What Would Ms Polly Do? Food and Little Ones
Jean Crowder has been the NDP Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Cowichan since 2004. Crowder.J@parl.gc.ca 1-866-609-9998
Crowder’s Corner
Every Sunday supper of my childhood my mother would prepare roast beef and gravy, mashed potatoes,Yorkshire pudding and my favourite creamed corn. I looked forward to making a well in the potatoes for the sweet creamed corn. Mom smiled encouragingly at my enjoyment. She loved creamed corn, therefore, so did I. When I was in my twenties I learned that my mom did not ever care for creamed corn and she only pretended to like creamed corn so that I truly would. She set an example for me to enjoy a food.
On Vancouver Island, we all know that marine search and rescue is an important public service. Budget cuts that result in closure of centres of reduction in services are an unacceptable risk for those of us living on the Coast.
Even when we serve the best food with a good example our children will have their own preferences, likes and dislikes. Serving a new food with a choice that they already like will make the introduction easier. The decision to try the new new food may take as many as ten experiences before the mouth and the mind accept the idea to have a taste. As parents we decide what to serve and our children decide how much to eat.
Conservatives also defeated a NDP motion for the adoption of the common international readiness standard of 30 minutes at all times in response to search and rescue incidents.
The Conservative decision to close the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station - one of the most active in the country - will double response times in Canada’s busiest harbour. Both the BC government and the City of Vancouver have protested and argued for it to stay open. Even a Conservative MP urged a re-think of the decision to close Kitsilano and the marine communications centres in Ucluelet and Tofino.
Presently the response time is 30 minutes only on weekdays between 8am and 4pm but 2 hours the rest of the time, during the period when over 80% of search and rescue taskings occur. The government has failed to take the necessary action to remedy the situation. New Democrats believe these cuts are an abdication of the federal government’s duty to protect Canadian citizens.
I am disheartened when I hear parents say (within earshot of their little ones) that their children will never eat or like a certain food. The children have an entire lifetime of eating ahead of them and their preferences and cravings will morph as they grow. I am so glad my mom kept her biases to herself and she let me decide if I liked a food or not. Paulette is an Educator of Parents and Children in the Waldorf Philosophy. She lives in Victoria.
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