A Nation And People Forsaken

By Shawgi Tell, 20 December 1996

For weeks the media has been full of hullabaloo over saving one monopoly from bankruptcy.

The entire country's attention has been focussed on the efforts of Mr. Kevin Bensen, Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Airlines International, to come to new arrangements with his unions, his creditors (they even organized a debt moratorium!), his suppliers, his major shareholders and the government, to guarantee the survival of his monopoly in the new global economy.

Just imagine if all this concern and energy would be focussed on guaranteeing a livelihood for the millions of Canadians who have no job, who have no money, who are totally broke and are living hand to mouth. Just imagine if as well this energy could be directed toward saving the nation and its national institutions.

When Canada entered the twentieth century, there was already a national railway. In the course of the ensuing decades, a national airline was built, Trans-Canada Airlines that became Air Canada, a national radio and television network was built, a Canada-wide postal service with home delivery six days a week. A National Research Council was organized, a National Arts Council, Theater School, Ballet School, etc. Even professional sports were a national affair in the main.

What has happened as the century draws to a close? These national institutions and even the nation itself are seen as shackles on the expansion of the global economy. Everything is sacrificed to the greater glory of the international monopolies and the ravages of the global economy. The people are presented with the self-serving justification that there is No Alternative on every major issue.

Air Canada, the CNR have been sold; Canada Post is being down-sized with ten thousand layoffs recently announced; Canadian Pacific Airlines does not even exist anymore nor does Pacific Western Airlines, nor even the viable airline out of Edmonton, called Wardair. Everything has been sold on the international market. To what avail? So that the entire country works to serve the international monopolies. Exports from Canada have skyrocketed in recent years. The economy is now, more than ever, dependent on selling goods abroad in order to survive. The internal Canadian economy is being reduced to insignificance so that it is totally dependent on what goes on in the international market with all its ups and downs and conflicts, including wars.

Politics has been reduced to deciding what serves the monopolies. If a monopoly is in trouble and it is powerful enough, every resource is put at its disposal to save its skin. And this is all presented by the federal Liberals as in the best-interests of the people. That is the liberal line: serve the monopolies; serve their global interests; smash any national institution that stands in the way of the monopolies and their interests; make new arrangements with labor to serve the global economy; destroy public education and the safety net to provide places to invest and additional capital for the monopolies.

How about saving Canada!

Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
V600A8E6@UBVMS.CC.BUFFALO.EDU