August 7, 1999

Laurier Day? - THE COMMENTARY

By Joseph Planta

The Federal Liberals are proposing naming a new non-statutory holiday in honor of Sir Wilfred Laurier. Laurier, our nation’s first French-speaking Prime Minister is also a Liberal, which has the Tories up in arms. They (The Tories), feel that the Liberals are being bias in honoring Laurier, “Ever since the Grits took power, you would think the country started with Sir Wilfred Laurier,” said Marjory Lebreton a Tory senator who added that the Liberals were whiting out Sir John A. Macdonald in favor of Prime Minister Chretien’s idol. Macdonald as we all know, was our nations first PM, so why Laurier and not Macdonald? Two things could explain that: One is that Chretien really admires him and the second is that Laurier was a Liberal and Macdonald a Tory. I am of the belief that honoring our past like this will only add to our beleaguered patriotism as a country. But at what cost?

This proposed holiday will cost the system, inevitably you and I, $3-Billion dollars. That is just an unneccesary expense. It isn’t even going to be a stat holiday, and so what use will that be? Oh, I can see it now: hundreds, nay thousands of school children lining up and down Yonge Street in Toronto or Granville Street in Vancouver cheering endlessly for Sir Willy’s Parade every November 20th.

The Liberals have, yet again, showed the typical Canadian how hypocritical they are. They told us to vote for them, becuase they were better then the Tories. They wouldn’t make the endless patronage appointments that the Tories made, and yet again they choose to honor Laurier instead of our first PM, simply because he was a Liberal. Our Heritage minister, the Honorable Sheila Copps has once again done it. She’s come up with a plan, at least she thinks its hers but it isn’t it’s straight from the PMO, that’ll see us honor Wilfred Laurier. I seriously doubt a day in his honor will change Canadians view on history and to the tune of $3-Billion dollars, I’ll be damned if you see me celebrating on November 20th.

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