.020 about the non-essential,

00:14:28.760 essential divide

00:14:29.600 and all of these things

00:14:31.020 that you are not allowed to do

00:14:32.600 because they're non-essential

00:14:33.460 and the things

00:14:34.120 that you can do,

00:14:34.980 which seems to be

00:14:35.560 a smaller and smaller

00:14:36.540 grouping of things

00:14:37.380 because they're essential.

00:14:38.840 Well, in Toronto,

00:14:40.420 sex stores are allowed

00:14:41.940 to have in-store shopping.

00:14:43.100 They are declared essential

00:14:44.120 because they are

00:14:45.480 safety supply stores.

00:14:47.900 So take from that

00:14:49.120 what you will.

00:14:49.980 Multiple small businesses

00:14:51.080 are forced to close,

00:14:52.480 but sex shops

00:14:53.300 can have in-person shopping

00:14:54.500 because under Ontario's regulation,

00:14:56.500 they are actually

00:14:57.280 safety supplies.

00:14:58.400 So just as if they were selling,

00:15:00.000 you know,

00:15:00.500 safety goggles and masks

00:15:02.120 and steel-toed boots,

00:15:03.580 your, you know,

00:15:04.440 ball gags and anal beads, 0.67

00:15:06.420 which I believe are the first time

00:15:07.480 such devices have been named

00:15:08.600 on the show.

00:15:09.320 I hope my editor

00:15:10.040 doesn't put in graphics

00:15:11.020 for your sake.

00:15:12.100 These things are essential items,

00:15:13.860 but if you're selling

00:15:14.920 a sweater in Manitoba,

00:15:16.360 well, that's non-essential.

00:15:17.780 So this is, again,

00:15:19.120 proof that when governments

00:15:20.060 start drawing lines,

00:15:21.540 the lines are always going

00:15:22.720 to be completely nonsensical.

00:15:25.100 And speaking of nonsense,

00:15:26.560 this is a story from Alberta

00:15:28.740 where a pediatrician

00:15:30.200 had put forward

00:15:31.380 what he thought

00:15:32.220 was a really good idea

00:15:34.220 for how to tell kids

00:15:36.160 about what's happening

00:15:37.260 at Christmas.

00:15:37.940 And that was to get parents

00:15:39.700 to basically give Santa

00:15:41.280 and the elves COVID

00:15:42.340 and get their kids 0.98

00:15:43.920 off their backs

00:15:44.560 about wanting to go see

00:15:45.480 Santa at the mall.

00:15:47.360 Now, this has been deleted.

00:15:49.160 So I will say

00:15:50.080 he perhaps saw the light

00:15:52.300 and deleted this,

00:15:53.320 but nevertheless,

00:15:54.020 I have to point this out.

00:15:55.400 The letter that he recommended

00:15:56.820 parents give to their kids,

00:15:58.280 and he gave a template

00:15:59.120 for them.

00:16:00.080 Dear Joey,

00:16:00.860 I received your Christmas list

00:16:02.340 and the elves

00:16:02.840 have been working hard

00:16:03.840 to prepare everything,

00:16:05.500 gift wrap your presents,

00:16:06.500 and have it ready

00:16:07.080 for me to deliver

00:16:07.860 at Christmas.

00:16:09.080 I'm sure you are aware

00:16:10.160 of this COVID virus

00:16:11.240 that has been affecting

00:16:12.080 the entire world,

00:16:13.400 likely your country,

00:16:14.760 maybe your town,

00:16:15.780 and even classroom.

00:16:16.740 If you're a kid

00:16:17.420 and you get this letter

00:16:18.160 from Santa,

00:16:18.740 you already just hate

00:16:19.620 the holidays.

00:16:20.660 Now, Joey,

00:16:21.340 I have to share

00:16:22.080 something very important

00:16:23.140 and something very special

00:16:24.280 with you.

00:16:24.740 COVID has hit

00:16:25.460 the North Pole too.

00:16:26.820 The elves and I are sick

00:16:28.020 and we are in isolation now.

00:16:29.800 Luckily, the reindeer are okay.

00:16:31.500 Oh, great.

00:16:31.940 Some good news.

00:16:32.960 And we are still able

00:16:33.760 to have your Christmas

00:16:34.500 presents delivered,

00:16:35.500 but I won't be at the mall

00:16:36.640 this year.

00:16:37.280 You won't be able

00:16:38.040 to sit on my lap,

00:16:39.000 but I promise you

00:16:39.860 next year I'll be back

00:16:40.900 and I'll be sure

00:16:41.720 to give you an extra hug,

00:16:43.060 a hug Santa owes you

00:16:44.120 for the one you're missing

00:16:44.900 this year.

00:16:45.720 And Joey,

00:16:46.540 you can help Santa too.

00:16:48.260 Can you please tell

00:16:49.180 your mommy and daddy

00:16:50.140 and all your friends

00:16:51.340 that we should all stay safe,

00:16:53.400 wear a mask,

00:16:54.060 and celebrate Christmas

00:16:55.060 with their household only.

00:16:56.840 Would you do that for me, Joey?

00:16:58.700 Much love

00:16:59.460 and until next year,

00:17:01.280 Santa.

00:17:05.180 I just,

00:17:06.520 I got nothing.

00:17:08.740 I got nothing.

00:17:09.720 So now the way

00:17:10.380 that we are allaying

00:17:11.580 children's fears

00:17:12.560 about COVID-19

00:17:13.720 is by infecting Santa.

00:17:16.120 We are creating

00:17:16.940 a North Pole outbreak

00:17:18.720 and that's what we're doing

00:17:20.220 to help kids.

00:17:20.900 That's what we're doing

00:17:21.520 to make it easier

00:17:22.480 for them to like,

00:17:23.500 like give it.

00:17:24.080 And this is the doctor.

00:17:25.360 This is from a doctor

00:17:26.440 for crying out loud.

00:17:27.560 So like,

00:17:28.020 I don't know if this is

00:17:28.860 what's passing

00:17:29.440 for medical advice

00:17:30.380 and when I kind of

00:17:31.180 pushed back against

00:17:31.880 this on Twitter,

00:17:32.460 I said,

00:17:32.740 I'm no doctor,

00:17:33.980 but I don't think

00:17:35.320 this is the way

00:17:36.020 we're going to comfort kids.

00:17:37.800 Now, as I said,

00:17:38.640 he did delete it.

00:17:39.940 I don't know if that was

00:17:40.640 just because of backlash

00:17:41.640 or what,

00:17:42.660 but his preamble to this,

00:17:44.220 Dr. Raphael Sharon,

00:17:45.760 was that as a pediatrician,

00:17:47.260 I am able to make

00:17:48.080 special connections

00:17:49.160 for children.

00:17:50.960 That is not a special

00:17:52.160 connection for children

00:17:53.100 and if someone tries to,

00:17:54.300 if I were to have children,

00:17:55.660 use that as a way

00:17:56.780 to connect with them,

00:17:57.420 I'd be like,

00:17:57.840 give me a freaking break. 0.97

00:17:59.440 So this is just insane

00:18:01.400 and this is like

00:18:02.340 when we would see

00:18:03.120 those videos from,

00:18:05.120 I think it was like

00:18:05.480 the UN or WHO

00:18:06.600 or WTO or something,

00:18:08.200 I don't know what it was.

00:18:09.120 One of those global bodies

00:18:10.240 that did the UN

00:18:11.820 that was basically

00:18:12.840 like Santa dying.

00:18:14.240 It was like

00:18:14.620 the North Pole's melted

00:18:15.720 and Santa's like sweating

00:18:17.040 and telling kids

00:18:17.820 they have to

00:18:18.480 get climate change better.

00:18:20.020 This is that sort of thing.

00:18:21.420 It's like once you start

00:18:22.280 politicizing Santa,

00:18:24.220 you are actually

00:18:25.400 kind of just ruining

00:18:26.720 the magic

00:18:27.880 that kids experience

00:18:29.540 and kids embrace

00:18:30.500 when it comes to this holiday

00:18:31.660 by making it about

00:18:32.980 your own agenda

00:18:34.220 and your own ulterior motives.

00:18:35.680 Look, parents,

00:18:36.400 if they don't want to bring

00:18:37.040 their kids to the mall,

00:18:38.060 I talked a couple of weeks ago

00:18:39.180 about how I've seen

00:18:39.980 some mall Santa photos

00:18:41.400 and I probably

00:18:42.040 just wouldn't do it.

00:18:43.000 It just,

00:18:43.340 it's not the same,

00:18:45.040 but parents don't have

00:18:46.200 to infect Santa with COVID

00:18:47.800 to make that point.

00:18:48.940 So this is where

00:18:50.200 I think we are now.

00:18:51.400 But again,

00:18:51.880 everything's wacky.

00:18:52.660 Look, Randy Hillier

00:18:53.520 was last week

00:18:54.660 or two weeks ago

00:18:55.300 ticketed for organizing

00:18:56.700 a protest.

00:18:57.780 This week,

00:18:58.980 his sons have been

00:19:00.700 involved in police

00:19:01.760 altercations

00:19:02.560 over mask stuff.

00:19:04.100 This is what Randy Hillier

00:19:05.100 had first said.

00:19:06.220 OPP tasered his son

00:19:07.740 in the back

00:19:08.360 in Perth, Ontario,

00:19:09.520 which is out in his area

00:19:10.600 in Eastern Ontario.

00:19:11.900 The crime,

00:19:13.280 my son's friend

00:19:14.040 went to the bar

00:19:14.700 to order a beer,

00:19:16.160 wasn't wearing a mask.

00:19:17.240 The owner of the Aero pub

00:19:18.880 called the cops.

00:19:19.780 My son stood up,

00:19:20.760 explained their friend

00:19:21.700 is exempt from mask wearing.

00:19:23.260 They're both in jail.

00:19:24.500 Now, a lot of people

00:19:25.220 have suggested that,

00:19:26.200 you know,

00:19:26.380 there's probably something

00:19:27.080 missing from the story here.

00:19:28.880 CBC did a bit

00:19:30.080 of a longer write-up

00:19:31.040 and pointed to a letter

00:19:32.240 that Randy Hillier wrote

00:19:33.340 to the OPP,

00:19:34.700 which gave some

00:19:35.460 more details about this.

00:19:37.440 But basically,

00:19:38.440 what ended up happening

00:19:39.280 was they were with someone

00:19:41.360 who was a little bit unruly.

00:19:43.140 They tried to de-escalate.

00:19:44.720 They tried to de-escalate

00:19:45.920 with police

00:19:46.660 and then ended up

00:19:48.460 with police escalating

00:19:50.480 this, it appears.

00:19:51.520 And again,

00:19:51.860 I'm all for withholding judgment.

00:19:54.320 I have, as I've said,

00:19:55.360 a lot of respect

00:19:56.060 for individual frontline officers,

00:19:57.740 but I also can't help

00:19:59.080 but note there seems

00:19:59.940 to be a state vendetta

00:20:01.220 against the Hilliers

00:20:02.280 right now,

00:20:02.960 which has probably extended

00:20:04.740 to his children.

00:20:05.960 So the fact that there

00:20:07.060 was this altercation

00:20:08.140 is not all that surprising.

00:20:09.700 Now, I've interviewed

00:20:10.500 two of Randy Hillier's kids.

00:20:12.160 One of them is a veteran

00:20:13.300 who actually after serving

00:20:15.060 in the Canadian military,

00:20:16.620 to go back to the Mark Hecht thing,

00:20:17.980 I guess he hadn't written

00:20:18.720 anything against

00:20:19.440 diversity protocols,

00:20:21.240 but he actually,

00:20:22.560 after leaving

00:20:23.080 the Canadian military service,

00:20:24.780 went over to volunteer

00:20:26.040 fighting against ISIS

00:20:27.480 with the Kurds in Iraq.

00:20:28.860 So just a true patriot,

00:20:30.440 a truly decent man.

00:20:31.720 His brother Russell,

00:20:32.720 who's a teacher

00:20:33.540 for crying out loud.

00:20:34.480 So, I mean,

00:20:35.060 the Hillier kids

00:20:35.700 are very good stock here.

00:20:37.220 And the idea

00:20:37.780 that we now have

00:20:39.300 a police targeting them

00:20:40.820 because one of them has,

00:20:42.200 or one of their friends

00:20:42.980 has a mask exemption

00:20:43.940 and isn't able to wear

00:20:45.440 a mask in a bar

00:20:46.300 and this becomes something

00:20:47.480 that gets people tased

00:20:48.800 is insane.

00:20:50.540 And by the way,

00:20:51.240 if you read about this,

00:20:52.280 the one thing that I find

00:20:53.460 quite fascinating,

00:20:54.860 the one who was tased

00:20:56.200 wasn't actually charged.

00:20:58.360 If you're resisting arrest

00:21:00.100 to such a point,

00:21:01.080 the police need to tase you,

00:21:03.280 then presumably

00:21:04.760 you're doing something

00:21:05.760 that's going to get you arrested.

00:21:07.240 So I find that suspect.

00:21:08.740 Why was his conduct

00:21:09.960 apparently so bad?

00:21:11.060 This was the friend,

00:21:12.740 the son.

00:21:13.480 Why was his conduct so bad

00:21:14.820 that he was tasered

00:21:16.500 but not actually charged?

00:21:19.220 And that is a question

00:21:20.300 that I would very much

00:21:21.340 like to hear the answer of.

00:21:22.580 So again,

00:21:23.100 I wasn't there.

00:21:24.460 I haven't seen this.

00:21:25.220 I haven't seen any video

00:21:26.160 footage of this.

00:21:27.220 But when the whole point

00:21:28.400 of these incidents

00:21:29.280 is supposed to be de-escalation,

00:21:30.820 it doesn't sound like

00:21:31.740 any de-escalation

00:21:32.720 was taking place here.

00:21:34.320 And listen,

00:21:34.900 it's interesting

00:21:35.440 that we have more

00:21:36.140 and more people

00:21:36.780 that are getting involved

00:21:37.780 with enforcers of the law

00:21:39.740 in this case

00:21:40.500 and the federal government

00:21:42.140 is standing up

00:21:42.960 for the right to protest overseas.

00:21:45.040 This was a clip

00:21:46.060 from Justin Trudeau

00:21:47.560 that I find

00:21:48.740 is completely baffling

00:21:50.380 but you know what?

00:21:51.180 Par for the course.

00:21:52.340 Hi, Prime Minister.

00:21:52.980 Tom Perry, CBC.

00:21:54.980 India today

00:21:55.940 called in Canada's

00:21:57.220 High Commissioner

00:21:57.780 to complain about remarks

00:21:58.900 that you made

00:21:59.380 about the farmers' protests

00:22:00.560 in that country.

00:22:01.200 There's warnings

00:22:01.660 that you've damaged relations

00:22:03.440 between India and Canada.

00:22:05.300 I'd like to get

00:22:05.680 your response to that.

00:22:06.600 Canada will always stand up

00:22:09.180 for the right

00:22:10.020 of peaceful protest

00:22:11.420 anywhere around the world

00:22:13.300 and we're pleased

00:22:14.320 to see moves

00:22:15.300 towards de-escalation

00:22:16.660 and dialogue.

00:22:18.060 Anything more?

00:22:18.720 I mean,

00:22:19.020 are you worried

00:22:19.500 about damaging relations

00:22:20.620 between India and Canada?

00:22:21.840 Canada will always stand up

00:22:23.640 for the right

00:22:24.480 for peaceful protest

00:22:25.680 and for human rights

00:22:26.680 around the world.

00:22:27.440 So as we know,

00:22:28.520 the government

00:22:29.200 has been supportive

00:22:30.020 of the Sikh-led protest

00:22:32.220 in India,

00:22:33.040 farming protest,

00:22:34.160 and that's fine.

00:22:35.040 I don't know enough

00:22:35.580 about it to formulate

00:22:36.560 an opinion,

00:22:37.420 but I do find it interesting

00:22:38.660 that people like

00:22:39.360 Justin Trudeau

00:22:40.000 are bending over backwards

00:22:40.940 to say that they'll always

00:22:41.920 support the right

00:22:42.560 to protest

00:22:43.160 when that right

00:22:44.320 is actually being denied

00:22:46.080 on a daily basis

00:22:48.000 in Canada

00:22:48.820 in various provinces

00:22:49.920 and that whole,

00:22:51.240 oh, well,

00:22:51.600 Canadians will always stand up 0.67

00:22:52.660 doesn't actually apply

00:22:54.000 to Canada.

00:22:55.080 And it reminds me

00:22:56.080 of a lot of the

00:22:56.760 press freedom issues

00:22:57.700 we've seen for the government

00:22:58.560 where they want to stand up

00:22:59.380 for press freedom

00:23:00.000 in Congo

00:23:01.340 and Botswana,

00:23:02.520 but they don't want

00:23:02.940 to stand up

00:23:03.340 for press freedom

00:23:04.020 in Ottawa

00:23:05.180 or Vancouver.

00:23:06.500 It's a lot easier

00:23:07.480 to deal with these issues

00:23:08.520 in the abstract

00:23:09.200 when they're on

00:23:10.340 someone else's turf.

00:23:11.940 We've got to wrap

00:23:12.680 things up for today.

00:23:13.500 We will be back

00:23:14.120 later in the week

00:23:14.780 with more of Canada's

00:23:16.000 most irreverent talk show.

00:23:17.580 I'm Andrew Lawton.

00:23:18.420 Thank you,

00:23:18.880 God bless,

00:23:19.440 and good day, Canada.

00:23:20.560 Thanks for listening

00:23:21.260 to The Andrew Lawton Show.

00:23:22.660 Support the program

00:23:23.500 by donating to True North

00:23:24.740 at www.tnc.news.

Juno News - December 07, 2020

Oh, Canada

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