The Future Is In Our Past -
After the G20 summit ended and world leaders went home, Canada celebrated its 143rd birthday. Queen Elizabeth II helped us celebrate, and we Canadians were duly impressed with our Queen.
In Canadian villages and cities, children came together to wave little flags and adults set off fireworks to say, "Happy birthday Canada!" Still, it was a subdued affair, with the exception of the Queen on Parliament Hill.
There's one clear way of knowing when an event has lost its charm... my family decided to join the celebrations. Strangely, it was difficult to get any information on what was happening.
Between the jigs and the reels, we chose to visit Gander for lunch and take our chances regarding celebrations. On the way, we toured Carmanville, Noggin Cove and Fredericton, and followed a very good dirt road to Main Point. What a beautiful drive.
Harking back to the 'good old days' we headed directly to the dining room at one of the local hotels, only to find it closed. Then someone remembered that we had seen an advertisement on the Gander Bay road for the Bistro on Roe.
It was open and we enjoyed a delicious lunch. The restaurant, which to my surprise has been serving Gander for four years, is a credit to the owners, Alex and Nicole Bracci. It is a classy restaurant serving excellent world-class food.
After eating, we toured the Aviation Museum and the airport. The Museum is a very interesting place... a microcosm of the history of flight from the Gander perspective.
All in all, our Canada Day was a success, even though the only evidence of celebrations was the fireworks, after we returned to Lumsden. But what is Canada like after 143 years?
Sadly, it seems that our country is on the verge of fundamental changes. Queen Elizabeth opined that Canada is a role model. However, we must never let down our guard. Nothing, not even the freedoms enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is ever set in stone.
What happened over security for the G20 summit should be a lesson for us all. Firstly, there was the outrageous bill... well over a billion dollars. Then there was the Toronto police debacle. Media reports leading up to the summit stated that the police had been given unlimited powers to detain and arrest people near the security zone.
The Toronto Star reported, "The regulation was made under Ontario's Public Works Protection Act and was not debated in the Legislature. According to a provincial spokesperson, the cabinet action came in response to an 'extraordinary request' by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who wanted additional policing powers."
The Globe and Mail and other reputable news agencies reported that there were no limits to police powers. Yet, it turns out that even though police fired rubber bullets on peaceful protesters and set a record for the largest mass arrest in Canadian history, they reportedly had misled the public regarding the legality of their powers.
In a press conference, the Police Chief seemed further to mislead the public by including, in the cache of weapons ostensibly seized from protesters, a crossbow and chain saw. Upon questioning, the Chief admitted that those items weren't part of the seizure. That begs the question, "Why were they displayed?"
There are two worrisome issues at play. Firstly, that the police didn't correct misleading information in the media regarding their powers and secondly that the media would be so quick to accept information as correct. It seems clear from the website cited by the Chief of Police that there were no extraordinary powers given in the dead of night. Apparently, no one bothered to check.
The Police Chief waxed poetic about criminals and hooligans and ordinary citizens filling the streets in a conspiracy to protect the Black Bloc. This seems strange considering the Black Bloc is simply a tactic, not an organization. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
There is something even more frightening... some bright person knew that not many Canadians would notice the arrest of 900 people. They gambled that the police could take extreme measures and get clean away with it.
Freedoms can be chipped away one chip at a time and no one will notice until they are personally affected. Lest you think that innocent people have nothing to fear, even at this stage, no one is immune.
Reporters were arrested, and a Toronto veterinarian and his wife were awakened in the middle of the night to police pointing a handgun at them. According to the doctor, police failed to produce a warrant, even though they repeatedly said that they had one.
This isn't the Canada we know, when protecting power is more important than following the law and respecting ordinary Canadians. Canada's stellar reputation comes from demonstrating respect for all human beings. That reputation was dearly won by the blood of veterans.
Toronto police notwithstanding, and in spite of it all, the G20 simply produced the same old same old determination to expand globalization. Let's hope the food trucks, not only police cars, will always find their way across the gulf.
info@ganderbeacon.ca
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