Why most polls about public support for the Emergencies Act aren't worth shit.

It's depressing that this even needs to be written, but over the last while, numerous right-wing Canadian "media outlets" howled with glee over the alleged unhappiness with the federal government invoking the Emergencies Act to clear Ottawa's downtown core of fake truckers and fascists. The problem is that those polls were founded on relentless lies reported about that three-week occupation, guaranteeing that the answers were going to be absolutely fucking worthless.

Consider the numerous blatant falsehoods "reported" about the occupation:

1. It was peaceful. (It was not.)
2. It was lawful. (It was not.)
3. It was protected by the Charter. (It was not.)
4. It involved just a bunch of freedom-loving patriots with hot tubs and bouncy castles. (It was far more than that.)
5. An agreement for the occupiers to leave was imminent. (Not even close.)

So given all of the above, what is the possible value in asking a question like,

"Given that the 'Freedom Convoy' protest in Ottawa was peaceful, legal, protected by the Charter and that an agreement for the occupiers to leave the city was imminent, do you think Justin Trudeau invoking the Emergencies Act was completely fascist?"

Well, shit, if you phrase it that way and accept all of the premises, hell, even I would agree that the government went way over the line. But the premises are complete bullshit, which means the surveys are equally worthless. But this is what we are dealing with these days -- "media outlets" that lie relentlessly month after month, then publish idiotic surveys based on people finally accepting those lies.

Tune in next week when Brian Lilley asks, "Given that the Nazis never actually murdered any Jews, is it possible history is being too hard on Hitler?"