The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Pre-Christmas Ramblings Are you looking forward to Christmas? Obviously a lot of us are, but there are many who are not, including a number of businesses who fear that the continued recession will mean fewer dollars spent in this traditionally big-spending season. A number of businesses have slashed prices, especially on big-ticket items like TVs and furniture, and some are doing things like paying the taxes to entice people into their stores. Let's hope they are successful, the recession is finally over, and more people will find work. The annual Flin Flon Christmas luncheon in Winnipeg was a resounding success, as it has been for 22 years. There were 90 people in attendance, including a brave couple who drove from Flin Flon for the event, and everyone received either a prize or a cartoon drawn by the chairman, Dave Negrych. A couple of special guests were Jonathan Scarth, CEO of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, and Leaf Rapids Mayor Ed Charrier, who wants to be Flin Flon's next MLA. Scarth represented Tory leader Hugh McFadyen, who wanted to attend but was unable to leave the legislature. Hugh had donated two new Manitoba books as prizes along with 100 Manitoba pins. Jonathan was happy to meet with numerous former Flin Flonners, especially his hockey buddy Jack Turner, whose smile is seen in many a team picture at the Whitney Forum. Jonathan and Jack have family ties to Winnipegosis, and Jack is still playing hockey at 70. Mayor Charrier said his town of 600 people received a lot of publicity for banning plastic bags. He told me that as a Mtis he has plenty of support among the aboriginals in the constituency and is anxious to meet as many Flin Flon people as possible. He is a very interesting person and will make a good candidate. On the federal scene, the Liberals continue to surprise while the NDP do not. After getting devastated in four recent by-elections, Michael Ignatieff's party supported the NDP's motion for an independent investigation into the diplomat whistleblower's accusations of torture of Taliban prisoners by the Afghans. But remember, it was the Liberals who got us into this war in the first place. The NDP are simply yearning for Canada to go back to a peacekeeping role, a return made impossible by the 9/11 attacks. Will the two parties receive any support from the Armed Forces and their families? Not very likely! The Liberal-NDP coalition issue keeps popping up, especially with comments by mainly New Democrats who would dearly love to see one formed. The coalition attempt was nothing more than a power grab by Stphane Dion and Jack Layton, who knew it was the only way they would ever gain power. This was especially true of the NDP, who remain the fourth-place party in Parliament with little sign that their fortunes will improve. Of course the Bloc Quebecois supported them as a boost to their separatist agenda. Michael Ignatieff made a mistake in signing onto the ill-fated agreement, as the Conservatives have been using the issue on him and will do so again in the next election. How about some great answers by Canadians? I received these in an e-mail. In France, at a large conference, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was asked by a French cabinet minister if Canadian involvement in Afghanistan was merely empire building. Harper answered by saying, "Over the years, Canada has sent many of its finest young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked in return is enough to bury those who did not return." You could have heard a pin drop! Another was from a Canadian admiral attending a naval conference. He was chatting away in English when a French admiral complained that while Europeans learn many languages, North Americans learn only English. He wondered why we can't speak French at these conferences. The Canadian admiral replied, "Maybe it 's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies, and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German!" A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all readers! Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
