Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Monday, March 19, 2012

Government announces funding for War of 1812 bicentennial

The Canadian government has announced close to $5 million in funding for 24 projects commemorating this year's bicentennial of the War of 1812, including almost $1 million to help create a series of interactive exhibits at Vancouver's Canada Place to "bring the heroes and stories of the War of 1812 to life" more than 3,000 kilometres west of the conflict's most famous battlegrounds in southern Ontario.

The geographic breadth of the funded projects is in keeping with the government's framing of the war as a seminal event in the evolution of Canadian nationhood, one that citizens from coast to coast to coast should better understand and reflect upon during the upcoming three years of anniversary commemorations running until late 2014.

"Canada would not exist had the American invasion not been repelled during the War of 1812, and for that reason, the War is a defining chapter in our country's history," Heritage Minister James Moore said in a statement detailing the latest round of War of 1812 funding from the federal government. "We invite all Canadians to learn more about this important part of our past and to take part in many of the activities and events that will pay tribute to our heroes."

The historical attraction planned for Canada Place — a Vancouver tourism hub managed as a federal Crown corporation — is described in the announcement as combining an outdoor exhibit celebrating the war's naval battles, an indoor exhibit capturing the conflict's place in North American and world history and "an interpretive studio equipped with interactive stations" for visits by large groups of students.


The Canada Place exhibit, to be titled "The War of 1812 Experience," is intended to "provide our millions of visitors with the chance to experience the War of 1812 in an interactive and immersive way, and will show how our past helped shaped the world we live in today," Canada Place chairman Robin Wilson said in the announcement, which lists a $950,000 allocation for the B.C. project.

The second-largest funding announcement on Monday was for a three-year, $720,000 grant to the Toronto-based Historica-Dominion Institute for its War of 1812 bicentennial education, including the production of "Heritage Minutes" television spots showcasing key moments in the history of the war.

Among the other amounts to be disbursed were $50,000 to Saskatchewan's Whitecap Dakota First Nation for a commemoration project, $300,000 to the Toronto-based Ontario Heritage Trust for a War of 1812 history centre, $400,000 for a "Flames of War" sound and light show in Oakville, Ont., and $300,000 to an association of Ontario native leaders for events celebrating the First Nations military contribution in resisting the American invasion of Canada during the war.

The government's ambitious, $28-million blueprint to mark the war's bicentennial was unveiled in October, when Moore first announced plans for a new national War of 1812 monument in the Ottawa area, investments to preserve or upgrade a half-dozen historic forts associated with the conflict, and to support a series of battle re-enactments aimed at drawing tourists to areas where the war was fought.

The government has also announced War of 1812 commemorative coins and stamps, educational programs and a major new travelling exhibit on the conflict by the Canadian War Museum.

Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Randy Boswell

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