I was watching Wings over Canada, with John Lovelace just now. He spoke of two classic Canadian airplanes made right in this country in the 1950s: The Otter and the Beaver. It got me thinking.
Back in those days, and right through to the Canadian centenary – we had the world open ahead of us. There was nothing Canada, and Canadians, couldn’t do. Today there is none of that optimism. Why would that be, I wondered?
Then it came to me that Canada then was coming out of being a colony to being a nation, but sadly it is now back to a colonial status – to the U.S. The old colonial power had a great advantage: it was 8,000 miles away across the sea. The stranglehold of the U.S. via NAFTA, and other “harmonizing” deals lies along 4,000 miles of common border. This is a much tighter rope.
In addition, our governments and mainstream media seem to be promoting this treasonous sinking into colonial status. You have to ask yourself: what’s in it for them?
Canada is now going to build up our military: not by creating our own planes to fit the needs of Canada, but to help the U.S. fight its imperial wars of conquest for more oil. I bet the engineers who designed the Beaver and Otter couldn’t find a job in Canada today if they tried! And of course, Lockheed Martin and such have no need for small planes that have helped build this nation. They need better and deadlier bombers to kill more people abroad with depleted uranium munitions. At least I hope it’s abroad!
These expensive planes our Conservative Government is buying from the U.S. will cost us our social programs, and won’t do anything to build prosperity in Canada. But then colonies don’t deserve to have a high standard of living. Their smartest and best might be able to find a job in the colonial power, if they are willing to compromise their principles enough, and abandon their country. The rest of our talented youth will be kept to the mom and pop store keeper level.
Sometimes I’m almost glad to be a senior – I may not see the unravelling of a once-so-Promising country.
Eva Lyman
