A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper
Obviously not everyone was touched by that image of the three-year-old Syrian boy’s body washed up on a Turkish beach around the 1st of this September.
One of the photos of three-year-old Ala Kurdi that wrenched the hearts of people around the world.
At a campaign stop Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper made in the Niagara, Ontario riding of Welland this September 9th, one Conservative supporter lashed back at a reporter asking Harper about his response to the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis with the following line; “How many kids drowned in pools in Canada this summer? Do you blame the government for that?”
It’s just my gut impression since I have no scientific data to back it up (not that Harper and his supporters have any respect for science anyway), but it seems like a disproportionate number of people who have so far yelled out creepy remarks like that are supporting Harper’s party.
And why? Maybe they are just getting a little rattled because of all the drip, drip, dripping of negative news that has come out from the trial of former Harper-appointed senator Mike Duffy, the economy and now the Harper government’s highly questioned response to the refugee disaster.
Or maybe they are all ginned up by a letter Conservative Party president John Walsh sent party supporters earlier this summer to blast back with letters to the editor, calls to radio phone-in shows, and on Facebook, etc. when it looks like Harper is getting a ribbing from what he called anti-Conservative “the chattering class” and “media pundits on the left.”
Walsh’s letter may have had something to do with embolding another party supporter a few weeks back to call a CBC reporter a “lying piece of sh—“ and accusing her of cheating on her taxes for asking Harper who knew what in his office around writing Duffy a $90,000 cheque to hopefully put the scandal involving his senatorial expense claims to rest.
Whatever the reason for these outbursts, they don’t do Harper any favours since whatever message he is trying to get out ends up getting masked by the stench some skunk chooses to spray in the room.
As for the pre-Thanksgiving turkey in Welland who yelled out the business about how many Canadian children drowned in pools this summer versus the Syrian boy pictured drowned on the Turkish beach, that may be a hard offer a definitive answer too.
There is Red Cross research though that concludes that on average there are about 520 drownings across Canada annually – a number that has been steadily dropping from year to year. There is no breakdown I could find in short order on how many of these drownings involve young children in pools. However, the Red Cross observes that the vast majority of such deaths are preventable, so maybe the real blame should be placed on adults doing a lousy job of supervising children in pools.
On the other hand, figures released by international aid organizations, including the Missing Migrants Project, estimate that along with three-year-old Alan Kurdi in that heart-wrenching picture, close to 2,900 refugees have drowned in Mediterranean waters so far this year.
There are at least a few facts the hack at Harper’s Welland stop might have considered before making his creepy outburst. Although facts don’t often blend in well with a toxic mix of zenophobia, bigotry and bone-headed ideology.
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Niagara At Large 
While I do not agree with the stupid comments from the CPC supporter in Welland, I do want to see the Moslem countries in the Middle East – Saudia Arabia, the Emirates, etc start taking in some of the refugees. When I see that, I will consider having Canada take in a few. Until then, I think the approach being taken by the government is correct.
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It seems, during elections, every where one goes including Welland there is that small yet diverse nauseating stench of greed and entitlement that seems to gush (like tar sands diluted Bitumen through a ruptured pipeline) from elements whose ideology seems to be steeped in total denial of the rights of their neighbors and other sane Canadians. It makes one wonder from under what rock they crawled and are they totally blind as well as deaf and dumb founded by their own small egos?
One could expect most if not all Corporate executives and aspiring executives to be in bed with a government that caters to their every wish but yet there is a few who will detest and defy actions that allows governing elements to takes away citizen’s Charter of Rights. What is sickening is
when we see people we know or don’t know rant and rave in the vilest manner against truths that have been proven by testimony and or evidenced by actions and reactions detected.
Our only salvation is in our right to vote and this reigning dictatorial government has somehow(?) managed to set up road blocks to deny this right to certain Canadian people. A FACT !! Did you know Elections Canada “NOW” under the dictates of this so called government cannot place ads encouraging our young people to vote. (Ads like one sees on the highway billboards in the USA encouraging voting) The governance in this country is getting sicker by the day thanks to a would be Emperor and his grovelling sheep. God Bless Canada……….No! …No! God “HELP” Canada for we are being invaded from within.
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The take over has been ongoing, most people are unaware how complete the Stephen Harper government has sealed the fate of millions of Canadians, their right to protest , the right to vote , millions of Ex-pats working or serving abroad cannot vote, a right that Americans enjoy , our voting record in Canada is a disgrace. Adolf Hitler took over Germany with just 33% of the vote, we know what then happened, 60 million people died , to get back freedom.!!!
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