There is no level to which Justin Trudeau will not stoop. Last Wednesday when he held a press conference to answer Jody Wilson-Raybould鈥檚 very damaging statements to the Commons Justice Committee, he trotted out his 10-year-old daughter with him. While some low information folks may see that as 鈥榓we how sweet that he takes his daughter to work鈥�, the reality is that he used her as a shield in the hopes that media wouldn鈥檛 barrage him with a series of tough questions that would be impossible for him to answer. It was a really disgraceful and distasteful move. Where was Sophie through all of this? What kind of a mom allows the cowardly dad to subject their 10-year-old daughter to this environment? That was no place for a 10-year-old girl.
SNC Lavalin, the construction engineering firm that is at the forefront of this Liberal scandal (likely the biggest scandal in Canadian history as far as politics are concerned), has a workforce of, approximately, 8500 people. Trudeau claims to be protecting jobs when it comes to suggestions he and his cronies were, possibly, obstructing justice in this matter. We know that鈥檚 a lie, but here鈥檚 what hasn鈥檛 been talked about in the mainstream media: if Lavalin goes under because of their illegal activities, these 8500 jobs will, simply, be shuffled to other companies.聽 They will not be eliminated in the manner that jobs in the oil sector are being eliminated. Those jobs are gone because Trudeau is trying to kill the entire industry. The closure of the General Motors plant in Oshawa means 2500 jobs are up in smoke and then there are spin-off jobs that could affect as many as 15,000 others. So, I鈥檓 sorry if my sympathy level for breaking the law to look after Lavalin is near zero when Trudeau鈥檚 government won鈥檛 even follow the law to build a pipeline. He鈥檚 also hid behind the law when it comes to paying Omar Khadr $10.5-million, so like everything else during his time as Prime Minister, he鈥檚 very inconsistent and selective when it comes to his reasons for doing things.
There is one good thing in Quebec these days: a program that a number of schools are experimenting with a pilot project that has supervised 鈥榬ough play鈥� zones on the playground.聽 Students are allowed to push, shove, grab, and wrestle in the snow without intervention. We tend to live in a world where we want to bubble wrap our kids; but there is a theory out there that kids need to teach themselves empathy and set boundaries with one another on their own. Participation in the project is voluntary, although that hasn鈥檛 stopped some helicopter parents from sticking their nose in to express their outrage. No more than 15 kids are involved at any one time. Sounds like a great battle royal. The early results on this are that the rambunctious kids return to the classroom after recess in a more calm state.
There is dysfunction in Ottawa with our federal government and there is dysfunction in Ottawa with their NHL team.聽 On Monday, General Manager Pierre Doiron told the media that head coach Guy Boucher, 鈥�...is our coach. I don鈥檛 think anyone will disagree with me on this one. I鈥檝e made his job pretty difficult the last few weeks and we are going to support him.鈥� Dorion traded away Ottawa鈥檚 top three players and got nothing in return as far as immediate help. Three days later, Dorion fired Boucher. A move that lacks any form of class. Good luck getting a reputable head coach now. I can鈥檛 imagine anyone with any pedigree is going to put himself into that dumpster fire.
The Toronto Raptors kept Kawhi Leonard off the court for the 18th time in 64 games on Sunday in an effort to manage his workload during the season. I don鈥檛 understand it. If he鈥檚 too tired come playoff time, then he鈥檚 not worth the paper the Raptors want to use to get his John Henry on for a long term contract.聽 This is one of the things in professional sports that drives me nuts and I wonder if other fans will catch on. Organizations think nothing of screwing over the fan when it comes to giving them the best possible entertainment experience. When you pay a premium price for a ticket, you want to see the best possible product on the playing surface. Sure injuries happen, but knowing Leonard is capable of playing but isn鈥檛 for no reason is a slap in the face to fans. If you went to a concert and the headlining band announces just before they hit the stage that they are giving their lead singer a vocal break so here is a 鈥榮tand in鈥�, there would be a riot. But, sports teams are allowed to do it no questions asked. Part of the reason I gave up my Roughrider season tickets a few years ago was because wins weren鈥檛 the only thing that mattered to me. I have to be entertained and I want an upper echelon quarterback slinging the ball around putting up points. The Riders haven鈥檛 had that since Darian Durant鈥檚 pre-injury days.
Nice person mentions this week: Jodie Rusnak, Lisa Serray, John Arnott, Doug MacInnes, and Kevin Kvame.
