So this is Christmas – and what have we done?
No gifts made in Canada – I’m afraid, not a one

Christmas shopping has become a real challenge for us this year. We made the considered decision to buy Canadian made products when we could and otherwise to purchase quality imported items produced to minimum standards of quality and safety – by people who receive proper wages – in decent working conditions.

I guess we are a decade or two behind others with this mindset – we only hope we’re not too late! Yesterday was an eye-opener and may have been the most disturbing shopping day we have yet experienced.

Now, our kids are pretty much grown up and out on their own – two still at university and one finally settled into the early stages of a career. Mom and I still feel that compelling parental desire to take care of those basic fundamental needs that we have always done at Christmas – socks, underwear, a shirt here – a sweater there – those useful gifts that we always joke about getting, but would be lost without.

Try finding socks and underwear that are not made in either China or Bangladesh, these days. We were shocked! We expected to find loads of such products out there and we were prepared to pay a little more for the privilege of BUYING CANADIAN, or at least Italian or American or Spanish…. but that simply is no longer an option. In fact, over the past week we have visited all of our old favourite stores, only to find that there is nothing – absolutely nothing left that we can buy!

Finally, yesterday at the Bay – we found a tiny selection of Made in Canada items to purchase.

I discovered, much to my delight, that the Stanfield’s Men’s Boxer Shorts were made in Canada. “Ah, I should have known that a fine old Canadian company like Stanfield would still be holding out” – but then, festive quickly became forlorn when I confirmed that the Stanfield’s Men’s P.J’s were made in China! “Damn, here was a brand that I thought I could depend on, but now every single item would have to be checked for it’s origins”.

And this was the best thing that happened all day. Mark’s Work Warehouse, an old fave for us – had one shirt made in Canada. There were no options for us at Sear’s, RW&Co., American Eagle, Tip Top Tailors and oh so many more. Each store was the same – nothing made in Canada and nothing else that we could buy.

“I guess”, my bride concluded, “clothing is going to be a big challenge this year”. “Let’s go and look at kitchen items – they all need those”. So off, we charged to load up on oven-wares, cooking utensils and other helpful knick-knacks for our needy offspring.

We began, at the Bay, by searching for a couple of oven safe casseroles for our eldest son who, being on his own, has developed a keen interest in cooking. A la carte shopping for pots and pans has become difficult as most things, these days, are sold in sets – so we decided to check out that old American standard, Corning Ware – the superb, dependable brand of oven to table to fridge and freezer ware, made in Corning, New York. We have a few pieces of Corning ware, acquired over the years and it was exactly the right thing. Oops – small problem – MADE IN CHINA, under license.

The great American Icon of cookware, the staple of every kitchen of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s is now being made under license in China. There was one set of PYREX, actually made in the USA that we could have purchased but it was a 16 piece set and it was just more than we needed.

Sears had Kitchen-Aid – manufactured in Thailand, under license – another great American brand that we can no longer consider for purchase.

We tried them all, the Kitchen and Bath sections, clothing, sheets, towels – everything and everywhere, but it was all the same.

And then, finally, Root’s – the Iconic Canadian label – so Canadian. Founded by two enterprising Americans – so Canadian. The place where you pay more for everything (o.k. maybe in this case justified by the overall quality and style of their clothing) – just so Canadian. We found one toque, made in Canada at the Roots we visited – that was it!

Disheartened, a little depressed, certainly alarmed, we called it a day and went home with two pairs of socks, three pairs of Stanfield Boxer Shorts, a pair of men’s slacks and a toque (sorry to all of you other Root’s Shoppers – we took it!)

Where do we go from here? We found a small shop just off Main Street in Picton, Ontario that sells 100% Canadian made wool items. The selection is pretty limited and these hand-made items are all pretty expensive, but we did find a wooly headband for one lucky recipient and pair of baby booties for a great-nephew. Still, we are well behind in our shopping for this year – now contemplating extreme changes to our traditional approach at Christmas, as a result.

The changes that we are contemplating are not by choice but have been thrust upon us by the commercial reality that all manufacturing apparently seeks out and finds the cheapest possible, least encumbering option in the world despite the consequences. It is interesting that the prices we pay for these goods never go down as the costs of production plummet. I used to think that at least the famous brands and designer labels had higher costs of production to justify some of the outrageous costs charged. Apparently, this is not the case – it is all profit driven, leaving those of us who actually care about the quality of and the conditions under which the products we buy are made, out in the commercial cold!

Geez – how long can it be before Mom and Apple Pie are licensed out to a production facility in China? Mom may put up a heroic battle but Apple Pie is destined to end up just like much of the Apple Juice being poured down the throats of our nation’s toddlers. Check out how many thousands of acres of productive apple orchards have been ripped out of the ground in this country over the past 10 years!

And what of the standards of safety and decency that civilized citizens of western countries have worked so long and hard to establish and enforce? Every week brings another report of substandard – downright dangerous products being dumped into our laps by overzealous manufacturers, intent on ridding themselves of the yoke of compliance to employment and safety standards. Reduce the size, reduce the cost, reduce the rules, reduce, reduce, reduce – raise the price, raise the sales, raise the profits…

…so we are done buying this stuff! It is time for the fair citizens of this country to stand up and shout to our government – “I’m mad as hell and I am not going to buy it anymore”.

I should openly declare my bias in these matters. For over 30 years, my family and I have lived off the avails of imports. Well, sort of – our business handles both domestic and imported products. We work with producers who employ adults and who pay well above subsistence level wages and benefits. We offer imported products that compete favourably with domestic products and which work to enhance the market, as opposed to undercutting locally produced goods by such an extent as to drive them out of business. This is the way the world used to operate and it worked to the benefit of everyone involved.

There is no infrastructure left for anyone interested in producing clothing in this country. There is little infrastructure left to produce appliances or kitchen utensils or bedding or bath accessories – the list goes on and on. We must stop the complete eradication of our manufacturing sector and support those who extend the effort to “make it here”. If we as consumers provide a market – the goods will appear. It may take a while to re-build these industries, but one absolute truth of capitalism is that if the demand exists, so will a product to fill it. It may start small, but from there it will grow and we want to be a part of that.

For the most part, we can still buy locally produced food products for our loved ones. But, I worry that this is next – that we are allowing food production to fall into the hands of the same profiteers who now undermine so many other sectors of our economy and life.

We cannot let food production in this country slip away. We must not as a country, allow our basic survival to be sold out to the lowest bidder. We must stop the erosion of this infrastructure – of the farming sector – of family farms in this country and we must stop it now. We have seen the future and quite frankly, it is frightening.

Do your part this Christmas – refuse to spend on those things that are obviously made in other parts of the world due only to the ridiculous labour costs, the lax rules and the non-existent safety standards. Buy Canadian, where you can and otherwise buy quality imports from producers who respect their workers and your well being.

For our family this Christmas, we will celebrate – with loads of food (locally made cheese is high on our list, this year), a few bottles of wine, some M&M’s gift certificates for the students in the family (they have to eat – and these are really handy), a couple of handmade crafts from local artisans. However, unless the local wool shop starts to fashion more affordable socks and some wooly warm boxer shorts, it looks like Mom’s and my days of doting on the kids with the bare essentials, each year, are finally over.

He is Risen - Christ is Risen Indeed!

1971 was a pivotal year in defining my life.

I had been attending St. John's (York Mills) Anglican Church as a young person for a couple of years. The youth group had really come together under the direction of The Reverend Ken Maxted. Friday nights were either sports or entertainment of some sort - but they were fun get-togethers for a fairly large group of young people, providing a sense of community and belonging to those most vulnerable of creatures - teenagers!

Following Maxted's tenure at St. John's came a couple of curates in succession leading to the wonderous creation of a weekend Easter youth Festival called "Resurrection '71".

In the post Woodstock era and the pre-computer age this was a fascinating expression of Easter, juxtaposing folk music, poetry and art with what was then cutting edge communications technology. It was, in fact, a youth festival that examined, defined and celebrated the Easter experience building from the celebrations and commemoration of Holy Week, the pain and ultimate despair of Good Friday culminating in an all night prayer vigil and triumphal sunrise ceremony trumpeting Christ's resurrection and victory over death - over sin - and the salvation of all people.

My life changed forever at that time. I met and befriended the Reverend Tim Foley who would become a good friend and teacher. He would, some years later, kindly agree to deliver the sacrament of marriage to my wife and me.

My life was indellibly changed by my time at St. John's. It provided me with a secure and safe haven, outside of my home, where I could be accepted and loved by a group of my peers - something which all teenagers crave.

My closest friends were similarly impacted by their time at St. John's. Kevin went on to become an Anglican parish priest and eventually a university professor and dean. Brian and Mike answered the call to priesthood. George eventually ended up as a Bishop.

And Easter? My memories of this wonderous time of year are stirred each time it passes by. This morning will be the 36th Easter since that marvelous morning in the Church Yard at St. John's when we gathered as friends, as brothers and sisters, as children of God and welcomed a new day - a new life, as it were - a newly risen and living lord who's ultimate sacrifice was now written on our hearts. Written in such a way, that regardless of the time that would pass - of the history that would be made, of the changes and aging and love felt and tears shed - that a lifetime later, would be remembered as a defining moment in the lives of those who were there.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in Him. Alleluia!

An early warning to Canadians

Chinese Gluten appears to be the culprit in the Menu pet food poisonings which has claimed a dozen or so cats and dogs in North America, so far. Of course, we don't know how many more pets have been mortally injured by injesting food tainted with pesticide residue.

I can't help but ask if Canadians would stand up and make a little bit of noise about this scandalous situation if it had been apple juice rather than pet food that was found to contain deadly contaminants? After all, 100% of the reconstituted apple juice we buy (not to mention any other food products made from apple juice concentrate) are now sourced in China, as well.

That's right folks, as we continue to drive our own farmers into bankruptcy our governments and industry lull us into an enormously false sense of security that our food supply is safe and plentiful though they continue to sell their souls to the Chinese government.

Remember when we learned that manufacturing jobs were fleeing Canada in droves for the cheap and completely immoral backdrop of mainland China? We were told not to worry, our government was going to create a kinder and better Canada with high tech jobs for everyone..... H'mm, wasn't it Intel who just announced the replacement of North American operations with a planned new facility in China? So much for that "High Tech" salvation.

We have been deserted by our government. They, of the big, global economic minds, who spend more time worried about how they might look to their counterparts around the world than how they might expose the population of this once proud nation to complete subservience and dependency on the likes of China.

We got a sample of the disasters we can come to expect in the future, as these household pets provided us with a warning sign, of what's to come. It is time to stand up and demand that our governments immediately rethink this entire strategy. It is time that we reconsidered our ongoing sell-out to China and other world powers and instead, put these enormous amounts of public money, being spent in these foolish endeavours, back into Canada and Canadians.

We need our farms. We need the food that they grow. We must begin to support local farms and to pay prices in line with costs of production. We need our farmers to thrive - not barely survive. Why in the world is a country that grows more wheat than most of the rest of the world put together - buying tainted gluten from China - when there are huge stores of surplus wheat waiting to be given away to other foreign interests?

There used to be thousands of acres of apples in Ontario (and in many other parts of this vast land) which have now been ripped out. But for the princely sum of $15.00 per ton - apple growers cannot grow, pick and ready their crops for sale. Of course, all of those modern rules and regulations governing what can and can't be sprayed (which we know are not a part of production in places like China) have put them out of business. It is not that they should be allowed to poison our apples - it is that they should not be forced to compete with people who do!

Apple cider, which originated as the natural use for windfalls (those apples which had blown off the tree before being picked and which were therefore too bruised or otherwise not suitable for sale, as is) were juiced and turned into cider. Fresh cider and juice was a "windfall" for the grower.

Today, interfering governments, with little or no understanding of the industries that they control, prohibit the use of such fruit. If it has touched the ground, it may not be used. I wonder if the same rules are applied to all of that Chinese apple juice concentrate which is welcomed with open arms by these very same, double talking, holier than thou politicans and gladly poured down the throats of every Canadian child. Frankly, I find it despicable, dishonourable and unacceptable.

I would rather feed my children apple juice made from Annapolis Valley windfalls than from any Chinese apples.

3rd 4th and 5th generation apple growers are fighting a losing battle. All Canadians are losing as well.

I wonder which of those among us will lose the use of vital organs next - and I wonder which politicians among us have the guts and the decency to stand up and speak out against this shameful scandal.

The lives of those much loved pets might not have been given in vain if we could just use these events as a catalyst to start rebuilding the agricultural sector of a country which has all but abandoned the most important and essential social service of all - our food supply!

A little Moodie Blues

When the white eagle of the North is flying overhead
The browns, reds and golds of autumn lie in the gutter, dead.
Remember then, that summer birds with wings of fire flaying
Came to witness springs new hope, born of leaves decaying.
Just as new life will come from death, love will come at leisure.
Love of love, love of life and giving without measure
Gives in return a wonderous yearn of a promise almost seen.
Live hand-in-hand and together we'll stand on the threshold of a dream.


...the Moodie Blues

Missing you

As

one tear

rolls slowly down

my cheek with love

another one starts to form

in the well of my eye

and it slowly slides out

to follow the path

of it’s predecessor

towards my

chin.

Yikes - They got it Right!

After expending much energy and time criticising the Liberal Party of Canada on this blog, I must be man enough to admit it! I THINK THEY GOT IT RIGHT, THIS TIME!

With so little to choose from (in terms of character, principle, scruples, honour - and so on) they actually ended up with the only choice for a leader who could actually bring these most important characteristics along with him.

Yeah, I know - there is still the old argument that another French Canadian leader just won't fly with the rest of the country - and maybe that's true... but if it is, it is a sad comment on Canada!

Stephen Harper had better wake up and smell the environment (and fast) or the Dion led Liberals are going to cause the Conservatives enormous difficulties in the coming months and years. Dion hit it on the head - there are many issues and policies to be considered and to be handled but none - not a one - matters a wit, if we don't get our environmental house in order (and fast!).

He continues to use that important word - SUSTAINABILITY! Watch, it will become the rallying cry of these DION led Liberals and I, for one, am listening. For a SUSTAINABLE economy, a SUSTAINABLE environmental policy, a SUSTAINABLE industrial policy, SUSTAINABLE agriculture, SUSTAINABLE social policies, SUSTAINABLE taxation - will be the most important keys to our survival as a world, a nation, a people, as a community and as families not to mention as a government in this rapidly changing world of the 21st century.

LISTEN MR. HARPER - and respond. Embrace this real need, endorse this only acceptable policy, welcome Mr. Dion and listen to him. Work with him, utilize his brilliance and his concern (we all share it) and LEAD this country away from the idiocy of the world gone crazy industrial, military, commercial greed - move us forward to a place of caring, of sharing and of leadership in the race away from a global economy and global annihilation!

Congratulations to Stephane Dion - congratulations to a completely unworthy party. Ultimately the real losers yesterday just might have been Martin, Chretien, the Raes, and the rest of the POWER corporation lackies who have used this country and it's people for their own SUSTAINABILITY for long enough!