Standing guard

It's been a very odd week for news coming out of Canada.

Whether it was the incredible declaration by Bank of Canada governor, Mark Carney, that the recession North of the 49th is melting away faster than our Arctic ice, or the depressing revelation that Canadian intelligence officers linked the suffering of a detained Sudanese man to the atrocities of Guantanamo Bay, or the declaration by a Waterdown, Ontario woman that the Canadian healthcare system failed her and forced her to take matters into her own hands, the news has been pretty depressing for fans of Canada-the-good. In fact, considering the current state of affairs, I wonder whether we can ever get back our old Canada.

That's not just hyperbole. I genuinely wonder whether there isn't premeditated disingenuous politics at work. You're probably thinking: "What are you talking about? Those two words -- premeditated and disingenuous -- are completely congruous." But they weren't always -- there were some moments when a handshake, a signature on a contract, and one's word meant something. Not anymore.

A few months back, Harper and Ignatieff brokered a deal that prevented the fall of the government and a subsequent election in exchange for the agreement to revise Employment Insurance guidelines so more Canadians would qualify. Laudable, in my estimation, given the state of the economy and rising unemployment.

But just this week, the rhetoric stemming from those negotiations (which, as part of the deal, has Liberals at the negotiating table) suggests that not only is the intention of a downward revision of 'EI' thresholds off track, but that in fact, they may be revised upwards, so that fewer Canadians qualify! I wonder if the Liberal-Conservative 'EI' deal was brokered by Peter MacKay? (and we all know his track record for making a square deal!)

There's an old adage: the future is never random. And, at the risk of sounding like a bit of a conspiracy wingnut, I don't think it's coincidental that the incredible news that our recession is over -- a bold declaration that made headlines across the country -- was an attempt to put the Cons in a position to claim their stimulus efforts saved the day and that they are the legitimate 'steady hand on the tiller.' This puts them in a safer position (whether perceived or real) to play political chicken with the Liberals on issues like EI (and others) where they can push a more ideological agenda. Recent polls suggest that Canadians want a majority government, but most probably don't want an election any time soon, especially given the neck-and-neck race between Harper and Iggy. Another election may simply mean the same minority paralysis headed by a different grey-haired white guy, and most definitely mean a waste of time and resources.

Declaring the recession over, talk of our healthcare system and other forms of Canadian 'safety nets' as well as the supposed stability and sensibility of our financial system draws a lot of attention from our neighbour to the South. I must admit, I cringe a little when I hear the US President praise the Canadian healthcare system. I writhe when the spotlight is put on our banking system and it's hailed as a sound model. Not because I think the Canadian way isn't good, or worthy of praise and recognition, but specifically because of the way in which everything peered at by America ends up being on the black or white divide of lobby groups, interest groups and ideologists. Seeing things in black and white is the basest of human instincts -- it's ubiquitous in its appeal because it's easiest to understand. Considering so many of us have become addicted to 20-second TV sound bites and up-to-the-minute Facebook status updates, nuance, subtlety and complexity do not generally go over well. (Except for readers of this blog, of course, who are bright and understand everything!)

No system is perfect, including Canada's. But putting it under a microscope should be a reason to improve the system, not destroy it. My fear is that when you take the attention from US politicians and media in the context of a general lack of understanding and rabid polemic, add it to a government with neo-conservative ideological bent, and then multiply that by the current (depressing) political landscape, we may be on the precipice of sliding further down the slippery slope to undermine the collective support mechanisms of Canadian society. Perhaps it won't be as obvious as completely destroying what exists, but instead undermining it in the name of "choice" or achieving "private sector efficiency," just as we saw with Mike Harris' "common sense revolution" which was nothing more than a euphemism for gutting the assets of the Ontario government paid for by hard-working taxpayers to benefit a handful of political cronies.

If there was ever a time to live up to the lyrics of our national anthem, now might be the time. Each and every one of us must "stand on guard for thee," O Canada.