Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time there lived an emperor who believed himself heaven sent by God to look after the needs of the richest and most powerful men of the land. The emperor’s castle had many rooms, all of them filled with a vast selection of mirrors. In the second greatest room of the castle (the first grandest room was reserved for the emperor himself) there lived the emperor’s sorcerers. The sorcerers were many. In fact, there were as many sorcerers in the castle as there were mirrors. The sorcerers’ attire consisted of a long flowing gown with deep, deep pockets. The pockets were filled with small dime-sized balls. When thrown by a sorcerer, the balls, on contact with the floor, would explode, filling any hall with a thick mesmerizing purple smoke. On command of the emperor, the sorcerers would leave the castle, each carrying a mirror and go out into the towns and villages where the common folks lived. The common folk would gather around a sorcerer whom they themselves had voted in to represent them at the castle, to hear what good news he might have to report. “My dear friends,” the sorcerer would say (always the same), “all is well, your tax dollars are being well spent.” Before any of the common folk could demand an explanation of what that actually meant, the sorcerer would quickly throw one of his balls to the ground and quick as lightning the space would fill with smoke. The sorcerer would then hold up his mirror, rocking it back and forth in the purple smoke, causing the smoke to sway like an intoxicated dancer. “Abra Gazoo, I fooled you!” he would chant over and over again. The common folk would leave the gathering space at that point, dazed, eyes drooping but happy as larks, and heaping praise to God at being blessed with having such a good sorcerer to represent them at the castle.

But enough about Stephen Harper and his caucus. He has taken the Omnibus to Kokomo. “See you later,” he said as he boarded the bus, “not if I see you first,” responded I.

Let’s vow today to demand that our politicians represent us in an honourable way. Our concerns for the wellbeing of our families and for new immigrants must be addressed. “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” as Justin Trudeau said on the campaign trail. The earth under our feet and the life in the forests of our country must be kept healthy. The waters must be fit to drink and the winds clean enough to take into our lungs. Our basic human right to access a spiritual belief we feel will guide us to a place of equality and wellness after we leave the world of technology must be protected at all cost.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to be made aware immediately about the plan of developers to destroy the sacred Chaudière Falls site. For many thousands of years, Chaudière Falls was sacred to the First Peoples of the Ottawa region. What a great act of reconciliation it would be if parliament decreed that the falls and islands live again as a sacred place of healing, not only for us, the Algonquin, but for all Canadians. Let us write to the Prime Minister and advocate for this.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind

What you can do:
->Sign and share this petition to Trudeau and Federal Party Leaders
->Watch and share this video, which advocates retuning the Chaudière Falls site to indigenous stewardship as an act of reconciliation: