Why Stephen Harper makes me want to puke

It is one of those questions many friends and readers think they know the answer to. I’ll say this about their opinion…… “They know SFA about me”

I do not believe in being affiliated with any political party nor do I believe in corporations financing them.

So why am I so outspoken about the Conservatives and their dictatorial leader? Could it be family background, could it be religious beliefs or perhaps it is simply my upbringing?

I hate to disappoint my detractors but it is all of the above as well as my love for my country.

My family heritage consists of those born to Britain, France, First Nations (Aboriginal), Pakistan and likely others I am not aware of.

Religiously my family is descendants of, and practicing, a variety of faiths. My mother’s family were evangelical Protestants, my dad a dreaded Catholic. I was brought up in the Presbyterian and United churches while my sister was baptized in the Catholic church, brought up in the Presbyterian/United church, rejoined the Catholic church, joined the Pentecostal church then finally back to her original faith Catholic.

A special thanks to Fathers Marc and Brad as well as Bishop Gustav who helped Roz to attend seminary classes at McGill University and employed her until her passing.

I married a Protestant who, like my family, is open minded. We have four children who were brought up in the United church, one married an agnostic, one converted to Islam and married a muslin, one is not married and one is married to a Catholic but did not convert and is bringing her children up in the Catholic faith.

That explains my diversity of heritage and religion but what about upbringing?

In my youth we attended Bethany Presbyterian a small French speaking congregation most of who were related in some way.  My maternal grandmother and grandfather took foster children two of whom I grew up calling aunt Dot and the other uncle Herbie. They adopted Herbie when he was 19 and we often visited Dot and her family when I was young. I met Pat through Dots daughter (who I call cousin) when I was best man at her wedding and Pat was a guest. Pat and I visited uncle Herbie and his Pat in England two years ago.

My mom and dad started taking foster children in 1954 when I was nine. Linda was our first and I remember how excited I was to be getting a new baby sister, she was 2 at the time, and I raced home from school anxious to take her for a walk and show her off to all my friends but Rosalyn beat me to it, I was devastated.

Over the next several years mom and dad had several foster children come and go, Linda was always the one who remained. When she turned 16 her father and siblings called the house, you see he had turned his life around and was able to take three of the four kids but left Linda behind, she was so hurt that she refused to speak to them after that day. Mom and Dad adopted her when she was 18.

Linda and her husband John died at the hands of an arsonist shortly after marrying. On the day of the funeral her sister, on behalf of her mother, called Rosalyns you see Linda's siblings had passed through our home and when they read the obituary they made the connection to Linda.

For decades mom and dad ran an emergency home for children in distress and by the time they retired and moved in with Pat and I they had fostered over 450 children.

So if the truth be known it is the benevolence and kindness that I grew up with that has formed my feelings and fueled my disgust with Stephen Harper.

 

 

 P.S. Both Roz's and my family fostered and adopted children that Pat and I are still in contact with and consider them nieces, nephews and cousins.