Category Archives: foreign affairs

My Pappa’s Clippings

foreign affairs, green party

My Pappa (George Tindal, my dad’s dad) has taken to sending me newspaper clippings in the mail. It’s somewhat of a right of passage in my family — my dad and his brother have been getting clippings for years. My clippings, however, are much more targeted. Every story Pappa sends me has something to do with the converging environmental crises. On the top of the articles he writes little notes to me, like “it’s time for Canadians to wake up,” and “good luck.” This week I got a fresh batch (the Stern report, the all-the-fish-are-going-to-die report, etc) with the note, “Congratulations on your appointment to Shadow Cabinet.” (Oh yeah, did I mention? I was appointed to Shadow Cabinet!)

I’ve been thinking about Pappa this remembrance day. He’s a veteran of the second world war, but we never really talk about it. I get the sense that he doesn’t want to. Him and two brothers went over; only one of his brothers came back.

This morning, Elizabeth, myself, and other campaign volunteers attended the London 11:11 ceremonies before going out door knocking. This evening, we attended a dinner at the Dutch Canadian Society Hall, which was a joint benefit for Mark Wilson and a girl named Olivia. The former was killed in Afghanistan, the latter is a two-year-old who was born with cancer. Both of their families sat at the head table. So yes, it was a an emotional dinner.

And yet, the evening ended with organizer Michelle Iurman singing war-era songs from her album “Lest We Forget.” Embarrassingly, I didn’t know any of them, while Elizabeth knew every word. (I’m embarrassed for myself, not Elizabeth.) I wish you could have all been there to see her making jazz hands while singing “praise the lord and pass the ammunition” at the top of her lungs, in between bantering with our waitress in Dutch. The woman is a wonder.

Now, I’m sitting around with volunteers who have come from all across the country to get her elected. We have a cause and a sense of urgency. I’m reminded of that by my Pappa’s clippings, and I’m motivated by his support. He gave and endured so much; by comparison, what we’re doing should be a walk in the park.

The Day That Changed The World Forever

foreign affairs, peace

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of when I moved into my current apartment; my “box in the sky.”

The next morning, I was listening to the radio while getting ready for class at Ryerson. I remember Andy Barrie becoming distracted at one point, and then explaining that he was watching television images of a plane that had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers.

Having no TV, I decided to walk to Ryerson early to see this on the cafeteria TV. When I arrived, the image on the screen made no sense. I’d been picturing the damage of a small plane in one tower, but now both towers had been transformed into massive smoke stacks.

I didn’t know what to make of it, and don’t know how long I sat there before walking over to class. What I do remember is that by that point there was only one tower left. As our class entered the TV studio (our classroom — we were television students), we greeted each other awkwardly. “Everyone’s turned on a TV today, right?” Some of us hadn’t seen each other all summer, but “good to see you” wasn’t working today.

For the first — hour? few hours? — of class we watched Newsworld on two screens that had been wheeled in by the professors. When the second tower collapsed and Peter Mansbridge emphasized that these were live images, not a replay of the first tower falling, I was sure he’d made a mistake. I remember thinking, “if I saw this in a movie, I’d roll my eyes at how unrealistic it was.”

I wanted to write about those next few days, weeks, and months, but I never did until now. I’d wanted to record all the little details, only some of which I remember: the sign on the now-out-of-business NYC Store on Yonge Street that said “closed due to pesky terrorist kids,” the rumours that a plane was headed for Toronto, how many weeks past before I saw another TV commercial, the American flag network bugs that lasted for months.

I hold in my head the false choice between mourning the dead and lamenting what’s been done in their name since. “With us or with the terrorists” also continues to be a false choice. I have nothing new or wise to say on this fifth anniversary.

Instead, I’ve tried to find some comfort in another anniversary. One hundred years ago today, Mahatma Gandhi began his non-violence movement, and helped to change the world forever. All I can say is, we could really use another Gandhi right about now.