June 2013

Po l i t i c ian Le Po l i t i c ien March ’13

EditorsAlexandre HartJustin GolschneiderPatricia MelnykLauren Stephen

DesignNataliya Dvornikova

ISSN# 1929-8811PublishersMIDLAND PUBLISHERS INC.401-50 Burnhamthorpe Rd. WMississauga On. L5B 3C2CanadaPhone: (905)230-3647www.midlandpublishers.comwww.lepolitician.comContact: Issac Shiff Chief Marketing Office

CONTENTS

p.1 Parade pour le 192e anniversaire de l’indépendance de la Grèce - Greek Independence Day Celebrations 2013. Mar 24, 2013. (Photo: Adam Scotti) by Justin Trudeau http://www.flickr.com/photos/justintrudeau/8589892808/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 p.3 Maple tree | Arce (Acer sp.) by lezumbalaberenjena http://www.flickr.com/photos/14020964@N02/8431589580/in/photolist-dR56Q9-dQYxrP-dR58Gf-dQYA3F-dQYvNn-dQYzYi-dQYygi-dQYAji-dQYyEV-9ckpxt-ew7Y4V-8KKyxC-8LEqHs-avc2F2-8KMkpf-bCK24x-8KmPb6-83UnCR-7WyJi1-cRhkhh-8U2VbG-8U2V8Q-8U2Veu-8TYRgt-ceykGh-ceykP5-bXbZ2a-ea42re-7EdDfd-8PpEQD-ek5GAN-9ABNzJ-9ABPkY-9ABP43-dQVUZx-8R3T1o-8QZMJp-9u3AA2-7EJbeD-ed8nxU-8Rhi77-7RWSyQ-dBCb3u-8RRtWY-85Wtfi-8RNmXz-dqmWBj-bodFwC-8U2Vfq-7AsueF-aJnkn2 CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 p.4 http://www.flickr.com/photos/88186686@N00/288782742/in/photolist-rw63N-sZnYp-uAwKK-Fg9iP-Fg9iR-NLUJu-2iYsTW-2jXDAL-2vxdTa-3pFJZf-3Es49E-48zEwP-4hgEQ2-4hkJoW-4nJxoJ-4yMcK8-4KoDaJ-4PpQrK-4QqNfU-4Rqz7H-5b2QYP-5cTEyj-5dKCPn-5uT41V-5BNeXM-5Kj4AG-5Pm8AP-6gAaZ2-6SdND3-6Ua2HF-6Ue3PQ-6Ue3TJ-6Zipgn-76QA6k-78sbyr-78LftV-7aK3CF-7dnUeQ-7f8ueM-8HGEws-7K5dt5-8U2Vh9-8S7A2T-8S7sFM-8S7xYp-by6S5v-bDNXvJ-7HC75A-8VVRmC-e1LFAV-7Eauzi Early on we got a flavor of the fall in Canada. :) by Manny Hernandez CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 p.7 http://www.flickr.com/photos/44375935@N08/4152702905/in/photolist-7jXFTX-7kKro4-7uGsLs-7vqUDD-827VQp-dLVvxw-dLKUAV-dLKUAt-dLVtFJ-dLPY4R-dLPVDe-dLVwdS-dLVupQ-dLVtM1-dLPVvF-dLPVBX-dLPY7k-dLPXCi-dLVw6G-dLPZ3a-dLPXen-dLPYer-dLVwE3-dLPWLk-dLPXxF-dLPXFB-dLVvuN-dLVvYG-dLPYXa-dLVyQL-dLVtEL-dLPZec-dLPY8B-dLPXg6-dLPYov-dLPXj6-dLVvQS-dLVwZL-dLVv7u-dLVvAG-dLPXL6-dLPWHz-dLPYDK-dLPZ1D-dLVv61-dLVw9L-dLVwBb-dLPYhe-dLPXDK-dLVySm-dLVuxU by Israeli Ministry of Finance CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 p.9 http://www.flickr.com/photos/44550450@N04/6128368278/in/photolist-akxuo3-akxw1S-akxvD1-akxuHj-akxPUo-akxwnW-akxwUL-akxvu3-akxvby-akuJA2-akxxU5-a5Tpoq-aDtKvF-akrKqb-a4mLUt-8XMeYu-cMwNjQ-cMwP5w-cMwMvG-cMwQqw-cMwMU9-cMwNBd-cMwPX7-cMwPGJ-aq2PTp-ddAgRS-a5WNDW-asTEDB-7T1AVy-a8JvMp-aG9mYB-8outcJ-7Mst7S-aovoxg-aovpRZ-aMjhnR-82a138-7NU28f-aDtFJB-9gYhaY-9gVhzM-bX5ehD-bX5egc-aG9ApB-8u3LkG-9i7edz-8SaESA-bvBqZR-7VHE3r-8T1kDm-7SZBWC Protest against the Federal Reserve during event with Chairman Ben Bernanke by Fibonacci Blue CC BY 2.0 p.10 http://www.flickr.com/photos/10438873@N04/2674885830/in/photolist-55nund-59RRXX-5ngcJT-5pnpvQ-5pvuby-5pWrrH-5sNWLd-5sQWPa-5ujViY-5KUVJg-5YzGzy-69oYRU-6a1xMr-6tEVa1-7i5ArB-7jXFTX-7kKro4-7uGsLs-7vqUDD-827VQp-dLVvxw-dLKUAV-dLKUAt-dLVtFJ-dLPY4R-dLPVDe-dLVwdS-dLVupQ-dLVtM1-dLPVvF-dLPVBX-dLPY7k-dLPXCi-dLVw6G-dLPZ3a-dLPXen-dLPYer-dLVwE3-dLPWLk-dLPXxF-dLPXFB-dLVvuN-dLVvYG-dLPYXa-dLVyQL-dLVtEL-dLPZec-dLPY8B-dLPXg6-dLPYov-dLPXj6 Bernanke in Congress by Talk Radio News Service CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 p.15 http://www.flickr.com/photos/45256273@N00/297456777/in/photolist-shxx8-4Xmz7v-4Xrv2K-4Xrv9k-4Xrvke-4XrvnD-4XrvtB-4XrF5P-4XvKVC-4XvL6s-4XvLis-4XvLof-4XvLxC-5AC11x-5PWSyV-5SJzYu-6J3Zjw-7v1aGh-7wqNAy-dp5Pvd-dwCCjH-aeedzf-d5QkWW-eeq2Sq-bUP41f-bUP4N3-9PExsY-asAPGm-eMCt3G-eMr4XD-eFrQzA-ck69o5-bUP6jf-aSTGUF-bzyALB-bzuJFv-dErgxG-dEjncV-dEpPvw-bUPbum-boRfR1-bnHPwU-bnHQfu-bTeohM-bnHMkJ-ck64zU-eFsXnL-er5idn-er5gGv-eiiGh3-e7exR9 Bombed Out Syrian Mosque by Jon CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 p.16 http://www.flickr.com/photos/35572325@N00/7930979678/in/photolist-d5QkWW-eeq2Sq-bUP41f-bUP4N3-9PExsY-asAPGm-eMCt3G-eMr4XD-eFrQzA-ck69o5-bUP6jf-aSTGUF-bzyALB-bzuJFv-dErgxG-dEjncV-dEpPvw-bUPbum-boRfR1-bnHPwU-bnHQfu-bTeohM-bnHMkJ-ck64zU-eFsXnL-er5idn-er5gGv-eiiGh3-e7exR9-eiiGi1-e78UpX-csNscS-ck8Yx1-bHDGBg-buJVB3-cKqZ5E-bHDFQF-doeiS7-bACEUv-bACDHi-bnHM9N-bACFEt-bHDFvv-bnHNku-bsLNij-ei9YbE-bACEhK-eJMRgu-evAPzg-bACCcc-bACCve Anti Syrian Government Protest in Trafalgar Square, London by Marshall24 CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 p.17 http://www.flickr.com/photos/james_gordon_los-angeles/7436264500/ Bashar al-Assad mural along the Damascus to Aleppo highway by James Gordon CC BY 2.0 p.23 Liberal Leadership Results Announcement. L’annonce des resultats du leadership. Ottawa, On. Apr 14, 2013. (Photo: Adam Scotti) by Justin Trudeau http://www.flickr.com/photos/25480181@N06/8651465538/in/photolist-ebv2hW-ebvaNL-ebpujv-ebpvGF-ebprXa-ebpswc-ebpC9F-ebpts4-ebv1K1-ebve45-ebvbko-ebv2vU-ebpt34-ebvdkW-ebvg3y-ebv45d-ebpqvx-ebv7Zu-ebvgf5-ebvffN-ebv213-ebvbMo-dBqZXR-dBwh9L-ebpog2-ebpD4n-ebpvYe-ebpzct-ebpD-Ci-ebv8Nq-ebpDtt-ebv38b-ebvdJL-ebpv2g-ebpBCg-ebptTF-ebv4RN-ebvemb-ebprFz-ebppxX-ebv3E5-ebppXV-ebvacJ-ebpo6p-ebppm8-ebpyHM-ebvecq-ebvaDd-ebvdVW-ebpDVD-ebv4oN CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 p.24 National Showcase. La presentation nationale. Toronto, On. Apr 6, 2013. (Photo: Adam Scotti) by Justin Trudeau http://www.flickr.com/photos/25480181@N06/8629905363/in/photolist-e9AwcM-e9FPNA-e9GnJm-e9ALTi-e9GaNL-e9FMCJ-e9Ar4X-e9AxBc-e9AHyD-e9ANtV-e9G8gN-e9Ghty-e9ADEn-e9AKpa-e9G94m-e9AJQg-e9G1EG-e9Gr3f-e9A8t6-e9AJe6-e9ACsp-e9FPgE-e9FXXL-e9G3sj-e9Gh6Y-e9AF4M-e9ACVv-e9Ahi6-e9AgvB-e9AMVk-e9FUMN-e9AGAg-e9ApBp-e9AE9P-e9AFwD-e9G4po-e9G9U9-e9FTpq-e9FLZ7-e9Ge5m-e9AAqB-e9FZZS-e9AwUH-e9FRRL-e9AmDe-e9G6cL-ec3fN4-f1MUUY-f1xcRr-f1MSzN-f1xufR CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Liberal Leadership Results Announcement. L’annonce des resultats du leadership. Ottawa, On. Apr 14, 2013. (Photo: Adam Scotti) by Justin Trudeau http://www.flickr.com/photos/25480181@N06/8650388149/in/photolist-ebpv2g-ebpBCg-ebptTF-ebppxX-ebv3E5-ebvbVy-ebvemb-ebvdJL-ebpo6p-ebprFz-ebpDee-ebvacJ-ebvecq-ebvaDd-ebpyHM-ebppm8-ebvdVW-ebpDVD-ebv4oN-ebvfTo-ebpwZH-e6FATW-e6zZj6-e6zU4a-e6A1YM-e6Fzxj-e6A6wM-e6A2MD-e6FAus-e6A7nR-e6FyDj-e6FJij-e6FHhj-e64nhA-e64fhY-e64qa5-e64jFA-e5XEiZ-e5XKRr-e64rS9-e64tB7-e64sVL-e5XGRZ-e64r2b-e9FBYo-e9FCsh-e9FBcQ-e9FBLJ-e9FFmE-e9A23Z-e9FCWA CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 p.27 Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney Speaks on the 20th Anniversary of Inflation Targeting by Canada 2020 http://www.flickr.com/photos/88617187@N00/5515200143/in/photolist-9pmQRD-bjJuMR-bjTKt6-9dYonJ-9dzUxB-dPGqfr-dPGbZX-dPGq6K-eZph4T-eZAq6j-eZAq2u-eZABHf-eZAoYU-9QUBHs-8Fe5dk-eDxPyH-dPGPta-dPGPni-dizXyV-dizXve-dj2cTt-diLeaG-diLh6k-djPXTa-eZp5sV-eZAp8q-eZAptu-eZApi1-eZApC3-eZp5og-eZApY3-eZp4U8-eZp4zr-eZApHh-eZp59z-eZAppy-eZp4JT-eLhFnB-aqLzQx-eLu69j-e6oLve-eLhFye-9VhRq9-aqLA5x-eLhFqD-ajUUmp-ajUMTr-ajXzTA-eLu6ch-dk7QNY-dk7PaR CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 p.29 Hiking, Tromso by Gunnar ildonen http://www.flickr.com/photos/48746111@N04/4466093934/in/photolist-7NDU8y-7NzVeg-82ng5D-82qoP1-8X9tgR-8US3ch-84PizP-8ARP9x-8ARMKk-8AUSTC-8AUTbs-aXV9t4-aXVbag-edE7HU-dguApC-dguzec-dguRgo-dguPEa-dguVqT-dguWYR-dguyNf-dguUea-dgux5B-dguRWn-dguN5W-dguRyH-dguBLC-dguz2F-dguvQZ-c85X1b-9ijfiT-8VfyE6-7NSAua-byYdNX-bh6L3n-dZaNgQ-bR6GVx CC BY-SA 2.0 Beach with grass by temporalata http://www.flickr.com/photos/93425126@N00/315850488/in/photolist-tUPm5-uh1qG-veef5-w47Fn-x4xo1-y64n4-yhqTy-BpXg4-CccZx-CjfBh-Dn393-EK5RY-F3kwd-FpQn1-FExV7-KVrAe-Mi216-21whmM-2b5Kcb-2bhxxb-2fey2Q-2m1YJH-2rwZYn-2rx5k6-2siSLr-2w8fJ9-2xfDEw-2GBBD5-2PYyhi-318PrN-3b6QNg-3b7vRT-3byof2-3mbACT-3pp3TH-3pCu6x-3qeYJf-46z33k-49dvf8-49dvgz-49hxRb-4khH9h-4oGHcB-4rsUNh-4sM6UF-4tre1H-4u9d1P-4y4oiH-4yghSf-4zyHt6-4zySve CC BY-SA 2.0 p.30 Joey Votto - Cincinnati - 2011 Alternate by BaseballBacks http://www.flickr.com/photos/46327257@N03/6003572571/in/photolist-a9vSXV-9WU5qC-dgGKN2-dgH7RK-dgGGPn-dgGKsd-dgGWRP-dgGH8Y-dgGYw9-dgH9ac-dgH3xB-dgGZbQ-dgH8tg-dgH8nQ-dgGJEG-dgGLaw-a1dZuF-eg9DX6-egfph9-ej7jed-egfpGG-ejw6Wu-ehEAxr-eg9Dwi-ehLka7-eg9Erz-eh9fvk-egfq9o-9Xac2i-9XaAi2-9Xdwum-9X5UKM-9X9weP-9X5SPZ-9Xdx1s-9X6zig-9Xcnf7-9X8wZh-9XcxYh-9XazDH-9X5VYc-9Xb4i9-9XaDGX-aekvnJ-9WUt1Q-9WSsRo-9WPZQi-9WU6Dd-9WQ3bp-9WSURf-9WPzqH CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 p.31 Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) by Keith Allison http://www.flickr.com/photos/27003603@N00/5871314419/in/photolist-9WQ2dX-9WSf9o-9WRv4p-c2zW1G-apuBSk-apuCCD-apxm9o-9WPAFF-9WSesN-9WPWkR-9X8eMT-9X86Uk-9X8e2e-bnXwSR-9uTnkM-9ZcUcc-bYVvF3-9VKiWW-9RHL6b-9REZma-9RHBPb-9RHV6y-apxoX1-9uTnP2-bLYr4H-apuPhK-apuuMM-apuJB2-apxakS-apuu4M-apuBcB-apuDJZ-apuqtR-apxud5-apxbw1-apuAug-apuwta-apxxws-apxb5E-apuNzT-apx4nd-apx9wN-apxpij-apxfU1-apx2kC-apuA42-apuzia-apxq3u-apuFL2-apuNWZ-apx6VJ CC BY-SA 2.0 Joey Votto 1B #19 Cincinnati Reds by Sports Crazy http://www.flickr.com/photos/52017169@N08/8705195300/in/photolist-egfph9-ej7jed-egfpGG-ejw6Wu-ehEAxr-eg9Dwi-ehLka7-eg9Erz-eh9fvk-egfq9o-9Xac2i-9XaAi2-9Xdwum-9X5UKM-9X9weP-9X5SPZ-9Xdx1s-9X6zig-9Xcnf7-9X8wZh-9XcxYh-9XazDH-9X5VYc-9Xb4i9-9XaDGX-aekvnJ-9WUt1Q-9WSsRo-9WPZQi-9WU6Dd-9WQ3bp-9WSURf-9WPzqH-9WQ7Ha-9X8kTG-9WTHLW-9WQ2dX-9WSf9o-9WRv4p-9WPAFF-9WSesN-9WPWkR-9X8eMT-9X86Uk-9X8e2e-bnXwSR-9uTnkM-c2zW1G-9ZcUcc-bYVvF3-9VKiWW CC BY-SA 2.0

Editor’sDesk

BenBernanke Economic Savior or Demonizer

transformingEDUCATION

todayWill Syrian war ignite Iran?

New LiberalGovernment - Ontario

Trudeauthe winner

Mark J. Carney,Who kept Canadian economy recession proof

It’s summer time, ladies! Tips on how to “exercise” in order to reveal

a great body and a great state of mind.

Joey Votto Canada’s Great Canadian Baseball Hope

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or’s I s this the summer of our discontent?

In the past few months, Canadians have seen the price of oil plunge (yet the price at the pumps stayed relatively constant) then surge again. Gold markets are down and the Canadian dol-lar is falling as quickly as a maple leaf in October.What does this mean when you’re the man tasked with steer-ing a complicated, mineral-focused economy like Canada’s? It’s time to sell, sell, sell. Canada, that is, as the place where you want to set up shop.And that’s what Prime Minister Stephen Harper has done this spring, travelling to Europe and South America to extol the vir-tues of investing in Canada.

Po l i t i c ian Le Po l i t i c ien June ’13 Po l i t i c ian Le Po l i t i c ien June ’13

5Desk

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Harper travelled to South America in May, making stops in Peru and Colombia to ex-plore the possibilities of joining the Pacific Alliance, which was formed by Colombia, Chile, Peru and Mexico two years ago. The goal of the Pacific Alliance is to create a rival market for Mercosur, formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay more than two decades ago. The Alliance is an economic powerhouse and Canada already has close ties with each member individually, but is seeking strength in numbers by joining the Alliance and by strengthening economic ties with Asia-Pacific countries, New Zealand and the United States.Harper made his way across the UK in June, ahead of the G8 summit in Belfast, speaking to the British parliament and also hoping to secure a free-trade deal with Europe, spe-cifically by upping the threshold of European companies to secure ownership of Canadian companies to $1.5 billion.

While in Britain Harper also hoped to allevi-ate concerns over oilsands crude and to press U.S. President Barack Obama for a resolution to the Keystone XL oilsands pipeline.These trips come after the Prime Minister took part in a trade mission to the Philippines in January – the second trip he took there in two months – eager to “get in on the ground floor” of the Philippines’ burgeoning economy.While Canadians hoping for a little south-of-the-border travel bemoan the fact that the loonie has dropped to its lowest level since October 2011, it’s good news for businesses hoping to export their goods overseas, and for the types of companies Harper is courting to invest in Canada.Will the trend continue? That’s hard to say in these volatile economic times. But what seems certain is that the government will continue to push Canada to the forefront as an investment haven.

by H i land Hodges


I n a world where the stability of established economies and their markets relies heav-

ily upon the actions of central banks, Ben Ber-nanke, of the US Federal Reserve, has been the biggest player on the biggest stage. Chairman Bernanke’s bold and aggressive actions have stabilized the US economy and markets and, in fact, have had the same effect on many global economies and markets. At the same time that he is hailed by international bankers, he has re-mained the target of fiscal conservatives in his own land, a condition that could well lead to his resignation at the end of his current term.The Federal Reserve is charged by the US Congress to perform four functions en route to administering US monetary policy. The ac-tual mandate of the Fed is described as: “The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Com-mittee shall maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates com-mensurate with the economy’s long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates.” The Federal Reserve is overseen by Congress, many of whose members do not fully under-stand the role, the limitations or governance of the country’s central bank. The Federal Reserve is designed to be a non-political body that is solely concerned with monetary policy. Howev-er, when things do not go as scripted, politicians are quick to push the blame on the Fed.

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Bernanke Understands The Role of The Fed

One person who does understand the Federal Reserve is its Chairman Ben Bernanke. One of the most published economists in the world, Bernanke is an expert on all aspects of the Great Depression and believes the Federal Reserve contributed to the slow recovery after 1930. In a speech regarding the Great Depression, Bernanke told noted economist, and Federal Reserve critic, Milton Friedman in 2002; “You’re right, we did it. We’re very sorry. But thanks to you, we won’t do it again.”Bernanke has addressed the Great Recession with the tools he believed should have been imple-mented during the Great Depression. He believes that between 1930 and 1933, the efficiency of the credit allocation process caused higher borrowing costs and limited availability. By not controlling these issues, the Federal Reserve prolonged the Depression. His quantitative easing policy has been dubbed “helicopter drop” because of his generous print-ing and spending policies. Critics refer to Mr. Bernanke as “Helicopter Ben.” Since the outset of the recession, Bernanke instituted a series of reductions in interest rates from 5.5 percent to as low as 0 percent.

US Economy

Federal Reserve Responsibilities and The Great Recession

Chairman Bernanke’s actions are best justified by a review of the Fed Reserve Mandate, its four specific responsibili-ties regarding monetary policy and the acknowledgement that Congress has been mired in gridlock since the collapse of Lehman Brothers. With Congress un-able to agree upon significant tax reform, appropriate deficit reduction and com-promise regarding entitlement reform, Bernanke has been forced to act more aggressively than if Congress were en-acting meaningful fiscal legislation.The four primary responsibilities of the Federal Reserve are:

• Monetary policy.• Ensure financial stability through the lender of last resort function. • Supervise bank holding companies.• Provide payment system services to fi-nancial firms and government.

7Ben Bernanke: Economic Sav ior or Demonizer Ben Bernanke: Economic Sav ior or Demonizer

(United States of America is the biggest im-porter of Canadian goods and without strong US economy Canadian economy won’t and can’t continue to grow. This makes Canadi-ans worry or happy and that’s why Canadians watch US economy.)

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The Federal Reserve defines monetary policy through the actions it takes to influence the availability and cost of money and credit under goals described by Congress. The driving force of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product is con-sumer spending. As the “lender of last resort,” the Fed is re-sponsible to ensure the sustainability, solven-cy and continued functioning of the nation’s financial system. In times of financial crisis, such as in 2008, the central bank is obligated to intervene to provide liquidity to keep the system operational. In the history of the Fed, this has only been necessary on a few occa-sions but since the outbreak of the Great Re-cession has been the biggest, most consistent challenge of the central bank. History has not been kind to the 1930-1933 performance of the Federal Reserve, a situ-ation Mr. Bernanke understands quite well. However, many politicians and fiscal conserva-tives believe his aggressive policies have been contrary to the long-term national interests. Chairman Bernanke acknowledges a degree of long-term risk but is clearly focused on the short term.

Operation Twist

In September 2012, the Federal Reserve de-clared that it would spend $40 billion per month in the purchase of mortgage backed-se-curities. The program is commonly referred to as Operation Twist. The Federal Reserve ended the program in December and launched a new initiative spending $85 billion per month on long-term treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities. The Fed also announced it would no longer offset purchases by selling short-term treasuries. At the December meeting, the Federal Reserve said it would continue the existing “excep-tionally low interest rates” and would con-tinue the new easing policy until the national 8

New L ibera l Leader 9

unemployment rate decreased to 6.5 percent as long as the inflation rate remains below 2 percent. Markets welcomed this new infusion of liquid-ity. As the national recovery has been steady but below expectations, Bernanke has come under pressure from conservatives to pare his easing policy. This policy has driven the US eq-uity markets to record gains in 2013. But, the gains are nervous gains and not necessarily based upon standard investment fundamen-tals. The infusion of liquidity has been dubbed a false economy. US markets and markets around the word carefully scrutinize the Federal Reserve min-utes and statements by Bernanke and Federal Reserve Bank presidents to interpret when the easing will begin to faze downward. The Federal Reserve Board is composed of doves and hawks. The hawks prefer extended stimu-lus while doves seek a pullback and eventual cessation of the easing. Currently, the hawks are in the majority but Bernanke does walk a tightrope.The Federal Reserve Board makes all policy decisions. The Board oversees the 12 District Reserve Banks. Not all presidents of the banks are members of the Board of Governors. In-cluding the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, the Board of Governors has seven members. The President appoints Board members from a cross-section of the agricultural, manufactur-ing and banking industries to 14-year terms. All appointees must be approved by the US Senate. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Fed are appointed by the President from the existing Board members. Their confirma-tions must also be approved by the Senate.Bernanke joined the Board in 2002 and was nominated to succeed Chairman Alan Greens-pan by President George Bush in February, 2006. He was nominated by Barrack Obama for another four-year term on January 28, 2010. After some controversy and dissent

from members of both political parties, Bernanke’s confirmation was approved by the Senate by a 70-30 vote. 11 Democrats, 18 Republicans and 1 Independent voted against Bernanke’s second term.Bernanke’s politics have been described as “libertarian conservative.” He is a strong advo-cate of deficit reduction and entitlement reform, especially to Social Security and Medicare. On April 7, 2010, Bernanke delivered a speech saying that the US must soon develop a “credible plan to address the pending funding crisis faced by entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.” His calls for congressional action and legislation have largely been ignored.

The Current Controversy

The most recent controversy regarding the Federal Reserve was triggered by Bernanke’s testi-mony before the Joint Economic Committee on May 22, 2013. At that time, Bernanke took Con-gress to task. He said: “In particular the expiration of the payroll tax cut, the enactment of tax increases, the effects of the budget caps on discretionary spending, the onset of sequestration, and the declines in defense spending for overseas military operations are expected, collectively, to exert a substantial drag on the economy this year.”The Chairman noted that in the face of these congressionally approved actions, the Fed did not have the capacity to offset these setbacks. That was one unsettling point in the May 22nd tes-timony.The Chairman unsettled global markets further indicating that it was possible the central bank would begin to “taper” its aggressive buying policy before the end of 2013. Markets reacted to this statement with reserve. Equity markets turned down sharply. Investors regard the support for the Fed as absolutely necessary to encourage a stronger recovery.


Ben Bernanke: Economic Sav ior or Demonizer

termined to make the Federal Reserve more transparent. He does not pull his punches. Based on the reaction to his May comments, he will be careful to precisely state the major-ity view of the Board of Governors and any short-term initiatives.The US markets and most global markets have experienced high volatility since his May testi-mony. Despite improved employment data and stronger than expected retail sales, markets may not be prepared to return to the pre-re-cession fundamentals of investment. The Fed-eral Reserve now owns about $3 trillion in as-sets that will eventually have to be liquidated. Bernanke’s May testimony was carefully pre-sented. He released a mild warning that the Fed may cut back on easing by the end of the year but that it would not cease its easing. His primary measures remain 2 percent inflation and a 6.5 percent unemployment rate. The inflation rate is less than one percent at this time.Perhaps it is the nature of the non-political Federal Reserve and the ultra-political envi-ronment in Washington, but some of Bernan-ke’s loudest critics are members of Congress. Meanwhile, many of the Chairman’s strongest supporters are central bankers from other na-tions.If Bernanke declines to serve another term, history will regard this man as the force that guided the US and the world through the most severe financial crisis since the Great Depres-sion. His absence will leave a hole in the na-tion’s monetary policy.

10

What Is Ahead

Bernanke’s next meeting with the Board of Governors is next week. The world will be anxiously waiting to see and hear if there is a schedule to begin reducing the amount of stimulus. If the Fed announces trimming in the next few months, the markets will react sharply and send tremors around the globe. Chairman Bernanke is aware how international markets will respond to any pullback and will be very measured in his comments. He is, of course, aware of the volatility in the global markets since May.When Bernanke took over as Chairman, the economy was already in trouble. Lenient reg-ulatory policy by the former Chairman, Alan Greenspan, and the loose lending inspired by the Bush housing doctrine paved the way for the tragic collapse of the financial system and the housing market. When Bernanke first assumed his role as Chairman, he was a nervous spokesperson. He learned from his earlier mistakes. Today, the Chairman is a measured speaker. He is de-

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Ben Bernanke: Economic Sav ior or Demonizer

Y ou do not have to be an educator to realize that Can-ada’s education system needs to be vastly improved.

More and more teachers are leaving the profession, and the high school drop-out rate, particularly in Quebec, is cause for concern. The burning question is: what can be done to improve our current education system in order to attract quality teachers and retain at-risk students?In countries such as China and Finland whose education systems are ranked among the best in the world, educa-tion is inquiry-based, allowing students to take elective courses and create their own curriculum based on their interests. As a high school teacher today, I see a num-ber of students who show promise academically, but who are apathetic and demonstrate little interest in their stud-ies. If such students were allowed to have a greater voice in their education, they would no doubt be more passion-ate about it, and success would naturally follow. More-over, instead of a top-heavy bureacracy holding the reins of academia, teachers in these school systems are em-powered to do whatever they think best to help their stu-dents. Both schools and classes are considerably smaller than in Canada, and there is a great deal of interaction and


trans

form

ing

EDU

CAT

ION today

by Pat r i c ia Me lnyk

consultation among teaching staff (and administration) about how to assist weaker students. Due to smaller class sizes, teachers can actually create a rapport with their students, facilitat-ing learning. Education in these countries is not merely a factory assembly line churning out robots who memorize a set of statistics in order to get a grade on a report card, but a creative and critical thinking process respectful of both student and teacher. Its’ emphasis is on learn-ing for learning’s sake, not rote learning to satisfy a Ministry of Education’s requirements. Furthermore, China and Finland realize that education needs to transform to keep pace with the rate of change in society, and are willing to reflect on what needs to be done to achieve this end. For example, a decent budget for good reading materials and textbooks is a prior-ity for both Finland and China. Inter-school mentoring is a novel idea that is also success-ful. In Asia, top performing schools are assigned a weaker school to administer, an endeav-our which not only assists poor schools, but also promotes teachers and administrators.

In Canada and the United States, testing is being advocated in order to ensure the qual-ity of teachers, but this practice has been proven to have no impact whatsoever on edu-cational outcomes, only serving to alienate teachers. It is impossible to measure teacher success: what if one instructor has better be-haved and more knowledgable groups than his or her colleague? Moreover, as a prin-cipal in Helsinki put it: “If you only mea-sure statistics, you miss the human as-pect.” As well, both Finland and China (not to mention Chile and Cuba) have helped to turn out better teachers by lengthening teach-ing internships to assist apprentices in gain-ing valuable classroom experience and hence,increased confidence. In fact, in Asia, teach-er training includes 240 hours of professional development over a five-year period. In Can-ada, internships are extremely short (a typi-cal Bachelor of Education degree includes only four, each lasting only a few weeks apiece.)Unfortunately teachers today are inondated with non-teaching tasks to account for the minutes they must make up according to Ministry of Education requirements. For ex-ample, teachers are required to do a lot of student supervision at lunch time, even at the high school level. I think that everyone would agree that educators are profession-als whose time would be better spent assist-ing students with their studies or correcting

than babysitting. Teachers are also not alwayssupported by parents who may treat them not as professionals with expertise, but rather as scapegoats on which to deposit the blame for their children’s lack of academic success. As the proverb says: “Knowledge is pow-er.” In order to progress as a society, we need to pay more than lip service to improv-ing our education system in Canada. Follow-ing the examples of both Finland and China, it is imperative that we empower teachers, allowing them to take whatever measures they deem best to stimulate students’ curior-ity and interest in learning. We need to give them adequate training (including workshops in technology), invest in their ongoing profes-sional development, and acknowledge their expertise by supporting their informed deci-sions in the educational domain. By doing so, we can help create a caring environment fos-tering academic and personal success for all.

12 13

Trans forming Educat ion Today

so did the resistance started to gain its mo-mentum. But, lack of serious leadership and the fragmentation between the rebellion forces didn’t allow fast progress. Conflict continued without any clear fronts, with battles fought for the each Syrian city. That situation led to refugee crisis and seri-ous bloodshed. Thousands of refugees fled to neighboring countries, and death toll started to rise by day. Until the end of 2011, major cities like Damas-cus or Aleppo were not seriously affected by the urban fights. That will change by the end of 2011, when Damascus will become ignited.

Situation development

On 29 July 2011, group of Syrian Army`s for-mer military personnel, announced the forma-

Will S

yria

n w

ar

igni

te Ir

an?

by Igor Katus i c

14

Po l i t i c ian Le Po l i t i c ien June ’13

O n the wings of the Arab Spring, Syrian war started as the protests against the ruling party and the presi-

dent al-Assad on 15 March 2011. Just like with any other participant of the Arab Spring, Syria was led by the de-mographic minority and had no or little respect toward human rights. In the time of the increasing conscience of the people and technology that allows fast and broad communications, young population and opposite minded people sought a way toward liberation. What started as a protest, quickly grew into wide spread demonstrations and later to full scaled civil war with tens of thousands of casualties. How will that affect Iran?Syrian war started on 15 March 2011 as a protest against the current government led by the president Bashar al-Assad. Assad’s family rules the Syria since 1971. Similar to other Arab Spring participants, Syria is led by the de-mographic minority; in this case Shi’ites, particularly by the Alawites. Shi’ite Islam population makes roughly 12% of total Syrian population, against the waste majority of Sunnis that makes 75% of it. For years, Syrian government has been accused for severe human rights violations, and as the Arab Spring started, Sunni tribe saw the opportunity to challenge the ruling of Shi’it minority. That challenge started on 15 March 2011. Just a month later, al-Assad deployed military forces in order to end the uprising, already spread all around the country. Government used deadly force against the protesters. With the Syrian army defects and civilian volunteers, re-bellion forces grew rapidly. Demonstrations evolved into the full scaled civil war.As rebellions formed into the ever larger groups of militia,

tion of Free Syrian Army, opposition forces with a main goal of overthrowing al-Assad and his ruling party. Less than a month later, on 23 August, Syrian National Council was formed as a coalition of anti-government groups. On October 2011, Turkey started to provide military support to rebellion forces, and later on provided the secure station for the FSA headquarters on their side of Turkish-Syrian border. From that point, rebellion forces will or-ganize and launch attacks and counter attack against the Syrian Army and very soon gain control over the border towns.On the other side, Iran and Russia openly sup-port al-Assad and his regime, with Hezbollah forces fighting on the Syrian Army side. Syrian Army deployed not only ground troops, but air forces and naval units as well to suppress the rebels and finally end the conflict. City after 15

Wi l l Syr ian war ign i te I ran?

17


city was stormed by the Syrian armed forces.In mid-2012 full scaled urban battle begun in Damascus` suburbs and soon spread to entire city. Followed by the even deadlier battle for Alep-po, war in Syria became bloody civil war, with Free Syrian Army and Syrian National Council on one side, against the government forces loyal to the president Bashar al-Assad. During the 2012, fights were waged all around the Syria with a main focus on larger towns and cities by the both sides. Late 2012 can be marked as a rebel`s offensive with a lim-ited success. That`s due to the lack of supply in weaponry and other logistics, while official Syrian Army can securely rely on Russia and particularly on Iran for steady logistics and

supply. First half of 2013 marks the successes of the Syrian Army and al-Assad`s regime. In the first 5 months, regime`s forces retook some rebel`s strongholds.

Future of the conflict

With the current situation in place and given the advantage of logistic supply security for the Syrian Army, it is highly unlikely that the rebel forces will do any kind of near future progress. If no third party actively involves itself into supplying the rebellion forces and providing strategic and logistical support, the outcome of the Syrian war doesn’t look good for the opposition forces.

Possible impact on Iran

No matter how will the Syrian war resolve at the end, it will create fertile ground for the military operation against Iran if they don’t change their nuclear policy. US president Barrack Obama most recently signed anoth-er set of sanctions against Tehran. Ahmadinejad is gone and the new government in Iran is just gearing up into international dialog which perhaps would lead to a peace-ful solution.


New

Lib

eral



Gov

ernm

ent -

O

ntar

io

by E l le Jade

I n January 2013, the leadership of the Lib-eral Party came down to a tight race that

saw six candidates vying for the much coveted premiership seat. This was a fiercely contest-ed race and in the end Kathleen Wynne was successful and replaced Dalton McGuinty who had earlier announced his resignation from the top spot. Among the contenders was Charles Sousa who relinquished his post as Citizen and Immigration minister in order to run. Al-though he may not have been considered one of the top candidates to become the Premier of Ontario, Sousa was considered in many circles as a possible compromise candidate who could possibly beat the odds and emerge as surprise winner. This was the case when little-known Dalton McGuinty gained leadership back in 1996 after being considered a non entity in a race full of big names. During the leadership convention, Sousa impressed the delegates enough to consider him the ‘third alternative’ which was his reference to his underdog status in relation to the other two major candidates - Sandra Pupatello and Kathleen Wynne.

Iron clad ideals

Charles Sousa initially worked in the private sector for over 20 years and first stepped into the political realm when he was elected into office in Mississauga South back in 2007. He is currently the Mississauga South Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and is the Finance Minister for Ontario. Sousa is a strong willed candidate and has previously maintained hard stances when faced with major decisions. A good example is his opposition to a gas fired generating station that was expected to be set up in suburban Toronto.

18 19

Another issue that he strongly supports is the need for the Liberal government to maintain a deficit reduction schedule while finding ways and means of investing in major infrastruc-ture. The main focus in this case would be the expansion of transport networks which are ex-pected to ease travel and enhance trade op-portunities.

The Go-Between

Despite his Liberal party loyalty, Charles Sousa has a diplomatic nature and is respectful of other party ideologies. He has stated openly that he is open to the opinions of other par-ties and is able to collaborate with individuals who are focused on the greater good of the province and country as a whole. In support of these sentiments, Sousa has mentioned sever-ally that the country requires less politicking and more collaboration between parties.

People person

Community involvement is a vital aspect of political leadership and the Mississauga South MMP has demonstrated this through his active engagement in local public institutions. He is a long time member of the Canadian Cham-ber of Commerce as well as the Toronto Board of Trade. He has previously headed the Fed-eration of Portuguese –Canadian Business and Professionals association which is a body that is charged with the enhancement of cordial trade between the two nations. At the grass-roots level, he is an ambassador for Credit Val-ley hospital in addition to being the honorary chair of Rainbow ball foundation. In apprecia-tion of his dedicated service to his community, Charles Sousa was awarded with a Queens Golden Jubilee medal in 2003.

Pushing Liberal principles

The MMP for Mississauga has been making headlines in recent days for driving the mi-nority Liberal government’s plans to introduce taxes and/or fees that are intended to be channeled towards the improvement of tran-sit improvements in the Greater Toronto Area. The liberal government has is the recent past been mulling over various avenues for the in-troduction of these new revenue sources with the current Liberal budget recommending the allocation of over $35 million for infrastructure development. The position of Sousa and the Liberals is basically that the development of Ontario’s economy is dependent on the effi-cient movement of people and goods. As the Finance minister, Charles Sousa is focused on the uphill task of creating a balanced budget in the coming four years. While focusing on implementing Liberal party policies, dissent-ing views are expected to come from various quarters and recently Sousa has had to take a swipe at the New Democrats and Tories for recommending acts such as across-the-board cuts and uncontrolled growth for program spending. This is all in a day’s work for a Liberal in a mi-nority government.

2223


J ustin Trudeau was first elected to Parliament in 2008, when he won a seat in the riding of

Papineau – the smallest federal riding in Canada (nine square kilometres in size) and one with a significant population of immigrants.Rather than choose to appoint him, then-Liber-al leader Stephane Dion decided Trudeau could not ride in on his family name, but instead must earn the trust of grassroots workers.Five years later, on April 14, 2013, Trudeau was elected as Liberal leader, winning 80 per cent of 30,800 votes cast by party faithful. Lawyer, professor and author Deborah Coyne, mother of Trudeau’s half-sister Sarah Elizabeth Trudeau (fathered by Pierre Elliot Trudeau when he was 71) finished in the same race with a dismal 833 votes.Although Trudeau had an easy win in the cam-paign (he had 81,389 votes, well ahead of his next-closest contender, Joyce Murray, who had slightly more than 12,000 supporters), he was forced to deal with Liberal Party insiders, who derided him as nothing less than a shadow of the man who had sired him and out of touch with real Canadians, despite his claim to the contrary.

In February 2013, former Liberal MP Martha Hall Findlay, who finished third in the leader-ship race, slammed Trudeau for his conten-tion that he understands the issues affecting middle-class Canadians; noting she found it “a challenge” to see how someone who was born into a family of privilege could relate to the way many working Canadians struggle to-day.Hall Findlay later apologized for the remarks, which many believe cost her votes in the race.Following his election as party leader, Trudeau faced attack ads from a wary Conservative Party HQ, which feared he could successfully capitalize on his father’s name. Within a day of the Liberal leadership race, the Tories ran an ad which showcased Trudeau’s lack of experi-ence and focused on his “pretty boy” image.While that ad fell flat (it was widely critiqued in the press and quickly met with a Liberal-sponsored ad that rebuffed the Tories’ claims) all was quiet until late spring, when a number of scandals rocked Ottawa.

First it was the Senate, which correctly took a hammering for the actions of senators who used the public purse as their personal bank accounts. Conservative senators Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger for their spending and expense claims, followed closely by Liberal senator Mac Harb, who has been ordered to repay $230,000 after an internal audit found multiple problems with eight years of his claims.And then there was the Trudeau payment scandal, which broke shortly after Susan Buck, a board member with the New Brunswick-based Grace Foundation, wrote a letter to the Speakers’ Spotlight, the agency which books Trudeau as a guest speaker, and asked for a refund of the $20,000 paid to him after decid-ing their event was unsuccessful.In the wake of the scandal, Trudeau disclosed he has earned $1.3 million as a guest speaker since 2006, including $277,000 since he be-came a sitting Member of Parliament in 2008.

Trud

eau

the w

inne

r

by Issac Sh i f f

Trudeau the w inner

Po l i t i c ian Le Po l i t i c ien June ’13

24


In the days that followed, Conservative MPs heckled Trudeau, calling for him to return the money he earned on the rubber chicken cir-cuit. Soon afterward, Trudeau pledged to re-turn money to any organization that asks for it. To date, there have been no requests for refunds.In Belfast, Ireland for the G8, Prime Minister Harper added his voice to the chorus on the subject, telling reporters (his) view: “I, you know, as someone who is paid by the public, I get good remuneration from the taxpayers of Canada as a public servant. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to then take money from charity. I give money to charity; I don’t take money from charity. So that is my view about what is appro-priate and what is not appropriate under those circumstances.”But not everyone with a Conservative mem-bership shares his way of thinking. NHL coach-turned-Conservative Senator Jacques Demers has accepted money for speaking engage-ments, as has fellow Conservative senator Larry Smith. Their colleagues Duffy and Wallin have similarly collected money for speaking.Only Liberal senator and retired General Ro-meo Dallaire does not.

Canada’s next election date is tentatively scheduled for October 19, 2015 – almost a year and a half away – but it feels like we’ve been in the silly season since Iggy resigned his post as Liberal leader way back in 2011, the day after Harper secured its first majority gov-ernment and Jack Layton’s upstart NDPs rele-gated Ignatieff’s Liberal party from “Canada’s natural governing party” to a third wheel.That’s lots of time for both parties to sling mud and hope none of it sticks to themselves be-fore the real electioneering begins. May God have mercy on us all.

Trudeau the w inner

Mar

k J.

Car

ney,

Who

kept

Can

adian

econ

omy r

eces

sion p

roof


Mark J . Carney, who kept Canad ian economy recess ion proo f

M ark J. Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada an-nounced last year that he is stepping down from his po-

sition in order to run the Bank of England (BOE) which shook the corridors of power in Canada. Never before, in the past 312 years history of the BOE has a non-British ever been named Governor. This makes it great for Canada to be hon-oured and recognized for our economic strength through the 2008 Financial Crisis. Mark Carney’s decisions through this difficult time enabled Canada to come through the greatest recession since the Great Depression with relative ease, whereas most other countries in the world suffered innumerably. Mark was appointed Governor of the Bank of Canada, effec-tive 1 February 2008, for a term of seven years. After five and half years of service as Governor, Mr. Carney departed the Bank of Canada on 1 June 2013 to become the Governor of the Bank of England. He was appointed to this position on 26 November 2012, with an effective date of 1 July 2013.Born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Mr. Carney received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University in 1988. He received a master’s degree in economics in 1993 and a doctorate in economics in 1995, both from Oxford Uni-versity. Mr. Carney was also awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Manitoba in April 2013.Prior to joining the public service, Mr. Carney had a thirteen-year career with Goldman Sachs in its London, Tokyo, New

2627

York and Toronto offices. Mr. Carney was ap-pointed Deputy Governor of the Bank of Cana-da in August 2003. In November 2004, he left the Bank to become Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Finance – a position he held until his appointment as Governor of the Bank.While serving as Governor of the Bank of Can-ada, Mr. Carney was also appointed as Chair-man of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) in November 2011 for a three year term.Mike was helping the government of Gordon Brown in 2008 and with one piece of advice his name was on the top in England’s finan-cial world. The advice that made him hero was very simple, “help small ailing institutions instead of helping big ones”.The new governor of Bank of Canada, Stephen S. Poloz will take charge on July 03, 2013 Born

in Oshawa, Ontario, Mr. Poloz graduated from Queen’s University in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He received a master’s degree in economics in 1979 and a PhD in eco-nomics in 1982, both from the University of Western Ontario.Stephen Poloz is a good pick many analysts say and he has plenty of time to prove himself. As long as he keeps the Canadian Dollar at a position to help Canadian exports, keeps the housing market stable and keeps inflation at 2% or lower he will be regarded as a true suc-cessor of Mark J Carney

by Steve Moukas

Po l i t i c ian Le Po l i t i c ien June ’13 Po l i t i c ian Le Po l i t i c ien March ’13

It’s

sum

mer

tim

e,

ladi

es!

I t ’s summer t ime, lad ies ! I t ’s summer t ime, lad ies !

Tips

on ho

w to

“exe

rcise

” in o

rder

to re

veal

a gre

at bo

dy an

d a gr

eat s

tate

of m

ind.

S ummer! The greatest season of the year; slim bodies, nice shapes and curves and….

bikini! All the above enumerated put together give the hottest combination a woman could desire. But what happens when what we dreamt about our body shape is not what we got? The great majority of young ladies go for short term solutions that only give them the illusion of having a perfect body. Starving, intense exercises, these are only two of the most “popular” methods of losing weight fast and reshape the body. Let’s imagine few things that we like doing the most and try to make them real! It is awesome when we talk with a couple of friends and set up the greatest adventure of our life. The mountains, the long sea shores with their long sunny beaches, each of these attrac-tions drag us into real adventures. Moreover, the pleasure becomes even greater when we travel, feel good and lose some kilograms. The following tips are easy to remember when you lack ideas about how to feel good and make some exercises.

First tip is very much connected to spending our leisure time. Every week has its two long waited days: the week-end days. During sum-mer, heat becomes almost unbearable, and a great idea would be to go somewhere where heat is milder. If you don’t have any clue, a short trip to a mountain resort can prove to be great for your body; it might be the energy charger your organism needs. Don’t be afraid to “go wild” and explore every corner of na-ture you come in contact with; being it just a short walk through the woods or something challenging like alpinism, be sure that your body will enjoy every moment! The second tip results from another activity we, all, love doing: going to the beach. Dur-ing summer, we ladies transform ourselves in true nymphs of the season. We love being watched and followed when we walk in front of men. And some of us think that this transfor-mation is possible with a lot of effort; WRONG ladies!!! We mustn’t think about long hours spent on the beach for tanning, and then other long hours to the gym for sculpting our bodies. What we should do is the following thing: in-stead of staying those long hours on the beach in order to get the perfect tan, a combina-tion of tanning sessions and exercises can be easily made. Stop lying on towel and get into the water! Swimming is the best activity you

can do during summer, and the results it has for your body are amazing. We should forget for a while that we are grown-ups and start the great splashing. Without noticing, all the splashing makes our body burn calories and shape in a nice way. Also, all this water-playing activity hydrates our bodies, and makes our skin look great. If you are out of ideas on how to get your en-ergy to the heights, remember the two main suggestions above and don’t forget to hydrate yourself, eat healthy and think positive; these three things combined make miracles for your state of mind and your body. It’s summer ladies, and it’s our season! It’s time to rock!!!

28 29by Isabe l la L . Branesco


Joey

Vot

to

Cana

da’s G

reat

Can

adian

Bas

eball

Hop

e C anada has produced its fair share of outstanding ath-letes; names such as George St.Pierre, Christine Sin-

clair, Milos Raonic, Steve Nash, Wayne Gretzky, Simon Whitfield and more. The list goes on and our country’s talent pool is featured in a wide range of sports. At times, our ever-loving passion towards hockey can cloud the fact that we have some of the best athletes in the world in other sports. An example that perfectly illustrates this is the game of baseball. Canada has a prosperous baseball program which has pro-duced talent such as Larry Walker, Justin Morneau, Jason Bay, Russell Martin and John Axford, but it may be Joey Votto who stands out as the cream of the Canadian baseball crop.The native of Etobicoke, Ontario won the National League’s Most Valuable Player award in 2010 after putting up incred-ible hitting numbers of .324/.424/.600 with 37 HR and 113 RBI.His on-base percentage was off the charts and he had his patience and excellent eye at the plate to thank for this. The 29-year old is a slick defender at first base, as well as a prominent plate presence. He won his first Gold Glove award in 2011 and his defense improves every time he takes the field. He is as quick as a cat - especially consider his large frame of 6’2 and 220lbs - and makes difficult plays look easy as the Cincinnati Reds everyday first baseman.Votto’s story hasn’t always been big numbers and shiny awards. The three-time All-Star had to deal with severe issues of anxiety after his father passed away in August of 2008.

The bond with his father was a close one. His father was always by his side as he grew up playing baseball and the eventual issues and stress that came with the anxiety problem caused him to miss a ton of playing time with Cincinnati.“There were nights that I couldn’t be alone. The one night I was alone – the very first night I was alone – was when I went to the hospital. I couldn’t take it. It just got to the point where I felt I was going to die, really,” said Votto.“I went to the hospital in Cincinnati when the team was on the road. It was a very, very scary and crazy night where I had to call 911 at three or four in the morning. It was probably the scariest moment I ever had dealt with in my life and I went to the hospital that night.”Knowing what he had to deal with in his sea-son prior to winning the MVP award made Vot-to’s amazing turn-around and MVP honours in 2010 that much greater. The fact that he could overcome the death of his father and a possibly career ending rela-tionship with anxiety to become arguably the best Canadian ball player to ever play the game just goes to show how much strength, will and determination he had to be the best he could possibly be at the game he loves.

Not an easy task for anyone.Votto also steps up to the plate for his country and proudly wears the red and white colours of Canada. Despite being paid a bundle of money by the Reds only to play in MLB - $225 million over ten years to be exact - he still showed up to participate in the most recent World Baseball Classic when other Canadian MLB players like Russell Martin withdrew from the tournament because the team wouldn’t meet his demands of playing shortstop (Martin normally plays catcher).Canada didn’t play as well as the country may have hoped - finishing 12th – and they were involved in a scary bench clearing brawl with Mexico, but Votto’s presence in the Canadian line-up forced teams to play differently and at-tracted more Canadian fans then ever before.Witnessing Votto wear the Canadian uniform made you realize that he is proud to be a Ca-nadian and he was honoured to wear the uni-form on his back.It’s obvious that Votto loves his country and it’s apparent that the love is reciprocated, which is a hard thing to find in this day and age. If anyone was going to be able to accomplish it, Canada can be proud of knowing that Joey Votto is the one who is doing it.

by Bryan Mcwi l l i am

30

31Joey Vot to: Canada ’s Great Canad ian Baseba l l Hope Joey Vot to: Canada ’s Great Canad ian Baseba l l Hope

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June 2013