As Canadian as...well...bacon!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Yes, I am geek enough to photograph bacon frying on a Sunday morning, for the sole purpose of a blog post.I was listening to CBC Radio One recently and the topic of "what defines a Canadian" was being discussed. The people doing the talking were having a hard go of it, but what everyone seemed to agree on was more around the theme of "what we are not". As in...not American (no hard feelings, American friends).
Things have been feeling a lot more Republicanesque north of your border, however. And we don't even call our Conservatives by that name. Stephen Harper, our "new" Prime Minister, has started using Bush-like sayings, including my favourite..."make no mistake...". Love that one.
I rarely hear positive things about our new government. But that might be the circles I find myself in. I hope not. Polls are showing that Canadians place the environment as their leading concern, above health care and traditional issues that take the forefront. I am hoping that this isn't a fleeting concern as el Nino has caused our temperatures to be temporarily unusualy mild, and people watched DVDs of "An Inconvenient Truth" over Christmas. The truth is just that; inconvenient. Let's hope we don't push these issues aside.
What I really wanted to tell you about, however, is our "new" governments' insistence on being referred to as "Canada's NEW Goevernment". No longer are they just the "Government of Canada". A British Columbia man by the name of Andrew Okulitch worked for 35 years as a scientist at the Geological Suvey of Canada. In recent years he was working, without pay, as a retired scientist emeritus. Commanded to use "Canada's New Government" in all departmental correspondence, and to "note that the initial letters of all three words are capitalized", he fired off this snappy retort:
"Why do newly elected officials think everything begins with them taking office? They are merely stewards for as long as the public allows. They are the Government of Canada. Nothing more. I shall use Geological Survey of Canada on my departmental correspondence to avoid any connection with New Government. The GSC, steward to Canada's earth resources for 164 years, is an institution worthy of my loyalty, as opposed to idiotic buzzwords coined by political hacks."
You can read the full story here.
Andrew Okulitch is my Canada.
This entry was posted on Monday, January 15, 2007 at 8:35 PM.
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9:31 PM
Andrew Okulitch could be my new hero. True politicians - people of conviction and vision - realise that they are part of a historical continuum. Unfortunately the world seems devoid of them and we are left with the egotistical dregs who believe that the sun rises and sets with their administrations.
Make no mistake about that.