Canadians are Lazy and Ignorant

It's official Canadians are headed to the polls in May and now I have to ask myself a few questions. First, how many Canadians even care that were having election? That the government was defeated? What a motion of non-confidence is and how it relates to the government being in contempt of Parliament which was the first time in the British Parliamentary system. I could consider questions like the difference between a corruption scandal and say abusing our democratic system. What does it mean to lie to Parliament? Does it matter if the Speaker of the House rules against the government or what about all those high level public servants that are protesting? What do Canadians really care about?

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says Canadians care about their pocket books (the economy) and the musings of Parliament mean nothing. I think this is a horrendous comment to say considering that he means that Canadian citizens do not care about our democratic institutions. Yet, I actually believe him. The government has constantly stayed ahead in the opinion polls despite numerous scandals and abuses of power. Shutting down Parliament, a minister lying on a oath, changing Canadian government to "Harper government", claiming that Statistics Canada supported removing the short-form census when only after the CEO of Stat's Canada had to resign and say the government was lying and removing various public officials who did not support government policy and the list goes on and I am not even including the recent electoral funding scandals.

But Canadians are ignorant...

We must be if we cannot see what is right in front of our eyes. Do we need the government to literally kick the Governor General out of the highest chair just so we can understand? Granted when the Liberals were corrupt they paid for it but we can let the Conservatives have a pass? Is it really because the government has handled the economy so successfully in this uncertain time. Now we can argue into the week on which government is responsible for "fixing the economy." But Canadians seem really cocky that our banks did not collapse which is contributed to the government and not say the Bank Act (1874) which set up strict standards for our banking system.

Canadians are also lazy...

We make fun of Americans for starting a movement like the Tea Party but you know what at least when they are not satisfied they do something beyond turning a blind eye and sitting on the couch. Canadians have done this in the past with the rise of the CCF during the Great Depression, the Reform Party and the Bloc Quebecois. Now we just complain about everything and do not do anything about it.

At least vote if your going to moan and if you do not think any party matches your beliefs then start your own party. Last time we checked a little more then 40% of the population did the same thing. That's a lot of potential supporters.

How I can be positive about my fellow citizen when they do not even understand the basic system we live under? Health care is important but so are issues of gender, class, race, sexual orientation and place of origin.

Some people will claim I am harsh yet they do not want to face the truth. We do live under peace, order and good government but that mean's we should be a check on that. We have a responsibility to keep government in line. This means every citizen not just the chattering classes.

I want someone to prove me wrong.

Yet come this May electoral support may even dip below 50%. After all, it must be more important to get that third Tim Horton's coffee then to think about one's country.

Thinking about one's country.

It sound's so strange and radical but it might just make us a better country. Besides you can only roll your eyes so many times in one day.

What's happening to the Weather???

Strangely enough when I woke up this morning I saw that snow had covered the outside of my bedroom window. I thought to myself hey it's March alright and just last week the weather had started to cool down and snow had completely vanished then where did this snow come from overnight???? It was the weirdest thing because once the snow goes away it feels as if it's not really suppose to come back because mind you isn't it SPRING already??? Why of course the snow is going to seem out of place right? Not that I'm trying to say that snow sucks, in fact I love snow and it you know it sort of cheers me up! The only downside of this strange weather which goes from cool to cold and back to cool again is that it makes people really sick. But I won't even blame the weather because I notice that people start wearing t-shirts the second they feel the spring breeze hit. I feel that people need to be more careful with the changing weather because one thing confirmed about Toronto is the weird weather trend going on lately which I really don't seem to understand because one day it feels so beautiful and breezy and the next day I feel the strong wind pushing the snow so hard in your face as if needles are poking their way through your skin. Regardless, we can all cross our fingers and hope for the weather forecast to say that once and for all the weather is going to remain stable right through summer, because I don't know about others but I'm definitely sick of this changing weather day after day!

The Filipino Experience in Canada

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-philippines-now-canadas-top-source-of-immigrants/article1948315/
A interesting article highlighting the growing population of one of Canada's least publicized minorities outside the The Live-In Caregiver Program which most Canadians do not understand.

I think the author seems to forget how woman are treated in that program or income gap between "white" Canadians and visible minorities. A few success stories does not make up for the education gap the authors talks about near the end of the piece.

St.Patrick's Day

St.Patrick’s day is meant to be the celebration of its named saint who was the patron and national apostle of Ireland. Apparently, he is credited for bringing Christianity to the country. While adults and university students celebrate by chugging as much green beer as possible, it is meant to be a day for thinking about loved ones and uniting with family. People within the streets of Canada have spread the cheer which falls upon the 17th of March. Most places tend to close on this day while pubs and restaurants strategically stay open to have as many individuals come in and generate some serious income. Even the on campus pubs were packed tight. The holiday really does bring people together. Even on a school campus, you are interacting with people from different walks of life for the same reason. It’s a great opportunity to be Irish for the day and have some fun. It had become a tradition entrenched in Canadian culture. Why, the proof is in the numerous Irish pubs that seem to be emerging everywhere each year. Even Toronto has a central Irish presence in the heart of Cabbage town. The name is even derived from the Irish immigrants who moved to the neighborhood during the late 1840’s. Apparently but not surprisingly at the time, the flow of individuals were so poor that they had to grow cabbage in front of their yards. Though individuals at the time were suffering gentrification from professionals and the upper class already settled, the area today has developed into an even mix of class and pride.

My Tribute To Canada..Via Poetry

They Call Us The Frigid North....

Skating, snowboarding, we dominate winter sports,
An excess of snow, we never fall short,

Our healthcare united,
an eye for an eye,
Citizens need no worry,
A short wait time is what we abide by,

Can't forget football, A treasure to my heart,
Forget the Toronto Argo's, it has been the Saskatchewan RoughRiders
right from the start,
Fumbles, turnovers, getting into the game,
Americans will contend our leagues
are no where near the same.

Forget the drama in politics with Stephen Harper and his suck ups,
Our education needs help, tuitions are a muck up,
Full time summer work should be against the law,
Sunshine, flowers, real nature is this raw,

Of course can't forget what makes us a nation,
Multiculturalism, food, and Celine Dion domination,

There is just so much that we can say celebrate singing hand in hand,
But in short, O Canada, our home and native land!

Exotica

I just recently watched the Canadian film Exotica directed by Atom Egoyan (one our most talented directors) and it was a realistic perspective on the life of a stripper. Now before you try to wipe that look of shame off your face let me explain the film. For the average film viewer a movie about a prostitute might seem inappropriate; Hollywood just banking on flesh and curves. That may be true for movies like Pamela Anderson's Barb Wire. However, Egoyan provides a gritty, contemporary view on the occupation of stripping. The movie will surprise you. The director slowly reveals twist and turns until the end of the film where your left thinking what does this all mean? You might have second thoughts on the occupation of stripping and the people who go there.

I think Canadian films have that magical quality. They surprise you. If the average Hollywood budget for a film these days is 100 million then Canadian films generally clock in at 1 million. The difference is almost unbelievable. Yet Canadian directors work with what they have. You can see that every dollar put into the film is necessary and stretched. They tackle subjects that are close to home. Special effects and larger then life stars cannot save these films. No. Canadian films are totally dependent on the quality of the direction, acting, writing and other elements that many people fail to acknowledge when watching film these days like editing, lighting, costumes, the score (the music in the film) and production design.

Now not every Canadian film is golden, our system produces bombs just any other. However, pick up a Canadian film and try to find a American counterpart. You might just be shocked at the quality of film-making north of the border.

The Kingdom of Canada

I just learned recently that when the Fathers of Confederation were writing the constitution, Canada's original name was suppose to be "Kingdom of Canada." But we changed the name because it may offend Americans.

It is a little piece of history but it speaks to the tension between Canada and the United States.

We can see this with Canada-US border issues, Vietnam, having missile defense systems in our country, Arbtic sovereignty, and the history of free trade which honestly goes back to before Confederation.

Can anyone else think of a incident of Canada-US tension that is not well publicized?