1900 World's Fair coin - how interesting!

I was just reading Andrew Coyne's blog, which I find quite incisive, and learnt something regarding a coin that Canada issued on the occasion of the 1900 World's Fair in Paris. That coin bore the inscription "Le Canada est une nation".
How wonderful! Andrew quite rightly affirms the necessity for us to reappropriate the word. Who's "us"? Us is Us. Everyone. Every Canadian man, woman, and child. From coast to coast. Ernest Renan famously affirmed that nationhood is an everyday plesbiscite. That's very true. You see, nationhood, like one's identity, is constructed every day, through ones actions, ones choices, what one decides to do and what one chooses not to do. If we are weak in reinforcing our nationhood, others will, legitimately, subvert the process through their own nationbuilding process. Though the "nation" tirade of late, people have unfortunately forgotten about the nation that is worth fighting for, instead focusing on the definition worth fighting against. That's the fundamental problem with that whole silly debate, and I leave you the liberty to read my previous entries to learn where I stand on the question and how I justify it. To summarize though, I see it as every Canadian's duty to recognize the nation we belong to, to contribute to that nation economically, culturally, socially and through one's solidarity to it, and to reaffirm whenever possible the fact that Canada is a nation, not some empty shell of a country, à la Sheila Copps, in which anything goes but nothing really is.

That being said, what is it with those World's Fairs, anyway? I really find them fascinating, and it's somewhat of a shame the effervescence they used to conjure has been largely diluted and eclipsed by the passage of time these days. I've always found that these spectacles of might and accomplishment provide a window into the future, that is to say, a physical, tangible expression of the aspirations of a people, of a civilisation, of its values and of its dreams. The 1967 World's Fair, in Montréal, was a phenomenal success of the wildest possible proportions. Not only did it coincide with our nation's 100th anniversary, but its gargantuan proportions and space-age flavour showcased the splendor and radiated the aspirations of our young, up-and-coming nation.

And through it all, Max Weber was right. The german sociologist affirmed that three princpal forms of legitimacy existed in the establishment of the authority of the leadership of a regime. Old societies were rallied by a traditional form (priesthood, worship of tradition, customs and social mores); the leadership of modern societies was legitimized through a legal-rational mechanism - for instance, no matter who is President of the USA, and whether one likes him or not, we all know that in 4 years, a process exists to replace him or her, people respect the process, and that notwithstanding the person, people pledge allegiance to the presidency, not the president. In other words, there is a worship of the bureaucratic structure. Finally, charismatic leadership reflects the legitimacy bestowed upon the leader who bears certan characteristics seen by the population as worthy of worship, that are compelling, that drive the social body on an almost emotional basis. Parallels can be drawn with Canada for illustrative purposes. What has happened in Canada is that, in order to remove the divisive anchorages of our previous identities, nothing has come to replace them, save for a rational, bureaucratic structure that compels nobody and instils passion in only the most earnst accountants. Case in point, one drives to Ottawa and is greeted by boring signs bearing "Welcome to Canada's capital". Whatever happened to "the Nation's Capital!"? Why not a more stylized sign? Québec city has it right, though the cause of course is misguided.

I say all this because it is time we stand up and expound a vision that compels to greatness and inspires to the summit of our possibilities. What is needed is balance. The legal-rational system is arguably the best, and is most impregnable to the deleterious forces that usually tear apart the other forms of social legitimacy (that is to say, their inability to sustain or reproduce themselves - just watch what happens to Castro's regime once Mr. Castro passes away - it will wither away rather quickly, as no-one will be able to summon those characteristics that were singularly Fidel's. The Cuban revolution was never a socialist one, it was Castro's. I wrote an interesting essay some years back at the IÉP Grenoble, with early 20th century Germany as my example). World's Fairs were a brilliant demonstration of the strengh that can be conjured by calling upon our irrational sentiments. We tend to deny the importance of our irrationality, but I have always expouned how general elections are decided in large part by peoples' basest irrationality. Québécois believe in Kyoto and are anti-war, yet they elected several Conservatives who work against those two objectives. Why's that? Because of an irrational attachment to the "fiscal imbalance" issue. Historically, québécois elected Trudeau and Lévesque. Why's that? I can't possibly know, but I do know that these two were the most compelling leaders our nation's produced in the last 40 years, and for reasons that have little to do with reason, people saw in both of them legitimate leaders for their res publica.

Now's the time to channel our social irrationality towards a constructive, national objective.

I declare the motion defeated - Speaker Milliken

The sweet voice of democracy, especially when that voice is, in a majority, one expressing reason.

The marriage question is dead! Let's hope the dead horse stays that way. Conservatives, please put that stick away.

Un vote sur la dignité humaine - redux

My first inclination, regarding the same-sex marriage debate being reopened, was obvious disgust and frustration in being hauled through this whole song and dance again.

It's apparent the civil liberties movement was lost on some, and it's quite curious (and intriguing) to bear witness to the modern, living, museum piece incarnated by the Conservative Party of Canada. I'm simply glad that, when called upon Thursday afternoon, all the king's horses and all the king's men (and some women, though Cheryl Gallant's probably packing more testosterone than most guys I've ever met, and enough for all the chicks in her caucus) will not be able to turn the tide of reason, progress, and individual freedom from the oppression of the state in matters that are personal and between consenting adults.

Dion needn't whip his caucus either, and I'm personally glad he's taking that stand, though it would have been equally acceptable for me that he impose party discipline on so fundamental a question as that which puts into peril the freedom of individuals to exist equally in a just and democratic society.

Mais... sur la question même, je suis persuadé que Harper n'était pas chez lui, attachant le corset de sa femme un joli matin, pendant que les enfants Harper allumaient leurs lampes de kérozène, lorsqu'il lui surgit l'idée de réovrir la question sur le mariage égal. Ni, non plus, fut-il tiraillé de façon irréprimable d'oiseaux-messagers qui lui amenaient des lettres de parchemin de la part des coalitions anti-gai et pro-mariage traditionnel et pro-famille (whatever the heck that's supposed to be - les gais sont "contre la famille"? Give me a mother-fuddling break [to adapt Trudeau to 2006]).

Non, Harper est plus intelligent que ça, et encore une fois, comme avec la motion sur la question nationale, Harper va neutraliser, une fois pour de bon, la question pour garder la main-mise stratégique sur l'accomplissement de sa plate-forme électorale aux yeux de ses commétants. C'est stratégique pour lui, certes. Et sachant que son caucus est minoritaire sur la question, il perdra le vote. Et ça sera terminé, fini, éliminé, et neutralisé.

Au moins, pour lui, il pourra plaider victoire à ses créanciers et lobbyistes partisans non-élus qui lui imposent tellement de pression pour qu'il réouvre la question.
Et au moins, il pourra convoquer son caucus après le vote le lendemain matin et rallier ses collègues, certains assis autour de la table en train d'ajuster leurs montres de poche, d'autres polissant leurs monacles, et d'autres encore préparant des télégrammes à leurs familles. Les députés pourront retourner à leurs comtés la conscience tranquille, sachant qu'ils ont tout fait pour replacer l'Amérique du Nord Britannique à sa bonne place, harkening back to those good ol' days of 1872 over a glass of whisky as the wife finishes those dishes.

Chrétien still has it!

Je viens de visionner le discours de Jean Chrétien, prononcé lors du dépouillement du dernier scrutin au congrès libéral de samedi passé.

Wow, can that man ever rouse the troops! Il parle d'une franchise et d'une simplicité désarmantes. Il évoque les accomplissements de tous ses prédécesseurs, ainsi que les siens, et nous rappelle jusqu'à quel point notre pays est à la dérive depuis la fin janvier dernier.

Stéphane Dion, our newly chosen leader and Leader of the Official Opposition, would be ill-advised to unpack his boxes at Stornoway - why, he'd be better off telling the moving trucks to park up the street just a little bit further, to 24 Sussex, because, my dear readers, he will be our Prime Minister in very little time from now.

Le plus que je l'observe, le plus que je suis convaincu que cet homme saura, avec force, intégrité, charme et intelligence, avancer la vision dont a tellement besoin le Canada, et les canadiens et canadiennes lui investiront du mandat de réussir notre destin national.

Laurier, Pearson, Trudeau, Chrétien, et maintenant, Dion. Notre histoire est effectivement une épopée, nos plus glorieux exploits nous attendent!
Il y a du travail à faire. C'est l'appel à la mission, et c'est avec zèle et conviction que je suis au rendez-vous. Replaçons la nation sur le bon chemin!
Vive le Canada!

Le Roi est mort; Vive le Roi!

In a somewhat surprising, though not totally unexpected, turn of events, swift alliance-forging and a solid articulation of an ambitious and clear vision have propelled Stéphane Dion past his leadership rivals to the head of the Liberal Party of Canada.

I fully endorse Stéphane Dion as new Liberal leader. In fact, I'm quite excited about our new party leadership, and it is with renewed confidence and a fresh outlook that I put my faith in this principled and intelligent gentleman to defeat the tories at our first possible opportunity - actually, allow me to correct this. Stéphane Dion and the Liberals will not simply conquer the tory regime. Indeed, more than this is in store.

Today's liberals are not new, they are re-newed. They are together at last. They are strong by virtue of unity and purpose. They will present to Canadians a vision for the nation so inspired by values and inspiring in message, so very reflective of Canada's destiny, a vision that will compel Canadians to try harder, to push further, to dare more ambitiously, to objectives that will, like a diamond in the sun, illuminate the broader horizons of our potential and guide the way to a better world for all humanity. They will, in this odyssey, so compellingly outshine the conservatives that Canadians will, for the first time in a long time, cast their ballots not against the greater evil, but in favour of Canada's true destiny, a destiny they will know can only be entrusted into the vigour and might of Stéphane Dion's Liberal Team.

Liberals will be back, ladies and gentlemen. It's a matter of very little time, and Stéphane, accompanied by some familiar lieutenants, will guide us to victory, to destiny, to Canada!

Vive le Roi,

Vive le Canada!