Royal LePage - Your Community Realty, Independently Owned and Operated, (905) 731-2000
Jim Reid, Broker, (905) 731-2000
Since you are visiting my web site, I hope you won't take offence at my posting some personal material here. The following relates to my love and my concern for my country... Jim
It may take you 15 minutes to read this material, so I gratefully thank you for giving me this time to speak to you.
Rough Draft - This letter outlines some of the thinking behind a Canadian political party, Canadian Federalist Party, (CFP), and the philosophical/political principles it would stand for: Free Enterprise Democratic Socialist, (FEDS).
Home Page for Canadian Federalist Party
Tears for my Country...
Canada at the Crossroads
Amoral Politics, Mismanaged Resources, and Shortsightedness may Destroy our Nation!
As we enter the 21st Century, Canadians are becoming much more introspective regarding the problems facing our nation. Churches are having spiritual revivals, and people are seeking our lost moral and ethical foundations. The political map is being reshaped, while citizens demand their rights to share in our nation's resources. Out of this tumult, will a new phoenix arise in the form of a new national Federalist political philosophy?
Stop Signs at the Crossroads!
As Canadians, we have all arrived at these crossroads simultaneously. Each one of us has followed a unique path. We have arrived from different cultural perceptions of our life and events. We have arrived with small, but significant differences in our values and principles. We have arrived with different feelings and attitudes about the significance of these crossroads. We have arrived with different visions of where the road we choose will lead. We have arrived uncertain as to where the others want to go, and why they want to go there.
Perhaps one of us will ask the question out-loud,"Why are we all here?"
At that moment, we all will realize that each one of us is to blame for the mess our country is in. It is this universal and simultaneous realization that will unite us in one purpose. The only way out of this political, economic and social gutter is for each one of us to individually resolve to become personally responsible for bringing our country back together.
As individuals, we must adopt basic values and attitudes that are founded upon selflessness and compassion towards each other. We must look outward to help each other. We must seek truth. We must choose leaders with the wisdom and character needed to restore our nationhood. Without doing this we will always return here.
Lost Morals and Ethics?
Canadian political parties appear to be acting without basic statements of principles and long-term policies. They have become elite groups answerable only to themselves with no apparent sense of responsibility to the public.
These powerful organizations interpret popular opinion and then align themselves with the views that they believe will win the next election for their candidates. They have become so dependant upon the tools of mass advertising and persuasion that their mediums are their masters. Thus, the sole aim of Canada's political parties is to gain political power.
Their path to power uses and manipulates moral values and ethical principles to justify whatever popular policies they can publicize as their own. This situation has created a political environment where current events and short-term benefits set the course for our nation.
This further leads to a very narrow perspective and near-sighted vision for Canada. Emotion-charged issues draw political action without concern for the ultimate social impact of these quick decisions. The message given to Canadians is that our nation is being pushed and pulled by special interest groups with no sense of responsibility to our national interests.
Consequently, we perceive that our Canadian political leadership has degenerated into an American mode of issue battles and popularity contests. Canada is no longer on a grand highway to prosperity and peace. We have driven into the polluted ditch of divisions and desperation.
Political leadership, without firm foundations of moral values and ethical principles, is a disgusting spectre becoming more and more repugnant to Canadians. We no longer want our destiny to be sucked into this whirlpool of internal bickering and self pity. We see these wrongs clearly. We want these feuds to end.
Party Mythology
Although there are those who will indignantly disagree with this perspective, the major Canadian political parties are viewed by most Canadians in the following manner.
The Liberal Party, which has won most of our federal elections, is founded upon support for middle-class values of free-enterprise and social responsibility.
However, its' populist leanings have led it to adopt values of minimalist moral influence and maximum tolerance of human behavior. These values, or more accurately, absence of values, lead along a road to increasing degradation and corruption in society. Ultimately this opens into a field of anarchy and rebellion.
The Conservative Party is founded upon support for aristocratic values of economic control and social class distinctions. Its' paternalistic assumptions promise that society is best served by the enlightened leadership of the propertied class. This ultimately leads to a monopolistic centralization of economic and political power. Dictatorship by the most ruthless capitalist usually follows.
The New Democratic Party is founded upon the noble principles and idealism of co-operativism and communism. In 700 B.C., Pythagoras failed to gain widespread support for this socio/political philosophy. As his more contemporary followers have found, human nature is difficult to control.
The only way to sustain these principles is to bind all social activities up with strict regulations and rigid controls. Ultimately society becomes ruled by a minority political elite.
The Reform Party that merged with the Conservatives, although founded upon God-based virtues, was fraught with divisive theological schisms. The Christian majority it attempted to represent was a polyglot of peoples. Some were led by religious leaders, while others took direction from the Spirit of God.
Although it is a noble aim to govern society from Christian principles, it is futile to attempt to impose our traditional Christian faith and beliefs through human authority, (70% of Canadians profess to be Catholic- 43% or Protestant-27%). Ultimately, the theocracy the Reform Party appeared to represent would create destructive religious conflicts across the nation.
Our present political parties favor special interests of distinct groups within society. Sadly, this creates a "Me First" attitude which only succeeds in taking from others. Moreover, these confrontational approaches to governing lead to gross abuses of privilege and inequitable re-distribution of wealth.
When one faces the crevasse between secular and religious perspectives, it is most difficult to bridge them via a political institution or organization. Such entities must choose a side.
In Canada, since the 1970's we have seen politicians jumping this crevasse to the secular side. The Judeo-Christian loyalists have felt quite betrayed and abandoned by their political leaders and political parties.
Thus, it is unlikely any one of these parties will be able to transform into a truly national federalist party. Their reputations are too impaired to achieve moral and ethical credence.
A Canadian Political Culture?
Is there an inherent and instinctive Canadian political culture? In fact, a broad analyses of our historical economic and social preferences reveals three common threads.
The trivium of our Canadian political culture has always been free enterprise, democracy, and socialism. These are the preferred ideals valued by the majority of Canadians. Unfortunately, our political teachers and political parties have not been able to assimilate these three concepts into a unity.
Democracy readily mates with the other two, but the problem has always been that free-enterprise and socialism appear to be opposites. In fact, they are but either end of the same principle of co-operative existence.
They need each other for society to hold together. Free-enterprise provides the motivation for people to produce more than they need for themselves. Socialism provides the motivation for people to share what they have to help those less fortunate than themselves.
The widespread appeal of these two perspectives comes from human instincts and experience. "If one is permitted to take care of personal needs, then one will be able to provide for the needs of others".
Unfortunately, mankind has a natural inclination to feel that more and more of one thing is good, whereas a casual glimpse at nature reveals this to be a false doctrine. As in most things, too much of one thing leads to its self-destruction.
Thus, free-enterprise in its extreme form becomes right-wing conservatism. Socialism becomes communism. History is filled with the debris of societies that collapsed under these extreme political perspectives.
Fortunately, Canada's Christian-British founders understood the importance of balancing between extreme principles and values.
Our Moral and Ethical Heritage
Our Canadian Judeo-Christian heritage directs us to overcome the extremes of our instincts, and to trust that God will provide for our needs. Furthermore, if we love one another, we will willingly share our bounty with each other.
Interestingly, and perhaps more significantly than we might have imagined, our native animism heritage has also imbued a spiritual sensitivity to our geographic vastness that expresses itself in a profound feeling of loyalty and awe for our country.
These qualities form the essence of our being Canadian. Our astounding geography defines the scope of our free-enterprise and socialism values. Our moral imperatives of self-control is essential for free-enterprise, and sharing is essential for socialism.
Nowadays, Canadians have great difficulty in transposing these spiritual principles into political principles. Fearful opposition always arises when these Judeo- Christian ideals are applied as the moral basis for making laws and distributing the wealth of our nation.
Even the Bible, which tenuously continues as a cultural heritage and source of Godly moral inspiration, prophesies that mankind will never create a political utopia on its own. Consequently, whatever progress we make in this direction will be because we are acting in a righteous manner.
Canadians must begin to recognize the merits of righteous behavior, and choose to individually accept the difficult task of overcoming our human natures. Lest we forget, our forefathers made the righteous sacrifices that gave us one of the highest material standards of living in this world.
Some think that, " I got what I have by being tough; just exploit my neighbour like I did!" When people acquire wealth by taking advantage of others, it is done in the absence of Canadian virtue or Canadian values.
Presently, this self-centered attitude is epidemic throughout our nation and the whole of mankind. We must begin to recognize when such attitudes take over our daily thoughts and actions. Once we acknowledge our motives then we can take more suitable courses of action.
Another important aspect of our cultural heritage is the belief that God is the judge of all of us. We are not to reject others for their beliefs, but to give them the choice to choose our beliefs.
Consequently, Canadians run a certain risk of allowing peoples to live here who may have significantly conflicting values and heritage.
Prior to the 1970's, due to the existing immigration regulations, this was not likely to occur very often.
However, since then this Canadian love for all humanity has opened the country to quite disparate values and heritage. Somewhat blindly, we have sown some foreign seeds of discontent within our nation.
Canada is now ensconced upon a cultural fracture that may not be mend able. In fact, the misbegotten concept of multi-culturalism has empowered these foreign cultures to grow roots within Canada.
Only future centuries of historians, (if we make it?), will see the wisdom or folly of this great new experiment in global multi-cultural harmonization.
Canadians will be viewed by the rest of the world as either blundering idiots or the noblest of human beings.
Meanwhile, as we transit this cultural evolution, it is important to realize that disrespect for an existing culture generates hatred and animosity.
As new Canadians, it is crucial to learn about the existing Canadian culture in order to not bring offense to your progenitors. Similarly, it is crucial that heritage Canadians learn about the new cultures and to help them integrate into our mixed society.
Our Resources Belong to All Canadians
As humanity has inherited the world's resources, Canadians have acquired the privilege of using and caring for the resources within our nation. These resources no longer belong to our monarch. They belong to each and every one of us.
Canada's resources may be defined and managed within five distinct categories:
< Human Resources
< Physical Resources
< Financial Resources
< Technological Resources
< Informational Resources
Canadians need to understand how we use these resources and what goals we need to direct how we manage them.
Our human resources are the most important resource for Canada's future. We must build our society in a manner that not only provides for the physical, mental, and spiritual development of each generation, but also ensures the nurturing of noble human virtues and ambitions.
The natural physical resources of Canada, including those that are both renewable and finite, belong to all Canadians. We are the stewards of these resources and we are responsible for exploiting them to the equitable benefit of present and future generations.
The financial resources of our nation are represented by the capital investments and equity we apply to our resource processing activities. This financial investment is derived by federal creation of capital in proportion to the value we place upon our national productivity. Our aim is to ensure that Canada's financial resources are independent of foreign domination and control.
Canada's technological resources provide our people and industries with a comparative advantage in commercial activities and social standards. Throughout history, it has been technological innovations and their integration into society that has enabled people to enhance their material wealth. Canadians must ensure we maintain an encouraging environment for technological development
Throughout history, informational resources have been a source of power. Recent break-throughs in mankind's ability to process and communicate data, have spread this resource throughout society. It is crucial that we establish an infrastructure that provides optimum access for all Canadians to the World's informational resources.
We provide for the needs and wants of our nation through the processes of acquiring and re-forming these five resources. Unfortunately, very few people realize that the secret to managing any organization, or country, is merely to plan and manage these five resources effectively.
This situation evolved with the global expansion of capitalism. Financial statements have become the rudimentary source of most planning, budgeting and administrative activities. Yet these documents are ill equipped to plan and develop one's resources.
Organizations would do well to set aside their financial focus and learn how to adopt a resource focus. Only then will they perceive the most propitious ways to improve their financial resources over the longer term.
"CANADA'S VISION 2100"
Canadians seek equitable opportunity, or equal opportunity, to attain a better or higher standard of living. This implies a concept of fairness and justice in how opportunities arise.
Also, this concept of "equality" can have other contexts, such as in the acquisition or accumulation of wealth.
Canadians do not believe that everyone should have equal wealth. We believe that everyone should have an "equal opportunity" to acquire wealth. In other words, Canadians don't believe that a "free ride" comes from being a Canadian.
Our work ethic is also intrinsic to our culture. We prefer to be more of a meritocracy than an aristocracy. As in Britain, our existing aristocracy can be extra-ordinarily paternalistic or generous on occasions, but overall we favor an entrepreneurial spirit rather than according privilege to inherited wealth or positions.
However, at the risk of being fearfully repudiated, I believe Canadians have a justifiable right of ownership to the "Crown" lands and all natural resources of this country.
I don't believe that the government "owns" these resources. They are merely "stewards" of these resources for the people. In fact, these resources represent a basic and core wealth that belongs to each and all Canadians.
Once we claim our "estate" for ourselves, we can then create a new vision for our nation.
Accordingly, in order to achieve true equality of opportunity amongst Canadians, it is essential that the resource wealth of our nation be equally accessible to all Canadians.
In fact, in this manner, our country then provides the foundational working capital for each individual and family.
In order to attain equal access to the benefits of Canada's resources we need to develop a vision of the development and utilization of our resources for the next century.
We need to develop national moral purpose, ethical principles, equitable guidelines, and ambitious aims for controlling the development of our resources. We must ensure long-term benefits to our nation.
We must define Canada's Vision 2100. It is this 100 year perspective of the growth and development of our resources that will bring unity and harmony to the next generations.
A 100-year plan for Canada would have to be defined in broad terms. However, this outline for our future will provide a common perspective for all Canadians to work together towards common goals. Also, as circumstances change, the plan can be modified so that all Canadians can recognize and support these changes in our long-term course.
"Canada's Vision 2100" will provide Canadians with hope by having a common destination and a common destiny. In fact, developing the "Vision" could become such a powerful national unification programme that regional aspirations would be set aside.
But, lest one argue my naiveté, there will be powerful forces of selfish greed raising the spectre of "Provincial" constitutional rights to ownership and exploitation of natural resources.
The fact that the wisdom of our founders was predicated upon allocating jurisdiction over a vast wilderness in an environment of limited capital, will not influence the advocates of "constitutional rights". Their greed and selfishness will blind them to the moral correctness of this new national perspective.
At the core of this "Vision" is the belief that Canada's future economic strength will be directly proportional to the economic strength of the individuals and the families that comprise the country.
The belief and faith is in the knowledge that individuals and families create more new productivity than governments and huge corporations. By investing our natural wealth in the people, Canada will far surpass the per capita development and prosperity of all other nations.
In order to obtain widespread support, and the political will, to proceed in this new future for our nation, we will need a sound plan.
The "Vision" will die if we don't define clear and succinct goals and benchmarks. Every nation that has enjoyed substantial economic growth not only found strong leadership, but it also empowered its' people to employ their ingenuity, resourcefulness and diligence.
Individual leadership in a mass-media culture is very important. Also, there must be an organization behind the leadership that defines the new culture to which we aspire. As previously noted, our present political cultures are moribund in values and attachments unacceptable to most Canadians. So, it would appear that Canadians are ready for a more self-defining political entity.
Canadian Federalist Party... a viable alternative?
With three significant national political parties, and several other official parties, it seems improbable that we need another party. Diversity of cultures shouldn't be the pattern for our political organizations. Excess diversity creates stalemates and inaction in politics.
A natural division would appear to be the three traditional political positions of right-wing conservatives, moderate centralists, and left-wing socialists.
There the Conservative/Reform Party occupies the right. The Democratic Socialists or re-born New Democrats will likely occupy the left-wing. The Liberals in the center are presently perceived as a regional party, and thus are vulnerable to a new party representing moderates across the country.
If Canadians are ready to adopt the principles of free-enterprise, democracy, and socialism in a context of moderation and flexibility, then there is philosophical room for the Canadian Federalist Party, (CFP). This philosophy could be called FEDS - Free Enterprise Democratic Socialists by its' adherents.
If we were to form a political organization, then the following would likely be its statement of principles and policy guidelines:
The CFP recognizes and supports diversity of cultures and lifestyles within our country. The CFP accepts responsibility for acting as a steward of the traditions, values, and resources of our nation.
As steward, the CFP will:
1. Protect our national cultural heritage
2. Create a Charter of Canadian Loyalty, Duties and Responsibilities
3, Support the Charter of Rights
4. Constitutionalize Federal Stewardship of Natural Resources
National Heritage
Our national heritage is the combined traditions that define our culture. These traditions become self-evident through their passage through the tests of time. Those things that we dearly value, we are very reluctant to change.
We recognize that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a very noble and important set of principles for defining inalienable rights of people. However, we also believe that these rights must be earned through the demonstration of responsible behavior towards our nation and its' inhabitants.
The CFP believes that we need a Canadian Charter of National Loyalty, Duties, and Responsibilities. This document will clearly set out our individual duties and responsibilities to our country and each other. Also, it must supersede the rights we give to the individual. Unless people are held accountable for their behavior through specific duties and responsibilities, then their actions under their rights have no moral or ethical restraints.
We believe that a nation lacking in moral or ethical restraints is vulnerable to uncontrolled ignoble basic natural human instincts. Consequently, it is appropriate to provide citizens with behavioural guidelines acceptable to the culture of the country.
Political Power
The CFP asserts that the fundamental principle of Federalism is, that ultimate political authority rests with nationally elected legislators. In turn, they assign limited authority to other political jurisdictions within a federation of elected legislatures.
Although the sub-legislatures may make recommendations to the federal legislature, the latter authority represents the whole nation and thereby retains full authority over the sub-legislatures. In this manner, the federal legislature will ensure the stable and equitable distribution of legal power and legal authority.
In recognition of the inherent dilution of democratic process by party political systems, the Senate, consisting of appointed respected and deserving citizens, will continue to function in Canada as a watch-dog and advisory group to the federal parliament.
Resource Exploitation
Non-renewable resources should include those that can not be regenerated in nature within an average lifetime. These resources must be managed such that they are conserved in adequate quantity for use by future generations.
Technology has enabled us to discover and estimate non-renewable resource reserves. Hopefully, it isn't too late to assemble reliable estimates of reserves and their rate of exploitation.
Balanced exploitation of resources involves not only ensuring supplies, but also protecting the equitable distribution of the benefits of their utilization. We need to ensure that everyone benefits from our resource development before these resources are dispersed into the free market.
We need to ensure that foreign nations don't entice away our resources through promises of trade in costly obsolescent-prone products.
Resource Taxation
This fundamental concept of public ownership of our nation's resources is crucial to Canada's existence. Following 300 years of extensive private exploitation, Canada needs to assure Canadians that they will all equally benefit from our natural heritage.
In the case of our physical resources, especially those that aren't renewable and those that take more than a generation to regenerate, we must morally put in place a process for compensating each individual. Every Canadian has an equal right to personally and directly benefit from the exploitation of our nation's resources.
This principle could be realized by a Primary Tax Fund (PTF). The PTF would operate as a user fee for all our resources. The funds generated would be redistributed to all citizens equally. This direct compensation approach would be most equitable and less prone to the inequities of applying such funds to public projects.
Globalization
Without some form of primary redistribution of our resource wealth, Canadians are dangerously vulnerable to the exploitative expertise of private enterprise. This will be even more crucial as multi-national organizations become increasingly independent from national controls.
In a world moving inexorably towards globalization of political, military, and economic power, it is morally imperative that future generations of Canadians inherit a resource rich nation. Similarly, they deserve to be born into an ethical culture with an ingrained sense of respect and responsibility for each other.
Persuasive arguments will be tempting people to abandon their national heritages in favor of sterilizing concepts of global community. As the pendulum moves towards global mono-culturalism, rational and moderate Canadians must vigorously wave their flag of cultural sharing, diversity and harmony.
Canadians need a fresh new hope and faith in our future. This is a path that will entail some battles, but fairness, justice and equity are powerful allies. Canadians need to claim their rightful heritage for future generations.
************
Jim Reid was born in Toronto in 1943, graduated from Oakwood Collegiate and Sir Wilfred Laurier University. He received an M.B.A. from McMaster University in 1969.
His business career includes several senior marketing positions with major corporations, and over ten years of consulting to small businesses and large corporations.
As an educator, Jim has taught business courses at the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and Seneca College. He has also conducted many training seminars and workshops and published numerous business articles.
Jim has no political affiliations and is an active social critic. He enjoys reading history, philosophy, political and religious materials and is working on two books.
Mr. Reid is a lifelong student of strategic planning and strategic thinking processes in individuals, organizations and operating systems.
He is an avid wilderness canoeist, enthusiastic hockey coach, somewhat accomplished wood-worker, handyman and happy but lousy golfer.
For the past decade, Jim has developed a real estate practice in the greater Toronto area. He is twice-married with three sons and a daughter and is a practicing born-again Christian.