Let’s not let Moe and company lead us astray

Earlier this month, Premier Scott Moe was offered the opportunity to distance his government from the anti-immigrant yellow vest group. But instead of questioning the normalization of prejudice, Moe declared that there was no problem with cabinet members, including Lori Carr and Greg Ottenbreit, lending their positions of power to rallies that featured both requests for special treatment for the oil sector, and xenophobic messages.

That choice might be seen as a matter of cynical political calculation, as Moe’s party has regularly tried to score political points at the expense of immigrants and minorities. But the subsequent events surrounding the yellow vests may show Moe’s political math to be as flawed as his acceptance of bigotry.

This week, dozens of media reports heralded the imminent arrival in Ottawa of the United We Roll convoy — representing an iteration of the yellow vests that tried to rebrand itself, but ultimately acquiesced in the participation of extremists.

As Moe had done with his ministers’ actions, organizers tried to pitch the convoy as being primarily aimed at oil sector demands, stating only that they wouldn’t bother excluding people who wanted to continue to identify themselves as yellow vests. But the convoy prominently featured anti-immigrant sentiment and violent messaging alongside its demands for pipelines, deregulation and an end to climate change policies.

Like Moe, prominent right-wing politicians such as Doug Ford, Andrew Scheer and Maxime Bernier saw no problem promoting that combination, pumping up United We Roll as an imminent mass uprising in favour of the oil sector.

But while the convoy of trucks was able to gain some attention during its travels, its arrival proved far less impressive than advertised.

In a familiar space that regularly sees thousands gathered for protests and other public events, a mere 200 people actually showed up — making for stunning visual contrasts between the crowds that attend Parliament Hill for other activities, and the snow-covered expanses surrounding the few United We Roll participants.

That minuscule turnout left nowhere for the continued anti-immigration messages and violent imagery to hide, especially as they were echoed by event speakers. And the pitiful attendance also made abundantly clear that there’s little public appetite for the message on offer.

The absurdity of United We Roll was then only amplified as word came out that the convoy hadn’t planned beyond its arrival in Ottawa. Some participants were left making desperate public appeals for money and gas, while event organizers seemed poised to pocket substantial donations in addition to the publicity they craved.

In the end, the convoy may have served as an apt metaphor for the state of conservative politics in Canada.

Moe, Scheer and their ilk readily stoke anger over trumped-up complaints about any policy choice that isn’t fully subservient to corporate polluters, making patently flawed demands alongside false claims of public support. And they have no scruples about joining forces with racist groups in the process, even as they disclaim responsibility for that connection.

But the sum total of their plans involves provoking confrontation for its own sake: Even when they reach a destination, it only becomes clear that they haven’t thought through what they intended to accomplish upon arrival. And the best-intentioned of people who give them the benefit of the doubt end up stranded for having done so.

It won’t be long before we have the opportunity to redirect ourselves from further movement toward the same fate as a province. And we’ll be far better off if we start considering where we actually want to go — rather than letting Moe lead us astray.

Fingas is a Regina lawyer, blogger and freelance political commentator who has written about provincial and national issues from a progressive NDP perspective since 2005.

Moe (et al.) stoke anger over trumped-up complaints.