Fox show mocks Canadian Military

The host of a Fox News program has apologized for a segment on the Canadian military that Defence Minister Peter MacKay called "disgusting" and "crass." A group of pundits on "Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld," which airs weekdays at 3 a.m. on Fox News, each took turns trashing Canada and its military during an episode that aired on March 17.

"Once their Afghan mission winds down sometime in 2011, certain members of the Canadian military are looking to take a much-deserved break. And by certain members I mean all of them," Gutfeld said. "Meaning, the Canadian military wants to take a breather to do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white Capri pants."

In the four-minute segment, Gutfeld asked the other three members of his panel: "Isn't this the perfect time to invade this ridiculous country? They have no army!"

Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay expressed his anger over the comments and demanded an apology. "It's crass, it's insensitive, it's in fact disgusting given the timing where Canada is just receiving back four fallen heroes here at CFB Trenton," MacKay said. "There should be an apology -- to the families in particular, and to the Canadian Forces and to Canada generally -- given the sacrifice and the commitment that we've demonstrated in Afghanistan."

The host tried to defend his programme, adding "Red Eye is a satirical take on the news, in which all topics are addressed in a lighthearted, humorous and ridiculous manner.”

Given the relative size of their military, Canada is certainly contributing more than its fair share, as far as Afghanistan goes, and it is no surprise that many Canadians have opted to cancel their subscriptions to Fox, and to have complained in their droves.

This Gutfeld guy and the so called pundits on his show simply showed themselves to be pompous, arrogant, and ignorant. One of the panellists, Doug Benson, who’s supposed to be a comedian, was due to perform at an Edmonton club in April, but his show has been after fears for his safety were expressed. Could it be that he’s afraid of bumping into a Canadian soldier who’s home on a well deserved leave? Meanwhile, maybe the host could take time off from his second rate show to go to the appropriate office, and change his name to Gutterfeld. 

Canada Copes With Credit Crunch

Canada is the only country, alone in the industrialized world, that has not faced a single bank failure, calls for bailouts or government intervention in the financial or mortgage sectors. In 2008, the World Economic Forum ranked Canada's banking system the healthiest in the world. America's ranked 40th, and Britain's 44th.

Canada has done more than survive this financial crisis. The country is positively thriving in it. Canadian banks are well capitalized and poised to take advantage of opportunities that American and European banks cannot seize. The Toronto Dominion Bank, for example, was the 15^th largest bank in North America one year ago. Now it is the 5^th largest. It hasn't grown in size – the fact is that the others have all shrunk.

So what accounts for the genius of the Canadians? Common sense. Over the past 15 years, as the United States and Europe loosened regulations on their financial industries, the Canadians refused to follow suit, seeing the old rules as useful shock absorbers. Canadian banks are typically leveraged at 18 to 1—compared with U.S. banks at 26 to 1 and European banks at a frightening 61 to 1. Partly this reflects Canada's more risk-averse business culture, but it is also a product of old-fashioned rules on banking. Canada has also been shielded from the worst aspects of this crisis because its housing prices have not fluctuated as wildly as those in the United States. Home prices are down 25 percent in the United States, but only half as much in Canada. America has always insisted that the “Dream” should become a reality – that the average Joe Bloggs should be able to own his own home. What’s the situation nowadays?  Sixty-eight percent of Americans own their own homes, whilst the rate of Canadian homeownership is 68.4 percent!

Canada has been remarkably responsible over the past decade or so. It has had 12 years of budget surpluses, and can now spend money to fuel a recovery from a strong position. The government has restructured the national pension system, placing it on a firm fiscal footing. Its health-care system is cheaper than America's by far, (accounting for 9.7 percent of GDP, versus 15.2 percent here), and yet does better on all major indexes.

If Prime Minister Brown is looking for smart government, there is much he could learn from Canada’s policies. Meanwhile, in the councils of the financial world, Canada is pushing for new rules for financial institutions that would reflect its approach.

How I sometimes wish that my grandfather had stayed over there, instead of making the return journey across the Pond!