Time to Fix Canada

"I am a Canadian. Canada is the inspiration of my life. I have had before me as a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day a policy of true Canadianism, of moderation, of conciliation." - Sir Wilfred Laurier.

Boy, those were the days.  Eloquent politicians with a message of hope, of direction and commitment to the betterment of Canada and Canadians.  Let's compare that to what we have today.

We have self-serving governments who see their fiefdoms as separate from the whole.  We have opposition parties who do not see any value in separating criticism from opposition.  We have a polarized media who are sanctimonious in their editorial.  We have an electorate who is apathetic and, at the same time, ignorant of about that which they are apathetic.  We have a financial system out of control, a healthcare system in decline, a justice system that looks like Swiss cheese and an educational system that has trouble with its raison d'etre.

There are so many problems in Canada that any single and simple fix is like putting a band-aid on a grenade wound.  We have complex problems that require complex solutions.  The first solution?  Our constitution.

The Constitution Act, as amended in 1982 but still reflecting the BNA from 1867, is so far out of keeping with the 21st century Canada that it is almost laughable.  Our country has changed since confederation.  Our population has grown and moved.  We have many cities more populous than some of our provinces.  More people live in cities than in rural environments.  Health care delivery grows more complex every day.  The disparity between rich and poor is a widening gap.  Our tax system has more loopholes than a Turkish rug.  We do not know why we need a military with all the toys... we just know we need one.  Lobbyists and special interests are running our policy making.  We have governments who couldn't care less about the electorate or democracy, just so long as their brand of policy prevails.  We have governments who pontificate their purity at the time of elections then break their promises once elected - all because they have not the guts to tell us the truth.  In truth our politicians are managers... not LEADERS.

You want to change Canada for the better?  Forget tinkering with healthcare or the justice system or transfer payment to provinces.  Bite the bullet.  Change the Constitution to reflect a modern Canada.  And do it soon.

Manipulating the EI truth

I have a certain affinity to the people of the maritime provinces.  They are wonderful folks, on the whole, who live in a wonderful place with a great history.  No wonder that, when they leave to find work, they long to go back HOME.

The Harper government has made a lot of hay recently accusing maritimers, and others, of being too lazy to take jobs that are going unfilled in their regions or to move to areas of Canada that jobs are available.  They are making it rougher to collect EI benefits to force one to move away or to pump coffee at Timmy's.  If that is not social engineering, something that the Cons decrie, then I do not understand the term.

But is there anything in the political history of this country that may have contributed to the problems in the maritime provinces?  Let's take the Miramichi region as an example.  Since before confederation the Miramichi had been an economic powerhouse in Canada.  Shipping had been plying the Miramichi for decades before the Intercolonial Railway reached the region in 1875, shortly followed by the Northern and Western Railway (later the Canada Eastern Railway).  Fish plants, sawmills and pulp mills provided jobs and wealth to the area.  Until...

In the 1960s, the government of Louis Robichaud decided to build a new port at neighbouring Belledune.  Belledune took over the industries and jobs that were once in the Miramichi.  Then the federal government put the nail in the coffin by stopping regular dredging operations of the Miramichi River thus closing off the area to major shipping.  Miramichi, a jewel of Canada, was laid waste.  In June of 2011, the unemployment rate of the Campellton-Miramichi area was 16.8%... fully double that of Canada as a whole.  That means, according to Harper and his minions, that there are over 62,600 lazy people in the region... or has government had any role in the problem?