Dispatches from the sunburned wastelands

So, is Canada going to turn into Little USA if Stephen Harper takes over the country (and it looks like he's going to do it, according to the latest polls)? I just saw on PBS how the mess left behind by the US Government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans is still far from being resolved. The TV cameras and politicians have all long since moved on, but the tragedy remains. Low income families can't afford to return to their city, because the Municipality wants to level a lot of the flood-ravaged areas (which is a good thing on its own, because it will prevent similar flood-related damage in future). But, they have no compensation plan in place to assist these poor people in rebuilding their lives...guess it ain't the American Way. Some politicians are even saying that it's a good thing these poor people won't be coming back to New Orleans, because it will help lower the city's crime rate...And just imagine: their federal government is spending billions upon untold billions in Afghanistan and Iraq, rebuilding those two countries, but they cannot (or wil not) assist the needy on their own turf. Well, it shouldn't come as a surpise, I guess. The US has never called itself a welfare state...you've got to be able to follow that American dream, and you can't do that on welfare! So, what you Canadians have got to ask yourselves before your election is: What would Martin/Harper/Layton do in a similar situation? Canada prides itself in being a progressive welfare state (without, for the time being, resorting to outright socialism). Will this still be the Canada of the future, after January 2006?

Posted by HannesB at 11:15 AM Comments