Canada: Can't Buy a Break

The Brock Press ^ | May 27, 2003 | Liam Dynes

[quidnunc]

SARS. The Stanley Cup playoffs. Mad Cow disease. Political uber-infighting. Holly Jones. Taking major hits for our stance on the war in Iraq. Did I miss anything? Probably, but that list is pretty enough in and of itself.

I don't think I've gone much further back than about three months, but in those eventful three months, Canada's international face has taken some major bruises, not to mention morale among us ordinary citizens. None of these things, however, would be insurmountable on their own, but combined, Canada has taken such a collective blow that it may take years to fully recover.

Businesspeople in other countries are reluctant to meet with Torontonians for fear of contracting SARS, the world is scrambling to ban Canadian beef, American and British politicians are turning down meetings with and actively disparaging Canadian leaders, and we got our asses kicked in true Canadian (choke) fashion in the National Hockey League.

We've suffered a national bloody nose, and the bleeding doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon.

Even strictly from a national sense, it's embarrassing to watch our leaders deal with some of these issues.

At a federal level, Jean Chrétien is simply sitting back and relaxing until February, when he is set to retire, no longer particularly caring to put out any of the political brush fires he has started. U.S. President George W. Bush will hardly acknowledge his presence on an international level, and Chrétien has all but come out and said that it's not really his concern. Also notably, while the world rushes to ban Canadian beef, does our beloved PM go about taking any substantial damage control measures? Of course not, he just has a steak in front of some photographers, and then screws off back to Sussex Drive.

Not that his potential successors are doing any better. John Manley and Paul Martin have been taking potshots at each other since day one of the candidate debates, forgoing most of the usual "productive debate" that ancient lore says once went on during the campaigning process. And lest we forget Hamilton MP and Prime Minister hopeful Sheila Copps, who previously had claimed that she had wanted to stay out of the muckraking, whom has recently joined in the fray with as much zeal as the others, bashing various programs of both other candidates in manners far from civil.

Meanwhile, provincially, the Tories are approaching the public with the same obvious contempt as the federal Liberals, with Premier Eves using every possible excuse he can to try and postpone his election call. It's kind of frightening to see what the smell of defeat can do to the people in charge of running an entire country.

-snip-

[quidnunc]

Quote:

Maybe the Leafs, Canucks and Sens didn't lose just because of hockey, maybe Canada is just cursed. I just hope people care enough for something to be done about it.

Sometimes you make your own luck.

[3AngelaD]

Two words: Instant karma

[Cicero]

Well, there's one comfort. Canada has a long way to go before it can do worse than bill clinton. As far as I know, the Canadians haven't yet elected a drug-running, rapist, draft-dodging serial murderer to office.

[johns4]

Yep, it's really multiple disasters for Canada now. Our terrible government is to blame for most of it. The Liberal Party has ruined Canada.

[Alberta's Child]

I'm a big New Jersey Devils fan, but there's a part of me that would not have been terribly disappointed if the Senators had beaten them. The thought of the current government of New Jersey using championship seasons by the NHL's Devils and NBA's Nets to rationalize spending millions of taxpayer dollars on a new arena for these two teams is enough to make one root for the opposing team.

[xJones]

Well, there's one comfort. Canada has a long way to go before it can do worse than bill clinton. As far as I know, the Canadians haven't yet elected a drug-running, rapist, draft-dodging serial murderer to office.

And Canada doesn't have anything like the Hildabeast roaming around looking to break loose in 2004.

[sit-rep]

Screw Canada. I live 20 minutues from three different routes into Windsor. I have not been there for at least 15 years. There is nothing that can happen that will change my mind. They are French wannabees, plain and simple.

[Kozak]

Canadians haven't yet elected a drug-running, rapist, draft-dodging serial murderer to office.

No but they were close with Pierre Trudeau.

[Allan]

Bump

[cavtrooper21]

MOOOOOO!!!

[Cicero]

Trudeau was a womanizer who may well have been guilty of statutory rape a time or two. But I haven't heard that he was guilty of forcible rape. Clinton was, more than once.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Trudeau was a horney bastard. With Clinton in town, you had to tie up your female Golden Retriever.

[VOA]

The Stanley Cup playoffs.

LOL! Here comes the Quack Attack!!!
I'm not much a hockey guy, but living through the playoff series for the Mighty
Ducks has been a wild ride.
All I can say is that "Our French-Canadians are better than their French-Canadians!"

[Kozak]

Well he was a dope smoking, leftist fellow traveler, married to a psycho b#tch. Close enough.

[IvanT]

Hi, I'm Canadian. We suck. Out.

[SolutionsOnly]

It's interesting that the author puts getting beaten in a sports competiton on the same level as SARS and Mad Cow disease.