For many years you could not stand in a grocery store check-out line without your eyes falling on tabloids, like the National Enquirer, and the Weekly World News. They had huge eye-catching headlines, like "Queen Banishes Charles!" or "Elvis Lives!" 1/20

Or "Queen Sends Camilla to the Tower!" or "Bat Boy Cooperates With Investigators in Murder!" All absolute loads of codswallop. All of it. And you wonder who is buying this twaddle and reading it... 2/20

Presumably people who have no F*ing clue how things work. England has not had a true absolute monarch since King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. Yes, the monarch did have significant power after that for several centuries... 3/20

But even Henry VIII had to convince his advisors and the Lords of his court before he could actually do anything. The modern monarchy is a constitutional monarchy. The Queen cuts ribbons and visits the sick. 4/20

She can't go around yelling "Off with his head!" and expect anything more than some sort of geriatric appraisal. She has some power, but it is soft power. She can try to influence the prime minister of the time one way or another. She can address the country and urge things. 5/20

She cannot "banish" anyone. Like any mother and grandmother/great-grandmother, she can use disappointment and disapproval to steer the family, but she can't have any member of the royal family arrested, put in irons, or sent into exile. 6/20

People who believe that crap clearly have no idea of how anything works. It doesn't work the way they portray it in tabloids. It just doesn't. 7/20

And so, I wonder... When Pierre Poilievre tried to start a scandal to impugn the federal government about a "secret palace" being built on taxpayer money, did he think Canadians were stupid? 8/20

Did he think people would believe there was some mechanism in our governmental system that would allow treasury funds to be diverted to build a mansion on National Capital Commission land without anyone knowing about it? 9/20

That's not how anything here f*cking works! The National Capital Commission is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of all our official residences, including Harrington Lake, as well as many other historic sites, owned by the people of Canada. 10/20

They inspect structures and make recommendations. They have a budget that is overseen by a non-partisan committee. This committee decides which restoration projects will go forward at what time. The PM or PMO has little to no influence in this. 11/20

The one exception being Harper who refused to move out of 24 Sussex Drive to allow for remediation of mold, removal of asbestos, and much needed upkeep. His refusal has rendered one of our official residences uninhabitable. 12/20

This is why our Prime Minister and his family are living at Rideau Cottage now, a much smaller home on the grounds of Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General. 13/20

The repairs at Harrington Lake were identified and flagged for construction work while Harper was PM. No doubt, Pierre Poilievre, who was in Harper's cabinet, would know this. As would Canadian media outlets. 14/20

But, for a few moments, they carried the secret palace torch for the CPC. At least, until the juicier WE "scandal" came out. 15/20 https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/if-harrington-lake-is-everyones-house-then-ill-see-you-all-there/

It is actually really offensive that the CPC is playing us for rubes here. Anyone can google Harrington Lake and find the NCC site that explains the work that needs to be done to preserve the 100+ year old structures. It has nothing to do with the current PM. 16/20

This residence is intended to be occupied by whomever is PM, in perpetuity. Harper spent a lot of his summers while he was PM at Harrington Lake. He once said he wanted to retire there. 17/20

And yet, today, with the complete exoneration of the Liberal Government and WE by independent forensic auditors of any wrongdoing in the CPC generated "WE Scandal", they are going back to the secret mansion theory. 18/20

Seriously. The CPC is inventing stuff. They are the boy who cried wolf. All they want is to get into power. And they don't care what lies they have to tell or rules they have to break to get there. 19/20

As Canadians, we must ask ourselves, are we gullible? Are we weak-minded? Do we really want a party with no scruples whatsoever running our beautiful country? I say NO. The CPC can get stuffed. I hope we reduce them to non-party status next election. It's what they deserve. 20/20