History I am Itching to Share...
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In The News This week, there was a flurry of activities in Washington, DC, and a concurrent ripple effect here in Canada because of them. The top story is President Trump's reassertion of the need to make Canada the US's 51st State. What began as a possible threat of a 25% tariff on goods IF Canada does not fix its border to keep criminals from crossing into the US has now become a plausible idea, regardless of whether the Canadian government fixes the border. Now, the mantra has changed to: 'We don't need Canadian goods... we don't need their oil or lumber... we have lots of our own'. This has already been repeated numerous times by President Trump. The next 'rationale' espoused by the President is that the US has been subsidizing Canada by billions of dollars. This is absolutely not so and has not been the case historically. There is no subsidy. It is trade agreements that were negotiated 'fair and square', as they used to say. What has not helped our nation is weak-kneed leaders at the highest level. PM Trudeau went to Mara Lago and told President Trump that if Canada cannot export goods to the US, our economy will fail. President Trump repeated that assertion to world leaders at the WEF on Friday, January 24th, following up with the promise of lower taxes and better health care for Canadians if we became the US' 51st. State. Another thing that has not helped our nation is the petulant response from our federal and provincial leaders. They are focused on 'retaliation' instead of securing the border. Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford, has even called a Provincial election for February, at the cost of $173 million, to get a mandate to retaliate against the tariffs. That money could be used to fix the border, removing the threat of tariffs. Also, ignorant politicians do not take the time to educate their American counterparts about the invaluable resources Canada exports to them. Some of these resources include gold, rare earth minerals, PLUS science and technology (we built the 'Canadarm' for the space station). And what about the prosperity that Canadian Rails brought to the US? Just read this Wikipedia article here. Just look at the California fires and the 'super scoopers' from Quebec. They are the ONLY ones in the world. They swoop down on lakes near the fires and fill up with hundreds of gallons of water in 10-15 seconds to water-bomb the raging fires. The US has much to thank Canada for. But do the politicians even KNOW enough to have some good comebacks? I am afraid not. And Canada's land mass is a tad greater than the US. "Canada covers approximately 3,855,100 square miles (9,985,170 square kilometers), while the United States covers about 3,809,525 square miles (9,864,619 square kilometers). However, when considering land area alone, excluding water bodies, the United States has a slightly larger land area than Canada (Brave search)" So WHY would we submit to this idiotic idea of Canada's large landmass, almost the size of the US, becoming one of its STATES? We need to encourage a Canadian patriotic spirit from sea to sea. Watch for the repetition of the term 'Manifest Destiny' in the days to come. It was the rationale for the US encouraging Manitoba to rebel against Confederation in 1870, to secede from Canada to join the US. President Trump is using that term in his speeches these days. We are in for a rough ride and it might get worse before it gets better. May God raise up strong Christian leaders for such a time like this. ------------------------------------------------------------- In The Works Some items on the horizon include:
We hope to inspire you to discover Ontario by taking day trips in the summer, or even a week-long holiday based on your interests. The first FB Live will be on Friday January 28 at 7 pm. Topic: A Crazy Trip to Hudson Bay
Over fourteen years ago, I ran Ottawa Tours out of my home in south Ottawa. I hosted, fed, taught, and toured groups of 12-16 people. I now live in Brantford. I have tried to replicate similar hospitality, but it has become a boondoggle to accommodate so many differing needs. So Ottawa Tours is morphing into 3 different offers: Plans A, B, and C. Honestly, Plan C will simplify my life. So if you want a 'No Frills' Ottawa Tour and you can manage your own accommodations and meals, I will meet you in Ottawa and teach you for 6 hours a day over 2 days about Protestants who left HUGE legacies there. You will experience over 100 years of interesting history in two days. I have not loaded the new information on our website yet, so if you want to get a group of ten or more people together, just call (647-514-6798) and book your tour. Tours are Thursday and Friday, from May to June. One week is already gone. ------------------------------------------------------------ Update on Website... We are open for business as the website is now fixed. Choosing the word 'HUMILITY' as the virtue in which I hope to grow in 2025 brought its first challenge. One aspect in which I want to grow is, 'to be sensitive to the times I am wrong, to admit it asap, and ask for forgiveness'. And while I did not commit any sin for which to ask forgiveness, I was wrong in my assumptions because of ignorance. The payment processing platform on my website, Stripe, does NOT store any of your financial information directly on my website. The information is encrypted at their end, so your information is super safe and secure. I am sorry that I caused worry to you when I suggested that your information MIGHT be compromised because of hacking. I am relieved to know your information is safe. ----------------------------------------------------------- Calendars We still have some interactive 2025 calendars for sale in both French and English. Every month, you can access a video via a QR code which teaches about the Scriptures that are displayed for your calendar month. It is a valuable teaching tool for the whole family. Books And don't forget. We have republished The Biblical Legacy of Canada's Parliament Buildings. It is now, Our Biblical Legacy on Parliament Hill . We have added the 10 extra Scripture verses we found in 2019, so all 25 verse are there. This is a theological presentation of the 25 Scripture verses found on Parliament Hill. I have so many things to share with you, but this newsletter is already long. I will be in touch again soon,
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