Critical Perspectives and Reflections

BILL LEE November 30, 2020 There has been an unpleasant story making the rounds on a lot of media sources, the ones to which I have access anyway. It is about an Abbotsford First Nations mother, Krista MacInnis (Pictured here). She became righteously enraged that her daughter received a school assignment asking students to list “five positive stories” about residential schools. She told the local newspaper that she found out about the assignment when her 11-year-old daughter, who is in Grade 6 at an Abbotsford Middle School, came to her for some help with it. (Hopes, 2020) At first, I was stunned. In this day and age, after the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Report, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the ‘apology’ rendered by then Prime Minister Steven Harper, which was applauded by all and sundry of the Whitestream class, including the opposition parties, the idea of asking any child to come up with positive stories on a signature event of the original colonial project...

BILL LEE November 12, 2018   Half the country has been demonized as awful for four Years.… And now it’s let’s heal.’ ‘Unity!’ Good luck. - Megan Kelly (Former Fox News host)i    As we all know Joe Biden has been confirmed as winning the Presidential Election of the USA by pretty well all the reputable news services in the country. With the exception of a few of the usual suspect on the international scene he has been duly congratulated for the victory. Though there are still votes to be counted, it was surprising close, but only the Great Denier and some of his most abased acolytes maintain that it is not over.   Healing Anyone? But with Whom? And he accomplished the win, it seems, in great part, by solemnly, and often, promising to have as the first priority of his administration action focused on the healing of the divisions of the nation, “bringing together” the citizens and politicos of whatever stripe and to restore civility and mutual respect ...

  JIM WARD Oct. 26, 2020 In recent weeks, the Globe and Mail has published powerful articles on what appears to be overwhelming racial discrimination against non-white prisoners in the Canadian correctional system, particularly Indigenous and Black prisoners. The first of these deals with the appalling conditions under which prisoners in the Thunder Bay prison live, many of whom are still awaiting trial, i.e. have not been convicted as yet and are living the lives of people already found guilty of some crime. The majority of prisoners in the Thunder Bay prison are Indigenous. The second article provided considerable detail on the wide difference in treatment between white and non-white prisoners in Canada’s federal prisons. I would like to make the case that what is primarily at work here is class discrimination. I am not aware whether or not anyone has, as yet, done a comparison between the treatment of white working class criminals and those with middle and upper class background...

  WAYNE JOHNSTON NOV. 2. 2020   I’m sitting up here, in Canada, pondering as I watch the USA with genuine concern. I’m a political junkie and, in particular, I find American politics to be intriguing, particularly the two-party system. I cannot help thinking that it boxes people in politically by not allowing them to look at issues on a broader scope, creating dogged ideology. But I digress. Dear USA, you perplex me as I look back on your history and accomplishments. What happened in the blink of an eye? You become dinner theatre for the rest of the world. I truly cannot figure out why any fair minded, decent person would vote for Trump. To me there are only a few explanations. You are rich, a racist, incredibly stupid, or you have a fetish for mendacity and like to be lied to daily, several times daily. Surely this proves that some misguided folks will vote for and support the vilest of people. I know some of you will lose your raspberries over this, but here go...