Proud of Maple Syrup

...and hockey, but that's about it right now. In as far as being proud to be a Canadian goes.

I love my country. I love the people (not all of them) and I love what we (most of us) stand for. I am proud of the role Canada has taken for it's self as an international leader that is working towards a better world. Unfortunately, for myself and like-minded Canadians we can no longer take a sense of pride in Canada's role as a leader in those respects.

Recent events have had me shaking my head and feeling the urge to (and indeed in some instances I have gone through with) apologizing for the backwards slide of our nations stance on certain issues which once defined our global image. Canada's (old) New Government has destroyed the country that I held pride in, and has replaced it with something so foreign that I feel this may be one of the largest disgraces in our short history as a nation.

Unlike the FLQ crisis and the sponsorship scandal, the current problem, while still getting attention, doesn't seem to be sparking the public outrage that is needed for the government to realize the intentions of the people. Or maybe I am wrong, and Canadians aren't any better than some other western countries when it comes down to having a government that is...what's that word...oh yeah, responsible to the citizens.

In specific I am thinking of two stances that our government has chosen to dig in on. They are, as you may already be guessing, our country's stance on capitol punishment, and even more concerning is the stance (or lack there of) on the environmental issues facing the entire planet.

Canada, a global leader in the fight to stop capitol punishment has slipped well past even being a contentious objector, to simply saying “well we don't kill people, but hey if you catch one of us and want to kill us, well whatever, we don't do that but hey we wouldn't want to be rude and make it seem like you are bad guys for that, so go ahead...just keep those trade routes open, eh.” Now I am not saying a convicted killer should be free to roam the streets, but taking a stance against the institutionalized murder of a murderer is not saying that either. What I am saying is that our nation needs to stand up and protect our citizens that are facing this situation in other countries. Even if we don't repatriate these people to Canadian prisons, let's at least fight for the staying of their deaths. If we are against capitol punishment, then we should be against it, not just sitting back on our haunches feeling morally superior.

The next one is the real sad state. OK, the Liberals didn't take the proper steps to get Canada prepared to meet our Kyoto agreements. Great, that's on the table. But hey, what a great chance for the new leaders to step up and show what a good job they can do. How about trying to save the sinking ship instead of just telling everyone to grab a PFD and hit a life raft? Or maybe the (dis)honourable Mr. Harper is trying to send a message to the youth of our country. If you can't do something in the time you said you would, just don't bother. Or maybe it's: if you can't do 100% just quit before you fail. Either way, Canada's New Government's new morals are a real asset to our nation, and our new PM (the 10kg spare tire he has is definitely new) is showing his wonderful leadership.

What gets me up in arms even more than him pulling us out of the Kyoto Accord, is the recent hypocrisy that his representatives have shown. If we were drawn out of Kyoto because of it's lack of binding targets for all parties involved (India and China being those of note) then why on earth did his government block a commonwealth agreement that would have placed binding resolutions on the commonwealth nations, which surprise include India! This is Stephen Harper showing his true colours. It includes green, but also blue, purple, red and brown. The colours of our surprisingly strong cash.

With Australia's recent elections and change of power, Canada now stands as only the second country that has not ratified Kyoto (in bed with the states, fuck I hope we have a condom, we know the diseases that they have) and the only nation that has not signed on to the commonwealth environmental agreement. Great leadership.

Granted, there is still controversy about global climate change...but there is also still controversy surrounding the connection between HIV and AIDS. But we pass the latter off as a bunch of goofs who are arguing semantics and standing in the way of actually helping. Why has the government shown that is not willing to do the same for those who dispute the former? Oh yeah, green. Big fat stacks of it flowing black and silty out of the ground in northern Alberta.

So this is it. This is my challenge to you Canadians. If you believe that the government is misrepresenting your beliefs and your image of Canada, stand the fuck up and say something. Post it on the net, speak it in your local cafe, hell, write it on a bathroom stall or bus seat for all I care. We have sat back for seven years and berated the American public for standing by a leader who they say does not represent their beliefs, but here we are and the shoes are on our feet now...and ah, fuck it, pass me another beer a hockey game is just about to start.

Well pass me a cheese grater, cause the maple leaf I once wore with pride hasn't faded nearly as fast as the principles of our nation.