ecoLIVING London

Indigenous teaching – we are responsible to the seven generations of ancestors before us and the seven yet to come.

In the hallway at the school I work in, some spinning eleven year olds were giggling as they called to me. “Teacher, why do things cost money? Everything in the world should be free,” they chimed. Working with children day after day, it’s hard not to notice that they are brimming with pithy questions and essential wisdom. Their natural intelligence of how humans should relate to each other has not been clouded by the dollar sign. I took a moment to catch my breath. This simple question synergized directly with what is on my mind these days -- the privatization of the Commons -- everything in Canada that has been made public by its natural origin (water, land...) or by the sweat and tears of our ancestors (public education, health care, municipal services…). The extensive CETA document for which we had no say in will take basic Canadian human rights and re-categorize them as objects that are bought and sold. How can I possibly warn the little ones of what’s to come if we adults don’t collectively stand up and say what we know in our hearts: Canada is not for sale.

The links are easy to make for anyone who has a beloved child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or little friend. These children and the children that follow them will have no guarantee that their most basic needs are met. They will have to fight to be the privileged ones that can afford water, hospital care, medicine, and so many other essential natural and program services. Let’s be clear here. Debt will not be slashed by transferring our economic circuits from local economies to global, offshore operations. But what will be is the possibility for the coming generations of shining children to truly prosper in body and mind.

As Canadians, we are the stewards of the commons. In the following weeks when you are deciding whether or not to exercise your democratic right to state your opinion of a free Canada, look into the faces of children you love. Think of them often. Ask our politicians at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to do the same. We are all on common ground whatever job we do. From corporate employee to politician to the rest of us, we share the hope of a good future for our children. Let’s make that a reality now. Say no to CETA. Plain and simple.

Jennifer Chesnut
(Elementary School Teacher, Writer, Engaged Londoner) 

Articles on CETA:

Hey London, heard about CETA yet? 
TAKE ACTION: Comprehensive Trade and Economic Agreement

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Oct 28th - Meeting