desuno-to 6 days ago
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=4459&detailPage=bills_detail_the_bill
There's a bill going through the Ontario Legislature that's one reading away from becoming law called the "Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day Act". Basically they want to dedicate a day to the event, and is understandably a hot button issue among the Japanese and Chinese communities.
1) What makes this event so special? There are countless massacres and atrocities throughout history. Why should this one be special? Or are we going to fill the calendar commemorating every one?
2) There is no connection to Canada. I could understand a day to commemorate the Battle of Hong Kong were Canadians fought, but there were no Canadians involved in this event.
3) If we want to memorialize such events, why not start with events that involved Canada like the Japanese-Canadian internment, which was perpetrated by the Canadian Government? Or if you want genocides, what about the Hiroshima bombing, for which Canada provided the uranium?
4) Why do we need this at all? Are the Chinese in Canada specifically targeted for racial hatred? Do they have a WWII image problem they need to counterbalance? I think we can all name a couple of groups that are currently being discriminated against more so than the Chinese.
5) What would this accomplish? This will not bring people together as the proponents argue, it will only create conflict between these communities. I know Japanese kids in school teased on December 7th, and now they want another day less than a week later (Dec 13)?
I think it's laughable that the "debates" going on in the legislature are just one-sided lectures which don't address any of the negative impacts this bill could have. If this thing passes it will open a Pandora's box which will outweigh any of the "benefits" the bill is supposed to provide.
There's a bill going through the Ontario Legislature that's one reading away from becoming law called the "Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day Act". Basically they want to dedicate a day to the event, and is understandably a hot button issue among the Japanese and Chinese communities.
1) What makes this event so special? There are countless massacres and atrocities throughout history. Why should this one be special? Or are we going to fill the calendar commemorating every one?
2) There is no connection to Canada. I could understand a day to commemorate the Battle of Hong Kong were Canadians fought, but there were no Canadians involved in this event.
3) If we want to memorialize such events, why not start with events that involved Canada like the Japanese-Canadian internment, which was perpetrated by the Canadian Government? Or if you want genocides, what about the Hiroshima bombing, for which Canada provided the uranium?
4) Why do we need this at all? Are the Chinese in Canada specifically targeted for racial hatred? Do they have a WWII image problem they need to counterbalance? I think we can all name a couple of groups that are currently being discriminated against more so than the Chinese.
5) What would this accomplish? This will not bring people together as the proponents argue, it will only create conflict between these communities. I know Japanese kids in school teased on December 7th, and now they want another day less than a week later (Dec 13)?
I think it's laughable that the "debates" going on in the legislature are just one-sided lectures which don't address any of the negative impacts this bill could have. If this thing passes it will open a Pandora's box which will outweigh any of the "benefits" the bill is supposed to provide.
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