by Morley Evans
Are you standing at attention? Well, do it!
She and her family were refugees who escaped Papa Doc Duvalier to live in Québec.
Despite a biography that makes her early life seem tragic, Michaëlle Jean has lived a privileged life trading on her tragic life. (So typical of the Canadian élite: With someone else's money, they help the poor, long after they have helped themselves. Mother Theresa this ain't.)
Michaëlle Jean went to some of the best schools around the world, joined the CBC, and was chosen by Prime Minister Paul Martin as Governor General of Canada. (Former Minister of Finance, Paul Martin [2], himself, became a billionaire through some deft insider trading with the help of éminence grise Montréal tycoon Paul Desmarais. [3])
Reference is always made to the fact that Michaëlle Jean is a refugee from benighted Haiti. They say she overcame racism and persecution to rise to become Canada's Head of State, er, sorry, that would be Queen Elizabeth II. Oh well, then, Michaëlle Jean was the Queen's representative for 5 years.
Michaëlle Jean lived in the palace called Rideau Hall [4], pictured above, and was always bejeweled for official occasions.
While she was "queen for a day" Michaëlle Jean was fond of inspecting the troops who stood at attention while her tiny figure wearing a winning smile walked in front of stern faced huge men wearing medals and holding guns: the true north strong and free. [5]
Then Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake. Michaëlle Jean eventually made a statement of compassion. The Canadian government joined the international community to pledge billions in relief. The Haitians mostly needed clean water, sanitation and shelter.
When her term as Governor General was not renewed, Michaëlle Jean was appointed special envoy of the UN to Haiti. The Canadian government created the Michaëlle Jean Foundation to help Canadians. Michaëlle Jean chose to have her office in Ottawa instead of Paris so she could stay close to home and the source of the cash.
Then Haiti was hit by a hurricane. Now people are starting to die from cholera.
Despite all the relief that was promised by the richest countries in the world, not much has been delivered. That is why Haitians are dying of cholera. They don't have clean water, sanitation or shelter. Many will die in that benighted place before this is over.
Where is the promised relief? Where is Michaëlle Jean?
Here's something you should know about Haiti: Before the "slave rebellion" in 1790, white French men took black concubines. Their offspring were mulattos who formed an élite upper class between the whites and the blacks. They lorded it over the destitute black Haitians. Mulattos became large land holders and slave owners before the French Revolution. The mulatto élite rebelled against the French to empower themselves, not to free the slaves. [6]
When he came to power in 1957, Papa Doc saw this mulatto élite as the main threat to his power. It was the mulatto élite whom Papa Doc Duvalier mainly terrorized. Michaëlle Jean is a mulatto from the Haitian upper class. She is no stranger to being part of the privileged élite.
The Haitians who are dying of cholera are not the people of Michaëlle Jean. Neither are you. You really should take a look at the rest of our ruling Canadian élite while you are at it. Take a look at Paul Desmarais. He began his career by running a bankrupt bus company in Sudbury that had been started by his grandfather. Now Desmarais is one of the richest men in Canada. Maybe you could do what our élite has done and rise to the top too. Work harder. Pay your taxes. That's the ticket. Ho ho. . .
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaëlle_Jean
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Martin
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Desmarais
[4] Rideau Hall images
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Canada
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Haiti
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