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Canadian values - whatever

by Klaus Rohrich
Monday, april 18, 2005

I didn't expect last Thursday's column to set off the firestorm it did, but judging from the huge number of e-mails, I think I hit a sore spot. additionally, my thesis that "Canadian values" equals no values was verified by some of the bizarre mental calisthenics some of the writers attempted to pass off as logic.

an unusual number of individuals wrote to me with University of Toronto e-mail addresses. I am assuming that they were students, albeit one can't be sure as there may have been a professor or teaching assistant in the woodwork.

One writer must be living in another country, as his rant was truly out there. Sorry, Chris, I am not aware of any women in North america that are being kept as "breeding stock" and I am entirely in agreement that women are indeed people, despite my conservative views. Have you by any chance been smoking crack, as I find it hard to believe that the Conservatives have "openly proclaim(ed) their intention to sell us into slavery". as for your claim that "working people are people, not factors of production", I must agree, albeit it concerns me to be in agreement with the likes of you. Believe it or not, most people work, Chris and are therefore "working people". The only people I'm not sure about being "working people" are students and yes, they too are people.

another writer indicated that included in basic human rights were the right to food, shelter and health care. I guess they are if you are agitating for a soviet style big brother government. Truth is, I couldn't find those "rights" anywhere in the Charter of Rights after reading it carefully numerous times. Neither could I find the right for people of the same sex to be married.

another writer agreed with me that the voters of Ontario chose the thieves over the fascists because to him they seemed the lesser of two evils. You could tell this was a university student because he didn't care about politicians stealing money. If he were one of the "working people" whose taxes were stolen, my guess is that he'd be outraged.

Warren, of the University of Toronto was disappointed that I looked at Canadian values from a clearly biased perspective. It's called op-ed, Warren, and it's supposed to be biased. Otherwise it wouldn't be opinion or editorial. I notice in your very short e-mail you mentioned the words "rights and freedoms" a total of three times, yet I did not see the word "responsibility" anywhere in your missive. Obviously, your sense of entitlement governs your view of what Canada is all about. Try looking at the country in terms of what you can contribute as a citizen (other than taxes) to make it better for everyone, not just those who agree with your point of view.

Frank, from Ottawa, questioned my use of the term Canadian culture and wanted to know what traditional culture I was talking about. Frank, it's clear that you are a product of the current politically correct educational system of Ontario, if you don't even know about the history and traditions of Canada. Believe me when I tell you that Canada existed long before you were born and I, for one would like to see it exist long after all of us are gone. Yes, the movement of the world's people over the last 30 years has created a multicultural environment in the west. But trust me, Frank, this has achieved basically two things. First, it has made it easier to find a delicious and interesting variety of ethnic foods in our large cities and second, it has created a series of ethnic ghettos where people who have immigrated to this country live out their lives in alienation. Maybe Quebec isn't so far off the mark with its language bill when you consider that there are entire neighbourhoods in places like Toronto where no one, but members of whatever ethnic group happens to inhabiting that particular neighbourhood can read any of the signs on the store fronts.

albert, I don't know what galaxy you blew in from when you wrote to say that the "decision and values of the liberal (sic) party are much closer to" the Christian message than that of the Conservative Party. While I can see disagreeing with a political party because of their tax policies, or their stand on health care reform, or any number of policy related issues, I can't quite wrap my head around not voting for someone because they may or may not be a real Christian.

I still predict that the Liberals will form the next government because their power base is in Ontario and Ontario will continue to support anyone but a Conservative. It's what created the bizarre parliament that had the Bloc Quebecois, a party dedicated to the dissolution of this country, sitting as "her majesty's loyal opposition". In the dimly lit back rooms of party headquarters Big Paulie is probably telling his fellow Liberals to "fugeddaboudid" because he knows that no matter what crimes and misdemeanours the Liberals pull off, Ontario will always be there to save their bacon. Canadian values? Whatever!