What about an Order of Canada

Another story that grabbed my attention because of the outrage expressed by the media. Saskatchewan Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott, generously gave Queen's Diamond Jubilee medals to two anti-abortion activists who have been jailed repeatedly.

One of the 30 medals Vellacott was allotted to give away as a Conservative backbencher, one went to someone called Mary Wagner, whose actions at abortion clinics have landed her behind bars time and time again. He also gave one to Linda Gibbons,who is currently in jail in Toronto awaiting trial after she attempted to force her way into a Toronto clinic’s private treatment area.

Should we be giving these things to criminals? Do we care? What if the shoe was on the other foot?

Although I have never been convicted of a crime I have had my share of confrontations with police and have been arrested, and jailed as a result of my actions on picket lines. Should I now be disqualified?

Thinking of the issue in that light I am not so sure. I have been an activist too.

* Just a quick note to my MP Tom Lukiwski: I am still waiting for my medal in recognition of a lifetime working in the trenches fighting for the rights of working peoples.
OK Tom,  you were probably right in not offering me that one. A medal from the Queen wouldn't really be appropriate for me but, all things considered, I would accept an Order of Canada.
And after all if Conrad Black still has his and...never mind, I feel a rant coming on. I should just quit.

Pay Attention Canada

I noticed an important story in the Hill Times today, unfortunately ignored by most of the mainstream media, at least so far.

We remember Pat Stogran the veteran's ombudsman  who is being drummed out of his position by the Harper bullies for having the gall to actually do his job. To speak up, forcefully on behalf of veterans and to voice some of the concerns raised to him by those he considered his constituents and he brought to light the shoddy treatment many of them felt they were getting under the leadership Conservative government.

Harper loved the ready access the military provided for photo-ops and the like but when he was needed to provide support to people wounded or traumatized by Afghanistan little Stevie pulled the political equivalent of a "cut and run."

Real support is so much much more than a photo-op Stephen.

Perhaps the most telling thing he brought to light was when he confided that he was told by a senior civil servant   " … that it is in the government’s best interests to have soldiers killed overseas rather than wounded because the liability is shorter term.” The former senior military officer was shaken to the bone by the comment. “

Now Stogran has revealed that says he believes that the Veterans Affairs Department may have improperly accessed and shared his medical files and other information after he brought forward his concerns and was speaking out on behalf of  veterans.


Mr. Stogran said he first raised the issue after discovering there had been as many as 400 “improper inquiries” into his personal file at the Veterans Affairs Department. At first he didn't worry too much about thinking that people in the department were just curious about who he was but Mr. Stogran became more concerned when
another high-profile veteran, Sean Bruyea, told CP last week that  he obtained information that his personal information and medical files had been spread around within government and used in attempts to discredit him.  It was at that point that Stogran  became aware he may also have been a target. "It was apparent that more people had been in my file than had any business being in my file" Stogran said.

Doesn't this just piss you off? I hate where we seem to be going as a country. Our government is out of control and in the face of it all, Harper is up in the polls.

Give your head a shake Canada. Is this what you want.

Homophobia in Saskatchewan

Sometimes I just can’t figure out Saskatchewan. What is it with my fellow residents that makes so many of them comfortable supporting political positions and politicians that would make most Canadians cringe? Who are these people and what rock do they hide under day to day?

I am embarrassed by the latest Bard Trost rant against Tourism Minister Diane Ablonczy’s decision to provide $400,000 of Federal funds to the gay pride parade in Toronto. We aren’t sure if Ablonczy was actually disciplined for the decision or if Brad along with several other of the knuckle draggers in the Conservative/Reform Caucus just made it all up, to “look good” to his power base in Saskatoon. That is yet to be seen. I don’t know, perhaps Brad was concerned that Saskatoon’s own Gay Pride festivities only got a measly $9,000.

No, that can’t be it.

Maurice Vellacott, another of Saskatoon’s right wing loopy MPs is a bit uncharacteristically, more subdued on this issue. These days, instead of ranting from his pulpit, he speaks more or less in code about family values etc.

My own MP, Tom (A Team) Lukiwski has been surprisingly silent on this issue. I did notice that he once again snubbed the Regina Gay Pride bunch this year by refusing to attend their celebrations but, none of us really hears much from Tom anyway. He has become almost invisible except through the leaflets, his own kind of sophomoric rant, that he keeps sending to households at our own expense.

There is no word about whether Brad and the other twelve Saskatchewan lightweight Conservative/Reform MPs think the government should return the $18 million in Federal tax dollars generated by the Toronto festivities to the pride community. But don’t hold your breath on that one.

I don't know why they dumped Larry Spenser, he'd fit right it.

It must be the season for homophobia in Saskatchewan. While the Conservative/Reform Federal MPS work to embarrass most of us, I like to think most of us anyway, the Provincial Government is trying to find ways to pander to their own “conservative” members.

Justice Minister Don Morgan wants to see if legislation can be changed to allow Marriage Commissioners the right to refuse to perform any marriage between two people of the same sex. He says the government doesn’t want to force any commissioner to perform a marriage which goes against their values. To me that raised a few of questions.

• What does that say about the core values held by some of Saskatchewan’s marriage commissioners?

• Why do we tolerate people with these kinds of values performing marriages in the first place?

• Why would any self respecting gay couple, or anyone else for that matter, want to be married by a bigot?

Can you figure it out? If you do, let me know.