for May 21, 1999.
On Monday I interviewed Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe and out of that interview came a thought - what if he’s right that there will be an America wide trading bloc and that the bonds of nationalism will be loosened considerably?
There is a curious paradox taking place in the world - on the one hand we see countries coming together to form one political unit and on the other we see minorities struggling for independence. Perhaps it’s a difficult time, then, to draw lessons. But I think the European Community really strengthens Duceppe’s argument for while there is a coming together on a political level this is also loosening the bonds of ancient nationalism as we have seen in Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Eire no longer has the fight in its belly to unite Ireland any more since it’s in the EC. And can anyone doubt that the UK going into the EC has, by pointing London towards Brussels, given new impetus to internal nationalism, especially in Scotland?
There is a real move towards large, natural trading blocs. Japan’s Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere which was their byword in the early 40s is now perhaps coming to pass. In the 40s, of course, it was a tool to get rid of European colonialism and replace it with Japanese colonialism - a not especially welcome idea to those who had seen how Japan treated Korea after it took her over in 1910 … but a much more palatable notion now that it has the military influence taken out.
Before we know it Chile will be in Nafta and I predict that within a couple of years Argentina and Brazil will be in or very close to it. When that happens, other countries will be compelled to join for the same reason Canada was compelled to sign a free trade agreement with the United States - sheer practicality.
When the focus of all these American nations is focussed on Nafta, will that not make it easier for Quebec to convince its citizens that independence is an economically sound prospect, not just a sentimental one? And what about British Columbia? Will it still be prepared to take both economic and political leadership from Ontario and Ottawa? Somehow I doubt it.
The constant temptation for Canadians, who are an anally retentive, small "c" conservative people to see things in today’s terms only. But our horizons will be forced to broaden by events over which they have less and less control. It just may be that the enemy we all hate and demonize, the Bloc Quebecois and the Parti Quebecois have, entirely by accident I’m sure, a better looking glass into the future than we who see any change as a threat to our very existence.
On another utterly unrelated matter - the subject of women on air on CKNW has come in recent days and I wholeheartedly agree that our performance has not been good. There is another side of the story which mitigates, if only slightly, against our shortcomings. Every talk show is produced by women. I can only speak for myself but I rely almost entirely on the judgment of Shiral Tobin and Ali Hounsell for what goes on the show. Of course I play a role and very often suggest subjects and guests. But the opinions of my producers are not only paid great heed, I can count on one hand the times I have insisted on doing or not doing something against their recommendations - and I was wrong as often as I was right.
I say this because I think this point must be made - while we are short of women broadcasters, we’re not short of women’s issues or the female point of view.
I think - and I hope I’m right - that in the last couple of years since my producers have all been young women that my perspective has changes and so, thus, has the show
Finally, this thought to leave you as I go away for a bit. The Serbians are neither all good nor all bad … neither are the Kosovars. There is plenty of bad in Slobadan Milosevic though and lots to scare uds about the Kosovo Liberation Army, especially since we have paved the way for them to become the spokesmen for all Kosovars simply because we give them a legitimacy they have not hitherto possessed.
What is wrong is the bombing. It has been wrong from the beginning and is wrong now. The United States and Britain, with Canada tagging along like a toy poodle wagging its tail, have badly miscalculated. The Kosovars are desperately worse off that they were before we decided to help them. Yugoslavia will require billions to get their infrastructure back in shape and guess who will be called upon to pay. That we in Canada went along like cosseted lap dogs is shameful.
We should now take the lead. Prime Minister Chretien … and Preston manning for that matter … should publicly announce that we’ve made a huge mistake and we’re out of there.
Our obligations to humanity, to say nothing of common sense and decency require us to confess our error and work as hard as we can to see the bombing stop.