Editor:
I am not a racist. I am not a bigot. I believe all humans are created equal. I enjoy the company of people from all walks of life, all levels of education, all colors of skin and all ethnic origins, and most religions. How then can I bring myself to accept that certain people in our country should have rights that all Canadians don’t enjoy? I can’t.
Our so-called leaders have been negotiating away these equalities since the country was formed, so that now in fear of some adverse reactions that might occur if we don’t acquiesce, we find ourselves being threatened with blockades, denial of access to roads and waterways, separation, and other unspecified civil disobedience.
Canada has become a nation divided into three camps. On the one hand we have the majority of taxpayers going about their business of trying to raise families and earn a living and pay their taxes, and on the other hand, we have people trying to figure out the best way to separate these funds from the government for their own benefit, or create rules that don’t apply to everyone.
No one alive today can claim to have ancestors who were the “first“ people on this continent. And even if they could, why should that entitle anyone to a larger share of the countries’ wealth than anyone else?
We are a capitalist democracy. You get your share in proportion to your contribution. You work, you get paid, you buy what you need.
I get it, that along with that freedom goes the responsibility to help those who can’t help themselves, and we have established a pretty good system of healthcare, education and welfare funding for those individuals.
In Canada, any race or religion can preserve its own identity and language and many do just that, on their own, without any government funding. I don’t buy that any small minority group in this country has any right to bar any other groups or citizens from access to public lands and waters anywhere in this country, and the sooner our elected officials confirm this fact, the better for all Canadians.
The first order of business is to affirm just what are the public lands and waterways. The next is to reaffirm that we are an nation of equals, not a group of unequal nations.
Michael Smith
Ladysmith