Farewell, I Will Return

"Gladstone's" post below is a nice segway for me to report that I will be going on what may turn out to be an extended hiatus. As readers may be aware, I started a petition back in 2007 (co-sponsored with my friend, Gregory Benton) to restore the Royal designation to the Canadian navy and air force, and the issue is currently front-burner news in the Canadian Senate. I had the honour last week to present our 384 page petition to Senator Plett, who happily tabled it before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence on Monday, which is currently holding hearings on a motion from Senator Rompkey recommending that Canadian Forces Maritime Command be officially changed to "Canadian Navy". The good Senator doesn't seem to be aware that CN is our national railway, and evidently didn't bank on the possibility that other Senators might want the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) back instead. Our campaign is doing well, but I have to admit it has become not just a healthy obsession, but a very time-consuming one too, and there is no end in sight to the work that needs to be done. Although there are numerous Senators in favour of bringing back the RCN, there is by no means any assurance that such a return is likely, and the Senate is probably pretty evenly split on the issue. We definitely want to avoid any "CN" compromise, since if such a compromise succeeded, it will be next to impossible to restore the Royal designation, as the country will have moved on. It has only become an issue because everyone is finally united on the fact that "Maritime Command" is a terrible name for a nation's navy, and one that will never resonate with the Canadian public, even though they tried mightily for forty years to make it work. Paul Hellyer was truly a misguided soul, and the nation is still reeling from his destructive actions as Defence Minister in 1968. The proof is in the pudding - everything that was taken away by him, has since been restored - except the final step - the name of the navy itself.

In any event, I won't be far - feel free to follow our campaign here in the weeks and months ahead. I pray I will return soon enough to declare before you all that our navy and air force can announce with pride to the nation: ‘I once was lost but now I’m found!’

Yours aye,