Thousands of Canadians have arrived in Ottawa to protest a plethora of concerns, mostly all selfish in nature. I need to wear masks, follow governmental health and safety directives and suggestions. I cannot go to a bar, concert, hockey game, local strip joint or gather in a numbered approved event. Owners of businesses are not prepared for the pressures and demands of multiple closures. Some have to follow industry directives to stay safe and healthy. I and me. How dare politicians and their appointed medical officers tell us what to do, when, where, and how?! These protesters seem to not really know what they want, except that our Prime Minister be jailed and return their “Freedoms”.
A carnival atmosphere exists in Ottawa presently. A good sign. I guess these people, many possible family members, neighbor’s and friends needed to get out after all they have been forced to endure what they had not experienced before, things like wearing masks, being safe, and following health protocols that ask you to get vaccinated for your safety and others. Stay home for a while, actually parent your children and assist them in their studies. Businesses and individuals who have been told to hold monies in reserve should something happen in the future so they can take care of themselves.
The Government has done much to assist both citizens and their businesses to carry on. Canadians experience what it is like to stand in a line for many hours to get a vaccination instead of the latest Apple phone. Oh the horror, oh the strain experienced. The people in Ottawa protest, calling for many ridiculous things, like getting their freedom returned as though they actually had freedoms or someone had taken these freedoms from them. They feel the pressure of various governments determined to have their citizens vaccinated. If they get vaccinated and have proof of these vaccinations they can enter restaurants, buy beer and alcohol. They feel their decision to not get vaccinated has been politically militarized, were the authorities deny entrance to many venues so long as they are not vaccinated.
Meantime, many in the world are concerned with other issues like the possible war in Eurasia, gas prices increasing steadily, most smaller nations have not received a great % of vaccinations at all, poverty still reigns supreme in 55% of all nations in the world, and Americans seem to be O.K. with the fact that 2, 355 of their citizens die of COVID daily.
At home, while our neighbor’s protest in Ottawa, these are more urgent, morally superior things to protest such as:
1. the deaths of @1,500 aboriginal youth over the last hundred years, hidden in unmarked graves. Many Aboriginal Communities continue to not have freshwater sources.
2 Catholic Church who has not stood up to its responsibilities with regards to aboriginal and sexual abuse.
3. Black and nonwhite Canadians continue to be shot by police with flimsy or no real excuse.
4. Canada and its provinces have a massive unmanageable provincial and national debt that needs to be repaid somehow.
5. Every provincial health system in Canada is bankrupt, it’s lacking enough nurses and doctors who are all underpaid.
6. The Management of Canada’s Senior Living is antiquated and in need of revolutionary changes. Canadians are getting older and who is going to care for us?
7. Canada continues to be a resources-based economy, leaving our workforce and businesses open to international abuse, manipulation, and political intrigue.
Enough reasons to protest? Where are our neighbor’s? I do not see our Aboriginal neighbors in the many thousand in Ottawa, or our labor movement speaking up with militant marches supporting them. All the people concerned about their elderly parents and family members, where are you? We are running out of time dealing with Climate Change, but where are the tens of thousands marching upon each provincial capital? True moral issues are easily found, but unless the selfish wants and needs of all Canadians are not recognized and fulfilled, does anyone really care? Does anyone give a sh*t about their kid’s futures, or is life for the day all that counts? Is Canada a Selfish, immoral Nation that allows many of its citizens to suffer and be ignored for the sack of the mighty dollar and our greed?
Our political parties vie for power, but once acquired it seems to be business as usual. Who can we rely upon? Who can make the changes we require? LOOK in the MIRROR.
KITCHENER, Ont. – Prosecutors are arguing a man who stabbed a professor and two students in a University of Waterloo gender studies class last year should face a lengthy sentence because of the attack’s lasting impact on campus safety and security.
Federal prosecutor Althea Francis says a sentence in the upper range is appropriate not only because Geovanny Villalba-Aleman wanted to send a message about his views but also because he sought to make those with different beliefs feel unsafe.
The Crown has said it is seeking a sentence of 16 years for Villalba-Aleman, who pleaded guilty to four charges in the June 2023 campus attack.
The sentencing hearing for Villalba-Aleman began Monday and is expected to continue all week.
Federal prosecutors argued Tuesday that Villalba-Aleman’s statement to police, and a manifesto that was found on his phone, show his actions were motivated by ideology and meant to intimidate a segment of the population.
Villalba-Aleman pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm.
A video of his statement to police was shown in court earlier in the sentencing hearing.
In the video, Villalba-Aleman told police he felt colleges and universities were imposing ideology and restricting academic freedom, and he wanted the attack to serve as a “wake-up call.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
OTTAWA – The Bank of Canada cut its key policy interest rate by 50 basis points on Wednesday to bring it to 3.75 per cent. Here’s what people are saying about the decision:
“High inflation and interest rates have been a heavy burden for Canadians. With inflation now back to target and interest rates continuing to come down, families, businesses and communities should feel some relief.” — Tiff Macklem, Bank of Canada governor.
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“Activity in Canada’s housing market has been sluggish in many regions due to higher borrowing costs, but today’s more aggressive cut to lending rates could cause the tide to turn quickly. For those with variable rate mortgages – who will benefit from the rate drop immediately – or those with fast-approaching loan renewals, today’s announcement is welcome news indeed.” — Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage.
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“This won’t be the end of rate cuts. Even with the succession of policy cuts since June, rates are still way too high given the state of the economy. To bring rates into better balance, we have another 150 bps in cuts pencilled in through 2025. So while the pace of cuts going forward is now highly uncertain, the direction for rates is firmly downwards.” — James Orlando, director and senior economist at TD Bank.
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“The size of the December rate cut will depend on upcoming job and inflation data, but a 25 basis point cut remains our baseline.” — Tu Nguyen, economist with assurance, tax and consultancy firm RSM Canada.
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“Today’s outsized rate cut is mostly a response to the heavy-duty decline in headline inflation in the past few months. However, the underlying forecast and the Bank’s mild tone suggest that the future default moves will be 25 bp steps, unless growth and/or inflation surprise again to the downside.” — Douglas Porter, chief economist at Bank of Montreal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
