"Lest We Forget"

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 51) October 29, 2014

In the past ten days Canadians were numbed by two traumatic, if not earth-shaking events.  On October 20 a hit and run incident south of Montreal caused the death of a uniformed soldier.  Two days later another uniformed soldier performing ceremonial duties was shot at Canada’s National War Memorial in Ottawa.  Authorities have assured Canadians that the two horrific incidents were undertaken by “radicalized” loners. 

 ‘Lest We Forget’ – October 20, 22, 2014 

Ten days ago Canadian born Martin Rouleau mowed down two Canadian Armed Forces personnel with his car, killing Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent.  After a short car chase, Martin Rouleau was shot dead by Quebec police.  Two days later, Canadian born Zehaf Bibeau shot Corporal Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.  Seconds later Bibeau commandeered a vehicle and then stormed the nation’s parliament buildings.  Zehaf Bibeau was shot dead by security forces in the halls of Canada’s seat of government.  As to whether there is a connection between the two horrific acts, I still feel is an open question – there are just too many disturbing threads that connect the two “radicalized” assailants and their respective missions.  For the present I as well as most other Canadians can accept the secrecy attached to the work of the RCMP and other authorities when dealing with the subversive activities of those terrorist groups who are out to destroy the Canadian Way.

Political Reaction to the Acts of Terrorism 

As to the political response for the terrorist acts in Quebec and Ottawa, Prime Minister Harper and the other parliamentary leaders of Canada acted with solidarity, determination and conviction, as they should.  On the evening of the Monday attack, the Prime Minister went on national television to reassure Canadians.  The day after the attack on parliament hill, parliament was called into session with a strong show of solidarity and resolve by all the parliamentary leaders.  And this last Monday Steven Blaney, Public Safety Minister tabled Bill C-44, a bill that will beef up the powers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) – Canada’s spy agency.  From my perspective two cautions must be stressed when contending with domestic terrorist acts and threats (and there are more threats than what was just experienced).  First, when the powers for CSIS are expanded, Harper, Mulcair and Trudeau must make sure there is consensus on proper, effective oversight.  Second, from what I’ve read there are at least one hundred extremists in Canada that support the ISIS theology.  If CSIS is given the power to detain without “normal” proof and evidence, a major political problem arises.  Canadians don’t want a Canadian Guantanamo Bay.

Prentice Sweeps in Alberta’s By-elections – the Prentice Way

Premier Jim Prentice legitimized his title with Progressive Conservative wins in all four by-elections.  Official Opposition Leader Danielle Smith indicated after the wins, Jim Prentice is now “on probation”.  From my perspective, who’s the one on probation?  With the Progressive Conservative wins on Monday, Jim Prentice proved that he is representing change and a rebirth of the Alberta PCs.  For Danielle Smith, she is the one on probation. 

The Ebola Crisis

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 50) October 22, 2014

A number of global events have unfolded in the past year that for me can only be described as disturbing and dangerous.  The Ebola crisis in West Africa; the war effort against the ISIS terrorist group in the middle east; the falling international price for oil; the imperialistic, threatening moves made by the Chinese in Hong Kong and the Russians in Ukraine are individually and collectively showing that the international organizations set up to deal with global threats, issues and conflicts are being severely challenged and could very well prove inadequate without strong, intelligent leadership.  In this column I want to comment on the event that has occupied most of the news headlines in the past two weeks and how Canada and the prime minister is reacting.   

Ebola Crisis in West Africa 

The Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus was first identified in 1976 with records indicating that the Ebola virus caused the death of some 50 people in March of this year, in Guinea.  The virus moved into Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal – the outbreaks in Nigeria (20 cases) and Senegal (1 case) have apparently been contained and are now considered Ebola free.  As of mid-October the World Health Organization is estimating that there are now 8900 reported cases of Ebola in West Africa with 4,447 recorded deaths.  What is chilling is that the WHO is forecasting the Ebola infected cases in West Africa could rise to 10,000 cases a week by the end of the year if appropriate measures aren’t taken.  As to the spread of Ebola virus outside of West Africa; three cases have been identified in the United States and one in Spain.  In Canada 25 tests have been analyzed by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, all the tests were judged to be unrelated to the Ebola virus.  As to Canada’s role in fighting the Ebola virus in West Africa, the prime minister has committed amongst a number of specific initiatives, an impressive $65 million to support aid agencies working in the most affected countries.  As to protecting Canadians, in Canada the government has beefed up protective measures at five airports.  As well the government is establishing five emergency response teams to support local health authorities should an Ebola emergency incident occur in Canada.  From a political perspective I am very disappointed in a statement made by Prime Minister Harper last Saturday when he warned Canadians not to be complacent when it comes to the threats of the Ebola virus, a virus that “could arrive at our shores very quickly.”  Simply put Mr. Harper played the FEAR card and that’s not prime ministerial.  It’s understandable for a guy like me to be paranoid and fearful of the Ebola virus and reconsider my air travel plans, but for a prime minister, it’s different.  It’s Prime Minister Harper’s responsibility, if not his duty to offer as much support as possible to countries in dire need.  Further it is Prime Minister Harper’s responsibility and his duty to prepare the country for any set of circumstances that might occur.  It’s Prime Minister Harper’s duty to explain to Canadians that all that needs to be done to protect Canadians has been done and do it in a reassuring manner without sowing the seeds of apprehension and fear.      

Alberta Doing it the Prentice Way

Before I delve into Alberta politics let me comment on a real threat to Canada’s democratic system – the fad toward electronic voting systems.  A few weeks before the Alberta PC party voted on their new leader (and to be Premier of Alberta) a meeting was held in Smoky Lake to support the Jim Prentice campaign and explain (?) the electronic voting system to be used in the leadership vote.  One PC supporter at the Smoky Lake meeting asked that the old ballet voting system be retained – his plea was discounted.  The constituency elite was also asked about the threat of interference – the possibility of someone hacking into the system – the response was “have faith” in the system and the new electronic age. There is another recent example of a mismanaged electronic voting system.  Last month’s New Brunswick provincial election saw some disturbing delays in the results being electronically tabulated.  The delays in the New Brunswick results were attributed to a “software glitch”.  The voting machine company responsible for the system insisted that an “off-the-shelf computer program” malfunctioned.  Sounds to me like a lot buck passing on to known or unknown forces – Elections New Brunswick stands by the electronic count.  Call me old fashioned but there is a lot to be said for counting ballets at a polling station under the supervision of scrutinizers – where the election process and the vote count is a human exercise rather than having a computer system determine the final results.  And in my view, an electronic voting system will always be challenged by unseasoned nerds and diabolical hackers.

Jim Prentice – Advancing the PC Brand

The first month in office for Alberta’s Premier Prentice has been a particularly busy one with a number of obvious objectives.  In his first week as premier, Mr. Prentice demonstrated that he is different from his most recent predecessors.  In my view he is functioning with a determined attitude that the so called “entitlement” brand no longer exists.  As for weeks two, three and four of the premier is outlining an aggressive, positive agenda.

Monday, September 15: Jim Prentice is sworn in as the sixteenth premier, Province of Alberta.   Premier Prentice announces a “new” smaller cabinet that includes two prominent, unelected members:  Stephen Mandel for Health and Gordon Dirks for Education.  Premier Prentice, over and above his responsibility as premier, is also responsible for International and Intergovernmental Relations and Aboriginal Relations.  Conclusion:  Premier Prentice has shown himself to be a different, more responsible leader.  The premier is retaining control and responsibility for a major priority issue, moving Alberta’s resources to international markets. Tuesday, September 16: First decision made by the new cabinet, cut the government air fleet – the fleet that got the former premier into so much trouble.  A smart political move on the part of Mr. Prentice but the decision could prove impractical and unworkable.  The decision also means that cabinet ministers and senior government officials will be flying commercial.  Wednesday, September 17:  The premier’s office announces a revamping of Alberta’s diplomatic service with a review of the 13 offices located outside of Alberta.  The contract for Gary Mar in the Hong Kong office will not be renewed.  Thursday, September 18:  The premier unveils the design for Alberta licence plates – unchanged from the old design.  Friday, September 19: The premier announces that the Michener Centre in Red Deer will remain open, reversing a decision made by former premier Alison Redford.  Monday, September 29:  Premier Prentice announces four by-elections to be held on October 27 – three in Calgary, one in Edmonton.  Thursday, October 2:  Premier Prentice announces that the final contract to twin 63 has been signed and there will be upgrades to the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre in Fort McMurray.  Both anticipated but worth mentioning at by-election time.  Wednesday, October 8:  Premier Prentice announces the “largest ever” school construction program in the country with 55 new schools planned and upgrades to 20 others.  Friday, October 10:  Premier Prentice and Prime Minister Harper meet in Calgary to discuss the Alberta economy, energy and Alberta’s need for skilled labour.  The two first ministers also discussed the need to strengthen relations with the aboriginal communities, something the prime minister hasn’t been able to achieve.  The bottom line for the two leaders is straight forward, if pipelines are to be built the experience and respect the aboriginal community has for Premier Prentice is indispensable in working out a reasonable solution.  With a federal election likely in the next six months a workable strategy has got to be developed soon.        

Canadian Parliament to Decide What?

Whispering in the Wind (WITW 48) October 8, 2014

Last week’s column on the timing for the next federal election generated response from a number of readers with virtually everyone agreeing that Prime Minister Harper will call an election prior to the beginning of the Duffy trial.  The Duffy trial is scheduled to begin April 7 and last until the end of June, 2015.  And that means Canadians could be going to the polls within the next six months rather than in a year’s time.  When the prime minister actually pulls the election trigger is anyone’s guess.

Harper Declares a Small, Six Month War on ISIS   

A federal election could be called as early as this week when parliament votes on sending a combat force into Iraq to fight the ISIS terrorist organization.  The opposition parties have voiced relatively weak arguments against Prime Minister Harper`s deployment proposal.  Leader of the Official Opposition Thomas Mulcair argued on Monday that the government refused to consult with his party in formulating the combat mission plan and still has many unanswered questions regarding the timing, scope and objectives for the declared war.  As well Mr. Mulcair feels that Mr. Harper did not follow an extremely important Canadian tradition when planning for and waging war.  That tradition is the swearing in parliament leaders into the Privy Council the government group that in effect will oversee Canada`s war effort.  Sounds to me like Mr. Mulcair and members of the New Democratic Party will vote against the six month mission in the House of Commons.  Last week Justin Trudeau voiced the Liberal position that essentially proposed a major humanitarian effort in the region and let other countries undertake the combative role.  The Harper government has indicated that it deems the deployment vote to be a vote of confidence in the government’s action.  From my perspective I actually agree with the prime minister`s combative deployment proposal knowing that the effort will take years - not months - and a major humanitarian effort would have to be seriously addressed.  Where I strongly disagree with the prime minister is his un-parliamentary approach when dealing with issues, specifically when undertaking a war effort.  In my view Mr. Harper could have gained support for his proposal in the House of Commons if he had seriously dialogued with the opposition parties, unfortunately it’s not in Mr. Harper’s autocratic mindset – it`s not the Harper Way.  As to whether an election is called in the next week or so, it is doubtful, largely because the nominations process in the 338 ridings is far from complete.

Growth of Political Pornography

When it comes to criticism and offering opinions about politicians it appears that there are no boundaries as to what is acceptable discourse and comment.  The recent ranting from Ezra Levant on Justin Trudeau`s parents has caused outrage amongst many Canadians who have suggested that Ezra Levant has gone way over the top and he should be severely admonished for his statements.  The Sun media conglomerate has apologized for the Levant rant but Mr. Levant has not personally issued a retraction – that suggests to me that Levant stands by his inflamed, obnoxious comments.  Nevertheless Ezra Levant`s comments should be put into a political context.  Mr. Levant has been ranting on television since 2011 and for many years directly attached to the Reform movement in western Canada – for a period of time he was connected to Preston Manning and the Reform Party and then moved over to become communications director for Stockwell Day of the Alliance Party.  In my view Mr. Levant is going to extremes to perpetuate political pornography.  For me the best way to handle Ezra Levant and his extreme views is to ignore him. 

Ezra Levant isn`t the only one ranting inappropriately, Justin Trudeau in a recent interview on the gravity of Canada`s role in the war against the ISIS terrorist organization offered some off-the-cuff remarks suggesting that Mr. Harper and his government was just   ``trying to whip out their CF-18s and show how big they are``  Read into what you wish, was the leader of the Liberal of Canada implying that the prime minister was trying to be mucho or was he trying to be funny when it comes to Canada`s place in world affairs – big questions that need answers.  Mr. Trudeau needs to get serious if he wants to be Prime Minister of Canada.