Canada 150 Special Edition: Thank You Governor General David Johnston

Prince Charles receives the Extraordinary Companion to the Order of Canada medal
from Governor General David Johnston at Rideau Hall in Ottawa
July 1, 2017

As a member of the Royal Family, Prince Charles has been made an extraordinary companion of the Order of Canada, the highest level of the order, for his global philanthropic work and support for Canada's Armed Forces members. [Source]

And

Companions of the Order of Canada, the highest level of the Order of Canada, have demonstrated the highest degree of merit to Canada and humanity, on the national or international scene. [Source]

And finally about the order:

Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the cornerstone of the Canadian Honours System, and recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country. Since its creation, more than 6 000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order.

Desiderantes meliorem patriam: They desire a better country

The Order of Canada, the highest level of distinction in the Canadian honours system,
was established on July 1, 1967, the 100th anniversary of Confederation. [Source]

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Thank you Governor General David Johnston, for fawning over the adulterer Prince-in-Waiting Charles. And for continuing the archaic relationship we have with Britain. When will Canada finally grow up and separate from its sovereign Queen Elizabeth?

About the role of the Governor General:

The Queen or sovereign is the head of state in Canada. The Governor General of Canada represents the sovereign, and most of the powers and authority of the sovereign have been delegated to the Governor General. The role of the Canadian Governor General is mostly symbolic and ceremonial.

And

The governor general acts within the principles of parliamentary democracy and responsible government as a guarantor of continuous and stable governance and as a nonpartisan safeguard against the abuse of power. For the most part, however, the powers of the Crown are exercised on a day-to-day basis by elected and appointed individuals, leaving the governor general to perform the various ceremonial duties the sovereign otherwise carries out when in the country; at such a moment, the governor general removes him or herself from public, though the presence of the monarch does not affect the governor general's ability to perform governmental roles.

But aside from all these roles and responsibilities, the Governor General's role "is mostly symbolic and ceremonial." So why don't we do something symbolic and remove this symbolic relationship!

Canada 150 Special Edition: Thank You Prime Minister Trudeau

"Diversity has always been at the very core of Canada...Ours is a land of original peoples and of new comers."

Thank you, Prime Minister Trudeau.

For the teepee presence and the diversity slogan:

"I'd like to acknowledge that we are on ancestral lands of the Algonquin people," starts off the Prime Minister at his speech on Parliament Hill this Canada Day.

"Today isn't really our 150th birthday. We're much older than that. Canada, and the idea of Canada, goes much further back than just 150 years. For thousands of years, in this place, people have met, traded, built, loved, lost, fought and grieved.

Canada is a country made strong not in spite of our differences, but because of them. We don't aspire to be a melting pot. Indeed we know true strength and resilience flows through Canadian diversity. Ours is a land of original peoples and of new comers. And our greatest pride is that you can come here from anywhere in the world, build a good life, and be part of our community. We don't care where you're from, what religion you practice, or whom you love, you are ALL WELCOME IN CANADA!!"

Here Trudeau resumes his speech in French (he had been making this dual-language speech as is officially required), and the irritating translator talks over his voice.

He talks about how this multicultural spirit came from the inclusion of the French language and French-Quebec culture into Canadian society, and how bilingualism has became a...

"...central and defining part of our identity and an official policy. Right across this country, Trudeau says, "we speak French and English, as well as hundreds of other languages."

Back in English:

And so, diversity has always been at the very core of Canada over the centuries. It's the foundation upon which our country was built. We may be of every color and creed, from every corner of the world. We may live in British Columbia, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador, we embrace that diversity while knowing in our hearts that we are all Canadian.

Etc.

But at this point while listing all the provinces and territories, Trudeau forgot Alberta. It was quite funny really (and I didn't notice, as probably didn't thousands of others - except of course for Albertans), a gaffe anyone could make while not reading off a list during an impassioned speech. The news media narrowed in on that gaffe.

But not on Trudeau's aggressive promotion of now cliched and failed multicultural experiment that keeps on unraveling as the "...central and defining part of our identity."

If even the French and English in Canada couldn't get along, how can he expect people who speak "hundreds of other languages" to do so?

And why in a country so "proud" to be bilingual do we need translators at every official speech?

Thank you Mr. Prime Minister Trudeau, for clouding the realty and playing with our emotions. Your words will be on the record in Canada's history books (should there be such a country).

Full speech here.

Man Power

Very funny post (yes I will tell you it's funny) from Nina Byzantina. Only a Russian could post this.

More on the Prime Minister

In Above His Head


Along with Steve Paikin, host of TVO's The Agenda, Don Martin on his CTV flagship political program Power Play tells us like it is.

Martin's most recent episode discussed Trudeau's "Appointments paralysis [as] internal dysfunction."

He elaborates on his blog:

...this PMO is failing miserably at filling important positions with strong people in a timely manner.

[...]

But the most pressing and perplexing is this government’s appointment paralysis.

Judicial appointments are glacial, commission chairs are empty, boards like the CBC, Canada Post and Export Development Canada are depleted while top jobs at the RCMP, CRTC and Elections Canada are on the verge of being vacated.

[...]

The efficiency of a government, even one with a friendly face, should be judged by the way it staffs itself and treats its people.
There are clear symptoms of internal dysfunction by Liberals failing to get that basic job done.

He jokes that it might be time to get Sophie Trudeau to pillow-talk her husband into assigning appointments. But that is probably happening already and perhaps one of the reasons for this paralysis.

The main reason is of course, as many quietly and some clearly, including myself, have observed: Trudeau is in above his head with his new role as leader of this country.



He must be asking himself by now: "When will this dream-job-turned-nightmare end?!"

Tieless Trudeau

The Prime minster of Canada comes out to press conferences looking like this:



He's not only tieless but has also ditched his jacket.

But even what passes for ties now is a thin black strip, usually leather. Gone are the days of paisley designs with matching pocket squares. Men have become as emasculated as their fashion shows us.

This past section was written BEFORE I looked up "Men's Tie Fashions" in google (without quotes).

And I found this on GQ's April 3, 2017 issue:



Notice along with the Thin Black Tie ^TM, the top button is unbuttoned.

It was one of the images for the article: Justin Trudeau Just Nailed This Ryan Gosling-Approved Style Move

The article is written by an adolescent thirtsomething, who fawns over celebrity men (including Canada's celebrity Prime Minister), and who has a degree in Fine Arts from Boston. I guess looking at pretty men now counts for an artist's task.


Men in the 1950s
Gregory Peck advertising for Eagles Clothes

For more on men and ties, read The Necktie by The Thinking Housewife.