Canada's Changing Role In The World

Canada has been one of the world's greatest peace keepers during the period beginning at the end of the Korean War until its active role in Afghanistan. As a UN member  and its peace keeping responsibilities Canada was recognized as a country that could participate and lead in missions around the world. Our Prime Minister at the time, The Honourable Lester B Pearson received the highest honour possible for his work in establishing peace missions on behalf of the UN.

During the last number of years we have become a country which moved away from its traditional role and has become entwined with the USA as an active, aggressive partner in war. Our armed forces took on the new role and have had a splendid record for their work on the battlefield. Their role also gained recognition for their reconstructive role and have built schools, hospitals and roads as well as stabilizing areas under their control.

This change in our international standing has brought a new face to our military. For years we were the most trusted to bring peace to troubled areas but when you actively carry out combat missions in a foreign land you are seen as something else. People who have lost family because of collateral damage see us as aggressors and no matter how much good we do there will be a lingering hatred for years to come.

It is a personal feeling but shared by many that Canada's stature was greater as a peace maker than it will be as a combat force probably getting involved in disputes outside the UN jurisdiction. I feel very proud of our people in the armed forces and their achievements over the past decades and desire to feel the same way in the future. Our armed forces do not decide their tasks but rather our leaders place them in harms way and we hope it meets the litmus test of being in the national interest and not protecting big business in the oil industry or some other similar situation.

All over America and I include Canada there is a wave of distrust of  our financial intuitions and this spontaneous civil and so far peaceful revolution has captured a large body of our population. It is not because we see successful businesses but rather the great divide between the rich and the poor. America's strength has always been the great , strong and numerous middle class. Today the middle class is shrinking and the few very rich are getting richer at the expense of the others. If the figures are correct some few percent of the very rich own, control or use some ninety nine percent of the wealth of the world.

Many individuals have larger budgets than many countries. With this disproportionate division of wealth there is room for society to rebel and desire change.. Normally this change is done by governments making sure the people under its responsibility are taken care of. In Canada this is done quite well but in many countries this is a huge problem.

Hopefully over the next while there will be peaceful change and the world will be a better place. I am proud to be Canadian and I desire our leaders in government and business work out a solution to the very complex and necessary changes to make our country even better.