Happy Canada Day

[caesar]

The people have spoken; we have a large Liberal minority government. It is time for us all to become Canadians, again and work towards a stronger Canada. Now, is the time to let the politicians work out the kinks. We should watch closely and with open minds to see whether they keep the promises we were given. Watch the opposition parties to see if they have any constructive advice or points to make. When they can only criticize the ruling party and never agree; they seem childish and this is not constructive criticism. You can't ALWAYS be against EVERYTHING the ruling party proposes and remain credible.

Let's stop the EAST vs WEST nonsense. Hopefully, one does not support the Conservatives only because they are from the west. Let's look at the policy and statements by ALL parties and be ready for our next decision based on facts not emotions.

Canada is a great country that we can all be proud of.

I am, despite our flaws; we are a pretty tolerant and balanced country that has respect around the world.

[noelandmero]

Great post caesar but this is a scary proposition.

Now, is the time to let the politicians work out the kinks.

[Bro]

I would like to forget the east west conflict in this country.

Problem is,the Liberal party that started it is still in power,and in true Liberal fashion,they won't correct their mistakes,because doing so would admit they were wrong in many of their policies,and they will never admit error on their part.

[maplesyrup]

Poor me. Some people just don't get it, do they?

Anyway:

Caesar.....thanks.

Happy Canada Day to all in such a wonderful country as ours. The rest of the world should be so lucky.

[Bro]

Poor me. Some people just don't get it, do they?

Some not until it is too late.

[caesar]

Fortunately, we did not go Conservative; so it is not too late.

Perhaps the Conservatives will learn to listen to what the people in ALL of Canada want and come up with a more palatable platform. At least next time give us some idea of their agenda. Don't pick a leader who has just gone running to a foreign country to apologize for Canadians; and saying Canadians were wrong. The inexperienced leader of the opposition does NOT speak for Canadians.

Canadians were NOT wrong. Chretien may have done many things we did not like but he was 100% correct in keeping us out of Iraq. If Cretien's decision was decided by the polls as some suggested and criticized: he was correct to follow the wishes of the majority. That is how democracy is supposed to work.

[KrustyKidd]

The people have spoken; we have a large Liberal minority government. It is time for us all to become Canadians, again and work towards a stronger Canada.

Sad to say Ceasar but true. Not what I would have wished, but all parties are fundementaly the same once they get in power. I remember the last time the Conservatives held the reins, they were just as bad.

Anyhow, I didn't vote for the Liberals but they are my government now. Unlike so many in the US who believe that Bush is not their president, they discount the fact that he is and the reality that we all have to work with what you have, rather than against it. Time to accept and move on. In four years we can deal with this again.

In the meantime, Happy Canada Day to you as well!

[Lookie]

Happy Canada Day!

I for one have never been more patriotic, than in these times....

I am proud to be Canadian.

[Cartman]

Happy Canada Day!

I'm feelin so patriotic today that I am even drinking a couple of Molson Canadian rather than the clearly superior western beverage, Kokanee.

[Argus]

Happy Dominion Day.

Canada is a Dominion, you know. It is as Canadian a word as ever there was, now largely abandoned. The fathers of confederation chose it from the bible "..and he shall have dominion from sea even unto sea, and from the great river unto the ends of the earth." Pretty fitting, eh? They didn't want to be called a "Kingdom", and certainly not a "republic" so they sort of invented a term which had never been used before.

So we had Dominion Day, a sleepy sort of holiday for a people who were quietly proud, but not the crazed flagwavers such as we see down south.

Until 1982, when a Quebec backbench Liberal MP whose name nobody can recall proposed a private members bill in the Commons. Almost no one was there at the time, and the idiots in the Tory party who were supposed to say "nay" to these sorts of things were either asleep, chatting, or reading the paper. Overnight, the name was changed to the supremely bland "Canada day".

The government could have reversed it, of course, but the Liberals were kind of happy to see yet another bit of what they saw as English Canadian history cut away. Most of the Quebec Liberals believed the term "Dominion" had something to do with the British, that it was a holdover from colonial times. Well, you can't expect that lot to know anything of history. Then again, almost no one in Canada knows anything of their own history.

The sleepy little holiday then was bumped up into the big times following Quebec's seccesion efforts. Millions were poured into festivals and parades and bands and fireworks, into prideful, flag waving commercials, pamplets and booklets, turning our sleepy little Canadian holiday into a massive exercise in jingoistic nationalism.

The only people who used to scream and wail and paint their faces nationalist colours and drape themselves in the flag on their national birthdays were the Americans. Now Canadians do it too, wonderfully proud of Canada - though generally woefully ignorant about its history and traditions, or how it works, or who its people are.

Surveys of Canadian youth periodically show that most of them don't even know how government works, can't name any political parties or who runs them, and don't know what different levels of government do what. They don't know when Canada was founded, or by whom, or how. But hey, they're proud of Canada! Because the TV commercials and parades tell them to be.

This little bit of history brought to you by someone who is cranky about yet another piece of our history and traditions which has fallen away unknown, due to ignorance.

[Lookie]

Then again, almost no one in Canada knows anything of their own history.

This is due to our education. I remember in school being taught more about American History, than anything Canadian. I remember not caring one iota about history at the time it was taught. But I can't seem to get enough information now. I've learned so much in the past few years...I'd even love to take some true history courses, that aren't biased by anything...just random facts.

Which, in all actuality, this board seems to provide.

[maplesyrup]

Argus....thanks for the history tidbit.

What's the history of our maple leaf flag? I had heard that Pearson brought it in under his reign as PM.

Does anyone know where the red in our Canadian flag came from?

Goldie....Happy Canada Day!

[iamcanadian]

The idea for a distinctive canadian flag started in the 1920's, but wasn't implemented fully and accepted by the monarchy until Pearsons governments of the 60's. It went through many design stages, even at one point having 3 maple leafs instead of the one.

As for the colours, the quote below I found on a canadian government web page, here is the link it has a complete list of facts about our Flag.

www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/df3_e.cfm

"Dr. Stanley's design is based on a strong sense of Canadian history. The combination of red, white and red first appeared in the General Service Medal issued by Queen Victoria. Red and white were subsequently proclaimed Canada's national colours by King George V in 1921."

[August1991]

I'm trying to find a link. There were many designs considered which were narrowed to two, and the old Ensign. The other design had blue bars and three red maple leafs in the middle.

I have always felt that the Liberals chose red for obvious reasons.

The colour red, Canada and the Liberal Party make for our National Governing Party.

Note the shape of the original flag here. The design apparently comes from the flag of the Royal Military College.

[Cartman]

Lookie totally has it right. If teens were actually allowed to think about and discuss politics in a substantial way in high school, then maybe...just maybe, the next generation would be interested and motivated to participate in politics and actually vote! Really, how can youth be blamed for being disinterested in politics when they are treated like children when it comes to politics? As a prof. in my mid 30's, I think that youth are treated like CRAP :angry: in this country and that it is hypocritical when the gov't and fed. bureaucracy whine about how youth do not vote. Do you really think they care whether youth vote or not?

[caesar]

Well, I went fishing and caught a nice jack spring salmon today; so I had a great day.

[playfullfellow]

Well, I went fishing and caught a nice jack spring salmon today; so I had a great day.

Must be nice caesar, I miss that tremndously about BC. I envy you.

[Argus]

Lookie totally has it right. If teens were actually allowed to think about and discuss politics in a substantial way in high school, then maybe...just maybe, the next generation would be interested and motivated to participate in politics and actually vote! Really, how can youth be blamed for being disinterested in politics when they are treated like children when it comes to politics?

Well, it's hard to teach them history when history has more or less been elimianted as a subject in most schools. I agree that history was rarely taught well, tending towards rote memorization of dates and names instead of really exploring how this country came to be. But at least it was something. Now most young people graduate knowing virtually nothing about their own country. How do you take pride in your nation when you know so little about how it came into being, its traditions and history, what it did and overcame? Nor are Canadian youth any more knowledgeable about modern day Canada, its government or how the country works.

Frankly, given their lack of sophistication and thought on the issues, and their general lack of knowledge, I'm happier with them not voting.

[takeanumber]

Provincial government control curriculum.

In Alberta, they really stripped real history out of the books and replaced it with units on "How the West got screwed".

Stories like, the Pipeline debate, and the Charter, and how trudeau fingered everybody, and the NEP.

And it's just a litany of atrocities.

Seriously, you'd think by taking social studies in Alberta that Albertans are like oppressed people, like the Jews or gypsies or Moldovans by the way they make things out.

Of course, not a word about the treatment of aboriginals or Chinese.

(Of course not, that doesn't gel with victimization.)

Sigh.

Sound the Independant thought alarm.

The difference is, when you get to university, if you're bright enough, you learn to question the shit shovelled at you during your education, and you realize just what it was.

So, I don't know. The less history the better really.

I think politicians try to massage history and use it as a weapon against other political parties, like they've done in Alberta or Quebec, or even the Maritimes.

[maplesyrup]

Frankly, given their lack of sophistication and thought on the issues, and their general lack of knowledge, I'm happier with them not voting.

Argus........if you feel young people should not vote, perhaps as well we should eliminate the vote for anyone over, say 65.

[maplesyrup]

Frankly, given their lack of sophistication and thought on the issues, and their general lack of knowledge, I'm happier with them not voting.

Argus........if you feel young people should not vote, perhaps as well we should eliminate the vote for anyone over, say 65.

[Reverend Blair]

I was thinking we should eliminate men who wear ties on a daily basis. The bloodflow tyo their brains is constricted and they tend to make bad decisions.

[caesar]

Mapleleaf; why would you compare teenagers; most of whom are not of an age to vote (18 isn't it) most of whom do not pay taxes due to still being in school with seniors. Seniors are usually very much more knowledgeable and do pay taxes and have for many many years. That was a rather poor comparison and insulting.

[playfullfellow]

Seriously, you'd think by taking social studies in Alberta that Albertans are like oppressed people, like the Jews or gypsies or Moldovans by the way they make things out.

I am from a bit older generation than you takeanumber but I did see some of the same teachings, the difference is that the teacher I had didn't teach it as us being victimized. He taught it as a country that was evolving and people (politicians) make mistakes, get on with life, look at a brighter future tomorrow. He very rarely picked sides in debates, he tried to show things from all angles and tried to teach us to do the same. We can all read the same version of history and each one of us will interpret it a little different. It may be the same curriculum but it means a lot on who is teaching it.