Reader Mail

I quoted one of our readers, Dr. Michael Pilon, Major (retired), in an update of this post on a Remembrance Day program. I received a follow-up email from him that I’d like to share:

I have been watching the sad events unfold for a few days and I do not believe what has happened. I have known Mr. Michaud since the late 1970′s when we met at  Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. He is a very sincere and dedicated teacher. My receptionist has two children who have, and had him as a teacher and they both speak highly  and enthusiastically of his dedication, interest and sense of history.

I think “Hearsay” about kids pointing guns at passing cars and publishing this is slanderous. As a former trained military person Mr. Michaud would first instill a sense of responsibility in his students. In my basic training this was perhaps the most important aspect of our induction into the military. To tell people that the kids were acting like a game pointing them at cars is very irresponsible. No police reports were filed about this. But, I did hear neighbours were allegedly “complaining” about the event. And as to tanks…no such event occurred. Now if one imagines tanks one can only guess what one can imagine about guns. Time to look at fact.

Mr. Michaud has had a 20 year dream crushed through political correctness. The lesson has not been lost on his students.

 

Am I supposed to be upset by this? [Updated]

Writing in today’s National Post, Sarah Boesveld notes the end of a Remembrance Day tradition at Ottawa’s Notre Dame High School. For the past 19 years, the high school has hosted a remembrance event that brought veterans, historians and military paraphanelia from wars past to the students.

For the past 19 years, students at an Ottawa high school have hoisted 10-pound military rifles to feel what it may be like to lug one around in the muddy trenches. They’ve met veterans and heard their stories, learning how their families were affected and what it was like to fight so far from home.

But this year — the year that was supposed to mark the 20th Remembrance Day Symposium at Notre Dame High School — they will get no such chance.

The traditional school event, scheduled for Nov. 10, has been cancelled because of a school committee decision to ensure there were “no tanks or guns” at the event, its co-ordinator told participants in an email last Friday.

This may seem like political correctness run amok, but there are some other layers to the story. [Read more]

I was a member of the Bloc Quebecois

Since everybody is coming out of the wood-work these days, I may as well do so too.

I was a card-carrying member of the Bloc Quebecois for about ten years. It only cost $10 per year. All of that stopped when my wallet was stolen a couple of years ago. I did not bother renewing my membership after that. I still get their letters in the mail.

I love Canada and I love Quebec. The only reason why I stay living in Canada is because I enjoy French-Canadian culture. Otherwise, I would have moved to the US long ago. However, I still want Quebec to separate from Canada and hopefully that will happen before I die.

Little Bow Wildrose Alliance Constituency Association Resigns

I just received this letter outlining some serious allegations against the Alberta Wildrose Alliance Party concerning the local nomination for the provincial riding of Little Bow:

We are writing this letter in response to the decision of the Wildrose Alliance to allow Ian Donovan as candidate for the Wildrose Alliance in Little Bow.

We became members of this party because we believed that it stood for something different. We saw the policies of the Wildrose Alliance as exciting ideas that would change the nature of politics in this province. We particularly liked the open and transparent message that came from the party. This being said, we have now discovered how wrong we were.

As members of the constituency association we have experienced that the leadership of the Wildrose Alliance has systematically demonstrated incompetence in regards to the nomination process. Not only this, we have also experienced that this party is not a grassroots party, but a party run by a few paid employees that are not willing to work with local officials. Most significantly, the party central, with the leader Danielle Smith in awareness, flagrantly ignored its own procedures and rules by carefully interpreting the rules to favour a specific candidate. Two violations that we point to is the buying of memberships for people other than direct family members in clear contravention of the established guidelines of the party; we also point to the fact that eight mail-in ballots were never verified by the Returning Officer, but were mysteriously left in an office in Calgary.

It does not bode well for a party to make a statement in the public about open, transparent government on the same day that a locally elected executive was being squashed by the party central. As such, we are prepared to release the following statement to the presidents and to the local and national press by 10 a.m. Thursday, November 25, 2010 if our voices are continued to be ignored:

“The Provincial Executive of the Wildrose Alliance has declared Ian Donovan the winner of the nomination contest in Little Bow, contrary to the conclusion and declaration of the local Returning Officer based on the ballots in his possession. To this end, all but one member of the executive of Little Bow are resigning immediately. These resignations are based on the fact that flagrant irregularities occurred in the nomination process that were acknowledged but disregarded by the provincial executive, including the leader of the party. As such, the directors have lost faith in a party that supposedly espouses transparency and grassroots democracy.”

Sincerely,

Kevin Van Lagen, President
Jack Derksen, CFO
Lee De Boer, Secretary
John Voorhorst, VP Fundraising
Robert Laing, VP Policy
Bill Harding, Director at Large Kerry
Nabozniak, Director at Large

It appears that in a rush to jump start the party and it’s chances against the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, the fledgling upstart “grassroots” Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta is tramping on the very grassroots they claim are the heart of the party.

This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, Danielle Smith is a rookie in the game of politics – she clearly does not understand the vital role of the grassroots in an upstart party. Nor can we expect the Wildrose Alliance’s new Executive Director, Victor Marciano – fresh from a tenure with the federal Conservative Party of Canada, to honor and recognize the grassroots of any party. Since the merger of the PC Party and the Canadian Alliance, Victor Marciano and the other party elites on Conservative National Council have successful purged most of the grassroots elements out of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Perhaps this is the new reality of party politics in Canada.

Update: Former Little Bow Riding Executive Responds to Wild Rose Alliance Statement

HIV-AIDS on the rise in Canada

The 36% of new infections among heterosexuals, the 44% of new infections among “men who have sex with men,” i.e. gays, and the 17% of new infections among intravenous drug users have nothing whatsoever to do with choice and the shirking of personal responsibility. No n-no no no. They were caused by “inequities of race, ethnic group, gender, sexual orientation and immigration status.”

Glad to have cleared that up for you.

Book’em Dano…

Then “book” them. No? Lucky bastards, and the tragedy is, they probably don’t understand why.

So the Toronto Police has managed, with overwhelming public support, to identify, locate and arrest 7 more criminals from the G20 Most Wanted List. They have assured the public that the search continues, and they will eventually track down and arrest everyone they are looking for.

So, the newly added names as of July 19th are:

Six men and a male youth are facing mischief charges in connection with property damage inflicting during G20 Summit protests last month….

…Andrew Loughrin, 23, of Toronto, Michael Corbett, 29, of Toronto, Brian O’Handley, 19, of Toronto and Robert Kainola, 24, of Toronto are each facing mischief charges.

Kurt Roarco, 22, of no fixed address is facing a mischief charge, an arson charge and failing to comply with probation.

Jeffrey Delaney, 23, of Toronto is facing a mischief charge and an attempted theft charge.

Of course, under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, anyone under the age of 18 can’t be named, hence the “youth”. Maybe I’m wrong, but if he/she is old enough to decide to take those kinds of actions on their own, they’re certainly “old enough” to deal with the publicity. They certainly weren’t shy about getting out in front of Toronto and the world and making asses of themselves.

This was in addition to arrests made on July 16th:

Police said Friday they have laid charges of assault, mischief and theft over $5,000 against Cody Caplette, 21, and Phillip Lee, 28. Both men are Toronto residents

And earlier:

Peter Hopperton is one of about 20 people identified as part of a police investigation into activities of people planning violent G20 action.

Police allege Hopperton is a member of the Southern Ontario Anarchist Resistance.

William Vandreil also got bail today, with his set at $50,000.

As well as this:

A man caught on tape damaging a police car was arrested July 14 after turning himself into police with his lawyer. He was one of six people identified after images of vandals were released on July 7. Three were identified within 12 hours.

Ashran Ravindhraj, 25, of Toronto, was charged with arson and two counts of mischief over $5,000 in relation to damage done to a police scout car on June 25.

I don’t know if these thugs truly appreciate how lucky they are that we live in a country that respects the rule of law, even if they do not. They are safe in our jails, they are safe from the public, and they are safe from vigilantes.

Now, I’m sure that in the days ahead we will hear all sorts of weepy, tear-jerking stories about how hard of a life these guys had. The “hug-a-thug” crowd will try to make a case that their anger and violent behaviour is actually the fault of society insofar that society as a whole has failed them and didn’t provide them with sufficient opportunity blah blah blah….pardon me while I puke.

Too harsh? I don’t think so. In fact, I think that’s part of the problem.

Too often we (the afore mentioned “society”), do not speak out hard or loud enough to condemn this kind of behaviour and give quarter and sufferance to those who would seek to place the blame anywhere but upon the shoulders of the individuals who made the choice to take the violent route, knowing full well that such behaviour is wrong. They’re not 2 year old infants who haven’t developed the reasoning skills necessary to determine the difference between right and wrong.

I’m all for throwing the book at them. Charge them, and if found guilty, punish them to the full extent of the law. The message needs to be sent loud and clear across the land: This kind of behaviour is unacceptable in this country, and those who engage in such lawless activities will face the full force of our justice system.

Contrary to popular belief (albeit with good reason through demonstration in recent history), our Justice System actually does have teeth. Unfortunately, thanks to the hug-a-thug loons out there, it’s considered uncivilized for it to bear it’s teeth and take a bite out of crime. No no no, we can’t have our justice system feared! How déclassé! To think that there are those who believe that criminals and deviants should fear the consequences of their actions! How barbaric! No no, let us take them into our arms, show them that they are loved and have value…[end sarc]… good lord, I think I’m going to puke again.

There is right, and there is wrong. Sure there’s shades of grey, but really, grey is still dirtier than white. There are also consequences for actions. These, dare I say men, knew that they were acting in the wrong and they need to know those consequences. I can’t dream of any excuse for what they and others did that day other than a desire to be violent.

I’m disgusted by their actions, nearly to the point of physical illness. And I’m not alone.

Was John Tory Right?

Three years ago this month, Ontario Conservative leader John Tory pledged to extend public funding to all denominational schools across the province of Ontario. At the time, Tory was preparing to lead his party into a fall election campaign against the Ontario Liberal Party, led by then-Premier, and still-Premier, Dalton McGuinty.

For Tory, the larger issue was fairness. Insofar as Catholic denominational schools receive public funding to the exclusion of other denominational schools in Ontario, it made sense to Tory as a matter of equality, as it did to some others, that if one religion enjoyed the privilege of public funding, then so should all other religions.

We know how the story ends. The controversial denominational schools issue felled Tory’s campaign from the very beginning. McGuinty was reelected. And Tory ultimately resigned, ceding the party flag to the current Ontario Conservative leader, Tim Hudak.

The bottom line is this: Ontarians voted against Tory on this issue. And no one can gainsay the freely expressed choice of Ontarians. They, and only they, can choose their representatives in the Ontario legislature.

So according to Ontarians, the answer is clear: John Tory was wrong.

But according to the United Nations, John Tory was right.

In the case of Waldman v. Canada, the United Nations Human Rights Committee ruled that Ontario’s policy of extending public funding to one denominational school without funding all others is a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to “equal and effective protection against discrimination.” Here is the relevant passage from the full text of the ruling:

[T]he proclaimed aims of the system do not justify the exclusive funding of Roman Catholic religious schools. … In this context, the Committee observes that the Covenant does not oblige [Ontario] to fund schools which are established on a religious basis. However, if [Ontario] chooses to provide public funding to religious schools, it should make this funding available without discrimination. This means that providing funding for the schools of one religious group and not for another must be based on reasonable and objective criteria. In the instant case, the Committee concludes that the material before it does not show that the differential treatment between the Roman Catholic faith and the [Petitioner's] religious denomination is based on such criteria. Consequently, there has been a violation of the [Petitioner's] rights under article 26 of the Covenant to equal and effective protection against discrimination.

Perhaps John Tory can take solace in the knowledge that the United Nations thinks he was right after all.

A Watershed in BC Conservative Politics?

Watching the HST petition reach a climax with more than 10% of the required signatures in all 85 provincial ridings, with former Social Credit Premier Bill Vander Zalm at the forefront, I can’t help but wonder if this is not a watershed moment in conservative politics in BC.

British Columbia has long been without a viable conservative option at the polls.  In the last 12 years I have watched a variety of flavours attempt to rise from the ashes of the Social Credit Party (which was really more populist and centrist than conservative during most of its tenure) only to wither after electing a handful of seats.  It is hard to pinpoint the reason why this province can vote conservatively in most federal elections but cannot elect conservatives to their legislature.  Some may say bad organization, others may point to a media so left-biased that conservatives can’t even get negative press – they are simply ignored.  (I’d speculate that they get elected federally because the press is national, and less leftist than the local varieties, so the word gets out.)  Whatever the reason, conservative voices have been marginalized in BC for a long time.

Bill Vander Zalm was perhaps one of the more conservative Social Credit Premiers.  He was ousted in 1991, so it’s been a good 19 years of swings between more left (NDP) and less left (Liberal) reigns.  Admittedly, Vander Zalm’s agitation for the rejection of the HST is not really a classically conservative move – more populist really.  However, the last big move of conservative voices in the West was the rise of the Reform Party, which began with a very populist focus.

I see certain similarities between the mood of conservativism at the foundation of the Federal Reform Party and the present situation in BC.  If they can organize behind populist messages and get past the press hurdle and into the mainstream political conversation in BC, we might be seeing a watershed in the politics of the left coast.

On the BC HST: Is That The Best You Can Do?

Roslyn Kunin is director of the British Columbia office of the Canada West Foundation.

She wrote a piece in today’s Vancouver Sun defending the HST, now that recent reports indicate 20 ridings have already succeeded in collecting enough signatures to repeal the HST, and the rest of them are gaining hard.

I have never seen such a pile of ridiculousness in my life.

The arguments come down to, “It will make us more productive by simplifying technology.  And that will make us better than the Americans.  Did you know they are more productive than we are?  And they’re getting better.”

The article could have been entitled, “The HST will make us Better Than Americans”.  Of course, that premise would have been laughed out of the newsroom – but that’s what the piece says.

If your central premise is that streamlining the tax collection process will make BC more competitive, you’d better back it up with facts.  Last time I checked, I don’t see companies that produce tills and other money-processing equipment charging companies less simply because the system has to do one less percentage calculation.

But more obviously, I don’t believe a single State in the USA has an HST.  Mainly because there is no Federal Sales Tax in the USA – although many cities and counties charge special sales taxes on certain goods and services.  So, basically this article, which the Vancouver Sun’s website advertises as one of the most read articles today, negates itself.  It says that we need the HST to be more competitive because America is more competitive than us… but the USA doesn’t have an HST.  They are kicking our butts productively because they work harder.  It has nothing to do with harmonized taxes.

Canada (and BC) needs to get off the pot (and the Pot) and work harder.  Not whine to the government about taxes being too complicated… never mind my 9 year old can calculate them in his head.

“Trudeaupian legerdemain”

Mark Steyn at his best. Brilliant.

Mr. Siddiqui was not impressed by the arguments mounted against the head-to-toe body bag—for example, the notion that it is a “symbol of oppression”:

“Let’s assume that [the niqab] is,” [Haroon Siddiqui] wrote. “Whose business is it to end the practice—that of the state?”

That’s pretty cute coming from a guy who, during this magazine’s long battle with Canada’s “human rights” commissions, argued at length that it was most certainly the business of the state to end the practice of Maclean’s carrying Islamophobic Steyn columns. If the state can regulate what you write and say and think and even (as in the lesbian heckler case at the British Columbia Tribunal) what you quip, it can most certainly regulate what you wear. In Canada, it would be quicker to list what isn’t the business of the state. “The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation,” said Pierre Trudeau, unless, of course, you’re tucked up with a nice mug of cocoa reading an Islamophobic edition of Maclean’s. It was a classic bit of Trudeaupian legerdemain: if you’re allowed to roger anything that moves, or doesn’t, according to taste, you won’t notice all the other parts of your life the state has a place in. In Canada, it’s the state’s business when you get your hip operation, not yours: if the state has jurisdiction over your hip, why shouldn’t it also have jurisdiction over which garments the hip can be sheathed in? In Canada, a resident alien is not permitted to own a bookstore, on grounds of cultural protection. If “cultural protection” can prohibit a homosexual from San Francisco opening up a gay bookstore in Vancouver, why can’t it also extend to a Muslim woman’s dress?

And Quebec is Canada without even the residual restraints of the Britannic inheritance. In the interests of la collectivité, the province regulates not only the public usage of language but the very size of lettering in which your words can be displayed. If the state has power to set a maximum font on the ladies’ room door, why can’t it also set a limit on the yards of cloth you have to hoist up once you get in there?

Emphasized portions mine. Do read it all.

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