Propaganda is manipulative persuasion in the service of an agenda and is used by both the right and the left. Even the smartest people sometimes forget simple truths when confronted with repetitive reassuring lies.The descent into tribalism by the right-wing is a direct result of the propaganda that Oligarchs, Conservative think-tanks and their friendly media … Continue reading Inconvenient truths: the Elephant in the room
Author: Lie Tracker
Jason Kenney: Pants on Fire
According to Jason Kenney and Andrew Scheer, neither low Oil and Gas prices, nor the American shale gale, nor the increase in U.S. crude oil production & resultant glut, nor the massive structural shift in the oil industry had anything to do with Alberta's downturn and continued recession: it was entirely caused by Superwoman Rachel Notley and/or her Superman sidekick, Justin Trudeau.
Alberta Energy News
Andrew Scheer and Jason Kenney continue to Gaslight Albertans and other Canadians that PM Justin Trudeau is responsible for the Oil and Gas industry's downturn and the reason why investment is fleeing the oilsands. Both are stuck in Jurassic Park refusing to acknowledge a future hurtling towards them at breakneck speed: tectonic structural changes in the oil industry means most jobs are never coming back even if oil prices rise.
Gaslighting continues: Gut and Cut is the ideology of Deficit-Haters but stealth is a factor
Is Canadian Media exacerbating national division because it's lucrative? Postmedia almost fulfilled their goals to elect Andrew Scheer - like the U.S. media did when they helped to elect Trump - and often portrayed Alberta as a rising hotbed of separatist angst when the #Wexit noise really comes from a minority of discontented Conservatives having a temper tantrum. Prime example of Gaslighting: "This idea of Alberta as this poor, woe begotten, economic basket-case is a myth, one that opposition politicians here like to trade on. But it's a fairy tale."
Alberta: Help Canadians Understand
Ok, Alberta. Lets talk. We’ll start and then we hope you can help Canadians outside of your beautiful province understand why you are so frustrated because a lot of us can’t see it and don’t understand the angst you are experiencing.
The Bible Brigade and the rising clout of the authoritarian religious right
"This isn’t the religious right we thought we knew. The Christian nationalist movement today is authoritarian, paranoid and patriarchal at its core. They aren’t fighting a culture war. They’re making a direct attack on democracy itself."
Partisan Bias of Canadian Media
As the federal election is heating up, the partisan bias of Canadian media is deservedly coming under a microscope. With their click-bait titles and false both-sideism coverage, Mainstream Media (MSM) have become whores to the almighty $. Canada is becoming Trumpland's vassal.
Part 4: Conservative Economic rhetoric is Gaslighting
Andrew Scheer goes on and on about forcing the Federal Government to "live within its means" and that invokes old discredited fears about Canada's accumulating debt and our deficits. Scheer claims PM Justin Trudeau made a “mess” of our economy & his "massive" deficits will mean increased taxes that our children will inherit. Conservative fear-mongering about Canada's best debt-to-GDP-ratio in the G7 is gaslighting. Our children also inherit massive assets and like any mortgage they may pay on for 20-30 yrs, increased equity in ownership is a huge bonus.
Part 3 UCP Economics Alberta
As Alberta's debt and deficit is manageable without cuts if Alberta implements a PST, following the Mackinnon report recommendations without looking at increasing potential revenues would undercut Jason Kenney's claim of being a fiscally responsible Premier. Neither pixie dust nor magic wands are needed to inform Albertans that the Mackinnon report is a political document with an incomplete mandate of looking at Alberta's expenditures and not the potential revenues available to the lowest taxed and wealthiest Province in Canada.
Conservatives Gaslighting Canada and Populism
Conservatives cannot point to any corruption examples or criminal activities of the Liberal Party or Prime Minister Trudeau, yet they continue to make the claim that our current Government is corrupt. Examples of real corruption and/or criminal activities was amply demonstrated by the Harper Government but not by our current Government.
Gaslighting an entire Province: Alberta
Professor Leach's polite way of telling Albertans that CONservatives are Gaslighting them: "They're selling you a bill of goods."
Part 2 Conservative Economics
Conservatives perpetuate a myth that we are over-taxed, that high taxes are bad, deficits are bad, and that we don’t want to leave our grandchildren our debt burden. Enough already: it's all BS! Our debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest in the G7 and our current economic measures with the Liberal Government is why it's continuing to drop.
Part 1 Conservative Economics Gutting Fiscal Capacity
Conservative economics drives and exacerbates income inequality. Their neoliberal ideology (Socialism for the Wealthy) started in the UK with Thatcher, the U.S. with Reagan, went into hyper-drive with Stephen Harper, and is in full swing in Ontario with Doug Ford. Alberta has followed with Jason Kenney's tax cuts for wealthy corporations that are already paying the lowest taxes in Canada.
Who is Stephen Harper
"Beneath that cerebral, taciturn exterior, however, one detects an insecure, hapless control freak, quick to sulk when he doesn’t get his way, shy, awkward, and deeply repressed."
Conservative scandals
Some people tell lies to conceal the truth; the Conservatives tell lies because they have forgotten what the truth is.
Shawcross Doctrine, DPAs, SNC
The Ottawa bubble appears to be feeling the effects of climate change. The Polar Vortex driven by Canadian Media is spinning out of control: logic and common sense appears to be frozen solid, sacrificed on the altar of click-bait journalism where shaping how the public is supposed to think matters more than reporting real news.
Gaslighting on Steroids and Cat Armageddon
The JWR "pressure" narrative the media is obsessed with is Gaslighting on steroids. By not doing wide consultations including legal expertise more experienced than herself on whether to over-ride the DPP, JWR also abrogated her duty when she ignored the Finance Minster's request to consider jobs before making a final decision.
Pierre Poilievre:
By referring to PMJT as the "Trust fund Trudeau" is Mr Poilievre suggesting that responsible wealthy parents shouldn't set up trust-funds for their own children? Perhaps, given his wealth, he should comment on his own daughter's status! Did Mr Poilievre not set up a trust-fund for her?
Conservative ideology is rife with attacks on Science and Data
It's important to understand why Conservatives have succumbed to Tribalism, Fake News, and are often anti-science, anti-data, anti-elites (i.e. experts), and anti-evidence-based-decision-making. Their ideology in Canada today is steeped in the history of Stephen Harper's influence on the Party and his belief in American Republicanism. The effects of Harper's Social Conservatism had an enormous effect … Continue reading Conservative ideology is rife with attacks on Science and Data
Charter WAR driven by Conservative Ideology and Stephen Harper
"Whether it's Mr. (Justice Minister Peter) MacKay's fault, or someone else's fault, the fact is the attorney general has been brought away from doing his duty. His duty is to advise the government on these things, and the government has told him, 'Don't advise me.'"
Alberta’s Carbon tax working Exactly as designed
The carbon tax is a resounding success despite complaints to the contrary by Jason Kenney and the UCP in Alberta. Like BC which has had a carbon tax since 2007, Alberta leads the Country in Growth. California with a Cap-and-Trade emissions program leads the U.S. in growth. Coincidence? We don't think so.
War on Democracy and Science with Stephen Harper
The toxic polarization we are seeing with Conservatives today was introduced by Stephen Harper, a Republican ideologue. He governed for his base only. Remind you of someone? Our Charter was the only thing that stood in the way of an Autocratic ruler who would have subverted our Democracy to his whims.
Andrew Scheer Pants on Fire
Andrew Scheer is the leader of the Opposition in Canada, yet he finds the time to mislead his base almost every day. He has an unhealthy and seemingly pathological obsession with blaming PM Justin Trudeau (PMJT) for everything under the sun. As such, we started several blog posts dedicated entirely to Scheer’s #AlternativeFacts, obfuscations, misrepresentations, deflections and/or straight-up lies.
Jason Kenney: Male Work Camps
Mr Kenney, leader of the United Conservative Party in Alberta alleges that Prime Minister Trudeau (PMJT) laid out some "smears against construction workers" but that's not true! PM Trudeau took the high road by not calling out the misinformation of a Conservative plant who had to read her question from a note. The experience she related was singular, and not shared by the women who were abused.Gender-based impacts are well-known and a disservice to women to dismiss them. Kenney is projecting: smearing is on him.
Carbon Taxes
"The fact that we find ourselves here today discussing carbon pricing is telling – despite the fact that carbon prices of one sort or another have been implemented in Canada for more than a decade, opposition and misinformation about carbon pricing policies remains rampant." Andrew Leach