Posted by Ken Dagg on November 10, 19100 at 16:10:09:
Please, tell me! What do I have to be proud of as a Canadian.
I live in a country where I am given the illusion of freedom and democracy.
Our current political scene is in shambles...There apppears very little difference in the political parties. Elections are perceived as a toss up for which rich crook to elect. The government is controlled by Big Business and we have settled for the fact that that there is no more representation for the common people...There has been nothing but a steady erosion of gains made by the working people!
What can we expect from government which has lied to to the people since Confederation! One of the agreements made with Quebec at confederation in 1867 was the right to their culture, their language, as well as the right to determine their own economy. In response to treaties made and broken with Native Canadians, we subjected them to apartied using the reservations to separate them from the people, yet we pointed a South Africa in indidgnation.
What can we expect from a Government which has entered into agreements with corporations detrimental to the people, quote, "they are supposed to protect"? We had the Free Trade Agreement followed by the North American Free Trade Agreement with provisions under Chapter 11 the right to sue Governments (us the working people) for lost profits. The Government under our current Prime Minister also attempted to negotiate a secret deal the Multilateral Agreement on Investment which would have given the corporations the right to prevent the government from passing laws protecting the people,
protecting our enviroment, protecting health and safety legislations, anything detrimental to the pursuit of profits, even local governments would have been subjected to law suits for lost profits!
Our Social programs are under attack, transfer payments cut to the provinces, health care, welfare, unemployment renamed employment insurance and pensions. Laws protecting workers...health & safety legislation, 40 hour work week, right to strike, the right to a union these gains are under attack all for the pursuit of increased profits by Big Business.
We have bought into Media Propoganda controlled by Big Business we do this to controll the deficit created by Big Business to accept high unemployment as a "norm". Child poverty which is at an all time high in Canada. We have sweat shops, women abuse where Canada ranks higher than third world countries in their treatment of women,and we have discrimination....all these issues the Corporations use to their advantage. They use these tactics to keep us divided and conquered, keeping us from realizing and focusing on the real issue of Corporate Control and tyranny over the common people! Our National Anthem should be rewritten and start " Oh Canada, where the corporations rule, we stand on guard for profits.......and the anthem should end "Oh Canada what have we done".
Not all is lost, there is hope, we can fight back. It is not impossible. It will require
understanding and discussion, and the participating and the the uniting of the common people adopting " an injury to one is an injury to all". Quoting from Judy Rebick's book entitled " Imagine Demaocracy", she writes "What we need is a society where wealth is shared, where every human being has the right not only to express an opinion but also to fully participate in public life; where every person has inherent dignity and can live free of hunger and fear; where an accident of birth does not determine one's life path; where true equality is a constant goal; where our collective responsibility for our communities well being is as important as our private responsibility for our families well being;"
We can start this change now...each one of us, by learning, by educating ourselves, and our co-workers, our brothers & sisters, our friends, and participating in this change!
From the song of the working people "Solidarity Forever" we sing:
"They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn,
But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn,
We can break their haughty power,gain our freedom when we learn the union makes us strong,
In our hands is placed a power greater than their horded gold,
Greater than the might of atomsmagnified a thousand fold.
We can bring a birth to a new world from the ashes of old,for the union
makes us strong."
Each of can make a difference, we must exercise our right to vote. Examine carefully the political parties...their agendas..Who are they serving.Who supports the working people over Corporate Greed? Only we can make the change and if we want this change we must participate in the voting process, we must continue to struggle and educate, we must never quit and always continue to fight back.
Ken Dagg
Political Education Committee CAW /TCA Local 2301
Kitimat, BC