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This former soldier chooses patriotism ‘and’ independence

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I consider myself a patriot, I served in our military, I love my country and only wish the best for everyone. I was raised in a time when we were taught to always treat people with respect, and that they would reciprocate. I believe that this thinking is sort of timeless, so I suspect most Albertans would say they think the same way.

Unfortunately when it comes to government, and Alberta’s place in confederation, this hasn’t been the case. Albertans have given so much to our federal government in the way of the blood of our soldiers, the fruits of our labours, and all of this with only the expectation to be treated with respect in return.

As soldiers I like to think we held onto the highest ideals of what being a Canadian was. Canadian soldiers throughout our history have established a reputation for all of us to benefit from. A reputation of selfless individuals who stand on principle, honour, and willing to risk their lives in defence of those ideals.

I saw as my brothers came back from military actions overseas, who were and are still, treated in a manner that is so disrespectful that it makes me ashamed of what my country has become. I have mixed feelings, of sorrow in realizing the dream of what Canada was supposed to be has been abandoned by our political leaders, and at the same time disgust for those people, especially our Prime Minister. A man who has demonstrated time and again that he has no honour and although he holds the office of PM, I have nothing but contempt for the man.

This combined with the disregard I see him treat all Albertans with, is far too much to accept, and when faced with a moral dilemma, I always do my best to choose the side of right. This is how I was raised, this is how the Army helped to fashion me as a young man, and these aspects of my character will never change.

I don’t believe that we can continue with a system of government that is immoral, and think that we can make something good come out of it. Corrupt systems encourage corrupt people and practices. Vast sums of money have been used to secure votes in past federal elections, all for the sake of securing power.

Obviously ex soldiers are not a huge voting block, nor do they have a powerful lobby. They are however deserving of our respect as individuals, and shouldn’t have to take the government to court to receive benefits that were promised.

This is just another example of how our government seeks to please specific demographics. Those groups who can motivate or secure large blocks of votes, or garner massive amounts of media coverage in support of specific policies, or in support of the ruling party; they all get the personal attention of Trudeau.

I resent it when it’s mentioned that to suggest independence for Alberta is unpatriotic. My loyalty to the crown, or the flag, or my brothers in arms is strong, and is based upon my core loyalty to my family, friends and community. I can’t just sit idly by and watch as lives and families are destroyed all around me by bad government policy, and say nothing.

I know it is my duty that I must speak out against the injustice’s all Albertans are suffering through, and lend my voice to the many others that feel the same. When a government has become so corrupted that neglects it’s core responsibilities to disabled vets, or it discriminates against any region or group of people, then it is the duty of every citizen to work to replace that government.

To me the good of the people of Alberta is more important than our traditions, our national symbols, our laws, our government and especially our leaders. If they will not stand up for our families, our livelihoods, our future; then they are worse than lost, they are despicable.

The old uniform that still hangs in my closet brings back many memories and fills me with pride. Not that I did anything special, but pride in that I was blessed to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder among men of strong conviction. Men who understood the meaning of duty, honour, and sacrifice. Men who share a bond of brotherhood that most people never experience.

If Mr. Trudeau thinks that we Albertans will simply accept our lot in life, that we are no threat to his hold on power, and are for all intents and purposes irrelevant except for how he desires to use us; then I think it’s time that we show the world what Albertans are really made of.

We can and should chose self determination, stand up for ourselves, and become a free and independent nation. A nation that can become the envy of the free world. A nation that will help our neighbours break free from fear and embrace their own independence and chart their own destiny. A nation that does the right thing, and takes care of it’s own.

It’s time for us to stand up and do the right thing. It’s time to truly make Alberta Strong and Free.

Norm Wiebe is a local Financial Advisor and political policy enthusiast. He and his wife Lera, live in Red Deer with their two children. Norm uses facebook to promote ideas, so look for him there. https://www.facebook.com/norman.wiebe

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Protests “A War Against Working Men and Women” Poilievre’s speech goes viral

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Pierre Poilievre made a speech in Parliament Wednesday that has gone viral across Canada.   Since it was posted Wednesday it’s been viewed on Poilievre’s facebook page well over a half million times.  He called this speech “A War Against the Working Men and Women of this Country”.  It’s a pretty powerful argument.

We’ll open comments in case you’d like to weigh in.

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Alberta father irked by charity group (The 3% Project) that targets fossil fuel industry

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David Durda

With bassa Social Innovations Todayville recently introduced #visionCanada2119

#visionCanada2119 engages Albertans and Canadians in the types of conversations we need to move ahead as a province, a country, and an economy serving both.   Please consider posting your comments at the end of this article, or in the social media thread.   In some cases we will use these comments in future posts.   
Thanks for taking the time to make our province and our country just a little bit stronger!
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PHOTO David Durda at his office with the Three Percent Project handout that was given to his son in school in Airdrie, Alberta, December 5, 2019.

David Durda is normally happy to have his 15-year-old son exposed to as many points of view as possible.

But the Airdrie, Alberta dad was deeply troubled when he learned an environmentally-focused non-profit, the 3% Project, was given the green light by school administrators to deliver what he believes is a misleading presentation to some 400 students at his son’s high school in October.

Some of the educational materials provided as part of the presentation contain what he considered to be misleading or incomplete information, and appear to directly target the fossil fuel industry and Alberta’s oil sands.

In just under two years, the 3% Project, the flagship campaign of the Toronto-based Foundation for Environmental Stewardship, has made presentations in 355 schools in more than 250 communities – from Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, to Holy Heart of Mary High School in St. John’s, Nfld. – delivering the message that students represent “the final generation” who can solve a potentially “apocalyptic future.”

By next year, the project, according to its website, aims to make presentations in 600 high schools and ask 1 million Canadian youth (representing three per cent of Canada’s population) to sign the following pledge:  “I am more certain that climate change is happening right now, that it is mainly caused by human activities, and that we’re the final generation who can solve it.”

In its stated goals, the group says it also aims to “identify and heavily invest in three youth climate leaders,” cultivate a further 20 “youth advocates” to spread its message, and plans to have 200 youth identified by name in local media outlets sharing the group’s message.

After hearing that his son was required to go to what he called a mandatory presentation at his school, Durda, who works for a Calgary oil and gas firm, began digging into the group, founded by a 25-year-old climate activist who, according to the group, attended climate leadership training led by former U.S. vice-president Al Gore.

“They have pretty ambitious plans and I believe the school was misled about what the presentation was about,” Durda said.

“In my mind, they just presented one view.”

Much of the information in the campaign is straight-forward.

But some of the educational materials being provided to children as young as Grade 6 contain questionable information.

A review of the 43-page 3% Project handbook, available through the group’s website, finds several questionable statements and data points:

  • In making its case to battle “climate indifference” over Alberta’s oil sands, the non-profit suggests the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has estimated Canada is subsidizing its fossil fuel industry to the tune of $46 billion annually, which would account for 13 per cent of Canada’s entire 2019 federal budget. Not mentioned in the literature is the fact that that figure came from an IMF working paper, which according to a prominent disclaimer accompanying the report, doesn’t “necessarily represent the view of the IMF.” According to a 2016 study conducted by Canadian climate advocacy group Environmental Defence, annual subsidies from both provincial and federal governments amount to about $3.3 billion annually.
  • The 3% Project also suggests that between 2003 to 2010, the fossil fuel industry “invested $558 million in climate denial groups.” The source of that information, a 2013 study from Drexel University, only reviewed donations from the United States during that period, and of the 140 foundations identified as funding these groups, the “overwhelming majority of the philanthropic support comes from conservative foundations,” while the fossil fuel industry itself barely warrants a mention in the academic paper. The literature provided to students suggests industry fosters campaigns of misinformation, with one of the project’s key rationales suggesting: “Public education for youth influences their parents and is the best weapon against disinformation by the fossil fuel industry.” The document also makes no mention of the millions of dollars invested by U.S.-based environmental charities to help disrupt Canada’s energy industry as well as derailing some critical pipeline projects.
  • The report vilifies Canada for being “one of the most environmentally destructive populations per capita on earth,” citing, in particular, its globally high per capita rate of CO2 emissions. The literature fails to mention the fact Canada is middle of the pack when it comes to G7 countries, according to the World Bank, and its 537,000 kilotons generated are a bare fraction of those produced by the world’s top three emitters: China, the United States and India, which in 2014 contributed about 18 million kilotons between them. As well, Canada is quickly becoming a world leader in cleantech oil and gas development while making significant progress in lowering the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions in Alberta’s oil sands.
  • The literature also talks about “the possible apocalyptic future we may inherit.” While the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent special report on climate, released in October 2018, highlights several risks associated with climate change, including increasing global temperatures, potential droughts, increased flooding, incremental sea level rising and significant risk to some ecosystems, participating scientists consider many of its predictions to be “medium confidence,” compared to other designations of low and high confidence used by the scientists who make up the panel.

A 3% Project spokesperson, through its website messenger system, declined to make anyone available to comment on any of the concerns raised prior to the publication deadline.

In a statement, the Calgary Catholic School Division said individual school principals are encouraged to invite external groups, and are given guidelines to aid in making those decisions.

“The Calgary Catholic School District recognizes the value of external agencies and organizations to provide information to enhance the curriculum and benefit student learning,” it read.

“Principals are encouraged to invite various external organizations to present information that strengthens the curriculum. Principals are given guidelines to assist their decision-making regarding the circulation of any balanced, approved materials or information at the school level.”

However, correspondence from the school’s principal to Durda included an apology for how the presentation came to be, suggesting it wasn’t thoroughly vetted beforehand.

“I did … apologize and agreed with you that we learned from this, that we need to vet the presentation more thoroughly, but also shared the 3% presentation wasn’t one we would bring back because it didn’t hit home with the kids,” read an email, in part, sent to Durda following the presentation.

Durda said he had recommended a separate presentation from Modern Resources CEO Chris Slubicki, who has emerged as a measured voice from industry touting the innovations and benefits of Canadian energy, which could educate students on the positive improvements that continue to be made, including a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emission intensity of oilsands crude since 1990, and producing increasingly cleaner burning natural gas.

However, he was told such a presentation should be initiated by his son and like-minded peers, and would only be in front of a much smaller assembly of students who showed an interest in attending, which Durda feared would put his son in an unfair position.

According to documents from Revenue Canada, as a registered charity, the Foundation for Environmental Stewardship received some $545,000 from other registered charities in 2018. Among their sponsors are the Butterfield Family Foundation, Lush Cosmetics, the City of Vancouver and Service Canada.

In the group’s handbook, its authors suggest children are not being given all the facts about climate change and the fossil fuels industry. And it aims to mobilize kids as a conduit to influence their elders.

“Children engaging their own parents and grandparents most effectively cultivates behavioural change. Parents start taking action on climate out of love for their children, not of principle,” the handbook reads.

“And they can’t be lied to. Public education must engage youth with the facts before they are thoroughly confused with climate disinformation.”

For Durda, the fact the group was able to get into his son’s school has left him concerned about how many other Canadian students will be influenced by the 3% Project’s message.

“They only presented one view and I thought that view was pretty misleading.”

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