Issues, ethics, memory
(September 29) This morning we leave Sarria for Portomarin 22 kilometres down the road. Many pilgrims begin their journey at Sarria because one must hike this last distance of about 113 kilometres to have your pilgrimage officially recognized. As a consequence, there are noticeably more pilgrims on the trail today. At one point, I count... Continue Reading →
(September 30) We have 58 kilometres remaining to our destination in Santiago. Today we walk from Portomarin to a town called Palas de Rei, a distance of 27 kilometres adjusted for the climb. When we begin at 8 a.m. there is a ground hugging mist that does not burn off until after 11 a.m. That... Continue Reading →
(October 1) We stayed last night in a private room in an ultra-modern albergue in Palas de Rei and not long after we start walking this morning we fall into step with a Spaniard who speaks English well. He is from Madrid where he has just left his job as a lawyer with a bank... Continue Reading →
(October 2) John Brierley’s guidebook is ubiquitous here and seems to poke out of every backpack and sit on every lunch and dinner table, at least among English speakers. It is small enough that it fits into the front pocket of my hiking pants and I refer to it multiple times a day. It is... Continue Reading →
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) will isue its final report on June 2, 2015. The TRC was established in 2008 as a part of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement and its mandate is to provide Canadians with the truth about the history and legacy of Indian residential schools run by the... Continue Reading →
Two distinguished citizens are among those calling for a new relationship based upon trust and respect between Indigenous peoples and other Canadians. Sheila Fraser is Canada’s former auditor general. Richard Van Loon served as a senior civil servant, including stints as an associate deputy minister at the federal departments of health and Indian affairs before... Continue Reading →
(October 3) We start out early and in the dark from the albergue in O Pedrouzo this morning for our final destination in Santiago. It is fitting somehow that a guy on the other side of our thin wall gave a night long command snoring performance -- so getting up at 5:00 a.m. was not... Continue Reading →
(October 4) After all of the planning, training and execution, we have after a month of walking completed a 650-kilometre trek on the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. The Camino falls within the ancient pilgrimage tradition of the Catholic Church and millions have preceded us on the way. The Camino was hugely popular in... Continue Reading →
Finance Minister Joe Oliver delivered a 37-minute budget speech on April 21 without once mentioning the word “poverty” as it applies to Canada. Shortly after many MPs, their staff members, journalists and Ottawa’s ubiquitous lobbyists headed off for the evening to Hy’s Steakhouse, an upscale spot near Parliament Hill. There are three food banks in... Continue Reading →
Federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq wrote recently to the provinces, criticizing them for not providing enough information about how they will combat climate change. She says Ottawa needs that data in order to submit Canada’s emission reduction plans to the United Nations. This is politics at its crudest. Aglukkaq is a minister in a government... Continue Reading →
Pulpit and Politics 