Advocate called bully by government

Chester Gillan says Pate is bullying the government

On Friday Trisha Clarkin, President of the PEI Council of the Disabled, asked Social Service and Seniors Minister Chester Gillan. ‘When will the Province return the $1 million funding to the DSP?’

The King of Denial gave a response that will go down as best non sequitur of the DSP scandal. Chester told her that he was ‘not going to be bullied by Stephen Pate.’

I nearly fell off my chair laughing. Then I was overcome by a wave of guilt. Imagining myself as Chester sees me: the school yard bully all 180 lbs in a wheelchair up against the weakling Province of Prince Edward Island with its $1.1 billion budget, ten thousand employees, etc. I quickly saw the 800 lb gorilla is not me.

‘Oh please don’t bully me anymore Stephen’ cries Chester in fright. ‘I’m so all alone and blue, with no one to talk to. It’s tough having ‘you people, you handicapped people’ picking on me.’

The absurdity of the comment can easily be seen. While I am repeatedly bringing up Chester’s sins of omission and commission, I am not bullying. I wrote him an email to explain.

Dear Chester

Trisha Clarkin said you believe I am a bully. I looked it up in Wikipedia and here’s what it says.

‘… bullying often describes a form of harassment perpetrated by an abuser having more physical and/or social power and dominance than the victim possesses.’

Chester you have size, social power and dominance over me.

If anything I am a social gadfly,

‘a term for people who upset the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions, or attempt to stimulate innovation by proving an irritant.’

Socrates was a gadfly, although I consider myself neither philosopher nor a person of any historic importance. Am I an irritant? Well one would hope so, otherwise you and the government people like you will keep on abusing the poor, the weak and the downtrodden. My role is a classic one.

In the modern parlance Chester, I am a social advocate which includes

‘the act of arguing on behalf of a particular issue, idea or person. Individuals…and governments can engage in advocacy… Advocating for an idea can include a wide range of subjects as broad as social justice. For example…advocacy… can include writing letters to the editor, contacting political representatives, organizing community meetings, distributing public education materials, participating in a public protest, or other means to communicate one’s views for the purpose of policy and social change.’

It’s a classic job defined over centuries. If you are sincerely bothered by what I do to help Islanders with disabilities, I will stop right away, well right after you fix the problems. That could be real soon if you get going. Let’s work together to make PEI a better place for Islanders with disabilities.

However if you are bothered by the use of free speech to expose problems within the Disability Support Program, I am sorry you don’t like democracy. I’m not sure what form of government you would like but most people on PEI won’t back you on that one.

Instead of being intransigent, please get working on the DSP problem. You’re going to have to do it sooner or later. There used to be a slogan from Winter Works “Why wait for spring, do it now.”

Yours truly
Stephen Pate