So said a caller to one of the local radio stations here in Ottawa yesterday.
My reply to him is that ‘all those thinking such are Morons’. So there.
But first and just to confirm, I am going into a siesta state but first have decided to get one or two Blogs off my chest…so to speak.
The nimwit’s comment would have ordinarily fallen on my deaf ears but it was the second time in two days that I had heard more or less the same thing; the first time was by a Chinese Canadian woman who up until then I had respected.
It happened during our Wednesday discussion group and the topic was the Northern Gateway Pipeline.
I had led off the discussion by saying it had to go through and fast given that the centre – Ontario and Quebec, were rapidly losing their manufacturing, which was not likely to ever return.
Oil and Gas, especially from the West were the things that would keep our economy afloat.
Others joined in, and not surprisingly the issue of native opposition to the pipeline came up. The essence of their concerns was that native groups should not be allowed to disrupt the process by way of violence, as some of their Chiefs have threatened to do.
I too added to the discussion by saying that natives who did interfere in such a way, should have their Government of Canada funding cut off.
The discussion continued.
It was then that our Chinese Canadian woman piped (pun?) in by saying ‘Canada consists of many racists as is evident by the discussion here today’.
I was dumbfounded on two accounts:
First, I was saddened that such a bright lady would stoop to invoking racism for the sole purpose of shutting down the discussion.
Second, I was angered by her suggestion since it is totally false.
It was the second result that caused me to reply to the dear lady.
I said, “if being critical of those who would use civil disobedience to defy the Will of the People is racist, then call me a Red Neck”.
“My only concern is for the welfare of all Canadians –be they red, black, blue and white as I truly believe we will all benefit by having our oil and gas reach world markets”.
I made my point but probably made an enemy in so doing.
The fact is though, the World runs on oil and will do so for the better part of this current century. And we in Canada are blessed to have it in abundance.
As stated above,Canada, like the Western World generally, is losing its manufacturing. It is relocating to parts of the world that provide cheap, abundant labour. But those countries are not self sufficient, they need oil and gas to operate and if Canada does not meet this need, other countries will gladly do so.
We therefore have an opportunity to move forward or fall back.
And in that regard, to say that we will not condone violent native protests is not racist; it is only common sense and in the end will be best.
Later I got in another relevant point.
I pointed out how bizarre it is for such projects as the Northern Gateway Pipeline to literally takes decades to get approved. “If it were China – the about to become largest economy in the World – approval can be obtained within a day”. I also stated that in saying this I was not defending dictatorship but only voicing the need for these types of decisions – for or against – to be made more quickly.
Our lady piped up again to say that she was from China and their projects were done in such a way as to cause needless death to its workers.
Once again, the dear lady missed the point but sadly I know that she is not alone in her misguided thinking but I do think they are in the minority.
As such, the Conservatives have a golden opportunity to push the pipeline through to completion and in doing so re-set the political agenda in their favour as both Young Trudeau and Angry Tom have come out against it.
The Conservative’s tepid support of late for the project causes me to wonder though if they are smart enough to seize the moment.
It would be a shame.
As I see it…
‘K.D. Galagher’
