Thursday, October 23, 2014

Stephen Harper's Ottawa speech.

“We are also reminded that attacks on our security personnel and our institutions of governance are by their very nature attacks on our country, on our values, on our society, on us Canadians as a free and democratic people who embrace human dignity for all. But let there be no misunderstanding. We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated.” (Stephen Harper, 22 October 2014)
Our security personnel, eh? Try this. Or this. And this. This too. Note especially that on 1 March 2009 Stephen Harper publically declared the Afghan war unwinnable.  The FIFTY-ONE Canadian Forces members killed in Afghanistan since that date are effectively wasted lives according to his own logic. By that logic too, the only group that benefitted from these dead Canadian troops is the Taleban.

Our institutions of governance, eh? This. Or this. And this. Oh hell, basically all of this.

Trudeau, Mulcair, either of you want to call him out and actually own the narrative on this? Didn't think so. Instead, you're going to let him have it because unity in crisis and he gave you a hug or something. Oh, good luck with that there next 'election' eh, war PM and all.

7 comments:

Alison said...

According to lawyers for the Attorney General in March 2014 fighting the class-action suit filed by six Afghanistan veterans, the social contract Prime Minister Robert Borden promised to Canadian Armed Forces and their families just before Canadian soldiers went off to Vimy Ridge in 1917 was just a politician talking so they are under no particular obligation to honour it.

"The terms "social covenant" and "social contract" have been used at various points in time by a number of different groups and in a number of different ways to describe the relationship between members of the CAF and the government and people of Canada. No set of principles exist that can be stated with certainty, understood with clarity, or accepted with unanimity among the people of Canada to define a "social contract" or "social covenant" as alleged.

The soldiers nevertheless won their right to launch the suit but the government is appealing that decision.

Boris said...

I was wondering where that initiative went. I think it might be extremely important because it is essentially putting the concept of government on trial. I find it rather profound. Either elected representatives and civil servants who receive tax dollars from the public exist to serve the public who put them there (social contract), or they don't. If they don't, they logically can't exist. How much of a stretch is to then argue that written laws are just things politicians said put to paper? Start down that road and the whole thing is artifice and disappears in a puff of smoke. I suppose that's true on some deep poststructural level, but we need the illusion or we have nothing.

islandpapa said...

OK I am going to say it. How convenient that a homeless, possibly mentally ill fellow, shoots and kills an unarmed soldier then becomes labeled a Muslim terrorist. Sure helps the "we want to know everything about you" crowd and there legislation.
Damn, I am so suspicious!

Alison said...

Boris : I'm guessing that the AG lawyers' point is that the social contract/covenant lacks specificity.

e.a.f. said...

If the two soldiers who were killed hadn't been killed in a manner which worked for Stephen harper and his agenda, we would never have known about them. He would never have known about them or cared about them. Just like harper and his herd don't care about the many Veterans who they abandoned to poverty, mental health problems, etc.

There is no social contract, beyond the contract which makes money for harper and his herd and their friends. Canada hasn't signed its national health accord.

Lets see if Harper and his herd remember these two soldiers and their families in 10 yrs. In 10 years when these families need help, who is going to be for them then? Not harper and his herd, that I can guarantee you.

Harper has his election/erection issue. He gets lots of photo ops, pushes through his version of legislation. We all go back to sleep until we get arrested one day or someone who know does.

Boris said...

Alison, meanwhile in the UK it's all about covenants.

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/fulfilling-the-commitments-of-the-armed-forces-covenant/supporting-pages/armed-forces-covenant

Alison said...

Boris : Wow. The Attorney General's appeal to strike Justice Weatherill's decision for the vets and "to dismiss the plaintiff's [vets'] action entirely" is being heard in the BC Court of Appeal on December 3 and 4. Would be a good time to post your link above as a comparison.