What can I say? A week away from any sort of news left me laughing at the headlines that have broken within the last few days. It was obviously business as usual for the BC Liberals.
Another government official confused and clueless amidst scandalous allegations and a “secret” RCMP investigation. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/04/01/bc-chilliwack-subdivision-investigation.html
ICBC dealing with internal corruption. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/03/31/bc-icbc-car-scandal.html
Big surprise ? Not really. These sorts of headlines are becoming a weekly occurrence for Gordon Campbell’s Liberals, and one can only guess at what next weeks papers will bring us.
Gordon Campbell and his cronies are a bunch of privileged children in a sandbox. No one else can play, and everyone has to follow their rules. No one better tattle, and if some naughty behavior is somehow revealed,denial and insincere apologies are all you are going to get.No penalty, no consequence.The Premier gets caught drunk driving? Only he gets a pass. Too bad he wont have to face the prospect of having his vehicle seized. Ken Dobell makes an “honest” mistake and gets away with writing an essay- only in B.C. The likelihood of anything coming from this entire John Les land deal mess is bleak at best. Its the old ‘I didn’t think there was any problem with my actions’ line, even though his judgement and timing clearly appears to be profit motivated and questionable.But who cares, right? These men are ruled and judged by a very different set of standards than you or I .
More amusing to me is the Sikh turban nonsense going on again, this time with two Interfor employees who are refusing to wear hard hats on the job-site, not even over their turbans, as other Sikhs on the job have started doing. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/04/01/bc-sikh-turban-sawmill.html Interfor introduced a “new” rule, that hard hats must be worn on the job-site at all times, which is standard on almost all mill sites in BC already. These two Sikhs were escorted off the property after refusing to wear the hard hats, because they refuse to put anything over their turbans. A human rights claim has been filed against Interfor, who has since offered the two men jobs in another department,at the same pay, where hard hats need not be worn. The men are considering the offer, but are continuing with their complaint regardless.
Give me a break. A hard hat is standard wear in any labour industry where the chance of debris or machinery falling, causing a head injury, is a potential hazard. Get with the program. The company, the public, and the government should not have to pay for the consequence of your religious rights and choices. Even circumcision isn’t paid for anymore under BC medical, and is most often a religious choice for parents. For those Sikhs who refuse to wear motorcycle helmets, or hardhats, or anything else they feel infringes on their rights – yet is a proven safety measure – how about this solution? Make them sign a legal waiver releasing the employer or province, from any liability, and have them sign away their rights to any workers compensation, EI or medical benefits for any injury resulting from their choice to not wear a proven safety device. Enough said for me, yet I think this is going to be an issue for some time to come.
Speaking of not paying for others choices, what do you think about the possibility of the BC medical system paying for sex- change operations? Is there anything more ridiculous? How about paying for things that are truly medically required, like hearing loss testing for people who aren’t seniors, or eye exams, or breast reductions? It is obvious there is a trade-off for everything, isn’t there? We lose one benefit, and gain another. The province advocates universal health care, yet the latest announcement states only those people making under a certain income level will be covered for partial acupuncture treatments – hardly universal , would you not agree?
And last but not least, I read this little bit of nonsense on the CBC website, regarding a Canadian who cannot get back to his job in the US because of the border guards discretion. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/03/31/bc-borderblocked.html Its remarkable how this seems to have all popped up since our dollar has risen and it is no longer profitable for Americans to travel or shop north of the border. We are only good to the Americans if they can benefit in some way from us, and it is becoming increasingly clear that border guards hold the key to the country in their hands. Piss them off and you aren’t getting in. Look funny and you wont get in. No passport, you aren’t getting in, regardless of the rules. Talk back and you wont get in. My husband and I were once verbally insulted by a border guard who found it necessary to tell us how dumb Canadians were and that by buying American eggs in Point Roberts we were going to increase our brain power -this coming from a redneck Yankee with a drawl and an ego the size of Texas… who sternly reminded us that it was his country, and he might not let us in next time. I bet if a US border guard reads this post, I’ll end up on a list somewhere too…lol.
Considering whats currently making news in BC, do you still have faith in our provincial government? Do you feel that our province is in good hands? One thing that is glaringly obvious regardless of how you look at it, its clear that for the BC Liberals, it is not what you know, but who you know….
Filed under: Blogroll, CKNW Talk SHow Idol, Credits, Laila Yuile, Uncategorized | Tagged: american government, americans, bc liberals, border guards. civil rights, CKNW Talk SHow Idol, Gordon Campbell, human rights., john les, Ken Dobell, Laila Yuile, sikhs and hard hats, sikhs and helmets, wally oppal
1) All Sikhs are not immigrants
Sikhs have fought in wars with and without protective gear, but always with turbans.
2) Many Sikhs are citizens
3) Many Sikhs were BORN IN CANADA
4) Many Sikh families have been in Canada for several decades
5) Initiated (amritdhari) Sikhs are required to wear a turban, not a “scarf”
6) The requirement is not to “cover your head” but to have a unique identity. They could cover their heads with a Kleenex. That’s not the point.
7) Jesus, Moses, Ramanand, and all great spiritual leaders wore turbans.
9) Some Sikhs DISAGREE with this rule, some AGREE. Even some turban-wearing Sikhs agree that you should wear protective gear in a job like this.
10) These Sikhs are not new immigrants.
11) The RIGHT to protest this rule is guaranteed by our constitution.
12) Nobody has the RIGHT to spread hate speech about individuals, especially based on their RIGHT to protest a rule with which they disagree.
13) The court of Canadian Law runs our justice system, not the court of public opinion.
14) Racism is a blotch on the face of Canadian society today. We have a lot of contempt for the USA, but actually the USA is far more progressive with addressing racial issues than Canada. Canada FAKES its multiculturalism, while the mainstream media always has biased reporting.
15) Sikhs, who are initiated, who wear turbans, who were born in Canada, who agree or disagree with this law, do appreciate and respect and abide by the laws of Canada.
16) Sikhs are protectors and defenders of the Canadian culture, Canadian society, and Canadian laws.
17) Sikhs have been part and parcel of the Canadian landscape for over 100 years, and they are as Canadian as Hockey, Maple Syrup, and the Rockie Mountains.
Just because there is an investigation initiated does not mean the individual is guilty. A recent case in point was the announcement of the investigation into Ralph Goodale, which ended in charges against some one else. There is a danger in announcing investigations, naming persons, and assuming that someone is guilty because of their inferred involvement in some “deal” that is under scrutiny. It would be premature to conclude that John Les is guilty before the investigation is complete. As for announcing the investigation, why would you broadcast to enable people to commence the CYA operation before inquiry? Bad enough with the leaks that surround government any way. On high profile persons in government or other areas of public life, any opportunity to sling mud is commenced with great fervor.
As for your interaction with the border officials, you can bet that you appear on the system. Every license plate that has ever crossed the US border since the system was in place is recoverable. Interaction with the US Customs Service is also recorded. Whether or not you can be legally barred is sometimes an expensive question to answer. If you have your name on the Canadian systems, it is routinely shared with the CBSA who in turn regularly shares with the USCS. The Privacy Commissioner recently released his concerns about the sharing of this information as a result of his examination of the RCMP’s latest information sharing initiatives.