Check it Out
One day an old man was walking along a country road with his dog and his mule. Suddenly a speeding truck careened around the corner, knocking the man, his mule, and his dog into the ditch.
The old man decided to sue the driver of the truck for dam- ages. While the old man was on the stand, the defense attorney said, “I want you to answer yes or no to the follow- ing question: Did you or did you not say, at the time of the accident that you were perfectly fine?”
And the man said, “Well, me and my dog and my mule were walking along the road …”
“Stop!” the attorney said. “I asked you to answer yes or no. Did you say you were perfectly fine at the time of the accident?”
The old man began to relay his story once again, and again the attorney protested. Finally the judge said, “Let him speak.”
So the man said, “Well, me and my dog and my mule
were walking along the road, and this truck came around the corner really fast and knocked us into the ditch. The driver stopped, got out of his truck, saw my dog was badly injured, went back to his truck, got his rifle, and he shot it. Then he saw that my mule had broken his leg so he shot it. Then he asked, “How are you?” And I said, “I’m perfectly fine”.
The old man wasn’t likely to say anything besides, “I’m perfectly fine” and risk being shot down. Sometimes Canadians are shot down for holding different views, and are forced to accept decisions just as if they were perfectly fine.
Recently MP Rachel Harder was refused the chance to chair the House of Commons status of women committee because of her pro-life views. Instead, her Conservative colleague Karen Vecchio was nominated. Karen’s exact words of response were, “I would like to back down,” but she didn’t have a choice in the matter.
One of the committee members reasoned that there will be things New Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals disagree on, but the committee should not have an anti-choice spokes- person as a representative.
Instead of pro-life, Harder was described as anti-choice. Does the term anti-choice relate a more negative message?
Do pro-life individuals no longer have a voice just because pro- choice has been adjudicated in the courts? Does it mean all Canadians are pro-choice advocates just because pro-choice has been adjudicated in the courts?
According to one Liberal MP, it does. She says the committee wanted a chair that would speak for all Canadian women, and would be able to advocate for women’s reproductive health, including the right to choose.
Another MP expressed her personal opinion, saying it was a victory for Canadian women. But is there accommodation for people who want to express an alternative opinion?
“Both Vecchio and Harder pointed out a double standard, say- ing “It’’s disappointing that Justin Trudeau’s actions demon- strate the intolerance of the Liberal Party of Canada, which claims to value diversity. For Justin Trudeau to say, a Member of Parliament is unfit to hold a procedural position because she doesn’t agree with his personal position, is ridiculous.”
There’s also a double standard in play as Canada continues importing crude oil from Saudia Arabia, where women are now allowed to drive, but public beheadings still take place. Yet all of these distractions can’t drown out the criticism from political opponents, farmers and business owners, faced by Finance Minister Bill Morneau regarding his three- part plan to change the tax system.
The Finance Minister appears to be bending under the pressure, saying he’s open to adjusting it, admitting there may be technical fixes to be made. Yet it appears many Canadians believe there are numerous fixes to be made.
At the end of the day, Canadians want their voices to be heard and given serious consideration. What they don’t want is to be forced to say, “We’re perfectly fine” or risk being shot down.
John F. Kennedy said “ … in the force of right and reason, we have learned that reason does not always appeal to unreasonable men.”
Gandhi said, “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress”. He also said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” In order to do that, Canadians need to have a voice.
