Feeling nostalgic for the good old days? Like the days before the Trudeau Liberals?
Raymond J de Souza wins the columnist du jour award today. Wait —there isn’t any such thing as a columnist du jour? I’m pretty sure back in the day we used to have one. I may have to go back 20 or more years. Let me dig into our archives… ok here we go:
Sadly these almost go so far back that we’d be into a previous “Trudeau Liberals” era, the Trudeau and Liberals of Justin’s father Pierre. Dear God. If you’re like me and you were lamenting a second “Trudeau Liberals,” you’re feeling olllllld right about now. Your award is TBD.
All the PTBC historic data seem to indicate that over the years we’ve gone only with “___ of the week” awards, never awarding anything for just “___ of the day” or the French-sounding “du jour.” But having reviewed our history carefully I find that this one best fits our occasion today:
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This week’s award goes to… Raymond de Souza of National Post/Postmedia. |
Raymond de Souza wins for an opinion article about the clown show (the Trudeau Libs must win that one) around the committee hearings on what appears to be the increasingly fatuous and apparently even fraudulent declaration of the Emergencies Act by Trudeau and his unable Minister of the Clown, Marco Mendicino. (See what I did there? Vying for an award myself.) Here’s the pertinent award-winner part:
Raymond J. de Souza: In Ottawa, there is only a fractional hold on the truth left
Author: Father Raymond J. de Souza
Publishing date: Jun 19, 2022 • 3 minute read
It’s too serious to be funny, but the committee set up to investigate why the Emergencies Act was used has acquired more than a touch of farce.
The options laid before the special parliamentary committee are twofold: Mendacious Marco or Misunderstood Minister Mendicino?
Either the minister of public safety lied — repeatedly, robustly, resolutely — to Parliament, to Canadians, to his barber, butcher, baker and candlestick maker, or he was singularly, spectacularly, stunningly unable to make himself understood. Neither option — mendacity or a massive incapacity to communicate — is a desideratum for a minister of the Crown. …
Our massive government-sized awards committee is currently discussing whether de Souza could also be entitled to apply for the Word of the Day award, which could also be a new one for PTBC. A decision will be forthcoming, certainly by 2026. The potentially awarded word would be his “desideratum,” which means desired, or something to be wanted. Next time you want a beer, tell your buds you “possess a desideratum for a brewed lager beverage.”
Communicate, yes. That is a key desideratum. But it is only one of many desiderata. Telling the truth is another one —a biggie. As de Souza notes in possibly the most important warning this year (sure, I’ll start a Warning of the Year award later this week), he writes:
…Nevertheless, no matter how pure the intention, governments have been telling their citizens things that are simply not true for quite some time now. The consequences of that will long outlast the pandemic. And when citizens no longer trust the government to tell the truth, for whatever cause, the consequence is enduring. …
And he goes on like this. He’s on a roll. He describes the transport minister (again… “Minister of the Clown” —that’s my best wordplay effort today, inspired by the clown awards of yore) “…Omar Alghabra, the increasingly implausible minister of transport.” The words “Increasingly implausible” also works to describe the entire government — also the one in BC, while we’re at it. So points for that.
It gives me great comfort that there are columnists and newspapers that are willing to dispel myths and call out the lies being told by governments and the “news” media. Lately, the National Post has, uniquely, been a champion of truth, with great work by Terry Glavin and Raymond de Souza among several others. Truth brings its own enduring rewards.
P.S. Update June 21:
Kelly McParland says today in the National Post:
“If the Liberals aren’t stuck in sand, they must be stuck in something else. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra are in a heated competition for the “hapless minister of the year” award.”
Nice one. But the National Post has received enough taxpayer funds to make its own awards graphics, thank you.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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