My country seems to be slipping away in front of my very eyes. Our proud identity, our cherished core values – never mind the vast gap between aspiration and achievement – are being turned upside down. Gun control advocates are out, gun apologists are in. Peacekeeping is out, warriors are in. Preventing war is out, killing scumbags is in. Demonstrations for peace are out, demonstrations of a martial spirit are in. Thoughtful, restrained Canadianism is out, hand-on-heart Yankee-style patriotism is in.
What happened to "my Canada" and to "Canadian values" as I thought they existed? . . . in fact they still seem to exist. My mother who regularly listens to radio and watches TV news (can no longer read the paper due to macular degeneration) within the last year expressed a view that our soldiers in Afghanistan were "peace keepers" - they are not. I now wonder if the average Canadian "gets it". Maybe the values have not changed and people just don't get the slow erosion of them because they are too busy trying to find daycare for their kids, or working hard to stay in place, (cannot get ahead) or trying to figure out how to get out of debt, or where to move where things will be better?
Very few seemed to "get it" when, this year, I questioned Remembrance Day. I wanted tio know what it was people thought we were remembering? I am OK with the second world war as it appeared (although still a colonial/imperialist war) to hold back aggressor nations and mad men (or that's the story as I learned it - even though some continents were carved up afterwards) but I did not want to be wearing a poppy for the First World War, Korea or Afghanistan, although I would if I could wear one remembering the sacrifice as idiotic and without purpose and saying "never again", instead of as noble. . My white poppy was considered an affront although for me I wanted to remember the sacrifice of those who died in wars (civilians too!) but to pray for/wish for/hope for/work for peace.
People said - leave "politics" behind for one day - this is the day to remember their sacrifice - and by the way - they died for you. . . Really what is a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan doing to protect me? or my freedom, or my way of life? If it means saving women and children in Afghanistan - I will change/am willing to change my way of life. I was ambivalent when that war started because I wanted to save the women of Afghanistan but we have not done so - we have bombed their weddings, and put them between the Taliban, warlords of a number of "stripes", and "western" soldiers. I wish we could have built, staffed and kept open more schools, and built more hospitals, and kept it all from crashing, but we are losing the hearts and minds battle.
Anyway, this is not about Afghanistan, it is also about gun control - how can we be letting registering guns slip away? Yes the registry was a boondoggle and I will never know why it cost so much - but why can't we keep legal weapons, properly stored and registered so that we know where they are? It reduced the killing of women and I do not understand why it is onerous for the owners of the weapons? It is not expensive or time consuming I understand - so what's the issue? Why do people want to have unknown weapons in their home? And why did Peter Stoffer vote to end the registry? I am at a loss. I don't even have a party candidate in my riding ( still ADORE Megan Leslie!!!) that I can vote for (don't get me wrong I will, but I will hold my nose doing so, and if there are a whole lot more mis-steps - long gun registry, sending to committee the bill on the rights of the unborn - I mean COME ON Peter - I may have to review!) I am sure not voting Lib or Con - spoiled ballot here I come - Peter - get with the program!
On some other fronts I don't know where we are heading - we are heading to US style jails - consideration is being given to private, for profit prisons and to faith based programs/units in prisons, and yet we are increasing the time for minor drug offenses but not for rape?
There is decreasing access to abortion across the country and controlling family size is how one leads to liberation for women. Educating women makes them want to reduce the size of families/number of children (without pressure) and leads to peace and prosperity. When did we start moving to punishment in principle - oh and by the way that's what the "new" prisons are about.
I haven't always been lauding these sought after "Canadian values" -- I often thought I was ahead of the curve - I fought for equal access to abortion, women's rights, gay marriage, union contracts and workers rights at many times when they did not seem to reflect the mainstream "values", but there were certain things that one could take for granted - now, instead of peace, order and good government we get war, chaos and no safety net, and politicking in the house of commons.
Like I said - my values are not being reflected in Canada anymore - I think I would like to work outside the country for a while - not necessarily anywhere where these values are more espoused but somewhere where it will not wrack me with guilt and surprise that my values are not reflected since I will be a visitor or newcomer and not a long established citizen. Maybe that will let me appreciate that there is peace here even if we are exporting war, and that there is rape and femincide here but at least the police will pursue the perpetrators (oh, if they find your story credible and you are not a sex trade worker) and you will not be stoned, or that you can eat from a foodbank, or have shelter from the cold - though sometimes only in a bed with bed bugs. . .
Anyway - off today to participate in a pension and pre-retirement workshop for union members - way to improve women's lives in this country. . . JOIN A UNION! - get economic independence and education. . .
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