A Real Thanksgiving

PM Trudeau, Mrs. Trudeau and children 

I should have posted this on October 20th, the day after the election, but I was too overcome with emotion, and busy pinching myself, and hoping not to awaken from the dream. 

I admit to having been in a long-standing funk caused primarily by living under the increasingly racist and scientifically hostile Conservative Government. 

Watching the policies of the Canadian Government dragged down by a man who represented the worst of his Party was painful in the extreme. But the recent election, in which the Conservative Party was rejected with decisive force, proved that Canadians will not stand for the institutionalization of racism and bigotry into their Government.

One of the many final straws in the game of political pick-up sticks was learning that not only had the Harper Government closed the monitoring stations for Fisheries, Oceans and Arctic Climate and Regional Libraries but he had 50 years of climate, fisheries and biological data destroyed so it could not be used to show climate change, including the life's work of biological scientists who had donated it to libraries expecting it to be preserved for future reference. If there was a sector of society Stephen Harper hadn't offended, other than his very wealthy friends in the oil sector, and the far-right "Dominionist" Christians who feel that protecting the environment is against God's will, I'm not sure who it was. 

Other than Albertans of course. Most Albertans are like the old Scot (with a very frugal wife) who went out of his own village to Edinburgh for the first time in his life to serve on a jury and stayed in a hotel. First day at breakfast the waitress came to the table; he ordered porridge. At lunch he ordered porridge. At dinner he ordered porridge. Second day; At breakfast he ordered porridge. At lunch he ordered porridge. At dinner he ordered porridge. Third day; At breakfast he ordered porridge. At lunch he ordered porridge. At dinner he ordered porridge. 

The waitress finally asked him, "Man, do ye eat nothin' else but porridge?" 

He looked up at her with a puzzled expression and said, "Is there else?" 

That's the Alberta voter. If he/she didn't come from away since last election they don't know there's else but Conservative.   

But as usual I have digressed. The Leader of the Liberal Party and our new Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau, has a fine head on his shoulders. Within 24 hours of his swearing in he had begun setting the wrongs of the previous government to rights, a process he continues. 

As he said while addressing the Paris Climate Talks within the past few hours, “My very good friends, Canada is back.” 

And I will add, Thanks be to God!