A Visit To Ottawa

A little while ago I spent some time in Ottawa for a family event. Ottawa is Canada’s capital and has great things to see. There are some obvious sights to see and some others that are not as evident. As I have family in Ottawa, I have been there many times. The most exiting time was probably this past weekend, the Canada Day weekend. There are big celebrations on Parliament Hill and a festival in nearby Major’s Hill Park and of course fireworks shot from the Alexandria bridge that runs behind the Parliament Buildings. And this year the Royal couple - William and Kate - were in Ottawa for the event and the Queen was visiting the year before. I recall last year I posted about how sad and pathetic Montreal’s Canada Day celebrations seemed to be, and that had a lot to do with my memories of what this day is like in Ottawa. A modest parade seems inappropriate when you compare it to the massive celebration that takes place in Ottawa.

If you recall my posts about my trip to Washington D.C. last year, I made a point of not mentioning any of the most popular tourist attractions, mostly steering clear of the National Mall. Ottawa is a different matter, as I am Canadian and this is the capital of MY country. That is why my first recommended sight to see in Ottawa is Parliament Hill. This is the home of Canada’s government and is an iconic image for the country. Tours of the Parliament Buildings can be taken free of charge and you may even see Canada’s government in action (or whatever it is they are doing). In the centre of Parliament Hill is the Centennial flame. This fountain was constructed as a project to mark the 100th anniversary of Canada in 1967 and consists of a fountain with a gas flame constantly burning since it was first lit in 1966 coming up from the centre.

The Centennial Flame - the construction going on in the background is the setup for Canada Day

Parliament Buildings seen from the back. Pic was taken on grounds of the Museum of Civilization (see below)

There are various other things to see that relate to Canada’s government, some more interesting than others. Some places worth a visit may include the Supreme Court of Canada or Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General. Canada is part of the British Commonwealth and, as such, Queen Elizabeth II of England is still our head of state, though all state functions are handled by the Governor General, who is appointed by the Prime Minister. Regular tours of Rideau Hall are available and the grounds are also worth visiting. There are many trees on the walk up to the house, planted by various dignitaries from around the world, including John and Jackie Kennedy, Nelson Mandela and many Royals. The most recent tree planting was last weekend by William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Rideau Hall

There are several museums in Ottawa as well, and probably two of the more worthwhile are the National War Museum and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The War Museum is Ottawa’s newest museum, built about 5 years ago on contaminated land that had to be cleaned up at great effort and expense. In keeping with the decontamination project, the building was designed with sustainablility and energy efficiency in mind. It even has a “green roof” so that the building is returning clean air to the environment. In addition, the shape of the museum is reminiscent of an army bunker and on a wing of the roof, there are a series of windows that spell out the message “Lest We Forget” in Morse Code.
















The museum of Civilization is very hard to completely describe. It tells the social history of the people of Canada. There are often exhibits relating to native peoples and to specific ethnic groups. There is also a Children’s Museum that teaches kids about Canada and the world with lots of activities and fun stuff. Even kids that don’t like museums will like this, because it is almost as much play centre as museum. There is also an IMAX theatre. This museum is located across the river in Gatineau, Quebec. The grounds have an amazing view of the Parliament buildings, which sit directly across the river.

Back on the Ontario side is the National Gallery of Canada. This is Canada’s premier art gallery and houses many masterworks and travelling exhibits. On this most recent trip I found something fascinating just outside the entrance to the gallery. It is a piece of public art entitled “Maman” (French for “mother”). It is a 30 foot tall spider made of cast bronze, complete with an egg sac containing 26 pieces of white marble to represent her eggs. The artist did in fact use her own mother as inspiration for the piece, which raises some rather disturbing questions. Supposedly the piece is intended to evoke the fierce protectiveness of a mother but also a sense of entrapment. I guess she had some “mommy issues” to work out.

Take note of the scale of this sculpture in both pictures. I tried to make sure there were people or cars in the frame to give some indication of the size. In the second picture, I just thought it was an interesting composition. The church is the largest and most ornate in Ottawa

Another strange piece of sculpture nearby is located beside the United States Embassy, an imposing and rather unattractive behemoth of a building on Sussex drive. The sculpture, pictured below, is called “Conjunction” and supposedly represents the close ties between Canada and the United States and “a joining of individual parts into a coherent and unexpected whole”. Maybe I’m just uneducated about the finer points of interpretive art but to me this just looks like a bunch of metal welded together with no coherent purpose and just looks ugly and pointless. That is certainly not the image one would likely want to evoke when celebrating the bonds between our two countries. Well, take a look and see what you think. Maybe it really is a work of genius and I’m just some philistine.

Brilliant or ridiculous? Comment and tell me what you think.

In this same area is one of my favourite places in Ottawa. For regular readers, it should come as no surprise that this place is yet another public market. In some ways, the Byward Market is much like other markets that I love and visit regularly, wherever I happen to be. But in Ottawa, the market encompasses more than just the market building and surrounding vendor stalls. Like at Jean-Talon in Montreal, there are permanent stores selling meats, cheeses and other food-related items. But the Byward Market distinguishes itself by also housing the largest concentration of bars and restaurants in the city. Some of the city’s most vibrant and interesting restaurants are located here, as are more pedestrian offerings. I will be writing an upcoming review post of my dining experiences during this trip, including one restaurant in the Market. There are also upscale boutiques for those who love shopping for fashions (at least I assume these stores are good - not really my area of expertise). As for the market itself, the volume of offerings cannot compare to Jean-Talon, but I would compare it favourably with Eastern Market, which I visited in Washington D.C. last year and it is also better than most of the markets in my local area. So I suppose this would likely make it one of the better markets I know of.

The main market building

Streets in the Byward Market are lined with restaurants and, like this one, pubs

There are many festivals in Ottawa. Aside from Canada Day there are many must-see events. The city goes all-out for the Tulip Festival in April. Like most other cities, there are jazz and blues festivals during the summer. While these pale in comparison to Montreal’s, especially when it comes to size and enthusiasm, they still attract good performers and make for an enjoyable activity should you happen to be in the city at the time. A block from the Parliament Buildings, the Sparks Street Pedestrian Mall has some noteworthy festivals, including a Busker Festival (buskers = street performers) and a rib and chicken cook-off (more on that in the restaurant review post). Though Canada is not often seen as an attractive tourist destination in the winter, February’s Winterlude is an event not-to-be-missed. Once the weather gets cold enough, the Rideau Canal is transformed into the world’s longest skating rink. Some people who work downtown will use the canal to commute to work on skates while the skateway is open.

In summer, the Canal is impressive too. You can take a boat tour along the canal or go from the start of the canal and take a tour along the Ottawa river. You can visit the locks at the entrance to the canal and, if a boat happens to be coming through, you can watch the canal in action as the locks are raised and lowered to move the ships through. In the same area is the Bytown museum, which tells the story of Ottawa’s early history. There is also the Chateau Laurier, one of Ottawa’s oldest luxury hotels. The hotel was financed by Canada’s railway, headed at the time by an American businessman. When the hotel was scheduled to be opened in 1912, this man was returning to North America to open the hotel but happened to be crossing on the Titanic and he did not survive. It is said that the 5th floor of the hotel is haunted to this day.

One attraction in Ottawa somewhat off the beaten track is the RCMP Musical Ride at the RCMP Stables in the neighbourhood of Rockliffe. This is a contingent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canada's federal police force) that displays the RCMP's tradition of precision horsemanship. They execute very difficult coordinated manoeuvres set to music. The musical ride spends a lot of time touring the country performing at fairs and equestrian events, so they only perform a few times a year in Ottawa at the stables but whenever they do perform, such as last week when I was there, it always draws a large appreciative crowd.

It's hard to really show the skill in the musical ride with still photos. But these should still give you some idea of what they do.

In an upcoming post (or posts) I will publish some reviews of restaurants I ate at during this stay in the nation's capital. I realize I have not been posting much since I left Montreal, but living at home has altered my schedule more than I thought it would. I am now trying to make time dedicated to writing so I hope you should see more posts. There have also been some recent developments on the food side of my blog and, once they are official, I will be able to tell you about them.

Jerk Chicken

Spring here in Canada has been colder and wetter than usual but it finally looks like summer is finally getting near. That means it's grilling season! When I was living in Montreal I did not have access to a barbeque but now living at home with my parents I have that option. This is a recipe I have been making for a long time. I got the basis of this recipe from David Rosengarten, one of the TV chefs from the early days of the Food Network, almost a decade ago. While you can modify the amount of heat to your tastes, this IS Jamaican Jerk, so it does need to have some heat to it.

Jerk Chicken

2-3 small chickens (approx. 3 lbs each)
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 bunch scallions (green onions) (at least six)
3 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 inch piece grated ginger

3 fresh scotch bonnet (also known as habanero) chiles, seeds and veins removed OR
2-3 Tbsp scotch bonnet hot sauce OR
as much as you can stand of either

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp grated nutmeg
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 ½ Tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp molasses
1 Tbsp lime juice
zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup Jamaican rum

This recipe requires some time, planning and some mess, but is rather simple to prepare, despite the number of ingredients. The recipe is better with fresh chiles but will work well with a hot sauce made from scotch bonnet peppers that does not have much other flavourings. When working with the fresh chiles, it is recommended to wear gloves when removing the seeds and veins. Scotch bonnets, a variety of Habaneros, are among the hottest peppers on earth and if you put your hand up to your face or, god forbid, your eye, it will be most unpleasant. If you have particularly sensitive hands these peppers might even irritate your hands. There is far more heat in the seeds and the ribs or veins (the white parts attached to the side of the pepper) so it is best to remove these. The flesh has less heat and all the flavour, so if you want more heat, don’t add the seeds, just use more peppers.

Chop the onion and scallions very roughly and put them in a food processor with the oil, garlic and ginger and puree until there are only a few chunks left. Add the chiles and process again. Add the sugar, vinegar and thyme and pulse to combine. Then add the spices, followed by the remaining ingredients. I do this in stages rather than all at once so I can keep checking the flavour balance and whether there is enough heat. It should seem just a bit too spicy, as this is a marinade. It may not look overly attractive - in fact it will probably look like greenish, brownish sludge as you can see from the pictures. The importance is the taste, though. When the marinade is done, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and cut up the chickens.



In a previous post, I described how to cut up a whole chicken for frying. The instructions for this application are mostly the same, but I will post it again because now I also have pictures of the various steps. For this recipe it is even easier because there will only be 4 pieces per chicken - I am not dividing the leg into drumstick and thigh, each side of the breast will stay as a whole piece, and the wings will stay attached to the breast. So all I am doing is quartering a chicken and removing the backbone. To disassemble my chicken, I take the legs off first. Cut down between the leg and breast then push up on the thigh until the thighbone pops out of its joint. Then remove the leg by cutting along the ribcage and through the joint.



Then I cut down each side of the backbone to remove the back, leaving the whole breast.



Using a cleaver, I chop through the keel bone (the big thick bone running down the centre of the breast). Now we have a quartered chicken, plus the backbone, which can be frozen and saved to make chicken stock.



When the chickens are cut, use a knife to poke a bunch of holes in each chicken piece and, one by one, put each piece in the bowl of marinade. Now the only way to do this is to get messy. You will need to rub the marinade into each piece of chicken. Try to get some underneath the skin and inside any gaps in the meat.



Divide the chicken pieces into 2 zip-top plastic bags, pouring the remaining marinade over the chicken. Distribute the marinade by massaging the chicken some more through the bag and let them marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours. If you have time to do 48, even better.



Jerk chicken should be made on a barbeque. If you have a gas grill, set the heat on medium and let it come up to temperature. On a charcoal grill it will be a little harder to control the temperature but try not to let it get its hottest. Either way, it is very important to use wood chips to generate smoke. The best method is to soak either hickory, mesquite or fruit wood chips in water for 30-60 minutes, drain them and wrap them in foil pouches with lots of holes poked in them. Put the pouches directly on the heat source just before putting the chicken on. Cook for 20-30 minutes turning several times, or until the chicken is cooked.



Meanwhile prepare a sauce using the remainder of the marinade if you have enough. Add some water and rum and boil for at least 5 minutes so any bacteria is killed. Now if some of you are a little more nervous about salmonella, you may want to reserve some marinade before rubbing it into the chicken and use this instead. Serve the chicken with the sauce and rice as a side.

Quality Matters

In the recipes I have posted on this blog, I have often put a lot of emphasis on the quality of the products that go into the dish. There are a couple of reasons I stress this so often. First, there are just so many consumer options in the stores these days, it can be very difficult to choose which version of an ingredient to use. Secondly, there can be vast differences in the quality of apparently similar products that can greatly affect the finished product. Yet recipes hardly ever specify what quality of ingredient should be used. In the first recipes I posted I put notes about how I choose my ingredients but it would too redundant to put these notes into every recipe that contains the ingredient. I have many recipes with chicken, also many recipes that call for stock or stock concentrate. Rather than having you comb through the recipes to find this information I will write an upcoming post that gives tips for selecting a variety of ingredients I use frequently. This post is about general principles of food quality and what I look for in the food I buy.

Obviously there are huge differences in processed commercial products, since different brands will use different recipes to create the products. So it is so important to read labels so you can know as much as possible. Even after buying, it is advisable to taste the product before using it in a recipe. Some of the most important differences to watch for are the amounts of sodium, sugar, and fats or whether there are preservatives or other additives in the product. If there is any ingredient on the label you do not recognize, it is probably not a great choice. Of course there are exceptions but I find that to be a fairly good rule.

With fresh foods, the differences can be harder to identify and understand. There are different varieties of fruit and vegetables and different farming practices, and this goes beyond whether or not they are organic. Some are produced on large factory farms and harvested and processed using automated processes while others are hand-picked from small plots using traditional farming methods. Is one better than the other? Well, I believe so but in some cases the differences might be so small many people will not notice the difference. In my mind, a very important factor is whether pesticides or herbicides are used in the field and, if they do, exactly which ones are used (ie. are they natural or synthetic, do they leave a detectable residue, etc.?) I also have concerns about foods that have had elements of their genetic structure altered to bring out some desirable quality in the food. We are told these genetically modified foods are safe but I do wonder about long term effects or very small effects that would be hard to trace because of the complexity of the human body and the lack of knowledge about same.

Probably the most dramatic differences are found in meat and animal products. This is because almost every aspect of how an animal has lived will have some effect on what the meat of that animal will taste like in the end. For example, grass fed beef tastes very different from grain fed. Veal, while always tasting dramatically different from adult beef, will be very different whether the animal has been grain fed or penned and milk-fed. On a related note, a younger animal will almost always taste very different from the exact same breed from the exact same farm slaughtered at an older age. Think of veal compared to beef, lamb compared to mutton and chicken compared to stewing hens (this difference has more to do with toughness, but mature chickens are more flavourful as well). As a general rule, younger animals have a more subtle taste, sometimes to the point of having less flavour, but also are almost always more tender. This is because, the longer an animal lives, the more their muscles are used (muscles = meat). More heavily used muscles usually have more connective tissue inside and generally become tough when cooked. However all this muscular development creates a more pronounced flavour. This is also why some cuts from certain animals are more suited for long, slow cooking than other cuts. On a cow, stewing cuts are taken from the shoulders, legs and hind quarters, parts of the cow that are often in motion. Rib and loin cuts are found in a cow’s midsection, where the muscles are not heavily used, making for more tender meat.

As I mentioned above, the food an animal eats also affects the taste. But this effect goes beyond meat. There is a big difference in the taste of dairy products produced from organically raised animals. I had stopped drinking milk for many years because milk with any fat in it did not taste very good and left an unpleasant feeling in my mouth. But then I started drinking organic milk and 2% milk suddenly tasted so much better and no longer had the bad mouth feel. The milk has a very pleasant, almost sweet taste and now I drink milk regularly, so much the better for my health.

There are also ethical issues. Large factory farms keep costs down and revenues up by packing many animals together, feeding the cheapest feed available and bringing the animals to market size as fast as possible. I am particularly disturbed by the practices in industrial chicken farming, though I’m sure they exist for other popular meats, like beef and pork. I also have serious reservations about the practice of keeping calves mostly immobile in small pens to create milk-fed veal (I’m not sure I mentioned it, but the veal recipe in the previous post was made using grain-fed veal). Other people raise objections to other practices, such as the force feeding of geese and ducks to produce foie gras. I personally do not have a problem with this because of what I know about the practice and the quality of the end product. I also have ethical concerns about genetic modification and the departure from local food production in favour of foreign imports.

So then everyone should buy organic, local, humane and sustainably produced food at all times, right? Well, it’s not so easy. There is one obvious stumbling block in front of this worthy goal and that is cost. Consumer demand is enormous and constantly growing, while fewer and fewer people are actually farming. With this growing pressure on demand, cost is driven up. And since food is required for survival, sometimes compromises must be made. If you make barely enough money to cover the cost of heat and housing you have to find ways to stretch your food budget. With customers requiring affordable food prices, producers have to find a way to lower the costs of bringing food to market. This is what drives the shift to mechanized farming systems, high density feedlots and low cost animal feed. Hormones are sometimes used to speed growth; dosing healthy animals with antibiotics prevent infections the animals will inevitably get from living in crowded, substandard conditions; the cheapest effective pesticides and herbicides will ensure higher crop yields. I want to encourage healthy farming practices and am concerned about what goes into the food I eat but, over the last year, my finances were extremely tight and the cost of organic ingredients high enough that I just could not afford to spend that extra money if I was going to have food on my table. I still refused to buy the lowest cost chicken and tried to buy organic dairy and produce, but during the worst of that time, even that was impossible when I was no longer working full time for an extended period following a long time of underemployment. Now that I am living back with my parents, things are different. They are doing reasonably well and, as there is less stress on the budget, are able to be more uncompromising in regards to quality choices. Almost all the dairy we buy is organic (the only exceptions being sour cream and cheese, because organic producers do not produce the level of quality we expect for these items). We make a concerted effort to buy either organic meat or non-organic that is produced locally and in a sustainable manner. Though here the price of some cuts of meat can be still be too much so we either choose cheaper cuts or occasionally will choose meat of slightly lesser quality, but still better than the mass-produced low-cost options. For produce there is often less of a price difference, but quality is the most important factor here. Organic usually is the best quality but not in every case. Sometimes plants or animals are raised in a sustainable and natural way, but may not quite meet the requirements to be certified organic. And even if some non-organic methods are used, local product from small farms is still worth encouraging and the taste is usually better. The one saving grace used to be that eating local, seasonal food was cheaper than out-of-season imported food. Unfortunately, local food is often MORE expensive than imports from overseas. In-season in produce is usually still cheaper, but even that is not always the case. But the quality is almost ALWAYS better for local, seasonal food.

So what is the answer? What I would suggest is to make selections based on quality up to the point that you can reasonably afford. In food, the adage of “you get what you pay for” is generally true, so better quality products will cost more money. So just make a decision as to how important food quality and ethical practices are to you and decide what you can afford on your budget. But if you can afford it, you will find there is a difference in the quality of your food if you spend those extra dollars.

Herb and Mushroom-Crusted Rack of Veal

This recipe is a little bit different as it has some unusual ingredients. But it makes a phenomenal special event meal.

2-3 pound rack of veal (larger if you like)

1 bunch flat leaf parsley
2 ounces dried mushrooms
½ cup olive oil
2 tsp dry mustard powder
zest from one lemon
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper

For the crust:

First take the dried mushrooms and grind them in a coffee/spice grinder, until they form a fine powder. You can use dried shiitakes available at asian groceries or wild mushrooms available in fancy food stores and some supermarkets. I used a combination of mixed dried mushrooms. You want about 1/3 to ½ cup of powder for this crust. Next, strip the parsley leaves off their stems and chop the parsley finely. Keep chopping until the pieces are very small and uniform. Combine the parsley, ground mushrooms and mustard powder in a bowl and add the olive oil and mix to form a paste. Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper. The crust should be powerfully flavoured and a little bit salty. Either lay down the veal rack with the rib bones curving downwards or split the veal into two racks with the bones pointing upwards and interlocking in the centre. As I did this recipe with two pieces of veal rack, this is the technique I used. Season the racks with salt and pepper, then rub the crust over all the meat; your fingers are the best tools. Place in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and roast for about 1 hour.



After roasting, allow the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes then serve. If you want a large portion you could simply cut the roast into large chops. You can also slice the chop into smaller portions off the bone. This goes very well with the cream sauce below and roasted mixed vegetables.

Basic Cream Sauce

I have used this sauce on rack of veal, but this sauce or a variation can go with a wide variety of meats. It is smooth and rich, with some meaty flavour and an acidic bite.

Cream Sauce

3 shallots, very fine dice
1/4 lb cremini mushrooms
olive oil
½ cup brandy
1 cup sherry or white wine or red wine
1 teaspoon veal or beef stock concentrate or 1 cup beef or veal stock
1 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper
nutmeg

Heat a large, wide saucepan with a small amount of olive oil and saute the shallots until soft, then add the sliced mushrooms and saute until slightly browned. Now, if you want - WARNING FIRE DANGER - you can try a little flambe action. This works best with a gas burner, though it will also work with an electric range and a lighter. Take the pan off the heat, add half of the brandy, and return it to the heat. On a gas burner, tilt the pan AWAY FROM YOU very slightly and that should be enough to ignite the alcohol. On an electric range simply use a long handled barbeque lighter to set fire to the pan. Step back and let the flames burn out. Keep a wide pan or lid ready to cover the pan if the flames get out of hand. You should probably have a fire extinguisher nearby as well. When ALL the flames are out add the wine or sherry and the stock or concentrate. If you choose not to flambe, add the brandy off the heat but do not ignite the alcohol and continue with the rest of the recipe. Dissolve the stock base and let the sauce simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes. Then add the cream, the rest of the brandy, and continue to simmer. At this stage, time is not the important factor, but rather the thickness of the sauce. The final texture should coat the back of a spoon. When you have achieved the desired thickness, add salt, pepper and fresh grated nutmeg. Check for seasoning and take off the heat. Serve with your favourite meat.

Slight variations on this basic technique abound. I strongly suggest finding shallots for this sauce, they have a milder and more complex flavour than onions and create an elevated sauce. If you want the sauce to be smooth you would not add any chunks like the mushrooms. Once the aromatics are cooked, flambe and deglaze. Alcohol options include brandy, Calvados, rum or other flavoured hard spirits. And wine or sherry could be replaced with marsala, madeira, port, stock, juices or any flavourful liquid. Depending on the sauce you want, a little tomato paste could be an option or for a steak, green peppercorns are a great idea, either dry cracked or peppercorns in brine. Chives could be replaced with parsley, tarragon or another fresh herb. Mix, match and enjoy!

An Update

I realize I haven’t been updating my blog much lately, but I have had a lot of other things to think about. While looking for a job, initially without much success, I was not really feeling up to writing. In addition, my laptop, which has been in the process of dying on me over the last several months, may have died for good and, until I find out if it can be repaired, any drafts of posts I was working on are still stuck on my computer until it is either repaired or if I know it can’t be repaired I can transfer all my files to the machine I’m using now. It is my dad’s laptop and, as he will be buying a new one sometime in the next couple months, I will be using his laptop as my primary computer.

But now I have a new job and am working full time for the first time in over 5 months. It is another cooking job and, as this job may lead to management possibilities, I will give the industry one more chance and see if I can make this work for me. It is one of the best restaurants in town and they place a focus on local ingredients and sustainability, principles very important to me. While my computer issues are not yet resolved, they are at least stabilized. I will have some recipes for you shortly.

Thanks for staying with me, even if have not been posting often lately.

Do We Really Want Democracy?

Currently, Western countries are giving armed support to countries in the Arab World with the aim to create democracies desired by many people in these countries. Now, whether these countries will actually become democratic is yet to be seen but the message we are sending is that democracy is such an important institution we are willing to make great efforts to help others achieve this goal. Yet when we look at what is occurring in North America one has to ask if democracy is really that important to us and do we even approach democratic ideals.

A federal election has just been called in Canada, where Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leader of a minority government has been judged in contempt of parliament and defeated in a vote of non-confidence, triggering a new election. Harper claims this election was irresponsible and unwanted by Canadians. The media promotes this idea taking as fact the notion that Canadians have had too many elections in recent years. It should be noted though, that the last election was 3 years ago, only a year earlier than a normal election cycle and our new fixed election date. This makes Harper’s claim that things are too unstable to have an election and government change now even more disturbing as one wonders, if he had a majority government than cannot be voted down, if he would try to delay an election if his prospects did not look good? The sadder fact is that the public is either buying the line or is actually of that opinion. Harper’s other scare tactic is the fact that, a year ago, the three opposition parties attempted to form a coalition government that would constitute a majority of the seats in parliament. This would allow them to defeat the Harper government without having another election. Many people, mainly conservatives, considered this a perversion of democracy and the constitution, despite the fact it has been done many times before, is fully constitutional, and would actually represent the views of a majority of voters, unlike the current situation. As it happened, Harper arranged to dissolve parliament to prevent the government from being voted down, and the coalition ended up falling apart before parliament resumed. Now he has pulled the idea out of nowhere that the opposition has a secret plan to form a coalition after this election. Never mind that when his party was the opposition in a minority government he is on record attempting to form a coalition of his own with the same smaller parties for the exact same purpose.

If people really believe a coalition is bad for democracy, I think they need to review elementary school math. The conservatives had 40% of the vote in the last election. 8% of voters are excluded because they voted for the Green party which did not get any seats in parliament because no individual candidate was able to win a race. That leaves 52% of voters who voted for the 3 parties involved in the coalition. Now, do you think it is more consistent with democratic values to have policy decided by 40% of the population or by 52% of the population (hint: 52 is more than 40)?

Then there is the issue of being in contempt of parliament. Harper refused to provide parliament with information detailing the cost of several major government spending plans, including the purchase of new top-of-the line fighter jets, building many additional prisons, and a program of corporate tax cuts. Aside from whether these are good ideas, it can’t be denied that these are evidently going to cost large amounts of money. Therefore one would assume that it should be necessary to show exactly how much this will cost before deciding whether this should be done. The speaker of the house, a parliamentary committee and the full parliament all ruled the government in contempt and Harper’s response is that this is all political games and “you win some, you lose some”. That is an actual quote. This goes along with an increasing trend of extreme secrecy in government decisions, adding a level of political control to the civil service and a great unwillingness to have any meaningful negotiations with the opposition. Yet according to a recent poll, only 14% of Canadians believe that ethics and accountability is the main election issue. Do we really not care that democracy is eroding away? It is understandable the economy is still a pressing concern but this disinterest, combined with the apparent unwillingness of Canadians to have an election, seems to suggest that Canadians just don’t care about government or having their voice heard. Meanwhile people are risking their lives to get a say in their political lives. Now one reason frequently cited is that people don’t like any of the candidates. Unfortunately, this cynicism reinforces itself within the political process. Anyone who might be an able and likeable politician would have no desire to take part, and even if they did would probably be shut down by party insiders that have a very complex system of internal politics that can get very nasty.

Another thing to consider. We are all very adamant about our rights as citizens and have every reason to insist that our rights are respected. But when it comes to responsibilities, whether it be taxes, jury duty, volunteering or even voting, everyone starts to complain and do everything they can to avoid fulfilling these responsibilities. You cannot have one without the other, because whenever you have a right, it becomes the responsibility of someone else to ensure that you have that right. What do you have if you remove all your responsibilities? You have anarchy, because in a society without law or government there is nothing you are required to do. But this means there is also no requirement to provide any rights to anyone else so you will not have any rights in an anarchy either. In dictatorships you also have few responsibilities, but also few rights, because the dictator has pretty much taken on all rights and responsibilities and only gives any to the people at his/her pleasure. It follows then that there must always be a balance between rights and responsibilities. If we have more rights, there will be more responsibilities we need to take on. When you complain about having to pay taxes or when you do not want to vote, you are contributing to a situation where you will have fewer rights. The United States right now serves as a great example. Republicans and the Tea Party gained a great deal of support by promoting the idea that Americans have too many taxes and too much government. And what has happened since then? Both the federal House and Republican controlled state governments are trying to take rights away from unions, gays, women, the poor and everyone they can think of who is not part of a privileged class. They are willing to cut the most basic of services but not ask a very lightly taxed populace to pay even a tiny bit more. This shows that when the government decides that neither they nor private individuals or corporations have to be held to responsibilities, everybody’s rights tend to disappear.

So what can we do about all this. This most important thing that I can suggest is to gladly accept one’s responsibilities as a citizen. This means taking part in the democratic process, accept that we pay taxes for an important and necessary reason and appreciate that these sometimes annoying tasks are necessary to maintain a just and free society. And if you feel that the government does not represent you, do what you can to get more involved. This doesn’t necessarily mean going into politics yourself, but attending debates and forums, communicating directly with your politicians or supporting candidates who are trying to improve things. It may be frustrating since sometimes you can do all these things and nothing changes, but at least you have done your best - maybe if more people do the same things might actually start to change. But letting political leaders do whatever they want with no oversight and increasing secrecy as long as they don’t ask you to do anything is not beneficial to a democracy.