How are we to respond to the news surrounding former Canadian Armed Forces, Colonel Russell Williams?
The former commander of CFB Trenton, plead guilty to two counts of first degree murder, two counts of rape and an additional 82 counts of house break-ins. In all Russell Williams received two life sentences, plus concurrent sentences for the rapes and house break-ins.
Williams will go down in history as one of Canada's most notorious sexual predators and emerging serial killers.
The details of his offenses have been gleefully shared by the daily press and television media. Every aspect of this man has been laid out before the public. He is described as a good husband to his wife of nineteen years Mary Elizabeth Harriman. But more notably we have been informed that as a career soldier Williams was regarded as a model soldier over the course of his 23-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces. Some have gone as far as describing Williams as an elite pilot and "shining bright star" of the military. His career has provided him prime service opportunities including being the pilot for Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Governor General of Canada, the Prime Minister of Canada, and many other dignitaries across Canada and overseas in Canadian Forces VIP aircraft.
In contrast, Williams is described as a man with a dual life. His crimes expose him as a man who was on the rise to becoming a serial killer. His sexual perversions of cross dressing in stolen ladies underpants, breaking into a home nude while his intended victim was bathing in the house. Photographing himself modeling lingerie in victims homes, ultimately elevated into rape, forcible confinement and murder.
The details have angered many Canadians, and it must be said that in no way does this one man represent the Canadian Armed Forces or anyone serving our military. However, one concern that has been expressed to our Federal Government is, 'In light of his conviction, should Williams receive his Canadian Armed Forces Pension?'
One of the changes the federal government has brought forth was the bill to strip old-age income benefits from hundreds of federal prisoners . Although many convicted criminals in the federal prison system do not get Old Age Pension, this bill does not affect Williams. In fact, Williams is eligible and will receive a $60,000 per year Canada Forces pension while serving his two life sentences.
What are we to make of Canada honouring a pension of an admitted and convicted murderer and sexual stalker?
It would be easy to take the position that the Canadian government should strip Williams of his pension. However, any pension derived from public service is in fact a contractual retirement benefit and as a result, Williams paid into a plan, and any income accrued is rightfully payable to him. There is no precedent for Canada to withhold these funds.
Therefore, sitting in a gaol cell is a convicted rapist and murderer, who will receive a yearly income that rivals the average income of a Canadian family.
As unpopular as this may be, honouring the pension is the right thing to do. The pension payments should not be interfered with.
During Williams service to Canada as a soldier, he served in many areas of the military, and like most military personnel, he could not serve this country without an understanding support system. This support was in the form of his devoted wife, Mary Harriman. Ask any person in military service and you will learn that the spouse, whether that be a wife or husband, is a key component to sustaining military service for Canada.
Harriman is also a victim in Russell Williams' crimes. When he was locked up for life, she lost not only a husband but also part of a family income. Harriman is also in the spot light and as a result will be affected by her husbands criminal activity as a result of social pressures and humiliation.
As a military spouse, Harriman was a key component to Col. Williams military service and any pension earnings accrued during that service, as his wife, is rightfully hers.
Even though former Col. Russell Williams is convicted and confined for life, when it comes to his pension, his wife should be covered.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Is it time to be optimistic?
op·ti·mism: an inclination to put the most favourable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome.
Do you want a chuckle? Well here it is. I am actually a closet optimist, in spite of the fact that I like to complain about a whole plethora of issues. But, when it comes to our economy, I describe myself as hopeful, encouraged and yes, optimistic. This in spite of the fact that the most influential people closest to me are best described as pessimists. My optimism is derived from my rosy view of the Canadian economy.
The Canadian economic climate has for the past 24 months, experienced the deepest decline since the recession of the 1980s. Anyone living east of Saskatchewan have been in position of losing their homes, partly due to the real estate market corrections that dropped lower than equity loans and increased property taxes based on this inflated equity. Further, pressures from the collapsing world markets led in-part by the failing US banking system have affected Canadian exports. In the past, our Canadian economy was attached to the proverbial hip of our American counterparts. When the US buying power was strangled by economic pressures, our markets declined in concert.
Here in Alberta, and especially along the Edmonton-Calgary corridor, we have experienced what many observers have described as a normal economy. Yes, our boom did end, but what was left has affected a smaller segment of society and as a result consumer confidence in our region is high. Even though this feels comforting, this rather narrow geographic region has experienced pressures from other parts of Canada, and yes influences from the US. Further, Alberta has experienced a Real Estate correction and property sales are slow. Although we still witness considerable housing starts, this construction is a residual affect from projects started before the recession, and by shovel-ready money provided by our government.
With this now behind us what prediction can we glean?
We are now entering the final quarter of 2010, and as always it is the time of year that many financial wizards sharpen the pencil and come out with predictions of how strong or weak your buying power will be. You will also note that most financial prophets are pessimists, so in this respect I stand alone wearing my rosy spectacles. No, I am not calling myself a wizard, I am however a true optimist.
An optimist's viewpoint.
In past deep recessions, the Asian countries fell in concert with the mighty US economy. Previously, countries like China, South Korea, Taiwan and India had collapsing economies, so any business Canada was conducting with those countries suffered. As a result, trade between Canada and those markets declined leaving us with our largest trading partner, the US, with the most influence.
But when it comes to Canadians, we are rather quick to change our practices, and this is why as a nation many are looking to us as an emerging world economic leader.
Unlike the past, the recent collapse did not affect the Asian countries and those economies have weathered very well. India especially has experienced a boom in providing out-sourcing, from dry goods to skilled workers, where products or services can be provided electronically, or through couriers. On the flip-side, with many predicting that the US will experience the dreaded deepening “double-dip” recession in 2011, Canadians cannot count on the US economy to sustain any real growth here in Canada.
Having learned from the past, Canada is now turning to Asia as important trade partners. These changes will help Canada's economic growth for 2011. It is predicted that in 2011, the developing markets in Asia are expected to grow 7.3 per cent with the most growth experienced in China and India. China is predicted to experience a 9.1 per cent growth with India following at 8.7 per cent. During the American collapse, Canada has been turning away from the weak U.S. markets and have turned to these Asian countries. As a result, with the growth expected from China and India, it is predicted that Canadians overall, will experience a moderate growth between two and three percent.
So, 2011 should be a good year for Canadians. Yes, I am being a bit optimistic but I do have a concern that can make me lose my rosy spectacles.
Recent news that the next volley of globalization “globaloney” has been aimed at creating a one-world banking system. This news should raise the hairs on the back of any Canadian. Canada has what can be argued as the strongest and most secure centralized banking system in the world. A system that has withstood many pressures from the collapse of the U.S. Banking systems and other financial institutions abroad. If the likes of the United Nations and the United States pressure Canada to sign onto such a scheme it could be a blow to our economic future.
So to answer my opening question, “Is it time to be optimistic?” At one time I truly thought so.
Do you want a chuckle? Well here it is. I am actually a closet optimist, in spite of the fact that I like to complain about a whole plethora of issues. But, when it comes to our economy, I describe myself as hopeful, encouraged and yes, optimistic. This in spite of the fact that the most influential people closest to me are best described as pessimists. My optimism is derived from my rosy view of the Canadian economy.
The Canadian economic climate has for the past 24 months, experienced the deepest decline since the recession of the 1980s. Anyone living east of Saskatchewan have been in position of losing their homes, partly due to the real estate market corrections that dropped lower than equity loans and increased property taxes based on this inflated equity. Further, pressures from the collapsing world markets led in-part by the failing US banking system have affected Canadian exports. In the past, our Canadian economy was attached to the proverbial hip of our American counterparts. When the US buying power was strangled by economic pressures, our markets declined in concert.
Here in Alberta, and especially along the Edmonton-Calgary corridor, we have experienced what many observers have described as a normal economy. Yes, our boom did end, but what was left has affected a smaller segment of society and as a result consumer confidence in our region is high. Even though this feels comforting, this rather narrow geographic region has experienced pressures from other parts of Canada, and yes influences from the US. Further, Alberta has experienced a Real Estate correction and property sales are slow. Although we still witness considerable housing starts, this construction is a residual affect from projects started before the recession, and by shovel-ready money provided by our government.
With this now behind us what prediction can we glean?
We are now entering the final quarter of 2010, and as always it is the time of year that many financial wizards sharpen the pencil and come out with predictions of how strong or weak your buying power will be. You will also note that most financial prophets are pessimists, so in this respect I stand alone wearing my rosy spectacles. No, I am not calling myself a wizard, I am however a true optimist.
An optimist's viewpoint.
In past deep recessions, the Asian countries fell in concert with the mighty US economy. Previously, countries like China, South Korea, Taiwan and India had collapsing economies, so any business Canada was conducting with those countries suffered. As a result, trade between Canada and those markets declined leaving us with our largest trading partner, the US, with the most influence.
But when it comes to Canadians, we are rather quick to change our practices, and this is why as a nation many are looking to us as an emerging world economic leader.
Unlike the past, the recent collapse did not affect the Asian countries and those economies have weathered very well. India especially has experienced a boom in providing out-sourcing, from dry goods to skilled workers, where products or services can be provided electronically, or through couriers. On the flip-side, with many predicting that the US will experience the dreaded deepening “double-dip” recession in 2011, Canadians cannot count on the US economy to sustain any real growth here in Canada.
Having learned from the past, Canada is now turning to Asia as important trade partners. These changes will help Canada's economic growth for 2011. It is predicted that in 2011, the developing markets in Asia are expected to grow 7.3 per cent with the most growth experienced in China and India. China is predicted to experience a 9.1 per cent growth with India following at 8.7 per cent. During the American collapse, Canada has been turning away from the weak U.S. markets and have turned to these Asian countries. As a result, with the growth expected from China and India, it is predicted that Canadians overall, will experience a moderate growth between two and three percent.
So, 2011 should be a good year for Canadians. Yes, I am being a bit optimistic but I do have a concern that can make me lose my rosy spectacles.
Recent news that the next volley of globalization “globaloney” has been aimed at creating a one-world banking system. This news should raise the hairs on the back of any Canadian. Canada has what can be argued as the strongest and most secure centralized banking system in the world. A system that has withstood many pressures from the collapse of the U.S. Banking systems and other financial institutions abroad. If the likes of the United Nations and the United States pressure Canada to sign onto such a scheme it could be a blow to our economic future.
So to answer my opening question, “Is it time to be optimistic?” At one time I truly thought so.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Get out the Pry Bar
Unless you have been using this newspaper as a bird cage liner, you probably have noticed this coming Monday, October 18th is Election Day. Every city, town, village and county have candidates running for local councils and school boards. Aside from advertisements from many candidates, we have published profiles and platforms from as many people running for office as possible over the past two issues, and in this issue you will find even more. In our region alone we have well over fifty people running for office.
Considering the amount of complaining from many ratepayers over the past three years from nearly every city, village and county, I am expecting this election to be an exciting and well attended turnout. Unless you consider a thirty percent voter turnout well attended, I suspect that I have just been wasting my breath.
On average, roughly thirty percent is all that will ever come out to vote in municipal elections. Unless it is a federal election which usually experiences a whopping sixty-four percent voter turnout, on average municipal elections fair much less.
Is it that many people just don't care? Is it maybe that many are just ignorant of facts, or are people nowadays just plain lazy? A popular position is that it is the young adult that is the cause for poor voter turnouts. It has been said that the twitter generation is too preoccupied with vain pursuits preventing them from looking up long enough to discover that there is a social responsibility to exercise. According to many people, apathy and disinterest is the privy of the youth, and voting is a waste of time.
I don't buy into that at all. I truly believe that the young person I see with their pants dragging on the ground is waiting with bated breath to cast a vote. I am sure that the fella on the bus with his hat turned sideways thumbing away while texting his 'bro' or 'babe', is discussing who is the best candidate to be the Mayor in Wetaskiwin, or who should be sitting on the school board. As strong as these examples are to the contrary, I still don't believe that voter apathy is all in the hands of young people. In fact, it is my generation that currently has the vast majority of voter strength to wield, and it is precisely my generation, the baby boomers, that have shown the most disinterest in the democratic process. The young adult comes by voter apathy honestly because it has been handed down to them by their parents, and the cycle will continue with every generation.
Gone are the days when families sat around the living room and talked, where the mother and father would mentor their offspring on important issues. It was during those times, when the 'family' political position was expressed, which fuelled the interests in the youth entering the voter age.
If you ask someone if they plan to vote, in most cases the answer is “No.” I have asked many acquaintances this very question and the answer is usually is an unintelligible “Nah.” If you press them on why, the usual response you get is, “It doesn't matter” or “One vote does not make a difference.” On a larger scale, this type of apathetic influence can be found on the internet, a media where many young adults mill about getting their social conscientious stimulated. Influences like, “In strictly economic terms, voting makes no sense at all. It takes time away from useful activities and rarely is any single individual's vote likely to make much of a difference. So, why bother?” I found this nugget of wisdom, and much more like it on websites with high page rankings, making this type of social consciousness easy to access.
So what is the cause for meagre voter turnouts? I truly believe it is because we have it too easy in Canada. For many people, they like to complain about their elected officials, but in the end they either don't believe those complaints or just want others to take care of it. Ignorance is bliss, and therefore to cast a vote in an election would be just irresponsible because many people have not kept up with the issues. They don't really know who is running, nor have they made it their business to find out.
So when the next governing council raises your taxes without proper reasoning, or the school board decides to use a textbook or bring in a program that you feel is not appropriate, I sure hope the average armchair critic had pulled out the pry bar, peeled their backsides off the chair and voted. Because, it is not just a social right to vote, it is democratic responsibility. A responsibility that should be handed down to the youth. Because without the voter interest, apathy, disinterest and indifference will prevail and you may find people in our public offices that have no business occupying the seat of power.
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