I am a firm believer that a Quebec Delegate should be knowledgeable and sensitive about the values that are important to the host country. From day 1, I have stated my pride at being in New York City and the Mid-Atlantic region and my belief in the values held dear by the U.S. and its constitution.
This is my second Memorial Day weekend. It is, however, the first where I actually know someone who has a son leaving for Afghanistan. I actually work with this person. He is a former member of the Armed Forces and as is so typical of many families, he is instrumental in supporting the next generation that wishes to respond to the call for duty. My colleague and friend has all my admiration and respect as does his son. It is his story that has inspired my words.
We all know that Memorial Day is a weekend to recall the sacrifices of so many individuals and their families. Defending one's country and its ideals at great risk is the ultimate expression of public service and duty. We can debate or even disagree on a war, but no one can deny the courage and the faith a young person brings as he/she does his duty in 'harm's way'.
The U.S. is currently involved in two wars in a direct way and in another through NATO. It is also committed to providing protection or ensuring peace in many other parts of the world. Some are on numerous returns to duty assignments. Many have lost friends. So many have family living in anxiety, waiting for the day when the soldier returns.
By the time this blog is published, Memorial Day will be over. But the sacrifice and the prayerful thoughts will not. The pain that some Gold Star families have endured will never go away, despite what we say about "time being a healer."
Nearly 10,000 people have died since 9-11, if we count the nearly 3000 who lost their lives in the twin towers and in a Pennsylvania field. I know that the freedom we have and the air of liberty has a lot to do with those who have served or are ready to serve for the cause. On this Memorial Day weekend and beyond, let me say thanks to all who served and the families who have done so much to sustain this act of generosity and bravery on the part of their loved ones.
Peace and God speed.
May 31, 2011
May 23, 2011
The Power of Dreams
Posted at Americas Quarterly on May 19, 2011
History is a great teacher, and in these days of disaffected voters I take solace in reaching back in the past to see if we can find some inspiration to make our politics more appealing to the voter. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was fond of this quote: "Some people see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?” Lest we not forget Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s call: ‘’Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we’re free at last.” You might say this was another era and we were dealing with transformational changes such as civil rights. But it was more than that. It was about an era where we could dream of a better world, not for the next election cycle but for the next generations. It was a time where we believed in the power of dreams. It seems voters in democracies are craving for this kind of aspirational and inspirational rhetoric and leadership from their elected representatives.
Since the days of RFK and MLK, it seems our politics have become more transactional than transformational. We argue about deficits, taxes, debt, stimulus funding, and how to negotiate an amendment to a bill. We sometimes fall into silliness like insisting on certified proof of the birth of a person already duly vetted and elected over two years ago. Voter turnouts in western democracies have consistently declined, though the last presidential election saw an increase. Much of it can be attributed to the candidacy of Barack Obama where young people felt inspired by the power of his words and, yes, his dreams for change in America. That was the lesson of 2008 whether you voted for Obama or not. Dreams matter.
On May 9, 2011, Premier Charest tried to take a page from history to present a project not for the next election, but for the next generation. It is called “Plan Nord: Building Northern Québec Together.”
To be fair, not all politics can be about transformational change. We need to be realistic. Not only would it be irresponsible to bankrupt a nation to pay for electorally-popular programs, it would be downright immoral to neglect the impact on future generations. People want jobs, not speeches. But sometimes, it is important that politicians get out of the box and think beyond the next election cycle.
This is why the recently announced major sustainable project in Northern Québec becomes worthy of attention. Skeptics may caution scrutiny, but it is definitely one that merits interest for its magnitude and its promise to demonstrate that economic development, environmental protection and community building can be on the same page when it comes to vision, policy development and decision-making.
In the interests of full disclosure, you would expect my endorsement of this project given my current position. This being said, this announcement by Québec’s premier is the culmination of years of study, consultation, debate, and discussion from all the different parties interested in developing a modern, sustainable development project. Environmentalists, aboriginal leaders, builders, investors, voters, and political opponents all have the right to ask: What is in it for us? Why do it? If so, how can we turn it into a win-win proposition—one that benefits the current generation but embodies a wealth of opportunity and hope for the next generation? This is why at the announcement and after years of consultation and study, the Plan Nord had to begin to answer these questions.
This far-reaching vision will span over 25 years and will be developed under a series of five five-year plans covering the territory north of the 49th Parallel, roughly twice the size of Texas and France, and comprising 72 percent of Québec’s land mass. It is above all an open sustainable development project that integrates energy, mining, forest, bio-food, wildlife tourism, infrastructure building, and preservation of biodiversity—ensuring sustainable community development.
The project will involve over an $80 billion USD investment of public and private money. The government will commit by law to protect half of the territory for purposes other than industrial use—making it one of the most ambitious initiatives ever to protect the boreal forest and Northern ecosystems.
Aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities are partners in the enterprise and will benefit from the economic activity and wealth. At the launch, the public support of the Cree Nation’s grand chief, Matthew Coon Come, was deemed to be symbolically significant as he was largely responsible for scuttling the Great Whale Hydro project two decades ago because he did not feel the process included the aboriginal communities and environmental concerns. The difference this time, he said, was that the communities felt included and the concerns were addressed.
It is to be expected that some groups will question the viability and the scope of such an enterprise, but newspaper editorialists in Québec acknowledge the plan was developed in a responsible way, highly conscious of the environment and respectful of the communities. I have known Premier Charest personally for more than 20 years and I know he has cherished two important objectives as part of his public commitment: sustainable development and developing the north for future generations.
To some, it may seem like just a dream. Not, however, if you believe in the power of dreams.
History is a great teacher, and in these days of disaffected voters I take solace in reaching back in the past to see if we can find some inspiration to make our politics more appealing to the voter. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was fond of this quote: "Some people see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?” Lest we not forget Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s call: ‘’Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we’re free at last.” You might say this was another era and we were dealing with transformational changes such as civil rights. But it was more than that. It was about an era where we could dream of a better world, not for the next election cycle but for the next generations. It was a time where we believed in the power of dreams. It seems voters in democracies are craving for this kind of aspirational and inspirational rhetoric and leadership from their elected representatives.
Since the days of RFK and MLK, it seems our politics have become more transactional than transformational. We argue about deficits, taxes, debt, stimulus funding, and how to negotiate an amendment to a bill. We sometimes fall into silliness like insisting on certified proof of the birth of a person already duly vetted and elected over two years ago. Voter turnouts in western democracies have consistently declined, though the last presidential election saw an increase. Much of it can be attributed to the candidacy of Barack Obama where young people felt inspired by the power of his words and, yes, his dreams for change in America. That was the lesson of 2008 whether you voted for Obama or not. Dreams matter.
On May 9, 2011, Premier Charest tried to take a page from history to present a project not for the next election, but for the next generation. It is called “Plan Nord: Building Northern Québec Together.”
To be fair, not all politics can be about transformational change. We need to be realistic. Not only would it be irresponsible to bankrupt a nation to pay for electorally-popular programs, it would be downright immoral to neglect the impact on future generations. People want jobs, not speeches. But sometimes, it is important that politicians get out of the box and think beyond the next election cycle.
This is why the recently announced major sustainable project in Northern Québec becomes worthy of attention. Skeptics may caution scrutiny, but it is definitely one that merits interest for its magnitude and its promise to demonstrate that economic development, environmental protection and community building can be on the same page when it comes to vision, policy development and decision-making.
In the interests of full disclosure, you would expect my endorsement of this project given my current position. This being said, this announcement by Québec’s premier is the culmination of years of study, consultation, debate, and discussion from all the different parties interested in developing a modern, sustainable development project. Environmentalists, aboriginal leaders, builders, investors, voters, and political opponents all have the right to ask: What is in it for us? Why do it? If so, how can we turn it into a win-win proposition—one that benefits the current generation but embodies a wealth of opportunity and hope for the next generation? This is why at the announcement and after years of consultation and study, the Plan Nord had to begin to answer these questions.
This far-reaching vision will span over 25 years and will be developed under a series of five five-year plans covering the territory north of the 49th Parallel, roughly twice the size of Texas and France, and comprising 72 percent of Québec’s land mass. It is above all an open sustainable development project that integrates energy, mining, forest, bio-food, wildlife tourism, infrastructure building, and preservation of biodiversity—ensuring sustainable community development.
The project will involve over an $80 billion USD investment of public and private money. The government will commit by law to protect half of the territory for purposes other than industrial use—making it one of the most ambitious initiatives ever to protect the boreal forest and Northern ecosystems.
Aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities are partners in the enterprise and will benefit from the economic activity and wealth. At the launch, the public support of the Cree Nation’s grand chief, Matthew Coon Come, was deemed to be symbolically significant as he was largely responsible for scuttling the Great Whale Hydro project two decades ago because he did not feel the process included the aboriginal communities and environmental concerns. The difference this time, he said, was that the communities felt included and the concerns were addressed.
It is to be expected that some groups will question the viability and the scope of such an enterprise, but newspaper editorialists in Québec acknowledge the plan was developed in a responsible way, highly conscious of the environment and respectful of the communities. I have known Premier Charest personally for more than 20 years and I know he has cherished two important objectives as part of his public commitment: sustainable development and developing the north for future generations.
To some, it may seem like just a dream. Not, however, if you believe in the power of dreams.
Publié par
John Parisella
May 11, 2011
Building The North for the Next Generation
In recent months, politicians on both sides of the border have been discussing deficits and debt, and arguing that the current state of affairs is a legacy we cannot leave to the coming generations .The nature of this debate is often conditioned by ideology and the political mood of the day. Rarely these days do we hear politicians thought about dreams for the future.
Discovering new riches, exploring new frontiers, harnessing talent, promoting innovation and building a sustainable development for the future – you would think that these were dreams of days gone by. Well, think again as the Quebec Premier, Jean Charest, has just announced Quebec’s most ambitious project since the development of the James Bay Hydroelectric project back 40 years ago. The project, called the Plan Nord –Building Northern Quebec Together - was announced with great pomp in Levis, Quebec, before representatives from business, the investment community, environmentalists and affected aboriginal communities.
Much will be written in the days ahead and each with a viewpoint. The goal of the Quebec government was to put together what it calls a generational project built on the principle of sustainable development and providing opportunities for growth for the local and aboriginal communities, and beyond. To be specific, it is a project to be carried out over 25 years, expecting to create or consolidate 20,000 jobs, involving over $80 billion in investment, and that will produce $14 billion in revenue for the Quebec Treasury.
The plan covers the territory north of the 49th parallel and it covers a land mass twice the size of Texas, and France. A partnership table involving aboriginal communities has been highly involved in the planning and execution of the project and has been working on the plan since January 2010.
The project will involve mining, energy, forestry, wildlife tourism, infrastructure building including roads, bio-food, airports, ports, with 50% of the land mass meant to be protected from industrial development While this is an ambitious economic development enterprise built on sustainable development concepts, it is also a community project aimed at providing measures in the areas of education, healthy, manpower retraining, housing and culture for both aboriginal and non aboriginal populations.
A notable supporter at the conference launch was the Grand Chief of the Cree, Mathew Coon Come, who lent his whole hearted support to the Plan Nord project. His presence was noticed as his endorsement contrasted sharply to his early opposition to another project, Great Whale, over two decades ago. Coon Come signalled his appreciation at being involved and being a partner in developing this project for both the current and next generation. All in all, not a bad start.
Discovering new riches, exploring new frontiers, harnessing talent, promoting innovation and building a sustainable development for the future – you would think that these were dreams of days gone by. Well, think again as the Quebec Premier, Jean Charest, has just announced Quebec’s most ambitious project since the development of the James Bay Hydroelectric project back 40 years ago. The project, called the Plan Nord –Building Northern Quebec Together - was announced with great pomp in Levis, Quebec, before representatives from business, the investment community, environmentalists and affected aboriginal communities.
Much will be written in the days ahead and each with a viewpoint. The goal of the Quebec government was to put together what it calls a generational project built on the principle of sustainable development and providing opportunities for growth for the local and aboriginal communities, and beyond. To be specific, it is a project to be carried out over 25 years, expecting to create or consolidate 20,000 jobs, involving over $80 billion in investment, and that will produce $14 billion in revenue for the Quebec Treasury.
The plan covers the territory north of the 49th parallel and it covers a land mass twice the size of Texas, and France. A partnership table involving aboriginal communities has been highly involved in the planning and execution of the project and has been working on the plan since January 2010.
The project will involve mining, energy, forestry, wildlife tourism, infrastructure building including roads, bio-food, airports, ports, with 50% of the land mass meant to be protected from industrial development While this is an ambitious economic development enterprise built on sustainable development concepts, it is also a community project aimed at providing measures in the areas of education, healthy, manpower retraining, housing and culture for both aboriginal and non aboriginal populations.
A notable supporter at the conference launch was the Grand Chief of the Cree, Mathew Coon Come, who lent his whole hearted support to the Plan Nord project. His presence was noticed as his endorsement contrasted sharply to his early opposition to another project, Great Whale, over two decades ago. Coon Come signalled his appreciation at being involved and being a partner in developing this project for both the current and next generation. All in all, not a bad start.
Publié par
John Parisella
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