While we rejoice in the fact that no British Cows currently enjoy landed immigrant status in Canada, be aware that no Canadian Beef has been allowed into the UK either. Why ? Well The Brits (have ?? !!) feed their animals with offal and such, we douse our animals with growth hormones and antibiotics. Are they as justified in banning imports from Canada as we are in banning imports from Britain. And if so, can some strange and incurable disease ( similar to CJD) affect us due to animals imbibing growth hormones. Will the last sick laugh be on their face, as it is on ours now. Which makes me wonder whether our overweight problem here is a result of eating these growth hormone saturated rich meats. In Europe you see the odd overweight person, but certainly not on the scale, nor the size of North America.
Last but not the least, let our good politicians and mad ( in more ways than one ) cow specialist scientists realise some basic Grade 2 rules of nature. Cows are vegetarians. They do not eat meat. To fool them into eating meat by disguising it in grass flavoured pellets is to wander into CJD territory.To make them grow fatter faster is equally foolish. Sure they will put on weight and look the same from the outside, but in time Nature will strike back. Perhaps I am wrong but I can think of no species that eats its own for sustenance and survival purposes. Not even humans !!
And here is some food for thought . In Canada we still feed our cows with the body part of other cows. I have heard that 15% of our livestock is sacrificed for this need. Perhaps not the offal as in Britain , ( can you be sure that none is being used ) but certainly not what a cow would eat out of choice. Are we heading in the same direction as the Brits ? Or are we there already ?
10 Reasons why Quebec should not separate from Canada
1) Will the Francophone culture be better protected in an Independent Quebec? Yes. In the short term, perhaps one generation, the Francophone culture will be better protected as a natural consequence of the act of separation. In the long run however, the opposite is true. The French culture has thrived for three reasons. First the critical mass of population and pride in the culture . Secondly , the insulation that the Francophone culture has had from the huge North American Anglo Saxon mass due to the presence of the 22 million non- French population who make up Canada, and who support the French language and culture with pride. Thirdly, the presence of significant French influence in every echelon of the federal power structure in Canada. On there being a final separation, this second barrier will fall away as the rest of Canada becomes unilingual and eventually, inevitably disintegrates. Quebec will be left with 6 to 7 million mainly French speaking, ( but a good proportion of remarkably bilingual) citizens in an ocean of Anglo Saxon culture. Economics in itself will force the new independent Francophone population to speak to the rest of North America in English. Rather than have 30 million stemming the 300 million cultural tide there will be just 7 million. The numbers in themselves tell the long term story.2) Will the Francophone community be economically better of ? By most accounts the initial effects will leave the Francophone community , and in its wake, the rest of Canada in poorer economic shape. How poor remains to be seen, but this generation and the next will suffer. Investment in Quebec and Canada will reduce substantially, if for no other reason then because of the insecurity the whole situation presents. The entire economic structure will have to be rearranged. The proportion of debt that Quebec will de facto have to assume will be greater per Quebecois than they have now. The Canadian Dollar , and therefore the Quebec dollar, will loose value, and so no matter what, everyone looses. When Quebec comes out, as it will have to, with a new currency, this will in all probability be valued lower than the Canadian dollar, and therefore they will loose further. The Separatist leaders have glossed over this fact, and have ignored all studies done that show that the standard of living for everyone in Canada will drop, with Quebec taking the worst hit.3) Will the Francophone community be allowed free access across what remains of Canada? Again initially, the answer is Yes. However, and not in the far future, there will be inevitable restrictions placed on the movement of people from both sides. Nationalism in itself will force this issue, not to mention the ill will, resentment and disharmony that will be bred because of economic standards being lowered, manifested most clearly by the depreciation of the dollar. This would mean that the 7 million people of Quebec would to some extent, how great only the future will determine, be restricted to work in their province. Even in The Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovak workers have to report to the police when they enter for work and when they leave. This in the country of the velvet divorce . While this example may be extreme, the unfettered ability for the Quebecois to go and do what they please in Canada, would slowly but surely be curtailed , and the same would apply for Canadians vis a vis Quebec. This point in itself should give voters cause to stop and think carefully of the consequences of Separation.4) Will Francophones outside Quebec be affected. In the short term, the generous spirit of give and take tolerance that Canada, including Quebec, has cultivated will prevent any significant manifestation of open animosity towards Francofones living outside Quebec. However inevitable nationalistic jingoism will rear its head. Quebec for the Quebecois ( whomever they are! ) . Canada for the Rest ( whomever they are ! ) This will, at the minimum, remind Francophones , outside Quebec, that they have lost the wonderful liberty of thought and homeliness that they had when there was only one country. Whether in time this nationalism translates into discrimination or prejudice ( One sincerely hopes not ) only time, and more important economics, will tell.5) Will Quebec itself stay one country? The native populations of Quebec will raise questions regarding their own need for a separate homeland just like the Francophone community is now doing. This claim will be based on the Quebecois precedent of wanting to protect their culture. Rather than spend end time re -building, the new government is bound to be have this problem on their hands the morning after a Yes vote Into the pot of Native Rights stir in the oil that vested interests ( both in what remains of Canada and South of the border) will add in. Will outside elements not want to inflict on Quebec some of what Quebec has inflicted on them ? How soon before the vast land that is now Canada and Quebec is once more carved up ?6) Will minority rights suffer in Canada and Quebec ? This will happen for sure. Quebec, because of its critical mass is the umbrella under which all minorities, so called visible and transparent, have sheltered under in Canada. Once this umbrella is folded, the Anglo Saxon majority will have no restraining force , and a move to being white, Protestant ( or similar) and “ royalist” will begin . Therefore , in time minority rights in what remains of Canada will be sub-merged to coincide with that of the WASP majority. Similarly in Quebec, the "Old French" majority would dominate those minority groups within the province. These minorities would probably be worse of because the French majority would themselves be a minority on the Continent, and therefore need to defend their culture ( read that as a right ) with enhanced vigour. This means low tolerance to anything that conflicts with the purpose for what their country was created - IE preservation of their Identity. No doubt the Native Indians, perhaps the most vocal of the minority groups, would be at the short end of the stick. Further, with ( White ) French Birth Rates dropping despite government incentives, there will be added pressure for future Quebec governments to enhance French rights, not so much as to discriminate against minorities within the boundaries of Quebec, but to persevere against cultural and population pressures from outside their boundaries.7) Will the PQ have a country to negotiate with. Probably not and the negotiations are not going to end in a few days or months. Who will represent the Feds once Quebec goes. Ontario has 60% of the population and they will want to ensure their interests are covered. The Western Provinces are not going to kow tow to Ontario. BC is a land unto itself. The Eastern Provinces are cut off physically. The Francophones themselves are united now but what factions will emerge after the talks begin. The process is going to be a nightmare to say the least. The costs are going to be horrendous, and the confusion sadly laughable. The chances of Canada existing ,as we now know it, are somewhere between none and none.8) Does the Canadian Passport matter? Right now it does as Canada is respected around the world. However, there is nothing to prevent a new Quebec Passport from achieving the same stature. This generation will probably be allowed to carry both passports and the next will have its own. Whether having a Canadian Passport or a Quebec passport amounts to anything in the future will depend primarily on the economics of the land, and how we are perceived as a people, and a place to live. Given the fact, no matter how nationalistic or idealistic your point of view, that the economies of both areas are going to be severely damaged by separation , either Passport may not be worth " a hill of beans " so to speak, as we loose our place among the leadership of the world. Canada without Quebec is a smaller country and will be forced out of a number of International bodies. Quebec with a population of 7 million, will hardly be a serious candidate. Political impotence, impolitely called Banana Republics, will be the fate that greets both sides if a split occurs.9) Will Canada and Quebec compete rather than co-operate? The standard of living of both areas will now be pulling apart rather than together, and therefore competition will inevitably result. There will be preference in the rest of Canada for "English" related goods and services and the similar sentiments in Quebec. Quebec will now have to fight for both Canadian and US markets. Raw competition will mean, in turn, restrictions imposed by both sides to improve the playing fields in their favour. There will be no federal government to try and even ( some times albeit impotently) the playing fields. It will not be the rich who will be hurt the most, but the little man and woman on the street who have to make their living in an atmosphere of friendliness rather than big bucks.10) Does Emotional Nationalism pay ? No. Most industrially advanced countries are moving closer politically , and in those areas where there is economic strife, pulling apart. Look at Yugoslavia, where ethnic emotional nationalism has wrought havoc in the lives of this generation. Look at Sri Lanka where two different ethnic groups are at each others throats. While one hopes we will never reach this level of barbarism, at least not in this generation, can any sage say that we are not planting the seeds for this to happen in the future. French Nationalism and Non-French nationalism should be diluted and replaced with Canadian and then Inter-Nationalism. The old Chinese saying of "Between the Seven Seas, all men are Brothers and Sisters "should be the basis of thinking, not petty Nationalism no matter how eloquently espoused by charismatic orators.Conclusion: The world is full of contradictions and the situation we find ourselves in Canada is a good example of one. It reminds one of the US officer in Vitenam saying " We had to destroy the village to save it !!" Here the Separatist group is striving to save the Quebec Culture, but by their very act ,planting the seeds for its possible destruction and demise. Not in this generation but in the future. It is always better to be a big stone in a small pond, than a small stone in a big pond. It is always better to insulate yourself against the forces that are arraigned against you, with allies, than to be fool hardy , cast them off and take on the cultural hordes that are inexorably moving in a different direction. It is necessary to know whom your allies are in this battle of cultural preservation and not confuse, elusive short term gains with long term irretrievable losses. The present separatist leadership sees their "enemy" in Non French Canada. Their true "enemy" is the Anglo Saxon culture that Non-French Canada is also fighting against. The separatist leadership has muddied this essential and central point with emotional nationalism . Let us hope the people of Quebec, who are probably better informed than most other Canadians, see through the arguments end to end, and vote for the substance of the separation issue, and not the charisma, charm and cool of the messengers. For in the ultimate analysis what is the use of having a Quebec passport, a Quebec currency, and a Quebec Country if in this generation and the next you are economically much worse of, and future generations may be left even worse by losing the final battle - losing the main elements of their culture to the 350 million ( and growing) Anglo Saxons. It is far more intelligent to fight the battle for preservation with 23 millions Canadians by your side ( Non French Canadians who essentially share your views and values , love you as people , enjoy your culture and will fight for it to be preserved ) than to fight the tides on your own. Apart from a new country, what else are the Separatists promising that you do not have, or cannot be negotiated within the framework of Canada. Why risk so much for nothing more than Nationalism in an International world.Vote with intelligence and let us not one day have to say to our grandchildren, " Once upon a time, there was a country called Canada, perhaps the last paradise on Earth, and we of our generation destroyed it" Bon Chance
Ottawa,July 9th.1995
Fellow lost surfers ! (thats the only way you would be here) !!
Most good ideas start in ones head , they say, but to my mind , the best of them start under the shower. The CyberPages concept took seed a good year ago when the potential of the Internet hit my brain while the water from the shower cooled my growing excitement. Last week, the site accesses jumped from 12K to 16K.
This space has been empty since I had another of these so called good ideas to do a little daily column and satisfy my delusions of being a frustrated writer who never had the opportunity to show his stuff. Well , the daily urge has metamorphasised to a weekly urge , and I hope it does not convert to a monthly. We will just have to wait and see. However, with the accesses increasing and me getting a few pointed e-mails, I sometimes wish that these good ideas would pass me by!The Internet being as global as it is , the selection of a topic to write about that will interest a decent number of my global cousins , is in itself a weeks work. This being the first column, done on the fly , the topic is still a toss up. But let me go local for this one ( local being in Internet terms Canada , and not Ottawa) and discuss an aspect of a terrible case here that our media have not covered.
Canada is probably the kindest , nicest and most decent country to live in. ( I use the word probably only out of deference to others... the Canadian way of handling things). However, in the last year we have had a horrific sexual/torture/murder in this country that has shocked even the most hardened police and law enforcement officers , not to mention the general public. Without going into details , a young and attractive couple have been involved in the kidnapping , torture, rape an eventual murder of 3 young and innocent females just starting out in life. One of the victims was the younger sister of the woman involved. There are more details which are not worthy of repeating, suffice to say for Canada this was a first and hopefully a last.
In addition to this , we had the equally horrible case of Canadian Peacekeepers in Somalia torturing a young Somali lad of 14 to death.
While the press has given us , quite often verbatim reports of the gory detail , including nightmarishly brutal photograhs , there has been one subject that has not been covered. And my point is this:
What about the terrible anguish of the parents of the accused couple and the parents of the Somali lad who died such an equally miserable death?
One does not see the Bernado (male accused) family in court. For whatever reason, it is not for me to ask why. However, one does see the Homolka family stand by their daughter, despite her participation under duress or otherwise , in the demise of their youngest child. How does one reconcile ones labour of love from the moment of a childs birth , to the point where this unbelievable event happens. All the hard work bringing up your children , and trying to mould them in ways in which perhaps you were brought up, to end in such tragedy.
While my heart goes out to the families of those two lovely girls who were the unfortunate victims of this demented couple, I must say I feel just as sorry for the Homolka parents , who not only also lost a daughter in the most horrific circumstances, but have to accept and support , as they are doing , someone who participated in the event. That someone being of their own flesh and blood. A greater family tragedy I have yet to come across. The parents have shown immense grace and courage in the face of soul destroying events.
As for the parents of the young Somali lad who died while in the custody of the now defunct Airborne Division , we have not heard a mention of their feelings or situation in the Press. Perhaps the financial settlement precluded them from telling their story. Was he the eldest or the youngest ? How has his mother taken his loss ? Has his parents anguish been any less than that of the victims families here ? Perhaps he is forgotten, but I do wonder about the parents , and perhaps even care a bit , albeit with a monumental impotence to do anything of value.
I too have children. Like most parents they are my reason for being. May they , your children , and you and me as parents, be spared the grief and suffering that the children and parents of these senseless tragedies have had to endure. May the souls of those beautiful children rest in Peace.
Till next week, Take Care and as Desiderata so beautifully puts it:
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
With Net Affection,
Mike
CyberPages International
cybermaster@cyberpages.com