In another embarrassing study conducted by the Dominion Institute, Canadians simply don’t know much about Canada or Canadian politics. A national survey has found that approximately 2 in 5 Canadians don’t know who our first prime minister was. For you 40%, it was Sir John A. Macdonald.

I’m not really surprised. Right after the recent fiasco that took place in our government, another study was released that showed a majority of Canadians don’t know we don’t directly elect our Prime Minister, who our head of state is, or how to describe our system of government.  Let me be even more specific for you: 51% of Canadians were unaware that we don’t directly elect our Prime Minister. 51%! No wonder this past federal election recorded the lowest voter turnout in election history, no one cares about Canadian politics! If you’ve ever bothered to exercise your democratic right to vote, you’d notice that nowhere on the voting ballot is the name of any of the Prime Minister’s running for the position.
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Israeli Warplanes Strike Gaza

As fighting in the Gaza Strip continues into its third week, the United Nations Security Council passed a ceasefire resolution in an attempt to bring a halt to the violence. The vote was passed 14-0-1 with the US abstaining. Unfortunately, the cease fire agreement makes no sense for either party, reiterating their inability to truly understand the Middle East conflict.

On the Israeli side of the conflict, the ceasefire resolution inadequately addresses Israel’s security concerns. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated that Israel “has never agreed to let an external body decide its right to protect the security of its citizens,” and that the proposed ceasefire agreement is simply “unworkable.”

The ceasefire agreement calls for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and for monitors to deploy along the Philadelphia Corridor to ensure Hamas does not continue to smuggle weapons from Egypt. It’s pretty obvious why Israel finds this resolution “inadequate.”
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As the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip lingers on, Canada remains committed to its view on the Middle East conflict. New comments from Peter Kent, Junior Foreign Minister and designated spokesman on the conflict clarify and strengthen Canada’s position on the hotly debated issue.

“Again, Hamas bears the burden of responsibility. This history of Hamas is to use civilian infrastructure and civilian populations as shields for their terrorist activities,” said Kent, rejecting any suggestion that Israel’s response to Hamas rocket attacks has been disproportionate.

Kent presents a valid point that’s often “forgotten” in the negative blitz of media attacks on Israel’s operation in the Gaza Strip. Hamas purposely operates in densely populated areas within the strip as a means of deterring Israeli retaliatory strikes. Just days ago, eyewitnesses in Gaza told the Associated Press Hamas militants were using the UN school hit by Israeli forces to fire mortars at Israeli soldiers. Video from late 2007 also confirms Hamas’ use of schools as an area from which to fire rockets at Israel. That video can be seen here. And to strengthen his case even more, a recently released video shows Hamas using UN sponsored ambulances to hide from Israeli forces operating in the strip.
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As the crisis between Hamas and Israel continues to escalate, another crisis unfolds. At least 39 Canadians remain stranded in Gaza desperate to leave. To make matters worse, Canada could have prevented the situation from occurring in the first place.

Last week, several governments appealed to Israel to help their citizens leave Gaza before a highly anticipated ground assault was set to take place. This prompted the Israeli government to allow and facilitate the transfer of approximately 300 nationals, including Americans, Russians, Ukrainians and Moldovans through the Erez Crossing into Israel.

Canadians should have been included in this group.
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In an attempt to improve Canadians’ health, Nova Scotia has become the first province in the country to offer tax credits for the cost of gym memberships and other physical activities such as skiing, dancing, swimming and more.

The Healthy Living Tax Credit was initially introduced to Nova Scotian’s in 2005 but was limited to children’s activities only. Now, all Nova Scotian’s are eligible to claim up to $500 of registration fees for organized sports/activities, and the policy is expected to pay huge dividends.

Supporters insist the tax credit will encourage more people to be active, resulting in a healthier population. Nova Scotia also estimates the tax credits will save $8 million a year in health care costs. Even more compelling is the result of a study conducted by the Fitness Industry Council of Canada. They found that introducing a federal adult fitness tax credit would encourage one million more Canadians to become active and over the next 21 years, would amount to $2.5 billion in health care savings.
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From a plummeting economy to the amazing U.S. Presidential Race, to Canada’s lowest voter turnout in history to the Canadian government being thrust into upheaval, 2008 had a little bit of everything.

As 2008 began, much of the world was already in the midst of a financial crisis. Storms swept through the world in the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, and still show no signs of slowing down. The economy in 2008 was characterized by stock and real estate market meltdowns, unprecedented bank failures, massive layoffs and rising unemployment, disappearing credit and historic government bailouts of the financial and auto sectors.

And unlike Harper’s reassuring words that Canada would remain unaffected, almost every major province was. British Columbia saw U.S. demand for lumber plummet with prices dropping below profitable levels. And their mining industry suffered as demand from China dropped and commodities took a nose dive. Oil-rich Alberta, once one of the richest provinces in the country, saw the price of oil drop 78% from its peak in July when it hit $147 a barrel. Now, oil hovers under the $40 a barrel mark. In Ontario, the auto industry fights for its life after receiving a $4 billion bailout from the Canadian government. Saskatchewan fared better than the rest as a result of its diversity in energy, agriculture and potash, but still declined as a result of lower commodity prices.
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Before I jump into the current conflict and escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza, some background information and history of the Gaza Strip will help paint the picture a little better. Although brief, it will certainly help make clear how the recent conflict came to be. I’ll also discuss various responses to the recent incidents from Canada and other countries.

The Gaza Strip is a coastal territory along the Mediterranean Sea bordering Egypt to the South West and Israel to the East and North. It is home to approximately 1.5 million people in a total area of just 360 square kilometers, making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Throughout Israel’s existence, the Gaza Strip has remained a controversial issue in the Middle East conflict and has been under the control of various groups in its history.

Starting in 1517, the area was controlled by the Ottoman Empire up until the First World War. In 1917, control of the strip shifted to the British, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine and under the authority of the League of Nations. British rule of the strip ended following the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, when Israel became a sovereign Jewish state. Following Israel’s independence, control of the strip was placed into the hands of the Egyptians. In 1967, during the 6 Day War, Israel invaded the Gaza Strip occupying it for 27 years until 1994 when the Oslo Accords were signed. The signing of the Oslo Accords transferred governmental control of the strip from Israel to the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Yasser Arafat.
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Just a day after the US unveiled its plan to provide $17.4 billion to cash-strapped General Motors and Chrysler, Canada has announced its intentions to provide $4 billion of emergency loans to support the Canadian subsidiaries of the Big Three automakers. Harper also announced that auto parts suppliers will get improved insurance while vehicle buyers will get more access to credit.

“We will extend additional account-receivable insurance coverage for automotive suppliers through the Export Development Corp. And we will create a new facility to support access to credit for consumers. Taken together, these measures demonstrate that Canada is taking a holistic approach along the supply chain — manufacturers, suppliers and consumers,” he said.

Ontario will provide $1.3 billion with the rest funded by Ottawa. During his speech, Harper made clear that this was not a “blank cheque,” and by March 31st, 2009, the automakers must show that solid restructuring plans are underway. In another excerpt from his speech:

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On December 10th, 2008, Michael Ignatieff became the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. He replaced former leader Stéphane Dion to become the official leader of the opposition when Bob Rae withdrew from the race. Ignatieff takes over the Liberal leadership role amidst political disarray and a poor performance in the recent federal election. He also heads a party whose popularity has been slipping as of late, according to a recently published poll. Ignatieff currently represents the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore.

Michael Ignatieff was born on May 12th, 1947 in Toronto, Ontario to Canadian diplomat George Ignatieff and his wife Alison Grant. His grandfather, Count Pavel Ignatiev, was Minister of Education to Tsar Nicholas II. After graduating from high school, Ignatieff studied at the University of Toronto where he met Bob Rae, future Premier of Ontario. He then proceeded to study at the University of Oxford in England, influenced by the well-known historian and philosopher Isaiah Berlin. Ignatieff completed his studies by earning his PhD in History at Harvard University.

Ignatieff’s roots with the Liberal Party began at the age of 18, where he volunteered to canvas for the York South riding. Three years later, he worked for the Liberal Party as a national youth organizer and party delegate for the Trudeau campaign His loyalty to the party has continued ever since.
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Canada’s Conservative Party would win a strong majority if an election were to be held today, according to a newly released poll by the Ottawa Citizen’s website. Canadians favour the Conservatives over the Liberals 45% to 26%. 12% of Canadians would vote for the NDP. These results come just 2 months after the Conservatives won a minority government with 37.6% of the vote.

So why the drastic change in public opinion? Canadians are just simply fed up with thinking about the prospects of another election or a coalition government forming. Almost two-thirds of respondents indicated they would prefer Ignatieff find a compromise with Harper to keep the Conservatives in power. After all, $300 million of taxpayers money was spent on the recent election. The poll also indicated the Liberals attempt to form a coalition with the Bloc a major factor in the shift of support towards Harper. As well, 7 out of 10 respondents agreed with the decision to prorogue government.
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