solutions

 

 

A.   Gain a Proper Understanding

 

 

Sequence is important.

 

 

In our class, one person said that fracking is really bad and dangerous, a major concern. Another person said that fracking is not a problem. Both were right. But the deep concern about fracking was created a year ago. Currently, oil prices are down so the oil companies are not fracking. So right now, fracking is not a problem.

Other Examples:

Sometimes a previous event has an impact on what you see.

  • worn out.   Why? - due to a long run.

  • bad service.   Why? - because you are the third impatient person.

  • being angry.   Why? - because previous polite complaining didn't help.

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    Rough Work !

    IGNORE:
    Harper has turned Canada into a peacemaker instead of a peacekeeper. We used to think that we specialized in peacekeeping, that it is a valuable job and that Canadians have the talent to do it well. But now, our soliders are expected to fight, sometimes for a good cause, and sometimes for causes which are questionable.
     

    Rough Work !

    (5) Harper has also ignored the Kelowna accord which would have benefited the Natives. Instead, he has passed laws in the form of an omnibus bill, so they were put through without proper debate. As a result, the Natives started the Idle No More movement and have been really unhappy with our Harper government.

     

    The process of creating the gun registry:
    Many rural people in Western Canada assumed that the gun registry was a deliberate act by the government to take control of their guns. They feared that the government was planning to take their guns away from them, including the guns they used for hunting.

    But:
    The gun registry was created in response to the massacre of 14 women in Montreal in 1989. They were simply being a responsive government, responding to the desires of a lot of concerned women. Concerns about safety in the city were much different from the rural folk in Western Canada. It was believed that the registry would be an important tool for the police to use.

    Rough Work !

    But the hype seemed to prove that a registry would not solve all problems. Radio talk shows did not want to admit that it was a little like getting a drivers licence. The government did fail to communicate properly, so there were angry misunderstandings. The government needed to respond to the fears of many farmers, that the government was plotting against them. The gun registry was eventually cancelled.

     

    PM Stephen Harper is a dictator (and he can't sing):
    Many have been upset with changes that have been brought on by PM Stephen Harper. He has chosen to do things which are not consistent with Canada's past reputation. They are things which has hurt Canada's reputation internationally. Some of his actions appear to be anti-Canadian.
    (1) Harper pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol,
     
    (2) has cut funds to environmental scientists, and
     
    (3) belongs to a church which has anti-science beliefs.
     

     

     
    But:
     (1) It is true that Harper pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, but key players, the United States and China never were part of that agreement. Staying in would have meant we would have had to pay a huge penalty. The previous Jean Chretien government had not made any environmental changes after signing the protocol, so Harper just continued with the same policy. It could be in Canada's best interests to simply follow the lead of the United States when it comes to the environment.
     
    (2) Recently Harper announced $1.5 Billion for Science and Technology, so
     
    (3) he can't be that strongly against Scientists.
     
    (4) Canada may actually improve our reputation by being peacemakers, by carrying our weight, and by being activelly involved in NATO. This could help our reputation in the EU and in so doing, improve the free trade agreement with the EU which was signed last spring.
     
    (5) Harper also has plans and a budget to deal with the Native situation. Even though Harper did not take the path recommended by the Kelowna accord, he might be getting results. He has promised money for Native schools, so they can start focusing on educating themselves. Since an election is coming up, the money promised should come through. However, it is also true that the oil prices have dropped by half, so tax revenue has been seriously hurt.

     

     

    The Triple E Senate:
    Triple E stands for equal, effective, and elected. It was developed by an Alberta farmer and the radio talk shows loved the idea. There was a lot of hype around it so the Reform party and Stephen Harper got on the bandwagon and gained a lot of votes by supporting the Triple E Senate. They even had expensive elections in which Senators were selected, and then the Prime Minister chose to accept the results, to go along with what was happening and appoint those people to the Senate.

    But:
    They could not change the constitution by simply passing laws. Due to the constitution, Ontario would have to give up its powers and influence and vote in favor of a Triple E Senate which would give more power to the other provinces. Obviously, that was not going to happen. Also, a more effective Senate meant that it would be harder for the government to get things done. Stalemates in the United States Senate were reminders that giving more power to the Senate was probably a very expensive, bad idea.

     

     

     

     

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