What if the whole purpose of the constitution was to limit the Government?

What if the president, meant to be an equal to congress has instead become a democratically elected term limited monarch?

What if the president assumed everything he did was legal just because he is the president?

What if he could interrupt your regularly scheduled radio and TV programming for a special message from him?

What if he could declare war on his own?

What if he could read your emails or texts without a search warrant?

What if he could kill you without warning?

What if the rights and principals guaranteed in the constitution have been so distorted in the past 200 years as to be unrecognizable by the founding fathers?

What if states were mere Provinces of a totally nationalized and fully centralized government?

What if the constitution was amended stealthily, not by constitutional amendments dually ratified by the states but by the consistent and persistent expansion of the federal government in our lives?

What if the constitution was no longer the supreme law of the land?

What if you need a license to speak or protest…What if the Government didn’t give the license?

What if the rights to keep and bear arms only applies to…..

This is part of a 3 minute message left mistakenly on my voice mail, obviously originating in the United States but wrongfully dialed to our very Canadian number. First of all, I can’t believe the degree to which fear mongering exists in this political rant. Secondly, I’m glad that my phone service cut if off as this was my business line; which I pay for. I stood there listening, baffled by what I was hearing. Really? This is the tactic used to entice or sway voters, mobilize the masses or whatever this is used for? Maybe someone can explain to me where this came from or better yet its usefulness. All that came to my mind was one word, PARANOIA! This is insanity, no wonder there are people who are so fearful of their Government and each other.

I’m not sure of the outcome of this call but whatever its point was to be, it was going to take a long time to get there. If it was to question the current political climate, doesn’t this just fuel more instability and who is this person I’m listening too? Did they just wake up and say, “Hey! I’ve got an idea! While my country women and men are on what appears to be a very long and involved path to picking a leader I will record this commentary and use the phone lines to spew more rhetoric. I’m sorry, but all this verbal diarrhea can’t possibly being doing much good especially since the poop flowed upward, north of the U.S. border, rather than down to its intended victims. This wrong number may end up costing me if they won’t adjust the charges but I have a feeling it costing others far more in the grand scheme of things.

On one hand the teachers who have opted to continue volunteering may respect opinion and appreciate the need to seem united on issues but when an issue seems to impact the kids more than the Government they find themselves questioning its validity. I mean, really? How is stopping  graduation for thousands of students, interrupting or dismantling championship competitions and generally disrupting the lives of children everywhere going to help garner support for the cause? It is a lose, lose situation.

Having teachers spend their extra time coaching or mentoring can mean all the difference in the world. Sometimes, for those of us who have benefited from giving teachers, they were the only positive role models kids had or have. Kids involved in these extra-curricular activities built friendships and trust. Kids who are particularly vulnerable to quitting, stay in school longer due to programs such as the ones available through volunteerism. It has always given those that didn’t feel they belonged elsewhere in the system, a place to belong. It is in those activities that kids use their natural talents and build self esteem in ways that can be life changing.

You can’t do Graduation again, you can’t get that scouts eye another year to get a scholarship if you are no longer on the team, you can’t compete for that Provincial win any day, it is today! How in the world do the very people who claim to be doing this for the kids come to the conclusion that this action makes sense? I’m not anti-union, I’m anti-stupidity and yes, I feel this is a move that is foolish. When you have the supposed wisdom these people profess to have could they have not come up with something else that did not directly hit the kids? Their studies in this school year has been interrupted by job action and now this, I just feel bad for the children.

I applaud the teachers who (despite being bullied, made to feel shame, those who have been confronted or harassed) stand up and say “No, I’m not going to use the kids as pawns in this, the show, grad or competition must go on!” Don’t you think it is ironic that while teachers champion anti-bullying the BCTF spokesperson and some members have very strong statements that sound very close to strong arming those that seek alternatives to this action? My hope is that more teachers will stay true to their values and do what is right by the children across this Province and leave their joy-filled activities alone.

If you are reading this post I’m going to ask you to become informed and contact your MP. If you are not willing to stand up against the exploitation of girls and women, have no interest in sending a message to human traffickers that Canada is not the place to do business, if you would not care if your daughter, sister, mother or friend ended up in circumstances that allowed men to purchase them for sexual purposes…then go ahead and click to another blog or go back to whatever you were doing before you landed here. It’s your choice and thankfully YOU have one.

However, if you are moved to support victims of exploitation, learn more about the Nordic Model and want to send a message to our Government read on.

Please get in touch with your local MP. Write a letter, email or call. Do whatever it takes to change this decision; we only have a few months to do so as the Crown attempts an appeal.

Contact:

Parliament: www.parl.gc.ca

Justice Minister of Canada: rob.nicholson@parl.gc.ca

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: pm@pm.gc.ca

Email and cc all of the above. There is a great letter you can download Letter Outline – provided by EVE.

Here is what you need to know:

1. Legalization in other countries failed to protect anyone; prostitution is a high risk business in which johns still had access to vulnerable women and girls. Rape, abuse and torture still occurred regardless of the fact that licensing allowed for bodyguards and/or panic buttons to be available in brothels. Monitoring a johns behavior and an awareness of hazards that can lead to injury or death, was still part of a prostitutes job description. If the john pushes the boundaries or escalates in abusive behaviour, it is the woman’s responsibility to find ways to negotiate or deescalate the situation back into safe relations. If she is lucky.

2. Legalization caused the increase of human trafficking. To meet the demand of men willing to pay for sex, (and the additional clients who now felt that the Government was sanctioning their exploits), foreign workers became necessary. Local women were not the ones lining up to be prostituted. Organized crime stepped up its efforts to fulfill the needs of the brothels. On one hand our Government and courts acknowledge a worldwide human trafficking problem, while on the other hand they are now set to help fuel the business with the passing of this law.

3. Many brothel owners found creative ways to circumvent regulations, including buying off police, immigration officers and other officials in order to illegally maintain their business. There has not been one country with brothels that has not experienced corruption at all levels.

4. There is no real protection from sexually transmitted disease. Women in brothels can receive health checks but the johns don’t. Therefore, prostitutes are still vulnerable to disease including HIV. If a paying customer wants sex without a condom, it will still happen regardless of perceived health protocol. Money is king.

5. Once a prostitute is found not to meet the so called regulations to work in a brothel, she is no longer welcome and therefore is still driven underground. The vast majority of prostituted women would not even be protected by legalization due to other health, life and controlled circumstances.

6. It is a small but vocal minority of advocates for the profession and an even smaller amount of women who ‘choose’ to be a prostitute. The fact is, most people involved in the industry have been historical victims of abuse. Brothel, or no brothel, those in the business were most likely conditioned to believe this was their worth or only option. Involvement in the industry was not born initially from choice but from our collective acceptance of victimization of women and children.

7. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a documented condition experienced by women and children who work in and escape this industry. Substance abuse and other critical conditions will not be supported or corrected with the opening of brothels.

8. With the failure to decrease violence against women and curb the tide of human trafficking, countries like Sweden introduced a new model (Nordic Model) that criminalizes the purchasers, not the women who are prostituted. Exit strategies are in place to support those coming out of the industry with counselling, addiction support, education, career planning, training and life skills. John’s also receive sensitivity training. Adjustments are always considered to ensure the success of the laws and programs. As a result, many women took advantage of the programs and traffickers no longer saw their cities as prime areas to set up shop. Other countries, who previously legalized prostitution are now reviewing and adopting a similar model.

Canada should not be haven for traffickers nor a place that follows the belief that the dominance of women is acceptable.

Those involved in this push for legalization say that they do so based on choice and safety but they do not make it their mandate to share with you the dirty details that surround the industry. Nor, do they come up with real solutions to the problems facing the majority of women and children who find themselves in the flesh trade. If you take an example that  advocates throw out about brothels providing safety from the likes of Robert Pickton, who was found guilty of killing mainly prostituted women from the Downtown East side of Vancouver; their argument is severely flawed. Given the traditional limitations/regulations placed on those that will be allowed to open a brothel, the women Pickton targeted would not have been able to work under the “protection” of a brothel.

We are changing laws to supposedly protect a very tiny minority of women and are fully prepared to sacrifice the other 90+ percent whose road to this life is paved in abuse and disrespect. Instead of finding ways to increase women’s access to safe housing, laws and sentencing that protect women/children against violence, counselling, education, career options, life skills development, financial equality and affordable childcare; all things that can keep one away from the industry, our Government is continuing to support the very people who keep money flowing as long as a woman’s (or girls) clothes are off.

Is this the Canada we want to live in? Where even more women and children will be sold strictly for the abusive pleasure of a man? Can we not be more compassionate and forward thinking; finding ways to support those that want to leave the industry and help to change the thinking that got men believing this type of behaviour is victimless? It is not victimless, the men, women and children are all victims. The buying of sex by men continues to create inequality between the two sexes, strains and/or decimates relationships, it is based on dishonesty and packed full of disrespect and worst of all it continues to perpetuate the ideas that women and girls are merely objects to be bought and sold. Every distorted viewpoint of what it means to be a man, is being overlooked and women, especially, will pay the price the minute this law allows the first brothel to open.

I don’t know how many conversations I have had in which my enthusiasm for telling stories of women’s history results in people’s realization of just how little they know on the topic. More questions come forward to which I try to respond and for the women in the room, especially, I see them go from interest, to pride and then to frustration. The frustration comes from a greater awareness that all this history isn’t common knowledge; a sense of being cheated. Invariably, the conversation progresses to how many males in history we know versus women.

To me, it has to go beyond the conversation of women missing from the history books and instead go to, how are we going to ensure that the legacy and accomplishments of those past and present don’t continue to get swept into a quiet dusty corner of the library or book store? In fact, for a moment I want you to consider when you last stepped foot into a book store or library. Could you easily find the books on women’s history? I know that if you found it at all, the section would be very small. Despite the extent to which women have participated in the advancement of this world there is still not enough emphasis on writing, presenting or educating the public on their contributions.

Why should you care? Why should we care about learning any history? Simply put, it opens our minds in a way that very few things can. It gives us both the pain and the pleasure, the dream and the journey, the learning that comes from intelligent ideas through to tangible mistakes. History gives us blueprints for the future and commands us to recognize sacrifice in the pursuit of goals. Through history we a drawn into a play of characters and circumstances that help us identify so many attributes within our ourselves. Sometimes there are stories we hold in high regard and other times there are things we wished were not a part of our human experience. We gain our pride and self esteem when we can look at an individual (or individuals) in history who embody the characteristics we want to cultivate or may possess.

When women get left out of the history lessons in our schools, books and media, then we essentially only learn a fraction of what has happened, is happening or could happen. It is an inaccurate accounting of events and by that omission we are not only obtaining misleading information but have created a false representation of women’s roles in society. This distorted interpretation fuels the lack of communication and respect that can exist between girls and boys, women and men. It is difficult to have a fair discussion on the relevance and contributions of women when everything thus far has been taken out of context.

Self esteem and dreams are built often by the seed of one comment or influential encounter. It is a piece of knowledge from or about a woman who broke barriers, changed the course of history, patented a product, invented a cure, contributed through military service, traversed the globe, built a business empire, fought for rights or died for her beliefs. All of these examples can be the seed that changes our lives. Girls will benefit from this identification on multiple levels but society benefits through the skill development and contribution that comes from an empowered woman.

This is not the sole responsibility of women to ensure historical information is accurate, it needs to be something that all educators, parents and general public take on as an important project.  Understanding the significance of women, away from mainstream portrayals and often exploitative illustrations, assists in the elevation of our relationships both personally and professionally. There is no other forums in which we would appreciate only hearing half the data. We would most likely feel slighted if someone fails to give us a full accounting of the facts or paints a picture that is unflattering. Yet, we have been apathetic to the missing pieces of our collective history, mainly because women were deemed irrelevant.

What can I do? It is time to honor women and to recognize that if you appreciate history at all then we must add in the stories of those whose contributions have been sorely missed. If you are unable to rally your schools or libraries to see the value in expanding the knowledge of women’s history then choose to pass along what you’ve learned to your children and anyone else who will listen. The story you tell may change one person’s perception of women or propel a girl towards what she previously thought was an unattainable dream.

We are bombarded by ads and rhetoric that suggest it is all in support of the students but so much of the discussion seems to be around wages, paid leave and benefits. In a previous post on this topic I looked deeply into just how many “benefits” teachers already get and that is over and above the increasing number of days off. I am unsupportive of their plight and I don’t believe most of what is being discussed addresses the needs within the school system. Such as:

Infrastructure: Aging buildings and portable classrooms have been talked about for years. It stands to reason that upgrades to and expansion of schools in the fast growing areas of our Province, would be a primary focus given both need and safety concerns for the students.

Classroom materials: Recently, I had a conversation with someone who mentioned that it was not uncommon for teachers to buy materials for their students because without their intervention those materials would not be available. Wouldn’t it be prudent to ensure that money be allocated to necessary learning materials for the students.

Special Needs Assistance: There is an increased need for Special Education Assistants within our classrooms, as we have more students that require specialized support across this Province. These professionals are needed to assist the teacher with the learning, behavioural or physical challenges that accompany some children. While the responsibility may lie with the teacher to develop a learning plan, in partnership with family/student, it is the assistant’s job to implement that plan on a day to day basis. However, not all teachers do that effectively and given my relationship with several people involved in this process I can tell you that there are teachers who do not properly value the role of S.E.A’s. These people are not glorified babysitters and if it appears that they are, it would only be due to an absence of involvement from teachers and school administrators. So, increasing the hiring of S.E.A’s and support services would be best for the students.

In all three of these examples I can not find one reason to support wage increases, benefit top ups or more days off. If it is really about the children than you tell me how increasing anyone’s wage will solve the real issues facing today’s schools? A strike will have an impact on what is already a school year rife with disruptions. No supervision, no report cards, no partnership between administrators and teachers has most certainly caused adverse effects. It is not the high functioning students that we need to worry about in this dispute, it is those who are falling through the cracks. There are many parents who most likely don’t even have a clue that their child is behind or failing.

The children and their parents don’t have options in all of this but teachers do. In fact, they have so many options for their future it is mind-blowing. I’m tired of listening to the complaints coming from people who are using “students” as pawns. I’m annoyed when I hear about their desire for a 15 % wage increase when most people are facing roll backs. It is hard to feel sympathetic towards a group that can put upwards of $900 a month into their pension when I can’t even afford to put $900 a year into mine. I’m saddened that many kids come out into the job market unable to spell, understand math or struggle to read.  Their lack of preparedness and learning challenges then become the responsibility of people like me, who provide support services to fill in the gaps. 

We all have tremendous responsibility. Though, I appreciate that teaching is a hard job, I can think of many others that are equally important to our development and health. Teachers are an essential service, and as such, should not ever be allowed to put the education and supervision of our children at risk.