MIssing Indigenous Women

In the last few weeks there have been a number of stories about events and processes surrounding the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) ( see CBC). On the surface it does seem as if the inquiry has faced organizational issues as well as a number of resignations from key staff. In fact, almost from the start there have been complaints about the process, how slow it was in getting started, the lack of public consultation as to what the actual process would be and how the commission was not asking the families what they wanted. Every month or two it feels as if there more stories of how disappointed the families are. Equally as often there have been stronger and stronger suggestions that the Commission needs to start over again with at least a new chairperson. I am truly sorry that so many families are disappointed in the process. It must be so difficult to be told, to believe, that finally there will be answers as to why and how  a daughter, a sister, an aunt or a mother disappeared or was killed, and then for there be no answers to these questions. It must be disheartening beyond understanding to have ones' hopes raised and then to feel as if those hopes have once more be left hanging because not enough people care.

The inquiry however, was doomed to fail before it started. It was conceived as a process to respond to the concerns and the angst of hundreds of families who had lost their loved ones and who felt as if there were never satisfactory answers to why or how. It was established because politically the government felt as if it needed to be seen to doing something. Unfortunately if it is to do its job well, it will take decades of meetings and conversations. And at the end of it, I fear that nothing will be resolved or solved. The mandate is just too broad. The issues it is required to deal with are too complex and in many case too unrelated to each other to form any sort of constructive conclusion. It is a complete waste of time because many people already know what the problems are and in most case, we know what the solutions are. It is time we started to address them.

The evidence is clear. There has been a clear systemic bias within the criminal justice system to take the disappearance of indigenous women less seriously than they needed to. Such case have been ignored and/or dismissed on a consistent basis.  It is also clear that if the reports from Thunder Bay are accurate, police forces continue to treat such cases as, at best, unimportant. Police forces must ensure that the stereotypes and excuses of the past are no longer part of the thinking for the future. That change, within itself, would not reduce the number of murder or missing indigenous women, but it would ensure that families would at least be treated as all other families are treated. Equally as important, the criminal justice system must ensure that those who commit these acts of violence against indigenous women receive consequences that are appropriate and consistent with those received by those perpetrators involved with non-indigenous women.  Anything less than that is not justice.

There are also extraordinarily complex issues that need to be resolved within some First Nation Communities. The deaths of a significant number of Indigenous  women has been caused by Indigenous men. The destruction of culture because of residential schools and the consequences of the Indian Act has impacted some communities' capacity to parent and to be part of healthy adult relationships and lifestyles. Clearly more support needs to be provided to these communities that are struggling. Equally as clearly, these communities need to take responsibility in providing leadership to ensure that men have alternatives to hurting those close to them.  

Finally, the fact that men hurt women is not a new story. The fact that some men find it easier to prey upon Indigenous women is frightening and disturbing. While there is no doubt that such acts may have some racist overtones, the more important issue is finding ways to stop men from preying upon all women.  This is a national issue for all Canadians.

I accept that it is therapeutic for some people to share their stories; I understand that for some people it is critical for their emotional health to express their sadness and frustration over both the death of a love one and not knowing what happened or where the body is. I remain unconvinced that this therapeutic process is the responsibility of the Canadian government. Making sure that our systems work for all Canadians is the government's responsibility. They know what the problems are - I would prefer if our tax money went to making sure everyone had  equal access. If we need a commission to look at how policing needs to be improved for Indigenous peoples - great.  I am sure there are some very competent people within the communities across Canada and even within police forces who could create a platform for change.

We can spend our money on talking about how badly we have done things in the past ( and we have) or we can spend our money on making sure we don't make those mistakes again. I am not sure if we have the will to do both.

Thanksgiving 2017

It is Thanksgiving.....  a non-event for me in that I will be eating an ordinary meal at the usual time - alone. I was feeling rather sorry for myself, having been inundated with various advertisements and posts on Facebook - about how wonderful this day is, of being constantly reminded in food stores and at the Farmers Market of what a special day it was going to be.   I was feeling as if I was missing out on something important - perhaps critical to my well-being.  I do not like feeling sad.  I suspect that for many people, Thanksgiving ranks right up there with Christmas and Valentines as one of the most lonely days of the year. Those of us who live alone are made to feel as if there is something absent in our lives, that other people - in fact most people - are having an ever so much better time doing something else. There is a sense of inadequacies, of there being something wrong with you, of being so terribly alone.

Of course, it is all silliness. It is just another moment in time made special by commercial interests who seized upon the opportunity to make money. It is perfectly normal to be sad about missing family or friends - but not on a specific day - not because someone else tells you to be. It is great to spend time with family and friends - I love doing it - but if they are important people in our lives - we should see them often - not just on commercially define holidays; if we have reason to be thankful - then we need to give thanks every day.

When I look around, no matter how chaotic our lives sometimes may seem to us - we are so much more fortunate than others. On this day when Facebook book postings are littered with peoples' expressions of gratitude for our numerous blessings - it strikes me that those of us that are part of the elite (some education, access to the internet, some form of housing, access to food) need to give ourselves a swift kick in the butt for occasionally feeling as if we do not have all that we need, for occasionally feeling sad that we are missing something.  Notwithstanding the millions of people around the world who lack access to any of the above basic necessities, there are thousands of Canadians who are struggling: the parents who are doing their best to cope without a partner in raising their kids, the young people who have felt as if they had no choice but to leave their home far too early to maintain their sanity and/or their physical safety,or  the older Canadians who see no promise in the future in dealing with their diminishing physical/mental capacities.

When I think about the millions of dollars that have been spent on celebrating this day - the extra food and booze and the advertisements to sell them, and how much was spent in travelling to see family and friends - I can't help but wonder if we would not have all been better off in spending that money helping our neighbours have a better day or week or month. May be I am just envious about those who did celebrate this day with family and friends - but part of me wonders if rather than having a "thanksgiving " day, we would be all better if we had a "giving" day instead.

To honour this day - I donated some money to the Canadian Red Cross and to Doctors Without Borders.

Las Vegas - How Many More Times?

It is hard to know what to think or say about the most recent random shooting/slaughter of people in the USA. One can make all of the usual sounds of sadness or empathy that are spouted out at these kinds of times; one can express the shock of hearing the news and the frustration that these events seems to happen without a rational (if the words random shooting and rational can be used in the same paragraph) reason or explanation. But these events happen with such frequency that the words have lost their value. How many times can you say you are sorry that some stranger was killed before one becomes numb to the events, the horror? How many time can you utter those platitudes before one is just saying words that no one, for good reason, is listening to?

The pundits roll out their all-too-well worn phrases that argue that we need to do more to stop these random types of killing but any suggestion that they make has been made both made and ignored before. Politicians will wring their hands, ask their God for blessings and support in these trying times, and then not use what few god-given brains they have to start to address the underlying problems. Only the most naive person would ever assume that any of these words would have any effect; even the least cynical among us will assume that it will happen again and again and again.

There will be, of course, a debate about  gun control. The anti- gun lobby will demand tighter controls on who buys guns, and what type of guns can be owned by citizens; the pro-gun lobby will argue that guns don't kill people - people do . The same lobby will argue that as criminals, who are by definition people who don't follow the laws - will ignore the laws and that therefore the best protection is for everyone to have a gun. At the end of this debate, if citizens of the USA are lucky nothing will have changed - if they are unlucky the laws will have changed - making it even easier to buy and carry a gun.

I understand that some of my neighbours to the south are committed to their belief that their constitution guarantees them the absolute right to own as many guns as they wish to. I do not understand that need - but I accept it as their reality. I am quite sure that the vast majority of gun owners in the USA - including those who own a large number of guns - are concerned and alarmed at the number of people who are being killed by solo gunmen acting out their own personal fantasies or nightmares. I am equally as sure that many of those gun owners deeply believe that they are not part of the problem. And for the most part they are not...except for the fact that they refuse to allow their communities, including their politicians, to have the debate as to how to resolve this ongoing issue of citizens killing other citizens for no apparent reason.

As long as the debate is framed by the issue of what is or is not guaranteed by the constitution, and that such rights can never be taken away -it will be impossible to talk about insuring that people who do not need guns, people who are struggling with mental health issues, people who are bound and determined to force their values on to others and people who are afraid of change do not have access to guns. The debate should not be framed as one where some people want to take away rights from some other people (although lord knows the USA does that fairly constantly), but rather ensuring that people are safe from those who do not have the capacity to act in a safe and rational fashion.

Owning a gun in the USA may be a constitutional right - but surely along with all rights comes the moral and legal obligation to not hurt other people. Gun owners need to get over their paranoia of being picked on by a few liberal democrats and start to worry about the safety of themselves and their children.  If they joined the debate - they might be surprised to find out that most in the anti-gun lobby could not care less about how many hunting guns their neighbour had - as long as they were locked up safely, but rather they just want to be sure that their neighbour does have weapons whose only function is to kill as many people in the shortest time possible or that that same neighbour harboured a deadly grudge against society.

That, at least to me, seems a reasonable

A Predicable Scam

Last week, CBC (Goggle ) had a number of articles about various people who had been scammed by non-existing universities granting graduate degrees. There were two aspect to these stories. One was that some people have been fooled by people representing themselves as graduates from some university and have been disappointed, or even shocked that such a thing could happen. Those people were concerned that they might have lost money or reputations by hiring people who misrepresented themselves. I have some empathy for people who accept facts at face value especially as the falsely qualified individuals had lovely multi-colour diplomas and their fake universities can be called and the applicants marks etc are confirmed. I have significantly less empathy for those who appear to be shocked that their advanced degrees - for which they paid thousands of dollars for, but for which they did no academic work for - are of no value.

The latter group appear to believe that it is entirely appropriate and even now normal that advanced degrees are given based on personal life experiences. They, if one is to believe them, seem to have assumed that that the world is changing and that one can get the status of a degree and better employment opportunities (as well as a nice diploma to hang on the wall) by telephone.  At best one can only describe these misguided people as naive or perhaps extraordinarily unworldly; at worst they are con artists. Being the cynic that I am, it is far easier for me the latter possibility is true. It is inconceivable to me that someone could actually believe that one can get a doctorate in some field without ever reading a book or writing a single word.

As companies and institutions start to demand ever more qualified applicants for entry level positions,  the pressure to earn those academic qualifications  (whether or not they are of any real value in the job) easier also increases. It is not surprising that some enterprising con artists have created a way for people to get those credentials. In fact, it could be argued that the very existence of such diploma mills are the direct result of the ever increasing inflationary academic qualifications.

While there is clearly, for some employers, the very real possibility of being caught up in this con and risking their companies reputation, these diploma mills pose a much more serious threat to the millions of people who have gone to graduate school, have read hundreds of books, attended countless hours of classes and written numerous well researched papers. It is part of a trend to de-value their hard work. In Canada in the last 10-15 years there has been steady diminishing of the amount of work required to earn an advance degree. A number of the more prestigious Canadian universities have reduced the amount of time and work needed to get a Masters degree - just as seeing it as a brief way stop on the way to a PhD.  By finding ways to make it easier  to get into a PhD program - universities are reducing the value of other degrees. There are, as well, an ever increasing number of valid, recognized universities that  offer on-line courses. When teaching at a community college, probably half of my colleagues had a Master's Degree in Education from an on-line university. I would not argue that such on-line degrees have no value, but they significantly reduce the value of a Masters degree.

Education should not be about getting gaining entry into the work force, but rather about exploring and expanding our interests. It should be about assisting people to develop into someone who can think critically, who can debate issues without resorting to mindless rhetoric and who can be an active citizen in their community. The existence of individuals prepared to either grant or earn bogus degrees is but one symptom of an education system who, with the active support of companies and institutions,  has the main priority of finding and retaining consumers (students) for as long as possible.

It is no longer about good education, but rather about ensuring that there are sufficient students to maintain the institution.  That seems backward to me.

A Minor Gap in Our Medical System

I spent a bit of time this week with a couple of doctors, some nurses and a x-ray technician. They were all very nice.  They treated me with respect and kindness. A few of them had a nice quirky sense of humour that made the whole experience if not enjoyable, at least far more than tolerable. Unfortunately, I was reminded that while our medical system in Canada guarantees that all Canadians have equal access to our health care system, not all citizens have equal capacity to benefit from that system.

Almost three weeks ago I was standing on a 18 inch high plastic stool doing some household repairs when the stool fell apart. It just disintegrated with all four sides collapsing outward. I fell straight down , landing on my feet. For some reason it really hurt. I was pretty sure that I had not gone over on my ankle (something that has happened all too often in the past) but my ankle and lower leg hurt as if I had. I hobbled unto the house, swallowed two no-name ibuprofen and laid down. An hour later my ankle had swollen like the proverbial balloon and I knew I was in for a few days of being uncomfortable. Fortunately I carve walking canes for a hobby and had a number to chose from to assist me as I hopped from counter to counter, from one piece of furniture to the next.

I knew I could have/should have gone to the hospital, but the thought of driving there and then having to walk from the parking lot to the emergency room was just more than I could bare. I made something to eat, went to bed with some confidence that the next day would be better. It was - but only marginally. Over the next ten days it got better bit by bit but it did not feel as if I was recovering as quickly as I should.  There were times when it just ached and other times when I put too much weight on it that it hurt - a lot. Two weeks after the accident - I went to see my doctor. She sent me to get an x-ray. The technician looked at the pictures of my ankle, made it clear that he could not diagnose or comment on the x-ray, and he suggested that I see a doctor as soon as possible if not sooner. The next morning I went to my doctor who eventually got the x-rays and suggested that I get to the hospital to have a cast put on.

It turns out that I had not pulled or sprained a ligament but rather had broken bones on either side of my foot. I assume that the force of me falling straight down caused the breaks. It was suggested that I purchase an "air cast"( picture). I did so the next morning. I was not offered the option of a plaster cast. Given the fact that I have a car with a manual transmission - and therefore needed to take off the cast to drive - the air cast made some sense.

However the air cast costs $178.00!! If I had not had the money to pay for it, the emergency doctor admitted that that that would be a problem. No other solution was offered. I bought the air cast at a pharmacy but if I had not asked, I would have gotten no instruction at all. As it was, what I did get - was not that useful. I have no idea as to whether or not I have got it on right - if I have pumped up the air bladders sufficiently to keep the foot stable. I am appalled that I (1) it cost me $178 to purchase something that I needed to get better and (2) that in spite of the doctor giving me prescription for it, no one has made sure that I am using it correctly.

Everyone including the x-ray tech, my doctor and the hospital doctor  were great. I got great service. However, if I had not been able to afford the cast or had been too shy or  uncomfortable to ask for assistance at the pharmacy - all of the niceness and kindness in the world would not have helped one little bit. It seems to me that our medical system needs to ensure that people have access to the supplies and services that they need - especially if they can't afford it or do not know how to ask for help. It is, I think, quite easy to be nice to me. I am polite, know how to ask questions and almost never blame the bearer of bad news. At the hospital I was not stressed about money or how I was going to get home or any other of the details of life other people may have to deal with. I am one of the lucky ones....but for so many people - paying for and then knowing how to use it would have been more than they were able to manage. We need to do better.