I demand an apology!

It has come to my attention that the following groups are seeking redress in the form of an apology and cash from our government for various heinous acts.

We all know about the demands of aboriginals, of course, who basically want the whole country back or cash in lieu and most recently the Chinese-Canadians (hyphen theirs, not mine) who want Prime Minister Harper to say sorry because of a discriminatory head tax they were forced to pay before entering this country about 100 years ago. I’m sure most of their descendants would be happy to be repaid the 250 bucks and return to Communist China and live happily ever after.

The Japanese-Canadians (their hyphen, not mine) got a generous payout and apology from the Mulroney government for being interned in the Second World War. Funny, I don’t recall any apology from Japan for the atrocities committed against our men and women in Hong Kong. Must have missed that one.

Anyway, now the Ukrainian-Canadians (their hyphen) want $12.5 million for some rude treatment they got during the First World War (yes, the First) and Italian-Canadians (ditto) who want some moola and a mea culpa for having some of their people interned during WW Two (Weren’t we at war with Italy? Or was that some other Italy?).

Also lining up with hands extended are Sikhs, Croats, Germans, Upper Voltans and sundry other hyphens for wrongs real or imagined.

Well I want my apology too. And a little cash would go a long way to making me feel better. You see, when my family first moved to Canada about 50 years or so ago from Holland I was teased about my inability to speak English, my funny clothes and strange sandwiches. These dreadful wrongs were committed by Canadians, white Canadians, whom we all know are guilty of everything. So pay up Mr. Harper or I’ll  come to Ottawa and stomp all over you with my wooden shoes.

Germans? Did I say Germans? You know what they did to Holland in WW 2? We were sitting there minding our own business planting tulips, eating gouda and fixing our windmills when in they goose-stepped. If not for those Germans I’d be a millionaire by now. Send over those Euros along with your deepest regrets, Dr. Z. And while I’m at it, didn’t the Spanish invade and destroy Holland in the 16th Century? That’s five hundred years of Spanish perfidy we’ve had to put up with. Damn Spaniards. Pay up...

Comments

[Kirk A. West]

You crack me up! I love reading your blog. In a way you remind me of Bruce Annan, but you're wit is much more biting. I can't wait for the next entry.

[V.Jazyk]

Everyone seems to be compensated except for the Native Aboriginal Canadians ; the traditional owners of Canada (which has yet to be recognized). Unlike these other minority groups, Native Indians are the most discriminated and ignored group out there. Harper should be focusing on making amends and learning how to make it up to the Natives (who are still having land taken away from them) before worrying about Canadian immigrants.

[MICHAEL]

I DEMAND AN APOLOGY...IN 1976 I BOUGHT A HOUSE FOR $28G AND SOLD IT 2 YEARS LATER FOR $35G. THAT SAME HOUSE IS NOW WORTH $330G. I WAS ROBBED AND I NOW WANT COMPENSATION. THIS LAND WAS STOLEN FROM ME. I WONDER, BECAUSE I AM A WHITE GUY, WHO IS 4TH GENERATION CANADIAN, WILL ANYONE IN OTTAWA CARE ABOUT MY CLAIM?. PERHAPS I SHOULD CAMP OUT ON THE LAND AND BLOCK THE ROAD BECAUSE THE POLICE WONT FORCEABLY REMOVE ME.....

[M]

V. Jazyk....you are so poorly educated, I hope you're not native american! There is only one native tribe that is considered truly "native american" and as for your oxymoron of being the "most discriminated" yet somehow "most ignored"....did you miss the fact that native americans get a tax break, and their education paid for. Perhaps you should look into this so you can learn some basic social knowledge. Natives may have been treated poorly in the past, like many other races and ethnic groups; but how can we move on as a productive multicultural society when we're crying over the wrongdoings of our past. With crybabies, whiners and uneducated people like you, we wont. I dont think you really care about being ignored or discriminated against, like John said, your looking for your handout too.

[Jan]

You really think that Germany owes any money to the Dutch???

Perhaps the Nazies do but alas they are just about all gone from our plane of existence. Not to mention that there were only ever about 1000 real Nazies in the Netherland during the occupation and that many many Dutchmen cheerfully aided Himmler's sinister blackclad minions in deporting and denouncing their own countrymen to the Nazi Regime.

The point is that
perhaps opening a history book ever so often would make it clear that wrongdoings from the past commited against Natives, Dutchmen, Ukrainians etc... "can simply not be blamed on contemporary peoples and their governments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
They weren't there.

Learn from history, quit pointing fingers and get on with today and our future.

Perhaps after 30 years Mr. Slykhuis still confuses sensationalism with Journalism.

This blog could have been written by my 6 year old daughter seeing that it lacks originality subjectivity and seems to have been written for the sole purpose to appeal to whiners and people looking for a free ride.

That in itself jeopardizes any journalistic integrety that he might otherwise developed but after all this time strangely still seems to elude him.

[B. Lam]

It is not true that the hypenations are imposed by ethnic groups upon themselves. I am 100% Canadian and extremely proud of it. But because I am not Caucasian, I am asked by others where am I from, even though I'm Canadian born.

So these hypenations are imposed by others upon us. And I found Slykhuis' comment that the Chinese descendents of the head tax payers' will gladly take $250 and return to China. He is missing the point that 100 years ago, $250 was worth 2 years wages and families scrimped and saved so that one member can be sent to Canada, earn money, and financially support the family back home.

This was racism pure and simple, I'm sure Mr. Slykhuis was teased as a newcomer, but he and other Caucasian immigrants have the advantage of a White exterior and the teasing will eventually stop.

For non-white Canadians, they will never be recognized as true "Canadians" even if they have multi-generational Canadian lineage, instead, they will get asked where do they come from.

[anonymoose]

Quoting Jan:
"You really think that Germany owes any money to the Dutch???
...
Learn from history, quit pointing fingers and get on with today and our future.

Perhaps after 30 years Mr. Slykhuis still confuses sensationalism with Journalism.

This blog could have been written by my 6 year old daughter seeing that it lacks originality subjectivity and seems to have been written for the sole purpose to appeal to whiners and people looking for a free ride."

---
No, he doesn't *really* think Germany owes money to the Dutch, idiot.

Ever hear of *satire*? Slykhuis agrees with everything you are saying; he is none-too-subtly using irony and sarcasm to criticize the "whiners and people looking for a free ride", as you call them. Or are you not capable of reading and understanding text at a higher level than your six-year old daughter?

I suppose if you read "A Modest Proposal", you'd believe Jonathan Swift was *really* advocating eating babies to end famine.

Oh, by the way, did you notice this is a right-wing, conservative blog? (Hence the title, "In The Right"). After spending 5 minutes on this site, anyone with the slightest comprehension of North American politics would get a clue that this author is probably not in favour of redress for "historically oppressed groups".

For the record, I don't agree with this blog post, but at least I am capable of understanding its intent. And about "learning from history", the first step to learning from your mistakes is to admit you made one. Since long-dead government leaders cannot personally apologize for wrongdoings, someone has to step up.

Look at *Japan's* ultraconservative government (and to some extent, society). They refuse to admit to any war crimes or atrocities in their history books; in fact, some still argue that invading China and Korea was not an act of aggression (rather, they were doing everyone a big favour by "unifying" Asia).

Given the choice between having a government that denies history and one that hands out useless token apologies, I'll take the latter.

[Manu]

I want compensation too! As a visitor to Canada in June they mistook me as not being white and hurdled me into a special customs room at the beautiful new Vancouver airport with all the other non whites (or should that be non-whites).

There I waited for just under 4 hours. Half of this time there wasn't a single customs at the counters, while in the main hall they seemed to be standing around in groups passing the time. It was so ridiculous that I took some photos of the empty customs counters and a queue of no less than 50 people to show people the sort of welcome Canada gave.

The Asian and African woman directly in front of me both got a total grilling, but upon seeing I was actually white I only got asked one question and they let me through with almost an apology! I missed my internal connection which proved expensive.

A few days later I was staying next to an internment camp (where it seems the Japanese were rounded up much like the Jews of Europe) listening to locals talk about native Indians as if they were some kind of plague. The utopian image of Canada belies the actual reality.