Post 193--Meet Canada's New Wonder Woman--the Governor General

If you've been following this blog, you may have gotten the impression that I am not exactly a Trudeau fan--and you're right.  However, unlike most people these days who have little respect for him, I do respect him. The Bible teaches us to have respect for those in authority. It's no small thing to be elected Head of State. So, respect, yes, but agreement, very seldom!

Wait a minute!  Head of State? Trudeau? Not so. Canada's real Head of State is the British Queen Elisabeth whose representative right now is a woman, a most remarkable and gifted woman, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette. That makes her Canada's Governor General, a position she obtained by appointment from Prime Minister the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau. Yes, Canada's Prime Minister appoints his own boss. Perhaps one day I will be able to see "her boss!"

I disagree most of the time with our Right Honourable, but, apart from a few ceremonial or symbolic gestures, I recall agreeing with him wholeheartedly only twice and both cases were about ladies. The first was probably Trudeau's first public decision: gender balance of the Federal Cabinet.  I was really happy about that; thought the world of that move. Great beginning.  I've always wanted more women in high positions, for we men are just too aggressive, ambitious and political. 

The second decision by Trudeau that has my approval is the appointment of Julie Payette as our Governor General. As to the reason for my approval, I can do no better but to treat you to a brief summary of her accomplishments as written up by our Vancouver Centre Member of Parliament, the Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry in her latest report to her constituency under the title,

                         "To Infinity and Beyond: Meet Canada's New Governor General"

As an individual with an impeccable track record of accomplishments, Ms Payette is well-equpped to represent Canadians in this new role:

• In 1992, the Canadian Space Agency plucked her out of a field of 5,330 applicants to become one of four new astronauts.
• She was the second female astronaut and the first Canadian to board the International Space Station.
• Her Excellency is an accomplished pianist and classical singer who has performed with symphony orchestras from Montreal to Switzerland.
• Along with being bilingual in English and French, she can converse in Spanish, Italian, Russian and German.
• Ms. Payette holds 27 honourary doctorates.
• She is a member of the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame, an Officer of the Order of Canada, has a NASA's Exceptional Service Medal and a Knight of the Order of Quebec.  

A new coat of arms was unveiled, featuring white wings that symbolize exploration, liberty and safety. The sigma illustrates her belief in the power of science and facts. Lastly, her motto listed "Per Aspera Ad Astra," translated meaning "Though hardship to the stars."

Her Excellency is the fourth woman to take office as Governor General. Main responsibilities will be to ensure Canada has a functioning, stable Parliament, represent Canada at official events and serve as the Commander in Chief to the Canadian Armed Forces.

The only thing I hesitate about is that last position: Commander in Chief to the Armed Forces. As far as I know, Canada not being a nuclear power, there is no button that, when pressed, can unleash a
nuclear war. So, that is not a concern, not as it is in the US with its current White House Resident. But it seems to me that to hold that position, you need to have some sort of experience in the world of armed forces as well as politics. Ms. Payette has neither. And that holds true for most holders of that position, female or male. No doubt, any action she would take as Commander will be decided upon after extensive consultation with the professionals, but still it makes me kind of uncomfortable. I would prefer that position to be held by the Prime Minister, who is usually more savvy in that respect.

In closing, if you have not yet done so, please welcome with me Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette.

Post 158—Is Prime Minister Trudeau Funding Islamic Extremism?

I may have reminded you of this before, but do you remember that during the last Federal election the Conservative Party of Canada kept repeating that Trudeau was not ready for being Canada's Prime Minister?  I full agreed with that, for I had seen no sign whatsoever that he was ready. Too young and too inexperienced in politics. Just cute and belonging to a famous political family.   Well, since his election he has undone so many measures that the Conservatives put in place for the security of both Canada and the world. Don't get me wrong. I am often aghast at what Conservatives say or do as well.  Too many Canadian politicians of whatever party are just that: politicians, not stateswomen or men. Trudeau has shown himself just one of that crowd and, because of his high position, he stands out as just another politician. Apart from his initial composition of the Cabinet--gender equality and wide racial representation--I have seen little positive from him. Oh, he looks cute when he poses in the midst of young people and all that, but when it comes to serious decisions, he seems to have no standard of any kind.  So, I am sharing with you a news item from The Rebel, an alternative news source that mainline journalists despise.  Though I enjoy reading the Vancouver Sun, I am aware it is mainline and often ignores events that do not pass their test for "responsible news."  I have noticed for years, for example, that they never report on the annual MissionsFest, a large Christian event held in the very heart of Vancouver that draws some 30-35,000 people every time, including high school students who do not drink or do drugs. Now that's a miracle of its own that the press ignores. Recently there was a large Christian gathering in Vancouver that was totally ignored also, except that they made a lot of noise about Franklin Graham.  So, I am fully aware of the selective nature of mainline media.   Here then The Rebel: ========== Hamas is the Palestinian version of ISIS.  Besides being Islamic extremists, and calling for death to all Jews in their charter, Hamas routinely launches rockets into Israel, firing them from hospitals and schools, using Palestinian citizens as human shields. This practice clearly violates international law. But Hamas doesn't break international law all on its own. They work with a UN organization called UNRWA to hide these rockets. UNRWA runs the schools and hospitals that Hamas attacks from. They have also provided textbooks to children that promote the murder of Israelis. Because of such horrific actions, Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided to stop providing funding for UNRWA — they were simply too closely tied to Hamas. (The Harper Conservatives still helped fund other Palestinian relief agencies, just not UNRWA.) But Justin Trudeau has decided to start helping Hamas again and reinstate UNRWA funding. Now, thanks to documents obtained by The Rebel, we have proof that the Liberals knew their decision to reinstate UNRWA funding with Canadian tax dollars could be diverted to terrorism. Watch my video, or click here to see the documents we've obtained.  UNRWA may have been a good cause when it started back in the 1940s, but it has become corrupted. If you agree that Justin Trudeau should not fund UNRWA with Canadian tax dollars, then please go to www.StopHelpingHamas.com and sign our petition. And remember, I'm on your side, Brian Lilley ============== I am not much of a techy and do not know whether all the links in the above will work. If they don't, please find The Rebel online yourself and see what you can see or hear.