The first is a TED talk by a Nigerian woman named Chimamanda Adichie, called "The danger of a single story." I recommend watching it and then subsituting "New Brunswick" every time she talks about Africa/Nigeria.
It has always been one of my major beefs that the only news we hear about our people and our province is bad news. Nationally respected health centre in New Brunswick? Ignored. Fattest province in Canada?National news. Don't get me started! (The reference above was to the Stan Cassidy Centre in Fredericton, in case you're wondering.)
The second is Charles Theriault's latest addition to the series "Is Our Forest Really Ours." In this video, Charles goes through the numbers related to jobs and employment in foresty related to the Alward government's new deal with JDI.
I am a big fan of fact based decision-making, and the facts on this one are scary. As a 32-year old New Brunswicker, I am shuddering to think about what the health and education sectors in our province will look like when I hit 50, if this deal goes through.
Thirdly, is a talk by Don Bowser, who is an international expert on transparency, disclosure and corruption and the relationships between governments, resource extraction companies, and citizens. If you think we are getting all the information to which we are entitled, it doesn't take long listening to Bowser's talk before you start to question what is really happening here.
So, why am I here on this blog, only giving bad news about New Brunswick! The fact is, there is a lot at stake, and as shown with the NB Power deal, the voices of citizens hold a lot of power when used collectively. I think young New Brunswickers, in particular, have a big job to do to raise the bar for transparency, accountability, fact-based policy, and fair resource management in our beautiful province.
I will put some good news in the next post, but for today, here is a collection of videos that really made me think. New Brunswickers are gathering this Tuesday, May 13th, in front of the Legislature in Fredericton to tell the government we do not support the deal they made without consultation or consent. I will be there and I hope you will lend your support too.
