In federal Canadian politics, I would say that the party i align most with is the Bloc Quebecois. They have sensible opinions and solutions on many current issues that align with my personal beliefs and values. They believe in protecting our environment, and shifting our economy away from fossil fuels while maintaining Canada's position as an energy powerhouse. This in my opinion is the most sensible approach to keeping our economy strong, while making adjustments to it that protect our environment. They also support giving provinces more autonomy to better support their own constituents. They mostly focus on Quebec, as the party was established to protect the interests and values of the Quebecois, but I believe in more power in more local governments. Canada is an incredibly diverse nation, where ways of life differ from province to province. Living in Alberta, or Yukon would be much different to living in British Columbia, and we have different values. In British Columbia, most people want to protect the environment while in Alberta they are more focused on their economy, which
0 Comments
I wholeheartedly believe the notwithstanding clause should be kept in the canadian constitution. It helps provinces not abide to parts of the charter of rights and freedoms (within reason) and court rulings that do not allign with the province's culture, values, and society as a whole. As canada is such a huge country, life in other provinces is very different to one another. For instance, laws and court rulings that make sense in alberta may not make sense for people living in british columbia or Québec. For this reason, the notwithstanding clause was put in place so provinces can make decisions on how they should be run, in a way that makes sense to their unique sets of values and principles. The notwithstanding clause is limited, in that its use cannot disrupt the democratic process to avoid leaving pathways open to dictatorship. On top of this, it can only be invoked for five years at a time, so it cannot be abused and its use will only last until the next election. This means that if the people of the province disagree with the use of the notwithstanding clause, and it doesn't allign with their values they can just change the government in the next election. In general, the notwithstanding clause helps provincial governments can make decisions that make more sense for their constituents. It prevents the provinces from being bound by bloated, "one size fits all" solutions that should be handled according to local sentiment and beliefs. As canada is such a diverse country with all of our unique and distinct cultures and regions with their own unique traditions, values, and belifs; the notwithstanding clause helps maximize freedom across the country. The only proper purpose of a government is to protect its constituents values, morals, and beliefs; the notwithstanding clause helps provincial governments achieve this, and thus should be kept in our constitution at all costs.
David Milgaard is a man who suffered one of Canada's greatest injustices. He was falsely accused of rape and murder by police, who coerced his friends into testifying against him even if they knew he was innocent. The police intimidated and threatened them into giving a false testimony. He served 23 years in prison, until the technology to analyze DNA evidence came around, when his DNA was tested and was found to not be a match to the DNA that was found inside the body. He was exonerated for the crime that he didn't commit, and was paid $10 million CAD in compensation for mental suffering, lost wages, and legal fees. His case is an example of why Canada does not have capital punishment, as our justice system can make mistakes. It also serves as a dire warning against giving the police too much power, they need to be held accountable and have checks and balances so they don't abuse it.
Robert Latimer had a daughter with a severe disability, that greatly affected her quality of life. She was in severe pain, and needed help with most things. One day, Robert Latimer put her in his truck and hooked the exhaust up to the cabin, killing her with carbon monoxide poisoning. He was caught for the murder, and tried. His legal defense argued that it was a mercy killing and he shouldn't have been held liable for the murder. Even if he believed the killing was justified as his daughter was suffering greatly, he still shouldn't have been the one to decide to end her life. He eventually got parole and is now living free, even though he didn't regret or feel remorse for his crime. Even if he is unlikely to re-offend, he should still be punished because of the horrible nature of his crime. In Canada today, we have medically assisted death, but it requires the patient to request it. His daughter trusted him, and he killed her. He thought he was doing her a service, but never consulted her before choosing to kill her, and has a poor sense of right and wrong. What he did was deplorable, and was punished by serving over 20 years in prison.
The Dudley and Stephens Case was a case about four men who were stranded at sea and ran out of food. Dudley and Stephens went behind the other's backs, waited for one to sleep and then murdered him. The murder was planned and premeditated, and even if they thought it was necessary to survive, the other's didn't know about it or agree to it. Their murder was not justified, even if in their heads they thought it was. They wound up getting exonerated for their crime, due to the unusual circumstances and the unlikeliness of them re-offending, but I believe they should have been punished for murdering and cannibalizing the boy that was with them on the lifeboat.
The Public Order Emergency Commission recently did an inquiry into Justin Trudeau's use of the emergencies act to respond to the trucker protests of February 2022. The commission found that Trudeau was justified in invoking the act. I completely agree with this, as the trucker protests had gotten out of control, and the police had proved themselves to be ineffective in dealing with them. They were blocking bridges on the border, and holding up 10's if not 100's of millions of dollars of trade with the United States. Had the local police been more effective in dealing with the protests, the situation would not have become a national emergency and would not have required Trudeau to invoke emergency powers. While it was a drastic measure, the situation was dire and it was required.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |