Olympic protest missed the mark

(January 05) - If we can’t do stuff on stolen native land, we can’t do stuff anywhere in Canada. Or hardly anywhere. It was all stolen, seized, plundered and pilfered in the years following the European “discoveries.” Some reparations have been made as land claim disputes were negotiated with governments or settled in courts.

Leaders of the Squamish Nation govern land that encompasses North Vancouver up to and including Whistler. They are still negotiating their claims, and have entered agreements to preserve and enhance their rights during the Olympics. They had band council elections on Dec. 6. If the members of the Squamish Nation thought their interests were not being looked after by the incumbent leaders, they would have turned them out last month. There is no indication they did.

Marching up Macdonell Street chanting no Olympics on stolen native land doesn’t have much intellectual clarity. It makes about as much sense as no universities on stolen native land. Or no Guelph Transit on stolen native land.

There are lots of other reasons to object to the games. The International Olympic Committee has amassed enough power to bully and browbeat nations. It wields so much economic clout that committee members get what they want, when they want it. They set a standard for greed that corporate sponsors can only aspire to meeting.

There are reasons to support the Olympics, such as the good jobs created in the years and months leading up to them. They also give elite young athletes, people like our own late Victor Davis, a goal to strive for. They can prove they are the best in the world at what they do. Mind you, this would have more value if the billions spent on the games trickled down, somehow, to support national amateur sports programs and general physical fitness. This never happens in any meaningful way. The athletics are just a little side show to distract us from the bigger picture. The Olympics used to be all about amateur athletes. Not anymore.

It is certainly something worth protesting, but how? Blocking the passage of a young woman carrying the torch is a childish and churlish thing to do. It says nothing of value, makes no meaningful point. Better to turn off the television, at least until we see which team of NHL millionaires gets to the gold medal game. Boycotting the sponsors would make a difference. Somehow we have to cure ourselves of our obsession with mega-things.

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Stephen Harper has cancelled Parliament again. It’s the same thing he did last year at about this time and what I predicted he would do in last week’s column.

There is so much wrong with this it is hard to know where to start. When they broke for the holidays, MPs were beginning a serious enquiry into the treatment of prisoners of war. No matter what we think of the cause the other side fights for - whether Nazi or Taliban - individual soldiers, when captured, must be treated according to the Geneva Convention. There is strong evidence the defence minister knew these rules were broken, yet did nothing.

It is the job of the official opposition to hold the government accountable, to make sure it is acting within the laws and traditions of our country. If they don’t hold the prime minister’s feet to the fire, who will?

It is wrong for the Prime Minister to cancel the business of Parliament because he’s scared of the direction it’s going.

If we are in the mood for protest, let’s get going on this one.

And prepare for an election. We need one, badly.