The David Suzuki Connection

THE DAVID SUZUKI CONNECTION

Nobody is more representative of the human desire to understand and preserve the health of our planet than David Suzuki.  So why is the Canada Revenue Agency  inquiring into the political advocacy of Dr. Suzuki’s foundation?  At the behest of Ethical Oil who complained to Harper’s government about the political advocacy of environmental groups.  Ethical Oil is secured by the funding of oil and gas interests while also enjoying the benefits of NGO status.   I believe these interrogations into the political advocacy of the Suzuki foundation is happening for the same super- scary reasons that Harper’s new citizenship bill (Bill C-24) will probably be passed.    Bill C-24 will give the Harper government “unprecedented authority to strip Canadians of their citizenship” (thestar.com, Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press).  And then we also have Harper’s “Fair Elections Act”.

Isn’t it precious how the more treacherous that the Harper government becomes to Canadians, the smarmier the Harper people’s language gets?   Fair Elections Act, indeed.  According to the Council of Canadians (Feb.11, 1014 web site) this act will stop voters from using the voter card sent out by Elections Canada as valid ID which will mean some First Nations, seniors, people without a driver’s license, homeless, young people, etc., may not be able to vote.  The bill even forbids Elections Canada from encouraging people to vote though any kind of an ad campaign. This bill also denies the right of the election officials to demand financial documentation to support financial returns, and muzzles the Chief Electoral Officer from making allegations of electoral fraud public.  Sound like the Tea Party? 

Together with the new Citizenship bill (Bill C-24) that would take away Canadian citizenship from anyone Harper deems a threat to Canada ( i.e. a threat to his government).  Again quoting Frank Gunn “Current law lets the government strip naturalized Canadians of their citizenship only if they obtained their status fraudulently.  But no more.  Bill C-24 would let the government unilaterally strip citizenship from any Canadian-naturalized or native born-who has been convicted in any country of a terrorist offence and sentenced to at least five years in jail.”

Terrorist offence?  Will it now be described as a terrorist offence when citizens use peaceful civil disobedience to block bull dozers with their bodies?  Will this be considered the same as a suicide bomber?   Will it be considered a terrorists act to gather in protest around the parliament buildings?  Am I being paranoid?  Aw, but I remember the last time I was in court  (2007) for Criminal Contempt of Court (Eagleridge Bluffs)   the Crown asked  the judges at my sentencing to consider that I was a habitual offender (like the most awful unredeemable child rapists)  and should be sentenced as such.  Which brings me back to the David Suzuki foundation.

Yes, of course Harper is after environmental groups.  Especially the great environmental teacher, David Suzuki, along with his foundation. People associated with this group and other environmental groups, and who contribute to them, are not likely to vote Conservative.  Neither will duel Canadian/American citizens like myself.  And there are a lot of Canadian/Americans who came to Canada during the Vietnam War and later, who became citizens and  who will never vote Conservative. 

 So Harper’s aim seems to be thus…if he can’t convince citizens to forgo science and global warming in favor of religion and earth destruction, then he must intimidate the environmental groups who believe in science before religion, he must restrict voting rights for others who crave social justice, and for the intractable ones who won’t vote Conservative and instead actively engage in civil disobedience, then he must write a bill that will expel them from Canada altogether.

 Our premier seems to have a mission far beyond financial austerity measures.  And that mission is to align Canada, along with his cabinet, to both the Canadian and US tea partiers, who are of the same religious fundamentalist bent and who depend on Israel to bomb Iran into World War Three in order to bring the Armageddon and of course, the “Rapture”.  There is no sense in this.   We need some kind of a people’s brigade.  Another Occupy movement, but with a collective leadership that is stable.  Am I just dreaming?