<strong>Written By:</strong> sovereignty
<strong>Date:</strong> 2006-03-22 08:24:00
<a href="/article/202452278-its-time-to-become-citizens-of-this-beautiful-country">Article Link</a>

Although they are the only left of centre party to win seats in parliament, the NDP has yet to prove they are more concerned about the fate of this country than they are about becoming the next government. The NDP first rejected a nationalistic vision for Canada when they threw out the Waffle in 1972. Later in the free trade debate in the election of 1988, it was not NDP leader Ed Broadbent who argued so eloquently against the agreement, but Liberal leader John Turner. There are members within the party like National Defence critic Bill Blaikie and MP Peter Julian who have spoken out against deep integration, but in the last two elections Jack Layton managed to skirt around this pivotal issue as if medicare and childcare were somehow immune to the effects of privatization, foreign ownership, and militarization. It would be naive to ignore the fact that the NDP has been slowly but surely moving to the right. In his article, Canadian Election Aftermath: New Actors, Same Play?, political economist, Gregory Albo argues that their silence on NAFTA, no new taxes and mandatory minimum sentencing for convicted youth involved in gun violence, were among the most right wing policies yet to be put forward by a social democratic party in Canada.

The Council of Canadians, who celebrated their 20th anniversay last November, were successful in preventing MAI but so far, have been unable to stop the FTA, NAFTA, FTAA, GATS, Canada United States Customs Union, North American Security and Prosperity Initiative, Safe Third Country Agreement, Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, Security Partnership, Continental Defence Project, NORAD accomodation of missile defence, Canadian troops in Afghanistan and Haiti, and government contracts out to weapons manufacturers for the U.S. war on terror. This is not meant as a criticism of the Council of Canadians. It is unrealistic to expect an organization with 100,000 members and only grassroots funding to stand up to a superpower alone. However, their Voters Guide Election 2006 has led some of us to suspect they still support the status quo in electoral politics. They need to realize that mainstream political parties are not necessarily home to progressive nationalists anymore.The CoC's Guide to party policies made only cursory mention of alternative parties, including the Canadian Action Party, the only party with Canadian sovereignty as a priority. They could have alerted Canadians to the fact that the Liberal/Conservative behind closed doors agreement to economic and military integration with the U.S. is a mockery of our democratic principles and violates our sovereignty. Instead, they carefully outlined the two party's platforms, which only bolstered their legitimacy as a choice worthy of consideration by Canadian voters.

If the CoC is going to adopt a leadership role in saving Canada they must reach out to the political parties that share their vision and acknowledge their contribution to the cause. Adopting a more inclusive approach would help to dismiss any suggestion that the CoC secretly supports the NDP. The NDP has to be willing to build alliances with other political parties too. At one time, the platform of the Greens, the Canadian Action Party or the NDP were not that different. All parties have been in favour of fair trade, environmental health and social justice, the difference being more in the emphasis of one issue over another. Candidates in these parties were able to build on these similarities to fight against Missile Defence, after the 2004 election. If the NDP were to embark on some sincere soul searching, opportunities like this could be created around the issue of deep integration.

There have been several attempts to build solidarity to save Canada. When David Orchard decided to run for the leadership of the Conservative party in 1992, provincial Green Party leader Frank de Jong, put his party loyalty aside and urged members to buy a PC membership. Many of them did and they were able to tap into their own volunteer networks for support. Although most PC leadership organizers considered Orchard to be an opportunistic outsider, they were visibly impressed with the committment and effectiveness of his volunteers.Ten years later, in an effort to prevent Canada from entering into further integration with the U.S. then Canadian Action Party leader Paul Hellyer and present leader Connie Fogal, tried to bring together the NDP and Greens with their "One Big Party" campaign. In the end both attempts failed because leaders like David Orchard, Jack Layton and Jim Harris failed to grasp the merits of cooperative power over individual power -a concept most consensus building activists and feminists take for granted.

It has been seventeen years since the Free Trade agreement was signed by Brian Mulroney. Since then, most high profile, progressive intellectuals, activists and politicians have been unwilling to roll up their sleeves and link arms to build the momentum necessary to turn this country around. It has been left up to too few of us to undertake the difficult task of building that momentum slowly, from the grassroots. A caring, nationalist economic vision for Canada demands that we leave our egos and our party loyalties at the door; that we be inclusive, democratic and willing to come out of our ivory towers and join the people slogging in the trenches. Solidarity can only be achieved when we take back our role as citizens of this beautiful country.

   

What the author - and CAP - are saying, it seems, is what we need is a broad populist party, one based upon sovereignty, extending democracy and an economic-social vision different from that of the US corporate state. If we look to Latin America, we find just this very recipe and it seems to be working. We should do the same... Thanks for the artcile, lets hope people take it to heart.

   

The biggest hurdle, as always, will be to get the message out to the people that need to hear it. The Movement for Change needs a voice through the mainstream media. That will be hard but lest's hope, not impossible. Of course, what would really do it is an uprising.

   

If we look to Latin America, we saw tens and hundreds of thousands of people putting it all on the line by taking to the streets in protest and shutting the country down with a general strike. When the citizens of Canada decide things here are bad enough to get off their asses and do the same by risking THEIR jobs and facing down the police/military, then maybe there will be a chance. Until then, we can all go back to watching Camerican Idol and eating Prozac.

   

noble ideology,but humans are involved,that means,no carrot,no movement.

previous post has it nailed,unless the police are at your door and you got nothing to lose...

you might see action,canadians are the most apathetic creatures around,even the sloth has more action in it's life.

   

My wife and I came to Canada in April 1955, after 7 years in England. We brought our motorcycle, a Douglas Mk V 350 cc, and crossed Canada from Montreal to Vancouver in 4 weeks, so we could see the country and meet people. The bike is now in the Williams Lake Museum.

I crossed Canada 5 more times with the Shell 4000 CarRallies in the 1960s and knew a lot of people right across the country.

Canada was a different place then, with different people, buzzing with confidence and excitement. Even the air smelled different. Kids were going to school in neat, freshly ironed dresses and pants, not like now, slouching in the ugliest, impractical creations, self denigrating, vying for who can spend more on worse junk

Today's Canada has lost its direction, misled by economists and politicians into believing that " global competition", foreign ownership, mergers, immersion, assimilation, free trade and similar CRAP are the way to go. Sure as hell is. Right down into the dumps and self destruction.

The general public has lost their self confidence, self reliance, even human pride and hangs on to the words of false prophets and outright crooks.

What went wrong ?

I've been a member of the CoC since its beginning and before that of Mel Hurtig's CIC, also am a member of the NDP, but have to admit that I'm not happy with the anaemic leadership of either.

I pay my dues to keep up the numbers and register opposition, but don't even bother to read their repetitious publications, without any substance, or logical solutions, only begging for money. There's no point in trying to start anything at the "grass roots" as it is routinely thanked for and handed
over to the "research departments", which means the nutcase files.

If there's a wakeup call for this country, it is long overdue and I wonder who can shout it loud enough ??????

Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC>

   

I once heard Maude Barlow say on a TV Ontario show, " I`m not really interested in the acquisition of power. I focus more on influence." Well, that`s fine, I mean, she can influence some of the general public like she is, but I recently e-mailed Maude at the Council Of Canadians site to try to encourage her to get directly into the game, because, as long as the greedmeisters are running things, she`s not going to influence them. Perhaps more of us should encourage her to run, preferrably aligning with the Canadian Action Party. I too, feel that the NDP has lost its way.

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Dave Ruston

   

never mind the other voices,use your own,be loud,clear ,succint,people will listen.

then when they have the confidence ,they will speak.

look around sites like this,read what is said,it will show you some of us are not ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL...

   

Aint gonna happen!
Move along now!
Nothing to see here folks
All is well
carry on as usuaal


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Real education must ultimately be limited to men who insist on knowing, the rest is mere sheep-herding.
Ezra Pound