{"id":22721,"date":"2016-07-02T01:35:22","date_gmt":"2016-07-02T08:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=22721"},"modified":"2016-07-02T01:39:39","modified_gmt":"2016-07-02T08:39:39","slug":"squatchs-open-thread-01072016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/07\/02\/squatchs-open-thread-01072016\/","title":{"rendered":"Squatch’s Open Thread — 01\/07\/2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Well today is Canada Day, the 149th anniversary of our independence from Britain.  While the American separation from Britain, which is celebrated on the 4th of July annually, was a bloody one, such was not the case for Canada.  The British North American Act, which was "…passed by the British Parliament, created Canada as a new, domestically self-governing federation, consisting of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, on July 1, 1867."  Perhaps the Americans taught the British a lesson — don't mess with the colonials — which meant no revolt.  Around my community of Port Moody, BC, we are celebrating Golden Spike Days which mark the completion of the trans Canada railway in Craigellachie, BC.  The actual western terminus is Port Moody.  During construction in the 1870's and 1880's, one section started in Port Moody working east, while the largest section started in Montréal and worked west.  It was on the 20th of July in 1871 that the Colony of British Columbia joined Canada, and it was the promise of a railroad and money that motivated them.  Eastern Canada was afraid that BC would join the US so they really sweetened the money component.  Even now we hear little rumbings that the west coast, or more accurately, the territories west of the Rocky Mountains in both Canada and the US should form their own country potentially named Cascadia.  If you'd like to read a bit more, check out <\/span>Building the Trans-Canada Railroad<\/span><\/a>.  <\/strong>Thanks to the Napster<\/strong> (Lona) for the emoticon, a Mountie stetson and a moose, both very evocative of Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

CBC<\/b><\/span><\/a> — Among the thousands of people gathered on Parliament Hill to celebrate Canada Day, some were there for the very first time, celebrating the start of a new life in Canada.<\/p>\n

The Toubehs — mother Wejdan, daughter Aziza, 11, and sons Wessam, 17, and Ward, 22 — have been in Canada since December after fleeing Syria's civil war.<\/p>\n

Their father, a welder, did not make it to Canada. He was killed in an industrial accident while working in Lebanon as the family waited to gain refuge.<\/p>\n