Heroes of a different sort

On June 2, 2008, about 50 cyclists will start off in Vancouver on a 19-day, cross-Canada bicycling trip. The Sears National Kids Cancer Ride is to raise money and awareness for kids battling cancer, and every one of these riders, along with the countless others who will join them for local rides, deserve whatever help and support you can give. Whether it’s just moral support - cheering them on as they pass through your town - or making a significant contribution to this very worthy cause, your help is needed and will be appreciated by all, especially the kids.

The Sears National Kids Cancer Ride website also has links to a number of the rider’s blogs so you can follow progress as they train and prepare for what will be quite a gruelling but ultimately very rewarding experience. And once the tour begins, regular updates will be posted on the group’s progress. With two friends among the national riders, you can be sure I will be following closely indeed.

Check them out, and please help if you can.

Closed circuit

A confrontation over a booted vehicle in a parking lot leads to two men in Boulder, Colorado tasering each other.

The RCMP have a recruiting officer en route.

"It's the Liberals fault!" - Queen's Park version

Six Nations protesters and the OPP are facing off over a blockade in Caledonia. It's heating up and tensions are building. Then Ontario's Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant steps in and helps defuse the situation, thus possibly avoiding a serious altercation that could conceivably have ended up with injuries or worse. Should be a good thing, right? Six Nations Chief Montour thought so, and sent Bryant a letter thanking him.

Oops - mistake. The provincial Tories got a copy of the letter and now claim that it's an "incriminating document" that contains "serious allegations" against the provincial Liberals. Conservative leader Runciman is now calling for an RCMP investigation into their claim of political interference in the OPP operation.

Stupid. Just stupid.

Canada's "Unhappy" Government

In today’s National Post, Don Martin says, “An official high in a Cabinet minister's office has an interesting label for his employer: The Unhappy Government.”

He then goes on to describe the malaise surrounding the Harperites and the general dysfunction of Parliament which has resulted from Stephen Harper’s unconstrained quest for power.

Ending with “...the only people with a legitimate right to be unhappy are the voters”, this article describes, in a nutshell, why the average Canadian holds Parliament and politicians in such disdain.

All thanks to Stephen Harper's "new way of doing business". Way to go Stevie!

Another brilliant pronouncement by the head Dipper

“We want the government to use the laws it has and fix the laws it hasn’t.”

Huh?

In my Canada...

I recently sent out an email to all my contacts imploring them to consider donating to their (non-Conservative) party of choice in an attempt to, as I put it, “get our Canada back”. That prompted the obvious question, “What do you mean by ‘our Canada’?”

Well, here goes:

In my Canada we are recognised around the world as an independent and honest broker, not encumbered by the geo-political policies of the US, Great Britain, or any other country.

In my Canada we take strong, principled leadership positions on matters of global import such as climate change.

In my Canada we do not accept as normal our young people coming home in body bags from a foreign war we didn’t start and can’t win.

In my Canada we do not believe that a toxic waste dump in northern Alberta the size of PEI is just ‘the price we have to pay’ for prosperity.

In my Canada tougher sentencing and more and bigger jails are viewed as part of the problem, not the solution, for making our streets safer.

In my Canada the federal government and First Nations leadership actually get off their respective soap boxes and do something constructive to resolve the crises facing First Nations people.

In my Canada the federal government protects and supports Canadians imprisoned in foreign lands without prejudice, not negotiated on a case-by-case basis as determined by the degree of public outrage or the perceived political advantage/disadvantage of helping.

In my Canada we view the failed policies of the US war on drugs and say “not here”.

In my Canada the federal government is a uniting force, bringing provinces, people and cultures together rather than dividing and conquering for political gain and power.

In my Canada openness and transparency in government are a reality, not just an electioneering slogan.

In my Canada Stephen Harper is a civilian.

You were elected ... we trust you.

With all the to-ing and fro-ing (ins-and-outs as it were – nudge, nudge, wink, wink) of l’affaire Bernier-Couillard, one key point has to be made. All those MPs who are screaming that a security check on Mlle Couillard should have been done, are conveniently overlooking the fact that none of their own spouses or significant others was ever subject to a security check.

According to CTV News, the ONLY check done on elected members of parliament (including Cabinet Ministers) is a police background check. That means they’re checked out only to determine if they have a criminal record or are facing financial difficulties that may be compromising. That’s it. Neither they nor any members of their families are investigated by the RCMP or CSIS as is the normal practice for any senior civil servants.

So there it is. The people who have access to, and in fact produce, some of the most sensitive secrets this country has, are not security vetted.

This is not new - it's always been that way - but perhaps it's time our elected representatives are held to the same standard as those they manage. Or those they would criticize.