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

SHANNON AINSLIE: I have opinions, like everyone else, but hesitate to throw my hat in the ring with those savvy folks who have been politically engaged for decades

IMAGE CREDIT:  Scholars Portal

I didn't grow up with politics. Unlike so many Canadian families, my family didn't debate political issues around the supper table, it was more about the Canuck's latest loss and which child was hiding peas in their napkin. 

Consequently when I left high school, political jargon was foreign, social studies was my toughest subject, and I'd taken zero part in municipal, provincial or federal political movements. 

I went into forestry. First college and then years spent in the bush learning more about communal living, teamwork, and after drawing the short straw, how to build shitters. 

Eventually I had to come back to society to raise a daughter which I wasn't very good at and try to figure out how to be a 'school mom.' Instead of doing homework every night we were doing crazy eights in the snow in the backyard on a Baha Minibike.

I kept up the  writing I'd done my whole life, had a blog, did a column for Castanet and wrote some articles for my current company.

I'm still daft when it comes to all levels of politics, and worse, afraid to ask questions a person my age should know the answers to. I have opinions, like everyone else, but hesitate to throw my hat in the ring with those savvy folks who have been politically engaged for decades. 

Sitting here now, I wonder how many others feel this way? 

How important it is to learn, engage and take part in the future of our communities, provinces and country despite our age and where we're starting from?

Living in a democratic society, we voters have the collective privilege and power to influence the direction our communities go. 

We have an opportunity to advocate for our beliefs and keep our leaders transparent and accountable. 

Maybe putting self doubt aside, and taking the time to understand politics, is less of a choice and more of responsibility.

So I'll conclude by saying, "Starting now is better than not participating at all."



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Very good news' that Supreme Court will hear B.C. mineral claims case, Eby says

The BC government needs clarity from the Supreme Court of Canada on a landmark mineral rights claim, Premier David Eby says. But the lawyer representing the challenger says that they would have preferred the province respect the lower court's decision. Eby said Thursday it is very good news that the court will hear its appeal of a ruling that found the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the provincial mineral claims regime are "inconsistent." The BC Court of Appeal ruled in December that the provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, should be "properly interpreted" to incorporate the UN declaration into the laws of B.C. with immediate legal effect. That ruling set off the appeal from the province amid concerns that it could cause economic uncertainty ... CLICK HERE for the full story 
Post a Comment
Read more

EBY OFFSIDE WITH NATIONAL INTEREST AS CARNEY AND SMITH BUILD BC'S ECONOMIC FUTURE WITHOUT HIM ~~ BC Conservatives

IMAGE CREDIT :  CBC News   Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a landmark agreement today committing Ottawa to designate a new pipeline to BC's west coast as a project of national interest by October 1, 2026, with construction approval targeted for September 1, 2027. The deal pairs the pipeline with a new industrial carbon pricing framework and a fall 2027 construction start. British Columbia, the province where the pipeline ends, where the jobs would land, and where the export terminal would be built, was nowhere at the table. "This is a nation-building deal, and the BC NDP have been locked out of the room," said Trevor Halford, Interim Leader of the Official Opposition.  "While the Prime Minister and the Premier of Alberta were doing the hard work of growing the Canadian economy, the NDP is on the sidelines calling this pipeline a 'fiction' and an 'energy vampire.'  He chose petulance over partnership, and now BC ...
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