Geez, this weather sucks, especially when I’m riding the bicycle on a full-time basis.
Anyhoo, some random nonsense for a grey and gloomy Friday afternoon – at least until I can hit the Huron Club…
First off, so far, haven’t been able to spark enough interest in an Occupy Collingwood event; I thought with town hall on one side of Hurontario, and the banks directly opposite, it would be a perfect storm for righteous outrage. So far, no protesters — though the town’s bylaw department has been out in full riot gear to hand out parking tickets (uh, that’s a joke…). And it’s not like there’s nothing to be outraged about; I fully expect VOTE Collingwood to be resurrected on news of town council discussing pulling the Admiral Collingwood property out of the heritage district (uh, that’s not a joke…)
And then, this afternoon, my email box has been overflowing with a flurry of War of 1812 announcements from the ‘Harper Government™’, including one touting an investment in the Nancy Island site featuring one Kellie Leitch, MP for Simcoe Grey:
“Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in our history and the important historic events that define us as Canadians,” said Kellie Leitch, Member of Parliament (Simcoe-Grey). “By supporting projects like these, our Government is delivering on its commitment to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—a defining moment in our country’s history that in many ways has shaped Canada into the country it is today.”
Yes, yes, I’m sure the Conservative Party’s pledge to whip up patriotic fervour over a 200-year-old event put them over the top on May 2. Anyway, here’s what other MPs had to say on their own 1812 announcements:
“Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in projects that promote tourism and commemorate important historic events,” said Rick Dykstra, Member of Parliament (St. Catharines). “By supporting projects like these, our Government is delivering on its commitment to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—a defining moment in our country’s history that in many ways has shaped Canada into the country it is today.”
Uh-huh… go on…
“Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in projects that honour our history and recognize those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our country,” said Paul Calandra, Member of Parliament (Oak Ridges-Markham). “By supporting projects like these, our Government is delivering on its commitment to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—a defining moment in our country’s history that in many ways has shaped Canada into the country it is today.”
Geez, these Conservatives are insistent…
Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in legacy projects that recognize our history and define who we are as Canadians,” said Gord Brown, Member of Parliament (Leeds-Grenville). “By supporting projects like these, our Government is delivering on its commitment to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—a defining moment in our country’s history that in many ways has shaped Canada into the country it is today.”
OK, OK, I get it. Our victory 200 years ago against an untrained military force from south of the border paved the way for the Conservative Party of Canada to shamelessly inundate the Canadian populace with self-serving taxpayer-funded mailings.
Personally, I find the whole thing slightly ludicrous, given that taxpayers are shelling out $28 million for this effort, which I can only assume is severalfold more than the actual event likely cost in the first place. And then on the same day, to yank what is a relatively paltry sum of money from an environmental organization in the name of fiscal restraint, even while firing off a multitude of press releases that, quite frankly, come off as slightly masturbatory (I find it hard to believe none of these announcements focus on 1812 sites outside of Conservative ridings, but hardly surprising…)
Anyway, see you at Huron Club for an Occupy Collingwood organizational meeting at 5 p.m. – it’s our own personal Montgomery’s Tavern (yeah, yeah, I know – completely unrelated historical reference…)!
