Vol. XXII, No. 10 October 2004
The Western Separatist Papers has been
published (usually) monthly by W.S.P. Ltd. since 1983. Address all
correspondence to WSP, Box 101, 255 Menzies Street, Victoria, B.C. Western
Canada V8V 2G6. A one-year subscription is $15.00. Members of the Western Canada
Concept receive the WSP with their membership.
Send e-mail to kzubko@shaw.ca. Visit the WCC on the web at: www.westcan.org
Phone us at: 250-727-3438 or fax us at: 250-479-3294
The Western Block Party debuts this month with a meeting on November 20<M>th in Victoria. Your presence and support is greatly needed. Please come & bring a friend!
TIME: 2 p.m., November 20th (Saturday)
PLACE: Fairfield Community Centre
Fairfield & Moss (entrance off Thurlow)
To the Editor
We should believe Ottawa when they deny any devious thoughts of raiding Alberta's treasury. Instead, they can “wash their hands” while Kyoto (basically a foreign protocol) will do their “dirty work” for them.
Kyoto is back as the European Union traded Russia's backing of Kyoto for their backing of Russian to join the World Trade Organization, which the Kremlin has eyed since 1993. The requirements to legalize Kyoto have now been met – 55 countries representing 55% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions have signed on (of the remaining major industrial countries, the USA, China and India have not signed).
So Alberta and to a lesser extent BC and Saskatchewan had better be ready for the “Son of NEP” (National Energy Program circa 1980).
Just as the British Tea Tax (Boston Tea Party) in 1773 started the Americans towards independence, the Kyoto accord will be the “spark” that will eventually result in the Republic of Western Canada. At this point it will be a race between Quebec and Western Canada as to who will separate first.
Realistically, a United Canada has not been an option since the “Quiet Revolution” in Quebec of the 1960's and the resulting “Ottawa response” starting with Pierre Trudeau. Over the subsequent years, there has been a growing separation in viewpoints and values between East and West. It appears that Kyoto will be the defining issue of this political process.
Yours truly,
Ace Cetinski
Sherwood Park, AB
Note the following statistics, which are from the Citizens for Language Fairness website at: www.languagefairness.ca, quoting information from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (www.taxpayer.com/Facts/BilingualismCost.html), then read the next two articles:
“The following table adapts material presented in Scott Reid's book (page 247). Using public documents and Access to Information data, Reid has generated a comprehensive estimate of federal spending on bilingualism. Reid's calculations cover the fiscal years 1971 to 1991. In an effort to update these figures, spending on bilingualism as a percentage of total federal spending was used to estimate equivalent figures for the last two fiscal years.
Select years -- Source: Adapted from Lament for a Notion (1993) by Scott Reid
Year Cost
1971-1972 375.7 million
1974-1975 472.5 million
1979-1980 981.1 million
1984-1985 1.27 billion
1989-1990 1.44 billion
1990-1991 1.67 billion
1991-1992 1.74 billion
1999-2000 1.70 billion
2000-2001 1.79 billion
The bottom line is that since bilingualism began federal taxpayers have doled out approximately $37 billion.”
[end of excerpt]
An article from Le Droit raises the alarm about strong measures applied to the Official Languages Act, that will make it enforceable:
2004.10.28, by Paul Gaboury
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
Senatator Gauthier's Bill which aims to give more teeth to the Official Languages Act was finally adopted by the Senate, this week.
Senator Gauthier had filed this bill for the fourth time since 2001. With three tries, the bill had previously died on the order paper. Last spring, the senator had succeeded in getting it past third reading and then it was sent to the House of Commons where it was sponsored by Don Boudria. But even there, the famous bill died on the agenda with the dissolution of Parliament with the general election.
Mr. Gauthier, who had to leave his functions as senator on his 75 birthday last Friday, would have liked his colleagues to have adopted it in third reading before his departure, last week. But the senators were not able to give their approval for S-3 due to lack of time. It finally will have to wait until Tuesday to know the favorable verdict.
Senator Gerald Comeau took the opportunity to remind everyone that the project for amending the official languages act had received the support of the Official Languages Commissioner, Dyane Adam, who mentioned it in her last annual report submitted last week. He therefore asked the Senators to eagerly adopt S-3 in third reading. In her report, the Official Languages Commissioner deplores that the government maintains that “the provisions of part VII of the Law on the official languages are not executory, in what they create neither fundamental rights nor obligations; they state a commitment of the government of Canada. Consequently, part VII is not judicial, i.e. it cannot be the subject of a legal recourse in the event of a possible failure.”
The Language Commissioner therefore recommended that the government in her last report “clarify by legislative or in a lawful manner the legal consequences for Part VII by specifying at the same time its obligatory character and the methods of its implementation by the federal institutions under article 41 of the Official Languages Act”. That is exactly what Bill S-3 proposes. It should now be again sent to the House of Commons where it should be sponsored by a minister. [end of article]
Excerpts of the next article by Barbara Yaffe depict the continuing “battle over bilingualism” (to use the phrase with which that great Western Canadian, Russell Doern, titled his book).
Barbara Yaffe
Vancouver Sun, October 28, 2004
The battle over bilingualism is back with a vengeance. Quite possibly, this is the least popular topic in Canada, a country that has spent an enormous amount of time and money on the matter, and thought it was fully dealt with.
Bilingualism -- how much of it there should be, and where -- in the past has divided the country up, down and sideways. It now threatens to do so again.
The story of bilingualism in Canada is one of reluctant compromise and acceptance, a recognition that 22 per cent of Canadians described themselves as francophone in the 2001 Census (59 per cent said they're anglos; 17 per cent are neither.)
Over time, those wanting to live in French have migrated to Quebec while Quebec anglos who prefer English have mostly left that province.
But suddenly, two storms are brewing, both in Ontario.
In Toronto a court judgment two weeks ago threw open the question of whether the city's traffic signs must appear in Canada's two official languages to be enforceable.
And in Ottawa this month, a case was referred to the courts by an Ottawa-based group calling itself Canadians for Language Fairness. The group, supported by about 1,000 donors, is fighting attempts to make Ottawa an officially bilingual city -- something that would reserve certain jobs for bilingual people.
The issue echoes a long-simmering controversy relating to the exclusion of Western Canadians from senior federal positions. It's a problem that has been exacerbated under the Martin government, with its new, more vigorous public service bilingualism policy.
Similarly, in Ottawa, Canadians for Language Fairness says while it's “commendable” that the nation's capital wishes to serve the 15 per cent of Ottawa's population that is francophone in their own language, there's a downside. (. . . )
Westerners have long argued the merit principle should supercede the requirement for bilingualism so that they can have better access to highly paid federal government positions.
Some westerners wonder if it might be more appropriate to be providing English-Mandarin services in Vancouver or Calgary rather than English-French, given the makeup of these cities' populations.
They have a point. It's more practical for a parent on the West Coast to have a child learn an Asian second language. But that could result in diminished opportunities down the road regarding federal employment.
A greater emphasis on the “where numbers warrant” principle makes a lot of sense.
Certainly, Prime Minister Paul Martin is acting like a hypocrite when it comes to bilingualism in the public service. He's insisting on a stringent bilingualism policy for federal hiring.
At the same time, he used entirely different criteria to select the senior members of his cabinet.
Ujjal Dosanjh, Canada's health minister; Ralph Goodale, Canada's finance minister; Anne McLellan, Canada's deputy prime minister; David Emerson, Canada's industry minister -- none of these people speak French beyond “bonjour.”
Why isn't what's sauce for the cabinet goose sauce for the public service gander? The PM selected those individuals presumably on merit, and because they properly represent an important geographical region in Canada that must be given voice in the corridors of power.
Should this not be the case for hirings in the federal public service? How can the West be properly represented if relatively few westerners become deputy ministers in Ottawa, due to lack of French-language skills?
To be sure, this is an uncomfortable debate.
Francophones are an important component of the population for historic and other reasons. But possibly the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of keeping Quebecers appeased.
It is time Western Canada's goose stopped being cooked.
[End of Excerpts]
TO DO! You can write to Barbara Yaffe, who is a columnist at the Vancouver Sun, and tell her you appreciate her regular articles that enlighten Western Canadians about the position of the West in Canada, at: byaffe@png.canwest.com
Meanwhile, the rebirth of the National Energy Policy is on everyone's minds, as we hear the price of oil everyday. The following article appeared in the Calgary Sun, October 3, 2004:
By DAVE BREAKENRIDGE, CALGARY SUN
Alberta MPs say it's time to “fire a shot across the boards” at feds looking to break into Alberta's oil-rich piggy bank. With the throne speech set to kick off Parliament's fall sitting on Tuesday, Calgary-Southeast MP Jason Kenney said Prime Minister Paul Martin's call for “fundamental changes” to the way equalization payments are doled out is a sign a cash-grab such as the National Energy Program is afoot.
“When the feds talk about increasing equalization payments, you're talking about one thing: Taking money from Alberta and Ontario,” he said.
Kenney said the Conservative Party will maintain its vigilance in the House of Commons to prevent any sort of program such as the National Energy Program from taking shape.
The NEP, introduced by then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau's Liberals, allowed Ottawa to set oil prices lower than what Alberta could have re-ceived on the world market and also forced the province to sell within Canada. It's estimated to have cost Alberta's economy $60 billion.
“We will watch for any signs, especially now with the NDP holding the balance of power,” Kenney said, referring to the newfound power the party has under a Liberal minority government.
But Kenney said the tax grab could take a more subtle form, echoing Stockwell Day, who said last Thursday the feds may enact some form of tax or an environmental charge.
Premier Ralph Klein also issued warnings that Ottawa keep its hands off Alberta's energy riches.
Calgary-East MP Deepak Obhrai said the equalization system has to be fair to every province and that Alberta's oil revenues are for Alberta.
“If the equalization format turns out to be a money grab, you will be certain we will vote against it,” he said.
Calgary-Northeast MP Art Hanger said the issue of equalization is a “significant priority” for Alberta MPs, but he added it's a fight to which every province should take note.
“If the government raids Alberta's coffers, they will raid the coffers of any province that would take advantage of their own resources,” he said.
“The best thing for this country is to allow this province to benefit from its oil revenues.”
But Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan called any move by the feds to plunder Alberta coffers is “ludicrous” and described Klein's cash-grab warning as “fear mongering” for votes.
“I think it's most unfortunate that people practise what I call the politics of fear and misrepresentation,” said McLellan. “There is absolutely no interest (or) intention to interfere with Alberta's ability to exploit its resources for the benefit of its people.”
But Tory natural resources critic John Duncan, the MP for Vancouver Island North, said the “whole equalization payment issue is on everyone's mind. I just think that the government's priorities would not easily lead them for a grab of Alberta's revenues in the short-term,” he said.
[end of article]
“If pigs could vote, the man with the slop bucket would be elected swineherd every time, no matter how much slaughtering he did on the side.”
Orson Scott Card, (1951- ) Novelist
“Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear.”
Alan Corenk
“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds..”
Samuel Adams. (1722-1803), was known as the “Father of the American Revolution.”
“To govern according to the sense and agreement of the interests of the people is a great and glorious object of governance. This object cannot be obtained but through the medium of popular election, and popular election is a mighty evil.”
Edmund Burke, (1729-1797)
“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!”
Benjamin Franklin, (1706-1790) US Founding Father
“I can no longer put off for tomorrow, what I can handle today.”
Cynthia Rocksvold
“I wouldn't call it fascism exactly, but a political system nominally controlled by an irresponsible, dumbed down electorate who are manipulated by dishonest, cynical, controlled mass media that dispense the propaganda of a corrupt political establishment can hardly be described as democracy either.”
Edward Zehr, (1936-2001) Columnist
By Doug Christie
Stephen Harper is a cool customer. He is aware he has to offer Quebec more than Paul Martin's “asymmetrical federalism” which virtually assures Quebec of “sovereignty association.”
Therefore with Stephen Harper moving in the direction of undermining federal power and increasing provincial autonomy in certain areas, why would we oppose him? Simply because it's only Quebec which will benefit from these loosening of the grip concessions, while billions for Air Canada/Bombardier and billions more for Quebec form the West in equalization are assured. All this while our income tax gets siphoned through the Francophone bureaucrats of Ottawa. They smile condescendingly at us and like Air Canada looking down on Westjet, they know they must win in the end because they control the purse strings. Stephen Harper thinks he can outfox the devil in Ottawa. He may find he has really become the devil's tool, feeding Quebec and starving the West. One thing for sure in Ottawa, Quebec never loses. After all, they might separate if they don't get what they want! The West? Oh, they talk, but they never will leave, they are essentially loyal? So says the Ottawa “famiglia,” (a word Peter McKay was criticized for using to describe Alfonse Gagliano.) Hypocrisy? Double speak? No, just Canada on a regular $1.5 billion give-away day. How long would Bombardier and the Demarais clan flourish, without it?
David Emerson is a good Canadian. He is also Paul Martin's Industry minister. When announcing the loan guarantees for $1.5 billion to Air Canada to buy 45 commercial jets, he makes a typically smug arrogant and ignorant Canadian statement: “Bombardier is the cornerstone of the Canadian aerospace industry. We are pleased to see the completion of this transaction as it will contribute to the further development of this vital industry.”
What a revelation these few words contain! Consider their meaning for a moment. First of all, you'd hardly know the loan is to Air Canada and not to Bombardier. That too is a masterpiece of public deception to guarantee loans to a bankrupt company. But what about the beef industry? What about the softwood lumber industry? Are they every going to see $1.5 billion loan guarantees to their purchasers? If not, why not?
Obviously, they haven't and won't. The ranchers and farmers losing their land don't really matter in Ottawa. They live in the West and they don't vote Liberal. Bombardier is a Quebec company. Therefore its survival (i.e. read “subsidization”) is of vital national importance. Then why isn't every rancher and farmer a separatist? The fact is they probably are, but they don't know about the cause the Western Canada Concept or the Western block. We need to go out and give hope to the hopeless. We need to stop those suits in Ottawa from taking Alberta and Newfoundland's oil revenue and bribing the voters of Quebec to stay Liberal and federal.
The Gliberals have done it again. You'll wait till hell freezes over before they say the beef industry and softwood lumber industry are vital or a cornerstone of Canada. This should never be forgotten as one more F-18A lesson.
A recent CFAX (Victoria) radio poll says it all:
Do you think the official bilingualism program should have a special exemption from departmental budget reviews by the federal government?
1. Absolutely. Bilingualism defines Canada; some things have to transcend money -- 32 people (8%) chose this answer.
2. Absolutely not. Bilingualism defines what is wrong in Canada; it already costs too much -- 352 (92%) chose this answer.
Bilingualism has been officially mandated, prescribed, imposed by quotas in hiring and subsidized in the schools for 30 years since Trudeau made it the official religion.
It has never been popular and never will be. People don't talk about it anymore because it has become one of those many burdens which we pack away and carry on our backs, silently trudging on in the miserable belief we are alone in opposing it. When referenda happen or when public opinion polls ask a simple question, we see we are not alone. Perhaps that's why in the Canadian system there are so few referenda or simple public opinion polls. The people will never be liberated from the Ottawa elite on this or any other issue until they are given a referendum on separation. Then and only then can the pain go away. How long are you willing to wait for somebody else to do something when the peaceful democratic solution is staring you right in the face?
Corruption in Canada is an accepted tradition too often associated with the Corporate Elite in Quebec. It has been so often accepted and is so systemic that payoffs in the billions are routinely written off as in the national interest. The interest of the corporate elite is seen as so close to the national interest that it is routinely accepted that government should overtly support them if they live and operate out of Quebec.
It is necessary to remind ourselves that the Western corporate elite is very different. They have to survive by production, performance, service and sales. Thus Westjet, the lean, mean flying machine, was giving Air Canada real competition. Well, as I advised Clive Beddoe on board his airlines first flight out of Victoria years ago, stay out of Eastern Canada, just prosper in the West. Megalomania seems to have prevailed. The inevitable happened. Air Canada fights back with a nasty lawsuit with what I consider dubious accusations conveniently emerging literally out of Oak Bay garbage cans and now we see how the Jetsgo/Air Canada alliance really fights. Nasty accusations, questionable evidence, advanced with a French accent.
Connecting Air Canada with Montreal and the Quebec establishment isn't difficult given its history but seldom does a story more accurately demonstrate the incestuous nature of the Eastern establishment than a little, two-column blurb on page FP4 of the National Post which reads, “Bombardier wins $1.5 billion financing from Ottawa.” My first reaction was to note the size of the article and page it was on. Small article, back page, just a small favour for a friend of Ottawa in Quebec, I thought. Nothing new. What's a billion to Paul Martin, the Liberal Quebec elite who run Canada. Graft has become commonplace to keep Quebec in Canada, Sponsorship Scandals, and all. But then I looked closer.
Bombardier wasn't getting the money, well, not directly. The small print said it all: “Ottawa has given bombardier Inc another helping hand.” (Still nothing new here, I thought.) “this time in the form of a 1.5 billion dollar loan guarantee to Air Canada (what!!??) to backstop the newly restructured airline's purchase of up to 45 of its regional jets.” Amazingly Ottawa has managed to subsidize two enormous pigs with one trough.
Imagine what would happen if Westjet was to receive a 1.5 billion dollar loan guarantee from say the Alberta government to allow purchase of 45 new regional jets from a Western Canadian supplier of aircraft. A huge outcry would result. Government interference in the market, skewing competition, and damaging national unity. How the east would howl! How Quebec would threaten succession. How the Ottawa regime would demand regulation and retraction. All this even though Westjet is not bankrupt and Westjet has never been bankrupt, and Air Canada has. Air Canada is a subsidized weakling, but so is Bombardier.
Consider the reaction of the West. Klein says nothing about it during the election. We let Westjet struggle on being bled by a brain-dead corporation like Air Canada. This demonstrates how Canada is a bankrupt and corrupt nation. It will not end with a bang, but a whimper as the cheque-writers in Ottawa run out of ink, but never runs out of crooked politicians willing to sign the cheques.
The Separation Party of Alberta in the coming Alberta provincial election. They are running 12 candidates at last report. TO DO: Support this separatist party with your time, energy, ideas and dollars.
TO DO: Don't forget that if you live in Victoria, you are welcome to attend the regular Thursday evening informal meetings, held every Thursday, at 7 p.m. at the Waveside Cafe in the Saanich Commonwealth Place, overlooking the pool.
If you don't live in Victoria, why don't you start something similar in your area, where people who care about Western Canada and come and discuss what they can do, and generally share information and friendship.
[Editor's Note: The following letter was sent by Doug Christie to the media throughout Newfoundland and Labrador in hopes of building some bridges between Western Canadian secessionists and those in the far eastern province. He's already had a response. TO DO: You could write your own letters to the Newfoundland papers, expressing your views about their position in Canada.]
There are people in Western Canada who understand the anger of the Premier of Newfoundland when Ottawa wants to indirectly take Newfoundland's oil revenues. Since 1949, Newfoundland has never really had either a voice in Ottawa nor any significant long-term benefits. Ottawa treated Newfoundland like a perpetual welfare recipient. Creating a dependency was always a powerful position for Ottawa and they could count on Newfoundland to vote Liberal in hope of favours as a result.
Now when your offshore oil creates the possibilities of great things they let you know who is really the boss. You are really not allowed to get off your knees. So your Premier dares to defy their power and say their word is no good. The Supreme Court held it was Ottawa's oil because in 1949 there was no 200-mile limit. The Canadian courts and Parliament really have a different interest than you.
So why don't you do the right thing and separate? A Clarity Act referendum is perfectly legal. We, in the West, would support you because we speak English too. Canadian management of your fisheries is the type of treatment you can expect when they manage your oil monies as well.
In 1949, Newfoundland was gathered into the Canadian net with a majority of 51%, on the second referendum. You should be able to escape with the same majority if Canada is a voluntary association and not a prison. You have to take your destiny in your hands and politically build a separatist movement. Your new country would have more respect in the world and more respect for yourselves than a beggar province in Canada. That can only give you broken promises. We stand with you in this noble new endeavour.
Please contact us if we can be of any further assistance. Free the West! Free Newfoundland and Labrador!
Yours for Independence,
Douglas Christie