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“Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those who have had the fortune of being born on some particular spot, consider themselves better, nobler, grander, more intelligent than the living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill, and die in the attempt to impose his superiority upon all the others.”
-EMMA GOLDMAN, Anarchism and Other Essays
Celebrating Canada’s ‘nationhood’ seems a little trite and ephemeral to me. Woo, ethnic cleansing, woo cultural genocide and the rest of the checkered past gets layered under the cheers drunken yahoos happy to have another excuse to get pissed out of their minds while waving the Canadian flag.
Meh.
I choose this day to bring attention to something that Rachel Notley and the NDP Alberta Government chose to do, not too long ago.
“Premier Rachel Notley delivered an emotional apology for Alberta’s failure to take action against the residential school system on Monday and joined a growing call for a public inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women.
The announcement came nearly three weeks after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that almost a century of abuses at residential schools funded by the Canadian government amounted to “cultural genocide.”
Native Canadians have been marginalized and forgotten in Canadian society. We are aware of the stereotypes and misconceptions, but too often we choose to feed them and not try to reform ideas like “the lazy drunken Indian”. News-flash here friends – if people like your own ethnicity had been forcibly removed from their homes, put into schools where abuse and torture were the norm and punished for speaking your native language or performing your cultural practices, your generation – let me assure you – would be pretty fucked up.
Canadians approved of the residential school system and thought *somehow* that the 1960’s Scoop was a good thing.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has finally addressed the issue:
“We were shocked and at times rendered speechless as we learned of the First Nation, Métis and Inuit children forcibly removed from their homes,” Ms. Notley said in the Alberta legislature.
“Although the province of Alberta did not establish this system, members of this chamber did not take a stand against it. For this silence, we apologize.”
A small, but very important first step. The last residential school closed in 1996, so 19 years is way overdue for the government and people of Alberta to step up and recognize the trauma inflicted on our First Peoples.
Hope. For such a long time I have not associated that word with our governance. The apology would have been enough, but Rachel Notley continued:
“I want the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women to come out of the shadows and be viewed with compassion and understanding in the clear light of day,” Ms. Notley said. “The silence that once was, has long since passed. We will not fail these women. Not this time. Now is the time for their voices to be heard.”
I might be persuaded that this government has interests other than the oil/gas industry if this sort of thing keeps up. Of course, switching levels of governance, one can always find the dark cloud to the silver lining; case in point being Stephen Harper and his merry band of shit-lords that happen to be running the Federal Government:
“Prime Minister Stephen Harper has so far rejected calls for an inquiry, saying that authorities are already taking the proper steps to combat the issue and a further inquiry is not necessary.
In 2008, Mr. Harper issued an apology for residential schools and said at the time that the abuses inflicted by the system helped contribute to lasting social problems in First Nations communities.
According to an RCMP report, 206 of Canada’s 1,017 female aboriginal homicides between 1980 and 2012 were in Alberta. The report also noted that 28 per cent of Alberta’s female homicides between 1980 and 2012 involved indigenous women.”
Yah, these fine Conservative individuals need to be voted out of office in the upcoming federal election and a government like Alberta’s NDP that cares about people rather than profit, needs to be installed.
So there ya go.
Happy Canada Day!
It must be a slow news week for JO and the Last Week Tonight Show as they spend a segment describing our Senate expense scandal. Is it surprising that people with access to public funds are behaving irresponsibly, not really – but unlike JO, I think the money spent documenting our free-wheeling senators is a good thing. I believe it sends a small message to our elected public officials that they, like the rest of Canadians, are responsible for their actions.
The clip in question:
Needs more kittehs to improve political image.
Sometimes I think it would have been better if we had actually passed our own Canadian Patriot Act. At least we would have a predictable baseline of oppression of every day Canadians not to mention a political target to take action on. Rather, we have the chaotically raging adolescent security boner the Harper government occasionally plays with and thus leaves me unsure of just when its going to go off and make a mess of things (looking at you bill C-51.)
This latest story of the PM’s own propaganda hacks exposing Canadian soldiers and their families to possible violent retaliation leaves me wondering how to categorize this particular brain-fart properly. Is it the usual arrogance of our PM, safely ensconced in his warm fuzzy blanket of narcissism or is it just the PMO drones slavishly making stupid mistakes?
“Another video showing the faces of Canadian military personnel has surfaced on the prime minister’s website, just days after his office was forced to remove two similar videos that potentially endangered soldiers’ lives.
This time, however, the video seems to have been posted with the approval of the military.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s staff took down two videos shot in Iraq and Kuwait because they risked identifying Canadian Forces members and exposing them and their families to possible attacks.”
You would think that our war loving PM would be a little more in touch with the concept of Operational Security. Opening up our soldiers to retribution because he needs to be seen on the battlefield isn’t exactly the best PR move in the book. This wasn’t rocket science the media that wasn’t a part of the PMO personal propaganda squad had very strict instructions.
“Media travelling to Iraq and Kuwait with Harper were required to sign a five-page agreement pledging to uphold operational security. Among other things, the agreement instructed reporters not to publish photographs that could identify any personnel “who are not designated spokespersons.”
“Publication or inadvertent dissemination has the potential to jeopardize operations and endanger lives,” the document warned.”
So I think we can reasonable rule out ignorance in this case. Hubris and stupidity are making a comeback as far as the reasons for this security breach are concerned.
“CBC News has confirmed the military never screened or approved the 24 Seven videos as initially claimed.
The Prime Minister’s Office admitted it had made a mistake. Rob Nicol, the prime minister’s director of communications, issued a statement expressing regret and promising to review PMO protocols for posting images online.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Tom Lawson also issued a statement, saying that after reviewing the two videos, the military determined they presented only a low risk. But he said they should not have been posted.”
Whoops. Stupidity confirmed. The necessity to provide hate-fap propaganda to the Harper faithful apparently out-weights the risks to the Canadian soldiers in said propaganda. It’s always refreshing to know where your government stands on the safety of Canadians.
“The opposition has been scathing in its criticism of the government throughout the whole affair. NDP defence critic Jack Harris Friday accused the government of being more concerned about “the prime minister’s propaganda” than the safety of Canadian troops.
“They had about four or five different stories,” Harris said, “and they never did acknowledge that they misled the Canadian people.”
I’m completely shocked that the PMO’s office would flagrantly abuse the security of Canadians for political gains. Do keep in mind the lovely juxtaposition of this same government bringing in legislation to spy on Canadians (bill C-51) ostensibly to tighten domestic security and enhance public safety.
Way to lead by example Steve! Keep up the good work, I’m feeling safer already!
Let’s be honest folks, this election win by Rachel Notley and the NDP was completely unexpected here in what has been fortress Tory Alberta for the last 44 years. I watched the election write itself out with trepidation for the first hour and a half, because one can never forget, this is Alberta, and for the longest time you could elect a half a bag of stale nacho chips here as long it sported the Tory Blue colours.
And then it happened. The seat count exploded for the NDP and the Orange Crush never looked back. No Tory Minority, No NDP Minority but… damn son… an NDP Majority government. The missus and I, around 9:30, broke out the Honey-Jack and toasted Rachel Notley and the new political future of Alberta.
I am very glad that we have a new government as of today, the old PC’s by now could be nothing but rife with patronage, cronyism and corruption. Out with the old corruption and all that; hopefully we’ll have a nice long window of reasonable governance before the new wave of graft starts.
It is important for the NDP in Alberta to make good on their promises to the people of Alberta. For the record here are the highlights
Notley campaigned on having the wealthy pay more to fund better health care and education. She’s promised:
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A Resource Owners Rights Commission to review the royalties oil companies pay to the province.
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A boost in the corporate tax rate to 12 per cent from 10 per cent. Increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018. Current wage is $10.20.
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More tax brackets for high earners than the Tories are proposing: a 12 per cent rate on income between $125,000 and $150,000; 13 per cent on income between $150,000 and $200,000; 14 per cent between $200,000 and $300,000 and 15 per cent over $300,000. NDP would also roll back the Tory health levy.
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The creation of 2,000 long-term care spaces over four years.
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A ban on corporate and union donations to political parties.
Well there we go. Let’s hope that we see movement on these issues as early as the new budget that will be coming up
Another thought does occur to me, as I am still processing this NDP win in Alberta: How does this affect the prospects for the upcoming federal election? Is there enough momentum to carry the Orange Crush to the next level – and in Harper’s hometown to boot. I’m thinking the political landscape has become a lot more volatile, not only in Alberta, but in Canada as well.
For once, the polls in Alberta were right.
Somewhat ironic, considering Rachel Notley said “spring is here” last night.
Time for a change in Alberta. Let’s give Ms. Notley a chance.
A link here to the official Elections Alberta site. I’m looking at you younger crowd, ‘unbusy’ yourself and vote this time to make a difference.
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
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