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Glimpses of Integral Canada 2006: Year End

December 31, 2006, © Marilyn Hamilton BA CGA PhD

(Note: This article is an update from Glimpses of Integral Canada published one year ago. It is archived in the Ezine archives. Click here to read the report.)

At the outset of 2006, we asked: What map tells us how well we are doing in our cities, across Canada and in the world? How ready are we for what could be coming over the horizon? With a year of global disasters behind us, how well does Canada support the basic needs of human life at home and respond to tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes elsewhere? v We are a nation of immigrants and aboriginal peoples – how well do we remember and honour our roots?v We are a nation of explorers and traders of both places and ideas – how well do we protect the freedoms of expression that keep passion alive and drive us beyond old borders? v We are a nation of peace, order and good government – how able are we to ensure mutual trust and respect across all our faces of diversity – youth and elders; individuals and interest groups; races and religions?v We are a nation of hewers of wood and drawers of water – how effectively do we harness our raw materials and produce our goods and services?v We are a nation of social safety nets -- how willing and able are we to share our human and social capital with the rest of the world? v We are a nation of creative caregivers – how innovative are our healthcare systems and how flexible are our waiting lines? v We are a nation of nature-lovers – how effectively do we steward our nation’s natural resources?v We are a nation of peacemakers - what kind of example do we set to which the world might aspire?

The Dance of the Maple Leaf Meme-lights calls forth from Canada eight great capacities with which we can serve the world (see Sidebar 1). Each meme is like a colour from our Northern Lights, whose hue radiates from a prism-set of values, each more lustrous than the one preceding it.

The Dance of the Maple Leaf Meme-lights recognizes the foundations of five layers of existence that have emerged on this globe: Place, Plant, Phylum, Person, Planet (see Sidebar 2).

Taken altogether the octet of values and the quintet of layers of existence define the boundaries of a new integral dance floor that is just coming into view on this planet. The values and layers provide criteria and give us powerful new lenses to glimpse an Integral Canada – a Canada who can appreciate, capitalize on and share an emerging, global-centric, evolutionary, integrated, multi-perspectival, dynamic view of the world.

While it is often easier to judge the missteps in our Dance of the Maple Leaf Memes (especially during elections), this review is about glimpsing an Integral Canada – a nation able to recognize, honour, govern and live as if the world is integrated, undivided, whole and interconnected. A glimpse of Integral Canada reveals the extent to which, we plan on “dancing” for the next seven generations and beyond.

We started this year with an “appreciative” review of Canada’s “integral dance”. “Appreciative” means focusing on strengths, emerging potentials and possibilities. This was a glimpse -- a mere blink that revealed hopeful signs of coherence, resonance and emergence for an Integral Canada.

This year-end report, is an update on what has happened around the key issues we identified twelve months ago. It is only fair to remind you, that Integral Canada is just emerging, so these comments on integral performance are also just glimpses – but hopefully squints that give us a thumbnail indication of the direction we have moved in over the last year.

Glimpsing Aspects of Integralness: 2006 Year End

As 2006 ends, I can glimpse the dynamics of an Integral Canada at play in each of our Maple Leaf Meme-lights.

beige to protect our individual needs for physical and spiritual safety and survival; and prevent harm to all individuals. (Jan. 2007: B+, D; 2006: B+)

As a nation responsive to basic human needs, we continue on our commitment to addressing homelessness and housing needs through recommitting to Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), providing funding for property, equipment and human resources in shelters, soup kitchens, drop-ins, prevention services and street work.
However, the new Conservative federal government has reneged on the Liberal’s commitment to pledging $5 billion to First Nation’s living conditions.
Canada appears to be repositioning its principles and protocols in crafting responses appropriate to specific life conditions. Its federal government has moved from a made-in-Canada solution exporter to a made-in-country of need supporter.

purple to honour the traditions and heritage of each group of persons so long as they do not threaten the health of *PPPPP; and honour the contributions of the elders so long as they do not threaten the health of *PPPPP. (Jan. 2007:A for effort, B for results; 2006:A for effort, C for results)

As a nation of immigrants, we continue to struggle with ways to honour the roots of our cultural mosaic from Asia, our First Nations and elsewhere. The federal Canadian government went beyond recognition and payment and apologized to the Chinese community for the head tax and exclusion laws (applied from 1885 to 1967 in various forms).
The federal government acknowledged the Province of Quebec as a nation within a nation.

red to defend the freedom of each individual to express their development and creativity without infringing on the freedom of others to express their development and creativity. (Jan. 2007:B; 2006:C)

As a nation of explorers of place and traders of goods and ideas , we still exhibit tendencies to nepotism and preferential treatment, though we now demand accountability. This is exemplified in the Senate, where the departing Liberal Party appointed ex-Mayor Larry Campbell as Senator and the new Conservative Party is proposing Senate changes that would invite Provinces to vote for Senate nominations they would propose to the Prime Minister.
The top Canadian news makers of 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made it clear that he prefers more options for individual choices, even in his support of individual childcare payments (over a centralized childcare system).

blue to respect the value of order without imposing restrictions that harm individuals or groups; and honour the need for order that serves the entire *PPPPP. (Jan. 2007:C; 2006:C+)

As a nation built on the tenets of peace, order and good government, we grapple with changes to our political relationships. Prime Minister Harper’s relationship with the media has confounded their expectation of regular news scrims and unrestricted accessibility. An uneasy redefinition seems to be emerging, where the PM very proactively chooses when, where, with whom he discusses policy.
Both federal and provincial parties defied the pundits and chose new leaders with personas that reflect more respectful thoughtfulness, bridge-building interests and/or traditional family values; viz, Stephen Dion as federal Liberal leader and Ed Stelmach.

orange to promote the success of persons; to be accountable for the integral and fair exchange of products, services and ideas as long as resources do not accumulate for the benefit of a few interests, organizations and/or levels of development, at the expense of (or while depriving resources to) *PPPPP; to publicly recognize the origination/originator of ideas, products and services. (Jan. 2007:B; 2006:C-)

As a nation of hewers of wood and drawers of water, we steward our raw materials and produce our goods and services, with increasing awareness that the public expects behaviour and production to align with other values. We were therefore taken completely by surprise that Canada’s new federal Trade Minister, David Emerson, was enticed from the benches of the opposition to change parties.
Over much internal opposition, we watched aghast at Minister Emerson’s very strategic negotiation amidst the highly turbulent domestic waters of the softwood lumber agreement, and stick-handled a completed agreement with the Americans that returned billions of dollars to the Canadian forest industry even as the funds not recaptured were the only mote in the eye that opponents could see.
Our recalcitrant Lord Conrad Black, continues to submit journalistic bylines, while maintaining that his impending trial for corporate fraud in the US courts will prove him innocent.

green to accept the dignity of groups; ensure fair opportunity for all persons to pursue happiness as long as no individual or group is prevented from doing likewise; to not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender, creed as long as such action ensures the health of *PPPPP; to not seek to favour any group at the expense of another group as long as such action ensures the health of *PPPPP. (Jan. 2007:B+; 2006:B+)

As a nation of social safety nets, we share our human and social capital with the rest of the world by asking more nations of the world to join us in demanding basic human rights elsewhere.
Canada was the site of numerous world conferences of global significance in 2006: World Planners Congress, World Urban Forum, World Wisdom Alliance, World Future Society.
The multi-cultural nature of our country was further revealed when newly elected Liberal leader, Stephen Dion followed in the footsteps of Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, in disclosing that he has dual citizenship with France. While the GG has relinquished her French citizenship, M. Dion has not (yet?) done so.

yellow to facilitate the integral flex and flow of energy across all aspects of *PPPPP; to unblock the barriers to the emergence of new ways of thinking, doing, being as long as they respect the health of *PPPPP; to mesh the elegance of natural patterns, processes and structures. (Jan. 2007:C; 2006:C)

As a nation of caregivers, we have started to transform our national healthcare system. In 2005, the Chaoulli case ruled that a Quebec law preventing people from seeking medical care outside of the provincial health system violated the plaintiff's Charter right to "life, liberty and security of the person." It was expected the ruling would impact Canada’s national healthcare practices.
Sure enough in 2006, Bill Murray, a CA in Calgary launched a charter lawsuit against Alberta health care, using the Chaoulli decision as a strategy to open up access to private health insurance. This opens up the discourse on providing health care in Canada, while not yet identifying actual design principles for new public-private strategies and relationships.

turquoise to value the geo/bio/noetic capacities of the planet; to respect the integral ecology of *PPPPP; to co-emerge the evolutionary intelligence of Life inherent in *PPPPP. (Jan. 2007:F; 2006:B)

As a nation of environmentalists, at the UN Kyoto summit in Nairobi , Canada withdrew its support for the 1997 Kyoto protocols. This reflected its lack of internal support for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012 – a goal supported by public opinion, that (according to Nov. 10-16 poll by Ipsos Reid) places climate change as more important than jobs, the economy or healthcare. Also Canada withdrew support from other nations affected by climate change, causing condemnation and consternation at its apparent about face on these matters.
Canada’s subsequent proposals to address climate change by a Clean Air Act and bio-fuels were condemned by many as being both inappropriate and insufficient to the task.

Towards an Integral Canada

Glimpses of Integral Canada show the country in a dynamic dance of one step forward, one step sideways and one step backwards. We lack alignment of our Maple Leaf Meme-lights both internally and externally. As a leader of nations and as a member of a community of nations, the Northern Lights illuminate the different audiences on all sides of our integral dance floor. Some of those audiences cheer us on, others condemn our performance and yet others stand in mute silence, suspicious of our unpredictability. As a result of performance our grades vary markedly from 12 months ago (see marks above) within each hue and rebalance the spectrum across the whole prism of Maple Leaf Meme-lights.

While Canada practises on the global dance floor trying to align the health of Place, Plant, Phylum, Person and Planet we will continue to stumble. But our favourite dance steps still elicit public comment and more than ever call forth accountability for the health of planet, place, plant and phylum on which the health of all people depend. Our integral scorecard to date, in our quintet of P’s, still rates little more than “C -” .

But, with a year of witnessing Canada’s performance through these lenses, we still applaud many of Canada’s early integral efforts for intention. As the band has started playing and the curtain rises on 2007, Canada must continue its efforts to rehearse on the integral dance floor, so that even as we fail at some steps, we gain facility in others. Our three levels of government (along with our First Nations governments) need civic engagement to change and transform to integrate alignment of Place, Plant, Phylum and Person for all the Planet.

~~~

What glimpses of an Integral Canada do you see? Send your Glimpses of Integral Canada to integralcanada@integralcity.com and we will create an integral feedback loop that can brighten the Northern Lights and reinforce the emergence of Integral Canada in service to an Integral Planet.

(If you are not in Canada, send us your glimpses of your Integral Nation.)

Dance of the Maple Leaf Meme-lights
for Place, Plant, Phylum, Person, Planet

May the dance of the Maple Leaf Meme-lights vibrate with the resilient commitments of Life. May the Northern Lights from our flashing energy field radiate:

beige to protect our individual needs for physical and spiritual safety and survival; and prevent harm to all individuals.

purple to honour the traditions and heritage of each group of persons so long as they do not threaten the health of *PPPPP; and honour the contributions of the elders so long as they do not threaten the health of *PPPPP.

red to defend the freedom of each individual to express their development and creativity without infringing on the freedom of others to express their development and creativity.

blue to respect the value of order without imposing restrictions that harm individuals or groups; and honour the need for order that serves the entire *PPPPP.

orange to promote the success of persons; to be accountable for the integral and fair exchange of products, services and ideas as long as resources do not accumulate for the benefit of a few interests, organizations and/or levels of development, at the expense of (or while depriving resources to) *PPPPP; to publicly recognize the origination/originator of ideas, products and services.

green to accept the dignity of groups; ensure fair opportunity for all persons to pursue happiness as long as no individual or group is prevented from doing likewise; to not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender, creed as long as such action ensures the health of *PPPPP; to not seek to favour any group at the expense of another group as long as such action ensures the health of *PPPPP.

yellow to facilitate the integral flex and flow of energy across all aspects of *PPPPP; to unblock the barriers to the emergence of new ways of thinking, doing, being as long as they respect the health of *PPPPP; to mesh the elegance of natural patterns, processes and structures.

turquoise to value the geo/bio/noetic capacities of the planet; to respect the integral ecology of *PPPPP; to co-emerge the evolutionary intelligence of Life inherent in *PPPPP.

May the dance of the Maple Leaf Meme-lights resonate the universal rhythm of
*PPPPP= Place, Plant, Phylum, Person, Planet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(The colour sequence mirrors the colour framework used by the values meta-framework of Spiral Dynamics © integral, co-developed by Dr. Don Beck.)

Place, Plant, Phylum, Person, Planet

The Dance of the Maple Leaf Meme-lights recognizes the value of five layers of existence that have emerged on this planet: Place, Plant, Phylum, Person, Planet.
Place – for the geo-chemical building blocks that emerged from the elemental matter of the universe that gives us 17 habitats from sea to desert, mountain to plain, valley to hillside, lake land to ice sheet, forest to tundra and all the variations in between.
Plant – for the biological basics of life that emerged from the primordial soup to synthesize into symbiotic colonies of cells, algae, fronds, grasses, flowers, bushes and trees covering the places far and wide with life from deepest depths to highest peaks.
Phylum – for the multiplicity of species that range from molluscs to fishes, insects to reptiles, birds and mammals all evolving across the ages in ranks of ontogeny and files of phylogeny, surviving, adapting, populating and extincting down the ages.
Person – for the human species that evolved from life conditions where its upright stance, opposable thumb, big brain and conscious awareness gave it capacities for noticing self and other and propensities for changing place, plant, phylum and person.
Planet – for the whole symbiotic, interconnected, ever evolving third planet from the sun; more than just the sum of its places, plants, phyla and persons, but its mass of inseparably embedded relationships at all levels of existence.

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