The Future: Peace Pays - Exploring The Canadian Identity

The Future: Peace Pays

- Exploring The Canadian Identity -

By John Williams

Copyright 2006

www.blindmansees.com

Table Of Contents

The Future: Peace Pays - Exploring The Canadian Identity

Introduction – Navigational Tools 2

Imagining Canada 3

The Mysterious Big Red Machine 4

The Peace-based Economy 6

A World Center For Higher Education 7

Canadian Culture

Software 9

Planning 10

The Export Of Canadian Culture

-Economic Pods 11

-Canada’s Historic National Dynamic

-Multilateralism

-Partnerships 12

-Trade: Goods And Services

Promotion Of Peace [ From The Military to The Ordinary ]

Global Warming and The Reforestation of The Earth 13

A Home For Research

-Alternative Energy

-Science

-Ecological Solutions

-Agriculture 14

-Distribution and Management Systems

-Medical Research

A Place For Quebec

A Place For All

-The West 15

-The East

-The North

-The South

-The Center 16

Food and Water: A Lesson From China

Language – Multilingualism in The Universal Culture 17

Technology 18

-Applications and Innovations

The Treatment Of People

Conclusion 19

“Don’t keep the peace…pass it on.”

www.blindmansees.com

Introduction – Navigational Tools

This essay is the third in a set or series. Taken together these essays are intended to help Canadians see where we’ve been, where we are, and where we could go culturally, politically and socially. Our cultural origins are briefly covered in “Egerton Ryerson: Father Of Education In Ontario.” As sound information and education are essential to the maintenance and operation of a Democracy, it is important to consider our educational practices carefully as these will determine much in terms of what is possible in The Present and The Future. Thus I have put this first in the series. It is a fine line sketch of our Past.

The second essay, which was published first out of the pressing necessity of some serious and threatening dysfunction in our Society, examines our Present. Again I have focused upon our Nation’s strengths and weaknesses and some choices which are available to us. The thesis of “Our Most Precious Treasures: The Rights Of Children”, is that Canada cannot move briskly ahead to our destiny without extending Equal Rights to our children. Yet we embody tremendous potential. An examination of our education systems reveals that with minor adjustment Canada could easily implement a new education model that would be better suited to our present and future needs and opportunities. It could be a model for the global community.

In this third essay I look ahead to a possible Future Canada. As I see it Canada has lived a life of modest genius. We have quietly, peacefully, diplomatically and effectively built a Nation that is the envy of people of every nation. But by and large Canadians (all Canadians!) seem to be missing a few details in their collective self-perception that may be critical to our continuing success as a political entity; as a nation that is functional, Just and Compassionate.

They do not see who and what they are individually and collectively, nor do they see the beauty of that in a world of dark fear and futility. This third essay,” The Future: Peace Pays [Exploring The Canadian Identity]”, intends to help Canadians see and understand the amazing group of individuals they are, and what that can mean to us and to our international neighbours today and tomorrow. We are in a position where we could make some basic decisions that could help all people of all nations, while fulfilling our collective sense of purpose and moving towards what seems our appropriate Destiny.

We are a strong, smart, Just, Compassionate, Free, co-operative, hardworking, inclusive, creative people forged from people of all Nations. Thus we are equipped to reach back to every nation and every people to share our blessings. This can bring stability, peace and opportunity to all of Humanity and to our home, The Earth.

In getting perspective on Past, Present and Future, Canadians will be better informed about who they are and will be enabled to navigate safely through the dangers of life in 21^st Century. I trust the Canadian people and these essays are a token of that trust. Democracy is about common people making effective practical decisions that serve their real needs, dreams and desires. It’s all about being informed and making choices based upon good information. I hope and pray that my efforts make this journey to The Future easier and more swift.

RJW

Guelph, Canada. May 2006.

Imagining Canada

It is obvious to the entire Canadian population that we are in serious and urgent need of strong Leadership that can guide The Nation through these days of uncertainty. We require “an appropriate and compelling Vision” for The Nation that possesses sufficient strength and stability to enable us to deal with current challenges and crises, while moving us rapidly to the place we must go; a “place” of stability, security, prosperity, hope, safety, and a place of freedom where Democratic Values and Rights and Freedoms are first in our hierarchy of values.

Canada is an extraordinary place where these Values have been planted, nurtured, cultivated and respected. We may literally be the best hope for the future of the world. I have explored these ideas in my (previous) essay Our Most Precious Treasures: The Rights Of Children. My appeal for Equal Rights for our children is not simply idealistic, it is also pragmatic in that their Rights, as I have argued, are the key to our future.

Canada is a Nation poised on the edge of greatness. We have managed to develop and maintain a society and culture unlike any other. We have peace and good public security that respects and protects the Rights of all under the Law, Constitution, and Charter Of Rights And Freedoms. We have good government at every level and democratic processes to use in governing ourselves. We have a Judicial system that sincerely and effectively delivers Justice most of the time. We have a strong economy, a moderately healthy population, vibrant education systems, excellent communications and transportation systems reaching to all of the world.

For those of us with any significant awareness of what actually happens in the day-to-day lives of citizens of most nations, Canada is an extraordinary Anomaly; a convergence of a special set of people, conditions, values, resources, and sense of fairness. This is “Cultures In Collision”. We have found ways to diplomatically and democratically co-exist. Yet this special set of conditions will not remain intact for long. We have a window of historical opportunity. We can teach the world our way of living together in respect, and under fair laws that protect the Rights of all individuals.

The literature of Latin America is a story of dark tyrannical regimes that have made government a blood-sport. The same truth of despotic and cruel regimes has emerged from places around the world in their literatures. However Canada produces a literature of hopeful analysis that has grown in our peaceful society. All aspects of our National Culture bear the same sweet fruit of human liberty, respect, opportunity, and peace.

In order to share “this treasure hidden in our mountain” we require a good Plan. This Plan must incorporate and combine some essential components. The first is economic viability. So how can we bolster our National Sovereignty and Security while moving rapidly to a prosperous Peace-based Economy? In a word, easily. We already possess all of the resources necessary to move decisively in this direction, and in the process we can share our culture, help the world, and prosper, while we demonstrate to the world that Peace Pays more and better than war.

John Lennon invited us to Imagine, and we have. Now I invite you to Imagine a new Canada with me.

The Mysterious Big Red Machine

Nations are machines. All machines (Nations) are unique and serve the purposes of the designers. They can only do what they were designed to do. Canada is an interesting and unique “machine”, but it’s clear that no one knows what it’s for or how to use it.

Nations are machinelike. These are instruments for government. Canada is like a big red shiny machine designed to carry people into The Future. It’s a beautiful and well-tuned machine that is enjoyed and admired by many at home and in the Global Community.

Allow me to explore this metaphor briefly. Imagine a large brick building with big doors. Inside the building sits a big shiny red machine. People adore The Machine, yet often take it for granted. There is a large team of people assigned to protect, maintain and clean The Machine regularly; all good technicians with the best of training.

Occasionally, on a hot summer day in July The Team rolls The Machine out onto the paved parking lot where throngs of people gather to admire The Machine and to celebrate its existence. It’s a joyful occasion. People climb on The Machine, sit in its many seats, examine its sophisticated tools and gear. They have their pictures taken while sitting in the driver’s seat wearing a helmet. At the end of the day The Team rolls The Machine back into the building, there to shine, maintain and protect it. They are proudly convinced that this is by far the best machine of its kind. In fact there is no other one like it. This is the opinion of The Team and The Others.

There is one puzzling problem faced by The Team. From time to time a very loud bell rings in the building and distracts them from their duties. Also people come to the doors of The Building seeking assistance with every imaginable problem. These interruptions can become frustrating to The Team Members as they strive with complete dedication to protect and nurture The Machine and its set of futuristic technologies. They have become the envy of every Team everywhere.

One day a fellow wearing their uniform comes to the door. They recognize immediately that this is their superior officer, a person with authority over them, over The Building, and over The Machine itself.

“How is The Machine working?” asked The Captain.

“Working?” asked The Team leader.

“Yes, how does The Big Red Machine work on the job?”

“The job? We didn’t know that The Machine had been designed and built with a purpose.” And so they explained the role and function of The Machine as they understood it.

“So then,” continued The Captain, “let me be clear. You don’t know what The Machine is supposed to do!? Then let me tell you…better still, I’ll also show you.

This machine is called a Fire Engine. That annoying bell you hear is the fire alarm calling you to come quickly to the assistance of those in distress.” So he helped them learn how to use The Big Red Machine.

It is my assertion that Canada is a Big Shiny Red Fire Engine, designed and well-suited to assist the world to put out the fires of war and ignorance and hunger and injustice and suffering as we have done and are doing here at home. With the resources we possess as a Nation and the right Plan we could be tens of thousands of times more effective in our collective effort to bring sanity and stability to a world at war. We don’t really have to change much, except direction.

The world is stuck in a Crisis Mode and requires a way to relieve the overall pressure while moving in the direction of practical peace. The practice of peace is badly needed everywhere. Canada is a dynamic machine that may be the world’s best hope at a critical juncture. We alone have demonstrated a refined ability to include all people equally and fairly under a Just Law.

Presently we are making inroads in many places globally and in every imaginable kind of circumstance and situation. The right Plan will enable a rapid multiplication of the impact of our culture upon world culture. We have cobbled together a society with people of all nations, tribes, languages, and beliefs. We are a nation of unity within diversity.

This is the lesson and blessing we can share with the world and thereby lessen the atmosphere of violent chaos. It would be so easy. And in the process we could prosper through the marketing of peace-based technologies. We can show the world how to “Make Peace Pay”. What follows is a sketch of what could so easily be…

The Peace-based Economy

Peace is not sign of weakness, just as violence is not a sign of strength. Peace requires strength, self-restraint, discipline, and a pursuit of genuine self-interest. Canada has successfully achieved a peaceful, free and Just Society where Compassion is a governing principle.

A simple decision to strategically and intentionally move towards a Peace-based Economy would be a strong statement to the world and an assertion of our Core Values. The energetic pursuit of a select group of economic bases could bring rapid economic growth while providing the means for sharing our Methods, Values and Culture through the mechanisms of a new futuristic economy that excludes the need for bloodshed from the pursuit of large-scale economic gain. We can prove that Peace Pays more than war.

Canada is a world leader in a number of critical areas: education; alternative energy technologies and research; environmental and ecological solutions; scientific research and applications that are peaceful; diplomacy and jurisprudence; legislative responsibility; high-tech communications and media; policing and law enforcement; the Arts and entertainment; agriculture; management and administration; Human Relations. Policies could be easily introduced that are Global in magnitude that support and reward the development and worldwide distribution of these things that characterize us as a People and unify us as a Nation. Consider the following.

A World Center For Higher Education

Education is a key factor in the formation of cultures and the building of societies. Canada is a highly literate Society. We have somewhere in the area of twenty-seven universities in Canada. Imagine if we doubled this number in ten years and tripled it in fifteen years in order to accommodate students from all over the world. They are already coming and many more want to come. All we have to do is systematically build more institutions of higher learning until the entire country is part of a system for the education of the world. This will create jobs for academics, scholars, researchers, maintenances staff, building trades personnel, and many others. We have an overabundance of highly educated people who would leap at such opportunity.

These universities, along with a proportional number of colleges, would be distributed fairly across Canada’s entire land mass, in all provinces, territories, regions and areas. The world is crying out for the kind of education we can provide. And those who come and study and spend time here will be infected with our peaceful culture, which I believe to be our most powerful resource.

Hosting International Students could not only make the higher education
systems financially independent and self supporting, it could be
sufficiently lucrative so as to make higher education cost free for all
qualified Canadians.  And qualification ought to be flexible and inclusive.
This approach would catapult Canada to the forefront of Global education.

Preparation for futuristic higher education must begin now in our primary
and secondary schools.  Current education models are obsolete and there is a
pressing need for us to introduce new models that include new Science

(-e.g. Quantum Theory), Health and Linguistics studies.  We can succeed by
believing in our children and equipping them for the complex challenges they
will face.

Canadian Culture

Few Canadians understand the power and significance that is imbedded in our Culture. It was Canadian Culture that finally bridged the Iron Curtain with a hockey tournament. It was Canadian Culture and the assistance of an elected Member of Parliament, The Honourable Eugene Whelan, Minister of Agriculture, that helped to dismantle the Soviet Union and introduce Perestroika and Glasnost, the policies which lifted the Curtain of Darkness and brought hope to East Europe. These policies, according to Mikhail Gorbachev, then Agriculture Minister for The Soviet Union, “were developed on The Canadian Model.” And this transformative socio-political plan was formulated on Canadian soil at Mr. Whelan’s home near Windsor, Ontario.

Few know how I carried Canadian Culture to China twenty-five years ago, a mission which has had profoundly positive consequences that can be seen in the new China as portrayed on the current CBC series “China Rises.” Only a Canadian could walk into the then closed and cloistered China and share democratic ideas. Dr. Norman Bethune, hero of the Chinese Revolution, made this possible for me, one Canadian opening the door of opportunity to another. This was the first spark that ignited the massive social and industrial and cultural revolution that is now in high gear in the ancient Middle Kingdom. This act of intervention was intended to pre-empt the dangerous potential of China as it existed at that time. China was a threat to the entire world and much has changed in this regard. Now she is open, prosperous and integrated into the Global Community. This is in stark contrast to the China I entered.

Few are aware that a young woman lawyer from Georgetown, Ontario is in Bosnia, helping that nation to build a future with a new legal code “based on the Canadian model.” And all of the legal codes (criminal, civil, military, corporate, traffic and transportation, international Law) introduced in South Africa at the end of Apartheid were built upon “The Canadian Model”.

More people are aware of former Prime Minister L.B. Pearson’s diplomatic success in the formation of The United Nations organization. He received a Nobel Peace Prize in our behalf for this work. And we know of Canadian heroes like Astronaut Marc Garneau who leads us Spaceward; and Stephen Lewis who, as UN Special Commissioner for AIDS in Africa, is single-handedly spearheading a Global solution to the horrors of this disease.

We know how to make friends through acts of courageous generosity. We do not kill, we heal. We do not hinder, we help. We do not enslave, we set at liberty. We strive with greater and greater success to be Just and Compassionate with Citizens, visitors, and all people of all nations, faiths and languages. In so doing we have become the hub and envy of the world.

But we know that the entire world can enjoy the blessings we enjoy. And we can teach them, help them, support them, learn from them, befriend them. We have, we are, and we will. We can teach the world the most special thing that we know in the process: how to live together in respectful peace.

We can share our “Software” with the world and thereby enable them to build and possess what we have: freedom, equality, Rights, opportunity, cooperation, prosperity, support, security, efficiency, economy, productivity and peace and hope.

Software

In this essay and elsewhere I have mentioned and made reference to something I call Software. In some cases I have called it Cultural Software, Social Software and Human Software, and sometimes Lifestyle Technologies. These ideas are all related, and in some cases are inter-changeable. The term Software can refer to any or all of these.

I think of this ‘Software’ as the systems, methodologies, practices, traditions, ideas, organizational methods, thinking styles and methods we employ: Lifestyle Technologies. All that Humans do is governed by Values, Traditions, Ideas, Methods, and so forth. These are each and altogether Software. As with Computer Technology, these Softwares often come in packages and we know who invented, designed and implemented them. We know when and how.

It can be something as basic as the way we move goods, people, and services from place to place. One example of this would be our roads, highways and freeway systems. These require road surfaces with hidden infrastructure for power, drainage, et cetera. Then we have signage, traffic laws and regulations, licensing for vehicles and drivers. Add to this traditions and styles of driving. Many details go into these transportation systems, including the design, manufacture and regulation of these interlocking systems. These systems have proven to be largely and increasingly complex, effective, efficient, safe, productive, economical; some more so than others.

By thinking about these or other systems as Software and as Software “packages” we can better evaluate and improve our culture, society, government, judicial systems, law enforcement, industry and commerce, Human Relations, communications, family life, education, and even our personal Core Beliefs.

The source of this form of thinking in our modern era can be traced back to the invention of “practical existentialism” or Phenomenology. This methodology was created by Edmund Husserl in the early Twentieth Century. Husserl’s “philosophy” has quietly and profoundly affected all of Humanity from the most elevated scholars to the lowest of labourers in field, forest or factory. This analytical method is a central functional component in The Universal Culture, a term and phenomenon which I have explored elsewhere in my essays.

As Canada is situated at the heart and axis of The Universal Culture, and consequently in a position to affect and influence the world, it is vital that we make good choices, and that we write [make] and distribute good Software. For we will be sharing it with people everywhere and it will be put to the intense test of Human life on Planet Earth.

Our “Software” is our strongest asset in Canada. We incorporate it into everything and in every imaginable situation. Canadian Software nurtures peace, economic strength and stability, social and political stability, democratic values and practices, Justice and Equality, the dissolution of violent differences and the reconciliation of enemies. It works at home and abroad. And it does much more and can do far far more still. All we have to do is use our methods to the utmost and the world will be safer, friendlier, cleaner, more prosperous and productive, more creative and rational, more in every way.

Our artists and thinkers and cultural practitioners of all types from lawyers to judges to politicians to bureaucrats to law enforcement personnel and many others embody this remarkable Canadian Culture. It’s in our bus drivers, teachers, athletes, waiters and pretty much everyone. And it has proven to be a powerful force for peaceful change in the world. The increased export of our culture in all of its forms will continue to reshape The Earth into a place that is more friendly for Human (and other) habitation. This initiative can help a desperate and hurting world to find help (self help), hope, and healing.

Planning

Planning helps create success. Good planning brings good results. Sadly most people do not know how to plan. This is an area in which our primary and secondary education systems have proven deficient.

Making an effective Plan is an easy thing to do, and the process is easily learned. It could be easily taught to children. This would eliminate the random waste of resources that is such a plague upon Nation and Citizens. What follows could easily become components of a Plan for a Future Canada. If we can dream it we can make it.

The Export Of Canadian Culture

See my short essays: “ The Transformation of Culture”, “Honey”, “Canada True North and Free”, “The New Patriotism”, “Ice As A Factor In The Development Of The Canadian Character”. @  http://blindmansees-essays.blogspot.com/ [follow the access page link]

I am convinced that Canadian Culture embodies special qualities and properties that enable stability, freedom, prosperity, peace and hope. We have been able to consistently discover practical applications for our lifestyle technologies in every part of the world and in every type of activity and endeavour. We need a simple set of cultural tools with which to deliver this antidote for violence and destructive behaviour to all parts of the world in a systematic and economical manner.

Economic Pods

There has been a trend in the Canadian economy towards the application of what I call Economic Pods. These are collectives that are formed for short or long-term projects and have been used successfully by Canadians. From the Federal Government’s Trade junkets to China, Russia and elsewhere, to Quebec’s initiatives to France as a door into the European Union economic market, to small-business people attending trade shows or conferences, Canadians apply our historic ability to be co-operative in order to serve collective needs. And we do it of our own free will, rather than by doctrine. Creativity is always a feature of these Pods.

A clear and strong set of policies that encourage this kind of strategic foray into world markets, coupled with economic and financial incentives, could serve Canada and Canadians well. We also need to strategically and urgently support Canadian artists and cultural workers of all kinds in their efforts to take their goods and services to Global markets. We have a glut of art and artists, just as we have a glut of scholars and academics. We want to keep the scholars and academics home and put them to work, while we export the art and artists who produce the materials, ideas, and outlooks that make Canada unique and important.

Canada’s Historic National Dynamic

Beginning in the era of Confederation (1867) Canada has sought both politically and culturally to build a strong, functional, independent and enduring Nation and national identity. The notion of “from sea to shining sea” was realized and bound together by policy and an infrastructure with a railroad reaching from Atlantic to Pacific Oceans.

Presently this integrated east-west axis is in a weakened state. This is in part due to our cultural, social, economic, political and military ties to The United States of America, the most powerful and influential nation in the world. An excessive percentage of our international trade in goods and services moves on a north-south axis. This puts our national identity, unity, security and independence in a compromised state against absorption and hegemony.

Multilateralism

Canada’s historic Federal policy of multilateralism could be strengthened through returning to an east-west axis that reaches across Canada, then beyond to Europe in the east and China, India and Asia in the west.

Partnerships

The nurture and development of international partnerships, trading partners and allies on a multilateral basis will create greater national security and stability. Partnership is an integral part of the Canadian psyche and culture.

Trade: Goods And Services

Trade in Goods And Services has been a key to Canada’s recent economic success. From oil products to electricity and other energy types and sources to agricultural products, transportation products, tools and technologies, to high technologies for communication and so on, Canada is a world-class trading nation.

Carrying our Goods and Services to every part and corner of the world will strengthen our independence while sharing our lifestyle and values everywhere. It will also bring economic growth and stability. These tendencies are already strongly embedded in Canadian life and could be easily enhanced through policy and financial and tax incentives. An increase in the export of Canadian Goods and Services will further strengthen the tax base while asserting and exerting our position in The Universal Culture.

Promotion Of Peace [ From The Military to The Ordinary ]

Since the mid-Twentieth Century Canada has emerged as a nation characterized by Peace. Politically, militarily, socially and culturally the theme of Peace has been central to our development, maturation and evolution as a Nation. We have come to be trusted internationally as a result of this Federal and social policy.

Canada could easily capitalize on this national characteristic by promoting Peace in a more efficient, intentional, organized and systematic manner. If we exerted ourselves and our resources as urgently and strongly for the purpose of Peace as we (and others) have mobilized for the purpose of war then we could extend and strengthen our influence and demonstrate that Peace Pays. Making Peace Pay will dramatically alter the world economic philosophies. The world needs evidence that Peace Pays more than war.

In order to achieve this we need only apply what I call The Technologies of Peace to every aspect of our society. This is already a widespread and existent phenomenon and only requires broader application and some tweeking. The Canadian military forces are already recognized worldwide as Peace keepers and peace makers. Taking a lesson and example from this noble Canadian institution of our society will help transform Canada and Canadians, from The Military to The Ordinary.

Global Warming and The Reforestation of The Earth

One troubling challenge with which we are faced is Global Warming. This problem is already being addressed to some degree. But what we really need is a Global Cooling and Air Conditioning System to lower The Earth’s atmospheric temperature while providing a large supply of oxygen and filtering the air.

The solution to this problem is simple: trees. Lots and lots of trees across the face of The Earth. See my essay “Icebergs At Risk: Global Reforestation” @ www.blindmansees.com

A Home For Research

Alternative Energy

We need a National Energy Strategy that rewards research, development, and distribution of clean and inexpensive and environmentally friendly energy sources. Canada is crowded with people who are developing and implementing, and in some cases marketing alternative energy sources. We could easily create a new electrical grid interface that is fed by a conglomerate of alternative generation systems and that could be coordinated to provide adequately for our base energy needs. Then we can export these technologies to a world in urgent search of inexpensive ecological solutions. We can do this.

Science

We need to follow the lead of Canadian communities like Waterloo that has become home to The Perimeter Institute for Research In Theoretical Physics; or The Province of Saskatchewan which has built a research infrastructure that has brought the world’s leading research and researchers to Saskatoon. Creating welcoming conditions will attract the best minds and those who love freedom and all of the beautiful components of Canadian Culture. This is ‘sustainable’ economics.

Ecological Solutions

We need prompt, effective, efficient and economical solutions to our looming ecological crisis: water, soil, and air. And we need a comprehensive strategy that will enable us to achieve healthy environmental conditions quickly and inexpensively. A clean environment will reduce health care costs. We have a world respected leader in environmental sustainability in our midst at The University of Alberta in the person of Doctor David Schindler. We need his kind of expertise applied broadly to our compromised and struggling environment.

Agriculture

Canada is a highly productive nation in the area of Agriculture. We have much to teach the world and we are well along in the process of helping other nations implement similar Agricultural management systems on large and small scales.

Distribution and Management Systems

In Canada we have developed and implemented agricultural management, support and distribution systems that give us access to the best world markets in livestock, fowl, grains, oilseed crops, et cetera. Versions of these methods and systems can be easily shared worldwide. These are also “technologies” and Software.

Medical Research

It is a rare week in The News that we do not see reports of some significant breakthrough in Medical and medicine research by Canadians and Canadian research facilities across The Nation. We need more of the same in order to move us quickly into the era of The New Medicine.

A Place For Quebec

Historically there has been much debate and wrangling over the place of Quebec in Canada. I believe this controversy could be quickly and easily resolved in order to enable Canada to get to the real business at hand, which is the resolution of the all-embracing crisis we face as part of The Global Community.

Quebec has proven herself to be a creative, colourful and innovative leader in Canada. This province has forged a unique place for itself in our midst and, in so doing, has enriched and inspired us all while making everyone more accountable. This is leadership.

Furthermore La Belle Province has produced some of our Prime Ministers and other leaders. Quebec has helped nurture tolerance, respect for Rights, cultural diversity and dignity and linguistic diversity, while creating a persistent tension in Canadian life that has helped us to know ourselves better and find self-respect. And the forceful and unique culture of French Canadians has elevated the entire Nation and others beyond our borders.

Now Quebec is uniquely and strategically poised to provide Canada with valuable options. The Government of Quebec has established unique diplomatic Rights and has used those diplomatic ties (especially with France) to open an economic and political channel to Europe and the Global French speaking community. These established relationships could easily help Canada forge security at home and abroad and would simultaneously help Canada in the pursuit of the broad multilateralism that enables widespread and growing international security.

A Place For All

Co-operation brings better results than strife. Provinces, regions, citizens and the Federal Government should work to ensure that “the other” succeeds. Success for one is success for all. We prove this daily in Canada.

The West

The Gateway To The West is a broad infrastructure project currently underway in Western Canada. Pipelines, power, ports and personnel are creating a doorway to trade with Asia. This is another existent reality that will more easily enable our pursuit of Asian markets and alliances. And it should be an example to Canadians of what we could do in other directions, namely East and South.

The East

A similar “Gateway To The East” could and should be built to enable expanded trade and commerce with The European Union and others. The EU is now the world’s second largest trading market, after the USA.

The North

The development of The North, from North Atlantic to North Pacific is critical to our Sovereignty and National Security. The development and opening of The North will also have long-term economic and financial consequences. Aboriginal self-government and peaceful prompt settling of Aboriginal Land Claims is an urgent component in our future survival and security.

The South

International ties that are strong and extend beyond our immediate neighbors to the South will also benefit Canada. Part of our future self-interest lays in relations with Latin America.

The Center

The “Center” in Canada needs to be Everywhere and regarded as being embodied in each citizen. Decentralization on a broader scale is required in the form of deeper and wider democratization in all regions, institutions, political parties, and so on. Yet a strong Federal Government will remain central to our survival and prosperity in the 21^st Century.

Food and Water: A Lesson From China

China was an Empire with an Emperor for thousands of years. During this time a series of dynasties arose and fell, some brief and some quite lengthy. In order to impose meaning upon this rising and falling of these governmental systems and controlling groups, Chinese historians [ like Ssu-Ma Ch’ien] formulated a theory of history called The Dynastic Cycle.

This theory held that an emperor or dynasty occupied the throne and held the right to govern by virtue of The Will of Heaven resting upon them: this was akin to “the divine right to rule” in European and other monarchies and theocracies. The theory further stated that The Mandate of Heaven could be lost by failing to meet the two central criteria for government. These were that the people be fed, and that the water be effectively managed to avoid water shortages and the ever-present problem of floods.

Although in The West we look for a broad scope of qualities and abilities in Democratic leaders and leadership, these two “conditions of government” remain relevant and instructive. In Canada we presently have more than sufficient food production and accessibility for our own needs. Yet a cursory examination will reveal that we are in jeopardy of spoiling every fresh water source in our land mass. The Auditor General’s Report On The Environment will demonstrate more clearly just how compromised our natural environment has become.

This is a critical situation that could be quickly, easily and economically corrected. Dr. David Schindler, Canada’s leading water management specialist, could easily engineer the recovery of our fresh water sources and their preservation.

Language – Multilingualism in The Universal Culture

Our “language philosophy” is no longer adequate to our real situation and needs. Bilingualism is insufficient to the needs of Canada and Canadians. My own life and situation is a good illustration of my point.

I am technically an Anglophone, though I understand that my paternal ancestors who first came to North America were French speaking Welsh Roman Catholics who were descended from those displaced by the English Protestant Revolution in the Seventeenth Century. They settled in Quebec, coming from France in The Eighteenth Century, and speaking French after several generations of residence in that host nation.

My paternal grandfather was an English speaking resident of Niagara Falls, Ontario. My father made his residence in Northeastern Ontario and was bilingual (French and English) before it was Federal Policy. My hometown of Kirkland Lake is located about fifty kilometers from the Quebec border and has always had significant English and French speaking populations. But my hometown was a blend of people of many languages, notably Italian, Polish, Ukrainian and Chinese, as well as a large Jewish community.

I learned my first French words and phrases from my Father, brothers, and neighbourhood children whose first language was often French. I was delighted when compulsory French lessons were introduced while I was in grade school. Then I had a traumatic experience with a French teacher in high school, involving sexual abuse, which put me off of the study of this interesting subject.

As a very young child I had an interest in China and the Chinese language. I now have a degree in Chinese Studies from the University of Toronto and studied Chinese languages and culture for all of my adult life. At this point I remain bilingual, but in English and Mandarin Chinese, with French as my “third” language and Spanish as a fourth, and so on. As with many Europeans and Asians, I have had to learn at least a little of many languages and I’ve studied about a dozen or more formally.

It is my contention that we (Canada) are living at the axis or center of The Universal Culture, that mix of all cultures, which we have embraced and refined in Canada. The Universal Culture requires multilingualism, which is not to dismiss our two Primary Languages nor the planned addition of at least one Aboriginal Language to this short list. Rather I suggest that we embrace and value and apply all languages, whether verbal, numerical or otherwise. In “The Information Age“ Communication, rather than language, is the key to our success.

Technology

Canada is at the forefront of technological development, application, manufacturing and distribution. We have demonstrated a capacity for innovation and creativity in science and technology. We could continue to move ahead in this area of economic development through the development and sharing of peaceful technologies and technological applications worldwide.

Applications and Innovations

For instance, Canada could become a leader in extra-terrestrial housing through the development of force-field technologies. Force-field technology could also have application in the placement of levees for protection of cities like New Orleans. We could become world leaders in the development and peaceful application of this technology as we did with nuclear power and the nuclear technologies we have exported worldwide, along with telecommunication systems, highway and transportation technologies, agricultural technologies, environmental technologies, Human Relations technologies that are effective and respectful, and on and on and on.

Canada is already a recognized center for research, innovation and development. Much of this success is due to our ability to fill small niche markets and then capitalize upon specialization. Force-field technologies could do this for us in The Future, both on the Earth and in Space, as well as in the unexplored Ocean depths.

Canada has found a unique and valuable role in the International Space Station initiative. Astronauts and technologies like the Canadarm have helped make this set of experiments a success. We can do more of the same as the exploration and exploitation of Space continues. And Canadian Aerospace and Robotics developers will also play an important role in the exploration and exploitation of Space.

The Treatment Of People

There remains a tendency in our society to make life difficult for others. Government, institutions, processes and values that are currently existent aim at getting up or ahead at the expense of someone else or others. There is an unhelpful “competitive” streak amongst Canadians. If our purpose is to help, support, assist and elevate everyone, then this is an obsolete set of conditions and tools with which to accomplish our goal. If our governments sought to do everything in their power to support people, rather than setting obstacles in the way, then we would all benefit. We could make it our goal to remove the obstacles to personal and corporate success and to ensure a minimization of obstacles while maximizing helpful resources.

One major obstacle to Canada becoming everything we could be is poverty. Our current practices, policies and regulations poise government as the enemy of people. People are held in suspicion while financial and other help is withheld that could easily give people a “leg up” out of poverty. Instead we keep a large portion of the population poor: poorly fed; poorly clothed; poorly educated; poorly housed. We employ systems that pit citizen against government and vice-versa. If we had friendly government, rather than contentious ones, then the results would be vastly better.

We are a Democracy. This means that we imagine, discuss and decide how we govern ourselves. Canadians prefer to be treated with Compassion. And we prefer to extend Compassion rather than retribution. This is a National personality characteristic.

Presently Governments stand in the way of peace of mind; secure living accommodations; stability in families (Children’s Aid is regarded as a threat, and rightly so.); access to appropriate and effective education; equal opportunity for those with no French language skills; political parties that are inclusive and democratic rather than oligarchic and exclusive; a fair distribution of wealth; and more. The principles and practices of democracy in every aspect and quadrant of Canadian society would better enable the will of the people to be heard and implemented. The Canadian people can be trusted. We are a kind, informed, sincere, gifted, hardworking people who are willing to take risks for all that we believe in.

Generally speaking it appears that we treat people who are in crisis elsewhere with greater kindness, compassion and unchecked support than we do those in our own country who are in crisis. We should do at least as much for Canadians as we do for others. This is an oversight on the part of Canadians and our governments; a misplacement of emphasis. We are kind to the African or Asian child suffering in and from poverty, but keep our own children in poverty by legislation and policy. We should set goals that lift everyone out of poverty and into a stable and productive condition rather than keeping people in poverty- ridden circumstances.

Conclusion

Canada is a nation coming of age in an historic Moment when we can make a significant difference in determining The Future of the world and our existent civilization. By deciding to pursue peaceful means and methods and goals we can influence the entire world and help shape The Future into The Canadian Dream of World Peace, prosperity, security and tolerance. We do it all here on a daily basis and have proven that it’s possible for people of all kinds, types and backgrounds to live together in cooperation and peace. And Peace enables discussion, problem solving, solutions and discoveries.

It begins by Canadians understanding who and what they are in and of themselves, and who we are in the broader scope of The Global Village and History. We are unlike any people who have ever lived anywhere at any time. This places a responsibility upon us to act in our collective best interests, which are the interests of all people and nations everywhere. This is a Moment of Opportunity that could easily dissolve into the mists of history. We must grasp this historic opportunity and act, or lose the slender hope we embody while the world languishes in a fog of violence and destruction.

Canada is a Nation with great potential and great opportunity. We can embrace this opportunity and share our riches with the world or we can perish with our brothers and sisters everywhere. Stepping forward as a leader among nations and guiding the world towards peace and stability in a peace-based economic climate will instill a much-needed sense of hope for people everywhere.

Let us turn our national character into national policy and reach out to a hurting world with the same Compassion we have extended to our fellow Canadians, who are of every Race, Nation, Language and Belief. Together we are one Big Beautiful Red Machine, under the emblem of The Red Maple Leaf.

The World is in crisis and headed for disaster. Canada can help through self-awareness and conscientious decision-making formulated into an “appropriate and compelling Vision” for Canada and for the world. Welcome to the Golden Age of Canadian Culture.

Peace.

“Don’t keep the peace…pass it on.”