HOMEWORK FOR NOV. 6TH!

Your HOMEWORK for November 6th:

 

Part B:  Response to Parliament Hill shooting

I know we had little time to get into this topic, but it is important as Canadians, and for you as future voters (many of you will vote in the federal election next October!) to  have your voice heard.  The youth vote is VERY important, and you need to be informed, and have a say in how we develop as a nation.

This site gives you an article from the National Post, an interview with the shooter’s mother, and her actual letter:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/25/michael-zehaf-bibeau-mother-says-killing-was-last-desperate-act-of-a-mentally-ill-person/

This site is an article from the Ottawa Citizen, with a different perspective:

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/shooter-was-overheard-talking-about-bombings-civilian-deaths

This site shows a university student/actors setting up a situation to exhibit whether Canadians in Hamilton, Ontario, are tolerant or intolerant of ethnic differences after the shooting in Ottawa:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9rFprD_Qf4

Your HOMEWORK

ACTION:

Letter writing campaign a la Amnesty International regarding how to deal with disenfranchised, marginalized people who snap in our society. 

Here’s the question:

Do we need to increasingly militarize our police, use CCTV cameras to look into people’s private lives, and use profiling to target potential “terrorists,” or do we need to increase public services, and possibly divert military spending to heath care, education and child care, to adequately include all citizens in the social safety net that differentiates Canada from the United States system?

Here’s the assignment:

Please write a short letter, expressing how you think politicians should respond to the recent, tragic killings of two Canadian military people.  I have included a sample letter; you may use it, edit/add to it, or write something completely different.  Your own words are powerful; they represent at least 10 other Canadians who won’t bother to write.  You will most likely get a response.  Send to it all these politicians; each of them is responsible for some aspect of our safety, well-being and citizenship.

You will need to click on the link, and find the CONTACT email for the person listed below.  Send your letter direct to your democratically elected politicians, all of them!

1.     The Honourable Stephen Harper, prime minister of Canada:  http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/prime-minister-stephen-harper

2.     Thomas Mulcair, leader of the Opposition, New democratic Party of Canada:  http://www.ndp.ca/contact

3.     Justin Trudeau, leader, Liberal Party of Canada:  http://justin.ca/

4.     Andrew Saxton, local federal MP:  http://www.andrewsaxton.ca/

5.     Christy Clark, premier, British Columbia:  https://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/40thparl/clark-Christy.htm

6.     Jane Thornthwaite, local provincial MLA:  http://janethornthwaitemla.bc.ca/contact/

7.     Gregor Robertson, mayor of Vancouver:  http://www.mayorofvancouver.ca/

8.     Darrell Mussatto, mayor of City of North Vancouver:  http://www.cnv.org/Your-Government/Mayor-and-Council/Mayor-Darrell-Mussatto

9.     Richard Walton, mayor of District of North Vancouver:  http://www.dnv.org/article.asp?c=94

 SAMPLE LETTER:

(Your name)

(Your address)

(Today’s date)

Dear (name of the politician you are writing to),

As a young person coming of age in Canada, I am concerned about the knee-jerk reaction of some in this country to the tragic incidents involving the recent deaths of two Canadian soldiers.

While I recognize that these are violent and criminal acts that need to be addressed within the legal system, I do not feel that it is necessary to militarize our nation, to give extraordinary powers to police or spy agencies, or to increasingly profile on the basis of race/ethnicity/religion to create a safer nation.

We have seen that a “war” on terrorism does not work.  Canadians do not want to replicate the police state that exists south of the border.  I do not believe these sad and violent acts of the past weeks were terrorist behaviours, but were the desperate actions of disenfranchised young men who needed social interventions.

I urge you, as a leader, to insist that all levels of government support and uphold the social safety net that should ensure ALL Canadians have access to agencies and services they need when they are at risk.  It is when this system is eviscerated by cutbacks, and neglected or stripped by poor legislation, that Canadians, and especially young Canadian men who are vulnerable and at risk, may find themselves alienated and alone, when they most need our support.

Do not go down the road of fear; instead, as one of our elected leaders, please choose the route of better social services, greater care for all citizens, and open-minded examination of the root causes of such singular acts of violence.

Yours truly,

(Your name in full)