👤 By Shawn J. ¦ Founding Editor, Calling Out Community
✒ Posted May 5, 2016. Updated May 10, 2016
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Last Thursday, May 5, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, left me speechless – for the very first time.

For on that Thursday, for the first time since the federal election held on October 19, 2015…

…I almost caught a glimpse of him being Prime Ministerial. 

That afternoon, he stood up in Parliament to address the devastation caused by a tremendous wildfire burning totally out of control outside of the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta – home to nearly 80,000 people.

Oh sorry, I meant to say that it was home to 80,000 people.   

Aerial view of devastated Fort McMurray. Not a house standing for blocks around (Credit: SkyNews)

The devastation is beyond comprehension, almost Biblical in proportion.  I like many have been thinking that this soon would be over and people would go home.  But they won’t – neighborhood after neighborhood has been flattened.  And I didn’t learn that on CBC or Global – I had to hear the report on SkyNews today from Great Britain on my Roku.

My heart has been very heavy the last 48 hours.  As a near-20 year resident of Northern Alberta, I have watched in horror and grief as the “beast” of a forest fire has hit the city of 80,000 head-on, already destroying over 1,600 buildings, according to Global News as of a week ago – with the potential of literally wiping the city off the map.  When the police and emergency officials declared a mandatory evacuation of the ENTIRE CITY – with images on the highway of tens of thousands of people fleeing for their lives last-minute, I realized that this was not like anything Canada has ever seen before.

(May 10 Update – 2,400 buildings have been destroyed, about 15% of the city.  that would mean over 13,000+ are homeless if the majority of the burned buildings were houses.  “Notley said that nearly 90,000 evacuees have registered with the province online and more than 30,000 have settled in the Edmonton area, with 5,000 in Calgary and 2,000 in Lac La Biche. Many others have not indicated their location.”)

That afternoon, Trudeau announced a few initiatives to help the devastated city of Fort McMurray – the biggest being a dollar-for-dollar financial matching program with individual donations made to the Canadian Red Cross Alberta Fired Appeal.  As of that speech, $11 million had been raised, turned into $33 million by the matching promises. Ottawa has also given $2 million to the Red Cross so they can more quickly set up a HQ in Fort McMurray.

(May 10 Update – Red Cross raises $60 million and counting – the largest fundraising campaign in their history, though this includes corporate donations not qualified for government matching)

It’s got to be the biggest Ponzi Scheme of them all.  I give a dollar to a charity that is running the show like a mob boss. They even have the government giving them $2 million to set up shop in the area – they have no local presence.  Local groups like the Food Bank and United Way get ZILCH though they’ll do 80% of the work.  Once I give my dollar, both Alberta and Ottawa will give them another dollar each – also of MY MONEY.  What a racket the charity business is.

This Prime Minister started his soliloquy  today and at first he reminded us of what Canadians are all about, giving a bit of a David vs. Goliath theme – how we can stand together and rise up and hold each other and support against this giant against us….

Ugh, it started to quickly get emotionally exhausting, condescending and annoying so quickly.

Then it even started to gnaw at me a bit. He had talked about going door-to-door canvassing in Fort McMurray before the October 2015 election and ‘now some of those doors will be gone.  It was a wistful, fond memory.

That sounded a little fake.

And he started to manifest this very familiar and annoying habit of pausing. Dramatically. For. Effect.  It’s his ‘tell’ – its how you know…

…He’s full of crap.

Now something was bugging me.  so I went to Google.  Yep, as I suspected.  Fort McMurray had one federal riding in the October 2015 federal election:

Fort McMurray-Cold Lake

Trudeau wasn’t remembering the great memories on the campaign trail from voters he met door to door.  The Liberals got their asses handed to them by Harper’s man in Fort McMurray.  In fact the Conservatives got more than TWICE the number of votes of the 2nd place Liberal.

So this was all just crap.  And maybe, just maybe, all his lack of action thus far was…. revenge?  Oh, please say its not so.

Rona Ambrose, Opposition Leader gave a very brief and heavy-hearted speech, as a resident MP in Northern Alberta.  It was intensely personal and when she broke down at the end and began to cry, I wept with her.  And the entire House gave her a standing ovation.

Then Prime Minister ‘Me Too’ Trudeau walked across the aisle and HUGGED her. It was so political – it was not Canadian, it was not classy, it was not subdued – it was, however, totally awkward and flashy.  Like watching a high school kid from band class try to hit on a cheerleader.

Then it hit ne like a punch in the gut.  He thinks this is high school again.  NO WONDER his brilliant ideas sounded like something from a student council.  He thinks he’s campaigning for Prom King! 

Dear God, set us free of this moron.

I changed the channel.

I thought I saw a glimmer of him being Prime Ministerial today.  NOPE – just something on my glasses I guess.

Rona Ambrose meets local officials at one of the many erasure shelters. Credit: Rona Ambrose Facebook page)

May 10 Update – Opposition Leader Rona Ambrose visited the fire region Monday, May 9, in spire of the fact the Prime Minister announced he would not be going there as it would be unhelpful.  Today, suddenly his office announced. he’ll be there Friday.  Chalk one for Ms. Ambrose’s positive peer pressure!)

So nice of you to show up now, Justin, but no one cares anymore.)