Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy

I note that Kai Nagata of “I’m-not-a-CTV-corporate-whore” fame has released a new video this morning on behalf of The Tyee and the Tides Foundation accusing Ezra Levant and Kathryn Marshall of “pimping” Canada out for money as it sells oil to the US and China.

Here it is:

Whatever you think of the video, Kai is being an activist for his organization, and he’s raising awareness for his arguments. The pimp charge is quite something, as Kai himself is “pimping” (by his own definition) for the interests on the other side of the development/environment debate.

Cue media “pimping” from Glen McGregor of the Ottawa Citizen who promotes the video:

McGregor, according to a deep Infomart search, has never written about the Tides Foundation and their connection to the Tyee.

Meanwhile, McGregor took interest in another video made by those “pimps” for smaller government over at the National Citizens Coalition:

He didn’t exactly gush over our video though. Instead, he went on the attack, focusing his attention on the messenger who would dare hold Bob Rae to account for his record (we didn’t call him a pimp or a ho — perhaps this was the problem?). McGregor wrote,

While there is amazing synchronicity between the NCC and the CPC, the notion that the Tories would fund a home-made YouTube clip does not compute, given that the NCC has no trouble raising money on its own.
 
During the spring election campaign, the NCC raised $168,960 in contributions to advertisements, according to its third-party advertising return filed with Elections Canada.
 
But the NCC appears to have held on to the bulk of this money for, uh, later use. The return shows the NCC spent only about 29 per cent of the money it took in. So, Election 41 was something of a cash bonanza for the NCC.

Now, I actually like Nagata and McGregor well enough personally. However, if advocacy is pimping… declare it up front.