Bruce Dowbiggin
Is Crude Political Heckling Assault? Or The Price Of Holding Power?

Sign up today for Not The Public Broadcaster newsletters. Hot takes/ cool slants on sports and current affairs. Have the latest columns delivered to your mail box. Tell your friends to join, too. Always provocative, always independent.
News Item: CBC News@CBCNews The RCMP says it’s investigating after Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was accosted in Alberta over the weekend by a man who repeatedly yelled profanity at her and called her a traitor.
In the past fortnight PM Justin Trudeau shrugged his shoulders when Germany came to beg for Canada’s abundant natural gas, assuring a disastrous 2022-23 winter for Europe. In addition, Brenda Lucki, Trudeau’s commissioner of the RCMP, apologized to the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission investigating the murders of 22 people, for her mistakes but denying politics played a role in how she botched the tragedy.
It was also revealed that his government had been employing a confirmed anti-semite as a “media consultant” at a generous salary. Finally, the PM showered $100 million on LGBTQ, two−spirit and intersex communities across the country for something-something.
But the story that dominated Trudeau-supported Canadian media? A lout in a T-shirt yelling “traitorous bitch” at deputy PM Chrystia Freeland as she walked to an elevator at the Grand Prairie, Ab. city hall. In the viral video the man follows her at a distance, loudly saying “You don’t belong here” and demanding she leave Alberta.
Could he have chosen a milder approach? Sure. But McDavid never attempted to touch Freeland. He didn’t threaten violence. He didn’t take away Freeland’s freedom as she has taken away Tamara Lich’s liberty. He had no weapon but his braying voice. The rude heckling, during which Freeland smiled grimly, was instantly labelled everything from a sexual assault to a threat against the state.
Media Party grandees outdid each other to elevate the incident into the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914. Andrew Coyne lamented, “that frightening incident involving Chrystia Freeland – accosted as she entered an elevator by a large and plainly unhinged man, whose behaviour suggested he might turn violent at any moment”. Translation: He doesn’t look like one of us. Ergo, threatening.
Academics matched the vitriol with the inevitable Trump/ Jan.6 hyperbole about egging on a crowd. The apogee of exaggeration put it down to “rage farming”. “They know how to feed those narratives,” said University of Alberta political scientist Jared Wesley. Invoking an army of far-right militia men stalking the Peace River Valley.
Rage farming or heckling, the loud mouth was unapologetic. “Why did I do that? Because I want the rest of the country to wake up and realize that she is a traitor to the country. She is selling out the country,” Elliot “Moose” McDavid said last Saturday. Can’t imagine why anyone feels that way, say the arbiters of paid journalism huddled in the 416/ 613.
Hint: While others have forgotten, here’s a smirking Freeland invoking the Emergency Measures Act against the “other” people who honked their horns and parked trucks illegally in Ottawa.
Like it or not, McDavid’s crude, intemperate heckling was political free speech, something allowed in our society. The right to verbally humble kings and presidents was at the heart of the U.S. and many other revolutions. (Heckling is so accepted that Sesame Street created Waldorf and Statler to throw barbs from the audience.) Absorbing abuse was once the price for representing people. When you become deputy PM you are no longer a vulnerable woman entitled to serenity in a public place. You represent the state.
But now decrying rude language is weaponized by the Laurentian bien pensants against the Convoy crew. In the U.S. AG Merrick Garland is blaming The Other to sic the FBI on noisy parents at school board meetings. Calgary city council — led by pearl-clutching mayor Jyoti Gondek— have talked of making it a crime to heckle puffed-up politicians. Not to be outdone the governing Liberals have enlisted social media to censor private thought on the internet.
In safe-space land McDavid was “assaulting” the deputy PM. Freeland’s group and city employees were exposed to a “risk” presented by McDavid. He was inculcating rebellion among the unwashed Convoy community. (Oddly, no one fainted when Freeland’s boss was called the same and worse. Hmm.)
In the social-media mobbing, the understood distinction between a private citizen and the deputy PM of Canada was so much cisgendered white male privilege. On Twitter Vancouver broadcaster Jody Vance explained. “As a woman – I can tell you that this crosses the line to harassment. Let’s leave it there.”
The gone-native Conservatives who naïvely believe that joining this herd will win them a 613 Boy Scout badge also piled on. Even bête noir Pierre Poilievre, grudgingly said it was a bad look. And was still scolded for not trying hard enough to flagellate himself.
If the censors are successful in criminalizing McDavid’s heckling as “assault” it will be yet another triumph for “safe space” governance. The quaint notion that tender sensibilities of the pampered political class must be protected emerged from the school and university communities where “safe spaces” were established for hiding from contrary opinions. At first it was frivolous. A throw-away line. But when adopted by gender-studies majors, antifa warriors and BLM proponents it soon went viral.
Suddenly those feeling oppressed demanded more and more buffer between themselves and society at large. That meant removing free political speech from their reality. Enablers like Trudeau’s pet media weaponized the idea of “hate crimes” against public figures. The Calgary mayor wants to build an emotional moat around politicians.
For those like Gondek, safe space will also mean banning accurate speech that might be used as a weapon against their Wokeness. “If we permit contrary opinions they will be weaponized against us.” As in, you’re feeding secrets to the enemy.
The descent into Wrong Think and the entire Orwellian state control of thought needs only the occasional Moose McDavid to fuel its ambitions. As witnessed by this psycho-drama taking precedence over the threat of a global energy crisis or the ruling Liberals once again interfering in RCMP investigations they have the government-supported Media Party marching to their priorities.
To them, language is now as lethal as an AR-15. To paraphrase the old axiom, Ain’t that a bitch?
Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster (http://www.notthepublicbroadcaster.com). A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada’s top television sports broadcaster, he’s a regular contributor to Sirius XM Canada Talks Ch. 167. Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft YearsIn NHL History, , his new book with his son Evan, was voted the eighth best professional hockey book of by bookauthority.org . His 2004 book Money Players was voted seventh best, and is available via http://brucedowbigginbooks.ca/book-personalaccount.aspx
2025 Federal Election
Will Four More Years Of Liberals Prove The West’s Tipping Point?

The 1997 political comedy Wag The Dog featured a ruling president far behind in the polls engaging Hollywood to rescue his failing ratings. By inventing a fake war against Albania and a left-behind “hero”— nicknamed Shoe— the Hollywood producer creates a narrative that sweeps the nation.
The meme of hanging old shoes from the branches of trees and power lines catches on and re-elects the president. In a plot kicker, the vain producer is killed by the president’s handlers when he refuses to stay quiet about his handiwork. The movie’s cynicism over political spin made it a big hit in the Bill Clinton/ Monica Lewinsky days.

In the recent 2024 election the Democrats thought they’d resurrect the WTD formula to spin off senile Joe Biden at the last minute in favour of Kamala Harris. Americans saw through the obvious charade and installed Donald Trump instead.
You’d think that would be enough to dissuade Canadians who pride themselves on their hip, postmodern humour. But you’d be wrong, they don’t get the joke. Wag The Carney is the current political theatre as Liberals bury the reviled Justin Trudeau and pivot to Mark Carney. If you believe the polling it might just be working on a public besotted by ex-pat Mike Myers and “Canada’s Not For Sale”.
As opposed to Wag The Dog, few are laughing about this performative theatre, however. There are still two debates (English/ French) and over three more weeks of campaign where anything— hello Paul Chiang—can happen. But with Laurentian media bribed by the Libs— Carney is threatening those who stray— people are already projecting what another four years of Liberals in office will mean.
As the most prominent outlier to Team Canada’s “we will fight them on the beaches…” Alberta’s premier Danielle Smith is already steering a course for her province that doesn’t include going to war with America on energy. She asked Trump to delay his tariffs until Canadians had a chance to speak on the subject in an election April 28. Naturally the howler monkeys of the Left accused her of treason. She got her wish Wednesday when Canada was spared any new tariffs for the time being.

Clearly, she (and Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe) have no illusions about Carney not using their energy industry as a whipping post for his EU climate schemes. They’ve seen the cynical flip in polls as former Trudeau loyalists hurry back to the same Liberal party they abandoned in 2024. They know Carney can manipulate the Boomer demographic just as he did when he called for draconian financial methods against the peaceful Truckers Convoy in 2022.
Former Reform leader Preston Manning is unequivocal: “’Large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government, no matter who leads it.’“ So how does the West respond within Confederation to protect itself from a predatory Ottawa elite?
Clearly, the emissions cap— part of Carney’s radical environmental plans— will keep Alberta’s treasure in the ground. With Carney repeating no cancellation of Bill C-69 that precludes building pipelines in the future, the momentum for a referendum in Alberta will only grow. The NDP will howl, but there will be enough push among from the rest of Albertans for a new approach within Canada.
In this vein Smith even wants to approach Quebec. While it seems like odd bedfellows the two provinces most at odds with the status quo have much in common . “This is an area where our two provinces may be able to coordinate an approach,” Smith wrote this week. That could include referendums by the middle of 2026.
Perhaps the best recipe for keeping the increasingly fractious union together is a devolution of power, not unlike that governing the United Kingdom. While Westminster remains the central power since 1997, there are now separate parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that put power closer to the citizen, so that local factors are better recognized in decision making.
With so little uniting the regions of the country any longer, devolution might provide a solution. What form could decentralization take within Canada? A Western Canada Parliament could blunt predatory federal energy policies while countering the imbalances of Canada’s equalization process. Similar parliaments representing Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, Ontario and B.C. would protect their own special interests within Canada. Ottawa could handle Canada’s international obligations to defence, trade and international cooperation.
While the idea is fraught with pitfalls it nonetheless remains preferable to a breakup of the nation, which four more years of Liberals rule under Mark Carney and the same Trudeau characters will likely precipitate. Smith’s outreach case would be the beginning of such a process.
None of this would be necessary were the populations of Eastern Canada and B.C.’s lower mainland remotely serious after snoozing through the Trudeau decade. The OECD shows Canada’s 1.4% GDP barely ahead of Luxembourg and behind the rest of the industrialized world from 2015-2025. As we’ve said before the Boomers sitting on their $1 million-plus homes are re-staging Woodstock on the Canada Pension and OAS. As with Wag The Dog, they’re not getting the joke.

When the Boomers award themselves another four years of taxapalooza and Mike Myers and the other “Canada Not For For Sale” celebs head south to their tax-avoidance schemes how will the Boomers say they’ve left Canada better off for anyone under 60? We’ll hang up and listen to your answer on the TV.
Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada’s top television sports broadcaster, his new book Deal With It: The Trades That Stunned The NHL And Changed hockey is now available on Amazon. Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years In NHL History, his previous book with his son Evan, was voted the seventh-best professional hockey book of all time by bookauthority.org . His 2004 book Money Players was voted sixth best on the same list, and is available via brucedowbigginbooks.ca.
Bruce Dowbiggin
Are the Jays Signing Or Declining? Only Vladdy & Bo Know For Sure


If that name sounds familiar, Teoscar was a Toronto Blue Jay from 2018-2022. He pounded 121 homers in the span as part of the Jays’ order. But when Toronto decided it needed bullpen help he was traded to Seattle in 2022 for pitchers Erik Swanson and Adam Macko. While Swanson has battled injuries and Macko is no-go, Hernandez keeps pounding the ball.
In his one year in Seattle he had strikeout problems but did hit 26 homers with 93 RBIs. In the winter of 2023-24 he signed as a free agent with the aforementioned Dodgers. Batting behind Shohei Ohtani he launched 33 homers and 99 RBIs. He won the All Star Home Run Derby. His key hit in Game 5 of the World Series propelled L.A. to the title. The stacked Dodgers liked him enough to give him a three-year, $66 million contract.
Why are we telling you this? Because the Blue Jays also started their 2025 season at home, matched against the Baltimore Orioles. And while there are reasons to believe the Jays will not replicate their 74-win disaster of 2024, there remain the old bugaboos of injuries and pitching. In the four games against the division rivals they need to beat, Jays’ pitching gave up 24 runs while scoring 18—nine of them in one game.
The splashy acquisition of 40 year old HOF pitcher Max Scherzer has already gone sideways as a bad thumb has put him on the IL. The new stopper, Jeff Hoffman, was rejected on medical grounds by two other teams before Toronto’s money made him healthy. The rest of the bullpen— a disaster in 2024— got off to a rocky start with Orioles hitters playing BP against them. They’ve already DFA’d one pitcher and called up two more from the minors. The re-made pen performed well in Game 4, but how it holds up in their next 158 games is a mystery.
On offence, while their rivals in Boston and New York added sexy pieces to their rosters the Jays were only able to acquire veteran switch-hitting Baltimore slugger Anthony Santander. More typical of their other signees is ex-Cleveland 2B infielder Andres Giminez who in 2023 had the lowest average exit velocity of all AL batters (84.8 mph), and led the AL in percentage of balls that were softly hit (21.7%). He does play a slick second base.
The winter story line for the Jays offence was what to do about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, the erstwhile star-dust twins who were— along with Cavan Biggio— supposed to guarantee titles when they emerged in 2019. Biggio is gone, so the other two carry the credibility of the management team of Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins. From the outside the Jays seem paralyzed to act.

While the Jays dithered, the price for players like Guerrero and Bichette soared. Using Juan Soto’s Mets $765 M deal as a yardstick Guerrero turned down a Jays offer of just under $600 M, saying he was done talking during the season. If Shapiro/ Atkins had anticipated the market Guerrero would have cost a lot less in 2023-24. If there is no progress by the trading deadline the Jays will be forced to get what they can in a trade.
Shortstop Bichette— a gifted player who battled injuries in 2024—is likewise up for a new deal. He has started strong in 2025 and would command a handsome return in a trade. He says the Jays are waiting to see what happens with Guerrero first. Having sold the pair for years to their loyal fans, having to trade them will be a massive PR blow. And while Jays’ national audience can be an advantage, having a whole country pissed with you is devastating.
The rest of the secret sauce for a Toronto comeback revolves around one of their hitting prospects taking a step forward. Any/ all of Will Wagner, Alan Roden, Addison Barger or Leo Jimenez can have a job if they show their bats are for real. Otherwise Shapiro and Atkins will hope that Dalton Varsho, George Springer and Alejandro Kirk can find a little magic in their aging bats.
A failure to retain talent may prompt fans to recall that Rogers decided that Shapiro and Atkins, who dumped Teoscar, were worthy replacements for the previous GM who’d walked away. The man Schneider and Atkins were hired to improve upon— Canadian Alex Anthopoulos— has made the Atlanta Braves a dominant team. Since AA moved to Atlanta they’ve won 90, 97, 38 (Covid year), 88, 101, 104, 109, 89 games. They’ve won a World Series and two other playoff series. They won six straight NL East titles before injuries sank them last year.
The Braves have developed young everyday superstars like Ronald Acuńa Jr. who don’t get picked off second base. They have built a pitching staff largely from within, not splashy FA signings. They have swagger without cockiness. They are set for years to come.
The Blue Jays? Since AA left they’ve won 73, 67, 32 (Covid), 91, 92, 89, 74 games. They’ve won zero postseason games while missing the playoffs in four seasons. The players they traded are starring for other teams in the postseason. They are again employing an inexperienced company guy as manager.
While it’s true that the sun can’t shine on the same team every day, Jays fans believe it would be nice if the great orb would find their club as it did back in the 1992/93 World Series days. Instead of the reflected glory of past stars winning for other teams. Patience is thin. And time is ticking.
Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada’s top television sports broadcaster, his new book Deal With It: The Trades That Stunned The NHL And Changed hockey is now available on Amazon. Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years In NHL History, his previous book with his son Evan, was voted the seventh-best professional hockey book of all time by bookauthority.org . His 2004 book Money Players was voted sixth best on the same list, and is available via brucedowbigginbooks.ca.
-
2025 Federal Election22 hours ago
Poilievre To Create ‘Canada First’ National Energy Corridor
-
International1 day ago
FREE MARINE LE PEN!’: Trump defends French populist against ‘lawfare’ charges
-
Energy2 days ago
Trump Takes More Action To Get Government Out Of LNG’s Way
-
Health2 days ago
Selective reporting on measles outbreaks is a globalist smear campaign against Trump administration.
-
2025 Federal Election2 days ago
Mainstream Media Election Coverage: If the Election Was a NHL Game, the Ice Would be Constantly Tilted Up and to the Left
-
2025 Federal Election2 days ago
Mark Carney is trying to market globalism as a ‘Canadian value.’ Will it work?
-
Automotive1 day ago
Dark Web Tesla Doxxers Used Widely-Popular Parking App Data To Find Targets, Analysis Shows
-
COVID-1918 hours ago
Maxime Bernier slams Freedom Convoy leaders’ guilty verdict, calls Canada’s justice system ‘corrupt’