A trio of needs for 2016 Canadian Parliament
The first 2016 MY CANADA will comment on the Canadian Senate. In the not too distant past the senate was an honorable part of Canada’s parliamentary system reflecting a great deal of the tradition of the original British system. Everything changed in the past 5 decades or so after party politics and partisan politicians were appointed to the senate. The non-partisan appointees’ that are maybe simply party supporters often resign giving up a guaranteed salary until age 75 and a pension probably only bested by an elected politician after serving one-and-a-half terms or 6 years. One case coming to mind is Canada’s hero in exposing the Ruanda genocide atrocities former General Romeo Dallaire. The full reason for Dallaire’s departure was never revealed. However it isn’t difficult to surmise the partisanship probably required to remain a senator with any degree of influence was part if not all the reason. Dallaire’s departure isn’t the only one that happened recently. The Trudeau government plan for the future of the senate is to curtail the degree of partisanship currently ravaging the former highly respected body. Early efforts to tone down partisan appointments are a good start.
If recent talk show programs are any indication most media scribes and analysts feel extremely negative on the chance of reforming the senate. If Trudeau follows his reform agenda of trying to change partisan party appointments, those Canadians that are making national, international provincial or even regional positive changes to lives throughout the world could once more reflect the type of Canadian serving as appointed senators. Most would be the kind of people that do not blindly follow any dictated direction and have the capacity to cooperate or mediate with others to accomplish changes either referred to parliament or presented to the senate for confirmation by parliamentarians. Canadians could then truthfully say “we’re back!”
While on the subject of media scribes there is one change that should take place. Many if not most journalists, commentators, analysts or in many cases television political talk show hosts are unabashedly politically partisan. The past practice of balanced neutrality supporting a political decision through its value is a long past expectation. Because of the change there are people watching the process easily convinced one direction outweighs any other. The people forming the party base steadfastly follow the dictates regardless of the fact there might be a lot of sense in changing or challenging an idea or issue into something better. Simply following the dictates of a leader should never be a criterion. For that reason Canadians are not getting the best government possible. The political direction has created a country divided by politics and politicians intent on assuming or retaining political power above all else. The only way it can change is at the party level or pressure from media bosses and their corporate employers.
Another need for change is with the aboriginal problems that plagues the country and has since long before confederation. The solution as My Canada suggests in almost every article cannot be only government action or for that matter solely political. Every factor involved must give and take while a large infusion of money has to be allocated to solve many of the problems. Those in control of the Federal and Provincial government budgets must be ready to allocate the money needed to solve the problem. The funding cannot be allocated in any large infusion but must be available to fund the changes needed to mold together the indigenous and non-native citizen as ideas to solve the dilemma are found. The result can only come from discussion and compromise on every side. The country solved a similar if not parallel situation with the people of Quebec after almost losing the country’s identity as it was since confederation. There is a continuing need to negotiate a different status for the people of Quebec that is dissimilar in a great many ways from those of the rest of the country. The same can and must happen to solve the problems that have and are still plaguing the equality of the indigenous segment of the Canadian population. The changes can and must come about in the near future and 2016 is the year those new avenues can begin. Overcoming the problem of missing and murdered aboriginal women while making certain it does not continue is a good starting point.
If recent talk show programs are any indication most media scribes and analysts feel extremely negative on the chance of reforming the senate. If Trudeau follows his reform agenda of trying to change partisan party appointments, those Canadians that are making national, international provincial or even regional positive changes to lives throughout the world could once more reflect the type of Canadian serving as appointed senators. Most would be the kind of people that do not blindly follow any dictated direction and have the capacity to cooperate or mediate with others to accomplish changes either referred to parliament or presented to the senate for confirmation by parliamentarians. Canadians could then truthfully say “we’re back!”
While on the subject of media scribes there is one change that should take place. Many if not most journalists, commentators, analysts or in many cases television political talk show hosts are unabashedly politically partisan. The past practice of balanced neutrality supporting a political decision through its value is a long past expectation. Because of the change there are people watching the process easily convinced one direction outweighs any other. The people forming the party base steadfastly follow the dictates regardless of the fact there might be a lot of sense in changing or challenging an idea or issue into something better. Simply following the dictates of a leader should never be a criterion. For that reason Canadians are not getting the best government possible. The political direction has created a country divided by politics and politicians intent on assuming or retaining political power above all else. The only way it can change is at the party level or pressure from media bosses and their corporate employers.
Another need for change is with the aboriginal problems that plagues the country and has since long before confederation. The solution as My Canada suggests in almost every article cannot be only government action or for that matter solely political. Every factor involved must give and take while a large infusion of money has to be allocated to solve many of the problems. Those in control of the Federal and Provincial government budgets must be ready to allocate the money needed to solve the problem. The funding cannot be allocated in any large infusion but must be available to fund the changes needed to mold together the indigenous and non-native citizen as ideas to solve the dilemma are found. The result can only come from discussion and compromise on every side. The country solved a similar if not parallel situation with the people of Quebec after almost losing the country’s identity as it was since confederation. There is a continuing need to negotiate a different status for the people of Quebec that is dissimilar in a great many ways from those of the rest of the country. The same can and must happen to solve the problems that have and are still plaguing the equality of the indigenous segment of the Canadian population. The changes can and must come about in the near future and 2016 is the year those new avenues can begin. Overcoming the problem of missing and murdered aboriginal women while making certain it does not continue is a good starting point.