Yellow Vesters, Channel Your Anger

I’ve got to say I’m a little confused about the anger surrounding politics these days. In Alberta, it seemed to start with election of the NDP as the governing party in 2015. Threats both direct and veiled were circulated through social media and even at public events such as the Big Oilmen’s Association golf tournament in 2016 when Rachel Notley’s face was used as a target for golfers. Recently, men and women donning yellow vests have been demonstrating in communities across the province. And they’re angry. Angry about the pipeline, the carbon tax, “Globalist U.N. and their tyrannical policies.” 

I understand the anger and frustration. People 

have lost their jobs to which they may or may not be able to return. What I don’t understand is the generalized nature of that anger. The Yellow Vest Canada Facebook page with 107,800 states that “this group is to protest the CARBON TAX and the Treason of our country's politicians who have the audacity to sell out OUR country's sovereignty over to the Globalist UN and their Tyrannical policies.” Granted, the carbon tax is a real thing but the Globalist UN’s tyrannical policies. What is that? The UN Migration Pact that Canada signed recently is non-binding. That is, if Canada breaks it, the UN can do nothing.

 

Josue St.-Cyr, moderator of Yellow Vest Canada Facebook page says, “We’re trying to make ourselves heard because obviously nobody’s listening to us.” I under that statement. The rest of Canada doesn’t seem to care about Alberta’s problems. But then he goes on to say, “I’m not racist. I’m pro-immigration. But let’s do it the right way. Let’s not just open our borders to the UN to bring whoever they want. It’s up to Canadians to choose how many and who to bring in and make sure that they’re screened.” St. Cyr believes that claimants entering Canada is a bigger issue than the carbon tax. Really? Is he looking for a job at Walmart or Tim Hortons? Does he have no compassion for those seeking refuge from war zones?

Protesters at the Alberta legislature on followed a similar script to that outlined on the website “No UN Pact. No Carbon Tax. Trudeau must go.” Some participants sported hats that read “Make Alberta Great Again.” One guy stood at a podium complaining powerful Jewish families controlling the world. Lynn Smith accused a mysterious “they” of “just giving away our country.” "We have no rights anymore. They're taking them all away. No more Lord's Prayer. But they're putting praying rooms in schools … Merry Christmas — you're not allowed to say [that] anymore. It's supposed to be 'Happy Holidays.'”

Another lady at the protest directed her anger specifically at Prime Minister Trudeau. She said, he " keeps giving all of our money away to immigrants. We are stuck paying for all of his money that he wants to give away to everybody but Canadians. My kids are going to grow up, my grandkids and all their kids are going to be poor and stuck in a hole that they're never going to get out of." The federal government plans to spend $440 million on immigration between 2018 and 2020 to meet the quota of allowing a million new immigrants into the country over that same period of time.

I wouldn’t argue that immigration levels won’t have an impact on this lady’s kids or grandkids especially if they want to work at Walmart or Tim Hortons. What I don’t understand the “I can’t say Merry Christmas” rant. That ship has sailed. Even the Holiday Gift Guide for the Trump stores made no mention of Christmas nor was “Merry Christmas” visible in his famous Trump Tower. I would guess that the problem for this woman is that she and/or her husband’s employment have been impacted by the current downturn in the Alberta economy.

What would help the employment situation in Alberta? In four words, getting product to tidewater. And why’s it not getting there? On August 30 of last year, the Federal Court of Appeal unanimously agreed that the National Energy Board of Canada had “failed to engage dialogue meaningfully and grapple with the real concerns of the Indigenous applicants so as to explore possible accommodation of those concerns.” As well, the Board considered “the unjustified exclusion of project-related marine shipping from the definition of the project rendered the board’s report impermissibly flawed.”

If the Yellow Vests are concerned about jobs, their anger should be directed at the courts and secondarily, at Justin Trudeau. Aboriginal groups were consulted however not to the satisfaction of the Federal Court of Appeal. What does consultation mean? How does the NEB and, by extension, the federal government make this right?

The constitution requires consultation with aboriginal groups however the Canada Act says nothing about environmental protection. Laws regarding environmental protection can be changed but aboriginal consultation cannot. So, Mr. Trudeau and Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous Relations should get busy and consult. Make a big deal of their consultations. Let the public know what you’re doing. Get involved personally if that will help. Report back to the courts about what has been accomplished. Do the consultation.

Catherine McKenna, Minister of the Environment, get busy figuring out a way to move tankers out of the terminal in Burnaby with as little disturbance to marine animals as possible. If that doesn’t please the court, change the law.

Yellow Vests, forget immigration, forget the carbon tax. They’re red herrings. You’re not losing jobs because of the carbon tax. Don’t make this an election issue. Alberta’s issues are not those of Western Canada. Andrew Scheer’s about as likely to support your cause as Trudeau or Stephen Harper before him. Focus your energies. Don’t become the very same as the Occupation Movement on Wall Street back in 2011, a lot of noise but no action.  

And don’t get angry with the rest of Albertans. They’re on your side. Most want the pipeline. Most realize that oil and gas are the lifeblood of this province. It disheartens me when hatred is spread so randomly across the political spectrum.

My wife complains that she voted for the NDP for years. When the Conservative Party won election after election, she didn’t rant at Conservative supporters when my salary was clawed back 5% or most of the rest areas in Alberta were shut down so there was nowhere to take let our kids run or take the dogs for a walk on a long trip. She expects the same in return.

Yellow Vesters, get focused. Don’t rage at your friends. Focus your anger to effect. People like to please. If they know how to make you happy, they just might want do what makes you happy. So, focus your anger on those who can affect change. After all, if you want to kill a buck, you don’t spray him with buck shot. You use a gun with its sights properly set. And aim for the buck.