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I was surprised Harper re-introduced the adjective "Royal" to the name of your armed forces. Is he a big fan of the British royal family?
You could say so. He is a "conservative", so he can be said to be in favour of conserving certain things the way they are. This includes Canadian symbols and remembering history. (Or at least remembering the way conservatives see our history.)
Along these same lines, and perhaps surprisingly, as a deference to history, Harper also begins every single speech he makes in French. Because as he says that's the language in which Canada began, and is the country's "first" language (historically, not demographically).
Along these same lines, and perhaps surprisingly, as a deference to history, Harper also begins every single speech he makes in French. Because as he says that's the language in which Canada began, and is the country's "first" language (historically, not demographically).
Where did he learn to speak French? After all, a "hick from the West" isn't supposed to be bilingual, right? (Yes, I know he was born in Toronto).
I was surprised Harper re-introduced the adjective "Royal" to the name of your armed forces. Is he a big fan of the British royal family?
He's kind of sycophantic with the royal family, taking down famous paintings that have hung in parliament for ages and replacing them with portraits of the Queen, fawning over them on royal visits. I'm not a republican, but it's really too much, makes me uncomfortable. I have big problems with his government, and surprisingly little of it comes down to left-right issues.
Harper would be considered left of Obama in the U.S. but funny how a name can divide just with liberal or conservative in the U.S. and that is something you guys south of us have to really look at since nothing is just choice one ot choice two and pick one but here it is multi-choice and the Liberal party is an example of hoeww just running on name and not taking up ffrkim positions on issues and running terrible canadties can catch up with you.
Michael Ignatieff lost his own seat in the Liberal Party's worst showing in its history. Winning only 34 seats and the party placed a distant third thus lost its position as the Official Opposition.
He moved to the U.S. after he lost and you should ask him how running on no real platform or flip flop on issues and not making an impression when Jack Layton and Steven Harper are your competition and so much better at exuding leadership and had no chance of him winning people over or making an impression on Canadians and why liberal or conservative divide and conquer tactics alone cannot win an election but the person who is running can come from no where and win people over
He was like the total reverse of Ron Paul were he did not get media coverage because he was not saying things that made sense but he was just so terrible and he was like a running a tree and the wind was rustling the leaves a bit to make some background noise but no one cared and the wind died down after a while.
For him to be the chosen as the leader of the liberal party they ended their official party of Canada slogan by thinking that they could run anyone and go off party name alone and turns out you lose and Harper and Layton both led their parties to historic milestones one a majority and the other official opposition and all at the cost of the liberal party.
Harper is a trained economist, and a fiscal conservative. Obama is neither.
To the change back to the prefix "Royal " in the Canadian Forces.........
When the three separate military branches were "unified " under the Liberal Government, in the middle 60's, it was done as a way of saving money. Everybody was forced to wear the hated green uniform, and units of the land force were merged and amalgamated, with no regard to their individual histories, or traditions. Many of the local reserve force units, that had served for over a 100 years, and were very proud of their past battle honours, were killed off.
The bean counters held sway for decades, and the morale was poor. Reserve force units were told that if they wanted to continue to have full dress uniforms, they would have to pay for them out of Regimental funds, not out of DND budget funds.
My old Regiment, the 48th Highlanders of Canada, was able to do just that, as our past members had invested wisely, and our Regimental fund was worth about 3 million dollars in mutual funds. That assured that the 48th would continue to be able to parade the entire battalion in full dress, along with the pipes and drums, and the military band. At times, the DND budget was so small that we were buying our own small arms ammunition, and fuel for our vehicles, out of Regimental funds. I remember many months when we were NOT paid, for our days of part time service.
Things began to really change when the Conservative party became the Federal Government, and the CF was deployed to "The Sand Box " . Things went from bad to good, then to excellent, in terms of training, equipment, and morale. Individual CF reserve members were encouraged to apply for rotations, to Afghanistan, and many of the 48th went there, but not as a unit. They were placed in regular force units, after going through a intensive 6 month "training up grade " at Meaford Camp.
The return to the use of Royal is not important to civilians, but to CF members, tradition and history ARE important to us. Nothing up set the navy guys more than having to wear the "bus driver " green uniform. Every other naval service in the world wears "navy blue " for gawds sake.
Now we are back to the traditional navy blue, air force light blue and land force green, with individual unit insignia and beret badges, and in the case of the 48th, our Balmoral bonnets with the red turrie on the top. Oh and our kilts, on full dress parades.
He is the head of a government that; Supplies complete universal healthcare.
Has social programmes Obama could only dream about, The child tax credit is one example. Poor parents recieve up to $1000 per year per child cheque in the mail.
Crown Corporations, The government headed presently by Harper is the ultimate owner and operator of many many big business corporations, something Obama could never do.
Is the head of a government that makes sure post secondary education costs a small % of what it costs in the USA.
Has very liberal immigration policies. As a % of population we have 10 times the rate of the USA in immigrants.
He is the head of a government that; Supplies complete universal healthcare.
Has social programmes Obama could only dream about, The child tax credit is one example. Poor parents recieve up to $1000 per year per child cheque in the mail.
Crown Corporations, The government headed presently by Harper is the ultimate owner and operator of many many big business corporations, something Obama could never do.
Is the head of a government that makes sure post secondary education costs a small % of what it costs in the USA.
Has very liberal immigration policies. As a % of population we have 10 times the rate of the USA in immigrants.
But none of this unless I am wrong has been instituted by Stephen Harper's government. Every government inherits the "furniture" that was there before. Just because they don't chuck it to the curb doesn't mean that's what they would put in place if they started with a clean slate.
And this is where the debate gets interesting: if Canada and the US were clean slates, what would Obama's United States and Harper's Canada look like?
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(Yes, I know he was born in Toronto).
