I took a walk over to my LCBO store yesterday afternoon, and I was pleased to see that Doug Ford's order for the removal of American alcohol is being implemented with dispatch. Below are two pictures I took, the first of the American Whiskey section, and the second of the shelves formerly housing California wines.
Needless to say, I left the store quite heartened.
Oh, and one more picture. Yesterday seemed to be a propitious day to display my allegiance.
UPDATE: I love this:
Special Note: I won't be commenting today on the imposition of American tariffs, but I hope the following puts American madness into proper perspective.
Last week I posted about the craven response many corporations are having to the Trump push to demonize Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. The majority, both in the U.S and Canada, are clicking their heels and shouting "Aye, ready aye" to the MAGA fiat to disempower traditionally underrepresented people in the workplace. An unseemly abuse of power, it reflects the American tradition of finding witches in their midst and dispatching them to metaphorical dunking chairs and pyres.
From comments I received last week, some see these programs merely as corporate-imposed dictates, a kind of performative politics that ultimately mean little. Indeed, it has been alleged that they have been wielded as a cudgel to advance the agenda of certain groups. While there may be elements of truth in that, DEI programs have much to commend themselves.
David Olive writes:
DEI is simply the enlightened business practice of creating workplaces whose diversity of talent and backgrounds helps make enterprises more productive, responsive to customers, and profitable.
But U.S. President Donald Trump regards DEI as “woke,” or unduly sensitive to marginalized people, and has banned DEI programs in his administration, claiming they are “radical” and “wasteful.”
Olive goes on to make reference to corporate obeisance to Trump by Canadian companies like Shopify, as well as sponsors now pulling out of Pride Toronto sponsorships, including Nissan Canada.
Many, however, have rushed to defend DEI.
...major Canadian corporations including Loblaw, Magna International, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Brookfield Asset Management have kept their DEI practices in place.
And a deeper dive by David Olive reveals the value of such programs:
What is DEI?
In their hiring practices, organizations that adopt DEI values recruit employees of diverse backgrounds. Managers are trained in DEI practices of celebrating diversity.
Managers’ pay is tied to achieving DEI goals that commonly include promotion of women and minorities. DEI enterprises purchase from Black-owned and women suppliers.
And DEI organizations use their financial resources to support marginalized groups in the wider society from which they draw their employees, customers and suppliers, including the LGBTQ+ community, Indigenous Peoples and people with disabilities.
Advocates of DEI regard it as a set of tools for creating a sustainably successful enterprise. That means maintaining “safe” workplaces where employees are protected from sexual predation and racist behaviour.
Such enterprises build employee loyalty and suffer less turnover, boosting productivity.
Corporate quislings responding with such alacrity to the madness from the U.S. risk compromising their businesses.
“Inclusive workplaces drive innovation, enhance productivity, and increase profitability.”
“Companies that turn away from inclusion risk alienating talent, stifling innovation, and exposing themselves to long-term harm.”
Add to that the disgust many Canadians will feel over a corporate lack of spine in this arena, especially in these times, when the Americans are seen more as foe than friend. Companies would therefore be well-adivised to proceed with extreme caution and eschew the frightened-rabbit response so many sadly seem prone to today.
The U.S. always touts itself as the greatest country in the world (if not in all of history). The nation bruits its achievements, its pool of talented citizens, its democracy (now it rapid decline) amongst its stellar achievements. However, one thing the nation lacks is any perspective or context outside its own self-proclaimed greatness, while the rest of the world has known, or is coming to know, the real state of nudity in which the emperor parades.
I was thinking about this last night as I watched the news. Each evening, Canadian channels warn of the hard times ahead should Trump's tariffs come into effect. However, frequently a counterbalance is offered through stories about how the American threat has affected the Canadian psyche, reflected specifically in our buying habits. Stories abound of angry, insulted Canadians cancelling travel to the U.S., along with their grocery purchasing choices - more and more Canadians are shunning, whenever possible, American products and buying more local and Canadian goods, When the latter is not possible, they are selecting non-U.S. products.
In Canadian grocery stores, United States-grown produce is wilting on the shelves. Local executives are scouring wine lists over dinner to avoid ordering California pinot.
“It speaks to an awareness — and an intention to vote with their wallets,” said Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute. A survey of 3,310 Canadians by the Vancouver-based research firm last week found that 85 per cent of people plan to replace U.S. products with alternatives. Nearly half of respondents said they would change their travel plans to avoid the country.
Canadian airlines also have begun to scale back flights to the U.S. in anticipation of falling demand.
“One thing we can do is not give our dollars to the United States right now,” said Curtis Brown, principal at Winnipeg-based Probe Research, which found in a recent poll that more than six in 10 respondents are planning to avoid vacations to the U.S. Brown said his own daughter’s school division recently cancelled field trips to the country.
I don't really need to comment on the debacle in the White House with Zelensky. While the MAGATS will undoubtedly spin this a moment of massive disrespect to the United States, a form of lesse majeste, the real truth is that Zelensky showed what a real leader looks like.
If one ever wanted further proof of the near-absence of ethics and morality in the corporate world, one need look no further than their rapid dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. Since the policy has been denounced by Trump and his MAGA cult, corporations seem to be in a race to prove their discriminatory bona fides to the Orangutan-in-Chief so as not to lose government contracts or, in the case of publicly-funded entities, operating grants.
Amongst the notable sellouts are Pepsi and Coca-Cola, Disney, Citygroup, Morgan Stanley, PBS, Amazon and Google. One of the notable holdouts, and I applaud them for their integrity, is Costco, which recently has been threatened with legal action for their refusal to bow to tyranny.
I am sorry to report, however, that the noxious reach of American authoritarianism and exclusion now extends into Canada. Irene Galea writes:
Nearly 400 technology leaders have signed an open letter that condemns Shopify Inc. for cutting diversity programs and urges Canada’s tech ecosystem to protect equity, inclusion and diversity efforts amid a rollback of support for marginalized groups by influential companies and leaders.
The letter, published Monday morning, warns against the growing influence of unelected and unaccountable business leaders who “prioritize profit over people,” and calls on Canadians to uphold the values of inclusion that are being challenged in the United States.
Now comes word that the Pride Festival in Toronto is being compromised, again as a result of corporate cowardice.
Pride Toronto says three large corporate sponsors have pulled their funding from the festival this year in a move it says is connected to a backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the U.S.
Kojo Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto, said on Wednesday that the non-profit organization was given a range of reasons by the three companies for their decisions to end sponsorship. It was told in the last couple of weeks that the companies have either experienced a "shift in mandate" or they do not have the financial resources to continue to support the annual event.
"Every time we lose a sponsor, there is less money that is directed to the festival. And so, it will definitely have an impact on us being able to deliver on the festival," Modeste said.
Who the corporate cowards are is not being revealed,
because Pride Toronto hopes to do business with them in the future, but said two can be described as "gold" sponsors, meaning they provide $150,000 in cash or in goods, and one as "silver," meaning it provides $100,000.
Now, one might say, "Since I never attend the Pride events, why should I care?" One obvious answer is the economic implications of any downsizing or ultimate ending of the event, given what it contributes to the local economy. A 2023 report offers the following numbers:
Beyond that, however, is the attempt to mute, even eliminate, diverse voices in society. The Benighted States, whence this repression emanates, has a long history of intolerance. Racism and bigotry are as American as Mom, apple pie, and baseball. One need only look at those whose voices are being muted by the war on DEI: women and minorities be they ethnic, racial, or sexual.
Canada can do nothing about the ease with which Americans so easily regress to deeply-ingrained, primitive patterns. However Canadians, despite our own often shameful past, now strive as a country for something better, meaning that inclusion and 'wokeness' are virtues, not sins against society.
Corporate cowards supinely submitting to fiats from Don Trump and his disciples are without question unacceptable and truly, profoundly un-Canadian; they should be repugnant to us all.
UPDATE: According to a report in The Globe and Mail, one of the three withdrawing sponsors of Toronto Pride has been identified as Nissan Canada, which
confirmed Friday it is withdrawing, but the other two sponsors have not been identified.
Nissan Canada spokesperson Didier Marsaud said in an e-mail the decision was based on changes to the company’s marketing priorities and budget evaluation for its new fiscal year, which starts April 1.
“Unfortunately, we will not be able to sponsor this year’s event in Toronto, a local decision solely due to a re-evaluation of all our marketing and media activations in a variety of activities to ensure we will efficiently support our new product launches and marketing campaigns coming in 2025,” he said.
Of the 14 companies listed as gold and silver sponsors on the Pride Toronto website, several have already confirmed to media that they will continue to fund the event. These include the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., Tim Hortons Inc., Air Canada, Rogers Communications Inc. and Smirnoff.
The Globe contacted other companies that had not yet confirmed whether they will be sponsors this year. Law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP said it is still participating.
However, Manulife Financial Corp., Bud Light (owned by Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA), The Abnormal Beauty Co., Kenvue Inc., Bubbly sparkling water, Adidas AG and Trojan condoms did not respond to The Globe’s requests for comment.
Canadian observers fear the U.S. backlash against DEI initiatives that followed President Donald Trump’s orders to axe such programming in federal agencies could be seeping across the border.
For my final post (at least for the time being) on The Lost One, I thought it would be interesting to cull some letters-to-the-editor from various newspapers. Given that Gretzky is likely not a man either capable of, or given to, deep reflection, I'm sure Canadians' disappointment and fury are lost on him.
From The Globe and Mail:
Not so great
Re “How Canada’s nearly 50-year romance with Wayne Gretzky came to an end” (Feb. 24): While I admire Wayne Gretzky’s hockey ability, my love of our Canadian boy ended when he wore a “Make America Great Again” hat.
However, his father Walter Gretzky loved Canada and Brantford, and Brantford loved Walter. At the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre this week, there was lots of talk about renaming it the “Walter Gretzky arena.”
Sydnie Crockett Woodstock, Ont.
From The Toronto Star:
Vitriol directed at Gretzky is deserved
I strongly disagree Wayne Gretzky should not be chastised for his support of Trump.
When popular sports figures choose to publicly endorse political figures they can affect the outcome of elections. They are implicitly endorsing the platforms, beliefs and behaviours of those politicians. When those platforms, beliefs and behaviours are self-serving, corrupt and immoral, those popular sports figures should face the unrestrained ire of responsible voters.
Given the recent irrational assault by Trump on Canada, Canadian hockey players in the NHL should keep their opinions to themselves. Play the game, earn your millions of American dollars .
G. Evans, Burlington
How sad to see the uninspired choice of Wayne Gretzky for honorary captain of Team Canada. Was this a deliberate choice for the U.S. to thumb their nose at Canada?
Gretzky? A guy who openly supports Trump, whose wife has posted her support of Canada becoming the 51st state, who has been tagged by Trump with no argument as the guy to be the next “governor” of Canada?
Not to be outdone, Gretzky chooses to enter the ice through the U.S. bench, giving them thumbs up along the way, does not wear the Canada jersey, but instead sports a suit in the U.S. jersey colours, does not approach the Canadian bench to encourage them, does not visit them in the dressing room after the Canada win, but gifts them with red ball caps ambiguously labelled “Be Great.” Which is a reference to what? The MAGA slogan or his own greatness? Either way, kind of pathetic. I lost a lot of respect for Gretzky when he started shilling for sports betting companies on Hockey Night in Canada, but this kind of closes the door on him for me.
A much better choice for honorary captain would have been Hayley Wickenheiser, a star player who is unambiguously Canadian.
Rob McConnell
Winnipeg
Wayne Gretzky’s name and statue stand as symbols of Edmonton’s hockey greatness, but recent actions have shown he no longer deserves this honour. It is time to remove his statue and rename Wayne Gretzky Drive.
We have long celebrated Gretzky as “The Great One,” yet he has turned his back on the country that made him a legend. Rather than upholding the values and pride of Canada, he has aligned himself with the ignorance and misguided ideologies that are increasingly coming from the United States. His presence on such prominent Edmonton landmarks is now an insult to those who truly cherish our nation.
Edmonton has no shortage of heroes who have remained steadfast in their loyalty. Let’s honour someone who truly represents our spirit, rather than a figure who has abandoned it in favour of the nonsense south of the border. It’s time for city officials to do the right thing: Remove Gretzky’s statue and rename Wayne Gretzky Drive.
Ron Boehm, Edmonton
Finally, lest you think The Sad One has no support, there is this 'thoughtful' missive from The Calgary Sun:
Both of Canada’s living hockey legends, Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr, are friends with the 45th and 47th president of the United States of America. Is the level of hatred propagated by those afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome so maniacal that we have lost all sense of reason? I dare the media to try to cancel either one or both of these Canadian icons!
PAT BIONDI
