Okay, I promise this won't become a political blog. But a couple of things have come out of Canada in the past few weeks that have been particularly upsetting. I think more generally, the Canadian image has also taken a beating these past few weeks in Europe (at least).
First, the RCMP are caught using a taser on a confused and distressed imigrant who seems to be clearly no threat to the four (!) armed officers who confront him. I was horrified to learn the RCMP had lied about what happened and, to most observers, seemed to be covering it up until the video surfaced. That has played out very badly in Europe, especially in Poland. The actions of those four officers have not only cost a life, but have damaged Canada's image. From a personal, human level, I can't see how the officers involved haven't been charged.
The Picton thing has also got a lot of airplay over here. One crazed individual is, of course, how it is reported. But as I follow Canadian newspapers online, it is stiking how long the RCMP took to react to the possibility that dozens of women from the same community going missing might be linked.
Finally, the Canadian government in Bali over climate change: we're being obstructive over climate change (here's a Globe and Mail article)? There's lots to say about this, but I will sum it up: I think that this tact is short sighted.
Okay. Enough controversy (did you know that they pronounce that word differently over here? Emphasis is on the conTROVersy... really!). I just had to get it off my chest.
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