Posts Tagged by Canada
Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan
| 3/26/2009 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan, Canadian News |
This week, as we’ve done all too often since 2002, Canadians received and honoured more war dead from Afghanistan. Sitting at the Legion prior to heading to the bridge I heard the question asked that is asked so often there: “Why are we there? Those people have been fighting for thousands of years, we’re not going to change them”‘
The speaker knows we are there as part of our commitment to both the UN and NATO and in part as a friend and ally of our American neighbours. He, like thousands of other Canadians, want some understanding that this mission isn’t just about our soldiers dying in numbers greater than our allies. It’s an extremely valid question as we prepared to go to the bridges to honour four more fallen Canadians, a total of eight in just three weeks.
One thing we need to remember that makes the NATO mission in Afghanistan different from past wars in that country. We are not fighting the Afghan people, we are fighting FOR the Afghan people. We are fighting to allow them to form a free society with a democratic government. It will not likely be exactly as we have but that is ok, they are different culture to us. Freedom can translate many ways. (more…)
Cooler Heads Need to Prevail in Trade Issues
| 2/3/2009 | Posted by Patti under economy |
OK, so US lawmakers have slipped in some “buy American” provisions into the stimulus bill that President Obama is trying to get passed into law. I expect that the people who had those provisions put into the package had the best of intentions towards the thousands (millions?) of Americans currently seeking work or on the verge of losing jobs.
In many ways the policy makes a lot of sense, when the people closest to you are hurting, why wouldn’t you want to move to give them a hand up? In fact, it is a bit hard to believe that any government wouldn’t have that approach as a first line of purchasing, buying from domestic sources if at all possible or even if it might cost the taxpayer a bit more in the long run. After all those firms don’t only pay taxes, they employ people who pay taxes.
I am inclined to think that the bigger problem the Americans might be taking on is determining what is ‘buying American’ in a global economy where American firms have moved production offshore to cheaper locales thus reducing their American workforce. (more…)
Budget Time Approaching
| 1/24/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
All eyes will be on Ottawa for the next few days leading up to Tuesday’s budget reading. It’s been a bit of an odd path to this budget. First we had an election that Harper called because he claimed that Parliament had become dysfunctional, which was true but largely because he and his people chose to make it so.
During that election, Harper either was blind to the fact that an economic tsunami was bearing down on the world or was deluded enough to actually believe that it would miraculously wash itself around Canada while engulfing our largest trading partner, the USA. He belittled the opposition when they spoke of the need to take immediate measures to offset the coming storm. He did note however that the stock market meltdown that was underway did provide some excellent buying opportunities. He didn’t seem to notice that those losing their shirt to create those opportunities, included Canadians.
More out of an inability of Dion to present himself as a viable alternative to Harper than anything else, Canadians, that is the 49% who decided to turn out to vote, once again gave more Conservative candidates their vote. Basically we gave what appeared to be the lessor of several evils the benefit of the doubt. (more…)
Obama Takes the Reigns
| 1/23/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics, World Politics |
I started this post yesterday but my site went down, then I had to go to work and time shifted by until yesterday’s post is now today’s. c’est la vie!
Well, the world watched as Obama took the oath of office to become the 44th American President. I don’t normally follow American politics beyond the most basic information. The Americans are after all, the next door neighbour to my own country and what happens there has an effect on Canada. Do I hang on their every sneeze, no, as small as our little boys in Ottawa are, they are the ones who truly impact my life.
I watched fascinated and almost unable to believe what I was watching as the first black American took the reigns of power. I’ve said it before in these pages, I never ever thought it would be possible for that to happen in the USA of all places in my life time. This man is a man like no other, of any colour. (more…)
Murder Charge Debate
| 1/6/2009 | Posted by Patti under General |
The new year started off with a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan being charged with second degree murder in the death of an unarmed presumed insurgent during a battle in Helmand province that took place in October. Captain Robert Semrau, a member of the Operational Mentoring Liaison Team who train and work with the fledgling Afghan army was charged Dec. 31st. He’s in custody and being returned to Canada where he will face a hearing to determine if he will remain in custody until his case is heard.
We all need to remember that Captain Semrau like any Canadian is entitled to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Until the details of the charges and the alleged incident come out, we don’t need to be rushing to judgement.
Debt Related Deaths
| 1/6/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News |
I’ve been watching the reports out of Quebec about the family that parents allegedly formed a suicide pact after killing their three children. While the husband died, the wife survived and is now charged with three counts of murder and one of assisted suicide.
Having experienced depression myself, I can understand someone reaching their breaking point. I have to stop short of understanding what drives a person not to have enough of the will to survive to reach for help but it is not impossible to understand that depth of depression.
Try as I might, I just don’t understand is what drives a person(s) to murder their children before taking themselves out. A good friend of mine maintains that suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness but I’m inclined to think that the murder of children and/or spouse first has to top suicide as the ultimate in selfishness. I realize that some might see that as ‘sparing’ them the pain of carrying on but the reality is, it is bloody selfish to deprive others of a life because you can’t handle yours. (more…)
Harper’s Election to Lose
| 10/10/2008 | Posted by Patti under General |
You know, two weeks ago, I would have been willing to bet that Harper was going to manage to hoodwink the Canadian people enough to win the majority he has lusted after and that Dion would do well to elect a handful of MPs. How quickly things can change.
Here we are two weeks later, two debates and world markets in a tailspin, it looks like Harper will not get his majority and if the current trend continues, he may even end up where he belongs — in the Official Opposition. The last part is a bit of a longshot but then so was Harper being held to a minority two weeks ago.
Yesterday Harper had balls enough to muse about how “Prime Minister Dion” sounds in an effort to scare people away from that prospect. He needs to be careful, that might start to roll of people’s tongues a lot easier than he wants. At best Dion could only pull off a minority government but would put Harper at minimum into the Official Opposition benches, if we got real lucky maybe not even there. (more…)
One Week Left in Election Campaign
| 10/6/2008 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics, Harper |
Today is the last day of the advanced polls in our election and then next Tuesday is vote day. I’ve not been posting much on the election but have been watching very closely. I tuned into and listened closely to the English language debate last Thursday. I was glad that I did, as it is likely one of the very few times that Harper has been forced out of his ‘bubble’ in this election and it was long overdue.
Until now, Harper has managed to appear only at well staged events with only pre-registered attendees. When the press started to blow the whistle on the fact that Harper was keeping a bubble around him, and avoiding any unexpected outbursts by the electorate who have the right to answers from him, his campaign claimed that it was necessary due to security issues. Yeah right.
Anyways, back to the debates. Harper provided no surprises, he was the smug, arrogant individual he always has been. Talking around every issue put before him and beating hell out of the truth about the other leaders. He was nailed not badly a few times by the other leaders but it rolls off of people like Harper who really doesn’t care when it comes to others.
He’s not wanting to be Prime Minister to see a better Canada, he’s wanting to be PM to alter the country to his liking. For a guy who chose to call an election on a trumped up excuse, one really has to wonder why his party remains the only one which hasn’t produced a platform for the public to examine. What’s he hiding other than the fact that he really doesn’t have a plan beyond wanting to get a majority government. (more…)
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