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

Interfor Moves Headquarters Out of BC as Forestry Crisis Continues

NDP policies are driving businesses out of B.C., and the forestry industry just suffered yet another calamity. Interfor, a BC company founded more than 60 years ago and now one of the world's largest lumber producers, is moving its headquarters from Burnaby, BC to Atlanta, Georgia. As BC’s forestry sector faces mill closures and mounting uncertainty, this move is another warning sign that the crisis is deepening and conditions are fatal. “This is the NDP’s record: endless job losses with no hope in sight for the forestry sector,” said Ward Stamer, Shadow Minister for Forestry. “Interfor still has three mills in BC which are now in serious jeopardy, and it is likely we will see even more companies pull out of BC. The NDP government is suffocating the forestry industry with high taxes, excessive regulations, and permitting delays, while DRIPA has made it impossible to plan for the future.” “Decisions like this are sadly not surprising given the NDP’s indifference if not hostility tow...
Post a Comment
Read more

Okanagan Farmers Face NDP-Created Water Crisis ~~ BC Conservatives

Okanagan farmers are facing a water crisis as government-imposed restrictions threaten to kill their crops and destroy one of B.C.’s most important agricultural industries. In perhaps the most water-rich province in the country, our farmers have been left high and dry by the NDP government. For nine weeks, Okanagan and Shuswap farmers have proposed solutions, only to be met with NDP foot-dragging. Now forest fires have come to these regions as they are simultaneously reckoning with a water crisis that has been made worse through years of government inaction. Vernon-area farms have lost 70 percent of their water, while Kelowna and Summerland growers face severe restrictions. This situation is unacceptable and cannot continue. Ian Paton, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, said the NDP is once again forcing farmers to pay for its own failure to plan. "Farmers and ranchers must be listened to when decisions affecting their livelihoods are made, and under the NDP, they aren’t," said...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Hypocritically Admits Natural Gas Power Was Needed All Along ~~ BC Conservatives

The NDP just got caught buying back the exact kind of power plant it spent years telling British Columbians they didn't need. The NDP government announced today that BC Hydro is purchasing the Island Generation natural gas facility in Campbell River, an admission that its electrification-only energy policy was never realistic. The 275-megawatt plant was originally privately owned yet kept to a minimal backup role under the NDP, operating just 15 days a year on average. Now, with demand outpacing what the NDP's plan can support, the government is spending taxpayer funds on the very gas capacity it once treated as obsolete. "You cannot electrify everything and pretend natural gas doesn't matter," said Larry Neufeld, Shadow Minister for Energy.  "Buying back a gas plant they once wrote off is proof their own plan couldn't keep the lights on. It's a step towards more energy reality, but the government needs to go further and scrap the impending province-w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more