Choosing Causes

For the past couple of months I've been making an effort to follow the blogs of many of my classmates. I'm finding their writing really interesting and I appreciate how they are choosing to write on issues about which they really care. Still, there are some times when I can't help but get frustrated that there are serious events happening in Canada right now to which there is no attention being given. Yes, a representative was banned from speaking in the House of Representatives for two days, but was she given a death sentence? Yes, Oreo came up with a new marketing platform that is somewhat controversial, but is this really the cause behind which we want to rally ourselves?

What is missing is the human rights issues that are happening within our own country. Why? I think that our blog topics reflect what is being advertised in the media. We chose to write about stories that grab our attention, and for something to grab our attention it needs to be mentioned somewhere.

To my fellow INDEVOURS: I'm not trying to say that the topics you are highlighting are not a good choice. I know that some of you really care about these issues and I think you are all writing amazing things, but I think that sometimes we need to stop and ask ourselves: is this important enough to merit my time and attention? I know that the answer to this question would be "no" for some of my past blog posts, but from this point forwards I will make a point to ask myself that question before I post anything.


What prompted this? Today I read an article about the health coverage cuts the Conservative government is imposing on refugees in Canada. It was written by a Canadian pediatrician and I urge you all to read it. Samir Shaheen-Hussain gives some scenarios to get people to understand how dire the passing of Bill C-31 really is. Refugees are some of the most vulnerable people in Canada and it is their health coverage that the government is cutting as of June 30. Diabetes is not a communicable disease so insulin will no longer be covered. Leukemia is also not communicable so coverage for chemotherapy is being cut. Refugees from certain countries will not even be eligible for care if they suffer a heart attack.

Refugees are not just immigrants. They don't have the resources to pay for unexpected costs like illnesses. The government has quietly tried to implement these health care cuts for refugees. It's coming under the banner of "saving money for Canadian taxpayers". The kicker? This program costs each Canadian about $3 per year.

Let's use our voices to stand up for something we truly believe deserves our attention. The choice of topic may be different for each of us. We each have different passions and thoughts. I suppose what I'm trying to say is: Think about the issues that are not staring us in the face, but are quietly strangling our society.