The Olympic Torch Run

The Tuesday December 22, 2009 issue of the Ottawa Citizen ran a story entitled “ Torch rerouted at Six Nations to avoid Olympic protestors”. In Six Nations of Grand River the relay route for the torch run had to be rerouted because of fears of protestors and conflict. Some protestors were using the attention from the torch run to draw attention to native land claims. Instead of the flame being run through the town the torchbearers ran laps on the path leading to the bingo hall. Ok maybe it wasn’t what was envisioned but bingo is part of the Canadian landscape too!

My point….. it doesn’t matter whether you agree with the protest , the fact is that as Canadians we can protest and this speaks well of Canadian politics.
Contrast this with the December 24 , 2009 issue of the Ottawa Citizen and the article” Trial of Chinese dissident draws outcry at home, abroad.”
Liu Xiaobo was accused of inciting subversion of state power in China for publishing internet essays critical of state power and Communist Party and petitioning for a democratic remake of the one party state.

Put briefly, Canada cares about basic rights like freedom of speech. The politics of China’s Communist Party doesn’t care about the individual – their vision of state takes precedence. Sports , like sex , drug and rock and roll enters the stage of world politics . God bless Canada! Thank God I’m Canadian!