Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

ROTHENBURGER -- Every one of us should take the #DifferentTogether Pledge


WE NEED SOMETHING right now to reassure ourselves that the human race is capable of getting along. Something symbolic but meaningful, a reminder day by day to focus on the good in us and to reject what’s not good.

 

B.C. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin may have hit upon it with her Different Together Pledge.

 

It’s a self-call to action. Dr. Bonnie Henry took it at her briefing yesterday. Premier John Horgan has taken it. Many others are joining each day.

 

Austin has made the cause of diversity and reconciliation a priority since she was sworn in two years ago. Her newly announced pledge is especially relevant in the backdrop to the racial strife of the past several days.

 

She is inviting each of us to nominate five people to take the pledge. But what if we were to go beyond personal statements and make the pledge a collective movement?

 

Instead of opening public events — when eventually we return to some normalcy in that regard — with prayers, why don’t we open them with the Different Together Pledge?

 

Instead of MLAs reading from the Bible at the Legislature, or City councils beginning their meetings with inspirational excerpts from authors, make the Pledge a standard practice.

 

Make it part of what we do at sporting events, school days, and Sunday dinners at home. Maybe it would make us all think more deeply about the need to reject racism.

 

I’m going to take that pledge, right now. It goes like this:

 

“Our B.C. is inclusive and respects people of all ethnicities, cultures and faiths and their contributions to our collective well-being”.

 

“Our B.C. holds diversity as a fundamental value at the heart of the success, strength and resilience of our communities, workplaces, schools, public and private institutions.”

 

“I pledge to uphold and promote these values and I commit to speaking up to oppose racism and hate in all its forms.”

 

That’s a pledge we should all uphold.

 

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

 

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and former newspaper editor. He publishes the Armchair Mayor opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FORSETH -- Focus on the nine things I mentioned. That’s what will allow the Conservative Party to win the next election

IMAGE CREDIT:   Darryl Dyck, the Canadian Press. I thought I had already made up my mind who I would be ranking on my ballot, in the Conservative Party of BC leadership race; now I am not so sure.  That means that, at least for me, and perhaps many others, it’s a good thing voting hasn’t already taken place. There were initially only one or two of the candidates that I thought might be a little too right of centre for my liking, now it seems that list is growing. I consider myself more closely aligned with what used to be called a Progressive Conservative, regardless, I feel more than comfortable within the Conservative Party of BC.  Some, however, in messages to me on my political Facebook page, have been rather, shall we say, a bit mean-spirited in comments they’ve made about my ‘purity’ as a conservative. To tell you the truth, I really don’t care! Some leadership candidates, in comments made online, have also been raising the issue of who is a pure enough conservati...
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Your government has a gambling problem (Troy Media)

Provinces call it “revenue,” but it looks a lot like exploitation of the marginalized The odds of winning Lotto Max are about 1 in 33 million. You’re statistically more likely to be struck by lightning than to win it. But your government is betting that statistics won’t hold you back; they’re counting on it. Across Canada, provincial governments not only regulate gambling, they also maintain a monopoly on lottery and gaming by owning and operating the entire legal market. That means every scratch card is government-issued, gambling odds are government-set, casino ads are government-funded and lottery billboards are government-paid. And these are not incidental government activities. They generate significant revenues that governments have powerful incentives to expand, not constrain. It would be one thing for our governments to encourage us to engage in healthy activities. We can quibble about whether the government should be trying to convince us to be more active or eat more vegetabl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more