INSURRECTION INTERRUPTUS

   Rex Murphy: The government conceived of the “Bouncy Castles Revolt,” as the insurrection will be known in future histories, as a perfect cauldron of hate. Justin Trudeau, on Feb. 1, recorded in a tweet that, “Today in the House, Members of Parliament unanimously condemned the antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, homophobia, and transphobia that we’ve seen on display in Ottawa over the past number of days.”
   That’s a whole lot of phobias, almost the entire basket, for even a large convoy. And diversified by antisemitism and racism, by the judgment of the prime minister and his cabinet seneschals, it was probably the most threatening congregation of civic vice this country has ever known. It was to the deep thinkers in Ottawa almost an anti-Woodstock. (Minus the folk singers, which was a good thing.)

   Of course even as this juggernaut of hate was barreling across the country, the House of Commons was in recess. Which has been its abiding state these past two years. The Parliament of Canada has become somewhat “optional” these days, a kind of token add-on. Something not essential to the functioning of our democracy, but there just for the odd touch of comfort, or as an intermittent luxury.