Currents

The latest findings from the Statistics Canada census show that the majority of visible minorities live in — surprise, surprise — Toronto and Vancouver (Canwest News). Not surprisingly, our new immigrants are avoiding the rustic charms of farming life in Saskatchewan and opting for the thrills and opportunities of the big city.

We’ve come a long way since the days of Lord Durham’s description of Canada as “two nations warring within the bosom of a single state” (presumably with the First Nations peoples living peacefully on the sidelines somewhere, Mr. Lambton?). How odd that certain Vancouver-based miscontents have taken it upon themselves in recent marches and demonstrations to blast the “racist Canadian state” for the terrible crime against humanity of having immigration rules and trying to police its territory (just like every society in human history, not excluding the Coast Salish people).

The real question that such groups need to answer is: if Canada is such a racist state, why does everyone keep moving here? Dealing with a related assertion (aired on the CBC last year) that in Canada and the USA in the post 9/11 world, certain ethnic groups feel like they are under siege, intellectual Hirsi Ali had this ironclad response: “I think that it’s highly exaggerated… If that were the case, we know of groups in history that were under siege and what they usually do is they would leave.”

They’re not leaving. The world is coming to Canada.

As we know from our own census records, Canada is still — happily — a nation of immigrants.

The corporate world has certainly spawned a host of environmental scandals, from the illegal dumping of toxic waste by manufacturers to the subtler yet potentially catastrophic seed specialization used by agribusiness (which puts much of the human race at risk of starvation from any unexpected blight).

Yet many corporations have also done much good over the past decade to be more environmentally friendly. Their customers demand it. Hence, hybrid cars, alternative energy companies and the explosive growth of the recycling industry, not to mention countless fundraisers for green causes.

Even for small businesses with tight timelines and tighter budgets, there are opportunities for being good planetary citizens. Vancouver’s own David Suzuki Foundation has plenty of information for green-minded entrepreneurs. Check out this eco-friendly toolkit for business. Or check out this article on green business tips on the David Suzuki Foundation website.

You’ll feel better after you do. Really. I guarantee.

The stars are right and we’re all screwed. In a stunning development, great Cthullu has thrown his, um, tentacles, into the US election race for the White House. No word yet on his platform, but presumably it involves rising from the sunken city of R’Lyeh and feasting on the souls of the living.

Just when you thought American politics couldn’t sink any lower…

In a related story, a historic Canadian political party’s consistent trend towards self-destruction seems explainable at least in part due to the corruption of Stephane Dion’s mind by the malevolent forces of the Old Ones (The Record.com).

Meanwhile, Vancouver Sun columnist and mayoral hopeful(?) Pete McMartin seems to be trying to project a compromise position between traditional municipal politics and Cthullu’s slogan with his own balanced motto, “Probably, You Could Do Worse“.

Anything but politics as usual.