The Honour of Chuck Cadman MP

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…unfortunately a one of a kind politician.

Coming from Paul Martin, leader of Canada’s most corrupt political party ever, his description of Chuck Cadman as an example of what all Parliamentarians should be sounded thin and insincere despite the utter truth of it. Come to think of it, if all parliamentarians were so, there would likely be no Liberal Party of Canada!

Chuck Cadman went to Ottawa reluctantly as a politician, but eagerly as someone who wanted to effect very necessary changes, particularly in the areas of justice and victims rights. It seems odd that those are things anyone should have to fight or lobby for in government …should not those things be natural acts of government? To me it seems so. To me it seems that government’s first responsibility to the people who elect it should be the protection of honest, hardworking citizens. It should not matter which party or which MP tables such bills …acting on them should be as expedient and natural as breathing!

Unfortunately, Canada’s “Natural Governing Party” (according to them) is too worried about protecting the rights of offenders, and too busy playing politics with every issue to accept and act decisively on a good idea from opposition or an independant.

Since the budget vote and particularly since his death last weekend, many have come forth to speak about Mr. Cadman …and it seems each one had something to say about the ways in which he was different. One thing that has not been said is about how he was different in respect to his relationship to his constituents. That relationship was significantly central to his budget vote.

Mr. Cadman didn’t vote for the Liberal budget because he necessarily agreed with it, nor because he supported or endorsed the Liberals in general. I was disappointed that he voted as he did because we lost an opportunity to fire a dishonest, corrupt government …something I think should be a matter of course under such circumstances. However, when I heard his reason for voting as he did I had to respect it and had to support it because it illustrated how an elected person SHOULD behave …his vote highlighted a significant difference between Mr. Cadman and typical parliamentarians ...perhaps most significantly because it was something he was not required to do even under law.

His reason: Because his constituents did not want to go to the polls so soon.

In an earlier post I addressed this very issue to underscore a huge flaw in our system and to shed further light on the fact that “democracy” in Canada is just a word when it comes right down to it. The example I used is worth repeating.

Believe it or not, an ‘elected’ individual is under NO legal obligation to listen to a single thing you or I say! But you need not believe me …instead you can believe Justice, E.A. Marshall of The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta who heard docket number 9012000725 on the 10th of December 1990. Apparently some constituents brought suit against their MP for his failure to represent their wishes. In Justice Marshall’s decision he said:

“ I know of no legal duty on an elected representative at any level of government to consult with his constituents or determine their views. While such an obligation may generally be considered desirable, there is no legal requirement.”

(Excerpted from Democracy and Freedom in Canada?)

The loss of Chuck Cadman is a loss to all of Canada …but perhaps he will leave a legacy other than his obvious contributions. That legacy would, by his example, serve as a humiliation to all those politicians who put power, influence and party agendas ahead of the right thing to do. Wouldn’t it be nice to see politicians voting issues on their merits rather than based on what party label is on it? What about voting in accordance with the expressed wishes of their employers (constituents) rather than in accordance with directives from party brass? Wouldn’t it be nice indeed ...but realistically its about as likely to happen as its likely that Canada will be an actual democracy or have an actual constitution any time soon. Pity, this could have been such a great country for the average person, instead of just for politicians and financiers!

Unlike most, Chuck Cadman actually deserved the title "Honourable".

Til next time …We’ll miss you Chuck Cadman
The Serf

Suicide Bombers Devastate Toronto Subway!

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…the headline we’d rather not read …but very well may.

On July 7th London commuters died and were injured by bombs planted on the transit system while going about their business on what seemed a typical day. “Typical” became “horrific” almost as fast as you can say those two words. Even though the British are more accustomed to terrorist action, are better prepared for it and take a harder line with terrorists and their supporting organizations …no one was expecting it.

Here in Canada our politicians have patted our heads since 9/11 while comforting us that Canadians are not at risk. To prove their point, anti-terrorism measures have amounted more to lip service and another tax grab than to actual security …which is particularly troubling since what security we had beforehand had been decimated over time and was guided more by Liberal ‘politically correct’ doctrine than effectiveness. How weak and defenseless we've become!

I’m going to give Stewart Bell’s book ‘Cold Terror’ another plug here because Canadians need to WAKE UP and realize that we do not live in some lovely little polite cocoon, where we are insulated from all the world’s bad guys. We are, in fact, on the bin Laden hit list …because we’re westerners, we’re affluent, we sent troops to Afghanistan and we are non-Muslim …therefore we are infidels and completely expendable in the pursuit of their goals! So get the book (Cold Terror) read it twice and put away the rose-coloured glasses. (The sidebar has an Amazon link to the book and a summary is in the article here.)

Read the following statement carefully:

CANADA IS RAPIDLY BECOMING KNOWN AS A SPONSOR STATE OF TERRORISM.

That statement is not fiction or conjecture …it is a FACT. It does not mean that the average Canadian approves of or assists terrorism by Hezbollah, the Tamils, al Qaida or any other terrorist organization. It does mean that our so-called elected ‘leaders’ have failed and continue failing to take terrorism seriously and implement effective measures to counter the threat. (Read the Cold Terror for all the details.)

In fact, our so-called leaders actually cavort with and endorse terrorist organizations headquartered in Canada because they do not want to isolate the voters in those related ethnic communities. What makes that particularly sickening is that the majority of people in those ethnic communities are being terrorized by those terrorist organizations to raise funds to support their causes. Our politicians, however, seem content to take the word of terrorist leaders and fund raisers that they are only raising money to buy tractors for their homelands. So they stand by, stand down, stick their hands in their pockets and present Canadians with a stream of rhetoric about how on-top of the situation they are and how safe we are ….WRONG.

Eventually it will be Canada’s turn to suffer a significant terrorist event. It might be the TTA suffering something similar to yesterday’s carnage in London. Perhaps it will be another Air India style attack. Maybe we’ll read about large bombs going off simultaneously on a couple of crowded BC Ferries! Or an airplane will fly into the Calgary Tower and topple it into the downtown core! Terrorists love big headlines!

When that occurs, what will those politicians say then? How will they spin the blame to the RCMP and CSIS (who they control)? But most importantly: What will each of us say to ourselves in the mirror, and how will we excuse ourselves for allowing it to happen, by allowing weak, self-involved, naïve and corrupt people to continue to hold the reins of control in this country?

Am I plugging Stewart Bell’s book? YES …because we all need more facts than have been spoon-fed to us by Ottawa!! Am I being ‘partisan’ politically? YES …because there is a long, long track record of Liberal governments making us weaker and more vulnerable, and an equally long track record of those same governments doing what benefits their lust to stay in power more so than what is best for the country as a whole. In fact, that’s not ‘partisan’ ..that’s just simple history!

The average decent, hardworking Canadian is no more a sponsor of terrorism than the average decent, hardworking American is a blood-thirsty war monger. Unfortunately in each country certain people have weaseled their way into power who are not there to benefit the country …only themselves. This brings me to the point I carp on and on about … WE need to get full and firm control of these elected clowns who run amok with our money, our futures, our security and our very safely. WE can only to that with FACTS and the FACTS we need to focus on will NOT be forthcoming from either Ottawa or the CBC.

Get with it Canada ...contrary to what Ottawa would have us believe, the world is a tough place with some nasty actors pulling some really dangerous strings. The political rhetoric sounds good to peace loving people, but when the firestorms rain down it will be they who are in the protective bunkers we paid for …not us. In Canada, we seem to have been taught that strength is synonymous with aggression …what a distortion of fact.

To have a strong, well-equipped military and properly funded and supported police agencies does not mean we suddenly embark on a course of world domination and internal Fascism …it means we are able to protect our peace and security in the face of those bad guys who are outside of as well as inside our country.

So, to the next Liberal politician who tries to tell you that a strong military will attract problems to us or that strong police forces or border security are not necessary, ask them two questions:

• 1) Who’s side are you really on?, and
• 2) Who’s country is it anyway?

Til next time …keep your heads down and your eyes & ears open!!

The Serf

The True Canadian Identity?

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…forget beavers and maple leaves

Canada Day …so many celebrations planned …Paul Martin and so many other politicians at podiums extolling carefully scripted speeches from the heart (written by someone else, of course) about all it means to be a “Canadian”. Personally, the last thing I wanted to do was listen to a politician beaking off so I decided to do something very symbolic of modern day Canada …my laundry …so I took myself to the cleaners, rather than let the government do it!

As I walked out the door I noticed that at sometime during the night small Canadian flags had been planted along the sidewalk in front of each house in the neighbourhood. Visually it was quite nice, however my visual pleasure was almost immediately replaced with suspicion about who funded this little escapade. I looked up and down the street to see if I could spot Sheila Copps hiding somewhere admiring her nocturnal flag handiwork! No sign of her …so I inspected the flag by my sidewalk more closely to find they were from a local realtor. Whew …no tax dollars involved for a change!

Throughout the day I pondered the imponderable question …What is Canada’s national identity? I don’t mean the kind of ‘sales pitch’ that Heritage Canada, Tourism Canada, Immigration Canada and others put into brochures. No, I mean what do average people in this country regard as the essence of what it is to be a ‘Canadian’, what sense of unity and patriotism do they have (if any) and why.

I wondered if Canada systemically applies Bill Cosby’s maxim for success and failure. Cosby said “I don’t know the fastest way to succeed …but I do know that the fastest way to fail is by trying to please everyone!” Is that an apt description of Canada? A country trying to be too many things all at the same time to too many, doing marginally well at some but for the most part falling short of overall success at any? It seems there is an ongoing situation in Canada where someone is always complaining that someone else got more or has more than they do and demands their ‘rights’ for equalization of some sort! Not to mention that national quirk of bad-mouthing successful people ...then demanding they share! Canada seems to celebrate mediocrity and penalize productivity and success ...is that something to be proud of?

I wondered how ‘unified’ Canada can be when the system itself promotes dis-unity by systemically identifying people by ethnicity instead of homogenizing everyone in this land under one (1) title …”Canadian”. Multiculturalism Canada, while a warm fuzzy notion, has the net effect of ghettoizing people on ethnic lines rather than uniting them under a single flag! Another failed social engineering project. While thinking about this it occurred to me that the maple leaf on our flag should probably be secondary to a hyphen (see example following.)

We’ve all noticed that hyphen because how many times per day are we confronted with groups or individuals being identified as [BLANK]-Canadian. How about just being “Canadian”? It seems to me that those pesky hyphens turn us into national room mates as opposed to a national family! Imagine if the neighbours next door all had different surnames …operated on different schedules …ate separate meals …and were always out in the back yard arguing about who got the biggest piece of pie and then further argued about who got the freshest piece. Would that seem much like a family to you?

We seem to identify ourselves (nationally) most predominantly by how much we can criticize people outside our borders …particularly Americans. We talk about our sovereignty but allow our military and border security to fall into under-funded disarray. We protect our coasts with a so-called ‘Coast Guard’ that is tasked more with counting fish and monitoring fishermen than on actually guarding the coast! Oh well, if trouble comes our way apparently we will just expect those people we criticize to the south to step in and protect us.

Lately there seems to be a new, very disturbing layer to the ‘Canadian Identity’ …one that accepts (and even endorses) fraud and corruption because we’re too afraid of some change ...because we’re gullible ...and because we’re too busy arguing amongst ourselves about who’s piece of pie is biggest to unite in anger and demand accountability, honesty and transparency from those we hire to administer our national affairs.

We are, in many respects a divided country …along lines of ethnicity, sexuality and language. There is an old maxim that says “United we stand …divided we fall” and history supports how very true that is. So the real question is “who have we been conquered by?” …perhaps our employees in Ottawa?

Happy Canada Day …whatever that really means!

Til next time
The Serf