Fake News?
On June 4, 2004 one or more pictures like the ones shown here appeared on the cover of every major newspaper in Canada. The older gentleman on the left of each of these photos is my father. At the time he was 83 years old. The incident depicted took place at a Stephen Harper rally in Guelph, Ontario. The story, as reported in each and every paper, identified my father as a thug who took a swing at a 58 year old protester in the audience who represented the group Canadians for Equal Marriage. The National Post claimed that my dad had poked the protester with the stick. People were calling for him to be arrested. The result was to paint a picture of Harper supporters as homophobic and violent. Not a single reporter made an effort to get the story right. In fact, none of them even bothered to learn of my father’s identity. No need. They got the story they wanted the public to hear. The truth of the matter is that the stick belonged to the 58 year old protester who was w