Monthly Archives: May 2021

Sean Hannity on his Fox News show. (Getty Images)

On Fox News the other night, Sean Hannity did a segment on the CDC dropping its rules on outdoor masks.

One of his guests, Judge Jeanine Pirro, led off by saying Biden was just trying to change the headlines away from the border and the recent Colonial Pipeline hack.

The truth is its distraction week for team Biden, she claimed.

And their medical expert, Dr. Nicole Saphier, was also critical of the CDC, saying they should have announced that you could take off all masks, indoors and outdoors.

The CDC is going to have to correct that, she said.

So everybody on the segment started out critical of the new mask rule (which the CDC did later change on Thursday).

But when Hannity brought up the breakthrough cases, the vaccinated members of the New York Yankees who still tested positive for the coronavirus, and said he wanted to know how many people who get the vaccine might still get sick anyway, thats when Dr. Saphier suddenly pivoted. She then started talking like Dr. Fauci, pointing out that the Yankees who tested positive had no symptoms, and that it actually proves the vaccine is safe and effective.

The benefit far outweighs the risk when it comes to getting the vaccine, she said.

She even went farther, saying we ought to just ignore the breakthrough cases.

We dont care we werent trying to get to zero cases, were trying to save lives, she noted.

So even the channel that believes Biden is addled, and that Fauci is one of the elitist lizard people, is spreading the message that everybody should trust the vaccine.

Even Sean Hannitys expert is saying: Get vaccinated.

Although if you listen closely, you could hear the theme music creeping in as she was trying to get that message out but she got it out!

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Ross: Another outbreak of liberal, conservative agreement on the vaccine - MyNorthwest.com

The Tasmanian Liberal Party is set to take majority government, 11 days after the state election, says ABCelection analyst Antony Green.

With thedistribution of preferences still underway, the Liberals are certain to win a crucial second seat in the Hobart-based electorate of Clark.

That gives the Liberal team, led by Peter Gutwein, the 13 seats needed for a majority in the 25-seat House of Assembly.

Green says Madeleine Ogilvie, a former Labor member who turned independent and is now a Liberal, will be elected as the second Liberal member in Clark.

The fifth seat will be won by independent Kristie Johnston.

Ms Ogilvie's election means the Liberalswill hold the crucial 13 seats needed to form majority government, with nine Labor MPs, two Greens MPs and Ms Johnston on the other side of the chamber.

ABC News: Jack Tegg

Another Liberal hopeful, Simon Behrakis, has been excluded in the counting, while Liberal-turned-independentSue Hickey has been defeated in her push to return to Parliament.

Mr Gutwein called the snap state election a year early, when his government was plunged into minorityafter Ms Hickey left the party.

At the time, Ms Ogilvie was sitting on the crossbench as an independent, but two days after the election was called she announced she would run for the Liberals.

Ms Johnston's election will mark the first time an independent has won election to Tasmania's Lower House since the 1996 election of Bruce Goodluck.

Mr Gutwein had committed to resigning if the Liberal Party failed to secure a majority.

On election night, he declared that his party had won the election convincingly, and said it appeared likely to govern in majority once counting was finalised a prediction that will now be realised.

Mr Gutwein said Tasmanians had voted for stability and certainty by giving the Liberal Party a third consecutive term.

"We have laid out a clear plan to secure Tasmania's future, and I thank Tasmanians for showing faith in my government and providing me the privilege of being your Premier and I will not let Tasmanians down," he said.

"We will continue building on our strong economic position, so we can create more jobs and ensure we have the skills and training pathways Tasmanians need.

"This will allow us to continue investing strongly in health, in education and in housing, and to continue delivering our record infrastructure program, which is building better and safer communities."

Despite polling day being on May 1,the Tasmanian Electoral Commission was forced to wait until Wednesday before it could begin distributing preferences in the race.

Continued here:

Tasmanian Liberals have won majority government, ABC's Antony Green says - ABC News

Got a kick out of the Records Left and Right column for CWU professors. Seriously, any professors on the right? Not likely.

I guess its up to us laymen to respond. So this latest professor is blathering about how stupid us Trumpers are for believing the elections were rigged. Why, yes we do! Kind of strange that at 6:31 a.m. on November 4th a dump of 149,772 votes were delivered to the state of Michigan and that 96% of them went to Biden or that at 3:42 a.m. a dump of 143,379 miraculously appeared for Biden in the state of Wisconsin. Both changed the states from red to blue at the last minute.

Then theres the recount in Arizona that Democrats are freaking about. It would seem they should welcome the recount to validate their victory. As inflation sky-rockets, Israel and Iran get ready to nuke each other, immigrants and drugs invade our country at record rates, and gas prices go through the roof, Trump should be looking pretty good for even the most naive of college professors. Oh, and they should be pretty happy that their ivory towers are in Ellensburg instead of some Seattle-like city where their defund the police policies would make them, especially, very ripe for victimhood.

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Letter: Trump should be looking good to even liberal professors - Daily Record-News

Joe Biden may have discovered the secret to time travel. Hear me out. We're currently seeing the Middle East unravel faster than Ilhan Omar's marriage to her brother. We're seeing inflation roaring back like the rash Kat got at Coachella. We are seeing absurd gas prices and a gas shortage. We're at the mercy of criminals trying to shut down a pipeline. And a president who actually did shut one down.

And speaking of - we have a bumbling leader who scares no one, except young women who use herbal essence shampoo. Oh - he'll send a stern letter to our adversaries - as long as its before his 4 PM bedtime.

Unemployment is rising, as benefits keep flowing. Crime is back and bloodier than ever -- we're witnessing shootings and murders like never before. Well, not exactly never before. We have seen it before. In fact - we've seen it all before. It's called...

Clip of parody song: The Seventies, soon well be making another run.

The Seventies, dont you leave home without a gun.

You could try to escape but sorry, theres no gas.

And inflation will leave you, broke on your ass.

Oh no, lets go.

The Seventies, yes were all going to hell.

The Seventies, shouldve voted for Trump.

Oh well, hey!

Its true, we've gone back to the '70s. A ten-year span so awful, we had to create the 80's and the 90's to erase it. On the plus side if this continues we might get another one of these. [Picture shown of Farrah Fawcett] Yea remember that? That was the 70s. But maybe we have! [Shows picture of Caitlyn Jenner on Vanity Fair cover] Seriously, she's this generations Farrah Fawcett. Or Jaclyn Smith. I can't make up my mind. And why should I? She didn't, until a few years ago!!

And by the way, it's not like Im stalking you, Caitlyn, ok? You dmd me first - and then I figure, I should start working my magic on you. And then she ghosts me! And goes on Hannity! I get it you're trans and you still date women! Whatever - but I feel like I was led on. And it kinda hurts.

Just like the 70's. And just like today. The crime. The joblessness. The turmoil of an unstable world questioning Americas resilience, Also - and no coincidence: Joe Biden in DC. Fact is - we are learning a harsh lesson. That progress, and stability, and success - is just one liberal away from disaster. Just one liberal away. Think about that.

Everything great about America can be unraveled by one leftist with some power and a vendetta against America. And we have an administration crawling with them. Take New York.

Rudy Giuliani took a city rife with rampant crime and hopelessness and turned it into the number one global tourist attraction. And then Bloomberg inherited it, and didnt screw it up totally. Then this ghoul [Bill de Blasio] came along. A vile, groundhog murdering idiot so clueless to human motivation that he might actually be from another planet. I think they call it "shaturn."

Hes like a giant lumbering Frankenstein made up of parts from lesser idiots. And it only took one card-carrying anti-American commie to drag the city back down to its worst. Two if you count his wife. So now we have Gotham City but minus the Batman.

But it's not just NYC. It's every city run by Dems. And now it's America. Joe Biden was so nostalgic for those years when he had real hair that he took us back there in a matter of months. It's a pattern: Republicans create the bank account that the Democrats end up blowing like Hunter's backup eight ball. Saddled with the attention span of fruit flies high on crank with IQ's lower than CNNs ratings, libs see the progress made by Republicans as wrong. And therefore an opportunity to experiment. And we are their guinea pigs.

Our jobs, our healthcare, our education system. And it's those experiments that lead to the devastation. It's a cycle. Liberals - like spoiled children - ruin things, which Republicans - like patient parents - fix -- creating a false sense of security that allows liberals to return and ruin them again. I say we put them up for adoption so we can have nice things in the house again. I wonder what the angry white male thinks.

Tom Shillue as Angry White Male: Its like the America I grew up in. Urban decay, crime, inflation, gas lines. Democrats, you make me feel young again.

So can we "time travel" out of this mess? Maybe if we didn't have so many options for entertainment. Back in the 70's we had 3 channels, and two restaurants that delivered. One was Chinese, and the other one was Chinese. We had almost no options for pornography unless you count the sexy Indian girl on the Land o Lakes box. Sometimes we got creative and went to work on the Sears catalog with an eraser.

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We had no choice but to save ourselves. Now it's different. We have Netflix and Hulu. There are 407 ESPN channels. Amazon delivers. And so does your dealer, Kat. Decriminalized pot keeps us ambivalent. And China and Disney+ keep us distracted. The whole world outside could crumble but were too happy binge-watching The Crown.

The question is, for how long. Thank God I still have this. [Shows a picture of Caitlyn Jenner on Vanity Fair cover] Don't worry. I laminated it.

This article is adapted from Greg Gutfeld's opening monologue on the May 12, 2021 edition of "Gutfeld!"

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Greg Gutfeld: Progress, stability, and success is just one liberal away from disaster - Fox News

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The Alabama Independent School Association baseball finals concluded Thursday at Paterson Field with Pickens Academy (Class A), Autauga Academy (AA) and Pike Liberal Arts (AAA) each earning state championships.

Pickens defeated Jackson Academy in a doubleheader sweep, with four players earning spots on the all-tournamentteam.

For coach Rush Hixon and Pike Liberal Arts, capturing his first title at his alma mater was a "surreal" experience for the 24-year-old head coach.The Patriotsswept Bessemer, 6-2 and 12-0,to complete its three-peat and win a fourth trophy in nine years. It also secured a trifecta for Pike, which also won the state's football and basketball titles.

Autauga Academy players celebrate after the AISA class AA state championship in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Autauga defeated Edgewood 2-0 (4-2,5-4) to win the series. (Photo: Jake Crandall/ Advertiser)

Hixon started his coaching career while nursing an arm injury with an American Legion baseball team when he was 17. After stints at Lurleen B. Wallace, Central Alabama and Troy, Hixon was tabbed to fill the shoes of Allen Ponder and the two titles Ponder brought to the Patriots. Hixon was a senior during Ponder's firstseason, and when Hixon was hired, his old coach reached out and told him he was the right fit.

"I reflect a lot at times," Hixon said, "I don't think I'm deserving of a lot of things. ... It's a blessing from God to be in this situation. Not a lot of people get the chance to do it, much less at a place they love and have a lot of pride for."

Walker Stallworth, Jayden Jordan, Skylar Kidd and Scott Taylor Renfroe were named to the all-tournament team.

AHSAA: Winning has followed Alabama's Allen Ponder, including now with Pike Road baseball

STATE SCOREBOARD: AHSAA baseball playoffs: Semifinal pairings, schedule

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In the Generals' case, coach Bobby Carr made a long-awaited return to the diamond and made an unlikely run with a young group.Autauga slid past Edgewood, outscoring the Wildcats 9-6 in two games, leadingto its fifth straight finals and first win since Carr joined the school.

Carr won 11 titles at Edgewood but focused on football upon his arrival at Autauga. His former assistant Scott Tubbs led the baseball team but when he took the same role at Holtville, Carr figured it was time to return to the sport he loves most. A college player and member of the New York Mets' developmental system, Carr spent the past few seasons watching games in left field, itching for a return.

The 2021 Generals featured no returning starters, Carr said. An underclassmen-led group was 9-7 but then won 11 of 14 to eventually top Carr's old school at Paterson Field. Postgame, surrounded by his team, Carr got emotional.

Autauga Academy coach Bobby Carr celebrates with his team after the AISA class AA state championship in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Autauga defeated Edgewood 2-0 (4-2,5-4) to win the series. (Photo: Jake Crandall/ Advertiser)

"They brought a lot of joy back into my life," Carr said, "It was much needed."

Noah Ray was one of four Generals' on the all-state team, which included Will Traywick, Josh Palmer and John Gabehart. Edgewood's Walker Hall, Alex Johnson and Mitchell Boyd were also honored.

Abbeville Christian (Class A), Southern Academy (AA) and Bessemer (AAA) captured state titles as well.

Macon East's Taylor McKinney against Tuscaloosa Academy during the AISA State Softball Tournament at Lagoon Park in Montgomery, Ala., on Thursday May 2, 2019.(Photo: Mickey Welsh / Advertiser)

REGIONAL SCHEDULE: AHSAA softball regional tournament for Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Gulf Shores and Florence

Macon East was a runner-up in Class AA, dropping two games late to Southern. The Knights had reached the finals for the ninth straight year and hadthree players Taylor McKinney, Breane Morrison and Kylee Smith make the all-tournament team.

Originally posted here:

Pike Liberal Arts and Autauga Academy capture AISA baseball titles, Macon East softball reaches final - Montgomery Advertiser

Imagine, I tell a friend in Philadelphia, that Camden is launching rockets at you across the Delaware.

It is night time here in Israel, on a Wednesday in which the country finds itself, yet again, in an all too familiar standoff. I field messages ranging from concern to accusation as I share what is happening here and why. I tend not to let widely circulated tweets or Instagram posts speak for me. Instead, I offer my own understanding. Some bring bizarre and irrelevant challenges into my private messages such as, But have you ever dated a Muslim woman? Others are disgusted by me. Others engage in demanding but beneficial dialogue, wanting to learn. Save for one person, all are Americans. On the phone with my friend in Philadelphia, I suddenly find it surreal (and a little frustrating) to have to graft the violence here onto towns and cities they are familiar with in order to make the terror palpable, if only in their imagination.

Over the weekend, the onslaught of infographics shared about Sheikh Jarrah on social media gave me hope that my American friends were paying attention and educating themselves and that, when the time for retaliation by terrorist factions in Gaza began, theyd stand with Israel too. I was wrong. As soon as Hamas began dispensing rockets from Gaza into neighboring cities, reaching as far as Tel Aviv, my feed went silent. Why? Why was I not seeing the same fervent condemnation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad as I was seeing about colonialist, apartheid Israel?

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The clue, in part, is the ideological activism that has become all but ubiquitous in colleges and universities and within liberal circles of friends of mine in America that has come to damaging conclusions about who is included under the intersectional umbrella. As postmodernist thought pervades social justice circles, all nuance is stripped away in favor of clean explanations that are not suitable for the chaos of conflict. The idea that power is the only thing that mediates human relationships means that one party must be the oppressor, and the other oppressed. Its easy, sitting comfortably from afar, to see the conflict in this way. No bomb shelters for my friend in Philadelphia. No heartbreaking imagination from their toddlers that the rockets falling around them are only dragons. The ideology put forth belies the complexity of the region and its many messy, violent chapters. Understanding that its not entirely warranted to apply brash certainty when discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict takes time, effort, context, and lots of reading.

Most dont care for that, instead defaulting to the reductive oppressor/oppressed binary popular in social justice circles today. Viewed through this lens alone, people run with narratives that are juicy, immediate, and satisfying. But these neat categories almost always do more harm than good when we talk about a situation that confuses, terrifies, and angers. Furthermore, the use of hyperbolic language like apartheid, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, etc. only seeks to deaden distinctions, obfuscate meaningful points, shut down debate, or downplay complicity on both sides.

These circles share hierarchies of what is considered good, and embrace a playground view of the world in which everyone can be divided into bullies or bullied all of which borrows heavily from allegorical and religious thought. In recent years, a dispassionate observation is favored less than pure feeling, and in this way the adherents to this ideology, in their telling silence, have amplified age-old condemnations of the Jews.

Consider why it is that Israel must always think twice about restraint. No other country would accept or stand for what is happening here, nor would they show their antagonists mercy or warn innocent civilians before airstrikes. Countries like China, Russia, or the United States seem to wield special licenses to show force with impunity in a way that would be, and is, geopolitically dangerous for Israel. So why the double-standard?

It would seem that the same people who wondered how Jews could just march into the gas chambers without fighting back are the same people, decades later, who cry foul that Israel and the Jewish people have too much power and a country to boot. Compounding the insult is the tired suggestion that weve learned nothing from the Holocaust, and that there is zero moral distinction between Zionism and Nazism.

As of this writing, over 1,200 rockets have been fired into Israel indiscriminately, injuring and killing Jew and Arab alike. That does not sound like helplessness or powerlessness to me. But the pains some of my friends and acquaintances are taking not to agitate the new orthodoxy is somehow more astonishing.

Those on the left constantly promote themselves as moral arbiters of social justice. Yet when the innocent lives are Jewish ones, there is a general silence that bespeaks a sinister subtext, namely: They have it coming to them. It should be obvious to say, Terrorists launching rockets against innocent people is wrong, and yet, it is not being said at least not out in the open to their followers on social media.

What is disturbing about the willingness to draw the intersectional line at Jewish lives is that, in private, liberals message me saying they are afraid to say what in every other situation would be obvious to say for fear theyll be cast as pariahs canceled, threatened, or ostracized by friends for stepping outside of an approved narrative that Israel is evil and has no right to defend itself.

Honestly, Id have more respect for Americans who are ignorant about the situation to simply shut up. But if they want to insert themselves into the debate, then theyd better be ready to not only condemn what is happening in Sheikh Jarrah, but to also condemn rocket attacks and mob violence in Israel. If your outrage doesnt extend past innocent Palestinians to innocent Jews, our idea of human rights are not the same.

Originally from Philadelphia, Royee Zvi Atadgy currently lives in Israel where he attends the Shaindy Rudoff Creative Writing program at Bar-Ilan University with a concentration in fiction.

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What I don't see: How liberal silence for Jewish lives shows progressive limits - The Times of Israel

There are growing calls for an investigation into the Liberal Party's and Premier Peter Gutwein's handling of allegations surrounding Braddon candidate Adam Brooks, with the Tasmanian Greens confirming they would refer the matter to the state's integrity commission.

Just an hour before declaring the polls on Friday, Mr Gutwein announced Mr Brooks would not take up his seat in the state's house of assembly after being charged by Queensland police with being in possession of a handgun, unauthorised explosives and false driver's licences.

Mr Brooks is in Queensland, where he has been bailed to appear in court after he was visitedby police on Wednesday.

He has said he will seek legal advice and would defend himself against the charges, and is seeking mental health treatment.

Mr Brooks had also been facing allegations that he misled two women he dated online, which he has denied.

Last month, Tasmania Police said theyintended to charge Mr Brooks with an ammunition storage offence, an allegation he will also defend.

ABC News: Luke Bowden

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said her party would refer the Adam Brooks case to the Integrity Commission for investigation.

"Exactly what was known about Mr Brooks' alleged conduct ahead of, during, and in the days after the election needs to be investigated," Ms O'Connor said.

"There are very real concerns about whether he was a fit and proper person to be standing for Parliament. What did the Premier know and when?

"Tasmanian voters did not have the full picture on Election Day. They still don't today."

ABC News: Laura Beavis

Labor's Michelle O'Byrne said it was an 'appalling fiasco' that must be externally investigated.

"Peter Gutwein must come clean and explain exactly what he knew about the allegations and when he first found out and why he chooses to believe Mr Brooks," Ms O'Byrne said.

"This goes straight to the credibility and nature of Peter Gutwein as leader. He has shown that he is prepared to accept anything to use Adam Brooks his money and his votes to win government."

Independent Nelson MLC Meg Webb said the Liberal Party and Mr Gutwein were "squarely in the hotseat" over the handling of the matter.

"Either their preselection processes are so inadequate that blatant red flags were missed, or they were fully aware of the existing issues associated with Mr Brooks and put him forward as an endorsed Liberal candidate anyway to garner electoral advantage," Ms Webbsaid.

"Incompetence or cynical political self-interest which was it?

"It's all very well to say it was up to the voters of Braddon to make an assessment of Mr Brooks, but it was his preselection by the Liberal Party that put the voters in that position.

"Is the Premier telling Tasmanians that when it comes to future Liberal party endorsed candidates it's a case of 'buyer beware'? That's simply not good enough."

Independent Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest, whose electorate covers much of the Braddon area, said Mr Gutwein needed to explain what he knew about the allegations and what inquiries he made into them during the campaign.

Ms Forrest said the Premier needed to implement a process to ensure a similar situation did not occur in future.

She said the likely delay in the return to parliament, caused by the need for a recount to fill Mr Brooks' seat, would further push back much-needed scrutiny of the government, as well as the work of important parliamentary committees that have been put on pause.

When asked for a response, one of the Premier's advisors pointed to comments made on Friday morning, in which Mr Gutweinsaid that he was first made aware of the Queensland charges by Mr Brooks in a phone call on Thursday evening.

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Tasmanian Greens and independents want external probe into allegations against Liberal candidate for Braddon, Adam Brooks - ABC News

Liberal MPs believe an early election is increasingly likely after Josh Frydenbergs well-received third federal budget, but much will depend on Australias COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

Mr Frydenbergs big-spending, big-deficit pandemic-response budget included $17.7 billion for aged care, up to $1080 in tax relief for low and middle income earners, and billions for more childcare, mental health services, and prevention of domestic violence.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg poses for photos with budget papers before delivering his post-budget address to the National Press Club.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

While some Liberal MPs The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age spoke to expressed disquiet about the budget they called Labor-lite for its spending on social programs, there was broad acknowledgment that such spending could be justified during a pandemic.

The 12 Liberal MPs who agreed to speak anonymously - so they could offer a candid assessment of last weeks budget - broadly agreed the Morrison government would not need a third budget this term to put it on an election war footing.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that he is a full-termer which would mean a poll held as late as May 2022. Early in the year, when the Labor Opposition was in the doldrums, there was a growing expectation in Liberal ranks that the Coalition could go to an early election. However the Brittany Higgins rape allegations and other scandals put paid to that thinking, at least temporarily.

But with the budget designed to cauterise political wounds and put the government back on the front foot, there is growing optimism a poll could be called to capitalise on the governments waxing political fortunes.

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It was a very good week. Labor didnt lay a glove on us, theyve got nothing to latch on to. You could see it on their faces [in the Parliament], a senior member of the ministry said.

Opinion has now pulled back on us needing another one [budget]. The thinking was it would be May 2022, now its February-March or maybe even October-November. But vaccination is the other big part of it - we have to get the roll out right and that will be the focus from July until the end of the year.

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Liberals believe early election more likely after well-received federal budget - Sydney Morning Herald

MONTREAL Wearing a headset and a look of practiced indignation, Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin began her media availability Friday trying to convince everyone that her government hadnt just backed down. Despite a deliberate filibuster by our Conservative colleagues, Liberal members of the heritage committee were finally able to share the social media amendments to Bill C-10 while respecting parliamentary privilege, Dabrusin said.

Nevertheless, behind Dabrusins statement was an obvious concession. After weeks on the receiving end of ire from Conservative MPsas well as academics, legal experts, columnists and free-the-internet activiststhe government was making changes to a bill it hoped would update the Canadian Broadcasting Act for a world increasingly dominated by digital platforms.

Bill C-10, the federal Liberals effort to bring Canadas broadcasting rules into the 21st century, has sparked a firestorm of criticism from Conservative MPs, legal scholars and business leaders who see it as an assault on free speech and a travesty of big-government overreach. But those voices are notably English Canadian; in Quebec, it has been much more positively received. The provinces politically influential cultural sector backs the bill, which is in part an expression of the anxiety of a francophone community about an increasingly online world with English as its lingua franca.

Youd think legislation on the countrys broadcasting rules would be about as compelling as a Corner Gas rerun. In the Liberal telling, Bill C-10 seeks simply to promote and make discoverable our artists, our stories and our shared experiences, as Dabrusin put it. The government wants these services to pay into Canadian media funds, as well as make YouTube and other music streaming services to futz with their algorithms in order to up the discoverability of Canadian artists. No, Justin Trudeau doesnt want to regulate your cat videos.

And yet Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has somehow ended up on the wrong end of a debate that has seen the Liberals accused of a full-blown assault on free expression in Canada and of running the most anti-Internet government in Canadian history.

Those accusations have by and large come from English Canada. But to understand how we got here, you have to understand Guilbeaults efforts to address the concerns of the countrys broadcasters and cultural institutionsspecifically those in his home province of Quebec. And, you have to understand Justin Bieber.

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Quebec Ink: With Bill C-10, Quebec sets the Liberal agenda on Big Tech - The Logic

The New Brunswick Liberals introduced proposed legislative amendments Tuesday that would see the province follow the lead of Nova Scotia and switch to a program of "deemed consent" to organ and tissue donation.

Right now, New Brunswickers may give their consent for organ and tissue donation when theyapply for or renew their medicare card, by checking the appropriate box.

The idea behind the Act to Amend the Human Tissue Gift Act is that every New Brunswickeraged 19 and over, who is not exempt, would be considered for organ and tissue donation, unless they opt out.

"Today, there are over 140 New Brunswickers waiting for transplants," said Opposition Liberal health criticJean-Claude D'Amours, whointroduced the proposed legislation,also known as Avery's Law,in honour of AveryAstle, 16, who died after a crash inMiramichi in May 2019.

Avery'sparents wanted to donate his organs andtissues, including his blue eyes, butwere told no one from the specialized donation team, which is run by Horizon Health Network, was available to retrieve his organs.

"The stress [people waiting for transplants]and their families go through waiting to receive word of a positive match is extraordinary," said D'Amours."Anything governments can do to improve tissue and organ donation will be received with great relief and renewed hope.

"For all of these New Brunswickers, as represented by Avery Astle and his family, we urge the Higgs government to move forward with our amendments."

Health Minister Dorothy Shephard did not respond to a requestfor comment.

Dr. Jeff Steeves,president of the New Brunswick Medical Society, andKurtis Sisk, chief executive officer of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick, issued a joint statement, applauding the amendments and urging all political parties to support the switch.

"We need to reduce barriers to organ and tissue donation," it said. "Simply put, organ and tissue donations save lives."

Seventy-nine per cent of residents surveyed by Narrative Research indicated "they are likely to support presumed consent organ donation law," according to the joint statement by the groups that have advocated for the change. The total number of residents surveyed was not provided.

"According to the New Brunswick Organ and Tissue Program, approximately 347,000 New Brunswickers (46 per cent) have indicated they wish to be a donor. Another 279,000 (36 per cent) prefer not to donate, leaving 140,000 (18 per cent) as unknown. We can do better."

In April 2020, then-health minister Ted Flemmingtold CBC Newspresumed consent for organ and tissue donation was "well worth considering."

He had asked Department of Health officials to get a copy of Nova Scotia's bill and "examine its potential" for New Brunswick, he said. No findings have been released.

The Liberals propose a registry be establishedto record consents or refusals under the act.

New Brunswickers would register a decision to consent to donateall or some of their organs and tissues what's known as express consentor opt out of donation.

Those who do notregister a decision will still be considered a potential donor, with a few exceptions. Under the proposed legislation, their decision will be deemed to have been given, so-called deemed consent.

"Research indicates that moving to deemed consent in New Brunswick has the potential to improve the lives of 80 more New Brunswickers who are waiting for organ and tissue donations annually," said D'Amours.

Liberal Leader Roger Melanson said it's "just the right thing to do."

His party plans to have conversations with the MLAs fromall parties in the coming days to gauge their support, he told reporters.

"If there's a willingness, we can do this quicker, than later," he said."This would be a piece of legislation we'd like to see adopted and get royal assent before we break by the end of June."

D'Amours said he's encouraged by the success of the implementation of deemed consent in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia became the first place in North Americato switch to an opt-out organ and tissue donation law on Jan. 18. The lawexempts children,people who lack decision-making capacity, and adults who have lived in the province for less than a year. Families will still have a final say at the bedside.

Nova Scotia was prepared to see the five to seven per cent of the population opt out, based on the experience ofWales in 2015. But thehead of theprogram is cautiously optimisticthe new presumed consent law is being embraced after only about one per cent of the population chose to opt out 10 days afterthe law was implemented.

A total of 250 Canadians died while waiting for a transplant in 2019, according to the most recent figures compiled by Canadian Blood Services, the Liberals said in a news release. That's an increase from 223 in 2018.

Another 4,419 Canadians were still waiting for transplants at the end of 2019, the figures show.

The World Health Organization reports that in jurisdictions with opt-outlaws and where consent is presumed, donation rates are 25 to 30 per cent higher than in those countries requiring explicit consent.

Wales, Spain, Croatia, Chile, France and Portugal are among many nations that have presumed consent systems.

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Liberal bill on organ donation would create system of presumed consent - CBC.ca