Iffy’s Third Campaign Plank: A Canadian Peace Corps?
One thing that stuck in my mind about Liberal chief-of-staff Peter Donolo is the report that he’s a fan of JFK. If memory serves me right, Iffy is also a fan of JFK. Which lends a certain interpretation to some remarks the Liberal leader has made about Canadians abroad:
I want a country where everyone sets their sights on going overseas at some point in their lives.
JFK, you may remember, thought along the same lines. The result was something that’s still in existence, although we rarely hear of it nowadays: the Peace Corps.
We know that high-speed rail is going to be one plank in Ignatieff’s campaign platform. We can count a government-wide audit as a second, though weaker one. I suspect that Iffy wants to make the creation of a Canadian version of the Peace Corps a third plank. The idea fits with what we know about him (looking to the past for inspiration, admiration for international things), and the JFK fan Peter Donolo would be just the man to work out the details.
But, you may be wondering, don’t we already have a Canadian version of the Peace Corps?
Well . . . sort of. The Canadian International Development Agency operates two programs: their Voluntary Sector initiative helps coordinate voluntary organizations who do the same sort of thing that the Peace Corps does, and their International Youth Internship Program is meant to attract the same type of people who would be attracted to the Peace Corps program had they lived south of the border.
In other words, if I’m right and Iggy’s devoting some serious thought to a Canadian Peace Corps, the infrastructure already exists to set one up. It’s a simple matter of changing program criteria, hiring some more bureaucrats and guaranteeing a budget.
But would the idea fly with Canadians?
It might. You wouldn’t necessarily call it competitive with the private sector, but a Canadian Peace Corps would increase demand for students finishing trades such as carpentry and plumbing, and offer a chance to work abroad to do “good works.” Not only that, but the American program also recruits the recently retired, and when you look at the pool of boomers who want to keep working and want a chance to go abroad . . . well, you can see why there’d be an attraction.
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October 31st, 2009 at 08:36
Canada needs an internal system/policy – every Quebecer should go to Alberta, Manitoban to Newfoundland and vice-versa. I remember my first day of basic training (CF) as my first real introduction to Canada. It still draws a smile when I recall meeting a Newfie for the first time; while my folks sent me cookies in my “care packages” from home, his sent him pickled moose meat.
October 31st, 2009 at 14:07
“the infrastructure already exists to set one up. It’s a simple matter of changing program criteria, hiring some more bureaucrats and guaranteeing a budget.”
Just like that eh, fleece the public , increase the bloated civil service and push out the private charities.
yea great idea.
If he truly admired JFK he would run on getting rid of the bank of Canada and producing our own money, that was JFK’s road to Camelot, not what has been distorted to appear as “service to your country”.
October 31st, 2009 at 22:26
It’s called Canada World Youth. It existed 35 years ago and I had friends who participated and hated every minute of the poorly run, abusive, wasted effort program that delivered nothing but an opportunity for young people to get laid.
It exists today, but I can’t comment on the “get laid” component. I do know that I would not allow my minor child to participate and would argue strongly with my adult child should she show any inclination to participating.
November 1st, 2009 at 14:07
It’s a worthy idea, but I just don’t see this as a pressing need at the moment, or worthy of an election.
We need some proper government direction: the right to turn away anyone who arrives illegally in Canada (think the Tamil Tiger boat in BC), continued attention to the economy, helpful and firm directions to the listless CRTC, an overhaul of the corruption and overreach of the human rights tribunals and commissions, and a comprehensive strategy to deal with the increasing level of gang violence that is permeating the country.