In Western civilization Human Rights are where we have an absolute trust and appreciation. As Canadians; we are unknowingly deficient while blissful in our ignorance. Through linguistics, a subject in which our country ought to reign supreme above all others, we have misrepresented our culture and our past achievements. Canada and Canadians collectively have stalled on the journey to prosperity and national self-acceptance. In the early 19th century Canada had a goal of achieving law and order. In the late 19th century, a goal of becoming a unified country.
With these goals achieved, we entered the industrial era.
In the early 20th century our goals were simple, to prove ourselves to our fellow countrymen in Britain. Immediately followed by desire to give aid, to prevail and to embrace freedom. With the close of World War II Canada became emboldened, her stride more pronounced upon her great journey and Canadians began to stand up and declare triumphantly "I am Canadian!"
Disaster appeared on the horizon in the late 1900's with the threat of economic, territorial and populous separation. It was here and now that Canada’s goals became apparent and realized as – survival. Having defeated the separatists at such a narrow victory, the country and Canadians as a whole entered a post-climatic state of relaxation. A country that once charged to the finish line in Olympic track run fashion, has now taken to kicking the proverbial can with frayed-untied-shoe laces and steel toed work boots.
In our boredom, the country has become emphatically anti-American and profoundly self-righteous. Canadians in the 21st century aren’t able to name all ten provinces, their capitals or point themselves out in an international family portrait. Canada has lost its way. Canadians have lost their initiative. And, as recent evidence as shown, we’re smoking more pot than virtually everyone else. Canada has become the wayward student who graduated high school, took over the family basement and never gave university a second thought.
Canadians pride themselves on falsehoods of our identity. We are the peacekeepers who don’t go on peacekeeping missions. We are the worlds diplomats – who prefer silence and neutrality for Terrorism v. Israel’s Right to Exist. We are compassionate care givers with universal health care – so long as you’re willing to wait a year for the doctor. We proudly support our national public broadcaster in their endeavor to promote our culture – the Little Mosque way. (We may not have associated ourselves with rampant Muslims but, hey, look on the bright side, the Americans always did).
It’s time to either practice what we preach, or just stop preaching it. The first step is telling the truth about ourselves.
Canada can become a world leader – really, this time – as a proponent of Human Rights if we so choose. Human Rights extend far beyond the basics of water, food, medical care and freedom. These are the first steps, however, not the be-all-and-end-all. What seems almost lost on Canadians is the right in which they have been so blatantly deprived – the right to information. As water is the sustenance of the brain, information is the sustenance of the mind. Information is crucial to the academic world, the scientific world, the political world and for a parliamentary democracy, information should be a requirement prior to balloting.
The right to information has been partially recognized by the government through its Privacy Protection and Access to Information Act which enables citizens or entities to submit a direct request for specific government information. However, there is no current legislation that protects the integrity, authenticity or timely release of information. Further to that, there is no direct penalty under the Criminal Code for obstructing information or withholding its release.
Information is provided in various ways. Newspapers provide information on a daily basis. However, that information is not necessarily accurate. How many times have newspapers printed false stories on page 1, and retracted them days later on page 9? Surprisingly, more often than one would guess. Which presents the question: who penalizes newspapers for spreading false information? Currently, journalists are bound by nothing other than a ‘golden rule’ that asks them to behave–if they don’t, they’ll be subjected to strongly worded emails.
That would be enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. Perhaps I’ll run that one by my supervisor.
Newspapers and other media entities are self-governing with integrity and ethics being self-administered, self-monitored and self-penalized.
Canadian media are a walking, talking, publishing dictatorial empire with little or no boundaries. Recently, the prime minister appointed a new commissioner of the RCMP because the former commish was decidedly corrupt. Few would have expected corruption at the highest levels of our respected national police force, yet it happened. There are some in the political world who would say the Globe and Mail is a little too left-wing, and the National Post a little too right-wing. Many more would say the CBC is a little too.. uhh.. communist.
Remember the Reuters photo scandal of 2006? Yeah, neither does anyone else. If any other industry had committed such pervasion of the truth with obvious malicious intent, the media would have lined them up before a firing squad. Yet, when judging their own ethics, the media has displayed an uncharacteristic ability to forgive and forget. So who do we report them too? The RCMP? No. The CRTC? No. The Courts? Good luck with that.
When a media outlet is guilty of spreading false information, disinformation or is simply exercising its bias, the only avenue of pursuit is the outlet themselves – directly or through an association of media outlets, that includes the offending party, that have created their own media oversight committee. If, of course, the offending outlet bothered to join up with any of its buddies for self review.
Canada has a deliberate system of separation of powers. The executive, legislative and judicial branches must all remain separate in order to provide ethical and accountable administration. Yet, our media composes itself like our very own sorority. Canadian journalism has evolved into its own society, its own government, its own police and its own judiciary. Collectively, this group remains ideological, activist and intertwined in the events they record. As a means of progression and development, Canada must champion a revolution in information delivery.
The only things we stand to lose are CBC reporters. It’s definitely worth it.
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