James Moore will take $28 million out of cultural funding to celebrate a war

by Charlie Smith on Dec 2, 2011 at 8:27 am
James Moore wants us to get all gooey about killing some Americans.

This week, there's plenty of evidence that the Reform Party of Canada...oops, the Conservatives...have taken off the gloves now that they have a majority.

The party that refuses to pay attention to data or scientific research basically told the world to fuck off at the Durban climate conference. Environment Minister Peter Kent has indicated that Canada will not agree to new greenhouse-gas emission targets after the Kyoto Protocol expires.

Most countries met their reductions under the Kyoto treaty. Canada was supposed to cut its emissions by six percent below the 1990 level, but managed to increase them by 17 percent by 2006. Our country is among the worst offenders in the world.

Naturally, the Conservative position was applauded by our purple Kool-Aid drinking "leading lights" in the Canadian media, such as the Globe and Mail's Margaret Wente, Postmedia columnist Michael Den Tandt, the National Post's Peter Foster, and the CBC's Rex Murphy.


This is not a comedy presentation by Rick Mercer.

Following this embarrassment, the Reform-minded Minister of Canadian Heritage, James Moore, revealed to a Commons committee that he will reallocate $28 million in cultural funding for a celebration of the War of 1812.

What's next? Take some Canada Council money for a commemoration of the founding convention of the Reform Party of Canada? A museum to honour Bible Bill Aberhart?

Former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell once called the Conservatives the "barbarians at the gates". Now, it seems, those gates have been scaled.

Comments (20) Add New Comment
Patrick Smyth
Dec 2, 2011 at 9:44 am
I am proud to be Canadian. Proud we are a leader in energy and proud we kicked the American's asses! (And we continue to do so!)
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flora-jean
Dec 2, 2011 at 10:05 am
You should come to Ottawa and take in the life transforming Diefenbunker, the new Museum of War that looks like a Stalinist fort, and the new mini brass statues of male caucasian soldiers scattered throughout downtown. Interesting use of taxpayers dollars.
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A. Wake
Dec 2, 2011 at 11:35 am
"Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace." ~Charles Sumner
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Goldorak
Dec 2, 2011 at 11:57 am
Right on Rex!
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Miss Kriss
Dec 2, 2011 at 1:11 pm
@flora-jean
The Diefenbunker looks the way it does because it actually WAS a cold war bunker huilt between 1959 and 1960. It's also not really a new museum, as it was opened in 1998. Go to the War Museum to see a *new* museum.
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Andrew Eisenberg
Dec 2, 2011 at 1:15 pm
As an American who has recently gained his Canadian citizenship, I think that Canada has every right to celebrate the history of defeating one of its neighbors to the south who is now one of its closest friends. We all know that the US does it (remember the Alamo, anyone)?

1812 was an important piece of history and was clearly a defining moment of Canada (even though the nation itself was not to exist for another 50+ years).

That being said, I think this has nothing to do with Canada's deplorable departure from the Kyoto protocol.
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KPod
Dec 2, 2011 at 2:00 pm
As a proud Canadian i have no problem with this. Our youth should learn and know of our history. This is all part of Canadian culture folks. Charlie you are not doing this country any justice with your article.
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Mark Fornataro
Dec 2, 2011 at 2:53 pm
In a few more years Harper can send Rex to the Senate to join the ilk of Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin. In the meantime Rex can suck up to him.
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Ethan Perriccioli
Dec 2, 2011 at 4:15 pm
I'm pretty sure if the vets of 1812 were given a choice between a $28 million memorial to them and say, addressing BC's shameful child poverty situation, they would choose the kids.

It's important to remember & learn from our history; it's also important to remember that most of our wars were fought for a better quality of life. I think the government has a responsibility to its citizens that this project doesn't address.
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Mike Puttonen
Dec 2, 2011 at 4:19 pm
James Moore worked in broadcasting to put himself through school and UNBC, and he had a contract gig as a communications officer with Preston Manning's office when he took some time out from UNBC.
Shortly after leaving UNBC, with a few graduate courses under his belt, he got elected.
He's been an elected politician his entire adult life.
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BikerCK
Dec 2, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Maybe if we stopped glorifying wars, we wouldn't have to fight them quite so often.
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Komodo
Dec 2, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Glad to see rex can see through all that environmental "gabbing" and let us know that without developing the oilsands we would all be homeless right now.

Seriously we pay him money to spout this nonsense to the nation instead of promoting serious debate about the issue?
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Also, history is great, but not $28 million great. Stoking the fires of nationalism upon past glories might make it easier to impose your will upon the nation though.
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Woof
Dec 2, 2011 at 10:54 pm
I thought Rex Murphy died years ago. What shame he still breathes.

Now, I need a drink.

Ugh.
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Anton
Dec 2, 2011 at 11:49 pm
It was an important event in Canadian history, no doubt, though after reading about the events planned (had to go to another news site...) I hardly think this is the best way to commemorate a war.

Consider a film like Saving Private Ryan, depicting World War II. There are parts in that movie that make me feel sick to my stomache and scenes that I can't even watch. It's probably one of the most honest tributes to a war I have ever seen.
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GOT
Dec 3, 2011 at 8:57 am
I'm not sure this is the best time to be poking a stick in the eye of the USA. Let's face it. - they could cross the border tomorrow with 5,000 marines and it would be all over in an hour or two. We were lucky in 1812 - and we had the First Nations on our side. Of course, we lied to them to get them to fight for us, and we've been lying to them ever since. Wonder if that will get celebrated too...
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miguel
Dec 3, 2011 at 9:15 am
I grew up in the region of old 1812 battlesites. Nobody won that war. It was called off due to lack of interest. It was a subset of the Napoleonic War.
There are numerous forts and museums still running in the area, keeping the history alive, so this isn't anything new.
Miguel
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Island Girl
Dec 4, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I emailed our mp John Duncan and told him how inappropriate it was to spend this money on celebrating a war when i don't ( and have not for 5 years) have a family Doctor I got no response of course, but I will continue to do so every once in a while.
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Taseko
Dec 4, 2011 at 8:10 pm
I don't know how much Rex believes his cultivated down-home Newfie bonhomie will make palatable this purple-prosed bombast, but I think it's time the CBC revisited it's standards for broadcast journalism. This would not look at all out of place on Fox.
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glen p robbins
Dec 8, 2011 at 12:31 pm
There are some advantages to documenting our history as a country - including major events (often sadly involving war) prior to our Confederation in 1867. The war of 1812 essentially marks our separation from the United States including the area above our country currently in some dispute. This war suggests that Canada has been bona fide separate from the United States for 200 years. In a few years Canada comes up to 150 years of age. Negotiations for the Arctic are going to heat up big time in the coming years. We had better get our ducks in a row beyond Mr. Moore organizing expensive parties.
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Mario
Jan 3, 2012 at 2:30 am
Email your local mp.
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