I made this comment on Steve V's blog post this morning regarding the living conditions on native reserves and how the Liberals need to champion this a major issue to wrap themselves around.

Your exactly right Steve, the Liberals need to champion themselves around a just and honourable causes, and the plight of our first nations and the alarming living conditions in which they endure is an important objective indeed. However, I strongly feel that the Liberals NEED to have a complete arsenal of just and honourable causes including major issues such as; healthcare, environment, education, equality, poverty, human rights, foreign policies, global diplomacy, democratic transparency, accountability. I’m sure I’ve missed a few important issues as well but to reiterate my point the Liberals should be working as a team to champion these issues and work towards taking steps needed to correct or improve on these plights. I believe the Liberals are on the right track with this approach but more needs to be done, for example; Ralph Goodale and his work with agriculture and rural concerns, Bob Rae and his exemplary work on foreign policy and human rights, John McCallum financial and economic expertise, Stephen Dion and tireless work with environment issues and possible solutions (I think the Green Shift was a policy ahead of its time and many of the items in that plan should be pursued), Martha Hall Finlay and her stellar work on womens rights (I’m sure she will continue even though she is no longer a sitting member of parliament and I hope we see her run again in the next election as she has so much to offer), anyways the list goes on with a good many representatives. The Liberals should be more vocal and more proactive on these plights, it’s one thing to have these as policies but to champion these issues and gather other people towards your particular plight is essential, social media is the perfect tool for this endeavour. We should see more rallies, protest and campaigns for the many people effected by this inactive government and I would love to see more Liberal representatives in the thick of things. The Liberals should be getting behind the people and their causes and forget the fact some other Canadians might be annoyed or angered by their actions, as long as the campaigns are just and honourable there will be a good many Canadians who will applaud their actions.
As for the specifics of your post Steve, Sheila Frasers scathing report on the conditions our first nations face is definitely a perfect example of how the Liberals can wrap themselves in a just and moral cause, and yes many red neck types will definitely be annoyed by their efforts. I think I’ve heard that statement by Doyen many of times “ what can be done for the first nation anyways” or “they don’t want our help they just want our money” and yes thwap that is the sentiment of many Canadians. What many Canadians do not know is that our efforts and assistance has had numerous positive successes. I am sure there are many more reserves that have a normal standard of living and that may only have a minimal percentage of the population living in deplorable conditions, and we have that in our own communities as well. The Osoyoos Indian band is one of the first bands to see year after year profits through their approach of treating the band as a business and constantly expanding the business. Chief Clarence Louis has been traveling the country teaching other bands to use this extremely productive approach to better their communities. I have worked with various native band offices for many years and I currently work for a company who operates on a native reserve, more than forty percent of my fellow workers are native and I have many good friends who are native. I would like to say that they are no different than you or I, period! Yes they have poverty and substance abuse issues but so does the rest of this country, have you ever seen the Vancouver east end, and those conditions exist in every major city in Canada. What is needed is simple EDUCATION and EMPOYMENT period!
Sorry for the long winded comment Steve, I guess you hit one of those hot button issues I’m so passionate about, and the Kelowna Accord was one of them.

Civil disobedience?

This post was written by Emily Dee on "Pushed Left and Loving it", I thought it was a good read;

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Ned Franks is Dead Wrong About Brigette DePape


I was busy yesterday and didn't get to say as much as I would have liked about Brigette DePape. Then I read Ned Franks column in the Star this morning, and couldn't possibly find enough words to tell him why he is dead wrong about this young woman.

Professor Franks is a constitutional expert but apparently not much of an expert on democracy.

Because if he believes that what took place on May 2, was democracy in action, then he clearly needs to read a few books on the subject.

This was the most undemocratic election in our history. Fifty-seven Conservative MPs were no shows, and almost as many NDP, the same.

Our prime minister limited questions to five, and even then only answered the ones he wanted to answer. Fences were put up and one person arrested simply for throwing a teddy bear over the barricades. Another because she had a picture of herself with Michael Ignatieff on Facebook.

If you weren't on a list you didn't get in. Period. In Kingston, the police drew an imaginary line for us not to cross, and when one one man fell over it, tripping on the curb, he was thrown against a police car and hauled away.

It was defined by dirty tricks, bogus phone calls, and Gestapo like control.

And with less than 40% of the popular vote (25% of eligible voters), Stephen Harper has almost 100% control of our country. This is democracy?

This young woman, and others like her, are smart enough to see that our system is badly broken.

And if we expect her to treat our institutions with respect, our current government is not leading by example. A 200 page manual instructing their MPs on how to disrupt Parliamentary committees.

Dean Del Mastro conducts himself like an animal, Pierre Polievre has had to have his mike shut off he was so obnoxious, and Peter Braid has attacked witnesses so voraciously, they have trembled with fear.

This government was found in contempt of Parliament, and yet they were able to run for re-election.

Bev Oda doctored a contract after it was signed and yet she was able to run for re-election.

Young people are not going to sit by for the next four to five years, as Canada continues its race to the bottom.

Miss DePape may not have taken her rightful place on the bus, but hopefully, she has earned her place in history.

We need to encourage our youth to get involved, not vilify them when they do, in the only way they can. Through civil disobedience.

I applaud her and look forward to more of the same, from Canadians of all ages.