Category: Insight

When Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne first released her hit song “Complicated,” one could be forgiven for thinking it dealt with her native country’s political system. After all, the method of selecting leaders employed by many political parties in Canada is not just confusing, it’s also not very democratic.

Ottawa has once again been seized by a spectre – a spectre of a public inquiry. After nearly 20 years, Canadians might finally get some answers in the Airbus affair. Meanwhile, the parliamentary press gallery cannot contain themselves, relieved that something new is haunting Ottawa, aside from Stéphane Dion’s leadership woes.

The recent release of video of Robert Dziekanski’s death after being tasered by RCMP at a Vancouver airport has stacked yet another scandal on an institution already faltering in the public eye.

Canada has long been hailed as a land of opportunity, a bastion of hope for those seeking to make better lives for themselves and their families. There is a belief, widely held among prospective immigrants and Canadian society, that just about anyone can come to Canada, find a good job, and raise a happy, healthy family. This is a myth.