Canada in trouble

We used to get a kick out of crazy US politics, now they're watching us with the same kick. Well, most probably are not. Still, major American publications are noticing our activities, and they're not our proudest moments. These two are particularly notable.

First, Nature's mention of our government's closing of the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA):

The Canadian government has cancelled its funding for the ELA, a research site in northwestern Ontario that has led to the re-shaping of international policies. It is the latest target in a string of research programmes to have been scaled back, shut down or left in limbo in the wake of massive cuts to this year’s federal budget.

Secondly the New York Times printed an opinion piece (by UdM profs) of Quebec's quashing of student protests:

Americans should take note of what is happening across the quiet northern border. Canada used to seem a progressive and just neighbor, but the picture today looks less rosy. One of its provinces has gone rogue, trampling basic democratic rights in an effort to end student protests against the Quebec provincial government’s plan to raise tuition fees by 75 percent..

[Bill 78] will remain in force only until July 1, 2013. The short duration says it all.

Americans traveling to Quebec this summer should know they are entering a province that rides roughshod over its citizens’ fundamental freedoms.

Wish I could say these were isolated incidents but they're part of a growing trend. I'm glad Quebeckers are not taking this lying down; the provincial government should be reminded of its  decision daily, and painfully. I'm sad to see that Ottawan's has no similar protesting. The $10B overspending jet fighter fiasco alone should have been enough to cause a serious, and justified, riot.

So yes, Canada is a scary place right now. If this continues I'm thinking of leaving sometime in the future. I feel the present Canada would waste away any scientific breakthroughs anyway. If you're working as an intellectual you might see the country like a rat in a sinking ship. I've begun an interest in 1930s fascism for obvious reasons; I want to know what we're in for.