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Page 9
OK, I'm confused. Maybe somebody out there can explain it to me. Canada, the great country that it is , gets very upset when Spanish trawlers invade what Canada considers to be "their territory" to fish for some fish nobody had every heard of called a turbot.
So as self-proclaimed "Custodians of the Fish Stocks," and to save the fishing industry in Eastern Canada, they must open fire on these fishing
boats to make their point.
OK, I accept that. Admittedly I know practically nothing about foreign affairs and if Ottawa says it's important, I'm willing to believe. I've got nothing against the turbot. Never met one but I'm sure they're a
fine fish. Fish Power!!! Maritime power!!!
But a few weeks later, the government turns a round and triples the number of low level military flights over the Innu hunting land,. You
remember the Innu, the Aboriginal people of Labrador who have been
fighting the unwarranted invasion of their traditional homelands by
incredibly thunderous fighter jets.
It seems the loud and sudden noises not only scare the you-know-what
out of the Innu but also the caribou and other animals they hunt.
Now let's recap. Ottawa is willing to practically go to war over
Spanish over-fishing to preserve a way of life for Canadian fishermen.
Ottawa is also willing to ignore its own increased and unwanted presence
roaring over Innu land that will, quite probably, end a way of life that
has existed for thousands of years.
Now what's wrong with this picture? The fish are worth protecting but
the Innu aren't. Hmmmm?
One suggestion to rectify the situation is to have the Innu change
their name to Turbot, and vice versa. That way, their culture will be
preserved, if only a little oddly named, and the low level jets can have
a heck of a time scaring the hell out of the Spanish fishing fleet in
exchange. Makes sense to me.
But there's one final thing that puzzles me. Why did they choose
turbots over the Innu? Some back room politicking no doubt. Maybe the
turbot have curried some influence in Ottawa. A fish lobby, perhaps.
That's one school . . . of thought. I've always figured there was
something fishy happening in Ottawa.
Anything can happen there and usually does. I think somebody should
check it out, you know, just for . . . dare I say it . . . for the
halibut.
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