It is time for the next generation of leaders, and hopefully we have prepared them for the task ahead
The second Friday of the Stampede feels like the last couple of days of vacation. You cannot believe the party is almost over, so you try to jam as much as you can into the final weekend.
Many Calgarians will head out on vacation right after the Stampede, but whether you are on the beach in the Okanagan or back in your office, here are some things to inspire your conversations.
We better be paying attention to what is happening in the United States. Help me understand why President Joe Biden and his family are not thinking that he accomplished the highest office in the Western world and has done a very good job for his country, but his time is over.
Surely, his family and friends should be saying it is time for a fresh leader to face the upcoming election. This is not a criticism of his term, but the reality that the world saw on their televisions on June 27 is being faced by families all over the world. It is time for the next generation of leaders, and hopefully we have prepared them for the task ahead.
No matter who wins the next election, Canada’s relationship with the United States has changed and may never again be as cordial or supportive as it once was. A U.S. Senator stated this week: “If anyone rides on the coattails of our country it is the Canadians, and it’s time for them to step up and be part of NATO in a serious way.”
Which leads me to the second thing to think about on the beach this summer. How could our government have allowed our proud military to diminish to such a level that we have become understaffed, underequipped and underfunded at almost every level?
The prime minister’s visit to the NATO summit in Washington this week had to be embarrassing, even for him. When I think of Canada’s status in the world after the Second World War and our status today, it is far more than disappointing, it is actually depressing. I watched the great men and women of our military march by in the Stampede Parade and they received a healthy applause, but every one of us watching knew that they are not being supported at the level that creates a sense of pride in our country, let alone an ability to actually defend us.
It also has to be asked what is going on in our city.
Premier Danielle Smith had some very strong words about the province’s role in all of this and stated clearly that it will not contribute more than $1.5 billion.
The Green Line was designed to be a different system from our existing LRT, so we are forced to buy all different cars and create two separate maintenance facilities. There is a groundswell against going underground due to the water table in the downtown. There are plans that might actually see a train go all the way to the South Health Campus, and there are discussions about a train to Banff and a train to Airdrie. Logically, any money spent on our LRT system should absolutely take those plans into consideration.
Both of those parts of our history and their wealth creation are being ignored.
However, it was the lonely “C” obviously borrowed from the CBC logo that pushed me over the top. Millions of dollars spent on a brand that ignores who we are and then a logo that has no inspirational value whatsoever. There must be decision-makers at city hall that are so embarrassed by all that has gone into creating the prosperity that we have in Calgary that their goal is to pretend that nothing else existed before they got here.
Perhaps a picnic at The Confluence will help remind them of our heritage.
There you go — while you are enjoying your nachos and beer or your laced slushies on the sand, give this some thought.
Simply put, we are awash in opportunity and drowning in ideology.
George H. Brookman is chair and company ambassador of West Canadian Digital