Update

As I go through my annual transition from my stable (sort of) teacher/professor/spinner and weaver winter-being to my perhaps less stable couch surfing/hitchhiker self it strikes me that perhaps a review of the past few months is in order:

• ·         Rob Ford is still the mayor of Toronto - all discussion of his various addictions (real or imagined), cell phone recorded videos (real or imagined) or his gross incompetency's in terms of any capacity to plan or to develop a consensus (perhaps more real than other assumptions) have not had the tiniest impact upon his behaviour or upon people's expectations. Those who disliked him six months ago still do - albeit with perhaps more vigour. Those who thought he was great - still admire his cost cutting measures regardless of who has lost their job.

• ·         The Canadian Senate is still sitting - or rather they are not as they have the summer off. Those senators who made the news in what appears to be a rather obvious double (or even triple) dipping at the publically funded trough have managed to evade any sort of public censure and continue to draw their salaries. The Prime Minister has managed to evade any responsibility for anyone including himself. The only person who seems to have been directly affected is Nigel Wright. I somehow suspect that someone will offer him a job that will ensure that his $90,000 will quickly be replenished.

• ·         Our (and I use the word "our" somewhat loosely) Prime Minister while ignoring the rather blatant ethical issues at home continues to travel around the world instructing other countries on how to do business. Most recently he has announced plans to require all publically traded mining and energy companies to report any monies given to other governments (what I would perhaps call bribes). Of course this is only a thought and he needs to consult with those companies for a few years before he decides what/how to achieve this. But it sounds good and it is always useful for him to lecture other countries on how to be more ethical. But then this government has a track record for teaching others.... For example

                (1) we tell other countries that their policies concerning the rights of the population usually referred to as LGBT are wrong - while a number of members of his party (and certainly his base of support) are opposed to the granting of any rights to those individuals who deviate from their norm

                (2)  The government's international aid programs supposedly supports maternal health as a function/goal of those aid programs but we will not support birth control as part of that process.

                (3) We preach to the world that all government business must be transparent while  the federal government continues to practice the fine arts of double speak, delaying tactics until people get bored and cronyism.

                (4) The government argues for sustainable developments and aggressive environmental initiatives while continuing to allow this country's land and animals to be destroyed (see CBC doc for example). Plus of course the naive (which would be embarrassing) or disingenuous statement that as Canada only produces 4% of the world's pollution - it really is not our problem. According to the government - other countries need to get their act together before we do. (less than .5 % of the world's population live in Canada)

                (5) And perhaps most embarrassing of all - we suggest to  other countries that they must improve their human rights record including their responses to their indigenous peoples. At the same time the Canadian Government continues to at best drag their feet in terms of resolving the long standing issues and more often appear to be going backwards in their relationship with the First Nations of Canada.

• ·         Factories in Bangladesh and in other parts of Asia continue to hired people to make our clothes in poorly designed and constructed buildings, working longer hours and for less money than any one born in Canada could ever imagine. While Loblaws appears to have made a commitment to monitor the situation more closely - other companies such as Wal-Mart have refused to accept that they are part of the problem. People in Canada, in spite of their apparent outrage, alarm and concern over the collapse of that one factory continue to shop for their clothing at stores that purchase their products from such factories.

• ·         The government is reviewing the Foreign Worker program and has promised that Canadians will not lose their jobs so that companies can hire outside workers to save money. Of course, according to the CBC they knew about the problem last year. I am not particularly confident that it will get fixed any time soon. My confidence is weakened further by a decision made by the courts in BC that a civil servant's decision to allow 200+ Chinese miners to be hired as there were no Canadian miners available was an appropriate decision

I suppose one could go on and on; there are probably hundreds of issues (I have not even mentioned the chaos that was/is the Liberal party in Ontario) that could be mentioned..... I think instead I will focus on my upcoming trip across Canada.