The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects

(Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Occupy protesters rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on September 17, 2012.

All of society's malcontents out in full force to greet Canada's federal parliamentarians on their return to the Hill.  Just as the nation's children have returned to their studies, so too have our elected Members of Parliament returned to their offices to further the interests of the country and the various portions of the country that they represent as elected officials.

While in Ontario teachers are protesting against provincial anti-strike legislation meant to ensure there will be no disruption in the school year affecting students, on Parliament Hill a motley crew of habitual protesters came out to greet returning MPs.  They largely represent the ideological constituents of the New Democratic Party, and they came out to protest whatever the governing Conservative Party represents.

The small group of protesters came out under the aegis of unions, as an organized labour protest in reflection of the first anhniversary of the Occupy movement.  Last year those same protesters numbered in the thousands.  This year their numbers have been hugely diminished.  They were escorted by the Ottawa Police Service, moving from Confederation Park to Parliament Hill, at which juncture they became the responsibility of the RCMP.

Labour leader Sid Ryan informed the crowd more demonstrations would be taking place across Canada.  "We are playing a long game my friends", he assured them.  His union's supporters proudly wore badges reading "Stephen Harper Hates Me", but of course it is the reverse that is obviously true, in that there exists among union members an irrational fear and hatred of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, an outstanding PM.

"The Occupy movement might not be as strong as it was a year ago, but its message of inequality across the country - the 99 percent and one percent - is as strong as it was a year again.  The Obama re-election campaign is all about the one percent, not paying a fair share of taxes", Ontario Federation of Labour president Sid Ryan declaimed.

So the United States' president is in full support during his presidential re-election bid of the Occupy movement, except that when he has the opportunity to reconsider, once back in office, he'll do nothing to consolidate that support, while majority-governing Prime Minister Stephen Harper's policies have kept Canada in fine financial fettle, unlike the U.S.

The gathering of union leaders, environmentalists, students, bring-Omar-Khadr-home advocates, organic farming supporters, members of the anti-genetically modified food movement, anti-poverty, anti-bullying and indigenous people activists all carried their placards of outrage and demands for change, completely oblivious of how fortunate they and we all are, to live in Canada, and to have our current government steering us as close to faultless as possible.