A Challenge To All Canadian Politicians

Right on! Great post!

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Who cares what the fathers of confederation would say? What are we, americans? The foc were forging an economic union between four provinces, not creating a new nation. They were drunks and crooks that were later burned in effigy by their constituents after they were tossed out of office.

If we're too lazy to create a country for canadians, we get the politicians, and the country, we deserve.

Remembering the fathers of confederation makes us American? Without them there`d be no Canada.

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Dave Ruston

Without them there`d be no Canada.

And to thay I say
"we'd all be betteroff!"
However that procolmation requires one get the head around that which thet do not now know!

This writer is on it-
"...The division of humanity into nation-states is not necessarily a desirable situation. Nations are after all arbitrary creations. They are not real entities but legal fictions. Legal fictions with teeth that can bite when they go to war with one another..."

I realise there are well intended people that put a great deal of effort into trying, repete TRYING, to bring about the ideals sold to fools such as we.

The pity is no permanent result occurs and while attention is focused on knee jerk behaviours the real is still under wraps
i found some thing addressed to me, in a forum perhaps? on here any road
I have been ever since i registered here pointing to the 'under wraps' stuff

the problem is there are far too many "educated" folks here and the will not accept what they were not educated to.

and so it goes ( with a nod to Linda Ellersbe)

Are politicians actually going to see this article or is it just appearing on Vive?

Well that depends. They will see it if you and others send it to them. That is easy to do. You and many others have that option.

When I wrote this "challenge" I was honestly not expecting that this would magically reach "all" Canadian politicians, but I was hoping in a wishful-thinking-kind-of-way that it would take on a-life-of-its-own and somehow find its way onto the computers screens of "some" politicians. After all it is a good and appropriate challenge at an important time for Canada.

Deeper integration with the US will certainly have a major impact on the short and long term future of our country. So I am sure many would agree such a challenge as this one is warranted.

Not that it is important but I am (in addition to many other things) the President of the Sir John A. Macdonald Fathers of Confederation Society Burlington Branch. (Please do not assume by this that I am a Conservative since I certainly am not - I am presently a disgruntled Liberal.) I organize an annual Birthday Party on January 11th each year (Sir John's birthday in 1815 in Glasgow, Scotland) to celebrate the Fathers of Confederation. It is not a big event but some people get to listen to some speeches about Canada's history plus a big piece of a big cake.

Sir John was one of the first to embrace the idea of forming a nation out of Britain's North American colonies. The rest of his policital career was dominated by a vigorous effort to overcome regional differences and build a strong nation. The motivation behind confederation in 1867 was largely related to the desire to protect Canada from another invasion attempt from the south. Canada won the war of 1812 and did not want to fight with the Americans again. Canadian Confederation helped us avoid another war and made it possible for Canada to evolve into the wonderful country that it is today. But will it stay that way?

This important discussion and the "challenge" should not be sidetracked by talk about Canadian history even though Canadian history is one of the reasons it is an important discussion.

Most Canadian politicians, (I hope and suspect) know about Canadian history and their knowledge of this history should contribute to their motivaton and also their responsibility to speak-out "now" on this issue.

The Fathers of Confederation gave us Canada and if Canadian politicians do not speak-out now to put the breaks on deeper integration with the US what we have been given and what we have built since 1867 can slip away faster than the time it took for the Fathers to debate Confederation.

So please send this to a "Canadian" politician - now!

The Toronto Star printed my letter-to-the-editor today and they gave it the title "We don't need deeper integration".

The Hamilton Spectator also called today and said my submission to them will be in tomorrows paper.

These letters did not mention the "challenge". Perhaps they should have but hopefully some politicians (some of the wiser ones) will "see" the challenge in the letters.

Canadabob






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Canadabob

Canadabob, I agree with your post, and I agree that the Fathers of Confederation are important, and that the creation of Canada as a country is not only historically important but relevant to today. Our nation's history is something that helped to develop what we are today, and as in a family tree, you can go back and find skeletons, or people that have done things which you are not proud, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have pride in your family, or your country.

Canada is a great nation, and although we have skeletons, we need to look to history, so as not to repeat mistakes made, and in order to respect those who contributed great things to make the nation better. Today's politicians who are involved in the sell out of this nation, do not have national pride, they do not reflect on the sacrifices that went before them or consider the legacy they will leave for future generations. You are right to point this out and hopefully some Canadians who are still proud to be Canadians will feel that patriotic desire to save what is left of our country, and strive to make it better! I applaud your efforts.

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

The "fathers of confederation" were creating a mercantilist mini-empire that would leave those Canadians not living in the central region as second-class citizens, serfs to an Ontario elite. They were creating a phony country out of imperial spite over the success of the American experiment.

Face it, folks. Canada was created as a living, breathing fence to keep the Americans from moving north. We were the original "human shield". Based on such a negative origin, how could we be anything but an insecure nation who can only identity ourselves by what we hate or by the institutions set up by our statist elites.

All that having been said, I like what Canada has become, despite the shabbiness of its origins. But this heritage of a country invented to thwart another doesn't sit well with me. It's certainly nothing to be proud of.

You hit the nail on the head and summed it up nicely with your words:

"Today's politicians who are involved in the sell out of this nation, do not have national pride, they do not reflect on the sacrifices that went before them or consider the legacy they will leave for future generations."

That is of course a very disturbing comment since there is the real possibility that the continental secutiry and economic plan may well be a "sell out of this nation" more than the politicians involved realize. It is very possible they have been hoodwinked by smiles and handshakes and positive words if not totally then partially. Even being somewht hoodwinked in this case would not be acceptable.

Does it matter that they may not have "reflected" very much on the the sacrifices that went before them? Yes - it does VERY MUCH! Does it matter that they may not be considering -enough - the legacy they will leave for future generations? You betcha..it matters a great deal!

So this leaves this important question - What about the other politicians who are not involved in this? Are they going to stand by with complete faith in the few who are making these decisions? Who are these people making these decisions? Do we know? Do all other Canadian politicians know? The answer to that is NO! Why? How can any Canadian accept that? How can any good Canadian politician accept that and how can they sleep at night dreaming of tomorrow without being concerned about deeper integration with the US?

The Hamilton Spectator printed my letter in this mornings newpaper. It has a circulaton of about 500,000 copies. They gave it the title "Canada's desire for sovereignty paramount". It is on the same page as the political cartoon that shows Hamilton MPP Marie Bountrogianni who is taking over two major portfolios in the Ontario government. Why two isnt't one enough? One as ministe of minister of intergovernmental affairs and the other one is that she will now also be the minister of democratic renewal. That makes her the point person on delaings with the federal government and the other provinces and territories. But CONSIDER this...... The political cartoon shows her dressed as wonderwoman and the phrase is "I'm the In Intergovernmental" In place of a Superman or Wonderwoman crest on her chest is the shape of the trillium as Ontario's symbol with the capitla letter I in the middle. Beside her are the words DIALOGUE, DEMOCRACY AND THE ONTARIO WAY.

Now notice this....since this is her "new" portfolio, how is she going to get up to speed fast enough to be able to address effectively the concerns that the people of Ontario and the people of Canada should have about the "three nations moving to end a "tyranny of differences"?

So in conclusion - your statement was a very wise one. Therefore, what can you now do to help get that statement out-there fast? And what can you do to help deliver the "challenge" to Canadian politicians across the country?

My letter in the Toronto Star yesterday was titled "We don't need deeper intregration. With a weekly distribution of 3.24 million copies in the Toronto area, the Star's position as the city's top newspaper daily will no doubt have ensured that many politicians would take note of my letter. How many of them will take the initiative to respond and even if they do will it be just to say they support deeper integration in a blind-faith kind of way or will they honestly refer to the obvious need for this to be totally debated and totally transparent?

I will send a copy of this page to Marie Bountrogianni (Ontario's new Wonderpolitician - we certainly need one) with the comment Congratulations - here is the first assignment for the new "IN INTERGOVERNMENTAL" as you have been called. Should you choose to accept this assignment please do not become a spokesperson for those people (whoever they are) that think that deeper integration with the US is a good thing without first asking the people of Ontario and citizens all across Canada what they think of the idea.

Canadabob



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Canadabob

There are many ways to be proud of one's country and one's history. As said above, I find little reason to be proud of the Fathers of Confederation, and there certainly hasn't been a Prime Minister that I'd say I'm proud of. But canadians themselves are a different story, which is why I"m sometimes perplexed that so many are so opposed to letting canadians have power themselves.

Tommy Douglas perhaps, but I admit i know little about him. However, the movement he started and came to symbolize is important, however I don't agree that people should become symbols of movements. There were canadians with guts who took part in the Winnipeg General strike, and the men who travelled to Ottawa during the depression.

In recent memory I found a book that details the extradinary efforts that Ontario and eastern farmers TOOK THEMSELVES to get hay and grain out west during the drought several years ago. I found many organizations, some of children, that adopted horses from out west who were going to be slaughtered and brought them to Ontario and found homes for them.

Here in my local community a group of school children began a campaign to get a streetlight into their local park for safety reasons (a man had been killed there), they did surveys, conducted petitions, held a referendum and sought to educate local residents on why a light was needed. Of course in the end the local council rejected all of their offers, said they'd kill some trees in the park so that more light could get in! This is a better symbol of our current democracy vs. the one that should than any I could make up.

So I say, if you are proud of canadians, give them the power, give them democracy, join the direct democracy party so that canadians can decide themselves. That's my little schpeel, but I'm not discounting public opinion, however, it is relatively easy for the author to email his article to MP's (since I don't agree with it I wouldn't do so). However, there is definitely something to be said for getting heard by politicians.

<p>Dave,</p> <p>I understood Marcarc’s point to be that taking into account how a nation’s founders might have reacted to a current issue is a stereotypically American method of analysis. It can often tint my view of a given topic…</p><p>---<br>I am willing to love all mankind, except an American…<br />
<br />
— Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: 15th April 1778<br />

Yeah, I see what you`re saying, Brother! I guess I didn`t see it like that. I tend to do the same thing at times. For instance, I`ve said recently that Tommy Douglas is likely spinning in his grave right now, as universal public health care is being destroyed!

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Dave Ruston

CanadaBOB <br />
I understand where you are coming from and I do agree. But next time I suggest that you write down your own thoughts instead of completely plagairising someone elses. <br />
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"Sir John was one of the first to embrace the idea of forming a nation out of Britain's North American colonies." <br />
<a href="http://www.macdonald.egate.net/sirjohn/plannerbio.html">http://www.macdonald.egate.net/sirjohn/plannerbio.html</a>