OK. This is the last entry on this subject. There is a lot more to say but we shall change the channel following this - Part 4.
Let's talk about the amount of government that we suffer under in Canada. Back in 2002 I wrote a thesis examining the roles of our three main levels of government - federal, provincial and municipal. As I developed the thesis it became more and more clear to me that Canadians were
over-governed. My analysis led to the conclusion that we had one level of government too many. I then turned the thesis into a book entitled,"
The Provinces Must Go!"
The logic in the book was simple. Provinces were created at the time of confederation to do the work of the people while the feds looked after the country. One read of the BNA confirms this hypothesis. However, in 1867 people did not live to any great extent in cities. In 2002 a full 70% of Canada's population were urban dwellers with many of our cities more populous than most of our provinces. Cities by and large became responsible for the welfare of the people. But cities, since confederation, have been surfs to the provinces. The result is we have city infrastructure falling apart, homelessness and many other social problems laid at the feet of cities without the political or economic clout to address them. Is that the way it should be?
The book showed how easy it would be to eliminate the national and provincial debts, improve both urban and rural situations and a host of other problems without raising a single cent of new tax. The book is available on
Mysteriesofcanada.com.
By the way, the book has caused me a fair amount of grief since being published. The ultimate insult came at the hands of the geniuses at the headquarters of the Liberal Party of Canada Ontario - LPCO (not to be confused with the Liberal Party of Ontario). The political experts at LPCO disqualified me from contesting a nomination for the last election based on their belief that my thesis and book were not in keeping with the policies of the party. When challenged to show me the policy that my ideas were contravening, the conversation just stopped on their part. I guess that the 2011 federal election kinda showed the folks at LPCO that maybe
their policies were not so much the policies of mainstream Canadians or Ontarians.
Political parties stagnate with time. They get so beefed up with their self-importance that they refuse to grow. They refuse to challenge themselves to reach higher plateaus and debate new issues. But do not think that this is a problem only of the Liberals. It affects them all, including the Grande Orange party of (the late) Jack Layton.
Until our political class loses their snootiness and begins to really listen to Canadians, this country will never be a place for progress.
'Nuff said.
I have begun a multipart series on the War of 1812. I di not want to take the traditional tract of describing all the battles, so I picked out the parts of the conflict, and what lead up to it, that I find interesting.
"History is what happened two seconds ago" and "History is written by the victors." I do not know who originally said these words but they were never more applicable than today. Recently, I have been assailed by critics of my site and accused of being closed minded on issues. Nothing can be further from the truth. As a historian I seek facts that lead to truths. Sometimes my research leads me to challenge popular conceptions of people and events. Because I chose to support an issue from one side does not make me closed-minded. If further research produces compelling facts that alter truths, then I assess them and many times change my mind on issues. Many times, though, I do not change my mind but remain open to alternative truths.