Trudeau Apologizes For...

[Wilber]

Loyalist thinking...the very notion of "Empire" is prima facie racist on the global scale that it was. Apologizing for not following imperialist rules is laughable then...and even more so today.

National citizenship's within the empire didn't come into effect until after WW2 and until 1962 in Britain there were only "Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies". There were no separate citizenship's for UK nationals and colonials.Still aren't as far as I know, not that there are many colonies left.

Before 1941, all British Empire residents were more British citizens than Puerto Rican's were US citizens. Which Donald Trump wants to take away.

So when will Canada apologize to those people not admitted as slaves before slavery was abolished ?

There has never been any slavery conducted in an independent Canada, why should we apologize for it?

[eyeball]

I find it ironic that an American is preaching on racism when that empire was actually much less racist that the USA at that time.

Unless I'm mistaken I believe BC once mentioned his Afro-American heritage.

[eyeball]

That is a particularly awkward analogy since neither Islam or 'us' existed 1500 years ago.

Sorry for the rounding error, I'll make sure I say 1384 years ago and counting from now on.

In any case it sounds even more awkward when people cite it as our need to make war against Islam today.

[Wilber]

Sorry for the rounding error, I'll make sure I say 1384 years ago and counting from now on.

In any case it sounds even more awkward when people cite it as our need to make war against Islam today.

It's not but it does make the point that Islam has a history of expansion, by force if necessary that goes back to its beginnings.

[eyeball]

It's not but it does make the point that Islam has a history of expansion, by force if necessary that goes back to its beginnings.

And of course we've been nothing but hard-done by Care-bears.

[Wilber]

And of course we've been nothing but hard-done by Care-bears.

Of course not but the Wicked West isn't responsible for all the world's woes.

[eyeball]

/facepalm...not another one... Who said anything about ALL the world's woes?

In so many debates along similar themes these days I get this image of an endless struggle between an 800 lb gorilla of western benevolence and a 5 oz mouse lemur of western savagery.

Who know's maybe I'm being to unfair to the gorilla by giving too much weight to the lemur.

[Wilber]

Western benevolence from the likes of Genghis Khan I suppose.

[bush_cheney2004]

Before 1941, all British Empire residents were more British citizens than Puerto Rican's were US citizens. Which Donald Trump wants to take away.

Right...they were all one big happy Empire family and how dare Canada be so rude to British citizens from India. I hope Canada at least did the civilized thing to offer them tea at 4PM.

There has never been any slavery conducted in an independent Canada, why should we apologize for it?

Because the slaves were missing out on such a great deal in a British Commonwealth colony/nation. This "apology" not only recognizes the reality of British imperialism, it actually celebrates it for contemporary political gain.

[eyeball]

Western benevolence from the likes of Genghis Khan I suppose.

Just another sphincter. History is as riddled with them as the present.

[eyeball]

This "apology" not only recognizes the reality of British imperialism, it actually celebrates it for contemporary political gain.

If Britain is to be faulted here and it should be, it's for not riding better herd on the Governor Generals that were dispatched throughout the Commonwealth to ensure it's rule of law was adhered too. The Lieutenant Governor in BC and the GG in Canada should have told the Premier and Prime Ministers of the day to get with the program but I'd suspect they probably laughed their assess off too like most respectable people back in the day.

The same slack in our governance is what led to there being no treaties with native peoples throughout most of BC in the past and at far more consequential expense in the present. It's not just some ancestors bad, it's all of ours.

[bush_cheney2004]

If Britain is to be faulted here and it should be, it's for not riding better herd on the Governor Generals that were dispatched throughout the Commonwealth to ensure it's rule of law was adhered too. The Lieutenant Governor in BC and the GG in Canada should have told the Premier and Prime Ministers of the day to get with the program but I'd suspect they probably laughed their assess off too like most respectable people back in the day.

Well, we certainly know that some (not all) Canadians sure liked being part of the British Empire, but maybe not their kissing cousin subjects in other dominions or colonies. Canada even issued a postage stamp for 1898 to celebrate that "We hold a vaster empire than has been", including India.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Timbre_penny_post_Canada_1898.jpg/330px-Timbre_penny_post_Canada_1898.jpg

[eyeball]

Well, we certainly know that some (not all) Canadians sure liked being part of the British Empire, but maybe not their kissing cousin subjects in other dominions or colonies.

Oh I'm sure there were no shortage of toadying little sycophants everywhere you went.

Probably a few who still think that stamp needs more red.

Edited April 13, 2016 by eyeball

[Guest]

/facepalm...not another one... Who said anything about ALL the world's woes?

I feel your pain...

[bush_cheney2004]

...Probably a few who still think that stamp needs more red.

If only Canada had welcomed them way back then....perhaps the Empire would have not only survived....but conquered civilized the entire world.

[Wilber]

The Empire has survived. In both our countries which wouldn't exist if it hadn't.

If only Canada had welcomed them way back then....perhaps the Empire would have not only survived....but conquered civilized the entire world.

It did survive. In both our countries which wouldn't exist if it hadn't.

[WestCanMan]

Back to the topic of the thread, I find it alarming how many people are so quick to rush to the defence of Trudeau after he just basically lied to every single demographic of the public for votes and then turned his back on them. Now he's using the federal budget like it's his own piggy bank and all he has to do to make his sycophant army happy is shift the blame to something that happened over 100 years ago and say "Shame on Canada!"

Immediately start to invest $3B over the next 4 years to deliver better home care services: "Thx for the uh votes, no soup for umm you."

12 Month Break on EI premiums for Businesses that Employ 18-24 yr olds: "Thx for the votes uh kids, but this uh lie isn't even the mmm painful part for you. My legacy of uhhhh debt is what's really gonna mmmm hurt. Hey look, it's Justin uh Beiber!"

Reduce the Small Business Tax Rate: To be honest I don't really care how badly he backstabbed his voters in this sector. Anyone dumb enough to vote for him won't be in business long anyways.

Maintain Defence Spending and Planned Increases: "Uh, wasn't it ummm Sun Tzu that said "If you uhh kill your enemies, they umm win"? It was uh him right?"

His exact quote was: "Hey look dummies, some Canadians did something really bad 102 years ago! I need to apologize for that!"

[Smallc]

Maintain Defence Spending and Planned Increases: "Uh, wasn't it ummm Sun Tzu that said "If you uhh kill your enemies, they umm win"? It was uh him right?"

He kept that promise. He simply did (as necessary) the same as the Harper Conservatives did in 2012 and 2014 - he moved money to the left. The military is a mess and can't spend much of their procurement money.

[bush_cheney2004]

The Empire has survived. In both our countries which wouldn't exist if it hadn't.

It did survive. In both our countries which wouldn't exist if it hadn't.

Interesting...and consistent with Canada's immigration sin 102 years ago....don't India/Pakistan count? They would still exist without the British Empire and its commonwealth of colonies and conquest.

By definition, the United States was never part of the British Empire.

Edited April 13, 2016 by bush_cheney2004

[Wilber]

Interesting...and consistent with Canada's immigration sin 102 years ago....don't India/Pakistan count? They would still exist without the British Empire and its commonwealth of colonies and conquest.

Actually they probably wouldn't. The Mogul empire was basically finished, India and Pakistan were a mish mash of hundreds of principalities before the British arrived. There were still over five hundred semi autonomous princely states when India and Pakistan received independence, which were then taken over by the new countries. India and Pakistan as we know them didn't exist and wouldn't have unless the Brits or some other empire had come along to unite them.

By definition, the United States was never part of the British Empire.

But the 13 Colonies which became the Unites States were.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Wilber

[WestCanMan]

Is there an official Canadian or Commonwealth statute of limitations on the righting of wrongs? According to much of the conventional wisdom on display around here we're still holding Islam responsible for what it did to us 1500 years ago.

This one post epitomizes your level of understanding of that entire other thread eyeball. What happened 1,500 years ago is not about a "grudge" against one person eyeball. It's about "what do certain people aspire to". Then there is some evidence of what happens when people do in fact aspire to that model of behaviour.

You see eyeball, if someone wants to be like _____________ you can guess what kinds of things they are going to attempt to do. Insert the names of any one of Wayne Gretzky, Jim Carey, Adolf Hitler, Buddha, Mike Tyson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Nic Tesla, JFK, Oprah, Guy Fieri... Now do you understand?

I was talking about patterns and ideologies but you seem to talk in terms of individuals.

[taxme]

Why do we need to apologize for not taking in foreigners we didn't want to take in? Do we not have the right to decide who is to come and live here, and when and how and why?

I agree. And maybe at the time there was a good reason for not allowing them in. Unfortunately, it is our politically correct do gooder politicians who keep bringing in foreigners that Canada does not need nor want without the taxpayer's permission. Just keep bringing them on in, and the sucker taxpayer will take care of them.

[taxme]

Trudeau apologizes for something that our ancestors did 102 years ago. The apologies for lying to all the 18-25 yr old job seekers, the cut-from-the-budget tax cuts etc ( https://www.trudeaumetre.ca/), the deficit fiasco, and to the people who will still be paying for it 102 years from now will have to wait.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/komagata-maru-justin-trudeau-to-apologize-for-1914-incident-1.3530362

Kim-Jong-Un would be proud of the theatrics.

We apologize to anyone out there who feels that they have been hard done by in Canada. Canadians today have to grovel at these peoples feet, and ask for forgiveness, even though most Canadians alive today had nothing to do with whatever happened to these people, and what they are whining about. I, as a taxpayer, owe no one an apology, and I wish we had politicians who would just stop listening to these cry baby's, and tell them to get lost. Will Canadians ever see the day when we stop producing politically correct politicians who would sell their souls just to look sweet and nice.

[Rue]

Speaking about the land of Oz, no not Australia, Canada, bleeding heart apologies are

theatrics. Pure and simple. Pathetic bleeding heart feel good theatrics. The stuff of

supply staff drama teachers.

Justin Trudeau's apologies try to parrot the style of Barak Obama. He's imprinted on him like

a duckling to the first thing it sees when it comes out of its shell.

Some of you think this government should spend its time feeling guilty, dwelling on the

past and throwing money at people to make yourselves feel less guilty.

Grow some petunias.

This country is being pulled into record deficits whose interest is going to destroy

this nation for future generations of every friggin ethnicity.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Michael Hardner
spelling errors corrected

[waldo]

...bleeding heart apologies are theatrics. Pure and simple. Pathetic bleeding heart feel good theatrics. The stuff of supply staff drama teachers.

This country is being pulled into record deficits whose interest is going to destroy this nation for future generations of every friggin ethnicity.

was the Harper 'Komagata Maru' apology also bleeding heart theatrics? It was the stuff of... what? Or the Harper HOC issued apology for the head tax against Chinese immigrants - what was it?

"destroying" record deficits... perhaps you should check historically! Or just check back against Harper deficits:

.