Back in the old days when I was editor of Pipeline News, Bill Whitelaw was publisher of JWN Energy (JuneWarren-Nickels). So he knows a thing or two about energy media, and is still involved with GeoLOGIC, which bought JWN from Glacier Media. And he’s just as concerned as I am about the recent passage of Bill C-59. Here’s an op-ed he originally published on his Substack, republished with permission.
Bill Whitelaw: Competition Act changes sign of how Canada is tumbling into Orwellian dystopia
There’s a lot more to come on this front.
We aren’t tumbling into censored speech, and even compelled speech…we’re already there. From the bizarre ruling of human rights commissions on gender identity, to the new federal laws that will allow people to be charged retroactively for speech offenses and punished for pre-crimes, and this new law directed at muzzling the Canadian oil and gas industry (but not petroleum coming from foreign countries). We’re living in a government censorship country. All of these horrible laws need to be removed by a conservative government.
People may resent Big Oil but do they really think that our control-freak Liberal federal government will stop there. No, just like the MAID program, it will expand to absurd levels. Some examples of other industries that will likely get the same treatment : agriculture operations (specifically but not exclusively livestock producers), natural health supplements, any medical professionals not following government mandated interventions or mandatory removal of care, think tanks that are conservative or libertarian, independent media. Basically anyone who doesn’t completely obey woke political narratives.
The left always eats itself. When one target is eliminated, they change aim to another. Alligators everywhere, and they never promised to eat you last.
Many people are unable to do pattern recognition. This allows malicious actors the ability to use the same plays over and over again. In this instance, start with an industry people may not be fond of and then, once the law is enacted, increase the scope quietly through bureaucratic expansion. Then scold people about their duty to follow the law, regardless of how bizarre and unjust those laws have now become.
I’m sure it’ll work this time, though.
All of these horrible laws need to be removed by a conservative government.
Agreed. But it will not be enough to change the legislature. We’ll have to change the bureaucracy as well. We’ll need a Milei for that, and I don’t see anyone like that in Canada.
As I’ve said before, giving pink slips to 50% of federal government employees gets rid of half the problem. Somewhat sarcastic but stripping government down to the essential core programs and getting rid of overlap with provincial responsibilities not only cuts government expenses but also cuts government corruption. No more unnecessary consultants, zero corporate welfare, stop giving taxpayer money to NGOs/ENGO activists, media and foreign governments. Every redundant, unnecessary department feeds into the corruption, waste and over governance, over regulation, over taxation problem in Canada.
I guarantee you that any government trying to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy this way would instantly face a massive PSAC lawsuit, and the SCOC would uphold that the government is not allowed to fire people.
We need a Pinochet, not a Milei, to get us out of this mess. But we don’t have one of those either.
Not sure how even our Supreme Court can read in a guaranteed lifetime employment clause into the constitution but who knows. The Chretien/Martin LPC managed to cut government back in their day so it can be done (as have many provincial governments). Done differently by a CPC government, of course, but I think that employment levels and departmental cuts are solely up to the discretion of the governing party.
The silver lining of this State Censorship.
Our Progressive Comrades are openly admitting they have no argument.
No facts.
No science.
No truth.
They cannot make a compelling argument for their cause,The Cult of Calamitous Climate.
Hell they cannot even convince themselves..
So they have resorted to their traditional methods,State Authority..
The State of Thuggery always eats its own.
We are at the “Witch Trials” stage of this wave of hysteria.
I wonder how that will work,in an age of repeating rifles?
Our nontool using idiots are once again asserting that they and only they hold the power of life and death over the rest of the population..
Yes.
They really are this stupid.
Every Liberal NDP voter is your enemy.
trudeau is heading instinctively toward the Ceausescu approach. Too bad Sophie isn’t around to pose as the mother of us all.
If I thought this would end the way it did for the Ceaucescus I’d be okay with that, but it won’t. The people ruining this country will simply exit it with their ill-gotten gains, leaving the rest of us scrabbling in the smoking ruins.
“We” have allowed it.
IMHO we have been IN an Orwellian dystopia since the early 1990s at least, probably earlier, and the only difference now is they’re making it official.
The oil and gas companies are getting treated like big tobacco.. Exactly like big tobacco.. In politics, if it works they will expand upon it.. They know what to do to kill the things they don’t like.. Science :)..
Ignoring the fact that cancer has not gone down with 2/3rds less smokers.. Science :).. I guess that’s the “can cause” cancer part of the deal.. Global warming 101..
Damn good point.
In fact cancer rates are rising,following the cession of mass public smoking..
One could argue,that smoking prevents cancer..and still be more honest and trustworthy than most of our “medical experts”.
But yes,the GEB’s got away with stomping on every right and freedom of smokers..
So that route to power will be recycled until it stops working.
Well, without coal, oil and gas they will not eating, that might change a mind or two.
I’d write that there’s hope on the horizon, but that would be a lie.