Political Thoughts of an Ordinary Canadian
by Bernard Poirier
Are we riding the donkey of Canada’s constitution backwards? Are élites, politicians and activist judges building us a constitutional jackass based on Trudeau’s vision of centralized, big government control, while ordinary Canadians want to ride the path to smaller, more local governments, regionalism and social union? Where did our constitutional impasse come from?
Where is Canada going? Will Canada break-up?
In this insightful muse on Canada’s problems, “distinct society” is deftly skewered, the Charlottetown and Meech Lake accords are explained, warts and all, and politicians from Diefenbaker to Trudeau and Mulroney get richly deserved drubbings. Many Canadians are fed up with elitist “experts” and politicians who have less and less in common with ordinary Canadians. It is time to hear from ordinary Canadians.
BERNARD EMILE POIRIER, a native Ottawan, was born into the military and raised in the shadows of Québec City’s historic Citadel. He holds degrees in the liberal arts, political science and law as well as a commission in the military.
He applied logistics and legal research serving two Ministers of the Federal Crown as Executive Assistant and then as Special Advisor on Privacy and Special Investigations with the Solicitor General’s Office.
Bernard spent twelve years with the Canadian Construction Association as Legal Advisor and was the first Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. He provided training logistics to the Canadian Astronaut Program and concluded his active career as Emergency Preparedness Officer for the National Research Council.
Spare time during those forty-two years was devoted to the pursuit of fine arts, more academic degrees, teaching sailing and coastal piloting as well as writing. He has published articles on legal matters related to his various occupations.
A semi-retired “professional” volunteer in the fields of aquatics and emergency preparedness, he now concentrates his efforts with the Canadian Red Cross. He and his wife Carmen live in Ottawa as do their three children and their families. He is the author of “Boating Emergencies”, also by Commoners’.