I just posted this as my status update on my FB page: The two recent murders of Canadians by people with supposed ties to ISIS or Islam has me curious. Im curious if any of my fellow Canadians are noticing the political landscape veering to the far right of what has been traditionally Canadian discourse and policies? Quite interesting... the recent honoring of the military here, Prime Minister Stephen Harpers neo conservative policies, Harpers speech about the murders-full of right wing ideology, Harpers decision to send Canadians to the war in Iraq, and now the shift in ideology in BC. The media and recent infusion of rhetoric typical of the far right is disturbing. I came from the US to Canada in 1978. Since I was young to now, reminders of the presence of the military in the US have always been very commonplace (soldiers in full uniform, military vehicles, the news, families with children enlisted). I was so thankful to move to Canada, a country who spends very little of their GDP on the military. The military presence is almost non-existent in the average Canadians lives (as are discussions about endless medical bills). Canadians have long valued health care for all, high quality public education for all, respect for diversity, and numerous social safety net programs worth preserving. THESE UNIQUELY CANADIAN VALUES, PROGRAMS, AND SERVICES ARE BEING SYSTEMATICALLY ERODED-THIS IS BY DESIGN NOT BY ACCIDENT. It is my sincere hope and prayer that Canadians are educated enough, care enough, and will preserve Canadian programs and services that uphold each and every person in this land. To watch the decline of the US has been tragic. I still do love the US but am very disheartened by what has happened there. The erosion of Canadian services and programs can be stopped before it takes hold here. We DO have a middle class. We DO have a social safety net that prevents people going from the middle class to extreme poverty. This happens in the US in a domino affect: become ill (may or may not be the start of the spiral), lose your job due to poor health or another reason, lose your health care, fall behind on your mortgage, lose your home, incur insurmountable medical bills and other debt. If I were still in the US, due to my chronic illness, I would now be penniless Im sure. The writing was on the wall for the spiral to happen to me. This scenario of a downward spiral doesnt even address the millions of Americans who, because of circumstances theyre born into, dont have a chance to pull-themselves-up-by-their-bootstraps. The provisions that were in place for Americans from disadvantaged backgrounds to climb out of poverty have been declining for decades. The American Dream for all has long since died. There has been a redistribution of wealth, a change in American ideology,and the erosion of programs that helped the poor and middle class. My Canadian friends and family, please be aware !!!! Take action to preserve Canadian values, programs, and services. Municipal and school board elections in BC are approaching - This is just one small example of how to ensure the preservation of Canadian values. Former Prime Minister Joe Clark said the biggest threat to the Canadian way of life is apathy. We cannot lose what is so precious to so many. Thanks for listening !!
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 22:37:57 +0000
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