{"id":14752,"date":"2022-08-28T13:23:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T17:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=14752"},"modified":"2023-07-24T20:39:24","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T00:39:24","slug":"more-summertime-snippets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=14752","title":{"rendered":"More summertime snippets"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Niagara Independent, August 26, 2022 \u2013<\/em> Herein are more \u201csummertime snippets,\u201d presented with the requisite warning to read no further if you wish to enjoy what is left of the season. It is suggested that you clip and save the column until after Labour Day.<\/p>\n

The Trudeau-Scholz Photo-Ops: <\/b>German Chancellor Olaf Scholz\u2019s end-of-the-summer sojourn in Canada with PM Justin Trudeau was no doubt fashioned to cast these progressive politicians as forward-thinking visionaries when it comes to their countries\u2019 respective green energy goals. The leaders\u2019 meetings were capped with a visit to Stephenville, Newfoundland and a signing ceremony on a hydrogen export \u201cjoint declaration of intent.\u201d The Scholz tour\u2019s success was incumbent on its expressed avoidance of any mention of Germany\u2019s recent request of PM Trudeau to increase liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. In fact, it was dictated to Canadian mainstream media newsrooms by both Canadian and German tour officials that there were to be no questions about German industry having to ration their energy use or its residents freezing in the dark this winter.<\/p>\n

According to script, Scholz and Trudeau (and Canadian media) waltzed through the tour and dutifully promoted a joint agreement for Canada to potentially develop a green-hydrogen facility that would, if built, at some time in 2025 (or later), be capable of exporting hydrogen energy to Germany. Clearly this ignores the current reality of the imminent energy crisis facing Europe. It ignores Scholz\u2019s desire for an immediate increase of Canadian gas exports \u2013 and, as the National Post<\/i> Tristin Hopper assesses, \u201cIt could well represent one of the biggest missed opportunities in Canadian history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remarkably, when asked about Canadian LNG exports, the math-challenged Trudeau attempted to squelch the idea by questioning the business case for further developing Canadian gas exports. (In related news this month, StatsCan reports an increased trade surplus of $5 billion in June driven by rising oil export volumes. The Canadian dollar has rallied and strengthened against the U.S. greenback on the back of strong oil prices.)<\/p>\n

The Trudeau-Scholz joint declaration for hydrogen energy is yet another remarkably nonsensical act by these two progressives who recently, secretly, mutually agreed to return turbines to Vladimir Putin (and word has now broke Canada will be sending five more turbines to Russia).<\/p>\n

French Facts:<\/b> StatsCan news report on Canada\u2019s changing linguistic realities was released with many confusing narratives. The most often cited data told us that there is an increasing number of Canadians whose mother tongue is neither English nor French; 12 per cent of people speak something other than an official language at home. There are nine million people, or one in four, who have a mother tongue other than English or French.<\/p>\n

This emphasis on the data resulted in English Canada headlines that focused primarily on the increased multicultural nature of the country. In Quebec however, the headlines expressed the threat of increased multiculturalism and the resulting decline of the francophone language.<\/p>\n

In Quebec, much has been made of the fact there are now less than three of four Quebecers whose mother tongue is French. Quebecois appear anxious that there are now more than one million people speaking English as their first official language in La Belle Province. And PM Trudeau\u2019s take on it: \u201cThe numbers that recently came out are extremely troubling and worrisome but not entirely a surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s consider the StatsCan data without the governments\u2019 francophone preoccupation. Without the political spin there is a clearer picture painted of the nation\u2019s linguistic reality.<\/p>\n