The Sixth Estate

You can understand my surprise upon reading of your attempt to silence an elderly widow of an asbestos-linked cancer victim, Michaela Keyserlingk, using trademark law. The idea that a political party attempts to suppress free discussion of its policies by claiming it has protected status under commercial laws is bad enough. The fact that the party of James Moore, Rahim Jaffer, Dimitri Soudas, Jaime Watt, Bruce Carson, Michael McSweeney, Will Stewart, and Bev Oda has suddenly realized the rule of law actually matters in politics is too self-serving to be credible.

You will note that to the left I have displayed the Conservative Party of Canada’s logo on this page. I have done so without seeking your permission. Oops. Sometimes I use the phrase “Progressive Conservative Party of Canada” without asking your permission, even though that’s a Conservative trademark too. Again, oops. Influence peddling, lying to Parliament, bribery, false libel accusations, and embezzlement are just part of the rough and tumble of politics, but trademark distortion? Oh, my! Heaven help us! Please.

Now, I would like to point out that people who release ads like this one should take a good long pause for reflection before going out and claiming that someone’s misrepresentation of their alleged “trademark” is unacceptable. I’d like to, but the fact that I have to do so in the first place suggests that even this basic a notion of integrity is so sophisticated that it would sail far over your head. You are, after all, apparently happily employed as director of the party which pollutes the Internet with such deceitful filth.

Instead, let me just point out that trying to use commercial trademark law to suppress the free speech of an elderly woman who is justifiably upset that her Progressive Conservative card-carrying husband died of a preventable cancer caused by a toxic chemical your government actively supports and subsidizes is pathetic, despicable, and disgusting. If your party is bothered by the fact that you are associated with the government-subsidized production and export of a cancer-causing fibre whose export is banned in the rest of the developed world and whose use is even restricted here in Canada, there is an easy solution to that, seeing as how your party is the government in question.