Category Archives: Politics & Leadership

Community Decision Making

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Last night I had a beer and a chat with a man who is is wise beyond his years. He shared with me some great ideas about decision making in organizational environments, such as charities, social enterprises, businesses, the government, the non-government, and neighbourhoods. My friend argued that there are four kinds of decisions that we make:

  1. The ones that the leader/boss makes with no input. “Alright, sailors, I burned our ships so that you will feel a great sense of commitment to this land and, most importantly, to me, Hernan Cortes, and not that jerk Governor of Cuba!”
  2. The ones that the leader/boss makes with consultative input to/from a team. “Hey, Vancouver, we’ve developed a plan to put bike lanes everywhere. Just a heads-up. Drive carefully!”
  3. The ones that the team/people make with consultative input to/from the leader. “Hey, boss. Because I’m a Millennial and I like to customize things, I created my own performance review based on my specific skills and interests – it just feels more me, you know? Would you have some time to review it before we use it to measure my awesomeness?”
  4. The ones that the team/people make with no input. “Dear CEO of our company, I just averted a potentially horrendous brand-epic-failure on Twitter by engaging the customer immediately and solving their problem right away; this involved giving them a free service/product that we make/provide.”

The idea here is that the most effective decisions for a thriving community come from the fourth point – when in possession of a strong vision, a clear set of principles, and a wicked-awesome plan, everybody in a community knows what to do and work/business/advocacy/change/governance happens as efficiently as it does strategically as it does quickly.

And then there’s the terrible state of our poor little planet and the important decisions that need to be made in order to sustain not lose half of the Earth’s population in a tsunami-nuclear-firestorm-hurricane-drought-war.

After chatting with my friend I came home and watched the video below, which was shared by my awesome sister.

I don’t know about you, but the idea of our global team making most of the decisions seems like the best solution for the many complex problems that lie before us. And, yes, I realize the incredibly/ridiculously complicated nature of doing this. And I also recognize that it’s time to try something new and ridiculous. Because the boring old stuff ain’t working.

99 Ways to Leverage Our Humanity – Part 3

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[Editor's note: I must start by saying that what unfolds below is a team effort - thanks to everyone who has contributed to this list! So, for better or worse, many parts of the world have been recently occupied - and in some places, like Vancouver, this may or may not be coming to an end. Many elements of the Occupy Movement have issued demands. Personally, I see many problems with demands, as they imply binary-negotiating and/or unchangeable beliefs. Personally, I see more value and possibility in ideas and collaborative brainstorming - though this is a much harder process for certain. Some other folks share a love for collaboration and they have kindly offered their ideas in world-changing list-form. So, without further ado, here is part three of a four-part series that is meant to get our community thinking about how our brilliant, passionate, inspiring, adaptive, funny, delicious, healthy, and innovative humanity can make the world a better place. Thanks for the memories, everyone!].

How can we leverage our humanity to solve the world’s problems?

Here are ideas 1-25. And here are ideas 26-50. And here are ideas 51-75:

  1. Hike.  Get out in nature’s bosom.  Commune with the forest spirits.  Skinny dip.  Roll in dirt.  It’s clean.  Sit.  Listen.  Yell!  Pee your name in the snow (men only, I think).  Play capture the flag.  Know Nature.  Know Its value to you personally.  Because you can’t want to protect something if you don’t even know what it is.
  2. Cycle.  You’ll see more and feel good.  Buy rain pants and suit up.  You’ll be dry under you clothes (and naked!).  Be visible.  Cyclists are the future:  fuckin non-motorized, non-electronic cyborgs on wheels.
  3. Draw.  Not for art’s sake.  For communicating.  Long before we wrote, we drew.  On cave walls and on bark and hide.  Appreciate the symbolic nature of signs and symbols, and the miracle that allows all humans to interpret them.  Ed Emberley is a prophet.
  4. Drink.  Water.  H2O.  Its ubiquity only adds to its many mysteries.
  5. Learn.  A language.  Or several.  Or even just a smattering of words.  Knowing another’s tongue is the quickest way to break the ice and will allow you to more easily understand ‘the other’.
  6. Objectify.  Be partial.  Know that your opinions are opinions and based on what you believe you know.  Do not mistake passion for rightfulness.  Choose to be emotional; do not make emotional choices.
  7. Listen.  You talk too much.  Listening allows for ideas to reveal themselves to speakers who may not even know they have such ideas.  If you can’t listen, pretend to listen, as this often has the same effect.
  8. Keep.  Imbue physical objects with meaning.  A ring, a rock, or even a house.  We are physical creatures living in a physical world, not virtual avatars.  Don’t tear down old buildings.  Believe in ghosts and spirits.
  9. Teach.  To teach is to learn well.  Whether it be abstract or practical knowledge, by teaching it you will learn it deeper, and it will become you.
  10. Smile.  In monkeys it lowers tension and creates group harmony.  We are all monkeys.  Faking is acceptable as it often leads to the real thing.  Emotions and your facial muscles are inextriclaby linked. You can fool your own brain.
  11. Don’t.  Don’t do anything.  Eke.  Survive.  Be simple.  Learn the art of inertia.  Laziness is godliness.  The planet will thank you for it.
  12. Think critically. Do not accept things for what they are and ask lots and lots of questions.
  13. Perform. Sock puppets, Shakespeare, Improv, and Musicals are great ways to tell stories as well as tackle the pesky problem of fearing public speaking.
  14. Dance with people. And, to quote a wise man named Jim, “never let the rhythm control your dancing.”
  15. It might’ve been said before but it bears repeating: learn another language. This will help when you visit other places. And it will really help you visit communities not just tourist attractions.
  16. Have heroes and role models who exist in the real world, not the hyper-sexed and overly violent fictional worlds of so much media.
  17. Send handwritten thank you cards. First, because it’s the right thing to do. Second, people love getting mail and, let’s face it, the cards are outstanding advertising for your personal brand!
  18. Be skeptical and question authority. This doesn’t mean rebelling against anything and everything; it just means that you shouldn’t take everyone at their word all the time.
  19. Strive to be a bit more of an armchair economist so that you can understand – and share knowledge about – the complex workings of the global financial system.
  20. Commit to keeping the complex complex. Sometimes simple solutions come at the erosion and sacrifice of necessarily complex and important things.
  21. Remember that the things you own end up owning you. The only logical solution here is for you to give your things away so that they can own other people.
  22. Take off/out your headphones and/or earbuds and listen to the world around you. This will expose you to funny things, interesting things, and things that will inspire you to engage members of your community in conversation.
  23. Collaborate. Like a symphony. Working together is the only way that we’re going to pull ourselves out of this mess.
  24. Find common ground with someone who has a totally different worldview than you. It’s possible. I mean, Kurt and John do it every day on this blog!
  25. Recognize that humanity’s adaptability will see us through tsunamis, earthquakes, peak oil, and the zombie apocalypse; however, there will be catastrophic collateral damage and many of us will not survive the next 100 years. Try your best to be okay with this fact and also try really, really hard to not be a weird survivalist who makes people super uncomfortable while riding the bus…

–

Masthead photo courtesy of Kurt Heinrich, who is awesome.

Russian Warship Visits Port Metro Vancouver

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Last month, in the week leading up to Remembrance Day, Vancouverites were treated to the odd sight of two warships tied up at Canada Place: the Canadian destroyer, The Algonquin and, much more bizarrely,  the missile cruiser Varyag, the flagship of Russia’s Pacific Fleet. The sight was so outlandish not only because it was the maiden visit of warship to the port, but also because the Varyag bristled on all sides with huge missile tubes.

As I stood gawking over the rail one lunch hour, busily snapping pics along with dozens of other tourists, I couldn’t help marvelling how totally out of place this menancing Cold War relic looked next to the white sails of Canada Place and in the relatively peaceful confines of Vancouver’s harbour. “Does Varyag’s Captain know Vancouver is ‘Nuclear Free Zone,’?” I wondered.

After a bit of Google-ing, I quickly learned that the ship’s days of packing nukes  are long over. Fair enough. Apparently, its chief duty is now to toodle around the North Pacific and create closer ties with other navies, including Canada’s. Also all fine and well, but I also can’t help wondering if Russia also relished a little show of strength on Varyag’s visit. After all, Russian’s Arctic ambitions are as well known as those of any nation, including our own. (See my last post, Harper Makes Shipbuilding History, for more on that).

I have to say I felt relieved when  Varyag pull up anchored. Once it and its plume of amazingly noxious exhast faded on the horizon (sorry, but apparently the Russians have zero environmental standards for their navy), I felt relieved. Port Metro, Victoria, Gregor Robertson can we maybe think twice before allowing warships on useless missions darken our harbour?

 

 

The detachment of Pacific Fleet vessels took course for Vancouver on October 15 after the Russian-US military exercises “Pacific Eagle-2011.”

What’s in the Head of Young Australians?

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Each year, youth charity organization Mission Australia conducts Australia’s largest formal survey of young people.

Over three months each year the survey asks Australians aged 11 to 24 what they value, where they turn for advice and support, what issues concern them, how they are involved with their community and their feelings about their future. The results are not only a valuable insight into the minds of young people, but also help social policy makers to produce information and develop services relevant to the needs of young Australians.

This year, just under 46,000 young people were surveyed, and the results were a mix of inspiring, concerning and thought-provoking.

Inspiring: In this year’s survey, young people were asked for the first time how they felt about the future. The answer was resoundingly optimistic, with over two-thirds responding that they felt positive about the future. It seems young Australians are a very grounded bunch, who, when asked what they value most highly, listed family and friendships well above financial security and personal independence.

Given the pasting that Gen-Y’s get from the media as self-obsessed and lazy, it’s pretty awesome to remember that young people are actually a lot more switched-on when it comes to values and ideals than we given them credit for.

Concerning: When asked where they would go for help on their main issues of concern, over 20 per cent of young Australians said they did not have anywhere to go for assistance and advice. For me, this was one of the saddest findings of the survey, and seems to explain, in a basic way, why suicide is the main cause of death for young Australians aged between 15 and 24.

Despite all the Facebooking, texting, Skyping, instant messaging and Google chatting, young Australians feel like they have no one to talk to. It’s obvious that traditional methods of support for young people are failing, and that more time and money needs to be invested in reaching out to young people through the channels that they are familiar with. For a generation that has grown up with the internet, accessing online support and communities feels safe, comfortable and easy, in a way that speaking to someone face to face just doesn’t.

Thought-provoking: A vast majority of the young people surveyed showed a strong awareness of the issues important to the wider community. When asked for unprompted views on the biggest issues facing Australian society, 45.7 per cent of young people listed the environment as a top concern.

It’s both comforting and inspiring to know that the future of the planet rests in the hands of people who value environmental issues. Young Australians have demonstrated that they want strong government leadership as well as a broad community response to environmental issues, and they are prepared to take personal responsibility for their environmental behavior in a way that previous generations have not.

For a deeper look into the minds of young Australians (and some pretty amazing web design) check out the You’re Probably Wrong Test

Masthead photo from this photostream, body photo from this photostream. Both used with the permission of a Creative Commons license.

Peak Oil? How about “Peak Stuff”

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Photo courtesy of Treehugger.com.

Many of us have heard of the concept of ‘Peak Oil’, that oil has been tapped to it’s maximum and that global supplies are in decline. I recently read an article about ‘Peak Car’, which said that Americans are driving less now that 10 years ago due to high gas prices as well as choosing to live car free in densified urban settings.

With this in mind I thought it would be both fitting, and ironic given that Xmas shopping is in full swing, to talk about ‘Peak Stuff’, the idea that maybe, just maybe, we don’t need more ‘stuff’.

All you have to do is look at the state of the global economy, with Europe and the U.S. on their way back into recession, to see that people don’t, or soon won’t have the same level of disposable income that they used to. Most Canadians are currently indebted to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. We have known for some time that the ‘Western’ way of life, one of affluence and excess, is not environmentally sustainable at a global level, now we seem to be faced with the reality that it isn’t likely economically sustainable either.

Our cultural brainwashing since World War 2 has told us that our purpose in life is to work hard so we can buy more things. The idea of living within our means and making do with what we have has been an ‘old fashioned’ idea for a couple of generations. Under the influence of the media and peer pressure, the fickle whims of fashion and the planned obsolescence of many items in our day to day, we are constantly reminded that there must be something we need.

Recently there have been ‘buy nothing’ days, weeks, and even months, where individuals are challenged to only buy essentials, aka food, for that given time. I participated in a month of ‘buy nothing’ and was struck by how hard it was to fight the ‘Buy! Buy! Buy!’ impulse.

As our current society is essentially a ‘Consumerist’ one with the global economy based on the endless need for new things, what happens when the wheels come off the bus and we all decide to live with less?

Header photo courtesy of Ian Muttoo

Get your vote on!

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November 19 is just around the corner and its time to get your vote on. Across the Province of BC, municipal voters will be heading to the polls. Here’s hoping last time’s abysmal showing of 31 percent ( that’s right – less than a third of all eligible voters) doesn’t repeat. Initial estimates based on the numbers turning out for advanced polling seems to be pointing out this year may have a higher turnout. Hurray!

One of my favourite things about any election is the range of videos and ads that appear in the lead up. While there is always the more generic “thoughtful” ads jammed with canned music, earnest looking political sermons and glossy images of our “Vancouver”, there’s also the guerilla videos produced by various parties and cadidates that are meant to get you laughing all the way to the polling station. To give you a flavour for what’s out there, here are a few recent creations by We Back the Juice Man. The particularly fun ones are the faux attack-ads. If you want to see some real attack ads, check out the NPA’s Take Back the City. I’d put them up here, but they are kind mean. Anyway, enjoy!


 

Occupy Vancouver Protesters “Demonstrate” They Need to Go!

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Photo courtesy of the Globe and Mail's John Lehmann

On Monday night St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church hosted a debate between Mayor Gregor Robertson and Councillor Suzanne Anton. The topic of the night was homelessness and was organized by End Homelessness Now.

Located at 1012 Nelson Street (at Burrard Street), the site of the debate was a stones throw from the Occupy Vancouver encampment. Sure enough, a gaggle of Occupiers showed up in force and before the debate even got going, it turned into a circus.

I was unable to attend the debate. However, I was able to follow the streaming twitter feed courtesy of the rapid tweeting of the Globe and Mail’s @ianabailey and @robmickleburgh, the Vancouver Sun’s @Sunciviclee, the Courier’s @Naoibh and the Straight’s @stephenhui. From what I gathered of those tweets, it was bedlam, from beginning to end. Almost every second tweet mentioned some protester screaming, heckling or interrupting the debate. Multiple times, the charismatic and kindly pastor of the church Gary Patterson had to plead for calm and ask everyone involved to take a “deep breath” and relax.

By the end of the evening, one issue seemed crystal clear to me. The protesters behaviour showed no respect for their fellow citizens and demonstrated they had little to no interest in working within a pragmatic framework that would actually get any of their more relevant and realistic goals accomplished.

In short, the protest appears to have devolved from a movement of the 99% to one of the petty, angry and childish 1%. What’s left on the Art Gallery stairs seems more enraptured with their own selfishly deemed “rights” rather than the original purpose of actually reorienting the discussion of global issues around poverty and economic malfeasance.

This was hammered home for me later that night when upset Occupyites launched themselves at Vancouver firefighters and police officers who were trying to put out a fire the group had started.The video posted of the incident shows what a mess the protest has become.

The fact that the next day Chief Jim Chu announced that several of his officers had been “bitten” and hit by Occupy protesters only underscored how far this “movement” has departed from its original tenets of non-violence and peaceful demonstration.

As conditions continue to deteriorate in the camp and it becomes increasingly clear that the current tenants on the Art Gallery lawn are there to rabble rouse rather than work for positive change. I’m glad to see that the city is now pursuing the legal requirements to force an eviction and eject the protesters’ camp. Perhaps once this de-evolving community is deconstructed, the movement can get back to some of the positive and unifying ideas (and support) that made it so powerful when it first began.

Banner image courtesy of raincoaster

A Community of 7 Billion

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Last week the population of our global community hit and surpassed seven billion. We started out pretty slowly, but – over the last few decades – we’ve exploded our baby-making and alive-people-keeping, which has resulted in our planet’s population doubling in the last 50 years.

Wow. Seven billion, eh?

How did this happen? Well, just in case rhetorical questions aren’t your thing, here’s a pretty cool explanation from NPR:

How do you feel about this? Where do you fit into this story of human life? Check out this supercool tool from BBC News and learn your exact number in our world’s current population figures.

So, with at least 6,999,999,999 people on the planet besides you, what will be some of our community’s biggest challenges going forward? Here are the top three challenges that you and I can work on together:

  1. Food and Water. There’s enough of it, sure, but it’s not really distributed equally or efficiently and we waste a lot of it, especially after Thanksgiving dinners and when we flush toilets in North America. Oh, and we also destroy and contaminate a lot of it, too.
  2. Greed. It almost ruined our global economy three years ago and, well, it hasn’t really gone away. In fact, it’s being applied to strategically control many, many things from the above category. Transforming our world from me to we might be the most important – and difficult – hurdle that our global community clears.
  3. Aliens and/or Robots from the Future. If James Cameron and Will Smith have taught us anything it’s that, eventually, our fragmented global community will unite to confront terrifying aliens/cyborgs bent on destroying us. If your name is John Connor or Neo please wear a helmet when you do dangerous things, as you will be important in this struggle.

To wrap things up I encourage you to expand your mind regarding what you know about our brave new world. This fact-filled video with sweet beats presents some compelling data on everything from language to technology to education to the environment to media:

Alright, that’s it, folks! I’m gonna wrap this up before my Android (a phone, not Lieutenant Commander Data) becomes even more suspicious…

–

Masthead photo courtesy of UggBoy UggGirl

The List by Occupy Vancouver

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Focused Capture - Flickr Creative Commons

[ This is copied from the Occupy Vancouver forum on 'Demands' -- apparently the working group meets every day at 5:30pm at the Ice Rink @ Robson + Howe.  These demands will be ratified by the General Assembly sometime soon. I'm hoping to check it out in the next few days to confirm the support for this list. ] 

Rough Draft of Demands

There has been a call for a broad over-reaching demand that sums up the rest of the demands and is easily quotable in the mass media:

We demand the creation of a just and sustainable society.

Of course people will want to know the specifics of such a demand.
With that in mind we have created this list of “sub-demands” which more clearly outlines what exactly we mean by our one demand.

Economic demands

1. We demand that the wealthiest 1% pay their fair share by the closing of tax loopholes such as dark pools of liquidity and employer-side payroll taxes. Progressive taxation principles must prevail, income from capital must be taxed at the same level as wage income.
2. We demand that the banks be nationalized and limit interest payments to 1%. The Board of Directors of the Bank of Canada and top tier of management must now include at least 50% representatives for Labour/wage earners and the balance must contain a mix of academics, as well as business people. The mandate of the Bank of Canada must now include the pursuit of low unemployment in addition to low inflation. (An alternative demand to nationalization of the banks is: “We demand a cap on interest rates at 5% plus prime.”)
3. We demand that crimes committed by banks and corporations be prosecuted more rigorously – a dedicated justice fund for white-collar crimes must be created. Canadian corporations must also be held accountable for crimes (such as bribery and pollution) committed abroad.
4. We demand that all income tax for those who make less than the living wage be eliminated.
5. We demand that a “ministry of whistle-blowing” be created with the power to protect any whistle blower – corporate or otherwise – from harm of any kind. We need to be able to safely call attention to injustice. Previous failed attempts to do this should be learned from.
6. We demand a higher minimum wage – one that equals a living wage. Those unable to work due to disability or infirmity should have a guaranteed income which will allow a dignified existence.
7. We demand that Canada pulls out of all free trade agreements – including repealing NAFTA – which are actually “investors rights” agreements and have little to do with trade. We demand an end to future attempts at “free trade” agreements and/or the North American Union. All monopolies – national or international – must be prohibited.
8. We demand that EI payments for people not eligible to receive from the program be eliminated.
9. We demand that supply management of agricultural products be ended.
10. We demand that the federal government keep out of private sector union negotiations.
11. We demand the prohibition of self-regulation by large-scale industries.

Political demands

12. We demand the influence of lobbyists and influence peddlers be reduced by requiring all lobbyists and corporate representatives conduct all meetings with representatives out in the open, with records of what was said and what was spent easily accessible to the public.
13. We demand the electoral playing field be leveled by limiting each political party to equal small amounts of taxpayer money. We demand the elimination of campaign contributions entirely.
14. We demand the installation of a proportional representation system in all municipal, provincial and federal elections. We demand the adoption of Swiss-style direct democracy and Nunavut-style consensus-decision-making into all political processes.
15. We demand an immediate end to Canada’s role in the war in Afghanistan. We demand Canada pulls out of NATO.
16. We demand the government makes sure the CBC is independent from influence by powerful groups by getting enough funding so it can go commercial free so it no longer must depend on big business for advertizing, and that it becomes immune from future budget cuts.
17. We demand the elimination of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001, which criminalizes activities similar to the ones conducted by the French Resistance in WW2 and Nelson Mandela’s ANC in South Africa.
18. We demand Canada pulls out of the SPP – the “Security and Prosperity Partnership” – the military and economic harmonization between Canada and the United States. Canada must remain sovereign.
19. We demand the return of the long form census and an end to the practice of outsourcing census work to multinationals such as Lockheed Martin.
20. We demand that Statistics Canada and the Parliamentary Budget Office be made arms-length organizations outside the direct jurisdiction of partisans.
21. We demand that publicly funded science be made available to the public. No tax-payer-funded scientists should be gagged or censored in any way.
22. We demand that the science minister be replaced with an MP who recognizes the realities of evolution and global human-caused climate change.
23. We demand an end to all gag-orders on public servants.
24. We demand an independent investigation into 9/11 which will examine all evidence including that which would support a false-flag explanation.
25. We demand that “none of the above” be an option on all electoral ballots.

Societal demands

26. We demand – as Bertrand Russell suggested – there be two police forces – one to prove your guilt and another to prove your innocence. We demand lawyers be required to work in pairs so that a lack of resources won’t be a factor in deciding a case. (Alternative: We demand increased funding for legal aid.)
27. We demand a majority of the defense budget be redistributed to health, education and housing.
28. We demand massage, dental and eye care be covered under the health care system.
29. We demand an end to gender and racial discrimination in the workplace. We demand pay equity and employment equity. We demand equal pay for different but equivalent work.
30. We demand the right of self-determination for all indigenous nations. We demand a speedy resolutions to all outstanding land claims acceptable to all parties concerned.
31. We demand the repeal of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. All synthetic drugs and hard drugs (including cocaine and heroin) must be distributed by prescription through a pharmacist.
32. We demand that all botanical drugs be distributed like coffee beans. Human medical autonomy must now be respected by all.
33. We demand that all harmless people be protected in the constitution. If a new law is written and a new set of people are to be criminalized, the burden of proof will now be on the government to provide evidence that this new group of criminals is inherently harmful to others. This will end scapegoating.
34. We demand that post-secondary education be free with no hidden user fees. We demand that most outstanding student loans should be forgiven based upon income.
35. We demand that herbalists and naturopaths have their services covered by the health-care system.
36. We demand that judicial sentencing discretion should be preserved.
37. We demand that the omnibus crime bill be eliminated.
38. We demand that prostitution be legalized and regulated as it is in New Zealand.

Environmental demands

39. We demand that subsidies shift from fossil fuel and nuclear energy to renewable resources such as sun, wind, wave, geothermal and cellulose-based ethanol.
40. We demand that GMO’s – extra-natural genetic modification – be banned because there is no consensus that they increase yield, are safe to consume, are safe for the environment and pose no threat to global food security but there is general agreement that they allow seed monopolies and lawsuits based upon pollen drift. The patenting of life must be illegal and terminator seeds banned from sale in Canada.
41. We demand that chemical fertilizers and pesticides be phased out over the next five years while farmers learn to use organic methods because chemical fertilizers and pesticides are unnecessary and kill the soil vitality needed for human survival.
42. We demand that “open-net/open water” fish farming be banned.
43. We demand that environmental laws be enforced more rigorously.
44. We demand that soil vitality be a priority.
45. We demand that the nuclear industry be phased out.
46. We demand that the health and environmental costs be factored into the cost of each product, and taxed appropriately.
47. We demand the shutting down of the Tar Sands project.
48. We demand that fracking – hydraulic fracturing – be prohibited.
49. We demand the removal of all the red tape around the growing of industrial hemp.
50. We demand Canada pull out of the Keystone Pipeline.
51. We demand the prohibition of all off-shore drilling. We demand maximum liability on all oil spills.
52. We demand a national ban on products and packaging that can’t be recycled locally.
53. We demand a ban on factory farming or CAFO’s (concentrated animal feeding operations).
54. We demand an end to all logging in old-growth forests and an end to clear-cutting everywhere.
55. We demand protection of water rights and transparency in all Canadian water deals.
56. We demand Canada adopts the Bolivian Earth Charter.

[I will not editorialize here, other than to say that the 99% need a better marketing consultant.  Reduce, refine, simplify.  My Occupy brainspace does not have time for a debate on industrialized hemp.  Thoughts?]

Harper Makes Shipbuiliding History

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Some might say B.C. came out with the shorter end of the stick after the results of Canada’s $33 billion Shipbuilding bidding process were announced earlier this month. While Nova Scotia scored $25 billion to build snazzy warships, Vancouver’s Seaspan Yards only got $8 billion to knock together a few tugs and boats with nerdy names like “Channel Survey and Sounding Vessels,” or “Near-Shore Fishery Research Vessels.” But who really cares.  While these don’t make headlines like destroyers do, such a huge cash injection into B.C.’s ailing shipbuilding industry means a lot of jobs for tradespeople across the province – up to 4,000 over the next decade.

Premier Christy Clark tours Seaspan prior to announcement

I hate to admit it, but the Harper regime kind of got it right on this one. After Mulroney let domestic shipbuilding activity melt away post NAFTA, Harper is scoring major political points by revitalizing this proud part of our heritage, and injecting new stimulus into the  economy.  And don’t forget: the prime minister also lies awake at night fretting that Russia, Denmark, China, the U.S. (the list goes on) are cheekily sticking their flags on our arctic sea bed. 15 new frigates and a sexy icebreaker called Diefenbaker are meant to prevent that. Good thing too – those embarrassingly crappy, second-hand submarines we got from the Brits can barely float let alone do their job patrolling the “true north strong and free.”