From a western Canadian cow family, "Don't blame us, we didn't vote for Chretien."
Posted on 08/05/2003 9:12:12 AM PDT by conniew
From a western Canadian cow family, "Don't blame us, we didn't vote for Chretien."
Why are Americans mad at Canadians?
After eight weeks of testing, it was only one cow after all.
by J. L. Jackson and Craig Pichach
Border Rally for western Canadian farmers
July 29, 2003
Quote: 100% support of our Premier and our caucus... the borders will open.. science says it should.. common sense says it should have and I am confident they will.
-Hon. Shirley McClellan, Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
Neighbours helping neighbours was the theme of Saturday's, July 26th Coutts Border Rally. Over 5,000 western Canadians attended, where organisers served up over 25,000 burgers. A giant convoy of semi-trucks as well as cars extending over three miles long started from Alberta's capital city of Edmonton, headed into Alberta's deep south, the border town of Coutts (pop. approx. 300) making close to a seven hour drive by convoy.
Neighbours helping neighbours is what the west is all about. And it is also what many politicians have a difficult time understanding.
Some politicians however did decide to stand up and be counted. Hon. Shirley McClellan, Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, a Liberal Senator, MP's Monte Solberg, Diane Ablonzky, David Anderson, Deepak Oberhai and Rick Casson to name a few of the Canadian politicians. Perhaps more important, the emergence of a Montana municipality mayor who had scheduled a meeting with a US Senator within the week.
The momentum is building. Free trade between Canada and the United States makes sense. Common sense and science are on our side.
After eight weeks of extensive laboratory testing, only one fluke mad cow has been discovered in Canada, yet the US border, where 40 per cent of Alberta beef is exported, remains closed.
Speculation intensifies regarding the political motivation behind the border remaining closed, after the science has not found more than one single mad cow after eight weeks. Included in the speculation, western Canadians wonder why they are getting the blame for a blundering Prime Minister's arrogance in the Iraq crisis, when they never voted for him anyway.
American and Canadian western cultures are intertwined just as the west's cattle industry has always been integrated. In reality, like our southern counterparts, western Canadians have always been binational North Americans. From the beginning of time trade routes have always been north and south along the eastern slope of the Rockies. From the original trade that occurred between Native tribes to the original cattle drive north, memorialised in the movie Lonesome Dove, bringing cattle north to replenish the prairies after the buffalo's near extinction. The border between Canada and the U.S. -- in the west has always been an imaginary divide, only created by men.
Westerners on either side of the border are the same type of people. When you leave the east behind you embrace a new culture -- a western culture. We are enterprising, independent with plenty of perseverance. These are the qualities the pioneers brought west, and these are the qualities westerners still possess today.
Historically, the cattle industry has always had its hard knocks:
*In the late 1800's there were outbreaks of anthrax and black leg
*Drought and grasshoppers in the dirty thirties and before (as well as today)
*1950's the cattle industry battled Hoof and Mouth disease
*And there are always spring storms and hard winters where the western Canadian cattle heard have been hit and almost entirely wiped out again and again
But the pioneers survived. And although bleak, Canadian farmers and ranchers today will survive the American border closing too.
Westerners will survive because of the character traits their ancestors brought west with them. Independence, enterprising spirit and especially western perseverance will see farmers and ranchers through this time too.
After three years of devastating drought and now a single mad cow closing the border for over eight weeks, now is the time we need to support our farmers and ranchers.
If you're Canadian, chow down on a hamburger and steak today.
If you're American, call your congressman and senator and ask them why the border is still closed after eight weeks of testing when only one single mad cow has been found.
Policy Recommendations
1. Free and fair trade is benefical to Canadians. The Canadian economy depends on our ability to export our talents, goods and services. The crisis resulting in the beef industry from a border shut down could easily be replicated in other industries from aerospace to grain export sectors. The government of Canada should press for expanded free trade not only with the US but our natural trading partners and democratic allies.
2. Maintaining a good relationship with our natural allies in the United States and around the world should be a priority for any Canadian government.
3. Unfair trade restrictions such as this may discourage nations from admitting Mad Cow outbreaks in the future. Canada should push for a better deal on the international stage.
On a humorous note:
5 THINGS A CITY BOY LEARNED AT THE COUTTS BORDER RALLY
1) Beer is a lot cheaper in Milk River than Calgary
2) The beauty of small city multitasking with Coutts having a airport which also serves as a ploughed field (summer allow), rodeo ground, BBQ site and parking lot. Not that bad an Engineering accomplishment for a small border town population of approximately 300. Note: we saw one horse (literally a one horse town?)
3) Always charge the video batteries before you leave the city as there is no place to plug in at the Coutts rodeo grounds
4) 4H is not a cult, it is a agriculture youth organisation
5) Beer is a lot cheaper in Milk River than Calgary
5 THINGS A COUNTRY GIRL LEARNED AT THE COUTTS BORDER RALLY
1) Always bring extra film in case convenient stores are closed in order to help volunteer at the rally
2) There is no Esso convenience store in Coutts with film, but Zestos is an excellent air conditioned pizza joint (similar to Mystic Pizza, the movie) that sells cold ice cream
3) Country singer Adam Gregory is as popular as the Beatles with many young ladies (he's a good singer too)
4) When you get grit in your teeth and sand in your eye at events that draw in more people than the local fair or rodeo, and you have 20 politicians/dignitaries vying for mike time in 30 + temperature range, it cannot be denied, political change is in the air
5) Beer is a lot cheaper in the Milk River pub than Calgary
Click > here for access to recorded speeches and more pictures from the Coutts Border Rally July 26, 2003
Speeches include:
*Havre Montana Mayor
*Shirley McClellan, Provincial Ag Minister and Deputy Premier
*David Anderson, Federal Ag Critic
*Monte Solberg, Federal Finance Critic
Go to the link below to learn more.
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