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Random Thoughts on Justin Trudeau’s Swearing In and Cabinet

  • So much openness.  From having a very public walk through the grounds of Rideau Hall to Trudeau doing Google Hangouts with school children (what?) before his first Cabinet meeting.
  • It’s another indictment of the Conservatives that having a cabinet where such commonplace things such as having an actual doctor as your Health Minister, a medical geographer who has a PhD as your Science Minister (let alone that we now *have* a Minister of Science) and a goddamned *astronaut* as your Transportation Minister are seen as radical departures from what we’ve had for the last 10 years.
  • It wasn’t from Ryan Meili but another doctor on my Facebook page observed about the new Health minister: “A family doc for Health Minister! One who is involved in HIV/AIDS work, global health, identifies as an activist, and has an interest in the social determinants. Has even been known to quote Virchow.”
  • How cool is it that an Afghan refugee who came to Canada as a child is now in charge of electoral reform?
  • Or a bad-ass Sikh Lt. Colonel is in charge of Defense?  (Ack – he’s a brown person with something on his head.  In Stephen Harper’s world, he’s barely a Canadian and now he’s in charge of our military!)
  • Or that a First Nations person doesn’t get a token spot in Indigenous & Northern Affairs but a real and vital position in Justice?
  • (Similarly, instead of Stephane Dion getting the expected Environment Portfolio, he gets Foreign Affairs where he can still pursue global environmental leadership but from a more powerful platform.)
  • Or a visually impaired paralympic athlete is in charge of Sports & Services to Disabled Persons?
  • Small changes mean big things – Aboriginal & Northern Affairs becomes Indigenous & Northern Affairs, “Climate Change” gets added to the name of the Environment portfolio.
  • Lawrence MacAulay from PEI is in charge of agriculture.  I always want that to be someone from the West but I’m biased. 😉
  • Breakdown of regional representation in the new cabinet.
  • I’m personally not a fan of quotas in any way but Trudeau’s pledge of a gender-balanced cabinet with 15 men and 15 women is pretty cool.  (Or in Mr. Trudeau’s words why he did this: “Because it’s 2015.”)
    [Edit: I better clarify my last statement before I have to hand in my lefty card.  I understand why Trudeau went for gender parity and I also understand the importance of it.  But my point is that I wish we could get *past* this even being part of the discussion and that people were selected based on who was best for the job – if that meant a cabinet of 30 women, so be it and bob’s your uncle.]
  • Who’s notable for *not* getting a post?  Seamus O’Regan is a celebrity and friend of Trudeau’s.  Joyce Murray ran for the Liberal Leadership and finished second to Trudeau by pushing cooperation with the NDP (oops!)  Former Toronto Police Chief, Bill Blair.
  • Speaking of NDP, I like how they’re calling themselves “The Progressive Opposition”.  Hints of a party name change to come?
  • The Oath the new Cabinet Ministers swore said they pledged allegiance to the Queen and her heirs and someone had a good joke that Trudeau probably put that in on purpose so the word “heir/hair” would be heard as much as possible.  Someone else joked they could’ve even had some line about “Nice heirs though!” 😉
  • A word of caution from a former library school classmate about those applauding the diversity of Trudeau’s cabinet: “Perhaps today is a good day to remind ourselves that diversity and inclusion are not the same as justice. Being in a room doesn’t mean you have power in that room, nor does it mean that the fundamental assumptions and structures of power that make that room possible are necessarily being brought into question.”
  • And a counter-point from a commenter to his post: “But representation _does_ matter in a democracy. And as I posted earlier, a room that is half women makes it easier for women to say what they really think, and for their voices to be heard. And the mere presence of sikhs, refugees, disabled people–this is not nothing. It’s unusual, and something to be proud of. To me this signals that Trudeau does want to be socially progressive, and I applaud him for that. Of course, we will see if he really listens to these people, and lets them have the power he says they will have. And economically progressive? Obviously still unlikely.”
  • More commentary from /r/canadapolitics

All in all, I’m still cautiously optimistic about Trudeau and hope he’ll continue an inclusive, positive, progressive approach.  But whenever I feel like “Gee, am I suddenly a Liberal?” I think about one of the hundreds of articles I read in the run up to the election.

It looked at who the 10 richest families in Canada had given the most money to and without fail, they tended to give (relatively) equally to the Conservatives and Liberals in the thousands of dollars.  For a couple donors on the prairies who also gave to the NDP, it was in the hundreds.  Lesson?  The NDP is a party that represents every day working people which is the *vast* majority of Canadians.  The Conservatives and the Liberals are (still) the somewhat interchangeable parties of the rich elites of the country (including Justin Trudeau himself come to think of it.)

Posted 04 November 2015 § Canada § List § News § Politics ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: , , ,

Music Monday – “How long will you chase/This dream that’s so clear from the stage?”

This “In An Empty Room” series from the Creative City Centre that I highlighted last week has lots of other great music you should check out…

“Squared Up” – Belle Plaine

Posted 02 November 2015 § MusicMonday § PopCulture § Saskatchewan § Video ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

RIP Koko

It’s been a month since we lost our cat, Koko, very suddenly.

Although she seemed to have lost a bit of weight in the days preceding her death, we chocked this up to her being outside so much in the nice weather.  She had otherwise been fine with no obvious symptoms of illness.  But then, she got sick overnight, throwing up a couple different times then Shea found her in the morning, dead.

Shea and I are both from farm backgrounds so we’re not too likely to think of a pet as the equivalent of a child like many people do (was it Shea who raised a cow named “Steak” or did I just see that at a 4-H show in her hometown?)  😉

But it was a tougher loss than I expected – mainly because Koko was so young (6 years) and it happened so suddenly with no explanation or warning.

(Of course, as soon as it happened, it seemed everyone I talked to had a story of their own cats dying suddenly at an early age counter to my vision of cats being animals that always lived to be a fat, old balls of fur on a couch somewhere.)

Given that she vomited a few times in the night before she died, the most obvious explanation for Koko’s sudden death is poisoning (deliberate or accidental).  But from reading online, it could also have been one of a dozen things that can cause sudden death in otherwise healthy seeming cats (anything from heart disease or pancreatitis like humans experience to cat-specific problems like hairballs or urinary blockages.)

The reality is that we’ll never know – an autopsy would’ve been expensive and time consuming and even if we found out it was poison, that still might not tell us if it was accidental or deliberate (and, if deliberate, who did it.  She’s always been an outdoor cat – which is known to cut 2-3 years off the animal’s life – but we’ve never had any complaints or concerns with neighbours about her being out and many said they liked Koko’s visits.)

In a way, her quick passing is a blessing.  We could’ve taken her to the vet when she first started throwing up on a Sunday night but that would’ve been expensive and maybe not saved her anyhow (as was the case with a co-worker who lost a cat who was around the same age as Koko but not before she spent $500+ on her.)

Although I feel like I’m betraying the cat-loving librarian stereotypes, we’re in no rush to get another pet, cat or otherwise.  Although we loved Koko with her warmth and humour and mouse-catching abilities, there’s much we don’t miss – from cleaning out litter boxes to knowing we can now leave food on the counter unmolested for more than five minutes to not feeling tied down or facing an extra expense if we wanted to leave her for any extended period for a holiday or whatever.

The sad reality is also that one of the reasons you have pets is that it’s a good way to teach your kids about death. Shea and I had to wake up both kids and explain to them what had happened (Pace obviously understanding much more than Sasha) then they got to give her a final pet before we loaded her up and took her to my family farm where we buried her through a mixture of laughter (Shea playing “Old Rugged Cross” on her phone saying that it can’t be a funeral until you hear that song then following it up with “The Cat Came Back”) and tears.

RIP Koko.

Our new kitty, straight from Uncle Marsh’s farm…

KokoKitty

Koko and Pace were best buddies…

KokoPace

 

Koko wasn’t too sure about our newest addition to the family when Sasha arrived but they had their moments…

KokoSasha

It’s going to be tough setting up the Christmas tree this year without Koko’s “help”… 🙁

KokoXmas

Posted 28 October 2015 § Family § MemoryLane § Pace § Photo § Sad § Sasha § Shea ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

An Illustration of European Asylum Seekers

Although it looks somewhat like an outtake from the new Star Wars movie, there’s a very serious reality behind Lucify.com’s site that illustrates the flow of asylum seekers from Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East over the past three years.  (via Reddit)

Posted 27 October 2015 § Infographic § News § Politics § UK ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , ,

Music Monday – “Eight days and a clash on the number four/Three witnesses blown up high/My sentence will be done/You can call me a son for wondering why?” @colterwall @premierbradwall

Colter Wall is a Saskatchewan musician who is getting a lot of attention lately, at least in part due to a positive mention by WWE/UFC superstar, Brock Lesnar who used a Wall song in a recent promo video as well as some of his music being included on the “Dog the Bounty Hunter” show.

Wall’s first album is a mix of Americana blues with hints of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash among others and it’s *very* good.

When you first hear Colter Wall’s music, it sounds like the spirit of another time reaching through the ether of our own to project its ghosts back into you. The video of the Saskatchewan native alone on stage playing the lead single off his new album Imaginary Appalachia, “Sleeping On The Blacktop,” to an empty room captures the aesthetic pretty well.    – Full article.

In a way, it’s not fair to bring this up as it’s irrelevant to the quality of his music.  But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Colter also happens to be the son of Saskatchewan Premier, Brad Wall.

“My goal is to just keep what I do and what my dad does entirely separate because they are,” he said. “People have been for the most part pretty decent about the whole thing and just accepting my music and deciding whether they like it or don’t like it entirely on the music and not on who my dad happens to be.”

That connection is interesting for a couple reasons – Brock Lesnar is a Minnesota farm boy whose brother lives in Saskatchewan and Lesnar has even indicated that he could see himself moving here someday.  Lesnar and Premier Wall have interacted and you wonder if Mr. Wall put a bug in the wrestler’s ear about his son’s music?

The other interesting connection is that Colter is turning into a musical sensation which includes production, touring, performing and filming clips like the one below, shot at Regina’s Creative City Centre.  Yet, Premier Wall is also notorious in some circles for his attacks on the creative industries, especially the cutting of funding to the film industry.

My post on those cuts from three years ago is still, to this day, the most viewed post ever on this blog by a factor of 10.  It’s interesting that, although it’s mainly about the film industry in Saskatchewan, I tie it into the idea of family as well as the thought that my own son might be a future rock star with the right support and guidance.

Although he rightly wants to be judged on his own merits, let’s hope Colter can also help convince his dad of the importance of supporting art and artists which can be thought of as a renewable resource for the province.

“Sleeping on the Blacktop” – Colter Wall (The lyrics I excerpted in the title of this post are my best attempt to decipher Colter’s marbly delivery.)

Posted 26 October 2015 § MusicMonday § Politics § PopCulture § Saskatchewan § Video ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

“America Would Probably Drop $7 Billion on a Clock To Display Our Deficit” – The Daily Show on the Canadian Election

Posted 25 October 2015 § Canada § Humour § Meme § News § Politics § Video ‡ Comments (0) °

Saturday Snap – Pumpkin Kids

Pumpkin Kids

Posted 24 October 2015 § Family § Pace § Sasha § SaturdaySnap ‡ Comments (0) °

Friday Fun Link – The Nostalgia Machine

The Nostalgia Machine will generate a playlist for the year you were born (or any other year – want to re-live your high school prom?  The year you got married?)

Posted 23 October 2015 § FridayFunLink § MemoryLane § PopCulture § Randomness § Shea ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

Craig Oliver’s Rant on Stephen Harper During CTV’s #elxn42 Coverage (And Some Other Random Coverage)

So I’m slowly planning to transition back to regular blogging but right now, I’m still obsessively reading posts and news stories about the election:

If you didn’t catch this on election night, it’s worth a watch.  Rarely do “neutral” journalists drop the facade and rip into someone like this…

Posted 22 October 2015 § Canada § List § Meme § News § Politics § Wisdom ‡ Comments (2) °

Some Final Election Thoughts #elxn42 #canpoli #cndpoli

So, having had a couple nights to sleep on it (barely on the night of the election – I was up until after midnight waiting for final results in Regina-Lewvan which the NDP won by 143 votes then woke up at 6am having weird dream/nightmares about the election result), here are a few closing thoughts before this blog turns back into the usual mix of libraries, technology, memes, pics of the kids and yes, the occasional political post.

The Liberals Form Majority Government 
What did George W. Bush (like Justin Trudeau, another legacy leader) say: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on you, won’t get fooled again?”

I feel the same way about the Liberals – I don’t have the visceral dislike of the Liberals that many in my parent’s generation do for the National Energy Program but I do have memories of a Liberal government that repeatedly promised a national childcare program and failed to deliver, even with multiple years and majority governments to do it.  Or failed to eliminate the GST (not that I agree with that but another broken promise among many.)  Or, at the risk of sounding like a conservative, didn’t the Liberals bring in the changes to the Income Tax Royalty structure that cost me a shit tonne of money?  I think so.

Anyhow, I hope that this time will be different and Justin Trudeau talks a good game on that front.  But actions will speak louder than words so we’ll see if he implements some (or any) of the more progressive policies from his platform (especially electoral reform) and reworks or abandons the less progressive (C-51, TPP, etc.)

Justin Trudeau
Obviously, it’s hindsight now but I wish the NDP had a leader who could’ve really captured the “change” mantle the way Trudeau did.  He ran on this weird amalgam that was part Obama circa 2008, part Jack Layton circa 2011 and of course a big dash (though he rarely acknowledged it) of Trudeaumania 2.0.  It’s also nice to see a generational change in leadership too – going from leaders who are of my parent’s generation to one who’s of my own generation – Trudeau’s 44 years old (I’m 42) with kids and all sorts of shared cultural references and experiences.  Plus there’s a meme going around about he’s the first Prime Minister with an English Lit degree (which all my more socially conscious friends are quick to jump on to point out that’s not what made him Prime Minister as if people don’t realise that being the son of a former Prime Minister obviously has a bit more to do with it than his undergrad degree.  But yeah, still cool to have someone with an arts background in the big chair to me.)

NDP 
Yes, the NDP got hammered out in the…uhm, do we have a Liberal equivalent of “Orange Crush” yet?  (Red Wedding?  Feels like it cause it was an unexpected slaughter!) But the NDP still had their second best showing of all-time and aren’t going away anytime soon.  To put it in perspective, the Conservatives lost 96 seats and the NDP lost 51.  They also had impressive gains (3) in Saskatchewan which has been a Conservative fortress (minus Ralph Goodale) for years and on Vancouver Island showing they are still thought of as the *real* progressive party in the areas of Canada where progressive politics are something real and tangible.

Thomas Mulcair
I don’t blame him for this loss as much as others I’ve seen on social media doing.  It was all kinds of things that blended together – a leader picked with a strong eye to holding our Quebec gains instead of looking forward, someone who would never match the charisma and personality of his predecessor (and I’m not sure any of the last NDP leadership candidates could), a move to the centre as a way to appear non-threatening and non-radical to independent/undecided voters and swing voters from other parties.  (Though I’m inclined to agree with a colleague that “balanced budgets” aren’t a fundamental conservative position since borrowing money is actually a way that – via interest payments – the wealth of a majority of citizens is transferred into large private corporations in the form of the banks that lend the money.)  I keep asking – is there someone I would have rather had lead the NDP in this election than Tom Mulcair and even Nathan Cullen, who I supported for leadership or Niki Ashton who I think was my second choice, don’t strike me as people who could’ve beat Trudeau.  But that we’ll never know (unless one of them ends up as NDP Leader in the next four years of course!)

Stephen Harper
Ding dong, the witch is dead!  I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say he was our worst Prime Minister ever.  Easily.  Divisive.  Secretive. Controlling.  Destroyer of information, libraries, and civil society.   Racist.  Hypocritcal. Lying.  It was pointed out that Justin Trudeau constantly referred to us as “citizens” in his victory speech and that’s a beautiful contrast from always being called a “taxpayer” by Stephen Harper.  I look forward for further revelations about his corruption now that he’s lost power.

Conservative Party of Canada
Will be interesting to see who they pick for their next leader.  Other than that, I can give two shits about them.

Greens
Talk to your buddies in the Liberal Party and make sure they follow through on their promise for electoral reform.

Bloc
Even though they made some gains, Gilles Duceppe was the only party leader to lose his seat and that looks good on him.

Posted 21 October 2015 § Canada § News § Politics ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,