Opening ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games (photo by Reuters)

After years of painstaking planning, construction, advertising and anticipation, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics finally opened on Friday February 12.

Athletes, the media and sports enthusiasts from around the world gathered at B.C. place for a nearly 3 hour spectacle that showcased the unique, multicultural element these games have vowed to represent.

Unfortunately for the city of Vancouver and its Olympic Organizing Committee, the games have been subject to a slew of criticism.
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Photo Credit: blog.nz-online.de

Am I the only Canadian that wishes Barack Obama could be my leader? Politics aside, the man can speak. When he gives a speech, people listen. When Stephen Harper gives a speech, people fall asleep, or at least I do. From the moment Obama took office and said that he would “unclench his fist and extend an open hand,” I was hooked on the man and stopped really listening to whatever it is Stephen Harper says. I paid a hell of a lot more attention to Obama’s most recent State of the Union address than I did to Harpers speech at the World Economic Forum. As I said earlier, I fall asleep staring at his grey head of hair.
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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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Photo Credit: imgur.com

For the second time, Governor General Michaëlle Jean has acceded to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s request to prorogue Parliament. This is dangerous, to say the least, as on both occasions Mr. Harper used prorogation to dodge accountability and to retain power. Given this, I am forced to conclude that Governor General Michaëlle Jean is weak, incompetent, or colluding with Mr. Harper.

Canada is facing serious difficulties on many fronts, from a still faltering economy to climate change to world issues (we are still at war in Afghanistan, last time I checked), so the idea of Parliament taking a two-month holiday is inappropriate at best, dangerous more accurately.

I am no constitutional scholar. I am simply a practical man seeing that Canada’s democracy is not functioning well, and may in fact be in danger. Some constitutional scholars think the same: “parliamentary democracy is in danger.”
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"We wish nothing more, but we will accept nothing less. Masters in our own house we must be, but our house is the whole of Canada."
Photo Credit: Warren Kinsella

As the first decade of the 21st century passes into its final year, most Canadians will continue to have much to be thankful for.

Our country is a nation rich in history, security, freedom and resources and remains one of the most culturally diverse on the face of the Earth.

For those of us who became politically conscious during the early 1970’s, few can refute the claim that a great deal of our current Canadian identity was forged by the indomitable figure of Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

For all his many critics, it is hard to deny that Trudeau left an indelible stamp on the rest of the world as to what it is to be Canadian.

He envisioned a country that was proud of its dual heritage, one that welcomed immigrants to become a part of the tapestry of this land, one that saw itself not as a global conqueror but rather as a global partner in the stewardship of this nation, our planet and all humankind.
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Literacy is critical to the transmission of the ideas that shape our world.

Some people might wonder what an article about literacy is doing on a political blog, but a literate population is crucial to a fully-functioning, informed democracy. According to ABC Canada, “Greater understanding of social and political issues means a more informed opinion at the ballot box, better understanding of issues, and greater confidence in discussing them. This, in turn, encourages leadership and engagement in public debate.” Poor literacy is a huge challenge for those who wish to keep the public informed on prominent issues and what their politicians are up to. Although many of us find power and information in the written word, others may find only confusion.
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Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has never courted China, despite its economic powerhouse status, and suggestions that he is now doing so in order to secure the Chinese-Canadian vote are ludicrous. It is perfectly evident that people do not emigrate from China to Canada on account of the weather. As such, it is naive to believe that Chinese-Canadians, en masse, wish for positive relations between their country of origin and their adopted homeland. This is not to mention the host of Asian Canadians, Tibetans, for instance, who may observe Canada’s diplomatic relations with China with suspicion.

With entirely opposing political cultures, China and Canada have no reason to maintain good relations besides for economics, and in this time of fiscal crisis, our Prime Minister has bit the bullet. In 2006, with regards to his stand on China, Harper famously noted that he would not “sell out” human rights in favour of economic gain. This is a course he has not diverged from, until now. For the first time since his election, Harper has paid an official visit to China.
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According to Campaign 2000, child poverty in Canada remains a major issue.

On Tuesday, Campaign 2000 released its annual report on child poverty in Canada, and propounded an alarming statistic. According to the organization’s estimates, ten per cent of Canadian kids currently live in poverty. Among First Nations children, this figure is even more disturbing: one in four.

The statistics represent a lack of progress over the last 20 years, according to Campaign 2000, in terms of combating child poverty in Canada.

The report also mentions that the disparity between rich and poor appears to be widening in our country, as since 1989, the average income of families with children in the wealthiest tenth of the population increased by 33 per cent compared to an increase of just 16 per cent for those in the poorest tenth of the population.

Campaign 2000 places particular emphasis within the report on the plight of Canada’s Aboriginal people, stating that the Canadian Aboriginal population has increased by 45 per cent since 1996, compared to eight per cent in the non-Aboriginal population. Meanwhile, Aboriginal people face higher rates of unemployment and sub-standard living conditions than their non-Aboriginal counterparts.
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Last week I found an interactive map on the Globe and Mail website that provides a big-picture look at the number of confirmed H1N1 hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths by province/territory and for Canada as a whole. Today, I found another great resource courtesy of the National Post.

The image illustrates how H1N1 vaccines in Canada originate from GlaxoSmithKline, the sole provider of H1N1 vaccines in Canada, and ultimately reach the general population. The image also indicates the eligibility groups province by province and provides up-to-date information on the roll-out so far.

Here is a summary of the content provided:

British Columbia:

- 1.16 million doses received.
- Over 900,000 injections thus far.
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A negative-stained image of the swine flu virus.

While searching the web for accurate information regarding the number of Canadians impacted by the Swine Flu, I came across a fantastic interactive map on The Globe and Mail site. The map provides a big-picture look at the number of confirmed hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths by province/territory and for Canada as a whole. Although the size of the rings surrounding each providence can be misleading, the facts are not. Here are some of the figures they’ve gathered:

Deaths per million people:

All of Canada: 2.76
Newfoundland and Labrador: 0.00
Prince Edward Island: 0.00
Nova Scotia: 1.07
New Brunswick: 0.00
Quebec: 3.48
Ontario: 2.09
Manitoba: 5.79
Saskatchewan: 4.92
Alberta: 3.35
British Columbia: 2.74
Yukon: 0.00
Northwest Territories: 0.00
Nunavut: 31.85
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