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
I suppose hope springs eternal but I fear that in this case it's a forelorn hope at best.
No, I'm afraid that Canada is destined to become Europe's — or the Islamic world's — westernmost outpost, if that hasn't indeed already happened
In the late 70's (I believe it was), Quebec voted on secession from Canada. This was not the first try at splitting from Canada.
At that time, there was talking about western and eastern Canada talking (behind the scenes) about joing the USA. At that time, they were not strong enough economically to survive without outside help, since most of the major money was wrapped up in Quebec.
It was commonly thought the NEW Canada would be just Quebec and the remaing provinces would be admitted quite easily tio the USA. Times have changed and I don't think it would be that easy.
I do believe western Canada is a different people then those in power. Unfortunately a line has been drawn in the dirt and we're on opposing sides. I hope it changes and we can be friends again.
Great point...lol, and very true. It really looks that way.
Guffaw!!! But after the initial laugh, and thinking about it....
Are you angry at them, too?
Yes, angry enough so I put my job on the line and took a layoff rather than permanently relocate several years ago. I had not recently thought of it, but, Yes, after working there for a year, I despised the place so much I used the have the USCGS Earthquake Map as a homepage..."Come on!!! TRY HARDER!!!"
I figure, with angry rattlesnakes in our parking lot riled up by runaway construction, the hills being on fire, earthquakes, San Francisco "Homeless" that gave me an exotic taste of Calcutta, floods the rest of the time, and the occasional earthquake, coupled with the Orange County bankruptcy, Davis and Co., and the Hollywood Enemy, that G_d Himself must truly despise the place.
So maybe I should, too.
Mexifornia is becoming a problem, but rest assured the granola state (so called because it chock-full of fruits, nuts and flakes) is not going to be allowed to start dictating to the rest of the country.
Right and BTW, it really pays to boo during the singing of our national anthem at sporting events. Especially when our sons and daughters are dying. That really endears Canadians to us as well.
Say "Hi" to the first Macdonald you see for me, Eh? :-)
Yeah, well us conservative Canadians we have more in common with the elephant in this picture, but we're stuck down here with the mice for now
You have allowed Canadian francophones and other ethnic minorities to dictate entirely too much to the rest of your citizenry.
Middle America is not about to allow that to happen here with California.
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