A response to Joyce Weiland's"Man Has Reached Out And Touched The Tranquil Moon", 1970.
She was quoting Pierre Trudeau as he spoke about Canada’s involvement in landing man on the moon. It was believed to be a tremendous accomplishment, a celebration of progress and technology.
Now, 50 years later in another Trudeau administration, this piece is a letter to Weiland and the people of our time. We so often look to the stars and planets for the future of our species. We have completely abandoned the land from which we came.
Canadians must take accountability for our participation in global warming and the mistreatment of the land and its people, both of which are veiled under the guise of progress.
We must recognize our deep entanglement with this planet. Our country’s national identity is founded upon landscape, nature, and the wilderness.
There is no future for us in the stars.