Little things I notice

Tags

Covid 19, dandelions, life, Parliament, PEI

I have an eye for details, somethings no one will notice, I will for sure, which will make others take a second look. It can be a small object in a corner of a photo, a detail that does not really fit in the picture, or a sequence of shots that will make me wonder about or notice how different it is from similar shots.

This week was the State Opening of Parliament at Westminster, it was very strange and so different. Because of the pandemic, it was a very paired down affair. Everything was done by car instead of by coach with mounted escorts and honour guards and bands along the way. Also instead of going down the Mall to Admiralty Arch, the cortege of cars, Land Rovers, turned into Horse Guard parade and crossed it. Again arriving at the Victoria tower of Parliament where the Sovereign’s Entrance is located, no honour guards. Everyone was wearing a mask except the Queen. Her Land Rover had her Personal Standard on the bonnet at the front. She was dress in what is called civil outfit instead of in her Robes of State and no decorations. Same for the Prince of Wales who as Heir to the Throne now accompanies Her everywhere and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall follows. He wore Morning dress and no decorations. The parade inside Parliament was sparse, when usually there would be lots of people everywhere, almost no one. Only one trumpeter and Lord Cholmondeley who is the Lord Great Chambelain carrying the Imperial State Crown on a cushion. His family have this job from father to son for generation. His ancestor was Sir Robert Walpole the First Prime Minister of Britain around 1721.

The speech was on a table next to the Throne instead of being given to the Queen. Everyone in the House of Lords was keeping the 6 feet apart and so the room was nearly empty. The Members of Parliament walked down the hall to the House of Lords in single file and only a handful were present.

At the end of the ceremony the Crown was carried back and placed in the State Rolls Royce to be conveyed back to the the Tower of London where it is kept. The Comptroller sit next to it and it must be clearly visible to the people as it travels back to the Tower, treated as a living symbol.

When the Queen’s car arrived at Buckingham Palace once past the central gate it turned right down the front of the Palace instead of going through the main gate into the courtyard. I wonder if this is because the Palace is going through major renovations at this time and she lives mostly at Windsor Castle. All the wiring and plumbing is being replaced, some of it goes back to 1910.

All in all still a beautiful ceremony but on a much reduced scale.

The rest of the week was busy with all manner of things to do around the house, being Spring time lots of cleaning, our cleaning lady is doing the 18 large windows we have all around, which is a big help. Our landlord came to clean the garden on three side of the property and that is also a big job.

Our Island is a sand bar of red sandstone, this means that all construction material including gravel, sand and stone like granite etc must be imported from the mainland by ship who dock about 1000 feet away from our home. The ships usually come in late afternoon and in the middle of the night. The unloading is a very noisy process and a dusty one to boot, parades of truck wait to be loaded, etc. The area use to be until about 30 years ago heavy industrial with a railroad freight yard. All that disappeared and has been replaced by parkland and condominiums. Only a very small area is left for unloading of these construction materials, which is unsuitable for what the neighbourhood has become.

Another beautiful day, it is only 14C or 57 F but this means that its flip flop and short season already. Some even go swim in the sea, I find them brave and of strong constitution. In the full sun light with little wind it feels much warmer.

We have also been asked to not cut our grass now, let the dandelions grow and bloom, for the sake of the bees and pollinators. At the moment we have carpet of yellow everywhere.

It really does not look like we will get our safety bubble this Summer after all, again this week we had an incident a few blocks away from our home, one selfish person went to work in a daycare and infected all around her. The Premier Dennis King was immediately on YouTube which he uses to speak to all Islanders and he was livid, pointing out that health regulations are here for a reason and the actions of one person impacts everyone else. Our Chief Medical Officer Dr Morrison looks frustrated and tired and who can blame her, with her small staff they have been performing miracles each day with testing people and vaccinations. You really have to wonder about some people.

Friday night we had a party and in Island style at the Club, several people showed up and because this is a small place, everyone knows everybody else and all went to school together. Lots of funny stories about younger days. In this group are prominent citizens of our town.

Changes

Tags

Canada, Constitution, Governor General, Parliament, The Crown, Trudeau

On the 20 January the USA got a new President and 2 days later Canada saw our Acting Head of State resign under a dark cloud. Our Governor General Julie Payette had to step down after a scathing report on her creating a toxic work place that saw dozens of people quit or go on sick leave, more than 50 people testified against her and her own RCMP security detail had horror stories to tell of how badly she treated them.

Julie Payette was the candidate of our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who once again shows how his idealism and woke agenda coupled with lack of judgement and failure to follow through will always land you in big trouble. Instead of listening to the non-partisan selection committee and doing all the necessary background vetting, Trudeau charged ahead and recommended Payette to the Queen who approved her nomination. Turns out Payette was the worst person for the job, she refused to listen to advice, did not follow protocol, refuse to move into Rideau Hall the Official Residence in Ottawa, preferring to stay in her cottage North of Montreal. Would disappear without notifying anyone including her security detail, which would send alarm bells all around. Refuse patronages which had been on the books for a century, refuse to sign documents or give Royal Assent to Laws preferring to take her time in some cases 5 months. In our Canadian System no royal assent means nothing can go ahead and the government comes to a standstill. She also famously delivered Christmas messages wearing a jump suit like those shoppers at Walmart, there is a relax look but this went far beyond any minimum standard. She did not care and made a point of it.

What really did her in and her good pal and second in command Asunta was her harrassment of staff, majority women. Having screaming rages and tantrums, demanding they answer difficult math problems and name all the planets of the solar system, Payette is a former astronaut, staff were harassed and bullied by a woman who by all public accounts was a shining example of successful feminism, unfortunately no background checks were done. There were rumours about her 2 previous high profile jobs both she quit under a cloud for exactly the same reasons. There was also her tortuous family life with 2 ex-husbands, one pressed charges of battery against her and the un-ending custody battles. How could the Prime Minister be so thoughtless, I would have loved to be listening in on the conversation when he had to call Her Majesty, the big boss, to explain to her why Madame Payette was resigning. Knowing the Queen and her inquisitive mind, I am sure she was well aware of the details before the call and was waiting to see how Trudeau would explain himself for this fiasco. Not to forget that Queen Elizabeth has known him since he was 7 years old.

Incredibly enough Madame Payette in her letter of resignation does not apologize but simply said that that there were some disagreements. Trudeau in Parliament and to the Press lied by stating that the vetting process had not worked well. Everyone knows there was NO process, is he not man enough to simply admit he made a terrible mistake and a costly one at that.

Now the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will take on the duties of Governor General until a new person is named. Hopefully it will not be too long and this time there will be a complete vetting. Life will go on but my faith in Justin Trudeau is shaken, maybe it is time for him to retire, his arrogance has gotten the better of him.

Rideau Hall, Official Residence of the Governor General of Canada, Ottawa.

A new Oath, bill C-99

Tags

C-99, Canada, Citizenship, Oath, Parliament

The Parliament of Canada is debating a new Citizenship Oath under bill C-99 which is a Government bill. It would replace the old Oath, the one I took when I became a Public Servant back in 1983 and also when I re-affirmed my Citizenship in 1996 and got a nice certificate for it. This Oath is taken also by all people who wish to become Canadian Citizens at Citizenship Ceremony presided by a Judge. The Oath must be spoken by the Oath taker with your right hand on the Bible or other sacred book of your religion.

 “I swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.”

The current government is very invested into social politics and advocates a progressive agenda on many topics, reconciliation with Native groups, individual rights, minority rights, feminism, LGBTQ rights, BLM, etc…. Prime Minister Justin T. has made it the signature focal point of his government’s agenda since 2015.

We had the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Native Canadians and their relationship with the rest of the population of Canada, we also had the Enquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women and girls and its recommendations. The PM marches in every Gay Pride Parade contrary to leaders of other parties who abstain. Trudeau has also appointed women to every position that comes under his purview such as judgeships, Head of Crown Corporations, various public service senior positions, etc…

This rewriting of the Oath of Citizenship was a recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s. Recommendation number 94, proposes a change to the oath of citizenship set out in the schedule to the Citizenship Act under section 24. Clause 1 proposes amending the text of the schedule, or, in other words, it proposes new wording for the citizenship oath, including the solemn affirmation.

Given that we have a minority government in the House of Commons at the moment, this means that in order for bill C-99 to become Law it will require the support of other political parties in the House when it comes to a vote.

The new propose text is as follows:

I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.

I am afraid that this change may cause some reaction amongst those who believe that there is no need for such a change or who do not care to recognize the reality of Canada today. I had a chance last Summer while the painting exhibit of Kent Monkman was on show at the Confederation Centre Art gallery to hear the comments of visitors. Not everyone endorsed the views expressed by the artist in his paintings on Canadian historical events between the Government of Canada and Native groups, many were openly dismissive, even angry. Some said they never taught this in school to indicate that it may not have happened, just propaganda.

I also wonder if immigrants from around the world who are becoming Canadian Citizens will understand what this Oath means. Not knowing the history of the Canada and only knowing the happy message usually presented this may cause some confusion. Since education is a provincial jurisdiction and some provinces will resist changing the curriculum for various political reasons, how then do we communicate factual information.

Bill C-99 was read for the first time in May 2019. It is not clear when it will move to second reading. The Government has other pandemic priorities at the moment.

Days of rain and sun

Tags

Canada, FLQ, Green tomatoes, Parliament, Quebec

Well the weather here in the Maritimes is gradually getting colder but it is still not the average / normal temperature for this time of the year, the weather guy is reluctant to call it climate change but says it is not good. Which is about the same as not being positive without not wanting to alarm the population. People have other worries, one being the pandemic and the other a possible national election and the economy.

In Parliament we have spent 5 long years now with the Conservative aping the GOP in the USA and constantly attacking the Prime Minister and now attacking his elderly mother, his brother and his wife, all private citizens who have no role in public life. All the while never mentioning the Pandemic as a source of concern for them as a party.

Today Tuesday 21 October we will find out if the Opposition Parties in the House of Commons force an election on the minority Government of PM Trudeau or not. The Conservative are proposing an investigation into alleged corruption and want to set up yet another committee. So far we have had 3 months of investigation and much defamation of family members of PM Trudeau and innocent bystanders but nothing proven and this frustrates the Opposition. The Government shot back that this is a Confidence motion and the Prime Minister is willing to go see the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and go to an election now. Confidence of the House in the ruling party is everything in our system. No confidence no government, it’s that simple, however the Conservatives are aware that Canadians do not want an election now in a second wave of the Pandemic. Polls also suggest the Liberals would probably win a majority this time around. It is all discouraging because this is a ploy for power and naked ambition by the Conservatives to win power at any cost, voters are taken for patsies. Sad state of affairs all around, I have no confidence in the Conservative party given the type of white extremists they attract and the failure of their leader Erin O’Tool to denounce them.

On another topic all together, after Will made his green tomato pie last week. Mrs Lori Brown in Imboden, Arkansas came up with her own recipe yesterday on You Tube. I liked her recipe a lot, the results according to Mr Brown is like a Granny Smith Apple Pie, a little tart but good.

LINK: https://youtu.be/fALXq1hc_Ak

This month of October is the 50th Anniversary of the FLQ Crisis in Quebec which saw martial law imposed and the Canadian army march and occupy the city and surrounding areas and the Capital Ottawa. The British Commercial Counsellor in Montreal, James Cross and a senior Minister of the Quebec Government Pierre Laporte were kidnapped in broad daylight. The FLQ had been for many years prior to those events on a bombing campaign around Montreal targeting mainly Mailboxes. The events had a dramatic end with the murder of Pierre Laporte and the release of British diplomat James Cross. The FLQ cells were dismantled and the culprits exiled to Cuba at their request. The most dramatic moment was when the Government of Canada allowed the reading of the FLQ manifesto on television. Many French speaking Canadians agreed with the claims of the FLQ. A few years later the Parti Quebecois would become the government in Quebec and hold a referendum on separation from Canada. As for the leaders of the movement they returned to Canada a few years later and some found public service jobs. It was a dramatic period in the history of Canada which changed the dynamic of the country forever. My family was living in Montreal at the time and I remember going through army check points every day to go to school. We were too young to understand or appreciate what was happening. All this seems so far away now.

Montreal, October 1970

BREAKING NEWS!!! The nail-biter 146-180 vote in the House of Commons came down in large part to the NDP. Its 24 representatives voted alongside the Liberals and the Greens’ three-member caucus in defeating a Conservative motion that would have precipitated a snap election amid the second wave of the pandemic. So the Prime Minister J Trudeau and his government will continue to govern, no elections for now.

So a new mandate

Tags

Canada., Government, Liberals, Ontario, Parliament, Quebec, Queen, Trudeau

Well the National Election is over and Justin Trudeau got a new mandate, despite all the  dirt the so called conservative party and its leader tried to throw at him. The CPC has a unit which works at unearthing anything that could hurt a candidate and then publicize it through right wing affiliated newspapers like The Sun, CTV network and PostMedia including the once reputable Globe & Mail. The negative stories are written for effect and are often inaccurate or right out lies simply repeated. A very disturbing trend but you have to know the background of it, the owners are long time supporters of alt-right conservative policies, some big business interests, some American oil companies, the Trump administration and the Republican party including the one surviving Koch brother. No it is not the Russians in our case but the US Republican party. The Chinese Communist party (Chinese Government) also played a very negative role, given our current dispute with China over the extradition to the USA of the Huawei executive. Two Canadian have been kidnapped by the People’s Police in China and held in secret jails, denied Canadian Embassy Consular services and put under psychological torture for months now. Unfortunately the Canadian Media has all but forgotten about them. The position of the CPC and its Chief Andrew Scheer has been to side with China with the false narrative that this will help resolve the crisis.

So this election confirmed one thing, Canadians are concerned about climate change now seen as a crisis, Canadian want action (84%) and will not vote for a candidate who denies the crisis or has no plans to fight it, as was the case for Andrew Scheer.
Canadians also do not like a candidate who imitates the American fashion of posing as a born again or evangelical Christian, like Andrew Scheer did. Canadians prefer their candidates and party leader to be neutral and quiet on this topic. There were too many stories about Conservative Candidates who came out as being anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ, pro-gun lobby and supporting the NRA, while we get weekly news from the USA of gun violence, something that horrifies most Canadians. Several also were not shy and made hate filled comments and rants against anyone who is not white or christian, thinking that it was ok to do so. Finally Andrew Scheer was the master of avoiding to answer any question on pretty much any topic. He also refused to denounce or remove a candidate who displayed hateful tendencies. Scheer also refused to attend any PRIDE event or parade during the Summer, all other party leaders did and participated. Trudeau was accused by the CPC of being a deviant and corrupt. What was suppose to be an easy victory for the Conservative turnout to be a defeat despite getting more votes and gaining more seats in the House of Commons, though not a majority. But they failed miserably in the two big provinces of Ontario and Quebec and in the Maritimes which holds the bulk of the population in Canada, some 26 million people out of the 38 million. It is well known that if you cannot secure the votes in Ontario especially around Toronto and in Quebec you cannot win an election in Canada.

So since the Liberal party victory on 21 October, Andrew Scheer has felt the heat of this party who is planning to replace him ASAP. No despite Trudeau having a minority government he has a workable minority and does not need to have a coalition with another party like the Green or NDP. The way our Westminster Parliamentary system works, there is a way to govern and you can always find support here and there in the House to pass your bills. No one wants another election for at least another 14 to 24 months for the simple reason there is no money and the Conservatives will be looking for a new leader soon.

The media also do not help the issue by spreading false concepts borrowed from the USA. Canada is NOT a Republic we are a Kingdom and our Parliamentary system is a copy of Westminster so it is quite different matter.

When the Prime Minister went to see the Governor General Julie Payette to ask she dissolve Parliament as is her role as Head of State, the Prime Minister and the Ministers all remain in Office for the duration of the election. The Prime Minister only  resigns his position after the election if he or she looses the election and IF he or she can no longer hold the Confidence of the House. That is very important to understand, we have had historically cases where the Prime Minister lost an election but stayed in power because he could hold the confidence of the House. Strange but true in Canada, that is our system.

The day after the election the Prime Minister returned to visit the Governor General at Rideau Hall to inform her of what his intentions were for the new Legislative program and priorities. This is largely a courtesy call because the Speech from the Throne (in England it is called the Queen’s Speech) is read by the Head of State in the High Chamber our Senate by the Governor General or the Queen if she is in Ottawa, but it is all written by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The Press got it wrong by talking about Trudeau seeking permission to form a government. What nonsense, he is the PM and remains so, he has a new mandate NOT a term, we don’t have those in Canada. The only thing Trudeau needs is to get the confidence of the House through a formal vote in the House of Commons on the Speech from the Throne or on the Budget bill. Very unlikely that he would not be able to get it under present circumstances. In Canada the role of the Queen or Governor General is to warn on a course of action or counsel the PM, the power to govern rests entirely in the House in Parliament, this is why we have responsible government since 1867. It is quite amazing to see how many journalists and editors get this wrong, watching too much of The West Wing I suppose.

On November 20 the Prime Minister will announce his new Ministry or Cabinet, a shuffle of portfolio is the big challenge for Trudeau or any Prime Minister because they have to make sure they have all regions of Canada represented in Cabinet and this is tough at the moment with no Liberal Member of Parliament from Alberta or Saskatchewan, pop 5 million total, Trudeau will have to be creative but there are various workable solutions.

So the final result of this election Canadians want modern and progressive governments and NO we are not revisiting the Abortion debate it was settled decades ago, we have rights for all including the LGBTQ and same-sex marriage and Canadians don’t want to deny rights to segment of the population, we also want the right to die which was legislated and gun control including hand guns. It should also be a warning to any new conservative leader at the Federal level not to associate with Neo-Nazi elements and other white supremacist hate groups as Andrew Scheer did thinking that it was a winning card.

I do expect that with the beginning of this new mandate the conservatives and their friends in the right wing press will continue negative attacks against Trudeau but hey that’s life. At least we do not have a Conservative government and that is a blessing. No one wanted the sort of horror show we see in Ontario at the Provincial Level with Doug Ford who emulates Donald Trump his hero or the politics of civil war and hate in Alberta with Jason Kenney. Interestingly the Conservative Premier in Manitoba does not want to associate with Kenney or Ford and the Premier in New Brunswick who is himself in a minority situation is walking back on his own extreme positions which are mostly anti-French in a province considered to be  the heart of French Acadia.

 

 

Who Gets to be Prime Minister and Why — Philippe Lagassé

Tags

21 October, elections, Parliament, Prime Minister

Philippe Lagassé is an academic and an associate professor and William and Jeanie Barton Chair at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. His current research focuses on the Crown, the royal prerogative, and legislative-executive relations in Westminster states like Canada.

Currently completing a project on legislative oversight of military affairs and beginning a project prerogative power reform in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Both projects are funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

In addition to his academic work, he is a part-time public office holder with the Government of Canada as a member of the Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition.

Professor Lagassé is truly a National treasure in Canada, a very learned fellow for whom I have a great deal of respect. Monday is Election Day in Canada, this is helpful to understand where we are going as Canadians.

 

I recently published an article in Constitutional Forum that analyses the rules of government formation in Canada. You can find the article here (click where it says pdf): https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/constitutional_forum/index.php/constitutional_forum/article/view/29384 To address the current debate about who governs after the 21 October election, I’ve updated my tables:

via Who Gets to be Prime Minister and Why — Philippe Lagassé

Summer finally

Tags

C-91, Canada., Gauguin, Indigenous language, natives, NGC, Ottawa, Parliament

We returned from Ottawa a few days ago, it was our first visit in 3 years. A 90 minute quiet flight from Charlottetown. The plane a regional jet 50 seats was half empty and it was the same upon our return, strange it should be full at this time of the year but the weather has been so cold and rainy, not pleasant for tourists or us.

We saw a lot of people in Ottawa and I got to visit the National Gallery of Canada and meet with my old colleagues. Very kindly gave me a 90 minute presentation on the wonderful changes in the museum. Very impressive, the NGC is amongst the top 10 art galleries in the world. The new Canadian and Native wing is spectacular, in the set up of the gallery both the Algonquin and Ojibway people were brought in for consultations on how to display the various artifacts. All of it is displayed with sensitivity amongst Canadian art of the same period. I also visited the other galleries on Renaissance and Baroque art, modern and contemporary. A computer now controls all the LED lights and is programmed to sense when a gallery is empty of people or when people walk in, the computer adjust lighting accordingly. Doors open by themselves as you approach given their size its a good thing. The museum now has 2 restaurants and a coffee shop and a new revamped gift shop with beautiful books.  I do miss the National Gallery.

On the steps leading to the NGC Director’s Office, words by Joi T. Arcand of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. Written in Plains Cree (Y dialect) expressing hope and encouragement to all Indigenous people who struggle to keep their language alive.

Note to readers yesterday was the last day of the 42sd Parliament of Canada, the House rose for the Summer and will not reconvene since we will have a general election in October. The House and Senate passed bill C-91 a new law to protect 60 Native languages in Canada. This will give official recognition to indigenous languages and create a position of Native language commissioner similar to the one we have for French and English, Canada’s 2 Official non-indigenous languages. Also today in Montreal, Amherst street in the downtown core named after a British General who committed crimes against humanity in the 1750’s against Native groups in Canada by distributing contagious smallpox infected blankets to natives in an act of genocide. The street will now bare a Iroquois name ATATEKEN, meaning peace and brotherhood.

Entrance to the renovated and re-organized gallery. Well worth a visit and take an audio-guide, so you understand what is on display. This multi-million dollar project was part of the Canada 150 Celebration.

I also visited the other galleries of renaissance, baroque and modern art. Many things have changed and it was a pleasure to see many of the art works I knew well and had presented in the past.

This work is entitled: Olive Garden of Eden by Chloe Wise of Montreal. Using a marble podium it becomes the overwrought support for a toppled Cesar salad – an ”Italian” food stuff invented by émigré Cesar Cardini in Mexico in 1920. Wise who is known for her realistic sculptures, here plays on notion of artifice and authenticity in our Western consumer society, obsessed with branding and marketing.

Charles Meynier, 1810, Wisdom (Minerva) defending youth from the arrows of Love. This French painting done at the height of Napoleon’s Empire presents the young hero  poised between a life of empty sensual pleasure at the sight of the sleeping Venus and one of struggle and glory. Minerva shield defends him from the arrows of love. The idea of his sacrifice to duty resonates here with the Empire’s cult of military virtue and service to the Nation. Hopefully he makes the right choice.

The Court of the reflecting pool whose bottom is the ceiling to the other hall entrance to the museum below.

The garden Courtyard re-imagined in a Japanese style design.

My colleagues also invited me to visit the Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) exhibit of self-portraits. It gave a good background on his life and family, he was married and had 5 kids, though his wife left him and returned with said children to Denmark when he decided to quit his job as an investment banker and become a full time painter travelling around the world and dying at 54 in French Polynesia.

It is the eye of ignorance that assigns a fixed and unchangeable color to every object; beware of this stumbling block.

I was not aware that he worked with many French artists like Monet, Césanne, Matisse but also with Van Gogh. He was a friend of French poet Mallarmé.

Gauguin self-portrait with yellow Christ, c.1897

 

 

This Month in Canada

Tags

CPC, hate, JWR, Oil, Parliament, pipelines, Prime Minister, Speech, Yellow vests

For the last few weeks we have been bombarded on the news with an alleged scandal based on an unverified account of interference based on anonymous allegations of undue pressure on the Attorney General of Canada by a senior member of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Globe and Mail published the story and it has been a circus ever since. As of today, 15 days after the story broke the allegations are still un-verified and we have no idea who spoke with the G&M. The newspaper has made no effort to verify the story.

The CBC and other papers owned by Post Media (a right wing media organization akin Fox News) all have repeated the allegations endlessly and with much speculations and innuendoes, we are now analyzing body language and every sentence for hidden meaning, it is very tiresome.

The story surrounds the Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould who in a recent Cabinet shuffle was moved to the Veterans Affairs Portfolio. The undue pressure allegedly by the PMO was over the trial of the engineering firm SNC-Lavalin which has 9000 employees and operates around the world. It is headquartered in Montreal. Apparently this important company wanted to avoid prosecution over charges of corruption in Libya prior to the overthrow of Muhamar Ghaddafi. After the story broke Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned her Cabinet position. She also claimed that she could not speak about the matter at all, citing Client-Solicitor privilege, in Canada the Attorney General is the lawyer of the Government and there is also the matter of Cabinet Secret. So this gave an opening to all those who wish to see PM Trudeau out of Office to suddenly attack. In the House of Commons the Conservative leader Andrew Scheer spoke of criminal behaviour, of issues that would destroy the country if not cleared, etc.. much theatre. The media loves it and speculate over every pronouncement. However Mr Scheer suddenly realized that what he was saying outside the House of Commons on Twitter could lead to criminal charges of defamation against him, so he stopped speaking outside the House and only made statements in the House where he enjoys immunity.

Then a caravan of 60 trucks appeared on Parliament Hill, the Canadian yellow vest movement which is a largely white supremacist and nativist organization promoting a hate agenda against immigrants and anyone who disagrees with their view point. Senator David Tkachuk Conservative from Saskatchewan, spoke with them and advocated murdering all those Liberals. Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer also spoke to the group surrounded by hate message calling for the Prime Minister to be killed. Today the CBC was comparing Donald Trump to PM Trudeau, it is that gross of a media manipulation of a non-story.

So this is the circus provided by Western Canada. For 3 years now we have had pipeline politics in Alberta, by far the richest province in Canada with a population of 2.5 million producing oil in the dirty Tar Sand variety. The price of oil are not what they use to be, World markets and other economic factors all played a role in keeping prices down for crude. Companies are no longer interested in building pipelines the economic case cannot be made. So Conservative politicians allied to the Alt-Right demand that the Government of Canada build them. This year 2019 is an election year so anything goes.

Very sad but it looks like the Conservatives have taken a page or two from the GOP and people like US Senator Mitch McConnell.

As you can see the truckers from Western Canada were a very small group about 150, not the mass demonstration the media was claiming.

Moving

Tags

Canada., House of Commons, Ottawa, Parliament, renovations, Senate

Just before the Christmas break, Parliament and the Senate in Ottawa closed down for the last time in the Central block. For the next 15 years they will sit in temporary locations. The House of Commons will sit in what was the Courtyard of the West Bloc, a building that dates back to 1864 when Ottawa was still a mud town and the Senate will move to the old Railway Station across the street.

Since 2000 what are the 3 main buildings of the Parliament in Canada have been undergoing major renovation and retrofitting. Both the West and East blocs are original to 1864 and only minor cleaning and repair had taken place in the last 136 years. The West bloc was designed to house offices for members of Parliament and some Federal government departments. The East bloc was designed to house the Office of the Governor General, the Cabinet and the Department of Foreign Affairs. With the years and the growth of the Canadian Government after 1918, all that changed. The original Central bloc burnt to the ground in a spectacular fire in 1917 caused by a cigar butt left in a reading room. Only the Library of Parliament survived the massive fire because the Librarian seeing the smoke at the end of the corridor had to good sense of closing the steel doors thus protecting the Library from the flames. So in 1919  new Central bloc was inaugurated, the new building had an entire steel skeleton, a novelty then and a very tall clock tower now called the Peace Tower. However since then again little renovations had been done. The building though magnificent was having more and more mechanical system failures in the last few years.

The renovated West Bloc re-opened last week with the House now sitting in a very modern room for the next 15 years, the cost of this one building $863 million dollars CDN. It is a smaller building than the Central bloc and most Members have their offices in other buildings in the Parliament district, but that did not stop the media and some members of complaining about the small building. I worked in that building in 1979-81 and I do not remember it being that small, it is very grand inside with marble floors and grand staircases.

The Senate which in Canada and according to our Constitution is an un-elected body now sits in the Old Union Station, which was closed in 1965, converted into a government conference centre but mostly unused for years. It was a very badly neglected building with water infiltration etc. It too was completely renovated at great cost.

But that is not all, other buildings around the area, like the Confederation Building, the Justice Building, the Old Metropolitan Life building at Wellington and Bank street, the Bank of Canada, the Supreme Court all have been renovated or are about to be renovated. The total cost is estimated at around $3.1 billion dollars, but the Central bloc alone will probably cost $1.2 billion to renovate. The reason for such high cost is that the buidings are full of sculptures, stained glass windows, chandeliers and artifacts, so the work has to take place around it all without damaging or displacing any of it.

The photo above shows the great Lion clutching in his paws the Coat of arms of Canada, he stands at the main door of the Central bloc under the Peace Tower, you can see how the stone is intricately carved with flora and fauna of Canada, well the inside is just the same, it all means something. In the distance on the photo is a part view of the West bloc.

Computerized rendition of the West Bloc with the big blue roof covering the old Courtyard.

The new visitor entrance located between the West Bloc and the Central Bloc on Parliament Hill.

The temporary House of Commons built inside the Courtyard of the West Bloc, 20 steel columns hold up the glass roof. The public galleries are far larger and there is also many more seats for the Members of Parliament, in the next 15 years to population of Canada will increase so the architects thought of adding extra space to the existing 338 member seats.

The Senate building

This is the old waiting room of the railway station transformed. The permanent furniture has not been installed yet, this is just a mock up of plain wood desk.

This bronze wall was installed with images of the rockies, the door leads into the Senate Chamber. The employees of the Senate negotiated the return of one of the old waiting room seat with tiffany lamps from the museum where it was sent in 1966. A nice touch to the old railway station.

 

November 6, 1867

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150, Anniversary, Canada 150, Canada., Parliament

On this day 150 years ago just a few months after the Dominion of Canada was proclaimed in Ottawa, Parliament opened and the House of Commons sat for the first time.

The two Mace, one for the House of Commons and one for the Senate of Canada, symbol of the authority of the Crown as exercised through the elected Parliament. They are paraded every day at the opening of the Sessions in the House and in the Senate. Only the Sergeant at Arms can carry the Mace, followed by the Gentlemen Usher of the Black Rod and the Speaker.

The original centre block of Parliament in 1867 which housed the House of Commons on the left of the photo and the Senate on the right, this building will be destroyed in 1916 by a fire started by a cigar butt left in the Reading Room.

So to mark this sesquicentennial today in the House of Commons several retired Prime Ministers were present, the Right Honourable Joe Clark (C), John Turner (L), Brian Mulroney (C) and Paul Martin (L).

Also two retired Speakers were present John Bosley and Peter Milliken and some retired Senators all sitting in the gallery of the House of Commons.

The Canadian House of Commons 

Parliament today, much bigger than the original after its reconstruction in 1919.