Just when it seemed the debate on private vs. public health care had been shelved...

The controversy was back on the agenda last week when it became known the Calgary Health Region put in a bid to offer consulting services for private British health clinics due to recent trouble in the British public health system.

Returning to Calgary for the start of another school year means something different to all of us. To many it is a reunion of friends missed over the summer, the prospect of a month's worth of Den nights to squeeze in before midterms begin or the dread of finishing a lab report before cracking that first beer. To far too few, it is also the beginning of the semester's volunteer work.

Despite the theoretically secular nature of the Canadian government, religion has been thrust into the parliamentary theatre once again due to recent debates and court decisions on homosexual marriage. Constitutional liberties aside, giving spiritual leverage to any argument in this discussion is not only politically backward, it's downright hypocritical.

Progress. What would the world be like without it? A static society is likely impossible, but an examination of Canadian politics and the idea is a little too close to reality.

Small things do change, like the Liberal Party (read: the only appealing party across the country and shoe-in for the next federal election) which will hold a leadership convention later this year. Changes are bound to occur--like the leader's name.

Will Paul Martin be the next Prime Minister? Most Calgary news journals and programs would have you believe as much.

Why bother inform the public of John Manley's platform, or of the fast approaching PC leadership competition? Does anyone actually care to read about candidates that have no bearing on the country's fate?

Once upon a time, Canadians were very fond of wine and gardens. However, one national leader came very close to destroying the country. This is how it all happened:

Young, and sporting a hockey jersey on his days off, he looked like the kind of guy you would want running the country; he was one of them. He even liked to garden and drink wine, a pastime of the masses. Canadians optimistically sat back, sighed with relief and awaited the changes he was sure to make, changes that would undoubtedly be to their benefit.

According to an American protest group, driving an SUV fuels terrorism. Gas profits incurred by corrupt oil companies in the Middle East are used to blow up buildings, build secret weapons of mass destruction and pay Osama Bin Laden's utility bills. SUVs consume more gas than most vehicles, therefore SUV drivers are mutually responsible for the plight of the Persian Gulf--and perhaps the world, should war break out.

Though the Canadian health care system has been in perpetual need of reform since its establishment in 1957, there is yet to be a report that Ottawa can live with. Over the last 50 years, she has flirted with many a health care expert. On several occasions, she maintained a promising relationship, but in the end, she is incapable of committing long term. There is only one conclusion to be made: the federal government is a slut.

Since my first year at the University of Calgary, I have become accustomed to the annual shock and outrage expressed by students and other Calgarians as the U of C's reputation sinks lower and lower in Maclean's annual ranking of Canadian universities. How anyone could possibly be shocked at the university's poor standing is beyond me.

College is a great place to flaunt one's individuality. While a veritable breeding ground of liberal thinking and open-mindedness, it's not surprising that unique personalities flourish or that inhibitions fail to hinder those who would elsewhere be shy. Here at the University of Calgary, it's easy to make a statement and offer new--sometimes unconventional--ideas to your peers. But what about life after university?