1/ A Short Thread About Civility and Calling Politicians Liars.
Nice people are sometimes uncomfortable that I call some politicians "liar". And I don't apologize for it.
But I don't call every politician "liar". Only the ones who deliberately tell provable lies and do so
2/ repeatedly. A lie is different from an accidental misstatement. For example, when @michaelaglasgo lied about her church's carbon tax, it could have been a genuine mistake. But she doubled down by telling other lies. And has since been caught in more.
#cdnpoli #abpoli #ableg
3/ When @KayceeMaduYEG is caught lying, he doesn't do the right thing. He just plows ahead. As if lying doesn't matter.
So which is more uncivil: calling out people who lie a lot OR being in a position of public trust and lying to people in the first place?
4/ I think it's important that once a politician is found to lie repeatedly, like @jkenney , we never forget that anything they say could be a lie. We need to always weigh it. Look for lies of omission.
Civil discourse cannot survive if politicians lie all the time. It can't.
5/ So as rude as it might be, when members of @UCPCaucus tell lies, we should be calling them "liar" every time. As long as they think they're getting away with it, they won't stop. So shame them.
If the politician is a lawyer, report their behaviour to the Law Society.