A worthwhile experience

I am reflecting on a volunteer experience I had today at one of the better known Humanitarian organisation in Ottawa. I was asked to help out with meal preparation and serving lunch to those who come in from the street in Ottawa's Lower town on Murray Street. The Shepherd of Good Hope is well known in Ottawa and is centrally located on the corner of Murray Street and King Edward. Everyone knows it and knows of their good work for the poor and the homeless. It is the largest Not for Profit organisation dedicated to helping the poor and the homeless in Ottawa.

The story began 30 years ago at the Parish of St-Brigid in Ottawa. The priests of this parish had started  feeding homeless men in this poor area of Ottawa. The need was great and Shepherd of Good Hope was established. Today Shepherd offers many services to the needy from a 500 bed shelter partitioned  in several buildings around Ottawa, free meal service, health, assisted living services and other programs. The services are offered to Men and Women alike. Hundreds of hot meals are served on any given day and the shelter service is helpful especially during our extremely cold winters but also provides a safe and secure place for people who have nowhere to go and are vulnerable.

I was asked by Denis Schryburt who is running for Councillor in the Somerset Ward in Ottawa's Municipal elections on October 27 to lend a hand.
He has been participating in this program for years with his family and friends. We got to 233 Murray street at 08:30 am and started work, put on an apron and start cutting up meat and vegetables so that the experienced volunteer chefs in the kitchen can cook up the meal for lunch at 11:30am. Everyone is a volunteer and many have been doing this work for many years, so they are old hands at it. There is also a permanent Staff who manage all operations and a Board of Directors.

The meals are not only free but nourishing and copious, today there was a thick minestrone with chicken meat, a beef stew, a spicy rice curry, 2 vegetables and a coleslaw, tea, coffee, milk, bread and a rich dessert.  After lunch around 12:30 pm, for those who want we also have sandwiches to give out in case they are hungry in the afternoon.

The clients are old, young, of all ethnic background, male and female. The ladies have there own dining room as per their request. Many are fragile and afraid, the streets can be very mean even in Ottawa.  The whole operation is like clockwork, the dining area is spotlessly clean and all meals are served on chinaware, no paper cups or plastic plates. Many thanked us for preparing the food and serving them lunch today, telling us how good the food was. I saw what a kind word and a smile can make a big difference for someone down on their luck. Some 300 people had a good lunch on what I was told was a slow day due to the long Canada Day Weekend, the numbers are usually greater.

It made me think of the numerous platitudes we too often hear about how Canada is a rich country, when you see this type of need in just one city and this city is the National Capital, can you imagine what it is in other cities like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary and elsewhere. No need to look in far away lands to help out people you do not know. Look in your own backyard there are plenty of Canadians who need a helping hand and some compassion.

website SHEPHERD OF GOOD HOPE OTTAWA, http://shepherdsofgoodhope.com

Our volunteers on this day at the Soup kitchen of Shepherd of Good Hope.

Nationalism or Patriotism

The two words do not mean the same thing, though they are often used interchangeably as if they meant the same thing. Often politician will use the word Patriotism or Patriot when they mean Nationalism or Nationalist. The definition of Patriotism is love of one's home, country, a happiness at being in one's country, of finding contentment, happiness. Nationalism is a very different thing, we know all too well where the excess of nationalism can lead, the XXth century has given us numerous example of it
with disastrous consequences. Nationalism is define as putting one's Nation above all others, exalting its virtues and focusing on a national consciousness.

This 1 July 2012 the word Patriotism has been used in many a speech by politicians and our Prime Minister, I came away thinking that he meant Nationalism instead of Patriotism. This year in Canada we celebrate the anniversary of the War of 1812, I say we in a generic manner, this war or was it a civil war or a war of territorial expansion or aggression by the USA or simply political foolishness on the part of the Republicans and President Madison, depends on your point of view. Our current government sees it as a great war to celebrate, a defining moment says the Prime Minister, I am not so sure.  The Prime Minister made his usual address extolling the virtues of Canada over the USA in a rather jingoistic manner. We won this war, he said, the people came together with the help of the aboriginals to defeat the enemy, quickly adding but we are friends now. A very simplistic view and this is not what Canada Day our 1 July is about. No wonder so many felt uncomfortable with such pronouncement or indifferent to them. What does this war mean to anyone who does not live in southern Ontario or south of Montreal? Very little really.

Here is an historical account taken from journals of the time of what happened 145 years ago on Dominion Day 1 July 1867 in Ottawa and around Canada which in those days was composed of the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New-Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
At midnight, bonfires blazed and cathedral bells chimed. At dawn, artillery salutes thundered. All day long and into the evening, Canadians gathered into the streets, parks and public squares of the new nation. Confederation was a bold innovation. Former colonials were peacefully taking up their right to govern themselves. The new Nation would have a Parliamentary democracy on the British model, its legislature elected by one of the widest franchise the world had seen. The Constitution of 1867 was the first ever made in Canada for Canadians, a plan not suggested by others or imposed on us.

By 1867, the war of 1812 was a distant memory, the USA was emerging from the aftermath of a bloody Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The immediate concern of our first Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald was to make Canada a prosperous nation against difficult odds and to establish Canada as a different nation then the USA.

Unfortunately this week with the celebration of the Centennial of the Calgary Stampede in Alberta, again political speeches turn it into the celebration of the greatest nation on earth a theme chosen by our Prime Minister in his speech.
This type of phraseology belongs to another age and to others, it is not a Canadian sentiment.
But it appears that nationalistic ideology is currently the driving theme of the current government.

I chose to be a patriot and love my country and pursue its interest as our national anthem says, O Canada terre de nos aieux, (O Canada land of our forefathers). I leave the ideology of nationalism to others.

 

  

a bit of Nostalgia on 1 July 2012

When I was a child and part of my earliest memories is of my parents listening to Radio-Canada, the National broadcaster. In Montréal the programming started at 6 in the morning and ended at midnight. There was no radio or television broadcasting between midnight and six in the morning. It was some kind of broadcasting rule and the news was only given at six and eight in the morning and then at noon and six at night and a final evening bulletin at ten o'clock. All broadcasting on the radio was to open with music to rouse the listeners and at midnight close with the National Anthem, O Canada followed by the Royal Anthem. In the 1970's all this started to change as political developments on national unity gripped us.

The programming was focused on National themes since this was the national broadcaster. Since prior to 1939 and the Second World War the role of Radio-Canada or the CBC was to inspire and give a positive image. So in the morning the radio show would be programming focused on happy Canadian music with a radio comedy show called Chez Miville. At noon time there was a radio serial novel about some romantic theme, women were still at home in those days, there was also a comedy and music show, Les Joyeux Troubadours, all very proper and the radio shows were 15 to 30 minutes long, evening programming could go to 60 minutes. With the news also came afterwards a farmer's almanac and the music composed for this program had a martial air about it, full of purpose, Le Réveil de la nature, (the awakening of nature). Originally it had been intended for the opening of the air waves at 6 am but this never came about and despite the lyrics mentioning the dawn of the day it was used at noon time for the farmer's almanac. This got my mother saying when asked when did she get up to answer at the crack of noon.

There was none of the self-doubt and criticism you find in everything nowadays on radio or television. It was probably a more naive and innocent time, if there was bad news from far-away the attitude was to think that we lived in a civilized and peaceful country, we were part of the British Commonwealth, what could we do. The only enemy or danger was the bad Soviet Union, China for us was Taiwan, the other mainland China, no one was sure about, did they still have an Emperor, no one knew.

This morning as I was driving near Parliament Hill, I was listening to Radio-Canada who was playing some archival material from 1973 as part of their summer programming. The material was taken from a popular interview show on the radio called Appellez-moi Lise, the host of the show was Lise Payette who would go on to become a Parti Quebecois Minister. It was nice to hear the old shows and how polite people were then on the radio, no foul language, the tone of the conversation was that of educated people, words were well pronounced and elocution was important since you were on radio. In this episode she interview the author of Le Chant du Réveil, Alfred Desrochers, then an old man and the other interview was with Jacques Brel, the author, musician and singer, who would die young a few years later in 1977.

As far as I remember Le Chant du réveil was used on Radio-Canada from 1938 to about 1975. It was abandoned after that because of changing taste and mentalities. To me it evokes all kinds of souvenir of how people were then. It reminds me that this was the Canada of the years after WW II full of prosperity, fast developing infrastructure, burgeoning cities, Montreal was then the great metropolis of Canada. Most Canadians still lived on farms, agriculture was still very important. A Canada of the two founding nations as depicted in the political agenda of the day.  A Canada which was the first Dominion of the Empire and an important world player.

Here it is Le chant du réveil rural (1937), sung by Albert Viau (1910-2001)
words by the famous poet Alfred Desrochers and music by his friend Oscar O'Brien




(Refrain)
C'est le réveil de la nature
Tout va revivre au grand soleil
Oh ! la minute libre et pure
De la campagne à son réveil
Autour de toi, l'instant proclame
L'amour, la foi, la liberté
Ô fils du sol, ouvre ton âme
Comme tes yeux à la beauté

Vois l'aube au ciel s'élargir en aurore
Pour chasser l'ombre au pied des monts lointains
Et de la ferme ensommeillée encore
Entends le coq chanter dans le matin

!ndigo Bookstore tribute to Canada

!ndigo has made this video showing famous Canadian authors and Canada. A tribute to Canada and our Canadian literature.



WE NEED MORE CANADA! Happy Canada Day!

Canada Day, 1534-1867-2012

This is our 145th Canada Day since the unification of the Nation, however Canada goes back to 1534 when Jacques Cartier arrived from France. We have a couple of anniversary this year, the Canadian dollar coin, the Loonie is 25 years old and Health Care for all Canadians is 50 years old, imagine you get sick, don't worry, you will get care. This is what makes Canada a great country.

August 18, 1665 my family ancestor joined in Quebec City, his regiment who were arriving on a French War ship called L'Aigle d'Or de Brouage. He was 18 years old, he was what was called an ''engagé'' meaning he was hiring himself, not uncommon at the time for single men who had to fend for themselves. He had been living and working as a footman in Quebec City in the French Governor's castle since 1662, meaning that he was 15 years old when he first arrived on his own in Canada, of course in those days of the Age of Princes there was no such thing as teenagers, you were a man then and made your way. A milestone 350 years in Canada, for my family. He must have been feisty because there are Court records showing his acquittal for a ''bagarre'' street fight.

I was at Parliament Hill today to see the set up and the different bands doing their sound checks. Also this weekend on Sunday, Italy plays against Spain and Preston Street will be very busy, if Italy wins the soccer match there will be quite a party to accompany the one on Canada day.

We are doing a steak bar-b-q and will probably watch the fireworks from the roof of our building, I am not going to the Hill, too many people. We are close and will be able to see it all in comfort. Now is time to go hang the flag, the same flag I have used since 1976 on every Canada Day, a flag that has travelled with me around the world.



the words to the Anthem composed as a poem with lyrics in French by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier and music by Calixa Lavallée in 1880. It only became by an Act of Parliament in 1980, the Official National Anthem of Canada, thank you to our then Prime Minister Pierre E. Trudeau. The words of this anthem have a strange religious (Roman Catholic) sound to them and the Canadiens are what is called since 1980 the Quebecois. It was originally composed as a National Anthem to the Ancient Canadiens, people who settled in French Canada from 1534 to 1763. How strange that it would become the National Anthem of all Canadians.
It will be adapted in English much later and the text in translation is different but all the same powerful.

Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,

Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!

Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,

Il sait porter la croix!

Ton histoire est une épopée

Des plus brillants exploits.

Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,

Protégera nos foyers et nos droits,

Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Sous l'œil de Dieu, près du fleuve géant,

Le Canadien grandit en espérant.

Il est né d'une race fière,

Béni fut son berceau.

Le ciel a marqué sa carrière

Dans ce monde nouveau.

Toujours guidé par sa lumière,

Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau,

Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau.

(This last part is rarely if ever sung and is not part of the official anthem anymore)
De son patron, précurseur du vrai Dieu,

Il porte au front l'auréole de feu.

Ennemi de la tyrannie

Mais plein de loyauté,

Il veut garder dans l'harmonie,

Sa fière liberté;

Et par l'effort de son génie,

Sur notre sol asseoir la vérité,

Sur notre sol asseoir la vérité.

The english lyrics are as follows:

O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free!

From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

1534-1867-2011 Dominion of Canada Day

On Friday 01 July Canada will be 477 years old making it one of the oldest countries in the world today. July 1 also marks our political union of 1867 some 144 years ago.

Canada is a federal state that is governed as a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and commander in chief. It is a bilingual nation with both English and French as official languages. One of the world's highly developed countries, Canada has a diversified economy.  We are the USA first trading partner with trade worth 1.5 billion a day. We are also the number 1 supplier of oil, gas and electricity to the USA. Though most Americans are blissfully unaware of this fact.

We should also remember on this day our Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and our RCAF missions over Libya.

                  Canadian Grenadier Guard of the Governor General of Canada at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

So this is our last Canada Day in Rome, we had a lovely party today in the Chancery Gardens of the Embassy on Via Salaria, quite a good turnout and the food was good. The weather also was pleasant and sunny with a light breeze under the umbrella Pines of Rome. In Ottawa under windy gray skies, Prince William and the duchess of Cambridge arrived for their first Royal tour across Canada. They expect to see about half a million people 1 July on Parliament Hill for the festivities of Canada Day, I can hardly imagine what that would look like.

Best Wishes to all on this Dominion of Canada Day.

HAPPY CANADA DAY, BONNE FETE DU CANADA!

Today is July 1 and we celebrate CANADA, 1534-1867-2010
This video was made by 2 kids from Canada, different and fun.
Enjoy the day!