It’s hardly unusual for politicians to try to define their opponents in the minds of the public, painting an unflattering picture that the other person then has to get past, to get to the votes. Twisting words and misrepresenting positions is all part of it. Not honest and not nice, but absolutely the way the game is played. Everybody does it..However, Rachel Notley’s attempt to represent Danielle Smith as comparing vaccination to the Holocaust is egregious. It is a dissimulation of such epic proportions that by comparison, slyly reminding us that Smith used to talk about user-fees seems merely catty..It invites not merely condemnation, but mockery. Come Ms. Notley, we’re talking about serious things. Let’s have an adult conversation..So let’s start by recognizing that Smith does not think people who accepted vaccination are Nazis, or even that they’re like Nazis. Nobody thinks that. And even if they did, nobody would say so publicly..Here’s what she actually said. Here also is the context, which has been hardly reported at all..In a 90-minute conversation as a guest on a financial services podcast during the fall of 2021, Smith and host Andrew Ruhland talked about the meaning of Remembrance Day..Ruhland called Remembrance Day more important than Canada Day. He then launched into a prolonged lament, that in the face of the heavy-handed response to COVID-19 by Canadian governments at all levels, ordinary Canadians had surrendered the freedoms that were the legacy to them of Canada’s veterans..Smith agreed, taking note that her host was not wearing a poppy. “I see you’re not wearing a poppy either. They’ve ruined it (Remembrance Day) for me this year. The political leaders standing on their soapbox, pretending that they care about all the things you just talked about. Pretending they understand the sacrifice and not understanding that their actions are exactly the actions that our brave men and women are standing against.”.And what actions would those be?.The actions of governments that long for control. Smith goes on to mention an episode of the Netflix series, How to Become a Tyrant, that examines how Adolf Hitler was able to use his peculiar talents of deception to mislead an entire generation of Germans into an authoritarian society that left no room for individual responsibility or conscience, one with a designated in-group and — to the horror of the Jews — a designated out-group upon which the self-righteous could vent their ‘righteous anger.’.“I don’t know if you've had a chance to watch the Netflix series How to Become a Tyrant, but it starts with Hitler in the first episode and it's absolutely appalling and shocking. And one academic says — they must have filmed this before COVID — so many people say that they would not have succumbed to the charms of the tyrants, somebody telling them that they have all the answers... and this academic said, 'I guarantee they would.'”.I don’t want to put words in Smith’s mouth, but so many Canadians had just done something very similar, placing their faith in the power of the state. This conversation took place at a time when Justin Trudeau’s government had only days before used the coercive power of the state to mandate that in the name of science, all federal employees and all employees of federally regulated enterprises had to be vaccinated or lose their jobs. Many provincial, municipal and even private enterprises followed suit. Meanwhile, travel was restricted to the vaccinated while the unvaccinated were barred from restaurants, cinemas and gymnasiums..True, not all Canadians liked it: A lot of people were mad. And they had reason to be, because the so-called science generated different and inexplicable responses around the country. A few examples:.In Quebec, science required an overnight curfew. In other provinces, it didn’t..In BC, science mandated — for many months — the closure of churches but the continued availability of restaurants. In Alberta however, the science accommodated the communal worship of God but restaurants? Absolutely not. Something in that little hoochamajigger of a virus obviously changed as it crossed the B.C. border..In Ontario, people were prosecuted for exercising in the middle of a field..Meanwhile, legitimate discussion about the safety and efficiency of the vaccines themselves was effectively suppressed by both government and social media..All of this, to the collectivist mantras of "we’re all in this together," "trust the science" and the demonization of people who thought it was all going too far..But that was what Smith was talking about. The blind faith in government of so many Canadians and the venomous treatment of the designated outgroup.. Tor Star front pageThe infamous Toronto Star front page, with inflammatory comments about people who chose not to be vaccinated. In an editorial, the Star later conceded that it had 'stumbled badly.' .Lamenting the ease with which the German people accommodated themselves to Hitler’s message, said, “And that's the test here. We've seen it, we have 75% of the public who say not only ‘hit me’ but ‘hit me harder’ and keep me away from those dirty unvaxxed. And even on the cover of the Toronto Star saying, 'I want people who aren’t vaxxed to get sick and die, and I don’t even care. I don't want them to get treatment.' We’re already hearing about people being denied treatment or not being vaccinated being taken off the organ donor list..What are we becoming?”.A good question. And eighteen months ago, it was the question of the moment: So many Canadians were ready to trade freedom for security and uncritically accept the authority of government..The techniques of authoritarianism have been well-studied and Smith evidently recognizes them when she sees them. Not for the first time, it was her misfortune to assume everybody else would do likewise and that what is in actual fact quite a subtle point, would require no further explanation..And so, an apology. Like trying to twist your opponent's words, that's also politics these days, say 'sorry' and move on. .In my view, no apology was necessary. But, I'm not running for office..Pity about the poppy, though. After all, it isn't the politicians that it honours. One wears it for the veterans... Glad to see that, as the picture shows, she's reconsidered that.
