This is not just a tale of conflicting metaphors — although it is that, too.
Let us begin with the dove’s view of things. Until this fall, the bird — formally known as the mourning dove — was a protected species in most of Canada.
Most Canadian mourning doves are found in southern Ontario. The federal government estimates a breeding population there of between 1.2 and 1.3 million.
They are apparently monogamous (hence the romantic symbolism). They perform the useful task of eating weed seeds.
And they sing a long, mournful song. It is this song that explains the mourning dove’s name. It is a plaint that gives the impression of impending doom — as if this sad, beautiful bird always knew that the good times couldn’t last.
Enter Harper’s federal Conservative government. Because the mourning dove migrates across international borders it can be hunted in Canada only with Ottawa’s express permission.
Since 1960, that permission has been granted for doves passing through British Columbia (although few are shot there). But in Ontario, save for one brief period in 1955, the hunt has been banned.
Across the border, however, there have been few such reprieves. In the U.S., the dove is hunted more than any other bird. Some 17 million are shot in that country each year, often for target practice.
The Humane Society of the U.S. notes that, in some parts of America, doves are known as “cheap skeet.”
So here’s where the bird begins to transmogrify into a political metaphor. If Americans are free to kill doves, why aren’t Ontarians? It’s a question raised by the hunting lobby. And it is one that Harper’s Conservative party is keen to answer in the affirmative.
The Conservatives want to be seen on the side of gun owners and hunters. For Harper’s party, lawful gun ownership is a right. Hunting is an expression of family values. Nothing is more familial than taking the kids out on a bright autumn day to kill small birds.
Hence the open season on Ontario doves. It took effect this September and will run each year for a little over two months.
In Europe, dove populations are on the decline. In Canada, that has not yet happened. The Canadian Wildlife Service estimates that mourning dove numbers in Ontario tripled between the 1960s and ’90s but have stalled since then.
The wildlife service also estimates that new hunting rules will result in about 18,000 Ontario doves being shot each year. But, say hunt aficionadas, so what? There are plenty more.
As the Conservatives would tell you: This is our world. Other species are born into it at their own risk.
To Canada’s governing party, killing doves is a metaphor for sound thinking, fiscal sobriety and doughnut-shop values. It is where the Harperites want to be.
So how to explain that other metaphor — the Stephen J. Harper Hula Valley Bird Sanctuary Visitor and Education Centre in northern Israel?
The Hula Valley contains a large wetland that is a famous stopover for migratory birds. The Jewish National Fund wants to put Harper’s name on a building in this sanctuary because of his service to Israel. It is quite an honour.
Oddly enough, one of the migratory species that will grace the new Harper centre is the dove. The dove is particularly symbolic in Israel. It features in both Jewish and Christian lore.
As recorded in the Book of Genesis, it was the return of the dove — with an olive branch in its beak — that led Noah to realize the great flood had receded. The dove signifies not only peace but the return of normal life. The dove is hope.
To reconcile these competing metaphors is not easy. In Israel, Canada’s prime minister is the dove’s friend. He supports this wonderful bird root and branch. His ideals are lofty, his vision clear.
But back home in Canada, his relationship to the dove is quite different. Back home, Stephen J. Harper is the dove’s sworn enemy. Back home, his government wants to see a good chunk of these damned birds dead.
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