Photo Credit: The Truth Project

The concept of a North American Union in many incarnations has been discussed in academic, social and political circles for several decades. Former Mexican President Vincente Fox was enthusiastic about the idea, but at the time members of US government busied themselves writing resolutions, speeches and blogs in opposition to the whole idea. Canadian leaders have kept pretty much mum on the subject, doing little more than denying that a secret NAU plan is in the works.

Apparently I am in the minority in suggesting that a Union between our countries would be mutually beneficial socially, economically and in the ever important realm of national security. There has been a lot of opposition to the idea on harried blog sites that produce posts on the alleged clandestine NAU meetings and operations.

Like the widespread fear of globalization, I believe that the concerns can and would be allayed only if we could trust our leaders to handle the creation and transition with care, diplomacy and even-minded thinking. Unfortunately these are not things that politicians are known for. I assert that a very carefully and justly handled North American Union would be greatly beneficial for every North American country.
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A prorogation rally on Parliament Hill. Photo Credit: Sean Kilpatrick, CP

In all the excitement about prorogation it has become fairly obvious that the vast majority of the Canadian public—present company included—don’t know much about what it actually is. Normally, I use this space to share my opinion, but this time I will preface it with something a little less subjective. Today I would like to present a brief prorogation primer, with a few personal opinions tossed in for good measure.

The fine folks at the Table Research Branch of the House of Commons maintain the House of Commons Compendium, an excellent source of information on how the House and its committees work. If you visit their web page discussing the Parliamentary Cycle, you will find this simple introduction:

“A Parliament is summoned following a general election and continues to exist until it is dissolved (ended) by a proclamation of the Governor General at the request of the Prime Minister. This is followed by another general election. The Constitution sets the maximum lifespan of a Parliament at five years; however, recent changes to the Canada Elections Act provide for fixed date elections every four years.

Each Parliament is made up of one or more sessions, each consisting of a number of separate sittings (meetings), separated by periods of adjournment. Each session, except the final one, ends when Parliament is prorogued by the Governor General. The final session ends with the dissolution of Parliament and the calling of a general election.”

So you see, dear readers, prorogation is not the rare beast that some people believe it to be. It is constitutionally valid and is not morally dubious in and of itself. In fact, Parliament has been prorogued over 100 times. Still though, we are unfamiliar with it and because of that, it makes us a bit edgy. In a perfect world, all Canadians would take a mandatory high school civics class – anything the school system ever taught me about our government is long gone. Yes, the topic can be dry, but so is algebra and they made us learn that too.
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Depends on the tune - Photo Credit: Global News

HCBAX9NPSJB8 It is a truism that the Conservative’s base votes. When it comes to the nitty gritty hardship of going all the way to that local community building and making an X, the core supporters of said party are never apathetic (except arguably about what the Conservatives are doing).

The base on the Left? What base on the left? There may be a few who remember the union-championing roots of the NDP and never sway from supporting said party. There are certainly some environmental activists who swear to vote Green all Green and nothing but Green so help them Mother Earth. What is the Liberal core, and really how can either of the other two (the Greens are actually rather right when it comes to social policy but we’ll play the perception here) ever expect to match the one recognized haven for the socially conservative vote, especially given that despite enacted policy the Conservative Party also manages to cling to the illusion of fiscal conservativism?
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The Monkey House

Bored and dipping in the whiskey last night, I decided to engage in a little social investigation. I have long been curious by the human tendency to, once provoked, enter into group-think mentalities and demonize potential outsiders. In civil, civic discourse, this trend is reversed by sophisticated rhetoricians through the disarmament of their opponent, first through finding common ground and then, point for point, countering hostile suggestion with legitimate fact, all the while ignoring the hostile tone of their opponent. Well, sometimes it is nice to return slight for slight, but the skilled debater always returns to the facts that support his or her opinion. Now, in the case of political discussion, there may not be only facts but there are reasons behind the opinion and it is to these which one must turn if one’s position is to be defended.
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Liberal MP Scott Brison Photo Credit: CBC

Scott Brison, a Liberal MP, recently mailed out his Christmas card to constituents and supporters. As politicians’ Christmas cards go, it is pretty typical. It is attractive and depicts a pastoral scene. The only difference from other cards is that it includes Brison and his same-sex partner. It is also the first same-sex married MP Christmas card. Predictably, there were some hateful, homophobic comments posted on websites, and these sites removed these postings and closed the comments sections.

A few caveats are required. As a heterosexual male, I don’t claim to be an expert on gay culture, but I do sympathize with homosexuals and others when they are faced with discrimination and hostility. At the same time, I do not think it requires a lot of courage to do so, since I believe the level of hostility toward gays has diminished (although obviously has not been eliminated) over the past few decades. Homophobia in Canada, I believe, may now be approaching the degree of stigmatization that racism towards African Canadians has today. The stigmatization of these hateful sentiments, of course, doesn’t mean that they don’t exist or that polite racism and bigotry doesn’t occur.
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The Christmas Card

The House of Commons has adjourned until January 25th, so the well of political intrigue might be a bit dry for the next few weeks. In the spirit of the season, though, one of the things that stirred up some political watchers this week was a Christmas card. Not the economy, torture in Afghanistan, nor the mess in Copenhagen. No, the issue that had (some) Canadians rushing to the blogosphere was Nova Scotia MP Scott Brison’s Christmas card.

The photo on the front of Mr. Brison’s card is a family portrait. It shows him and his husband, Maxime St. Pierre, posing against the pleasant backdrop of a rural Nova Scotia landscape in the company of a golden retriever. The marriage itself is old news (it happened in 2007) and Mr. Brison has been “out” for several years. Being openly gay has not hurt his political fortunes in the least, and even after crossing the floor to join the Liberal Party, his constituents happily returned him to office.
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Promoting Politics: Quentin Durgens, MP
Photo Credit: CBC

This article was sparked by an earlier posting from Jason Darby and deals with the elephant in the room or I guess more precisely the digital elephant in the blog. How do we encourage more political participation and an informed vote among Canadians?

There is no doubt that political apathy and political cynicism has increased significantly around the world over the past four decades. The reasons for this are numerous. People have significantly less free time these days. Moreover, there is now a lot of what has been referred to as “ Data Smog”. Whether one is a politician, a businessperson or an entertainer, you have a lot more competition these days and you have to compete for attention in a glut of information in the news media and internet.
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"R.C.M.P. Stare Down Protest"

Senior R.C.M.P. Officials can deny harassing Vancouver Olympic protesters all they want and Pat McDonnel can sit and feint innocence as long as he can legally cover it up or maintain deniability, but lets look at the truth – the R.C.M.P.’s actions, not statements, and I.S.U. security behaviours for the 2010 Olympics.

Danika Surm, friend of open anti-Olympic protester Chris Shaw, claims she was approached by two plainclothed Olympic security officers and questioned about her friendship with an anti-Olympic protester. Surm said “she was on her way to class at a south Vancouver campus when she was approached by two plainclothed police officers with the Integrated Security Unit, the force in charge of Olympic security. The two officers questioned her about her friendship with Chris, who teaches neuroscience at the University of British Columbia, and what she knew about his plans to protest against the Olympics in February. The R.C.M.P. then did the same thing to Chris Shaw’s ex-wife, even though the two haven’t been married for 15 years.
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All protest is about anger – someone said that in a documentary I watched recently. The rage you feel when you see something you know is wrong moves you to act against it. Admirable. Especially in the sea of apathy and numb complaisance that seems to be the hallmark of modern life. As you know, the 2010 Winter Olympics are fast approaching in Vancouver, and ever since they were announced, they’ve been a source of great anger for anti-poverty groups in the Lower Mainland.

The facts are undeniable:

Homelessness in Vancouver has doubled since we won the bid in 2003, at the same time that Vancouver introduced new by-laws making it illegal to ask for money or sleep outdoors – thereby making the very existence of homelessness illegal. Far from being green or sustainable, the race to erect new Olympic venues has been the cause of a great deal of ecological damage. However, it is this one glaring fact that truly angers Olympic protesters – 6 billion dollars have been spent bringing the Olympics to Vancouver, where poverty and homelessness are a real and deathly problem.
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It’s an oil rich area in Alberta, and apparently a cause for concern. Oil development in the region has had a huge impact for the people who live there – the Lubicon Cree.

To make a long story short: it’s disputed land, and statistically, the Lubicon Cree’s quality of life has decreased since the oil production began, now it resembles that of a third world country. Federal social service payments went from the primary income source of 10 percent of the population to 90 percent. There is a severe lack of running water and sanitation and health conditions are abnormally high as a result.

Traditionally, trapping was a source of income for a majority of the populace, but after the first year of oil development, wildlife all but disappeared.
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