Violence not nudity affects children

Every year, there are colourful parades in Ottawa.  Two of the most interesting include provocative posters and men apparently dressed in women’s clothing: the National March for Life and the Capital Pride Parade.

I have attended a National March for Life rally as a spectator.  There were religious people participating and hundreds of children, some from local schools whom I recognized by their school uniforms.   This rally took place during a school day and students would have taken time off school to attend the rally.

A good number of the participants, including some of the children, were carrying gruesome posters of the dismemberment of women and what appeared to be full-term infants.  Just to make sure the message wasn’t lost, the words “Baby Killers” were scrawled across many of the posters.

It’s interesting to note how readily society accepts violent images even when directed toward children.  The results from a national survey in the United States indicate that 60% of children are exposed to direct or indirect acts of violence including bullying and domestic violence.  The results of an American Psychiatric Association study are also interesting: The typical American child watches 28 hours of television a week, and by the age of 18 will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence.  There's no reason to think that the numbers in Canada are much different.

Except perhaps for parent-child co-sleeping, studies indicate that exposure to nudity has little effect on children.  On the other hand, studies on violence and bullying directed toward children show an increase in the rate of youth suicide.  Ottawa’s Jamie Hubley is a tragic example but there are many similar stories we hear about everyday.

Let’s take a look at the Capital Pride Parade.  The Ottawa and Toronto pride parades take place during the summer when school is out and children are under parental supervision.  The school board in Ottawa makes no effort to encourage children to attend but we do have a float in the parade, a school bus covered in welcoming messages and colourful balloons.  I have participated in the pride parade here in Ottawa and while I noticed some nudity toward the end of the parade, I did not see any violent images.

As a trustee who supports our school board’s participation in the parade, my rationale springs from a desire for our schools to be welcoming to all children, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation.   Our school board and many of our teachers individually support Gay-Straight Alliances to offer safe havens within our schools for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning students.  A recent study out of UBC indicates that GSAs reduce suicide risk for all students, gay and straight.

The persecution of gay people has been ongoing for centuries and the practice cannot be laid at the door of modern culture or pedagogy.  While many stereotypical slurs have decreased or fallen by the wayside, the phrase “that’s so gay” is still commonly used among young people as an expression of derision.  Bullying and the assault of gay youth are still common both in and out of school and the cultures of most high schools, Catholic and public, are not kind toward gay students.

With all this in mind, let’s discuss the effects of violence on young people and not become distracted by a red herring.  For children, bums are bums and water pistols are just water pistols even at a pride parade.  The effects of violence, on the other hand, can last a lifetime or even more tragically, can cut a lifetime far too short.  For the sake of our children, let’s start having an adult conversation about the very real effects of violence on youth.

The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.

Tip on the tightrope

Dexter - the wonder dog

In my mind's eye, I see him bounding through the newly fallen snow.  Twirling and spinning in the air like Patrick Chan, but without years of practice and millions in support -- one graceful leap in a perfect arc after another.  My mother and I look on in awe.

He's Dexter, an australian sheperd and poodle mix. We adopted Dexter from another family when he was 18 months old and sometime later realized that he was likely the victim of unscrupulous breeders.  But at that special moment, all we could do was wonder at an animal in his heyday and marvel at his joy in being alive.

What is it to be alive?  There's a Blackfoot proverb that is very poetic, "It is the flash of a firefly in the night.  It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.  It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset."  Life is walking the knife edge between the inertia of rock and the chaos of air.  In our minds, it can be a small happy place bounded by stultifying routine on one side and madness on the other.

Dexter on that winter day was at his prime, using his doggy skills to their maximum and enjoying every moment.  For humans, it's often the same.  We feel most alive when we push our boundaries, challenge ourselves, and gain new mental and physical skills. Citius, Altius, Fortius -- Faster, Higher, Stronger is the motto of the modern Olympic movement for a reason.

It's been exactly a year since I started writing this blog.  I have written close to 40 posts and have had over 15,000 page views.  I'm not a writer and am astounded that you continue to read.  Thank you.  This year, I participated in a beginner's triathlon and will soon begin a major academic challenge ... and I will be 60 years old in two months. Despite a health problem some years back, I feel much the way I did twenty years ago, mentally and physically.  In some ways, better!

All this to say that there is a trick to life.  New challenges keep body and mind young. Of course there will always be setbacks but try not to let them define you. Bounce back and embrace something new.  Live in the moment.

When I was 12, I tried to imagine myself in the year 2000.  I can still hear my child-self talking with a girlfriend and neither of us could envision living so long.  Now that I'm almost 60, I can't imagine not living.

Over the next 13 weeks, I will be studying under Marshall Ganz, the former organizer for the 2008 Presidential campaign of Barack Obama and the civil rights movement.  I applied to Professor Ganz's program in December and never dreamt I would be accepted. My studies will preoccupy me particularly since I haven't done much serious academic work in some time.  As generations of young men have said, I'll write.  Like them, I may not write often.

For those of you dreading that milestone birthday, let me assure you that sixty feels pretty good. You can re-invent yourself in life.  I'm comfortable in my skin, more at ease, smarter, in better shape, and happier than when I was forty.  Oh, and what I love most is the irreverence of my humour has become sharper.

Janelle Monáe in Tightrope

The ancient Greeks must have had the likes of Janelle Monáe in mind. Every goddess should be accompanied by such fine disciples. Listen to the lyrics of Tightrope. Sixty can be the new forty with conscious effort.  It's all about facing your fears and in Monáe's words, learning to "tip on the tightrope."

The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.

Pete Seeger on hope

On the horizon, the hills above U.C. Berkeley were often brown for lack of rain.  Oakland, the city next door, was also brown but for lack of money.  It seemed that both the rain and money were reserved for the campus and its Californian students.  Unable to afford Berkeley's tuition fees, I took one course at a time.  My classmates seemed amazingly tolerant of my poverty and youth, I was the youngest in my class, but still I enjoyed the experience immensely.

Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie, 1975

This was Berkeley in the mid-70's and we took this tolerance for granted.  We were all equals here and we called our professors by their first names, a practice unheard of in previous generations.   We socialized with our teachers too and we challenged their ideas.  It was inclusive at the School of Public Health.

I loved the clash of ideas and it opened my eyes to the substantive, subversive notion that ideas, not people, are judged.  I loved listening to some of the great thinkers of that time, Ivan Illich and Eric Erikson, and loved that we could ask them questions.

On a beautiful spring day, almost everyday was beautiful in Berkeley, I didn't take my usual route to class along the lush footpaths lined with dark, dense growth and colourful bougainvillea.  Instead I went to Sproul Plaza, the main gate to the university.

Sproul Plaza was the hub of campus activity.  There was the lady dressed from head to toe in black, reciting poetry as she blew bubbles. There were the puppeteers with their large almost life-size political figures -- Reagan, Johnson, Kissinger -- there to deliver their message via street theatre.  There were the artists and pundits showing off their wares and abilities.  And there was a lone fundamentalist preacher delivering his sermon in front of the grand fountain that was the centre of the plaza.

Normally our preacher was without an audience but on that particular day, he had a large crowd before him and he was in fine form.  I stopped to listen too.  Behind our preacher, unbeknownst to our preacher,  stood a beautiful young woman on the edge of the fountain reflecting the gold of that day in her long blonde hair.

At about that time, Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie came to the Bay Area.  I hadn't heard much anti-war music and they were mostly unknown to me.  The music left a lasting impression and this was Pete Seeger's genius.  Like few before him, Seeger understood that lyrics can stay fresh in the mind long after mere words disappear.

In 1961, Seeger was convicted by The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) of 10 counts of contempt of Congress and yet a few short years later, he became one of America's best-known troubadours without having served a single day in jail.  Did Seeger know something the rest of us didn't when he arranged the old gospel song "We shall overcome" in 1940?

For Seeger, the banjo was his vehicle to call attention to the injustice of the Vietnam War and like Seeger, the struggle to end the war dominated our thoughts in Berkeley.  Almost every young person belonged to a political or civic organization.  We staged regular public meetings and protests against military recruitment on campus.  I became hooked on politics.

What might Pete Seeger tell us today about this time in his life?  Perhaps it was Seeger who was standing next to me at that fountain in Sproul Plaza on April 30, 1975.  I think he would have enjoyed the scene that followed as the blond removed her clothing while shouting, "The war is over.  The war is over!"  And perhaps it was then that he leaned over and whispered, "If you sing for children, you can't really say there's no hope."

The pictured album cover is how Pete and Arlo looked in 1975.  At the concert, they played a wonderful song of hope, Quite Early Morning.  This is a live recording.  Pete Seeger, you taught us well. History is about change and there is always hope.


The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.

First Nations' teachings meet Einstein

Lately I find more First Nations people are willing to reach out to speak to me.  I recognize this takes time, energy and some degree of pain particularly for survivors of residential schools.  Thank you -- Meegwetch.  

Hopefully these posts show some appreciation but also they're an opportunity to bring you along for the journey.  I know I make mistakes as I attempt to convey ideas and beliefs I know little about but the disrespect of not responding in a conversation is an even greater wrong.  I  hope my First Nations friends will correct me.  I urge you to reach out too.

The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health

Recently, I spent a wonderful Saturday afternoon with Chief Gilbert Whiteduck, Claudette Commanda, Grand Chief Alice Jerome, Regional Chief Ghislain Picard, and the amazing architect Dr. Douglas Cardinal.  Dr. Cardinal was the architect of the Museum of History (Civilization) and the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington.  

I have always been a great admirer of Cardinal's work.  My boys and I used to while away a cold winter's day in the bright, inviting Children's Museum within the Museum of Civilization. Douglas Cardinal's designs evoke nature -- undulating curves, uneven surfaces and textured sandstone.  If you ever have an opportunity to visit the beautiful Wabano Centre, do it!  If a building could spontaneously heal us, it's this one. And it's filled with inspiring First Nations, Inuit and Metis art from across the country. Dr. Cardinal will be turning eighty soon and a big party is being planned to help finance the construction of an indigenous centre, Circle of All Nations, at Asinabka (Victoria Island). Let's be there to support this great endeavour.

Chief Whiteduck spoke about our connection to the land and I hope this post winds up there too.   European and First Nations peoples have such different views of land, nature ... and self.  

Who am I?  It's a question teens often ask as they struggle for a place in the adult world but it's also a question we adults should ask more often.  As environmental and climate crises increasingly threaten our world, questions of identity and conviction become important.

Self in the European way of thinking is a distinct entity, apart from land and nature.  It is bounded, separate and seen as self-sufficient.  In the biblical sense, man has dominion over God's earthly creation and we are its master.  In the economic and political spheres, I is the basic unit of agency, the actor in these dramas.  For most Western people, this version of I appears to be self-evident and because of this, there isn't any other way of seeing self that isn't considered to be nonsense or wrong.

What if were to tell you that no less a figure than the great Albert Einstein saw self differently?

A human being is a part of a whole, called by us "Universe", a part limited in time and space.  He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.  This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.*

While post-modern philosophy challenges this egocentric notion of self, many people in Western countries still believe it.  But the Cartesian idea of separation of mind (self) and body will be generally understood to be erroneous someday in much the same way we no longer believe the earth to be the centre of the solar system. 

Perhaps what I don't need to tell you is that modern science is still trying to catch up with Einstein.  A short book that examines the biological paradox of physical boundaries and perhaps even self is My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor.  Dr. Taylor, a 37 year-old Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, suffered a massive stroke in 1996.  From the perspective of a scientist who specializes in the study of the brain, Dr. Taylor came back from the stroke to tell us what she observed during her recovery.

One of Dr. Taylor's more profound observations is that when the posterior parietal gyrus was shut down in the left hemisphere of her brain due to the stroke, her sense of physical boundaries was turned off.  Essentially without a sense of boundary between skin and air, Dr. Taylor experienced a oneness with nature that she describes as very pleasurable.  The question is did this shutdown of the posterior parietal gyrus also cause Dr. Taylor to lose her sense of self.  Taylor does say that in the course of her recovery, the pleasure of this state was so intense that it took some effort to bring herself back.

Sometimes I try to imagine what Dr. Taylor might have felt as I float in my quiet lake at sunset.  As the chatter of my mind temporarily ceases, I experience a deep appreciation for my surroundings and a sense of tranquility. 

I assume Dr. Taylor is accurately describing the situation -- a distinct area within the brain that defines boundaries and perhaps self.  But I also recognize that I am likely simplifying a complex phenomenon. Still there must have been an evolutionary advantage to awareness of self-boundaries and on the surface of it, it appears to be obvious.  An organism needs a way to protect its integrity from injury and attack. Without this sense of boundary, we may see ourselves as one with the lion that is about to attack, which is not exactly a state of mind conducive to survival.  

I suppose a similar question could be asked of the lion; does it simply have a sense of boundary or is it something more?  I would guess that with similarities in brain structure, it probably does although it's likely fairly different from ours. Still from the perspective of a cat lover and former cat owner, there is no mistaking that cats have an overblown sense of self but dogs, on the other hand ... .

First Nations people have a sense of self that is moderated by philosophies, cultures and religious beliefs different from Western thinking.  First Nations people talk not just about their connections to children, parents and perhaps grandparents but to seven generations.  They also speak about connections to the land and nature in a similar way and about how all of creation is inter-connected.

Last Saturday, Grand-Chief Alice Jerome spoke about her struggle to keep her language while in a residential school.  She explained that her Algonquin language is important as it gives her an ability to freely express concepts not readily available in other languages. For example, the words "open" and "life" are similar in Algonquin and they convey the idea that life is a state of openness to one's surroundings or openness toward the world.

I have come to believe that First Nations people have much to teach us ... and frankly if we are to survive, these are lessons we will have to learn.  Humanity is coming to a crossroads -- either we come together to live in harmony with each other, the land and nature or we will all perish.  And living in harmony means understanding that we are an intrinsic part of nature.

In this journey, I have been amazed by the time and patience Aboriginal people have given me and those around me.  Still the ultimate question for us as Westerners remains do we have the humility and selflessness to truly listen, learn and change our practices.  Do we have the desire to also help build bridges of understanding?  For as Douglas Cardinal says, "We have the power to destroy this whole planet.  We have to learn to be responsible for our acts."


The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.

Chimps and children -- the lowdown on childhood obesity

Happy New Year!  Like many of you, I make New Year's resolutions and usually my resolution is to lose weight.  Last year, I lost 20 pounds but with a small medical issue in the fall, it came back.  But who am I kidding?  It always comes back.  Because of the many diets I've tried, almost all successful in the short term, I've probably lost 500 pounds in the course of my life and gained 580.

Some doctors like to say that people who are overweight are in denial.  They don't see themselves as fat and they aren't being honest.  Okay, I'll say it.  I'm fat.  Now I would like some health professionals to get real too.

Jane Goodall's chimps

Here's an interesting article I came across during the holidays.  Recent studies conducted by David B. Allison et al. indicate that humans are not the only animals getting fat.   Pets, mice in labs, marmosets and primates are also gaining weight.  In fact, the average weight of the chimpanzee has increased by 35% per decade.

It's probably obvious that chimpanzees just don't have the will power to stay away from those high-carb bananas.  Perhaps it's because they've let their memberships lapse at the aerial gyms or maybe it's because people have cut down the aerial gyms along with the forest canopy.

All kidding aside, the third reason is closest to the truth.  Humanity in reshaping nature has changed the complex relationship between food and ourselves; between the environment and animals.  The problem of weight gain in animals, including humans in developed and developing countries, is complex and it is more than a simple question of calories and energy expenditure. It's a question of how bodies are using and storing those calories, both in human and chimpanzee bodies.

I had read some of this research before.  The concept of "obesogens" or endocrine disruptors has entered popular thinking thanks to Dr. Oz and Dr. David Suzuki.  A study from the National Institute of Health sees it has a worldwide phenomenon.  This doesn't let me off the hook.  A sensible diet and exercise are still my best options but I worry about the next generation.  More children today are fat, out-of-shape and succumbing to adult-onset diabetes at a younger age.  And the "blame the victim" mentality that simply points the finger at children or their mothers will not solve the problem.  Some ParticipACTION ads have been truly offensive in this regard.

What I have learnt from my numerous attempts at dieting over the years is that there is big money to be made in the fast food and diet industries.  Besides the obvious financial interests of fast food chains, even the board of the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, an arm of the Dietitians of Canada, includes representatives from the Campbell, Nestle, Unilever and Sodexo companies.  On the other hand, we have Drs. Atkins, Bernstein, Pescatore and others who have made millions from the sale of their books and diet products.  If only these people define the conversation, we are unlikely to get the whole story on obesity and without it, we won't truly understand and take action to benefit the next generation of chimps and children.

Yes, let's begin by removing junk food from school cafeterias and ensuring there is 20 minutes of real daily physical activity in our schools but let's not assume this is sufficient. There's a lot at play here but there's also some hope on the horizon.  A recent article in the Globe and Mail indicates that it may be possible to rid ourselves, and particularly our children's bodies, of toxins and it may be as simple as switching to eating organic fruits and vegetables.

Later in life?

This is controversial and it would require a much broader understanding if we're going to ensure that all children, particularly children living in poverty or in the third world, have an opportunity to lead a healthy adult life. Ultimately, it will require us to clean up the environment as a whole and this can't help but help chimpanzees too.

So to the health professionals out there, I have been honest with you.  Now will you come clean too and have a more informed discussion of what it will take to address childhood obesity?


The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.

Wishing all a good night

When all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a laptop and mouse. Forgive me, Clement Moore, but you wrote your iconic Christmas tale before the invention of the light bulb, much less a mouse with a decidedly different provenance. Unlike your age of the truly dark night except for an occasional flicker of candlelight, our nights are filled with light and movement.

World at night, NASA, 2012

Other than its beauty and the smallness of the world, this NASA image conveys a lot.  The lit-up spots represent areas of urban development.  They are also areas of lower rates of melatonin production, higher rates of shift work, higher levels of cancer, and likely higher levels of sleep disorders.

I receive calls from parents asking for advice. Sometimes the question is how do I get a child to school who doesn't want to be there.  There are three questions I ask the parent in response:

• Is your child afraid of going to school?  Is she waking up with stomach aches or is he unable to sleep at night?  Does your child have friends at the school? Has she told you that her former friends are now treating her badly?  Is he in pain or does he have bruises on his body?  Depending on how a parent answers these questions, it may indicate that a child is being bullied.
• Is your child struggling with her schoolwork?  Does he have trouble reading? Is she unable to concentrate in class?  Is he having difficulty sitting still in class?  Does she tell you that her classmates tease her and call her stupid? Has her teacher expressed concern about her ability to do classwork? Affirmative answers to these questions may indicate that a child has difficulties learning.
• Finally, is your child unable to get up in the morning?  Does she have difficulties falling asleep at night? Is your son so overly active that you wonder if he has ADHD?  Does he snore loudly or does he seem to stop breathing in his sleep?  Does she walk around like a zombie early in the morning and is she unable to concentrate during the day?  Positive answers here may indicate that a child is sleep-deprived.

There are legions of people who are sleep-deprived these days and according to Dr. Elliott Lee, a psychiatrist and world-renowned expert on sleep, this is taking a huge toll on us, on our ability to function, and on the quality of our lives.  Dr. Lee spoke at a public symposium at the Royal Ottawa Hospital last week and his talk was eye-opening!

Even the loss of only one hour sleep per night over time:

• Impairs function and reaction times equivalent to driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.05;
• Impairs the body's ability repair itself and fight off disease;
• Affects creative abilities;
• Affects the ability to concentrate;
• Affects physical energy;
• Contributes to substance abuse;
• Affects reasoning and memory;
• Can even affect survival.

A study published by Till Roenneberg et al also seems to indicate that lack of sleep contributes to obesity. And if all this wasn't enough, the lack of sleep is deeply affecting our children causing them to become fidgety.  It didn't come as a surprise when Dr. Lee stated that the symptoms of sleep-deprivation and ADHD are often confused in children.  

What advice do I give parents about getting children to sleep?  Take that computer, in fact Dr. Lee says all electronics, out of your child's bedroom.  You are the parent; not your child's friend.  Not only can a computer or tablet distract your child from sleep, the complete privacy of a bedroom can cause your child to become more vulnerable to online child predators. While your child may curse you now, she will thank you when she's older.

The other thing you can do is establish a sleep routine for your child.  Start at 7:30 or 8 p.m. every night, children need more sleep than adults, with a hot bath and a story in bed to prepare them for sleep.  The hot bath will set up their bodies for sleep while the quiet story in bed helps slow down their minds.

from A Christmas Anthology

One of the greater gifts you can give your children is a good and healthy sleep routine.  It sets them up for learning the next day.  It gives them physical energy and stamina.   And I know firsthand how it affects creativity.  These posts write themselves after I have a good night's sleep.  You'll have plenty of time to become your child's friend after he becomes a responsible adult.  Right now, he needs a parent who helps him learn about limits and the benefits of good routines.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone.  Or in the words of Clement Moore, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"


The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.

Apartheid and First Nations' Schooling

Children asking for a school

I remember hearing about South African Ambassador Glenn Babb, who was posted to Canada in 1985. When Babb compared the plight of First Nations people living on reserves to Blacks under apartheid, it was controversial and apparently former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was not amused. Since then, even Archbishop Desmond Tutu has looked at the similarities between the lives of Canada's First Nations people and Blacks in South Africa ('Apartheid envoy reviled in Canada', Globe and Mail, August 3, 2003).  According to some writers, notably Prof. John S. Saul of York University, this was no coincidence as much of the system of apartheid, particularly the Bantustan, was modeled on our First Nations reserves.  Now two decades after the fall of apartheid in South Africa, here we are in Canada with remnants of a dreaded apartheid-lite system still in place.

This is strong language but given the current circumstances and the history of residential schools, it is appropriate.  There are children in Canada who are treated in a discriminatory manner because of their race. These are the children who live on reserves under federal jurisdiction, where education is funded at a lower rate than for schooling under provincial jurisdictions. In fact, we don't actually know how much money reserves receive for education since, as I understand it, much is skimmed off the top for native research in universities and for administration. The federal government has not been forthcoming with the actual amount reserves receive on a per student basis.

In fact, at least 100 schools on reserves are considered unsafe, according National Panel on First Nation Elementary and Secondary Education.  Almost two years after its report was tabled,  it appears from an internet search that only a school in Attawapiskat has been built and after some delay, this school is scheduled to be completed by June 2014.

Let's take a moment to examine the proposed First Nations Education Act, originally scheduled to be tabled in January.  Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt is now less clear as to when this legislation will come forward but if it does, it will be without consultation or buy-in from First Nations peoples.  After the disastrous history of residential schools in Canada, one would think that the federal government would want First Nations to be at the table to give some credibility to the proposal.  Instead the bill was written without prior consultation and Valcourt says he's now consulting -- on a piece of legislation that has already been written.  How could this after-the-fact consultation be seen by aboriginal leaders, particularly those with memories of residential schools, as anything other than a sign of bad faith?  

The proposed act allows the Minister to impose third-party advisors to administer reserve schools that do not meet certain standards.  The standards to be met are not spelled out in the proposed bill and it is likely that the cost for these advisors will come out of already meager reserve school funds.

Finally, there was no indication of increased reserve school funding in the Budget (see an earlier post) nor is there in this proposed legislation.  Without funding tied to actual need, including the socio-economic needs of children on reserves, there can be no improvement in student achievement.  On-reserve teachers are often paid far less and as a consequence, they tend to be new teachers without experience.  As well, there is no money for the other educational support staff that children, particularly needier children, typically require to succeed in school.  These include special education teachers, psychologists and social workers.  

We have student drives in many of our Ottawa schools to send books to reserves as there aren't any books. There is no money for libraries.  No money for sports facilities. And as I mentioned earlier, no money to provide even safe facilities.

These are fourth-world conditions in Ontario, for heaven's sake.  Northern Ontario reserves where the standard of living is so low that tuberculosis (TB) is still rampant. Health Canada states that:

For example, while the 2006 Census reports that Aboriginal peoples account for just under 4% of the Canadian population, 21% of all TB cases occurred in this population in 2008.

Most people including most First Nations leadership believe that education is the remedy to breaking the chain of poverty, illness and despair for aboriginal people.  Nelson Mandela also believed that education is the key for his people.  Are we fair-minded Canadians, who were willing to champion fairness for Black people halfway across the world, going to simply watch as our government continues to discriminate against First Nations people here at home?

I can no longer stand by and allow my government to enact a piece of legislation that I know is just plain wrong. I hope you will also look within your conscience and find a way to tell the government your opinion on this proposed bill.  See Shannen's Dream, a student supported initiative, for more information.  Or you can join with others seeking justice and fair funding for First Nations' education at a rally tomorrow, December 10 -- 11 am at Victoria Island or noon on Parliament Hill.  Enough is enough!



The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.