The Canada We Want

BLOG POST posted on June 18, 2013 by aaroneugene

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The Canada We Want

"Canadians will be mobilizing to express their discontent with the anti-democratic policies of the election fraud 'government' of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The transformation of Canada from a relatively benign, comparatively democratic nation into a hawkish aggressor on the international stage and anti-worker corporate sanctuary domestically is motivating many of those 4 out of 5 adult Canadians who didn't vote for the Conservative Party in the 2011 fraudulent elections, to take to the streets to push back against Canada's ruling neoconservatives."

The aforementioned quote comes from journalist and political analyst Joshua Blakeney in reference to the peoples convention that will be taking place between the 27th and the 29th of June as an alternative to the annual Federal Conservative convention held concurrently at the Telus convention center in Calgary.

An umbrella group of sorts is at the forefront of organizing this peoples convention called “The Canada We Want”,which will bring together a diverse groups of social justice advocates and progressive including,but not limited to, Anarchists, Socialists, environmentalists, First Nation groups, Council Of Canadians and the Raging Grannies. The peoples convention, connoted by its name,”The Canada We Want”, aims to affirm Canadian Values that many believe are antithetical to the pro-business and anti-social values held by many in the Conservative Party that will undoubtedly be discussed at the conservative convention in an attempt to further shape Canada into a modern fascisst state

Chantal Stormsong Chagnon, who is involved with many social justice and progressive groups
in Calgary, including “Idle No More”, hopes many people from across Canada will participate in the festivities of “The Canada We Want” the following is her interpretation of what INM will be up to during the convergence:

“Idle No More will be working in solidarity with other organizations to educate, enlighten, inspire and empower Canadians. Idle No More Calgary and other organizations will have booths along Stephen Avenue just outside the Conservative Convention to share information about Democracy, FIPA, Omnibus Bills, Indigenous Sovereignty, Human Rights, Social Justice, Water and Environmental concerns. There will be rallies and demonstrations throughout the Three day convention. There will be presentations, Teach-Ins, panels, a Candlelight Vigil and inspired performances throughout the Three Days to engage people from across Canada and the world. This is our Country, Our Land, and our Rights, Stand Up and be Idle No More, tell the world, this is The Canada We Want. Please join us.”

There will be many issues of concern addressed and discussed by Canadians during “the Canada We Want” festivities and one of the issues that is of utmost importance to Canadians is the future of The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The Federal Conservatives want a CBC that is in line with their “Washington Consesus/Free Market” approach to running the economy. The Conservatives Claim, dysphemistically, that Government subsidies create an unfair competitive advantage for the CBC. As an investor of the CBC, like all Canadian taxpayers are, it behooves me to call bullshit on that sentiment put forth by the Federal Conservatives!!!

With respect to the CBC and how it is funded, it can be argued that the board of the CBC and to a lesser degree the Government, are representitives of the investors of The CBC,namely the taxpayers of Canada, and barring any major funding or mandate change to the CBC, they both act as our proxies vis-a-vis the everyday managment of the CBC.

With respect to the CBC and it having an unfair competitive edge in the market, one could argue that a government media outlet is a bull work that can help to prevent the dictatorship of private media. It also must be understood that there are arguably more avenues available to the citizens for holding a state institution to account then there is for holding a private institution to account.

The CBC, even with it's flaws, embodies an ethos of shared collectivism that has been the basis of, whether real or precieved, Canadian identity. Defineing Canadian identity is the reson d'etre for both the Conservative convention, which is behind the close doors of the Telus Convention Center and accessable mainly to those who have a Conservative Party membership, and the peoples convention, “The Canada We Want”,which will take place in an open air space outside the Telus Convention Center and is accessable to all Calgarians and to all Canadians who have the means to travel to our beautiful city

Regardless of whether you plan on following the events of both conventions via the internet from you local area or you plan on making the trip out to Calgary, the quintessential question arises,”What kind of Canada do we want”? We have an obligation to tell the Conservative party of Canada that this question, that must be asked, is not their private property.

When the only recourse for asking and determining what kind of Canada we want, is a fraudulent, first past the post election with a predetermined outcome, then we as Canadians must come together to create the stuctures and institutions that will bring to fruition the Canada that we all want. Coming together in such a way demands determination and courage; so with that being said I want to say to all Canadians, it is time to be determined!!! It is time to be couragous!!! It is time we come together in our spiritual organizations, our political oranization and our neighbourhood organizations!!! We must come together in our homes, in our coffee shops, in our cities and community centres to not only ask but also to answer, with words and action, the question, “what kind of Canada do we want?”

God-speed my fellow citizens!!God-speed!!

Aaron Doncaster, Canadian Citizen.