black rod

Well, I just finished watching the ‘Speech from the Throne’, and the content of the speech was alight. It seemed to be pretty much aligned up with Canadian values, etc… However, I found the ‘tradition’ of the speech the most rewarding part of the experience. How the Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson, is welcomed and how she walks into the Senate and how the ‘Usher with the Black Rod’ is sent from her to goto the House of Commons to get the MPs and bring them to the Senate. It all seemed pretty kool, however, many of the MPs seemed quite ‘amused’ with the whole process. This bothered me for some reason, not really sure why, but it felt like they didn’t have to show respect towards our Canadian tradition… like they were above it or like they were too kool to just stand and be quiet. If the Canadian Armed Forces can stand up straight, and display a sense of pride, our elected officials can to. Fuck even Paul Martin was slouched his is chair, and it was his party’s speech Adrienne was reading!! Ohh well, we’ll see what happens with this minority government… it should be interesting. btw kudos to Jack Layton, the only MP I saw taking notes!!