05.11.2016 08:32 AM

We grow old, we grow old

I have a son who was born 18 years ago today – his arrival prompted by a bank robbery, a garage sale, and a crazy ride in 1974 Volkswagen Beetle. (Long story.)

Eighteen years later, he has been accepted to every university he’s applied to, with scholarships to boot. He’s decided on McGill, however, which will please his grandfathers. He’s a Bernie Sanders fan, he’s agnostic, he adores Justin Trudeau, and he is a Hell of a golfer. So I gave him a Big Bertha driver, which looks like a dinner plate on a stick.

Anyway. Can’t believe 18 years have gone by. He will be running the country one day, just watch.

This has been a public service announcement by a Proud Old man.

14 Comments

  1. Mark says:

    As a McGill alumnus myself, I have to say hear, hear. Go Martletts.

  2. davie says:

    I always congratulate the parent.
    Congratulations, parent!

  3. Theresa Shaver says:

    I have a 30 yr old son…it goes very quickly. I temember the day we brought him home from the hospital. He sounds like a wonderful human being. Congratulations proud papa…❤

  4. BillBC says:

    Congrats…great to have good kids

    Your mention of Trudeau reminds me to ask you: what do you think of changing the voting system without a referendum? The Liberals say they have a mandate to do this because they won the election. Do you agree?

    • Warren says:

      Did a hit on CFRA on this today. I think they walked it back – and I’m glad they did.

      • Ronald O'Dowd says:

        Warren,

        I agree with davie on this one. Put it to a national referendum and it inevitably fails. I prefer a free vote in Parliament — one where the Senate follows the will of the Commons, the elected chamber.

        • Yukon Cornelius says:

          Nothing is more fundamental to a democracy than establishing or changing the process by which we elect the people who govern us. Surely, we as a people have the right to directly vote on it.KY9Y

          • Ronald O'Dowd says:

            YC,

            I doubt Canadians can get behind a single proposal in sufficient numbers for it to pass. Perhaps the voters will prove me wrong.

    • davie says:

      Here in BC we had a petition driven referendum on a fairly straightforward system – 34 FPTP mla’s, and 35 proportional rep mla’s. It got only 58% approval, and the rules called for 60% approval. This was around 2002.
      Government called a Citizen’s Assembly which sat through a lot of university expert lectures and recommended a system that had transferred votes and some multiple member constituencies. BC Libs(the government) pretty well stayed out of it; a fair number of NDP media people trashed it.
      In a subsequent election, the new system was on the ballot, and it failed by a lot.

      If we try to sell a complicated system in a referendum, it will fail. A straightforward system, better chance of passing.

      (I know, just one example, and just my take on it!)

    • Francis says:

      Remember, the Conservatives dramatically altered the process through which we Canadians vote under the “Fair Elections Act” –without a referendum.

      In fact, their justification for doing so was “we have a majority”.

      Its a vexing reason to give, but the truth is, governments who do obtain a majority have quite a bit of leeway to pass what they feel appropriate under with parliamentary prerogative. Its not the greatest thing, but it is what it is.

      I think the Conservatives feigning indignation on this matter is incredibly hypocritical. The idea that a referendum is the god-given way of governing is ridiculous. It totally overshadows the purpose of the legislative process and undermines the legitimacy of the House of Commons. The truth is, a referendum will kill any movement on election reform and Conservatives know that. If referendums were the best way to gauge Canadian support then there would be no need for MPs, MLAs or Councillors.

  5. Al in Cranbrook says:

    My daughters are turning 41 and 43 in the next little while. Every time they have a birthday lately, feels like I’m having two!

    You done good, Warren!

    Leave the electoral system alone! It’s still better than any alternative I’ve ever heard of! God forbid our parliament tuns into the kind of clusterunowhat kind of coalitions that are standard fare across Europe!

    First off, nobody ever guaranteed that democracy was supposed to be easy, nor should it ever be! Secondly, what makes democracy work is that political ideas/unions are forced to reach a degree of critical mass, meaning that it has enough traction among enough voters to warrant membership in government…as opposed to every half-baked wannabe thinking they have a right to waste the vast majority’s time with their marginally acceptable nonsense. In the past this is how political parties came into being…and it’s also how they died out. Either scenario of which is its own legitimization. Any other form merely cheapens the real essence and meaning of functional democracy, and turns it into a free for all gong show. IMHO.

    • terence quinn says:

      Spoken like a true conservative who knows a more democratic method of electing MP’s is pretty scary stuff for a party with limited capacity to win more votes than they have now. Al, you should know this forward looking change is due to the ignorance of Harper towards the Canadian people.

      • Ronald O'Dowd says:

        Terence,

        If the party strategy is to box in the Conservatives and New Democrats then ours is a recipe for failure.

        If fact, for the entire process to be seen as credible, we need to propose an electoral process that will advantage us the least. Otherwise, the game is seen as rigged right out of the gate. Not good.

  6. Luke says:

    He sounds like a cool dude.

    So, the post-Trudeau prime ministers will be, according to Warren Kinsella:

    Michelle Rempel
    Kinsella Jr.

    Did I miss any?

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