The Legion in the Community
Life is busy, isn’t it for most of us. November and December are two of the busiest months in my year. Remembrance Day (Nov. 11th) is the most important day of the Legion year. At the same time we start taking applications for Christmas hampers. Intertwined in there, I have to show up at the [...]
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New Immigrant Guide Book
It isn’t often I have much positive to say about Harper and his gang of thugs behaviour in Ottawa. I’ve now found a second positive thing to talk about from this government, not bad in four years. The first, for anyone who thinks I have never liked anything about them is his apparent commitment to renew and rebuild our Canadian Armed Forces. I always hated the constant cuts previous governments had engaged in.
This second item has just been released, the updated study guide for new immigrants. I’ve looked through the guide and am pleased to see it, to me, provides a broader view of Canada, its past, values, and society in general. It talks about some of the more painful aspects of our past, explains our structure of government, our attachment to the Monarchy as part of that government, the military etc.
There have been criticisms that the guide doesn’t mention the environment nor does it depict women as being a presence in the country. Both of the criticisms are legitimate, neither of them surprise me. This government would like to ignore the existence of both the environment and the need to protect it and the equality of women. Harper has shown repeatedly that if not for political pressure to have women involved, he’d like a boys club around him and for the most part there is.
The Bloc strongly objected to the new guide. What a shock, a bunch of traitors allowed to sit in the House of Commons not liking something that is relevant to the rest of Canada and speaks truth about Quebec. The Bloc objects to Quebec being treated mostly like a province within Canada. I realize the Bloc thinks the axis of the country goes directly through their collective butts, it must be shocking for them to see it doesn’t.
The guide does acknowledge and state that Parliment passed a motion in 2006 recognising the Quebecois as a nation within a united Canada. That still leaves Quebec as a province within Canada. I might think that Ontario is pretty special but it is still a province within the country.
The Bloc also objects to the recognition of the Queen as our head of state. They claim that the monarchy doesn’t resonate in Quebec. Too bad dudes, if not for her ancestors you would not have your claims to culture and language in Quebec or any where else in Canada. It was the King’s approval of the Act which guaranteed the French their language, religion and culture after the French defeat on the Plains of Abraham which means the rest of Canada has been putting up wtih Quebec’s spoiled brat behaviour for years. Get over it boys.
I listened to a member of the Bloc being interviewed on CBC’s Power & Politics podcast yesterday. He was also objecting to the First Nations being presented as one of the founding peoples of Canada. Let’s see, the Bloc has their nickers in a knot because Quebec isn’t given greater prominence but they are objecting to the First Nations, who were here long before the British and French being recognized as equals?
In some parts of this great land, that would be considered rather racist.
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Karzai’s ‘Win’ Leaves Much to Be Desired
So, despite widespread fraud, Karzai has won as the President of Afghanistan. I realize this is a country for which democracy is barely starting to take root, clearly those roots are extremely fragile. Old ways are hard to break from but they can be broken from. Just seems to be me, his declarations to the contrary notwithstanding, Karzai has neither the will nor the fortitude to actually start dismantling the culture of corruption which permeates his governance.
He’s not alone on the world stage for leading a country rife with corruption. What draws my attention to his behaviour is that Canadians are fighting and dying in that country in an effort meant to stabilize the country and bring peace to its people.
Anyone who has read this blog knows that I not only support our troops, I support their mission. That being said, I have to admit to some doubts about the effectiveness of Canadian troops continuing to die at a rate higher than most other forces when the man who should be most inclined towards doing everything in his power to make sure it succeeds gives tacit if not direct support to the corruption which impedes the effective governance needed to attain and maintain peace.
The Canadian Parliament has mandated an end to the combat mission in Kandahar to take place in 2011. Initially, I was not terribly supportive of that end date. To me, you define the mission and stay until the end of that mission, not some line in the sand end date. However, in the next year I’m going to be watching closely for some indication that Karzai is making some effort to clean up his act. I don’t hold out much hope to be honest but, hope springs eternal eh.
If Karzai doesn’t have the fortitude to take the stands that are needed and to act decisively to establish good governance in his country, his leadership will never be accepted by the people and should most decidedly not be accepted by the international community.
There are neither clear nor easy answers in Afghanistan but I think this much is clear. Canadian troops should not be surrendering their lives after 2011 if the very people they are fighting for wont fight for themselves.
What do you think?
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