Hey, Hey, Mel K - How many ducks did you kill today?

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention to the media lately, 500 ducks died in a Syncrude tailings pond in Ft. McMurray. The story has been featured on CNN, the New York Times, in France, Scotland, and through Reuters UK. I’m pretty sure I saw the story on Moldova.org yesterday. While I’m no accountant, I’m pretty sure this is going to be a bit more expensive in terms of PR for the provincethan what the $25 million the Tories are spending in Greenwashing. Will they be upping the PAB's budget to help the world forget about ducks?

One of the most ridiculous headlines to come out of the whole affair is the belief of our premier that when it comes to the Alberta Government vs. Oil Soaked Ducks, the Ducks are the ones who are playing the role of Goliath. Who do those ducks think they are, picking on poor Eddie like that? It makes one really wonder how detached from reality Ed is, or is "playing the victim card" the only move he has?

I managed to sneak in to QP one last time before I leave for India today. It seems Environment Minister Renner isn’t pleased with the current system:

Mr. Renner: Well, Mr. Speaker, whenever a system breaks down and results in a tragedy such as we’re dealing with right now, I’m not satisfied.

Which is odd, because that line of thinking is a bit at odds with this previous statement.

Mr. Renner: We have the utmost confidence that that system is secure.

And one which SRD Minister Ted Morton said a few minutes later:

Mr. Morton: I’m very proud of the initiatives that this government has done in the past.

As for steady-Eddie, he seemed content to stand by his “only 4-20 birds die every year due to the oilsands” line, and refused to say from which orifice he pulled that number (sound familiar?). He refused to answer multiple questions on the topic, responding only with "I’m going to do my best, you know, to stay in Premier-land and not respond to that kind of line of questioning". This begs the question: Where is Premier-land anyway?

The party line seems to be that if an event like this happens only once every 30 years, we’re doing well. This leads me to ask if we can expect massive animal die-offs every 30 years until the Oil/Tar sands are 100% reclaimed? Do you build a levee to stand up to a 1 in 30 year event? No! You build it so it can stand up to a 1 in 1000, or 10 000 year event! Once again, it seems the government is adopting the fingers-in-the-ears-la-la-la-everything-is-fine strategy.

Question Period Antics

I managed to find the time to sneak in to watch Question Period on Thursday. It was interesting to see the heckling and face-making that is usually missed on the telecast. It also gave me the chance to hear this little gem from Alberta Treasury Board President Lloyd Snelgrove in response to a question from Calgary-Varsity MLA Harry Chase on Child Poverty:

Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no excuse for child poverty in abundant Alberta. Sixty-four thousand Alberta children are living in poverty. Although more Albertans are employed now during this time of incredible economic prosperity than ever before, full-time work at minimum wage does not permit an escape from poverty.

To the President of the Treasury Board: with the paltry increase of 40 cents bringing the minimum wage to a mere $8.40 an hour, how can this government continue to justify token wage increases instead of establishing a realistic living wage which would act as an effective tool in ending child poverty?

Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, I grew up in a very poor family. We looked after each other, and we looked after our neighbours. There were very few government programs of any kind to do it. There was a certain pride that was developed amongst our community and each other in how we had to lift one another up. The hon. member is well aware that the minimum wage was never designed nor will it ever be an amount of money that you can raise a family on. In many ways it's an educational learning experience for some. It brings people with limited skills into the workforce, and it accomplishes that very well.

Unfortunately, I was too astounded by what I had just heard to check over my shoulder to see what the group of women from churches across Alberta (present at the Leg on to present a petition on this very issue) thought of that comment.

There are times when the differences between the parties are minute –should we cut taxes by 1% or 2; should this program get $1 million in funding or $1.5 million. This is not one of those times.

With all due respect to the honorable member, when we are talking about CHILD POVERTY, I think meeting basic necessities like food, clean water, and shelter should be met first, then we can worry about pride. Comments like this expose the belief by certain members of the PC caucus that poverty is simply due to people being too lazy to grab a hold of the “Alberta Advantage”, rather than recognizing the roles systemic inequalities in our society and mental illness play with respect to poverty. In a province as wealthy as Alberta, this SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE.

But hey, it’s an educational experience. That’ll teach em not to be poor.

Daily Diversion

I've got a few posts in the works, but work has kept me busy for the past few days, so they'll have to wait. I did come across a link today courtesy of Daily Kos. It's a fun little game that puts into perspective all the different ways the $3 Trillion the Iraq war has cost so far could have been spent. After "investing" in Hippy initiatives such as universal health care, solar power, improving literacy, fighting Malaria and AIDS, and the post-Katrina cleanup (among others) I still hadn't spent it all.

Who knew how hard it would be to spend $3 Trillion?

http://3trillion.org/

Fanning the Flame

It seems the Olympic Torch Relay has been garnering quite a bit of news lately. I never cease to be amused by the supporters of China who claim that the protests are somehow defiling a sacred Olympic tradition meant to symbolize the purity of sport. Someone should let them in on the secret as to which Olympics started the tradition in an attempt to link classical Greece with a newer country whose leader figured they were the new “master race”.

Anyway, what with the support of the Sudanese Government perpetrating the current genocide in Darfur, the occupation and oppression of Tibet, and “that event that didn’t happen in 1989”, China has quite a bit to answer for. The upcoming games have focused global attention on China, and have given Tibetan and (to a lesser extent) Darfur activists a stage that would otherwise be almost impossible to achieve. While some may question what effect these actions would have, two outcomes are starting to become apparent.

1) From what I’ve been hearing, the protests are being acknowledged in Chinese State media (albeit they’re being played down quite a bit). This is quite the change of pace for China. It’s also likely an acknowledgment that it’s getting harder and harder to keep their billion-plus population completely in the dark on issues like this. The more the people of China find out about what’s going on, the better.

2) As a country that does a lot of trade, China very much cares about its reputation and appearance in the international arena. Protests like these may cause China to lose face, and hopefully make some much-needed changes.

The only concern I have is that the antics might become the story, rather than the cause they are designed to draw attention to. In the meantime, I'll continue to keep track on how things are going as the relay moves on. Apparently, the IOC isn't liking all the attention, and would prefer the relay take place entirely within a country where the population is more... subjugated.

Righteous Indignation

As long as alcohol and recording devices exist, we will continue to be forced to witness the sins of the famous in their younger, stupider days (remember this?).

It seems a 17-year-old video has surfaced starring current Tory MP Tom Lukiwski and current Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall making asses of themselves and bashing Homosexuals and Ukrainian-Canadians respectively. In response, both members of the Federal Liberals and NDP are demanding Lukiwski’s dismissal from caucus.

Are the comments stupid and insensitive? Absolutely.

Are they the dumbest thing ever done by an elected official? Not likely.

Is the tearful apology more about getting caught rather than any real remorse? Probably.

Are there more important issues that parliament could be dealing with right now? Definitely.

With everything disease, genocide, and environmental destruction going on, I think there are more important things to get angry about.

Our Faceless Enemy

Last week, the Globe and Mail ran a fairly interesting and well written series called “Talking to the Taliban”. Through one of their researchers, the Globe conducted a series of interviews with Taliban fighters in various regions of the country to help provide a better understanding of Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

Personally, I thought the series was well done. The answer to the Afghanistan mission involves more than just a military response. As long as the grievances of our adversaries remain, and as long as new fighters step forward to replace the old ones, the mission will never be over. As such, the more we understand the Taliban, the more likely we are to make a lasting contribution to the region.

However, in reading the Globe’s letters section, you’d think the article was nothing short of treason. I’ve never completely understood the argument that portraying the Taliban as anything other than mindless religious fanatics who “hate our freedom” is “not supporting our troops”. If anything, understanding the population allows our troops to get their job done faster and easier.

This whole argument is disturbingly similar to the one that questioning the purpose or handling of the Afghanistan is somehow disloyal. Heaven forbid we actually engage in critical thought.

Much Ado About China

When China was initially awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics, my reaction was likely similar to that of many people. I was angry that a country with one of the worst (if not THE worst) human rights records in the last 50 years had been awarded such a distinction. While blogs, media outlets, and countries have thrown about the possibility of boycotting the Olympics, the Chinese Games appear to have had an unexpected bonus. For as long as I can remember, Tibet has hardly merited a back page story in any of the world’s newspapers. Occasionally, the Dalai Lama will merit attention when a world leader decides to grant him an audience, but the headlines and the repercussions rarely last out the week.

Now, thanks to the increased scrutiny under which China has been placed, the plight of a people in a small strategically unimportant country has made worldwide attention. The Olympics has put Tibet in the spotlight, and Tibetans are taking the opportunity to remind a forgetful world that they still live under occupation.

The question now becomes, how do countries approach the situation? The global community can no more “shut out” China than it can shut out the United States, and no effective global response to issues like climate change and Darfur can be made without including the 1.3 Billion industrializing Chinese. If countries boycott the games, they can definitely expect a response in the diplomatic arena.

And then we have the athletes. As someone who used to live and breath his sport, I can understand somewhat the frustration many of them feel towards all the talk of boycotting the games. The Olympics is the big stage, and to have the question of your participation out of your hands entirely must be indeed frustrating. The problem is, the Olympics aren’t just about sport. They never have been – even in ancient times. They’re about showcasing the host nation, and proving to everyone how fantastically awesome your people are. If you want to go to an event that’s purely about being the best in your field, that’s what the world championships in your event are for. The Olympics will always have political undertones.

Which brings us back to what to do about China. How do countries put pressure on the country without scuttling any chance we have at resolving the major international issues of the day. I’ve become an increasingly larger fan of the concept of boycotting the opening ceremonies. The whole purpose of that event is to glamorize the host nation, and I can bet that no mention will be made of shooting students or monks. By doing so, we still participate in the event without completely offending the Chinese, and at the same time we send a message saying that the events of Tibet and Tienanmen Square haven’t been forgotten yet.

So what will I be doing? I’ll definitely give the opening ceremonies a pass, as will (I hope) other blogs and media outlets – choosing instead to remember the recent past the Chinese government would have us forget. I will, however, cheer on athletes from my two home countries, Canada and New Zealand, this summer. While I wish I could claim to be above the nationalistic flag waiving that happens every two years, I admit I get pulled in. So good luck to our athletes, do your country (and most of all, yourselves) proud.