Politics about nothing
I think Andrew Coyne is right.
Politics in Ottawa has stopped being about anything important, any serious issues, and is now just sound bites and empty arguments. It’s flat out disturbing.
I vote for politicians because I believe in their vision for the country (or city, or riding). I expect those in government to … you know … govern. Make decisions. Spend money wisely. We can’t all know about foreign policy or health care, so we elect others to learn about those issues. To discuss them. To make choices accordingly.
Coyne is harsh, but I tend to agree with his diagnosis of the current political climate:
Compare the debate going on in the U.S. about health care reform. Sure, it’s messy, even crazy at times. But it’s a debate. Somebody is proposing to do something about an important national issue, based on his deepest philosophical beliefs. And somebody else is arguing against it, based on theirs. And while the leadership of the two parties butt heads over the President’s plan, individual congressmen and senators are drafting their own counter-proposals—actual legislation, on which they will vote; their many votes on various bills compiled into a record; on which they will be held to account at election time.
Nothing like that applies to Canadian politics. It doesn’t matter what ordinary MPs stand for, because all policy is set by the parties. And it doesn’t matter what the parties stand for, because at any given time they generally stand for the same thing, and because whatever they stand for today they will stand for its opposite tomorrow.
It is tempting to describe Canadian politics as a fantasyland. But “fantasy” implies something wondrous and magical, or at least interesting. In that sense, Canadian politics is the opposite of fantasy. It’s like a dream where nothing happens. You’re hazily aware that if something happened, it would violate all rules of logic or common sense. But nothing ever does.
The most positive definition I can offer of politics is that it is people behaving badly for good reasons. But our politics involves people behaving appallingly for no reason at all: there are no stakes, no important values are in dispute, nor is there even much power to be pursued for its own sake, all power (or such little as the federal government has) being located in the Prime Minister’s Office.
It would be a compliment to say our politics was corrupt. At least corruption is a purpose. Whereas to call our politics vacuous is an insult to wastes of space.
It’s very true that not all MPs are power-hungry and without integrity, but there’s enough of them that it has become a stereotype. It’s frustrating that members are pressured to vote the party line rather than stand firmly on their own perspective. I want politicians that I can believe in – because they believe in something and are willing to fight for it. I want leaders who will lead, based on conviction and experience. Though it’s true many Canadians need to engage in the political process, it’s possible that part of the reason they aren’t involved is because of that lack of grounded and responsible candidates.
My generation isn’t very encouraging either. A large portion of people my age seem to feel they are entitled to greatness without working for it. They want the cushy jobs and fat pay cheque, and they want health care and pensions delivered to their doorstep without participating in the process to obtain or improve their benefits. We take so much for granted yet somehow find plenty to complain about.
Again, not all are like this, but enough to be a frustrating trend. I’d like to see young people take more responsibility for not only their own accomplishments and progress, but also for the improvement of their community, city and country. I want us to wake up to the world we live in and, to put it frankly, stop being so darn selfish. I want us to have deeply rooted beliefs, opinions about the world, ideas for change and the guts to do something about all of it.
This isn’t to say I have it all together or know all the answers, but I have absolutely no doubt that my life is more fulfilling and satisfying, not to mention seriously exciting, when I live it for something bigger than myself.
H1N1 rumours
As H1N1 continues to run rampant, so do conspiracy theories … and some ideas that don’t seem so far-fetched. I find it difficult to navigate online sources of information, and I’ve heard arguments both for and against the vaccination from people I trust (including someone who used to work for the World Health Organization, who is against). I’ve also heard that there’s an American patent for the swine flu vaccine from a couple of years ago – though I wouldn’t be able to understand it all even if I had read the application – and that the WHO offered the first vaccine before the first case of H1N1 was diagnosed. If that’s true, there is definitely something fishy going on.
I haven’t been very affected by the chaos surrounding the virus here in Colombia, but it has hit home. My sister wasn’t officially diagnosed, but my parents were fairly certain she had a mild case of it. She recovered quickly and is doing fine now. I know of several other people that had it as well, but recovered without any major issues.
While I have no intention of getting the vaccine, my pregnant sister-in-law (who is a nurse) opted for the shot, as well as my other nurse sister and her husband – but not for their 10-month-old baby.
And then there’s people like the former health minister for Finland, saying things like this:
As much as two per cent of Canada’s H1N1 vaccinations have been thrown out because they have passed their “best before” date, and right now I’m not entirely sure that’s such a bad thing.
So, what’s your take on the “pandemic” and surrounding panic? Are you getting the flu shot or are you staying far away from the long line-ups and crowded clinics?
Remembering
For as long as I can remember, I have been involved in Remembrance Day activities in some way. If I wasn’t in a parade or attending a ceremony, I was watching Parliament Hill events on TV. Every year on 11/11, at 11:11, I was silent for a full minute.
I have two favourite memories from Remembrance Day:
The first was watching my brother play the Last Post on his trumpet in his air cadet uniform at a ceremony in Cornwall. It’s an extremely hard piece to play, and I was so proud of him.
The second was from a couple of years ago when a few friends and I braved the downtown crowd and went to the War Memorial in Ottawa for the Nov. 11 ceremony. There were thousands of people, long parades of uniformed veterans, cannon salutes, poppies everywhere.
It will be odd this year … to not only be at work, but be in class when all of my fellow Canadians back home are silently remembering the sacrifice of all those who fought for our freedom. I think Remembrance Day is an extremely important “holiday”, to honour those who made our country what it is today.
Today I will not be marching in a parade in my air cadet uniform, covering ceremonies for a newspaper article, watching events on TV or even wearing a poppy. But I will remember.
The best country
I am Canadian to the core (despite the title of my last post).
While I am able to see the flaws in some aspects of the nation, I am a firm believer that my home and native land is the best place in the world to live. I am fiercely patriotic and loyal. I take pride in our accomplishments, pray for solutions to our problems, and do my best to follow what is going on at home and abroad.
In my patriotism, I also recognize that other nationalities will be partial to their own countries. I think that is absolutely right and proper. I don’t expect Colombians to think Canada is the best country in the world.
The problem is, they don’t think Colombia is either.
I’ve informally chatted with several students in and outside of the classroom who answer “Estados Unidos” when asked what country they think is number one on the planet.
Now, living as the USA’s closest neighbour probably makes me slightly biased against it, but no matter where I am from I still believe everyone should have faith and pride in their own nation. The fact that many Colombians don’t have that in their country bothers me. It’s not everyone – in fact, one teacher here is extremely patriotic and has mentioned a few times how glad she is to be Colombian – but it’s the young people, those who are the next generation of leaders and business owners and contributors to society. I hope what I have heard is not a representation of the entire demographic, or Colombia is going to have serious issues in five to 10 years when half their employees and students leaves the country.
Colombia has been enundated with products from the United States over the last decade as the two countries strengthened their partnership to fight the drug war here and expand trade. Movies, computers, books, music – so much of the media and consumerism is hugely influenced by America, and Europe as well (France and Germany were a couple of other answers to the question). I understand that, and I can see how that in turn has impacted the young people’s view of the world. But even though Hollywood is sending films with Spanish subtitles to Colombia, it shouldn’t change how these youth view the globe.
It’s true that there are probably more opportunities in North America or Europe than in a nation still working to change the perspective that the only thing here is drugs and more drugs. But I hope this generation of young people realize that they can be a part of that change; they can help to bring more opportunities to Colombia and to make improvements, rather than leaving the problems to others and heading to the United States for jobs and education.
However, if they must head north, they should keep on going and come to Canada. It is, after all, the best country in the world.
Not a proud tradition
The trial of Mayor Larry O’Brien is essentially paused while the lawyer’s arguments for and against a directed verdict are reviewed. The defence legal team is basically asking the judge to throw the entire case out, because even if the charges are true, O’Brien’s actions were apparently not illegal. The attorney said the tradition of politicians giving away appointments to get something in return is a long one and not criminal, and since O’Brien didn’t get a monetary benefit what he did shouldn’t be considered wrong.
The mayor and his wife arrive at the courthouse on Monday.
This frustrates me so much. Okay, even if the judge decides that’s true and what the mayor did wasn’t illegal, that does not make it ethical, admirable, or at all something to be desired. If the trial is thrown out, O’Brien can head back to city hall and resume his position as mayor. Even though the charges were never proven false.
Here’s the editorial the Kourier-Standard published today about this issue:
Patronage: a stain on our democracy
Larry O’Brien’s defence team is trying a new tact: arguing that even if the mayor did what he is accused of, it’s not illegal.
Lawyer David Paciocco says offering political advancement for gain is a tradition that goes back to Confederation and has never been a crime.
If so, it’s not a history we’re proud of.
Sure, there have been plenty of backroom deals, suspicious appointments and surprise promotions over the years.
Whether or not those incidents involved criminal activity is unknown, but even if it wasn’t illegal, it doesn’t mean it was ethical.
Why is the grey area between moral black and whites increasing?
Governing should not be about what our political leaders can get away with before being criminally charged.
They should always be held to a higher standard and more should be required of them. A pedestal is not necessary, but we can’t accept just everything.
Our politicians should obey both the letter and the spirit of the law.
If Paciocco succeeds in throwing out the case against Ottawa’s mayor (the judge’s decision came after our press deadline), O’Brien will probably take the few steps from the courthouse back to his office and resume his position as head of the city.
He can say he was never convicted, and was never involved in any illegal dealings.
But that doesn’t mean the accusations against him are false. It doesn’t mean the offer to Terry Kilrea never existed.
We will still have a mayor that tried to convince an opponent to drop out of the electoral race – even if he didn’t offer a bribe – and often used some pretty crude terms to persuade him.
Those activities, along with all of the other backroom dealings that happen at all levels of government, will remain a stain on our city’s history, and become part of a political tradition of which no one should be proud.
The bar just keeps getting adjusted – and it’s getting lower.
What do you think?
Bridge over troubled waters
The Seaway International Bridge, which connects Cornwall, Ont., to Massena, N.Y., stops on Cornwall Island, which is home to the Akwesasne Mohawk Reserve. The reserve is essentially its own sovereign country.
The bridges have been closed since May 31.
The Mohawk community is protesting Canada’s decision to arm border guards as of June 1. Another bridge crossing near Bellville was closed today as a First Nations group staged a protest in support of their outrage. The Mohawk have a right to voice their concerns about armed officials on what is technically their land. It’s a fair point.
But this isn’t an isolated case. Guards on every crossing across the nation are now carrying guns, not just in Cornwall. Border officials aren’t arming themselves against the Mohawk, this just the new standard procedure. It’s completely unrealistic for the reserve to assume Canada will make an exception for them. There’s enough smuggling in the area already, changing the rules for this crossing will not help. Another thing – the U.S. border guards have been armed for as long as I can remember.
Millions go across the St. Lawrence River at that crossing every year. Those travelling between Canada and the U.S. now have to drive an extra couple of hours to the border at Ogdensburg, N.Y.
Mohawk residents are currently allowed to go between the island and Cornwall, but America isn’t letting them into their country – or if they do enter the States, they can’t go back. I think that’s the right tact. Canada should take a stronger stand, but Cornwall’s city council has already agreed to support the Mohawk’s position.
On a personal level, the closure means my sister and her family in Massena aren’t able to visit my parents and siblings in Cornwall. No more Sunday afternoon barbecues with the whole crew or quick trips to the States to babysit their children. There’s a chance this could go on all summer. This is huge for everyone involved – just read a few comments of outrage on this story.
There’s now discussion between both governments about picking up the entire border crossing and moving it elsewhere, which would obviously require building new customs offices and bridge. Though the Seaway facilities are old and upgrades have been talked about for years, the U.S. is halfway done construction on a brand-new, expanded customs right next to their current centre.
The whole thing is a massive mess. While I can identify with what the Mohawk want, I think their expectations are extremely unrealistic. They need to understand that though their nation is right in the middle of the border, the changes are not about them. This is a nation-wide policy, and they need to get over it. Their protest is distrupting the lives of hundreds of other residents, and it needs to end. Soon.
Erring on the side of life
I read this column by Naomi Lakritz of the Calgary Herald about a week ago and thought it was so excellent, I’ve included the whole thing here for you to read. Let me know what you think.
The past week has been a time of, literally, discussions about life and death. U. S. President Barack Obama talked about abortion when he gave the commencement speech at Indiana’s Notre Dame University. And Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde reintroduced for the third time her private member’s bill decriminalizing euthanasia, which my fellow columnist Licia Corbella wrote about at length on Saturday. The parallels between abortion and euthanasia are striking. They’re both about when–and where along the continuum–it should be legal to take someone else’s life. The short, simple answer before someone trots out all the “yeah, buts” is–never.
Obama, who intends to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which permits partial-birth abortions, called on pro-life and pro-choice factions to find common ground.
Unless pro-choicers are prepared to acknowledge the scientific fact that a fetus as early as four weeks after conception is a human being with a beating heart and brain waves, and not a mere clump of cells whose humanness is relative only to its degree of wantedness, then no common ground is possible.
Obama made some redundant points when he said “let’s make adoption more available” and “let’s provide care and support for women who do carry their child to term.”
Adoption is already widely available through state and provincial governments and private agencies. What really needs to happen is for pro-choicers to stop limiting their talk to abortion when they discuss choice, and start promoting adoption. They need to talk in terms of women choosing life, as in putting their babies up for adoption, not in choosing death by condemning those unborn babies to being ripped apart and consigned to oblivion.
As far as providing care and support for women to see their pregnancies through to the end, there are plenty of pro-life agencies, both secular and faith-based, which are busy doing just that.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel; there is only a need to promote the existence of the wheel so people can take advantage of it.
Obama also made two nonsensical points. The first was when he said “let’s reduce unintended pregnancies.”
Unless “we” are in the room at the propitious moment, handing out contraceptives to an amorous man and an ovulating woman, that is probably not a realistic goal.
The second point was when he urged abortion providers to get women to consider other options. Not likely, Mr. President. Each one of those babies consigned to the aforementioned oblivion means money in the pockets of the abortion providers. When death equals profit, those who make their living from it are not going to sabotage their earning potential by taking the moral high road.
The pro-life slogan has always been “choose life.”
How interesting that the opposing faction never says “choose death” although that is exactly what opting for both abortion and euthanasia entail. Their approach is not so straightforward; they prefer to couch their ideology in euphemism. Lalonde, for example, refers to assisted suicide as the “ultimate compassion.”
But compassion for whom? For the health-care system which saves money by moving elderly patients out of their beds and into their graves more quickly? For the patient’s relatives who really ought to be spared all the messy, depressing, nasty realities of what death is like when it is allowed to take its natural course?
In her lucid moments during her last year of life, my mother would ask: “When can I go home? I want to get out of here.” My brother did not tell her that she would have to go to a nursing home if she left the hospital, because she couldn’t live alone anymore. Instead, he would promise her,”When you’re well enough.” She had dementia and she suffered a lot of pain, but she still wanted to live; she still had hope. She still had her sights set on getting well.
Yet, she would have fit to a T the description of the type of person Lalonde has in mind as a candidate for the “ultimate compassion,” someone who “continues . . . to experience severe physical . . . pain without any prospect of relief.” Who dares to presume that within a patient who does not seem lucid, who is in pain, or who can’t speak, there is no spark of life that burns stubbornly and does not want to be extinguished?
Although Lalonde’s bill comes with requirements for the patient to furnish written requests to die, 10 days apart, or to designate someone else to make such a decision on his or her behalf, as Corbella notes, the Netherlands’ nightmarish experimenting with euthanasia has led to doctors killing patients who never gave their consent.
Life is a continuum and there is no demarcation zone on it where life is more hazily defined or has lesser value. I think if one must err, somewhere, at any place on the continuum, then it must always be on the side of life. Always.
My new hero: Michaelle Jean
Okay, so she’s not exactly my new hero. Despite being primarily a ceremonial position, I think the role of the governor general is pretty sweet.
The reason for being in my spotlight lately is Michaelle Jean’s decision to participate in eating and hunting seal during her trip to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Half the world is up in arms over it, decrying the industry as inhumane and revolting. Someone even compared Jean to Sarah Palin, which I think is unfair and irrelevant. Others are calling her Braveheart and applauding the GG for standing up for what is a way of life for the Inuit.
I’m with them.
This is where my non-animal friendly side comes out. No, I don’t want to see baby seals clubbed to death. But I’d rather that than watch the Inuit lose their livelihood and culture. It’s how some of them survive and a few animal rights groups shouldn’t be enough to stop it. It’s a contentious issue, and I understand why Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t want to take a stance and risk alienating other countries over it.
That’s why Jean was a good person to stand up for it. As an nonpartisan leader, she was able to participate in the seal hunt without putting a political party on PR clean-up duty. The majority of comments I’ve read on the Internet and news stories are impressed a voice of authority has finally spoken out for the Inuit, instead of letting the discussion be dictated by other nations and organizations.
As I blogged about recently, Canadians are often too worried about what other people think to share their opinions. Whether or not people agree with her position, we should be glad Jean decided to firmly take a side in this whole debate. It’s about time someone did.
What do you think?
Twitter and the future of journalism
I love picking up a newspaper and flipping through the crisp pages, scanning headlines, becoming engrossed in a news story or opinion piece.
But I’m also following updates about the mayor’s trial on Twitter and reading liveblogs on Macleans.ca. As I’ve written about before, I think the demand for news is changing, but not abating. Though I don’t always agree with our culture of immediacy and instant gratification, as a journalist I have to keep up with where and how people are looking for information. I think all of the new online tools can be very helpful for media companies, as long as we are not lumped together with anyone that sets up a website and claims to be a reporter.
I’ve created Twitter and Facebook accounts for my newspaper, the Kanata Kourier-Standard, which I try to update every day as well as our website. Then there’s this blog, which of course is always bursting with breaking news and captivating randomness.
I’m trying to stay up with the times, see. I’m still figuring out how to maximize coverage through these online means, while continuing to put a great newspaper in the community’s hands every week. It’s an interesting balance but I’m actually enjoying it. I love my news as quickly as possible, so why wouldn’t I want to provide that service for our readers?
Click here for an interview about a journalism that includes Twitter and blogs, and let me know what you think.
Swine flu test
Go here to find out if you might have swine flu, or I guess I should call it H1N1. Not to be insensitive because I know this is a real problem – Ottawa has seven confirmed cases, by the way - but I thought this was pretty funny.
I think I tend to be on the extreme side of things when global issues like this arise. As in, I have a hard time caring at all. Of course, I feel terrible about the people who have died, I hope they find the cause and I don’t want people to suffer.
But I also don’t freak out about how it could affect me personally. I don’t wash my hands incessantly or quarantine myself. I don’t watch the climbing numbers of confirmed cases or track the disease across the world. I haven’t been to Mexico recently, I don’t know anyone who has and am therefore not going to get anxious about it.
Though seven cases in the city is a big deal, it’s also seven people with minor symptoms out of about a million. I’m not going to expend a lot of energy worrying about becoming the eighth case.
Cheryl