Pointing at one of her eyes, that's what my dear friend used to say to our boss, Bill P, when he was the federal director in charge during Expo 86. She used this expression when he came up with some extraordinarily senseless notion -- which was usually every day. She could get away with it because she was working for the Minister of Transport at the time; the rest of us were bureaucrats who had to shut up and toe his fatuous line.
Whenever "A" delivered this line during a meeting, I could not look at her because I knew I would burst out laughing. But it always worked because he would back down when she clarified which way was up and which way we were going. In fact, I used to meet with her before meetings to ask if she would put forth my ideas so he would approve them. That's how I pushed through what I wanted done, through A. It was so refreshing.
Over the years, A and I have kept in touch and see each other intermittently whenever we can. One of those occasions just happened when she came to Calgary for Easter. What a time we had! After Calgary, we hit Banff and had a ball. "Banff has lost its class," she remarked as we strolled along the main drag. I had to agree. The outfits! The shoes! Hideous! Yep, the scenery is magnificent, but people have lost all ability to dress for an occasion. It's jeans, leggings, sneakers, hoodies and sweat shirts.
Sad.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
The ante is WAY up
$12,300 billion in funding for natives in this new budget means $7,235 million per native in Canada.
Do you think each native will get that??!! How about no.
Do you think each native will get that??!! How about no.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Still prehistoric here
"It's the Civic, right," says the dipsy service agent (and I use the term "service" advisedly) when she calls the other day from Village Honda about our appointment. "No, it's the HRV," I reply. "Is this Nancy Clarke?" "No, it's 'Nancy Marley-Clarke'", I reply -- still trying to be patient. "Well, the shocks are in and I want to set up an appointment for the Civic to install them," she obliviously continues. "The HRV has already had the shocks installed, so what are you talking about?" I ask, getting pissed off. "No, it's the Civic," she actually says....again!!
OMG! It's beyond belief. What follows is about 30 seconds of paper shuffling, as she tries to figure out what the eff she's doing. Since we have two cars on file with this organization, you would think she would have it straight about which she is talking, but no. She just blindly picks up the phone, calls me and tries to book an appointment for the wrong car for the wrong repair.
"Call me back," I almost yell, "when you have it figured out." I was not about to help her. I hang up. She never calls back. The next day I leave a phone message for Gord Niwa, the "Customer Service Manager" -- again "service" does not apply. I recount the details of her mess and suggest as politely as I can that maybe training or attention to detail may be lacking -- to say the least. Today, B took the HRV in to have the correct service attended to and Gord greets him with a totally lame explanation about what happened.......she's new.......didn't get the proper training.........there's a different protocol for parts and service.......and on and on and on. How can there be two different protocols for parts and service??!! And by the way, I DON'T CARE!
What is truly galling is that big Gordie doesn't think it necessary to return my call at all. He thinks, Neanderthal that he is, that just talking to the husband is all that's required. No need to talk to the wife, she's just a woman. He has absolutely no clue that women are car owners and service customers as well. As long as they are married to someone, we just deal with the man of the house. Women have been dealing with this attitude forever, but one would think men would at least try to hide it. But not in good, old-boy Calgary!
So rude and so typical of Calgarians of the male variety. It just enrages me. He will not have a good time the next time I visit the premises.
OMG! It's beyond belief. What follows is about 30 seconds of paper shuffling, as she tries to figure out what the eff she's doing. Since we have two cars on file with this organization, you would think she would have it straight about which she is talking, but no. She just blindly picks up the phone, calls me and tries to book an appointment for the wrong car for the wrong repair.
"Call me back," I almost yell, "when you have it figured out." I was not about to help her. I hang up. She never calls back. The next day I leave a phone message for Gord Niwa, the "Customer Service Manager" -- again "service" does not apply. I recount the details of her mess and suggest as politely as I can that maybe training or attention to detail may be lacking -- to say the least. Today, B took the HRV in to have the correct service attended to and Gord greets him with a totally lame explanation about what happened.......she's new.......didn't get the proper training.........there's a different protocol for parts and service.......and on and on and on. How can there be two different protocols for parts and service??!! And by the way, I DON'T CARE!
What is truly galling is that big Gordie doesn't think it necessary to return my call at all. He thinks, Neanderthal that he is, that just talking to the husband is all that's required. No need to talk to the wife, she's just a woman. He has absolutely no clue that women are car owners and service customers as well. As long as they are married to someone, we just deal with the man of the house. Women have been dealing with this attitude forever, but one would think men would at least try to hide it. But not in good, old-boy Calgary!
So rude and so typical of Calgarians of the male variety. It just enrages me. He will not have a good time the next time I visit the premises.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Here We Go Again
The arrest yesterday of an aboriginal youth for the brutal murder of 11-year-old Teresa Robinson in Garden Lake Reserve is one more statistic the RCMP can add to its list of who is killing aboriginal women: aboriginal men.
Nevertheless, the government will press on with an inquiry into "missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls". And who does the chief blame? You guessed it, the rest of Canada because..."we need more money and resources to help our people so we can prevent such tragedies."
Not a word of responsibility ever uttered by native leaders. It's outrageous. The blamelessness and finger-pointing of chiefs in these communities is breathtakingly unacceptable. What are they doing to help their own people? The first thing natives living in remote reservations need to do is get off them, like the rest of Canadians who move from small towns and villages, with no hope of employment, to larger cities and towns where they can lead better lives.
Why is this such a mystery? I know I have gone on about this many times, but the reason reserves still exist is because that is how the money flows to chiefs, via The Indian Act. Assertions to the contrary, native leaders have no intention of scrapping the legislation because the money would dry up. Just a fact, folks.
Columnist Gary Mason wrote about this problem today. Referring to a youth suicide epidemic in Cross Lake, Mason suggested the obvious solution: find a better life off-reserve. With no hope of a decent job and overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness and despair, young people simply give up, turn to booze and drugs and start having children while children themselves. Their progeny often become wards of the state and the cycle of anguish and misery repeats generation after generation, Mason writes.
Totally correct, but anyone who advocates natives getting off reserves is vilified and branded a racist, such as Scott Gilmore for a Maclean's magazine piece on the topic. The husband of federal environment minister Catherine McKenna, Gilmore wrote a second, statistic-laden piece confirming the dismal and crime-ridden life of on-reserve youth and was again pilloried for being correct.
The latest cash grab winding its way through the courts under the moniker of the "Sixties Scoop" is a class-action suit that alleges aboriginal children forced into residential schools were deprived of their heritage and culture. Headed by the chief of the Beaver house First Nation, Marcia Brown Martel, the action seeks damages of $100,000 for each person who attended residential schools in the sixties. That'll be a lotta dough.
Does anyone stop to think about the parallels to boarding schools all over the world? How about Britain, where children at the age of seven are removed from their homes and sent off to boarding school for the remainder of their educations. Funnily enough, most British prime ministers were high-achieving products of this "barbaric", yet successful, system. Clearly, the Brits do not consider English parents competent enough to raise their own offspring. Children may cry themselves to sleep for a while, but eventually adapt, make the "old school tie" connections and go on to success in leading the country.
That's just the way it is.
Nevertheless, the government will press on with an inquiry into "missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls". And who does the chief blame? You guessed it, the rest of Canada because..."we need more money and resources to help our people so we can prevent such tragedies."
Not a word of responsibility ever uttered by native leaders. It's outrageous. The blamelessness and finger-pointing of chiefs in these communities is breathtakingly unacceptable. What are they doing to help their own people? The first thing natives living in remote reservations need to do is get off them, like the rest of Canadians who move from small towns and villages, with no hope of employment, to larger cities and towns where they can lead better lives.
Why is this such a mystery? I know I have gone on about this many times, but the reason reserves still exist is because that is how the money flows to chiefs, via The Indian Act. Assertions to the contrary, native leaders have no intention of scrapping the legislation because the money would dry up. Just a fact, folks.
Columnist Gary Mason wrote about this problem today. Referring to a youth suicide epidemic in Cross Lake, Mason suggested the obvious solution: find a better life off-reserve. With no hope of a decent job and overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness and despair, young people simply give up, turn to booze and drugs and start having children while children themselves. Their progeny often become wards of the state and the cycle of anguish and misery repeats generation after generation, Mason writes.
Totally correct, but anyone who advocates natives getting off reserves is vilified and branded a racist, such as Scott Gilmore for a Maclean's magazine piece on the topic. The husband of federal environment minister Catherine McKenna, Gilmore wrote a second, statistic-laden piece confirming the dismal and crime-ridden life of on-reserve youth and was again pilloried for being correct.
The latest cash grab winding its way through the courts under the moniker of the "Sixties Scoop" is a class-action suit that alleges aboriginal children forced into residential schools were deprived of their heritage and culture. Headed by the chief of the Beaver house First Nation, Marcia Brown Martel, the action seeks damages of $100,000 for each person who attended residential schools in the sixties. That'll be a lotta dough.
Does anyone stop to think about the parallels to boarding schools all over the world? How about Britain, where children at the age of seven are removed from their homes and sent off to boarding school for the remainder of their educations. Funnily enough, most British prime ministers were high-achieving products of this "barbaric", yet successful, system. Clearly, the Brits do not consider English parents competent enough to raise their own offspring. Children may cry themselves to sleep for a while, but eventually adapt, make the "old school tie" connections and go on to success in leading the country.
That's just the way it is.
The latest from Ottawa
Does everyone forget the fact that one of the Senators named yesterday is none other than a rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth pit bull at one time intent on destroying, or knee-capping, the career of every senior public servant who had ever worked within a Liberal government?
Apparently yes, because the guy to whom I refer is Peter Harder. When Brian Mulroney was elected in 1984, one of the first things he did was set up a political office across from the Hill, headed by Eric Neilsen -- another politician who believed he had been deprived of power for far too long. At his side was none other than Mr. Harder. Their task? To compile a hit list of public servants perceived to be big-L Liberal who were to be taken down or out.
"I've seen the list and your name is on it," warned a Conservative friend at a cocktail party one evening. He was referring to B, who had been a senior executive in the PCO before the Conservatives swooped into office. Everyone who worked at the centre when Pierre Trudeau was PM was automatically considered an "enemy of the state". This was apparently how performance reviews were now to be conducted, solely from a partisan point of view. (I often wondered if this attitude affected my career because I took my husband's unique surname when I married, a surname no one else had in Ottawa except B's former wife. Probably did.)
"And what do you do," Mr. Harder asked me at another party one evening. "I am the DG of Communications at Customs and Excise," I replied. "Oh," he sniffed disparagingly, "You must be a Grit." With that he rudely turned his back and walked off. I kid you not. That's the kind of attitude they had, apparently forgetting what Jean-Luc Pepin had so wisely said a number of years ago: "Public servants must be political, but not partisan." Well, of course that is correct because regardless of the party in power, it is the duty of public servants to offer advice and watch their masters' backs.
When the Liberals stormed back under Chretien, Mr. Harder deftly switched horses and got himself out of the partisan world and into a senior position within the new government. So there he now sits, a Senator in a Liberal government. Will wondrous politics never cease!!
Apparently yes, because the guy to whom I refer is Peter Harder. When Brian Mulroney was elected in 1984, one of the first things he did was set up a political office across from the Hill, headed by Eric Neilsen -- another politician who believed he had been deprived of power for far too long. At his side was none other than Mr. Harder. Their task? To compile a hit list of public servants perceived to be big-L Liberal who were to be taken down or out.
"I've seen the list and your name is on it," warned a Conservative friend at a cocktail party one evening. He was referring to B, who had been a senior executive in the PCO before the Conservatives swooped into office. Everyone who worked at the centre when Pierre Trudeau was PM was automatically considered an "enemy of the state". This was apparently how performance reviews were now to be conducted, solely from a partisan point of view. (I often wondered if this attitude affected my career because I took my husband's unique surname when I married, a surname no one else had in Ottawa except B's former wife. Probably did.)
"And what do you do," Mr. Harder asked me at another party one evening. "I am the DG of Communications at Customs and Excise," I replied. "Oh," he sniffed disparagingly, "You must be a Grit." With that he rudely turned his back and walked off. I kid you not. That's the kind of attitude they had, apparently forgetting what Jean-Luc Pepin had so wisely said a number of years ago: "Public servants must be political, but not partisan." Well, of course that is correct because regardless of the party in power, it is the duty of public servants to offer advice and watch their masters' backs.
When the Liberals stormed back under Chretien, Mr. Harder deftly switched horses and got himself out of the partisan world and into a senior position within the new government. So there he now sits, a Senator in a Liberal government. Will wondrous politics never cease!!
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Ugly shoes
Thumbing through something-or-other, I came across the latest in fashion footwear. Eee Gads!
All hideous, except for the last pair, a classic pair of black pumps.
All hideous, except for the last pair, a classic pair of black pumps.
Friday, March 11, 2016
It's getting a little old
I am getting tired of Margaret Trudeau crapping on Pierre, all the while ignoring the fact that she is who and where she is precisely because of him.
Her latest plaint was published in the Sunday Times magazine, where she said life married to Pierre and living at 24 Sussex was "creepy and toxic, a place that was the Crown Jewel of the federal penitentiary system". Please. You have never worked a day in your life and your entire persona is having been Pierre's wife and now Justin's mother, so please shut up about how awful it all was. Now you're hanging out there and enjoying the swimming pool Pierre put in with your grandchildren. Shut up again and show a little gratitude.
Does anyone realize this woman has two other children with another husband? No, because she seems to have pretty much deep-sixed them in favour of dining out on the Trudeau brand. Wonder how 28-year-old Alicia and 32-year-old Kyle Kemper feel about it all? She goes back to the Trudeau name, after her divorce from Mr. Kemper, when she could have remained "Kemper", or reverted to "Sinclair". The whole thing is fraudulent and I'm sick of it. Margaret, don't bite the hand that feeds. It's uncivilized.
I have been invited to a panel discussion here in Calgary about mental health, in which she will be a participant. That'll be interesting.......to say the least!
Her latest plaint was published in the Sunday Times magazine, where she said life married to Pierre and living at 24 Sussex was "creepy and toxic, a place that was the Crown Jewel of the federal penitentiary system". Please. You have never worked a day in your life and your entire persona is having been Pierre's wife and now Justin's mother, so please shut up about how awful it all was. Now you're hanging out there and enjoying the swimming pool Pierre put in with your grandchildren. Shut up again and show a little gratitude.
Does anyone realize this woman has two other children with another husband? No, because she seems to have pretty much deep-sixed them in favour of dining out on the Trudeau brand. Wonder how 28-year-old Alicia and 32-year-old Kyle Kemper feel about it all? She goes back to the Trudeau name, after her divorce from Mr. Kemper, when she could have remained "Kemper", or reverted to "Sinclair". The whole thing is fraudulent and I'm sick of it. Margaret, don't bite the hand that feeds. It's uncivilized.
I have been invited to a panel discussion here in Calgary about mental health, in which she will be a participant. That'll be interesting.......to say the least!
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Missed it
Well, Mrs. Trudeau missed the fashion boat by a nautical mile. Her dress today was a disastrous mish-mash of red, orange and black?! What was she thinking? I didn't know where to look because one couldn't determine a pattern that made sense -- just a Jackson-Pollock splat of colours. Was she trying to channel the Canadian autumn? That's about all I could figure out.
Where is The Duchess of Cambridge when we need her?
Anxious to see if she might redeem herself for the state dinner, I awaited as she lighted from the car. Oh no! Another disaster! A purple and orange affair that highlighted all the wrong body parts, hugging and outlining as it did her bosom and waist. And that hair! Just hanging down her back in obvious need of a root job.
Speaking of hair, what is Michelle Obama thinking?! You could hardly make out her face behind all of it. Just a mess. I harkened longingly back to Jackie, who would have topped off that dress with full-length evening gloves. Orange gloves would have saved Sophie's; black, white or red Michelle's.
With only about 20 discretionary invitations, Trudeau must have had to cut at least three deserving folks to accommodate Margaret and his in-laws. Frankly, I would have liked to have seen something of Margaret, but she seems to be being kept under wraps. Let's hope she's on her meds.
Apparently, 35 percent of the guest list is made up of bag men, but the seamiest to strut in front of the camera was Gary Bettman. Please.
Where is The Duchess of Cambridge when we need her?
Anxious to see if she might redeem herself for the state dinner, I awaited as she lighted from the car. Oh no! Another disaster! A purple and orange affair that highlighted all the wrong body parts, hugging and outlining as it did her bosom and waist. And that hair! Just hanging down her back in obvious need of a root job.
Speaking of hair, what is Michelle Obama thinking?! You could hardly make out her face behind all of it. Just a mess. I harkened longingly back to Jackie, who would have topped off that dress with full-length evening gloves. Orange gloves would have saved Sophie's; black, white or red Michelle's.
With only about 20 discretionary invitations, Trudeau must have had to cut at least three deserving folks to accommodate Margaret and his in-laws. Frankly, I would have liked to have seen something of Margaret, but she seems to be being kept under wraps. Let's hope she's on her meds.
Apparently, 35 percent of the guest list is made up of bag men, but the seamiest to strut in front of the camera was Gary Bettman. Please.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
So...
...Bernie Sanders is Jewish. Just found that out yesterday and I wonder why his people keep it such a secret? His name has been changed to an Anglo-Saxon one, which is weird, but probably understandable because how would main-stream America react to a Jewish president?
Probably not all that well.
And don't start accusing me of being anti-semitic, I am simply making a cultural observation. I do not think America is ready for a Jewish president -- just as Ontario wasn't ready for a Jewish premier when Larry Grossman was running for head of the PCs in that province. A rabidly Conservative province at the time, it would not elect Grossman head of the party because traditional, true-blue, deeply conservative Ontario was not ready for a Jewish premier. Similarly, until the disastrous Kathleen Wynn, it wasn't ready for a woman. In fact, she has probably cured Ontario of electing a woman for a generation.
Only 53 when he died of brain cancer, Grossman was eminently qualified on paper, just the wrong religion for Ontario. I think it's the same in the US, which is why Sanders doesn't identify publically as Jewish -- something which must grate on American Jews. Jews in America run the entertainment industry and the financial industry, which means de-facto they run the country, but a Jewish president? I think not, despite the fact Jews run politics, most important political hitters having come from money firms such as Goldman Sachs. Hey folks, think about it.
But, as I said, don't start with the anti-semitic crap. I'm just tellin' it like it is.
Probably not all that well.
And don't start accusing me of being anti-semitic, I am simply making a cultural observation. I do not think America is ready for a Jewish president -- just as Ontario wasn't ready for a Jewish premier when Larry Grossman was running for head of the PCs in that province. A rabidly Conservative province at the time, it would not elect Grossman head of the party because traditional, true-blue, deeply conservative Ontario was not ready for a Jewish premier. Similarly, until the disastrous Kathleen Wynn, it wasn't ready for a woman. In fact, she has probably cured Ontario of electing a woman for a generation.
Only 53 when he died of brain cancer, Grossman was eminently qualified on paper, just the wrong religion for Ontario. I think it's the same in the US, which is why Sanders doesn't identify publically as Jewish -- something which must grate on American Jews. Jews in America run the entertainment industry and the financial industry, which means de-facto they run the country, but a Jewish president? I think not, despite the fact Jews run politics, most important political hitters having come from money firms such as Goldman Sachs. Hey folks, think about it.
But, as I said, don't start with the anti-semitic crap. I'm just tellin' it like it is.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Could have told you that
Gee, a Harvard economics professor (no less) has finally figured out what causes the pay/gender gap between men and women. Here's a bulletin, it has to do with having children. Once women have children, they tend to seek out jobs with flexibility and predictable hours. No kidding! But the cost of these choices is very high for women in terms of what they earn and how they are promoted. Is that because they aren't?
I remember having to turn down a job at the Privy Council Office because I knew I simply could not work the hours expected. If you were not in at seven and still hanging around 12 hours later, you were a slacker. It was difficult enough that I had to travel while my children were still young and without the support of my own parents, I could not have pulled it off.
Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente has an interesting column today about this reality. Today's professional women have less and less in common with lower-earning women, the latter of whom often work part-time, marry earlier, have children younger and divorce more, says Wente. As professional women, we farm out "women's work" to nannies and cleaning ladies who used to do this work at home, for "free". That we do because why would we jettison our hard-fought and highly-priced education to stay home?!
Ironically, the biggest gap is not between women and men, it's between classes of women. Afterall, says Wente, someone has to take care of the children and clean the house while we elites go to work and dream up policies to close the gender gap.
Ha!
I remember having to turn down a job at the Privy Council Office because I knew I simply could not work the hours expected. If you were not in at seven and still hanging around 12 hours later, you were a slacker. It was difficult enough that I had to travel while my children were still young and without the support of my own parents, I could not have pulled it off.
Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente has an interesting column today about this reality. Today's professional women have less and less in common with lower-earning women, the latter of whom often work part-time, marry earlier, have children younger and divorce more, says Wente. As professional women, we farm out "women's work" to nannies and cleaning ladies who used to do this work at home, for "free". That we do because why would we jettison our hard-fought and highly-priced education to stay home?!
Ironically, the biggest gap is not between women and men, it's between classes of women. Afterall, says Wente, someone has to take care of the children and clean the house while we elites go to work and dream up policies to close the gender gap.
Ha!
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Found it
Calgary -- at least the one I expected when we moved here more than four years ago. I was surprised at how many ethnic groups were here, such as blacks, Asians and East Indians. Where were all the white cowboys I associated with Calgary? No where.
But last night I came upon them. B had suggested we go to a bar in Springbank to take in a jam session organized by the musician husband of a friend of his. I agreed. Whoa! It was in a seedy strip mall and as we walked along the sidewalk, the unmistakable smell of marijuana hit me. I actually haven't smelt it in about 35 years, but you don't forget. Passing a group of four old hippies toking up, I caught it. Why I was surprised, I have no clue, but I guess I am slightly out-of-it now.
The bar was just as I remember those I used to frequent in Hull, Quebec, when I was in university. Shabby, old, jammed and crumby. I snapped a few pictures -- poor quality though they are -- and I present them. Here I finally found "Calgary":
But last night I came upon them. B had suggested we go to a bar in Springbank to take in a jam session organized by the musician husband of a friend of his. I agreed. Whoa! It was in a seedy strip mall and as we walked along the sidewalk, the unmistakable smell of marijuana hit me. I actually haven't smelt it in about 35 years, but you don't forget. Passing a group of four old hippies toking up, I caught it. Why I was surprised, I have no clue, but I guess I am slightly out-of-it now.
The bar was just as I remember those I used to frequent in Hull, Quebec, when I was in university. Shabby, old, jammed and crumby. I snapped a few pictures -- poor quality though they are -- and I present them. Here I finally found "Calgary":
 |
| Ring any bells? |
 |
| This guy was really stoned |
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| A typical fat, white girl in Calgary
|
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
There's only one
Trudeau naively talks about "nation-to-nation' in dealings with the natives. Problem is, in their minds there is only one nation: theirs. Canada doesn't exist.
This has been clear to me for several years, as native group after native group claims ownership of any and all land they deem traditionally theirs. Treaties? Forget them. As I have said many times, they believe all of Canada to be native territory. The latest obstacle to vital pipelines is Ron Tremblay, chief of the Wolastoq Grand Council, who represents bands along the St. John River in New Brunswick. His plan is to show up at climate talks in Vancouver and insist the federal government provide him a "written acceptance of our traditional philosophy."
Tremblay's position is that the "capitalist (sic) system and all forms of devastation, exploitation, abuse and corruption have caused great ruin, damage and destruction of Mother Earth." Frankly, last time I drove through a reserve here I was confronted with a rotting dump of falling-down houses, abandoned cars and wandering feral animals. Hardly a pristine wilderness.
Gee, thanks, Ron, for that positive step in helping a country earn the money through the international sale of oil and gas so essential to giving a mere 1,400,000 natives $8.5 billion a year. Every year. It's insane. Ron and his merry band are but a microcosm of what is happening all across Canada, where projects are being blocked, delayed or denounced by aboriginal groups that either do not want any development, or insist that they own the land and must give consent before anything can happen to it.
Natives have now seized upon something called "unceded land", a concept so vague it's enriching lawyers across the nation. Who owns it? No one knows. However, in most cases "unceded land" has been owned by individuals and corporations for centuries. Now, according to natives, these interlopers no longer own it. A case in point is right under Justin's nose on the site of the islands on the old E.B. Eddy plant in the Ottawa River, just down from Parliament Hill. Owned by Domtar for years, they sold it to a developer who drew up a set of plans to clean up the site and turn it into something useful. But, never mind years of consultations with the Algonquins, who enthusiastically signed on in exchange for jobs, training and that old standby money, they are now having none of it -- regardless of the fact they had previously agreed that such private land was not part of their claim. Huh!!??!!
What have the Algonquins now decided? That the dump is "sacred territory". So, that's the end of that. Poor old Justin. He actually believed that consultations and an improved regulatory process would get at least a few projects approved. How wrong he was when minutes after announcing changes to environmental assessments for pipelines, native leaders from across the country issued a joint statement denouncing them as "inadequate". Frankly, I think it's just the money that's inadequate.
My first letter to the editor about this reality appeared in The Herald at least four years ago and it's become much worse. Native leaders oppose every development, regardless of the amount of consultation and regulatory hearings. As I recently wrote, their motto is: "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind's made up."
This has been clear to me for several years, as native group after native group claims ownership of any and all land they deem traditionally theirs. Treaties? Forget them. As I have said many times, they believe all of Canada to be native territory. The latest obstacle to vital pipelines is Ron Tremblay, chief of the Wolastoq Grand Council, who represents bands along the St. John River in New Brunswick. His plan is to show up at climate talks in Vancouver and insist the federal government provide him a "written acceptance of our traditional philosophy."
Tremblay's position is that the "capitalist (sic) system and all forms of devastation, exploitation, abuse and corruption have caused great ruin, damage and destruction of Mother Earth." Frankly, last time I drove through a reserve here I was confronted with a rotting dump of falling-down houses, abandoned cars and wandering feral animals. Hardly a pristine wilderness.
Gee, thanks, Ron, for that positive step in helping a country earn the money through the international sale of oil and gas so essential to giving a mere 1,400,000 natives $8.5 billion a year. Every year. It's insane. Ron and his merry band are but a microcosm of what is happening all across Canada, where projects are being blocked, delayed or denounced by aboriginal groups that either do not want any development, or insist that they own the land and must give consent before anything can happen to it.
Natives have now seized upon something called "unceded land", a concept so vague it's enriching lawyers across the nation. Who owns it? No one knows. However, in most cases "unceded land" has been owned by individuals and corporations for centuries. Now, according to natives, these interlopers no longer own it. A case in point is right under Justin's nose on the site of the islands on the old E.B. Eddy plant in the Ottawa River, just down from Parliament Hill. Owned by Domtar for years, they sold it to a developer who drew up a set of plans to clean up the site and turn it into something useful. But, never mind years of consultations with the Algonquins, who enthusiastically signed on in exchange for jobs, training and that old standby money, they are now having none of it -- regardless of the fact they had previously agreed that such private land was not part of their claim. Huh!!??!!
What have the Algonquins now decided? That the dump is "sacred territory". So, that's the end of that. Poor old Justin. He actually believed that consultations and an improved regulatory process would get at least a few projects approved. How wrong he was when minutes after announcing changes to environmental assessments for pipelines, native leaders from across the country issued a joint statement denouncing them as "inadequate". Frankly, I think it's just the money that's inadequate.
My first letter to the editor about this reality appeared in The Herald at least four years ago and it's become much worse. Native leaders oppose every development, regardless of the amount of consultation and regulatory hearings. As I recently wrote, their motto is: "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind's made up."
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