麻豆传媒映画

When Burnaby NOW reporter Kelvin Gawley showed up to a press conference hosted by the People鈥檚 Party of Canada - with party leader Maxime Bernier 鈥揾e was told he couldn鈥檛 take part.

Gawley was greeted on Thursday with the tired Trumpism 鈥渇ake news鈥� by a PPC supporter, who said the NOW couldn鈥檛 be part of the presser.

Now, this was weird behaviour because just a couple of weeks before, the PPC contacted me and asked if Bernier come to our office on Thursday to meet with the editorial staff.

I said sure because we鈥檙e open to all of the candidates and parties running in the Burnaby South byelection.

That statement might surprise PPC supporters because many of them think the NOW is somehow against them. I have written some blogs critical of PPC candidate Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson, but I鈥檝e also written opinion blogs critical of the Conservative, Liberal and NDP candidates during the campaign. 聽with Kennedy Stewart.

But as far as our news coverage goes, Gawley has devoted extensive space to the PPC in a fair manner. My blogs are opinion pieces.

But the PPC supporters can鈥檛 seem to tell the two apart so when they were organizing the Bernier event on Thursday, the NOW wasn鈥檛 on the PPC鈥檚 鈥渇avourites鈥� list of media outlets.

But Gawley went anyways and was told he couldn鈥檛 come in. However, another PPC representative saw Gawley and did invite the NOW to take part, which led to our story yesterday .

Sigh.

It鈥檚 exhausting dealing with such childishness.

Personally, if the PPC doesn鈥檛 want us to interview Bernier then that鈥檚 their loss. You don鈥檛 want coverage, fine. That鈥檚 your prerogative. The NOW will always have stories to write about.

But I鈥檓 glad more sensible heads prevailed.

Bernier is a skilled politician who also has some disturbing views on many topics, such as immigration.

Which is why he draws support from people like 麻豆传媒映画resident Sherolinnah Eang, who was interviewed by Gawley as she cheered Bernier鈥檚 arrival.

Apart from admitting that she has never voted in the 45 years she鈥檚 lived in Canada 鈥� nothing to be proud of 鈥� Eang said Bernier is 鈥渧ery similar to President Trump鈥� in both policy and personality, calling both men honest (yikes!).

Eang also whined about how her freedom of speech was compromised because she can鈥檛 freely express her love for a certain American president.

鈥淚 love Trump, and I'm afraid to express that,鈥� she said.

Eang said people swore at her when she wore one of U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 signature campaign hats with his slogan: 鈥淢ake America Great Again.鈥�

To Eang, I say that you have the freedom say whatever you want, but people here have the freedom to tell you they hate your opinion.

Same as people have the right to yell at me about my opinion pieces in the NOW (which happens a lot).

That鈥檚 how our society works.

What Eang seems to want is the freedom to never be challenged on her views. Well, that鈥檚 not going to happen 鈥� especially when her views support a racist like Trump.

The byelection is on Monday and I hope every eligible voter exercises their democratic right to vote.

Once the dust settles, things will gear up for the full federal election this fall, which means many months more of childishness to come.

Good times.