I was blocked by Don Davies for telling the truth about manufactured NDP scandals
Last week, former NDP leader Don Davies stood in the House of Commons to announce a motion condemning "surveillance pricing." The motion was then voted down.
Before writing my recent op-ed on the NDP's manufactured outrage, I did something unremarkable: I quote-tweeted his video and pointed out the obvious. A creepy practice that isn't even happening at in-person stores. Why is the NDP being so dishonest with Canadians? #NeverAviLewis #NotMyNDP
For the sin of quoting a public video and asking a legitimate question, Don Davies blocked me.
Let me be clear about what is actually happening here:
New Democrats are once again manufacturing a scandal out of thin air. They want you to believe that grocery stores are using digital price tags to spy on you and raise prices in real time based on your personal data. It makes for a great fundraising email. It is also not real. As The Provincial Times has thoroughly documented, this practice does not exist in brick-and-mortar retail in Canada. Not one example. Not one store. Not one price tag.
But the NDP doesn't need reality when they have vibes. Avi Lewis—now there's a name that will haunt this party—bombed his first presser so badly he had to prevent his own, much more qualified, MP from speaking, all while warning us about "spying price tags" that exist only in his imagination. This is what the NDP does best now. Not policy. Not housing. Not affordability. Manufactured outrage about things that aren't happening.
Which brings me back to Don Davies blocking me:
Don Davies blocked a constituent and a member of the press for quote-tweeting his public video with mild criticism. Not threats. Not harassment. Not profanity. A simple statement that his party is being dishonest about a non-existent practice.
If your feelings are so fragile that this constitutes a blockable offense, you should not be a Member of Parliament. The job requires engaging with Canadians who disagree with you. It requires defending your record. It requires a spine.
Don Davies has none.
He was, and I do not say this lightly, the worst leader of any New Democratic Party in Canadian history. And that is saying something. Think about the list. Alexa McDonough. Jagmeet Singh. Thomas Mulcair. Dominic Cardy. Andrea Horwath. Even the ones who failed had something. A principle. A fight. A moment of courage.
Davies has given us nothing but whiny, thin-skinned cowardice disguised as progressive activism. He cannot handle a single tweet. He cannot handle a constituent asking an honest question. And he certainly cannot handle the fact that his party's new signature issue is a complete tall tale.
The NDP used to be a party that fought for working people, now it fights for the right to feel persecuted by imaginary price tags. And when you point that out, Don Davies will block you.
Canadians deserve better than an MP who confuses his Bluesky block list with a policy platform.
To all reading this, I hope your morning is going well!
My best,
— Will Adams
Editor, The Provincial Times
