MP Gerry Byrne thinks that throwing a pie at a public servant falls within the definition of terrorism. This brilliant suggestion came after Fisheries Minister, Gail Shea, got a cream pie full in the face while speechifying in Burlington, ON on Jan. 25th. Read the Toronto Star article for details. The pie (which was made from tofu and not cream) was delivered by PETA activist Emily McCoy, 37, of New York City who now faces assault charges. Ms. McCoy’s action was part of PETA’s ongoing campaign to end the slaughter of seals, which, alongside the Athabasca tar sands and the logging of old-growth forests in B.C., is one of our great Canadian traditions.
But terrorism? Really? Does Mr. Byrne seriously equate tofu pies with IED’s? We’ve heard this rhetorical abuse before in other contexts, but it pops up with annoying frequency in reference to environmental activists (e.g. Jeff Luers who served 9.5 years of a 22 years prison term). Exaggerated rhetoric like this has two negative consequences:
1. It trivializes the word “terrorism.” It tries to draw associations between the harm suffered by victims of roadside bombings and the poor politicians who have to send their skirt to the cleaners. And it tries to draw the further association between the cultic fervour of religious fanaticism and the principled ethic of environmental activism. Neither association is tenable.
2. It is a classic dialogue-stopper, a chilling tactic, that puts an end to legitimate public discussion. If people had the perception that government actually listened, then acts of tofu pie terrorism wouldn’t be necessary. As it is, with a prorogued Parliament and general flippancy towards the concerns of real Canadians, I’m amazed there aren’t more pies flying through the air.
The surprising thing in all of this is that Gerry Byrne is a Liberal MP, a member of the opposition. I would have expected this kind of nonsense from the Conservatives. What the hell were you thinking, Mr. Byrne?