Vimy Ridge no-shows

[MarkOttawa]

God save the Queen.

Political spat erupts over Vimy ceremony
CTV, March 3
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070403/harper_vets_070403/20070403?hub=Politics

Opposition leaders are complaining that Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn't invite them to the 90th anniversary celebrations of the battle of Vimy Ridge until it was too late to accept.

"This should be above partisan politics. He should be a statesman, he should have invited us since a long time," Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said Tuesday.

But Harper insists they had a chance.

"I always leave these decisions to the opposition, whether they want to come or don't want to come, but they're certainly welcome," he said.

The three leaders claim they have commitments that couldn't be changed and will be sending MPs in their place.

Robert Fife, CTV's Ottawa bureau chief, pronounced a pox on all their houses.

"The prime minister should have invited the other opposition leaders without having to be prodded," he said.

"Having said that, there is no excuse for Stephane Dion and (Bloc Quebecois) Leader Gilles Duceppe not re-arranging their schedules to go to Vimy."

The main event is scheduled for Easter Monday.

While the opposition leaders won't be there, another notable no-show will be President Jacques Chirac of France, although Queen Elizabeth will be in attendance...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[gaspasser]

So, it's not the point of the Liberal and Bloc Leaders wanting to go, or able to go; it's the principal of the matter that they were not personally invited to go by the Prime Minister.  ???
I can hear an "it's not fair" coming!  :'(
I strongly believe that PM Harper should drop all that he is doing and go to Vimy.  It might come back to haunt him in the eyes of the Veterans and serving Members.

Maybe the Tories should call and election now, I think they'd end up with some extra seats garnished from the "others", easily.
My 0.02
BYTD

 

[Michael OLeary]

So, why couldn't the other party leaders have decided to go on their own in the first place, either as private citizens or as party representatives outside the official government party?  Why do they expect to ride on the coattails of the PM when he is going somewhere representing the nation?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Guess they weren't, typically, aware of the signifigance of the historical Canadian dates, when they booked their other 'commitments' :  Ignorance of Canadian history? Or cheap shot artists? Either or both, take your pick.

 

[Donut]

I strongly believe that PM Harper should drop all that he is doing and go to Vimy.  It might come back to haunt him in the eyes of the Veterans and serving Members.

Just to be clear, Harper's going, HRH The Queen is going, it's Chirac, the French president who won't be in attendance.

You're welcome, Chirac.

But you're right...."It's not fair"  :crybaby:

How many Canadian citizen's are paying their own way to commemorate this event?  The freakin' politicians could probably have held a 3 minute conversation with one of their constituent Vets and and called it Parliamentary business, too, but they can't be bothered to get on a plane.  :

 

[Blindspot]

3600 high school students from across Canada are attending the ceremonies, each one having completed a project on one of the 3600 fallen Canadians during the battle. 

Why couldn't they have done this while I was at high school instead of writing a damn essay on the tainted tuna scandal?!

 

[gaspasser]

PMT, thanks for clarifying the bit about the PM.  I had to reread the line "the three leaders couldn't break commitments".  I assumed that meant PC, Lib and NDP.  My apologies for disregarding the Bloc.


+1 to the 3600 high school students for thier work on the Fallen.  I too wish we had done that in HS instead of the potatoe famine.

I just got this from my dad in Halifax from his cousin out west.

: The Real Canada Day

This week, April 7, marks the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

On that day, 90 years ago, Canada lost more soldiers in one afternoon than
America has lost in Iraq in three years. Canada had barely 10 million
people. In that horrid war, Canada lost more soldiers( 60,000) than America
did in VietNam. War deaths are not a competition. I only use the comparisons
to illustrate how this little country of 10 million gave more than could
ever be expected. Prairie boys from Saskatchewan, Ontario farm boys, loggers
from BC dying for the glory of France for $2 a day and wet boots.

When that war started, in 1914, Canada was, to all intents and purposes, a
colony. Our laws were ratified in London. Our Supreme Court sat there. After
Vimy Ridge, all changed.  Canada was given a place at the table for peace
talks, along with the US and Britain.

I have long thought that Canada Day should be April 7, not July 1st, which
merely celebrates a meeting of a bunch of craven, pant-pissing lawyers in
PEI, terrified of a US invasion. They have since been called the Fathers of
Confederation. No Canadian can name 4 of them. They are not the fathers of
my country.

The real fathers of Canada bled and died on a hill in France, this week, 90
years ago. And to those recent arrivals from other cultures who think Canada
had no culture until they graced us with their presence and delightful
recipes, I say there are 60,000 white crosses in France that proclaim " We
were a magnificent country before you could even find us on a map."


Pass it on.

Rather poignant.

 

[Donut]

BYTD, I think I have a new signature  ;D.

Thanks for posting that.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

3600 high school students from across Canada are attending the ceremonies, each one having completed a project on one of the 3600 fallen Canadians during the battle. 

Why couldn't they have done this while I was at high school instead of writing a damn essay on the tainted tuna scandal?!

3,000 school kids can figure out how to make it, but Dion can't..... sounds like a letter I need to send.

 

[Fraser.g]

BTY,

That is fantastic

+++++++++

I have C &P the entire piece and am sending it out by email.

I wonder how long before it gets back to you as spam?

GF

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Sent:
I find it interesting that the opposition leaders are whining that they weren’t invited to the Vimy ridge ceremonies. Is there a law stopping them from going? 3,000 school kids have worked hard, struggled to help raise money to cover their cost, made the time to make the trip happen. Not to mention all of the volunteers that worked hard behind the scenes to help them! Yet the leaders of the opposition parties with their trained and paid staff couldn’t figure out how to make sure their bosses would be there?

The kids deserve to be there, they will do us all proud. The whiners can stay home and slurp their lattes while telling the rest of us how unfair it is that they didn’t get First Class seats to France. 

 

[hugh19]

BYT driver  the date should be April 9  not the 7th.

 

[vonGarvin]

Just to be clear, Harper's going, HRH The Queen is going, it's Chirac, the French president who won't be in attendance.

And just to be clear, it's HM The Queen ("Her Majesty").  HRH is reserved for the "others" in the Royal Family.


Kudos to the letter re: April 9th.  I find it strange that this year, not only does 9 April fall on a Monday, but also as in 1917, it is Easter Monday.


As I told my kids for the past few nights "Remember, at this day and time 90 years ago, the guns were already firing on the Germans."

And, as I got my 6 year old to say yesterday at the Oromocto Mall, listening to the BOOM of the Artillery: "Thank God, The Guns!"  ;D

 

[Flip]

My apologies for disregarding the Bloc.

You need never to apologize for disregarding the Bloc

I would bet money that Micheal Ignatief would have made it.

All the same, I think the opposition and the French President are avoiding the
appearance of supporting anything militaristic.

Had the occasion been a bike race or a wine tasting tour - they'd be there. ;D

 

[cplcaldwell]

<cynical_joke_post>

The three leaders claim they have commitments that couldn't be changed and will be sending MPs in their place.

I was thinking, just sitting here with my beer and popcorn (all due to the fact that my tax cheque is in and the transit rebate and child care rebate netted me some cash in the deal) that really it's not Mr Harper's fault at all that the three other leaders are all snafu'ed on this issue.

It our fault...

The problem is we just don't understand how difficult it is to set priorities....

</cynical_joke_post>

 

[GAP]

Well.......THAT'S NOT FAIR!!

 

[cplcaldwell]

:rofl:

 

[gaspasser]

BYT driver  the date should be April 9  not the 7th.

Thanks, but I'm not the original author.  Still waiting for my dad to return e-mail.  It found a place in my heart and stayed there.  Hard to believe my "step dad" sent it, he's a pacifist.  But supports me, my brother and our troops.  I guess you can still despise war and love the troops.
 

 

[vonGarvin]

Had the occasion been a bike race or a wine tasting tour - they'd be there. ;D

Or, perhaps a train going over 500 kph?

 

[AmmoTech90]

It's not like this was sprung on them.  I had bookings made to attend before Christmas...