Saturday, April 19, 2014

Big Steve and the Missus; Canada's first family of animal welfare

Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen are without a doubt the most critter-friendly Canadian power couple to ever inhabit 24 Sussex Drive.

The minor imbroglio the other day when a heckler interupted Laureen's presentation at a cat-video conference to enquire about missing aboriginal women is a case in point. The Laureen-bashers think she should be ashamed of the fact that she tried to brush off a question about missing and murdered native women because she had more important business to attend to at the moment; a fund-raiser for homeless cats.

On the other hand, Laureen's champions think she done good to put one of those pesky activist types in their proper place; to wit, hold your tongue about missing and murdered native women until Missing and Murdered Native Women's Day comes round, and not befoul Homeless Cat Day with awkward questions in the meantime.

Big Steve has shown a similar commitment to egregious insensitivity, or disciplined focus, depending on your point of view. Last year a contingent of Cree youth, along with a few elders, made a 1,000 mile protest march from their homes in Northern Quebec to Ottawa to draw attention to a host of issues destroying native society. Did they at least get a welcome from the Prime Minister?

Nope.

Big Steve was busy the day they arrived in Ottawa. He had to be in Toronto to greet a couple of Chinese Pandas on loan to a Canadian zoo.

That's a critical skill for a world leader to have, that ability to keep your eye on the ball... 

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