The last Little Corner of Canada

As regular visitors to these pages will have noticed, my writing engine has been sputtering for the past year. The words no longer come as easily as they once did.

Rather than try to run on less than all cylinders, it is time to turn off the engine and rest it a while. This will be the last of the Little Corner of Canada.

I have lost count of the years I have been writing this column but it’s been fun, and I have enjoyed it very much. If I have put a smile on the faces of my regular visitors over the years, then I am very satisfied.

I like to think that This Little Corner observed a historic period of our people. We have settled our land claims. We have created our own territory and government. From colonial subjects, we are a people struggling back onto our feet. The first Inuk has been drafted by an NHL team. Our film-makers are winning national and international awards.

This is not to say that things are okay and that we have licked all our troubles. Far from it.

Too many of our people still drink and smoke too much. There is too much self-inflicted pain and suffering. There are too many school drop-outs. Most of our so-called leaders are inept and weak. The stench of corruption fouls the air around some of our organizations.

There are still government promises that remain broken. This little corner remembers very well being told that the government would always provide housing for us and that the rent would never be more than $67 per month. Why did the government massacre our dogs? That question remains unanswered.

I want to thank the loyal regular visitors to this corner. Thank you for your encouragement and your kind comments. Thank you to the editors and owners of this paper. Thank you to the people who translated these renderings.

Now that I no longer have to worry about deadlines, I will redirect this energy to beating Hilary in Scrabble.