Day 79: Current Events

Today is Mother's Day, but I am not going to write a sweet sappy post because I actually don't like Mother's Day much. It makes me feel guilty and inadequate when I hear about all the wonderful mothers that I don't quite measure up to.

Instead, I thought I would bring all my American friends and family up on the news in Canada. Yes, there are things happening here, you just never hear about them.

Canadian Veterans Feted By The Dutch

Canadian veterans took part in a parade in the Netherlands on Sunday honouring them for helping to liberate the Dutch from Nazi oppressors during the Second World War.
The Sunday event in Apeldoorn capped a week of ceremonies held in the Netherlands to mark the 65th anniversary of Victory in Europe day. Apeldoorn is about 96 kilometres southeast of Amsterdam.

"Shut the f--- up" on abortion file, counsels Tory Senator

The Liberals are seeking an apology from Ottawa after a Conservative senator told international development advocates yesterday to "shut the f--- up" on the issue of making abortion part of Canada's foreign maternal-health strategy.
During a meeting on Parliament Hill, Senator Nancy Ruth argued it would be best to leave the subject alone or risk having it become an election issue.
"We've got five weeks or whatever 'til the G8 starts, shut the f---up on this issue. Let it roll out," she told a group of aid experts who came out to discuss the government's direction on foreign-aid funding in light of its recent decision not to support abortion programs in developing nations.

While reading about Nancy Ruth, I came across this:

Lesbian Senator to tackle homophobic Member of Parliament

The Prime Minister of Canada has declined to discipline one of his MPs over comments he made in 1991 calling gay people "homosexual faggots with dirt on their fingernails that transmit disease."
Conservative PM Stephen Harper told the House of Commons on Monday that he considers the matter closed after Tom Lukiwski apologised.
However, the only openly gay member of the PM's parliamentary party has decided to challenge Lukiwski about his remarks, which only came to light last week.
Senator Nancy Ruth told the Canadian Press that an apology is insufficient.
"I will speak to him and let him know that it's not good enough, and I'll do it in the most tactful way I can," she said.
"There are queers everywhere, including in his constituency, and we don't ever forget this stuff."


Harmonized Sales Tax a necessary public sacrifice

Invoking the spirit of the wartime generation, Premier Dalton McGuinty yesterday called on Ontarians to make the necessary sacrifices to create a better future for the province.
The Premier said each generation has challenges and sacrifices that have to be made for the common good. And just as parents, grandparents and great grandparents battled through war and depression to ensure a better future, the time has come for this generation to do its part.
He said Ontarians should see tough economic measures, like the HST, as the kind of sacrifice that will create a better future for the next generation.
Mr. McGuinty said a high dollar, high energy costs that are going to get even higher, government deficits, and ballooning health-care costs have combined to create a dramatically different challenge for Ontarians.

Guergis resigns, now faces RCMP probe

Embattled junior cabinet minister Helena Guergis has been booted out of caucus and faces a police probe over allegations regarding her conduct. “I’m very disappointed. It’s a very sad day,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said after announcing he had accepted her resignation and referred the allegations to the RCMP and the federal ethics commissioner.
“But, you know, in this business you get the brick bats as well as the bouquets, so when you confront these things, you deal with them and that’s what we’ve done.”
Harper held a surprise news conference where he told reporters that his office “became aware of serious allegations related to (Guergis)”, and that these allegations did not involve any other cabinet minister, MP, senator or federal government employee.

So there you have it. A little bit of what's going on in Canada!