Canada’s Debate

You throw a war, and a “popular resistance” shows up instead?

Recently I’ve seen a spate of news editorials, letters and blogs calling on Israel to show restraint when engaging in operations in Gaza. Good, fine. I agree that Israel’s policies in Gaza (and the West Bank) are terrible. They are largely designed to delay and weaken the Palestinian movement so that it is unable to secure an advantageous deal for peace in the future.

That being said, they are also designed to minimize Israeli casualties, and I think the great “letter writers” of the world are ignoring a few realities of the situation in their objections. Haroon Siddiqui always makes hay of the fact that the number of Gazans vs. Israeli’s killed always favours the Israelis… Well, yes. As I said, Israel treats the Palestinians poorly. Then again, so do the militants who use civilians as shields… It’s a fact that almost never gets reported, but Rocket Squads are frequently observed closely by adoring young well-wishers. Odds are, if you read about children being killed in an Israeli airstrike, and it didn’t happen in the middle of a dense residential area; they were cheering on the military targets from less than a stone’s throw away.

As Canadians (or Americans, or even some Europeans) we are accustomed to fighting war from a distance. The Palestinians are completely content to specifically target civilians, and use their own as body armour and cannon fodder; and we have the gall to suggest that only one side has lost its moral justification? That’s absurd. In the Israeli/Palestinian conflict there are no clean hands; no winners… only losers. And by claiming that one side’s attrocities are justified by desperation, religion or politics we just further enable the cycle of violence.

When it comes to cities Canada has some real gems, each with its own character. Montreal has it’s European charm and Bohemian Sensibility; Calgary has the Stampede and a “look what I made” sense of Pride; Vancouver has it’s scenic vistas and an attitude to match… Toronto?

As much as I love this city and think that it is truly one of the greatest places in the world to live, Toronto’s real character isn’t it’s diversity, or its food, or anything else along cultural lines; it’s the legacy of bad city planning. Honestly, I can’t think of a government anywhere that exerts so much effort to get so little done. Now, before you blame David Miller or our current crop of politicians, consider that the last time there was a unified and coherent effort to develop Toronto in a progressive way was during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Toronto saw a brief building renaissance during the 1960’s, but building two highways and a City Hall does not qualify as planning.

Honestly, what is the deal? A subway on Sheppard Avenue? Spending more money to bury a subway line that it cost to build? Selling a lot on some of the most valuable urban real-estate in the country for $3.8 million? Some might accuse the city of being more timid than anything else; but I don’t see that. I see an entire city incapable of planning for itself in the larger context of growth and development. Makes me seriously consider running for a Councilor’s seat. Considering my lackadaisical behaviour as a student, I’ll fit in perfectly…

I’ve stayed out of the latest Tory scandal (involving Chuck Cadman) because I’ve been somewhat underwhelmed by it all. When the news first broke I told my family that these sorts of deals happen all the time; the only thing that surprised me (and still does) is how apathetic Harper was in basically admitting it to the press. Tells me he just doesn’t care what people think of him, so long as they think he’s a Prime Minister.

But this story really infuriates me, and is a telling lesson of the true character of the Conservative party. I can’t remember the last time the Federal government issued such a mealy-mouthed and ineffectual response to a Canadian being sentenced to execution overseas.

Should I be surprised? Their defense of the kangaroo-court proceedings towards Arar is at least couched in the terms of due-process and fairness, but Saudi Arabia is hardly a bastion of balanced and fair jurisprudence. Harper and the Tories have clearly stated that defending Canadian citizens overseas is not their highest priority. Say what you will about the Liberals; they never directly put the immediate-lives of Canadians abroad on the back-burner for political or economic reasons.