Over the past decade, Canada has often been paid significantly less than the market price for its oil by the United States. This discrepancy is largely due to the pricing of Canadian crude oil being tied to the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) benchmark, which has historically traded at a discount to global prices like Brent crude1.
The exact amount varies year by year, but it’s been reported that the discount has ranged from $10 to $20 per barrel on average over the past 10 years. This means that for every barrel of oil Canada sold to the U.S., it received $10 to $20 less than what it would have if it were priced at the global market rate.
Does this help clarify things for you? how many $US does that account for?
To give you an idea of the financial impact, let’s do a rough calculation:
Average discount: Let’s take the average discount of $15 per barrel.
Average annual oil exports: Canada exports about 3.5 million barrels of oil per day to the U.S.
Days in a year: 365 days.
So, the calculation would be: 3,500,000 barrels/day ×
365 days/year × $15/barrel = $18,262,500,000/year
Over 10 years, this would amount to: $18,262,500,000/year × 10 years = $182,625,000,000
So, Canada has been paid approximately $182.6 billion less by American buyers than the market price for its oil over the past decade. The entire Canadian federal budget in 2025 is approximately $525 Billion dollars, with about a $40 Billion dollar deficit. $18 Billion a year spent in Canada on Defense would be vastly more than the 2% under the Nato guidelines or even the 5% requested by Trump.
The fastest way that Canada could increase its military budget to 3% of GDP, while increase national productivity and pride. Increasing Canada’s military budget to 3% of GDP while boosting national productivity and pride is a multifaceted challenge. Here are some steps that could help Canada achieve these goals:
Increase Military Spending: • Reallocate Budget: Redirect funds from other areas of government spending to defense. This could involve cutting discretionary spending on consulting, professional services, and travel1. • Increase Taxes: Implement new taxes or increase existing ones, such as a defense tax or higher income taxes, to generate additional revenue. • Public-Private Partnerships: Collaborate with private companies to fund defense projects, reducing the financial burden on the government.
Boost National Productivity: • Invest in Technology: Support research and development in advanced technologies, including AI and robotics, to enhance productivity across various sectors. • Education and Training: Invest in education and vocational training programs to equip the workforce with the skills needed for high-productivity jobs. • Infrastructure Development: Improve infrastructure, such as transportation and communication networks, to facilitate efficient business operations.
Foster National Pride: • Promote Canadian Identity: Launch campaigns that celebrate Canadian achievements, culture, and values to instill a sense of pride in being Canadian. • Support Local Businesses: Encourage consumers to “Buy Canadian” through incentives and awareness campaigns, fostering a sense of unity and pride in supporting local industries. • Celebrate Successes: Highlight and celebrate Canadian successes in various fields, such as sports, arts, and science, to build a positive national narrative. By implementing these strategies, Canada can work towards increasing its military budget, boosting national productivity, and fostering a sense of pride among its citizens. What do you think about these ideas? What would a timeline for these changes look like? Creating a detailed timeline involves multiple phases and collaborative efforts between the government, private sector, and the public. Here’s a rough outline of how these changes could be implemented: Year 1: Planning and Initiation • Q1 – Q2: Strategic Planning o Conduct a comprehensive assessment of current defense needs and budget allocations. o Identify areas for budget reallocation and potential tax adjustments. • Q3 – Q4: Policy Formulation and Approval o Draft and propose budget reallocation and new tax policies. o Engage with stakeholders, including government bodies, businesses, and the public, to gather input and build support. Years 2-3: Implementation • Q1 – Q4: Budget Reallocation o Begin reallocating funds from other areas to defense, focusing on minimizing disruptions. o Implement new taxes or increase existing ones to generate additional revenue. • Q1 – Q4: Investment in Technology and Education o Launch initiatives to support R&D in advanced technologies. o Start education and vocational training programs to upskill the workforce. • Q3 – Q4: Public-Private Partnerships o Establish collaborations with private companies to fund defense projects. Years 3-5: Expansion and Reinforcement • Q1 – Q4: Infrastructure Development o Improve transportation and communication networks to support productivity. • Q1 – Q4: Promotion of Canadian Identity and Pride o Launch campaigns celebrating Canadian achievements and culture. o Encourage “Buy Canadian” initiatives and celebrate national successes. Years 5-10: Review and Optimization • Q1 – Q4: Continuous Assessment o Review the impact of increased defense spending and productivity initiatives. o Optimize policies and programs based on feedback and outcomes. Beyond 10 Years: Sustained Growth • Long-term: o Ensure sustained growth in military capability, productivity, and national pride through continuous innovation, education, and community engagement. This timeline is flexible and may require adjustments based on the specific circumstances and challenges that arise. It’s important to maintain a balanced approach to ensure that the increase in military spending does not negatively impact other crucial areas of national development. What do you think about this plan? How could this increase Canada’s success in developing and exploiting Canada’s Northwest Passage and Canada Increasing Canada’s military budget and boosting national productivity can significantly enhance Canada’s success in developing and exploiting the Northwest Passage. Here’s how:
Enhanced Security and Sovereignty: • Increased Military Presence: A larger military budget allows for more patrols and infrastructure in the Arctic, ensuring Canada’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage. • Advanced Technology: Investment in advanced technologies, such as icebreakers and surveillance systems, can help navigate and monitor the passage more effectively.
Economic Opportunities: • Resource Exploitation: The Northwest Passage offers access to vast resources, including oil, natural gas, and minerals. Increased military spending can support the infrastructure needed to extract and transport these resources safely2. • Trade Routes: Developing the passage as a viable shipping route can reduce travel distances between Europe and Asia by up to 7,000 km, saving time and costs for shipping companies.
Environmental Protection: • Monitoring and Response: Enhanced military capabilities can help monitor environmental changes and respond to potential threats, such as oil spills or invasive species. • Sustainable Practices: With increased funding, Canada can invest in sustainable practices and technologies to minimize the environmental impact of exploiting the passage.
National Pride and Identity: • Promoting Canadian Leadership: Successfully developing and exploiting the Northwest Passage can boost national pride and reinforce Canada’s position as a leader in Arctic affairs. • Collaboration with Indigenous Communities: Engaging with Indigenous communities and respecting their rights can foster a sense of unity and shared purpose in the development of the passage. By focusing on these areas, Canada can leverage its increased military budget and productivity to achieve greater success in the development and exploitation of the Northwest Passage. What are your thoughts on these strategies? Add increased collaboration with European military allies and Nato to balance increasing Russian and Chinese geopolitical threats. Incorporating increased collaboration with European military allies and NATO is crucial for balancing geopolitical threats from Russia and China. Here’s how this can be integrated into the strategy:
Enhanced Security and Sovereignty: • Increased Military Presence: A larger military budget allows for more patrols and infrastructure in the Arctic, ensuring Canada’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage. • Advanced Technology: Investment in advanced technologies, such as icebreakers and surveillance systems, can help navigate and monitor the passage more effectively. • NATO Exercises: Participate in joint military exercises with NATO allies to enhance interoperability and readiness in the Arctic region.
Economic Opportunities: • Resource Exploitation: The Northwest Passage offers access to vast resources, including oil, natural gas, and minerals. Increased military spending can support the infrastructure needed to extract and transport these resources safely. • Trade Routes: Developing the passage as a viable shipping route can reduce travel distances between Europe and Asia by up to 7,000 km, saving time and costs for shipping companies.
Environmental Protection: • Monitoring and Response: Enhanced military capabilities can help monitor environmental changes and respond to potential threats, such as oil spills or invasive species. • Sustainable Practices: With increased funding, Canada can invest in sustainable practices and technologies to minimize the environmental impact of exploiting the passage.
National Pride and Identity: • Promoting Canadian Leadership: Successfully developing and exploiting the Northwest Passage can boost national pride and reinforce Canada’s position as a leader in Arctic affairs. • Collaboration with Indigenous Communities: Engaging with Indigenous communities and respecting their rights can foster a sense of unity and shared purpose in the development of the passage.
Increased Collaboration with European Military Allies and NATO: • Joint Defense Initiatives: Work closely with NATO allies to develop joint defense initiatives focused on Arctic security. • Intelligence Sharing: Enhance intelligence sharing with European allies to monitor and respond to potential threats from Russia and China. • Strategic Partnerships: Establish strategic partnerships with European countries to jointly invest in Arctic infrastructure and technology development. • Diplomatic Efforts: Strengthen diplomatic efforts with NATO allies to present a united front against geopolitical threats and promote stability in the Arctic region. By integrating these strategies, Canada can enhance its security, exploit economic opportunities, protect the environment, and foster national pride while collaborating with European military allies and NATO to address geopolitical threats. What are your thoughts on this comprehensive plan? What are the potential risks of increased military presence in the Arctic? Increasing military presence in the Arctic comes with several potential risks:
Geopolitical Tensions: • Military Confrontation: Increased military presence can escalate tensions with other nations, particularly Russia and China, who also have strategic interests in the region. • Provocation: Military build-up might be perceived as a provocation, leading to increased military exercises and potential conflicts.
Environmental Impact: • Climate Change: Military activities can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change in a region already experiencing rapid warming. • Ecological Disruption: Construction and operations in the Arctic can disrupt local wildlife and fragile ecosystems.
Economic Costs: • Resource Allocation: Significant financial resources are required to maintain and expand military infrastructure in the harsh Arctic environment. • Opportunity Costs: Funds allocated to military spending might be diverted from other critical areas such as healthcare, education, and sustainable development.
Diplomatic Challenges: • International Relations: Increased military presence can strain diplomatic relations with other Arctic nations and international bodies like the Arctic Council. • Legal Disputes: There may be legal challenges related to territorial claims and resource rights in the Arctic.
Safety and Security: • Accidents and Incidents: Increased military activity raises the risk of accidents, such as collisions or oil spills, which can have severe environmental and safety consequences. • Operational Challenges: The harsh Arctic environment poses logistical challenges, making military operations more complex and risky. Balancing these risks with the strategic benefits of increased military presence requires careful planning and international cooperation. What are your thoughts on managing these risks? Combine increased focus and promotion of the Northwest Passage to encourage international shipping through Canadian waters, in collaboration with European partners and investment from anyone other than the United States Integrating a focus on the Northwest Passage to encourage international shipping while collaborating with European partners and securing investments from other international stakeholders can be a strategic move for Canada. Here’s how to combine these efforts:
Enhanced Security and Sovereignty: • Increased Military Presence: Deploy icebreakers and patrol vessels to ensure the safe passage of ships and assert Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Passage. • Advanced Surveillance: Invest in surveillance technology to monitor the passage and ensure compliance with international shipping regulations.
Promotion and Marketing: • Global Campaigns: Launch global marketing campaigns highlighting the benefits of the Northwest Passage as a shorter and safer route between Europe and Asia. • Partnerships with European Countries: Collaborate with European countries to promote the use of the Northwest Passage to their shipping companies, emphasizing reduced travel times and costs.
Infrastructure Development: • Port Facilities: Develop and upgrade port facilities along the Northwest Passage to accommodate increased shipping traffic. • Logistics and Support Services: Invest in logistics hubs and support services to assist ships navigating the passage.
Environmental Protection: • Sustainable Practices: Implement strict environmental regulations to protect the Arctic ecosystem and promote sustainable shipping practices. • Monitoring and Response: Enhance capabilities for monitoring environmental impacts and responding to potential incidents, such as oil spills.
International Collaboration: • European Partnerships: Strengthen partnerships with European countries and secure their investments in Arctic infrastructure and technology. • Global Investments: Attract investments from countries other than the United States to diversify funding sources and reduce dependence on a single partner. • International Shipping Agreements: Negotiate shipping agreements with European and other international partners to ensure smooth and efficient navigation through the Northwest Passage.
National Pride and Identity: • Promoting Canadian Leadership: Highlight Canada’s leadership in developing and promoting the Northwest Passage as a key global shipping route. • Indigenous Collaboration: Engage with Indigenous communities to ensure their involvement and respect their rights in the development of the passage. By combining these efforts, Canada can effectively promote the Northwest Passage as a preferred shipping route, enhance its security and sovereignty, attract international investments, and foster national pride. What do you think about this comprehensive plan?
Addressing Canada’s Challenges for a Prosperous Future
By Donald Bruce Edward Wilson
Canada faces several pressing political and economic challenges that require comprehensive and strategic solutions to ensure the country’s long-term prosperity and stability. This document outlines a pan-Canadian strategy to address these issues over the next twenty years.
1. Enhancing Productivity
To counteract the decline in productivity, Canada must invest in innovation, research, and development. This can be achieved through:
Increased funding for public and private research institutions.
Encouraging partnerships between universities and industries.
Providing tax incentives for businesses that invest in new technologies and processes.
Emphasizing the importance of skills development and lifelong learning to ensure the workforce remains adaptable and competitive.
2. Addressing Declining Population and Birth Rates
To mitigate the effects of a declining population and low birth rates, Canada should implement policies that encourage family growth and attract skilled immigrants. This can be done by:
Offering financial incentives and support programs for families with children, such as childcare subsidies and parental leave.
Promoting work-life balance through flexible working arrangements and family-friendly workplace policies.
Streamlining the immigration process to attract skilled workers and entrepreneurs.
Investing in programs that support the integration and retention of immigrants in the Canadian workforce and society.
3. Boosting Income and Wealth Growth
To stimulate income and wealth growth for Canadians, the government should focus on:
Implementing progressive tax policies that ensure fair wealth distribution.
Enhancing access to education and training programs to improve job prospects and earning potential.
Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through grants, loans, and mentorship programs.
Developing infrastructure projects that create jobs and stimulate economic activity.
4. Increasing Military Spending
To meet the goal of increasing military spending to 4% of GDP over the next twenty years, Canada should:
Gradually increase the defense budget to ensure sustainable growth in military capabilities.
Invest in modernizing military equipment and technology to maintain a robust and efficient defense force.
Enhance collaboration with NATO allies and other international partners to share resources and expertise.
Focus on developing domestic defense industries to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and create jobs.
Rapidly increase the global sales of Canadian-made military goods.
Implement a radical increase in military service, with all Canadians required to serve a mandatory two years in the military or an alternative government service corps before the age of 25.
5. Developing the Canadian Northwest Passage
The development of the Northwest Passage in collaboration with European and Asian partners should prioritize environmental protection, resource extraction, and military security. Key strategies include:
Establishing international agreements that ensure sustainable and responsible use of the passage.
Investing in infrastructure to support shipping, research, and environmental monitoring.
Promoting collaboration with indigenous communities to ensure their rights and interests are respected.
Implementing stringent environmental regulations to protect the fragile Arctic ecosystem.
6. Balancing Energy Exploitation and Environmental Goals
To balance increased exploitation of energy resources with environmental goals, Canada should:
Invest in renewable energy sources and technologies to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Implement carbon pricing mechanisms to incentivize emissions reductions.
Support research and development in clean energy and carbon capture technologies.
Promote energy efficiency measures across all sectors of the economy.
7. Reducing Dependency on the United States
To reduce dependency on the United States, Canada should diversify its trade partnerships and strengthen its economic resilience by:
Expanding trade agreements with other countries and regions, such as the European Union, Asia, and Latin America.
Investing in domestic industries to reduce reliance on imports from the United States.
Stabilizing and securing supply chains by developing strategic reserves of essential goods and materials.
Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship to create new economic opportunities within Canada.
Consultation with Provinces, Local Communities, and Indigenous Communities
Throughout the implementation of these strategies, it is essential to maintain ongoing consultation with provinces, local communities, and indigenous communities to ensure their perspectives and needs are addressed. This inclusive approach guarantees that all stakeholders are part of the decision-making process and that the solutions are tailored to the diverse landscape of Canada.
By implementing these strategies and ensuring broad consultation, Canada can address its political and economic challenges, ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for all Canadians.
There are a lot of consequences of Canada’s decision to increase immigration over the past few years and continue over the next few. Like it or not, rapid growth results in a lot of disruptions in the economy, as well as rapid fire changes in the social order in the country. The face of Canada is continuing to change rapidly, with new immigrants filing up communities from coast to coast to coast. Housing demand, hospital shortages, new school building requirement, commercial and industrial infrastructure demands – these all require huge resources to be applied to make sure that our country accommodates all these new people, while we also take steps to make up for generations of neglect and abuse of our first nations peoples across the country, but especially in the rural and northern parts of the country. It will take a lot of cooperation and mutual tolerance for us all to work together as a new people to resolve all these requirements at one time. I do wonder if the federal government really thought through all the disruptions it would create by increasing immigration so much and so fast. We have a ton to get done, and we need to pay attention to the poor, the seniors, and the indigent at the same time.
The debt ceiling issue is a uniquely American challenge, although it speaks volumes about a problem all nations share, the management of their national debt and their currency. The US challenge is actually a simple problem arising out of the division of powers between the legislative and executive branch of the government. As long as no party has control of all the houses of Congress and the Presidency at the same time, there will always been a crisis regarding the debt ceiling, used by the opposition party to hold the President’s feet to the fire, and to try to force him to do things he’s unwilling to do. Likewise, the President uses it as bludgeon to force his opposition to approve the national budget, etc. There is no crisis except as manufactured by the parties in the US, which the President alone has an arbitrary ability to control. The President could issue a multi Trillion US Dollar coin, backed by the US Treasury Board, which would replace the debt ceiling as the US could simply pay its debt with the newly minted Multi Trillion Dollar Coin. The Congress doesn’t have a vote in the issuance of currency by the government as this is purely a Presidential power. But no President in history will use this escape clause because it takes away his ability to force Congress to pass budgets or approve military spending at his desired levels, which are things only Congress controls. This balancing act goes on year after year after year, through many changes in party control of both the Whitehouse and Congress, and has allowed the two sides to be forced to come to agreement for over a hundred years. It is a giant game of Chicken, played by Congress and the Us President, with an outcome neither can afford to allow to happen. But neither side wants the game to end because it would result in a dramatic change in the balance of power in Washington, and impact the United States governance in ways nobody can anticipate.
There are bigger issues with currencies and the national debt in central banks around the world. National debt, in large measure is created when governments spend more money than they have coming in from taxes (and other indirect revenues). The size of the debt has been growing radically over the past couple of decades, under both Democratic and Republican governments, and raises real concerns from central banks for the simple reason that more debt inherently results in more currency circulating in the economic, for a modestly expanding amount of goods and services, which has not managed to keep up with the rising debt, not even close. All of this leads to inflation, or rather devalues all the existing currency by roughly same amount as the excess of spending over income. In theory at least. The truly troubling part of all of this is that it’s not actually true. Economists and bankers would have us believe that it is true, but for a number of reasons, the economic total value of goods and services has not been rising more SLOWLY than government debt, but rather dwarfs the increase in government fiat currency. The reasons that the growth isn’t recognized is that it takes place out of sight of the public, in the arbitrary markets that control real property, physical real assets, and now block chain currencies.
Some economists believe that these are separate issues, and you can’t count block chain currencies as real goods or services, or even as real currencies. Recent events demonstrate that governments are beginning to realize that block chain based assets (and not just currencies) have real value, and are being used by institutions and individuals all around the world to represent wealth, both accumulated and accruing. The cognition of cryptocurrencies like the SEC as “real” assets for accounting and business purposes simply underlies this truth.
The entire concept of money as a medium of exchange was made up in the first place because it is a function necessary for working of any kind of remote exchange of value between unrelated parties in a marketplace. But make no mistake, money of any form is “made up” and only has the values that are ascribed to it, whether my national governments, or by currency exchanges between the various owners of currencies.
The power of this is immense, as it underlies the fundament values represented by assets and income of all kinds.
All values ascribed to any activity in an economy have the value given to those activities by the various market players, and asset holders. No more and no less. Which means that money is both meaningless and unimpeachably important at the same time. Cryptocurrencies are no more and no less “real” than any other type of money or currency.
Canada has been absorbing this week the revelation of the burials of 215 children at the Kamloops Residential Schools, many of them completely undocumented in our past, and mostly completely unknown to most Canadians. In an important sense every one of these children is a crime victim, the least of which is neglect the most serious of which is genocide. Worst of all, most of us had no clue that this burial ground even existed, although that’s just a little too convenient an excuse.
This week thousands of articles have been written on the subject, news stories broadcast on radio and television. There is much hand wringing and guilty statements about Settler privilege.
What I haven’t heard enough of, or even any of, is the genocide underway in Canada today across the country. Every day children are still being taken away from aboriginal families and forced into “care” where they are neglected, abused and abandoned, with many of these children dying while in care, or shortly after “aging” out of foster care. These kids are removed from families, single parent moms mostly, because of a system that still sees “drunken indians” instead of struggling people who have been largely dispossessed from their tribal history and context by colonial exploitation and continuing subjugation by the settler cultures.
The racial mess in the United States looks pretty grim and is painful to watch. We can be forgiven for being quietly thankful for Canada’s more inclusive society, which has avoided dramas like that in Ferguson, Mo. We are not the only ones to think this. In the recently released Social Progress Index, Canada is ranked second amongst all nations for its tolerance and inclusion.
Unfortunately, the truth is we have a far worse race problem than the United States. We just can’t see it very easily.
Terry Glavin, recently writing in the Ottawa Citizen, mocked the idea that the United States could learn from Canada’s example when it comes to racial harmony. To illustrate his point, he compared the conditions of the African-American community to Canada’s First Nations. If you judge a society by how it treats its most disadvantaged, Glavin found us wanting. Consider the accompanying table. By almost every measurable indicator, the Aboriginal population in Canada is treated worse and lives with more hardship than the African-American population. All these facts tell us one thing: Canada has a race problem, too.
How are we not choking on these numbers? For a country so self-satisfied with its image of progressive tolerance, how is this not a national crisis? Why are governments not falling on this issue?
Possibly it is because our Fergusons are hidden deep in the bush, accessible only by chartered float plane: 49 per cent of First Nations members live on remote reserves. Those who do live in urban centres are mostly confined to a few cities in the Prairies. Fewer than 40,000 live in Toronto, not even one per cent of the total population of the Greater Toronto Area. Our racial problems are literally over the horizon, out of sight and out of mind.
Or it could be because we simply do not see the forest for trees. We are distracted by the stories of corrupt band councils, or flooded reserves, or another missing Aboriginal woman. Some of us wring our hands, and a handful of activists protest. There are a couple of unread op-eds, and maybe a Twitter hashtag will skip around for a few days. But nothing changes. Yes, we admit there is a governance problem on the reserves. We might agree that “something” should be done about the missing and murdered women. In Ottawa a few policy wonks write fretful memos on land claims and pipelines. But collectively, we don’t say it out loud: “Canada has a race problem.”
If we don’t have a race problem then what do we blame? Our justice system, unable to even convene Aboriginal juries? Band administrators, like those in Attawapiskat, who defraud their own people? Our health care system that fails to provide Aboriginal communities with health outcomes on par with El Salvador? Politicians too craven to admit the reserve system has failed? Elders like Chief Ava Hill, cynically willing to let a child die this week from treatable cancer in order to promote Aboriginal rights? Aboriginal people themselves for not throwing out the leaders who serve them so poorly? Police forces too timid to grasp the nettle and confront unbridled criminality like the organized drug-smuggling gangs in Akwesasne? Federal bureaucrats for constructing a $7-billion welfare system that doesn’t work? The school system for only graduating 42 per cent of reserve students? Aboriginal men, who have pushed their community’s murder rate past Somalia’s? The media for not sufficiently or persistently reporting on these facts?
Or: us? For not paying attention. For believing our own hype about inclusion. For looking down our noses at America and ignorantly thinking, “That would never happen here.” For not acknowledging Canada has a race problem.
We do and it is bad. And it is not just with the Aboriginal peoples. For new immigrants and the black community the numbers are not as stark, but they tell a depressingly similar story.
If we want to fix this, the first step is to admit something is wrong. Start by saying it to yourself, but say it out loud: “Canada has a race problem.”
I believe that we should all pay attention to the people who make up our world. They are not invisible. Their pain should be all of our pain. Discrimination against one is discrimination against all.
Unequal treatment of people of all descriptions is a fundamental failing of the Canadian system of police work. Black Canadians are many times more likely to be harrassed and ultimately punished, sometimes by an unjustifiable death.
The murder of black men by police authorities in the United States is not unique to America. We must learn to see it in our home cities and provinces. There are far too many black people murdered in Canada, indeed in British Columbia, by government which is supposed to represent all of us, not just the privileged few. I believe we should each put our bodies in harms way to protect the innocent, even protect the guilty. Being drunk should not be punishable by the death penalty. Being young and female and “other” should not be permission to kill or main or rape. Men must see women differently, and enforce a view that says that women own their own bodies, and have the right to choose to be treated any way that they damn well want.
I believe that everyone deserves equal treatment before a fair and just system of governance.
Supreme Court of Canada is charged with enforcing a just and honourable system of laws.
I believe that change begins with me, and I must do better than this. We all must do better than this. We must demand that our government stands up for the weak, the indigent, the powerless, the elderly, the young, the absolutely ordinary black man or woman, and for the rest of us as well.
Our sons and daughters, and grandchildren, and parents and grandparents are all waiting for us to stand up for them, with them, as them.
I can’t breathe. We can and will do better than this.
One of the things that irritates me about life in the 21st century is the constant evolution of laws and regulations designed to improve public safety, and protect people from unsafe practices. In 2018 the British Columbia government changed traffic laws related to how drivers are supposed to react when seeing flashing lights at the side of the road or highway.
I thought I knew the laws regarding flashing emergency lights or a siren from an emergency vehicle. I always do my best to move over to the side of the road, and generally get out of the way of an emergency vehicle when I see one coming up behind me in traffic. I had no idea that my obligations as a driver far exceed this simple behaviour. I always intend to obey traffic laws, within reason, and within safe driving practices on the road. But this new law catches me by surprise, although perhaps it shouldn’t.
Overview
In British Columbia, motorists are required to slow down and move over for all vehicles stopped alongside the road that have flashing red, blue or yellow lights. This includes maintenance workers, utility workers, police, fire, ambulance, tow trucks, Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement personnel, land surveyors, animal control workers, garbage collectors and other roadside workers.
Motorists must slow their speed to:
70km/h when in an 80km/h or over zone
40km/h when in an under 80km/h zone
If travelling on a multi-lane road, drivers must move into another lane to pass when passing stopped vehicles with a flashing light, where safe to do so. This provides roadside workers and emergency personnel with greater protection from accident and injury.
Rules and Penalties
Drivers failing to adjust their speed or failing to move over may receive a $173 traffic violation ticket that also carries 3 penalty points. Offences and infractions that include penalty points can lead to a driving prohibition.
This really sucks! Truthfully, when the young police office pulled me over I genuinely thought he was just being an ass, and had pulled me over for no real reason, just to be a smart mouth, not because I had committed an offense. I was so sure he was wrong I told him that I would meet him in court, and fight this wrongful ticket, which will cost me $173 and add three points to my driver’s license.
Unfortunately I was totally in the wrong, in this case, and the young whippersnapper police officer was totally right. So I guess I’ll hang my head and admit that I’m wrong about this, and just pay up.
But that doesn’t actually resolve the issue for me, because it begs the question as to how many other traffic laws have changed without me noticing. How many other people have missed out on knowing the changes in regulations and laws, which could cost them money, and perhaps put other people at risk because they don’t know the law.
There are thousands of new laws and regulations brought into effect in every jurisdiction every year. How in the hell does anybody know what’s illegal or not. Even if you spend every day in the library studying legislation and regulations you still wouldn’t know all of the important laws, let alone the minor irritants and misdemeanors.
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