This entire country is haunted

As we’re seeing more and more every day, this entire country is a real-life Indian burial ground—one that criminals parading as teachers, religious leaders and politicians took great care to cover up, writes Alicia Elliott.  

A mere 15-minute drive from where I now type this in Brantford, Ont., is the Mohawk Institute, one of the oldest residential schools in Canada. It’s a building whose purpose—which, in Sir John A. Macdonald’s words, was to withdraw Indigenous children “as much as possible from parental influence” so they could “acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men”—had been established for 36 more years than Canada as an independent nation had even existed. Remember this.

In 2016, I went to an art and performance installation on the grounds of the Mohawk Institute, otherwise known to the hundreds of Indigenous students who were trapped within its walls over its 139 years as “the Mush Hole.” They called it such because, despite the students working on nearby farms without pay as soon as school was done, thus furnishing the staff dining table with fresh, delicious produce, the children themselves had nothing more to eat than mush. Sometimes the mush had worms crawling in it. It didn’t matter. That was what they were fed. Remember this, too.

The Mohawk Institute Residential School, referred to by former students as ‘the Mush Hole’ (Photograph by Alex Jacobs-Blum)

The art exhibit was called The Mush Hole Project. Survivors of the school acted as tour guides, leading us through the still-standing building—the places where the children bunked, the places where they were “taught.” Our tour guide was a woman from my reserve, Six Nations of the Grand River. Her daughter and granddaughter were on the tour with us. This was the first time either of them had heard their mother/grandmother speak of her experiences. She spoke in few words about the physical and emotional pain of having her language beaten out of her. Her daughter later spoke of how she and her own daughter were learning Kanien’kéha. The woman who had attended the school said nothing. It was as if, along with English, she had been taught the Christian tradition of silence. These days, I’m recognizing it’s also a Canadian tradition.

As soon as the tour took us into the boiler room, I felt physically sick. My stomach dropped and my head started to hurt and I focused on the words coming from our tour guide’s mouth: that this was where many Indigenous children were taken by staff to be abused, because the sound of the boiler would better mask their screams. Don’t even bother trying to forget this.

Before that moment, I had always wondered whether ghosts were real. I’d watched horror movies about angry poltergeists slamming furniture around old houses and Ouija boards whose planchettes seemed to move by themselves, spelling out otherworldly knowledge. But there, in that room, as my chest got heavy with breath that felt barricaded in my lungs, I was certain: this place was haunted. The pain those Anglican priests and teachers caused those children—many from my rez—lingered thick in the air. Like the criminals they were, the priests and teachers found the room most likely to help them hide their crimes. Remember this most of all.

A building built on an Indian burial ground is a trope in horror movies. The protagonists in these films are always white families who are pure and innocent as the snow. They step into these houses or hotels unaware of the Indigenous blood that was spilled before they came. If they find out about the history of the land they’re settling, the haunting that colonialism has created, like in Pet Sematary, that doesn’t stop them from settling in and expecting uninterrupted colonial happiness. After all, this land was cleared for them to settle.

And yet, once the haunting starts, we’re not supposed to empathize with the nameless Indigenous people whose bodies were buried beneath these homes. We’re not supposed to even think of them. We’re supposed to empathize with the white families being terrorized—the very people who decided it was okay to build their lives atop Indigenous death.

The very people who thought that because they themselves didn’t commit the crimes that allowed them to have their homes on Native land, they were still somehow innocent.

As we’re seeing more and more every day, this entire country is a real-life Indian burial ground—one that criminals parading as teachers, religious leaders and politicians took great care to cover up. However, unlike the nameless, often nationless Indigenous people whose deaths are used to clumsily explain hauntings in the movies, the children whose tiny bodies have been unearthed on the grounds of residential schools across the country in recent weeks had names and nations and communities. They had families who ached for their return, who asked after them and were deliberately told nothing.

Just like those white families in horror movies, though, non-Indigenous people of Canada seem to believe they are innocent. If they don’t acknowledge the violence that’s been done historically on their behalf to Indigenous children via residential schools, if they don’t acknowledge the violence being done today to Indigenous children via the foster care system, then they can continue their lives, unencumbered by inconvenient guilt. They lean into the silence that’s expected of them, hoping that the nationalistic myth of Canada—polite, multicultural, consistently more tolerant and humanitarian than the United States—will overcome the gruesome facts of how this country was actually forged.

But the reality is this entire country is haunted by the violence enacted to create what we now call “Canada.” These acts were done on behalf of every non-Indigenous family who proudly calls themselves Canadians, because this is what its leaders deemed necessary to carve out this colonial, capitalist nation from the already occupied land it once was.

We can no longer ignore the human cost of creating this haunted nation. In fact, we must remember. The question is: what, if anything, will this country, its leaders and its citizens do to actually show that they’ve changed?

* Alicia Elliott is a Mohawk writer and author of the award-winning book A Mind Spread Out on the Ground.

(Source: Macleans)

Forests the size of France have regenerated over past 20 years

 Study highlights forests’ capacity to regenerate themselves and will guide reforestation projects to help tackle climate crisis, researchers say

Over the past two decades, 59 million hectares of forest – an area equivalent to the size of France – have regenerated around the world with minimal human intervention, a new study shows.

Major hotspots where woodlands have recovered include parts of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, areas of northern Canada, central Africa and the boreal forests in Mongolia’s northern wilderness.

This area of forest has the potential to store the equivalent of 5.9 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide – more than the annual emissions of the US.

The authors said forest regeneration is where “nature takes the lead”. Some areas require no human activity to help them regenerate, while others require invasive species or farm animals to be removed or fenced out of the area.

The research, which was based on satellite imaging and ground surveys, comes amid a growing awareness of the importance of tree cover in efforts to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

The analysis was carried out by Trillion Trees, a joint venture between BirdLife International, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the WWF, which is aiming to “urgently speed up and scale up” forest regeneration, and is aiming to protect and restore one trillion trees by 2050.

An area roughly the size of the Netherlands has regrown in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest since 2000 (Getty)

As well as specific regeneration areas, the study’s authors said other reasons for forest expansion included more responsible industry practices and factors such as human migration towards cities.

The WWF’s William Baldwin-Cantello said allowing woodlands to naturally regenerate is often more effective than human efforts to bring back trees.

He said: “The science is clear: if we are to avoid dangerous climate change and turn around the loss of nature, we must both halt deforestation and restore natural forests.

“We’ve known for a long time that natural forest regeneration is often cheaper, richer in carbon and better for biodiversity than actively planted forests, and this research tells us where and why regeneration is happening, and how we can recreate those conditions elsewhere.”

But he warned that despite the good news the study highlighted, the rate of deforestation is still far outpacing that of regrowth, and called on the government to take action on supply lines which result in deforestation around the world.

He said: “We can’t take this regeneration for granted – deforestation still claims millions of hectares every year, vastly more than is regenerated.

“To realise the potential of forests as a climate solution, we need support for regeneration in climate delivery plans and must tackle the drivers of deforestation, which in the UK means strong domestic laws to prevent our food causing deforestation overseas.”

The researchers highlighted the Atlantic Forest in Brazil as one particular area which was seeing considerable regeneration. An estimated 4.2 million hectares – an area roughly the size of the Netherlands – has regrown since 2000.

In the boreal forests of Mongolia’s northern wilderness, the study suggests around 1.2 million hectares of forest have regenerated in the last 20 years. The study said this progress was partly due to the work of the WWF, as well as increased emphasis from the Mongolian government on protected areas.

The WWF warned that despite apparent momentum behind woodland restoration, in many cases, government plans “involve very limited expansion of natural forests, despite the strong climate and biodiversity benefits they offer”.

The authors of the study warn that encouraging signs of regeneration cannot be taken for granted. Forests across Brazil face significant threats today, even the Atlantic Forests – a recognised success story in restoration. Such is the extent of historic deforestation that the area of this unique forest still needs to more than double from currently 12 per cent of its original area to 30 per cent, in order to reach what scientists believe is a minimal threshold for its lasting conservation.

Naikoa Aguilar-Amuchastegui, senior director of forest carbon science at WWF, and who led the data analysis team said: “Even though this is an exploratory effort, it still highlights the potential that enabling and consolidating regeneration has for mitigating climate change and securing its biodiversity benefits. However, this remains difficult to map and a lot of additional work lies ahead.”

Trillion Trees said it is now planning to invite local groups and green funding organisations to work on new landscape restoration ventures, focusing on areas offering the maximum benefit for vulnerable ecosystems and local communities.

(Source: The Independent)

Family says they were asked to leave Disney Store because child with autism couldn't keep mask on

Public health regulations in area exempt children under 12 and individuals with disabilities from having to wear masks indoors

A woman has expressed her disappointment over her family being asked to leave a Disney Store because her six-year-old autistic daughter was not wearing a mask properly due to sensory issues. 

This week, Sarah Baillargeon, from Windsor in Ontario, Canada, visited a Disney Store in CF Masonville Place, located in London, Ontario, with her daughter Ruby so the six-year-old could pick out a toy after losing her first tooth.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Disney Store has implemented a company-wide policy requiring all customers above the age of two to wear a face covering in-store.

According to Baillargeon, who shared a video about her family’s experience on Facebook, she informed store staff when they first arrived that her daughter may not keep her mask on the entire time because she struggles having things on her face as a result of her sensory issues – a common difficulty for those on the autism spectrum, according to the National Autistic Society.

At the time, Baillargeon said the store employee said it was fine and to “try your best”.

After entering the store, Baillargeon said “it seemed that every couple steps that we walked through the store, Ruby’s mask would be under her nose or off her face” and that “a different employee came up to me every single time and said ‘She needs to be wearing a mask’”.

Baillargeon said she repeatedly explained that Ruby is on the autism spectrum and suffers from sensory issues and that she was “having a hard time” keeping the mask on as a result.

According to Baillargeon, she received differing responses each time she explained the situation, with one employee telling her: “I know people on the spectrum and they can wear masks.”

“Just because you know one person doesn’t mean you know my daughter,” Baillargeon said in the video, adding that she tried to ignore the comments because she didn’t want to “ruin the experience” for Ruby.

But, after Ruby refused at one point to put her mask back on, Baillargeon said an employee offered the six-year-old a face shield – which Baillargeon declined, reiterating her daughter’s sensory issues.

“Again I stated she has a sensory disorder, she won’t be able to keep the face shield on… so then they politely told me that I had five minutes to leave the store,” Baillargeon recalled.

According to Baillargeon, the employee’s order left her “in complete shock”.

Following the incident, Baillargeon said she reached out to Disney customer service, who informed her that facial coverings are a Disney-wide policy even for customers with disabilities.

“I do understand that, masks and keeping staff and everybody safe, however, there are medical reasons that people cannot wear them and I’m disgusted and appalled that this company [that] prides [itself] on helping people with special needs and being accommodating are not accommodating at all,” Baillargeon said.

In the area of Ontario, a mandatory indoor mask rule went into effect in July, however, it states that children under the age of 12 and individuals that have a medical condition or disability which inhibits their ability to wear a mask are exempt, according to CTV News.

On Facebook, Baillargeon’s video prompted messages of support, with commenters calling the experience “unacceptable”.

“Great message Sarah. I am so sorry you and Ruby had to go through this. I am sorry and very disappointed in how both Disney and this store handled this situation,” one person commented.

Another said: “Wow...this is devastating. I am super shocked at the response they gave you and how you were treated. This is totally 100 per cent unacceptable.”

The Independent has contacted the Disney Store for comment.

(Source: The Independent)

Photo of the Day: Taiwan (Not Part of China) Airlines

Canadian designer creates meme that clears up confusion over China Airlines and Air China

A Canadian man created this meme of a China Airlines (CAL) jet with the name "Taiwan (Not Part of China) Airlines" as Taiwan mulls changing the name of the airline and other organizations to avoid confusion with communist China, which is drawing the ire of the world for its negligent handling of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

As Taiwan launches a "mask diplomacy" campaign to deliver badly needed, medical-grade face masks, the government has been frustrated by confusion over the country of origin of its jets that deliver the supplies — as the name "China" appears in massive letters on the fuselage. In a Facebook post released on April 11, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) stated he has an "open mind" toward calls to change CAL's name.

On Feb. 3, pro-Taiwan independence group Taiwan Republic Office (台灣國辦公室) called for the airline's name to be changed to "Formosa Airlines" (福爾摩沙航空) or "Yushan Airlines" (玉山航空). Similarly, on Feb. 20, the Taiwanese American Senior Society - East Bay & Washington DC launched a petition on the U.S. website Change.org called for the name of the national carrier to be changed to "Taiwan Airlines."

A 39-year-old graphic designer who has resided in Taiwan for 15 years told Taiwan News that he read some headlines about the recent confusion between Air China and China Airlines. He then saw a couple of redesigns for China Airlines, including one with a bubble tea theme, so he said he decided to make his own meme on Saturday (April 18), which was shared that day on Facebook.

(Source: Taiwan News)

‘A ghost town’: With tourist access cut off, Banff unemployment soars

Banff Avenue is deserted. The Goat’s Eye Express is swinging empty above Sunshine Village. The tourists, apple-cheeked after a bluebird day on the local mountains, are long gone. The gates to Banff National Park – the oldest in the country – swung shut behind them to help slow the spread of COVID-19, which to date has killed 44 in Alberta, with 1,651 confirmed cases. For now, only essential traffic is allowed through.

The town’s mayor, Karen Sorensen, says hotels are running at about 3-per-cent occupancy, and at least 5,000 people have been laid off. Unemployment in the mountain town has hit 85 per cent, according to local MLA Miranda Rosin.

Banff is “like a ghost town” right now, says 27-year-old bartender Connor Gravelle. Elk and deer have overtaken the mountain town’s vacant streets, he says, and their scat is everywhere. A litter of coyote pups have made his front yard their new playground. The town’s economy relies wholly on tourism, he says. “Without it, we have nothing.”

The streets of Banff, Alta., sit empty on April 13, 2020. TODD KOROL/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

In 2012, visitors to the Rocky Mountain communities of Banff, Canmore and Jasper generated $1.1-billion in tourism spending, accounting for roughly 15 per cent of the total for all of Alberta, according to a study by the accounting firm Grant Thornton. “It’s very hard as a community for us to say, ‘Please stay home,’” Ms. Sorensen says. “But right now, we are begging people to please stay away.”

Banff might be one of the communities hit hardest by the country’s pandemic-related economic collapse, but it’s not alone. A number of Canadian tourism hotspots, from Tofino, B.C., on the west coast of Vancouver Island, to Cavendish, PEI, are bracing for a blow. Data from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada says the travel sector could lose up to $6-billion a month during the pandemic and nearly 800,000 jobs in total.

In Banff, the economy has “been devastated,” Ms. Sorensen says through tears. “We’re all waiting to hear what this season is going to look like. At this point, we don’t know if anything will open.”

Up until the park shut down, “incredible” snow conditions had drawn a steady stream of skiers to its three hills, according to Leslie Bruce, the president and CEO of Banff & Lake Louise Tourism. And since Easter typically marks the end of ski season, the long weekend is usually pandemonium, with spring skiers packing the town’s bars and restaurants.

Local businesses should also be scrambling to staff up for the peak summer season. From June to September, local hotels run at 90-per-cent capacity, Ms. Sorensen says. More than one million people explore the park’s 6,600 square kilometres, half of them from outside Canada.

Cassidy Geddes and Pamela Traut, owners of the Beatnik Salon, say their lease is 'going to slowly bleed us dry.'  TODD KOROL/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Cassidy Geddes, a Toronto native who opened Beatnik Salon with his wife, Pam Traut, in the Wolf & Bear Mall three years ago, says they’re “just trying to stay afloat until things pick up.”

They built their bustling business (which doubles as a concert space in the evening) from scratch, says Mr. Geddes, an Aveda-trained stylist who visited Banff for a ski holiday eight years ago and never left. “This set us back to square one very quickly.”

Their biggest worry is their lease: “It’s going to slowly bleed us dry,” he says, pointing out that Banff may have small-town charm, but its landlords rent space at “downtown Toronto” rates.

If the park gates remain closed for more than another month, “we’ll have to close shop.”

The town has launched an Emergency Co-ordination Centre to help temporary foreign workers find flights home and connect newly unemployed residents with government supports. Meanwhile, the Grizzly House, a Banff landmark, is delivering free home-cooked meals to people in need. Several other restaurants are opening their fridges and pantries, giving away food to those in need. Everyone seems to be doing what they can.

The landmark Banff Spring Hotel stands closed and deserted on April 13, 2020. TODD KOROL/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

The day he was laid off from Banff Ave Brewing Co., Mr. Gravelle bought four $50 gift cards from the local IGA, which he donated to single parents. “Sometimes when life is kicking your butt,” he says, “you need something to turn you around.”

Mr. Gravelle, who was raised by a single dad in Thunder Bay, learned this firsthand last year, after his father had a massive heart attack. He was frantically picking up dish-washing shifts and service jobs to try to earn enough to fly home.

One morning, he came into work, his “stress and depression at max capacity,” and found a card addressed to him. 

Inside, his co-workers had tucked $750 – enough to get home to Dad. “This turned the worst time in my life into the most beautiful experience I have ever encountered," Mr. Gravelle says. He vowed that day to pay it forward.

Some events break the eerie silence that has settled over the normally frenetic town.

“Maybe I’ll ring the church bells,” Heather Jordan thought on the first quiet Sunday of the pandemic. It was so popular, she started doing it every day at 1 p.m.

Each day at 1 p.m., Heather Jean Jordan plays the church bells of St. George in the Pines Anglican Church. TODD KOROL/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

First, she launches into a joyful peal – a loud, fast-paced series of tones. Then she plays Amazing Grace or Ode to Joy, always ending with the national anthem. The sounds carry all the way to the peak of Tunnel Mountain.

Ms. Jordan, a singer-songwriter and the pianist at St. George’s-in-the-Pines Anglican Church, doesn’t have any formal training in the chimes, “so every practice is a performance, and every performance is a practice.”

She plays by striking a set of batons with her fists – “I’m not Quasimodo up in the bell tower lunging from rope to rope.”

Ms. Jordan, who was raised on a beef and grain farm near Lake Manitoba’s southern shore, never goes over 10 minutes, waving from the belfry to the people who gather on Beaver Street below every day to listen. She has played the theme songs from Jurassic Park and The Legend of Zelda. Sometimes, it’s the Beatles – With a Little Help from My Friends or Let It Be.

The haunting sound of the bells ringing over the silent town has moved Ms. Sorensen, Mr. Geddes and his wife to tears. “It’s just so beautiful,” Mr. Geddes says.

For now, they await the pandemic’s next chapter. “It’s like a bomb hit Banff,” he says. “We have to wait till the cloud clears to see what we have left.”

(Source: The Globe and Mail)

Wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tests positive for coronavirus

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife has tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Trudeau's office said on Thursday night that Sophie Gregoire Trudeau is feeling well and will remain in isolation.

"The prime minister is in good health with no symptoms. As a precautionary measure and following the advice of doctors, he will be in isolation for a planned period of 14 days," the statement said.

His office said the doctor's advice to the prime minister is to continue daily activities while self-monitoring, given that he is exhibiting no symptoms himself.

He is spending the day in briefings, phone calls, and virtual meetings from home, including speaking with other world leaders and joining a special Cabinet committee discussion on the new coronavirus.

Trudeau spoke with US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

He has since cancelled an in-person meeting with Canada's provincial premiers.

Opposition NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is also working from home after feeling unwell. Singh said he's been in contact with a doctor and they do not believe he has the virus but was advised to limit contact with the public until he feels better.

Ontario, Canada's most populous province, is closing schools until April 5.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is asking all people returning from travel abroad to self-isolate for 14 days. The measure will be mandatory for all government employees.

He is also asking organisers to cancel all indoor events attracting crowds of more than 250 people and all other large gatherings that are not considered essential. Alberta and British Columbia are also urging all events with more than 250 people be cancelled.

Canada has more than 140 confirmed cases, with one death - an elderly nursing home resident in British Columbia.

(Source: AOI)

The map of the world according to who every country thinks is most dangerous

Feeling apocalyptic right now? You’re probably not the only one.

But of course, who you think the bad guys are depends a lot on where you live. Which is what makes this map really interesting.

It uses data from a 2013 poll, which asked people from 65 different nations who they thought the biggest threat to world peace was.

The map was put together by Redditor Loulan.

Picture: Reddit/Loulan

It turns out the USA is the country most were concerned about. And while there were plenty of nations that you’d expect to put them top of the list -like Russia and China – there were also several that you’d consider Western allies of the US, like Spain, Germany and Australia.

Pakistan was second on the list, followed by China.

Iran was the most dangerous country according to the US, Canada and Britain.

It’s important to remember that this data is a couple of years old – and therefore doesn’t take into account Donald Trump….

(Source: indy100)

Royal couple sought a half-in half-out deal, but are ‘out’

Duke and Duchess of Sussex have gone from ‘stepping back’ as senior royals to stepping down

After 10 days of turmoil over the future of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the outcome is, perhaps, not the half-in, half-out role the couple appear to have anticipated. Harry and Meghan have gone from “stepping back” as senior royals to stepping down. They are out. And destined, it seems, to spend most of their time in North America.

Buckingham Palace’s statement makes clear that it is felt the couple “can no longer formally represent” the Queen. On their new website, sussexroyal.com, where they set out their intention of carving out new “progressive” roles, along with becoming “financially independent” the couple seemed to have hoped to become hybrid royals.

They felt they could “continue to carry out their duties for Her Majesty the Queen, while having the future financial autonomy to work externally”. They also wanted to retain their patronages and “proudly” carry out “works for the monarchy within the UK or abroad, as called upon”.

Goodbye to all that - the couple at their wedding just 20 months ago. Photograph: Steve Parsons/AP

However, for the Queen, it seems, this was a step too far. She will not be calling on their services.

Her personal statement is warm, and acknowledging of the “challenges they have experienced as the result of intense scrutiny”. She speaks of her particular pride in “how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family”.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family,” she said, as a grandmother, rather than a sovereign.

A separate Buckingham Palace statement makes clear the couple is “required” to step back from royal duties. Any doubts over whether they could be both in and out, is now clarified. The latter has prevailed.

The crunch issue at the Sandringham summit on Monday was, undoubtedly, funding. Just how could the couple go about earning their own income? This issue has taxed working royals in the past – notably the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Both, in the end, gave up their businesses because of potential conflict of interest.

The prospect of the Sussexes cutting commercial deals, while still representing the monarch, was too great a risk

The prospect of the Sussexes cutting commercial deals, while still at times representing the monarch, was too great a risk to the reputation of the House of Windsor and the monarchy.

Though Harry and Meghan still technically retain their HRH styles, they have agreed they will not use them. They have not been stripped of them, unlike Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales following her divorce.

They will continue to use their titles of duke and duchess, and henceforth will be styled Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

This raises the question of what will happen regarding their new sussexroyal brand, which they have already trademarked for up to 100 items, if they are no longer, effectively, working members of the royal family?

Overall, the agreement struck is to the couple’s advantage financially. By virtue of their royal links they have international celebrity to trade on. They are now free from any constraints over how they earn their money. The only thing binding them is a promise that as they embark on their brave new world, that “everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty”.

They will be financially independent of the taxpayer, though for now they will continue to be privately financially supported by the Prince of Wales. They can keep their patronages, though Harry, a former soldier, will have to give up his honorary military appointments. This includes as captain general of the Royal Marines, a position he inherited from his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh.

On one issue, in particular, it is clear that Buckingham Palace has listened carefully to public criticism since the couple’s bombshell announcement, the timing of which left the Queen and Prince Charles blindsided – or “disappointed” and “hurt” .

The couple are to repay the £2.4m public funds used to refurbish their Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage. Though they moved in just nine months ago, the place is already in the process of being shuttered, with staff deployed elsewhere.

(Source: The Guardian)

n their new roles as Canadian celebrities who do charity work, Harry and Meghan are no longer public property

At last the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be able to escape the racism, the misogyny, the distortions, the intrusions, the fictions, the cruelties

So that’s them gone, then. It’s not hard to see why – the media drove them out, more than any other single factor, and their role just wasn’t worth the sacrifices.

No one does understatement and euphemism like the Queen. In the Buckingham Palace statement, her meaning is clear: “I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.” 

“Intense scrutiny” means “the press made their lives hell” and “independent life” means they don’t wish to put up with it any longer. It bears repeating that the intense media interest in Diana contributed to her death in 1997 – when Harry was 12 years old. Prince Harry certainly holds the press responsible, and is plainly determined to make sure that his wife and son would not continue to be subject to that same sort of treatment. Anything else – their roles in the pecking order and all the rest of it – is secondary. 

When the Sussexes decided to sue the newspapers recently, the defence the Mail on Sunday put up for its coverage of their lives was instructive. Meghan “is a major public figure, whose fitness to perform royal duties on behalf of the Crown and to be the recipient of public money is a proper matter for public scrutiny, and whose conduct, past and present, both in public and private, including her conduct in her relationships with her family and other people, is rightly of enormous public interest”. Further, she and Harry “rely on publicity about themselves and their lives to maintain the privileged positions they hold”. Fair game, in other words. 

The threat followed that they’d call Meghan’s father into court and tear chunks out of her. Anyone in any doubt about the media campaign of hate being waged against Meghan need only to reflect on those words and actions.

In effect, though, that Mail on Sunday defence document represented a guide for Harry and Meghan to use to escape media “scrutiny”, ie persecution. The HRH titles will be ditched, they will not represent the Queen, they will “step back” from royal duties, they won’t take taxpayers’ money and will pay back the money spent on refurbishing their Windsor “cottage”. They’ll live in Canada, and they’ll be at best celebs doing charity work rather than British public or state figures in the traditional sense. Thus there can be vastly less “public interest” – in the media’s own terms – in their private lives. 

The rest is detail. The bill for the security detail can be dealt with; they will be able to generate revenues of their own; the accountants can sort out the tax. They’ll not need a food bank. No one beyond some frustrated editors cares that much. 

It’s a shame, of course. They were good at the job, and a much-needed modernising influence. The Queen has acknowledged that and wishes them well, with much love in that statement, tinged with some anxiety; so much for a furious rift with granny. She too wants them to have a “happy and peaceful new life”. 

At last Harry and Meghan will be able to escape the racism, the misogyny, the distortions, the intrusions, the fictions, the cruelties. They have proved that they don’t have to take it, and that they can indeed opt out. They are no longer public property. 

The British monarchy has lost two of its brightest stars. The royal show will go on, of course, as it did after Diana, or the abdication of a king in 1936. 

But Harry and Meghan will be missed, most of all by the British tabloid press. They won’t have Meghan to kick around any more.

(Source: Independent)

Harry and Meghan: The big question Canadians have about move

Many Canadians have an affection for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. But one big question is hanging over the shock news of the couple's part-time relocation to Canada - what will it cost?

There has been plenty of chatter in Canada since Prince Harry and Meghan said they would be stepping back as senior royals and spending part of their time in North America.

The duchess is spending time on Canada's west coast with their infant son as the couple flesh out the details of their move away from their role as full-time royals, with her public outings closely followed.

But the main preoccupation hovering over the royal couple's decision to spend part of their time in Canada comes down to who will foot the bill - especially if they are spending the bulk of their time as private citizens.

Some have outright rejected the idea of the public shouldering any costs for the couple.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will spend part of their time in Canada

The leader of the Bloc Quebecois - a federal party that represents the interests of Quebec, a province where attitudes towards the monarchy tend to be frostier than in the rest of Canada - said Quebecers should not have to pay a dime.

Yves-Francois Blanchet quipped he was already paying for a Netflix subscription, where he could watch The Crown, a drama about Queen Elizabeth II's reign.

He is not alone in not wanting to fork out any cash.

A public opinion poll released this week by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute indicated that 73% of Canadians have no interest in paying any of the costs for security and other expenditures associated with their relocation.

"This view is consistent across demographic groups including age, gender or region or political preference," the organisation said in a release.

Just 3% of respondents told the pollster that Canadians should pick up the tab for security and other necessary costs, and 19% said they were fine with paying a portion of the bill.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a taxpayer advocacy group, says the current debate over who should ante up for costs related to the members of the monarchy is different from those that regularly bubble up in Canada.

The country is a constitutional monarchy - its head of state is Queen Elizabeth II - and things like Royal tours and the office of the Governor General, who is the Queen's representative in Canada, are paid for by the public purse.

"Normally when we get into debates about the cost of the monarchy in this country there's a pretty clear line - people who are monarchists and people who are small 'r' republicans," says Aaron Wudrick, the organisation's federal director.

But the relocation of the duke and duchess has "changed the dynamic".

"The distinction is a bit like a friend who comes over for dinner and you're happy to prepare their meal versus them deciding they're going to move in and still expecting you to cook for them all the time," he said.

"I think that's how a lot of Canadians see this. I actually don't think it's about the dollar figure, it's a general view that people who have a lot of means and the capacity to pay for themselves should be doing it."

The duke and duchess themselves have not said they expect Canadians to pick up the tab, Mr Wudrick notes, and federal officials have admitted it's not clear yet how costs may be divided - or what those costs would be.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told broadcaster Global News this week that "there's still a lot of decisions to be taken by the Royal Family, by the Sussexes themselves as to what level of engagement they choose to have".

The question of security costs is "part of the reflection that needs to be had and there are discussions going on", he said.

So while the Queen has agreed to the couple's wish to step back as senior royals, become financially independent and to split their time between the UK and Canada, the details of the transition are still being worked out.

Mr Wudrick says that "in the interests of settling everyone down - maybe this is all a tempest in a teapot - it would be helpful if the duke and duchess could provide some clarity on what their expectations are".

John Michaelson, with the Monarchist League of Canada, agrees answers should come sooner rather than later.

Most Canadians don't spend much time thinking about the Royal Family or their official role in Canada, he says, and the benefits of the institution are often hidden from view - the thousands of community, ceremonial, and constitutional engagements the family and the Queen's representatives there carry out annually across the country.

The league have released regular reports on costs related to the Canadian Crown for the past 20 years "to try and bring the point home that this is something that we get great benefit from and it doesn't cost a great deal", he said.

The tally is approximately C$1.68 ($1.29; £0.99) a year per Canadian for the general cost of the Crown, according to their most recent study.

Mr Michaelson says Prince Harry and Meghan's relocation is also an opportunity for the pair to deepen their engagement with organisations like the Prince's Trust Canada, a charitable endeavour established by Prince of Wales in 2011.

Meanwhile, a columnist with the National Post newspaper said the debate over the likely negligible relative cost of protecting direct close relations to Canada's head of state "has revealed one of the ugliest elements of the Canadian national character".

"It's true, Canada. We're a nation of cheapskates," wrote Matt Gurney.

Richard Powers, with Toronto's Rotman School of Management, told the BBC that Canada could see some economic benefits from having the famous couple in the country, primarily in the non-profit sector.

Both Prince Harry and Meghan have said they are interested in continuing with their charity work, with the duchess visiting two Vancouver-based women's organisations this week.

But Mr Wudrick dismisses the idea that doing charitable works should be enough to open the public purse strings.

"If a Hollywood star or a pro-sports player with a lot of money moved here and they donate to charity and they do good things, they [still] pay for themselves," he said.

(Source: BBC)