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
Following up on my previous post about the erstwhile 'Great' One, Number 99 himself, it is clear that the odium he sparked by his appearance in Boston as the ceremonial captain of Team Canada is not subsiding. His alignment with the American cause, his affinity for the man threatening our sovereignty, his obvious disdain for his country of birth, have all become part of the backlash directed against him.
Is traitor too strong a word? The Globe's Cathal Kelly has some thoughts:
It started on social media with news that Mr. Gretzky had been booed in some Canadian bars showing the game. That spread to fringe outlets using words like traitor. Which allowed mainstream outlets to use the word in quotes.
By Saturday, the contagion was airborne. Everybody wanted to talk about it, even people who don’t care about hockey. Being less inclined to cultism, they’d had their suspicions for a while.
Kelly suggests the former hockey player could have avoided all of this by doing a few things differently.
He could’ve traded out the suit jacket for a sweater. Sidney Crosby’s No. 87 would have been a nice touch. Showed he isn’t a me-me-me guy.
Emphatic gestures to the Canadian team? Sure. At the very least, don’t be seen encouraging the enemy camp [a reference to the thumbs-up he gave the American team as he walked onto the ice].
Slapped a great, big smile on his face? It gets a bad rap these days, but you can get away with just about anything with a genuine smile. It would have been better than the expression of concentrated neutrality Mr. Gretzky settled on.
His shoddy performance allowed people to see him as he really is.
He’s an other-direction carpet bagger, a golf world hanger-on and a Mar-a-Lago regular. When you see Mr. Gretzky up close now, the first word that leaps to mind is “louche.”
Thursday’s appearance sealed an impression of Mr. Gretzky most have had for years, but did not publicly express. That he’s the sort of guy who got out of here as fast as he could, and never comes back unless it’s to make a few bucks or get his tires pumped.
He’ll show up for any gala dinner, but when his best buddy the President is threatening to annex the country? Oh, you wouldn’t believe how busy he is then.
By his actions and inactions, he has destroyed the mythology that he is a good Canadian living in a foreign land. He has been unconvincing for years, but recent events have sealed his ostracism in the minds of many.
Things were probably irreparable after the first time he was pictured in a MAGA hat, gone full sycophant. But when he would not wear our uniform after wearing theirs, that was truly it.
If you will excuse an uncharacteristic crudeness on my part, Number 99 did a Number 2 on our country. The stench of that act will linger well into the future.
Almost three years ago, I wrote the following about The 'Great' One.:
Gretzky has been dead to me since his shameful, full-throated endorsement of Stephen Harper in 2015, despite the fact that the retired hockey player does not live in Canada and is not eligible to vote here. Indeed, it left many wondering about the number of concussions he had sustained during his career.
Now, there is new reason to scorn The Addled One: his shameful performance as the honorary captain of Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston the other night.
The Star's Damien Cox offers some observations on The Lost One:
The evidence suggests No. 99 and his family are strong MAGA supporters, and Gretzky certainly hasn’t come out to protest the U.S. president’s suggestion that Canada should become the “51st state” with the pride of Brantford as its “governor.”
Gretzky ... is being characterized as a traitor in some quarters.Cox thinks this is unfair in some ways:
... if you’re looking for hockey people to be progressive or loudly anti-Trump when it comes to their views on Canada as a sovereign nation, you might be looking in the wrong place. Gretzky’s apparent right-wing leanings are more consistent with mainstream thinking in the bro culture that dominates the male hockey world than you might want to acknowledge.
Most NHL players are white, aren’t university educated and are more likely to follow social media than read a book. Their business prizes group think rather than individuality. These days, most are also affluent. All of that makes them easy pickings for the tribal MAGA world.
Cox points out that Gretzky is not alone in his disappointing behaviour.
Sure, his silence on Trump’s anti-Canadian comments is disappointing. Just as disappointing as it was when Bobby Orr and Jack Nicklaus came out as pro-Trump. The fact that these revered sportsmen can simply look the other way as forces of hate spread stolen election lies and blame Ukraine for getting invaded is upsetting.
The shame of Gretzky’s pro-MAGA leanings is that he is apparently unaware of the fear and unease Trump is generating in Canada. He would probably be at a loss to explain why Canadian fans booed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 4 Nations tournament.
Like the rest of us, athletes are not paragons of virtue. Nonetheless, when you occupy an exalted position due to past physical prowess, you do have a responsibility, whether your heart is in it or not, to comport yourself with dignity, self-respect, and national pride. By all of these metrics, Wayne Gretzky has failed horribly.
Sometimes, when I look at the rapid devolution of democracy in the United States, I wonder if perhaps I am lying in a coma somewhere, and this is just some elaborate fever dream. A related thought is that if all of this were a movie treatment, it would likely never be produced, given the absurdity of the plot.
In the land of so-called make-believe, both novels and cinema have warned us of dystopian futures, sparked by the rise of a 'man of the people.' There was a 1957 film called A Face in The Crowd, about the meteoric rise of Larry Rhodes, featuring the against-type casting of Andy Griffiths as a demagogue. His character is ultimately brought back down to earth by a "hot-mic."
In a similar vein, but even more menacing, was Stephen King's The Dead Zone, later made into a movie starring Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen.
One cannot watch either of these films without thinking of Donald Trump.
My friend Gary sent me this last evening.
Both of these movies have what might be described as happy endings. While the signs are not good, it remains to be seen whether life will ultimately imitate art in contemporary Amerika.
