Tag Archives: Canada
The Oath
What does it mean to be a Canadian? Apparently whatever you like. Earlier this week, within seconds of being sworn in at a citizenship ceremony, a newly minted citizen handed the citizenship judge a letter recanting the oath of allegiance he had just sworn to the Queen, but indicating his loyalty was to Canada. It […]
Thoughts On The Refugee Crisis
As broken election promises go, this is probably a good one. Canada’s new government has realized that it was unrealistic to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees before the end of the year. The target remains the same, but now it will take a couple of extra months. It is still an ambitious goal. The United States, […]
Refugees – Cold Hard Facts
He speaks with the authority of someone who has been there. I didn’t think to ask if I could quote him, so I won’t give his name. He’s a relief worker in the middle east. We were having dinner, and the discussion turned to the refugee crisis in Iraq and Syria, not a […]
The Slippery Slope
Canada’s Parliament will be returning Dec, 3 and one of the first things on the agenda will be the issue of assisted suicide, something that the Supreme Court has said must be addressed soon. Given that, I thought might be appropriate to re-post some of my thoughts on the subject from earlier this year. Who […]
Euthanasia II – The Price of Death
Canada’s Parliament will be returning Dec, 3 and one of the first things on the agenda will be the issue of assisted suicide, something that the Supreme Court has said must be addressed soon. Given that, I thought might be appropriate to re-post some of my thoughts on the subject from earlier this year. Who […]
Euthanasia I – A Not So Modest Proposal
Canada’s Parliament will be returning Dec. 3 and one of the first things on the agenda will be the issue of assisted suicide, something that the Supreme Court has said must be addressed soon. Given that, I thought might be appropriate to re-post some of my thoughts on the subject from earlier this year. Who […]
Remembrance Day
Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, the anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First Word War. It is a time for reflection on the nature of war and peace. I mentioned last year that I would be thinking today about my grandfather, who was a First World War veteran. There are ceremonies across Canada […]
Canadian Tradition
The boards have been up for a month now. Still no snow on the ground, but everyone knows it is coming. The city can’t wait for the cold weather to put up the skating rink boards in the local park. There are so many parks, they have to start early. This being Canada, a skating […]
Strategic Voting
I heard Elizabeth May leader of Canada’s Green Party discussing election results on an open line radio program. She was lamenting that support for her party seems to have declined, at least as a share of the popular vote. She said that the message she heard from many voters during this year’s federal election campaign […]
The Young Man’s Guide To Carpentry
I try to stay away from home renovations, having inherited my father’s clumsiness with tools. Better to hire someone who can do it right. So when my wife wanted some changes to the cabinets in our kitchen, I looked at the task, said “I could probably do that” and reached for the phone to call […]
random thoughts from lorne 
Recent Comments