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Winning Position: Unresolved
The Winnipeg
General Strike was momentous time in Canadian history. It was an event that pitted differing
ideologies against one another; politically, economically and socially. It took place in a period in time when the
"Great War" had just ended, and an infant ideology was just forcing
its way onto the world stage. The
Russian Revolution ushered in a new ideology that was to be based on Marxism,
which was a socialist concept that developed out of the working class horrors
of the Industrial Revolution. The
Industrial Revolution had transformed many societies, for better or for worse,
and Canada was no differentWas the Winnipeg General Strike a defining moment in the shift from classical liberalism to socialism in Canadian History? Was the strike a catalyst that set Canada on the path to socialism and modern liberalism? Using the following criteria: excitement, impact and endurance to answer the following questions?How significant was the Winnipeg General Strike in creating a shift in the ideological thinking of Canadians, politically, economically and socially, towards the ideology of socialism?
Winning Position: Yes we should!
An insurgency in the Central African Republic (CAR) led by Seleka (or “alliance”)—a coalition of armed, primarily Muslim groups—has resulted in the severe deterioration of the country’s security infrastructure and heightened ethnic tensions, which collectively increase the risk of mass atrocities. Seleka launched an offensive against the CAR government in December 2012, seizing the capital city of Bangui in March 2013. “Anti-balaka” coalitions of Christian fighters formed to carry out reprisal violence against Seleka fighters, displacing tens of thousands of Muslims to Seleka-controlled areas in the north.
The CAR has since seen a surge in human rights violations (including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity), increasing tensions between Christians and Muslims, intra-Seleka fighting, and the arrival of foreign fighters from Chad and Sudan.
Recently, Christian militias in Central African Republic have carried out ethnic cleansing of the Muslim population during the country's ongoing civil war, but there is no proof there was genocidal intent, a United Nations commission of inquiry. "Although the commission cannot conclude that there was genocide, ethnic cleansing of the Muslim population by the anti-balaka constitutes a crime against humanity," the report said. There is a strong fear of a potential genocide as this area has many of the same tensions and warning signs as Rwanda and Darfur. The French army is already involved in the Central African Republic, but they are there because this is one of their negative colonial legacies. The French are there to keep the peace and protect civilians.
The questions:
What should Canada do? Should Canada do nothing and let the two groups figure it out themselves no matter the cost of human suffering? Should Canada offer peacekeepers to the United Nations to try to maintain the peace and protect civilians? Should the Canadian military offer to send soldiers to work alongside the French soldiers, bilaterally, to help protect civilians and initiate a peace treaty? Or should Canada take the lead and send in a peacemaking force and go after the group that has been singled out as the main offenders of the crimes against humanity/ethnic cleansing based on the United Nations Commission of Inquiry in the CAR(2015)?
Is it in Canada’s national interest to get involved in this volatile situation? If yes, what are two reasons for your perspective? If not, what are two reasons for your perspective? Make sure you use past evidence to help justify your opinions. Response must be over 350 words.
Winning Position: No it is not!
As the ice melts in the Arctic many new challenges have arisen for the Canadian government and the inhabitants of the North. The Northwest Passage has become a more viable option as a trade route which could shave 7000 km of travel time between trading nations in the Northern hemisphere. Exploration for oil and other valuable minerals has also increased because of the melting ice and opening trade routes. Other countries such as Russia and the USA have begun to increase their military capabilities in the North, and have begun to claim the Arctic has part of their continental shelf. Russia has even gone so far as to plant a flag on the ocean floor in its attempt to claim ownership. The USA has openly challenged Canada's claim that the Northwest Passage is internal Canadian waters and not international. The USA has recently bolstered its military presence in Alaska. Recently Canada stepped up its presence in the Arctic with Operation NUNVALIVUT 15. This operation once again highlighted Canada’s ability to respond to threats in the north, bringing together Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members from 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (1 CRPG), the Third Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI), as well as airmen and airwomen from the Royal Canadian Air Force, to conduct sovereignty(independent) patrols. The Arctic situation has the potential to blossom into open conflict between nations; especially given the main players such as the USA and Russia. The question is how does Canada deal with this issue. Does Canada go the international route and use the United Nations, and listen to and respect whatever decision it makes? Does Canada openly and multilaterally work with the other claimant nations to decide what is fair and reasonable? Or does Canada aggressively protect its sovereignty of the area it believes belongs to them? Does Canada try to establish military and naval bases in the region to physically control who enters the Northwest Passage and Canada's waters?
Here is the question:
Is it in Canada's national interest to aggressively and physically challenge other nations, militarily and diplomatically, when they infringe on what the Canadian government believes is our area of the Arctic, which includes the Northwest Passage, in order to defend our Arctic sovereignty? Or should Canada be more international in its approach to this new challenge and work with international organizations such as the United Nations? Pick a stance and argue your position with two or three points. Make sure you use logic to justify your opinion.