With Canada’s largest manhunt in police history having come to a decidedly anti-climactic end on Monday, and murder suspect Luka Magnotta, 29, residing in a Berlin jail awaiting expedition, one would think the citizens of Canada would be able to breathe easier. Such is, unfortunately, not the case as Canadian police announce the arrival of two new packages containing severed limbs – this time to Vancouver schools.

The first body part arrived at False Creek Elementary School on Tuesday in a foul-smelling and suspicious-looking box. A staff member from the school opened the package, revealing a disembodied hand, which was quickly reported to the police. Not an hour later, another report came in from St. George’s private school for boys; this time with the discovery of a severed foot. It is heavily suspected that both parts belong to Jun Lin, the Chinese foreign exchange student Magnotta is accused of dismembering and murdering – among other, more heinous crimes that he reportedly recorded on video and uploaded online.

Though there is a chance that these events could be the work of a completely unrelated killer – or even a copycat – the limbs are the same set that are missing from what has been recovered thus far of Lin’s mutilated body. Still missing is Lin’s head.

The remains have since been sent from Vancouver back to Montreal, the epicenter of the crime, for testing and verification that the body parts do, in fact, belong to Lin.

“We’ve got no indication [whether or not Magnotta is behind the gruesome new discoveries] whatsoever, but we’re not taking any chances… We’re working closely with the postal services to see if there could have been something [more] shipped,” Commander Ian Lafreniere, with the Montreal police, told the Canadian press at a news conference on Tuesday. He also relayed that more body parts had been discovered in a pile of trash behind Magnotta’s old apartment building, where the suitcase containing Lin’s torso had been found by the apartment complex’s janitor.

Other than just who the hand and foot belong to, or the location of Lin’s head, there is another major question in the continuing saga of Luka Magnotta, a man who other countries have dubbed “Canadian Psycho.” After being detained in Berlin, Magnotta has been set up with a German lawyer who has announced that Magnotta will not fight extradition back to Canada. Unfortunately, no one knows yet when his voyage home will be.

According to police, his extradition could come as soon as a few days from now, or take much longer. One thing is for sure: Lafreniere is not immediately concerned now that the killer is behind bars.

“At least, he’s detained — he’s stopped. The largest manhunt of the Montreal police history is over for us.”

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It has long been a pleasant consistency to be well received as a Canadian the world over. This year, that generally well-earned reputation has become soiled. It is still a beautiful country, with friendly folks and a lot of talent, but several high profile events have begun eroding its cherished character as champion of peace and the environment.

Certainly, Canada was a global example of environmental progress: North America’s west coast is widely considered extremely health-conscious, with some of the first anti-smoking laws in the world. Canada is consistently listed among the cleanest, nature-loving countries, with cities topping the lists of ‘best places to live.’

The current Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Steven Harper, has withdrawn Canada from the Kyoto Accord. The government’s antagonistic behavior, as well as its policy, was roundly criticized at the climate talks in Durban, South Africa. Indeed, Canada was awarded the ‘Fossil Award’ for its inaction against climate change. Sadly, the country’s emission levels have “risen by 30 percent over 1990 levels,” according to beloved geneticist, environmentalist, and broadcaster David Suzuki.

China expressed regret over Canada’s decision to withdraw. Among the vocal critics was Nobel-Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “Canada, you were once considered a leader on global issues like human rights and environmental protection. Today, you’re home to polluting tar sands oil, speeding the dangerous effects of climate change.”

The Keystone XL Pipeline proposal, to run from the oil-rich province of Alberta into the U.S., has further stained Canada’s reputation over environmental concerns, including the plan to pass across the U.S. Ogallala-Aquifer, which provides drinking water for over two million people in eight states. On a smaller scale, Toronto, Canada’s largest city and host of the respected Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), elected mayor Rob Ford, who slashed his own popularity along with funding for public transportation, the arts, libraries, day-cares, and other popular services.

Archbishop Tutu’s reference to human rights is particularly poignant to a country with a long and proud tradition of peace-keeping and its reputation as a gentle and humane nation. As leader of the opposition at the time, Harper’s minority supported the invasion of Iraq. After the Conservatives became the ruling party, they deported U.S. war deserters. The party later defeated an attempt to end the deportations on humanitarian grounds.

The world-famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) also fell into considerable disrepute. After several years of recent scandals involving a Taser death and the fatal shooting of a man in custody, this year saw more outrage involving sexual harassment, incompetence, and negligence in the handling of the famous ‘Pickton’ serial killings.

Not last, nor least, is Vancouver. Often credited for its beauty, its cultural and culinary diversity, and its high living-standards, the city became the media focus this year for its riots following the local team’s loss in the ice-hockey championship. Over all, it was a conspicuously poor year for Canada, marked by a loss of the respect and fondness it had earned for so long. What will happen in the following years depends largely on the patience and shifting attitudes of the Canadian people.

However, there have been many positive Canadian events. Its economy did not slide significantly, as did many others, and has held strong. Moreover, the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement began with a blog by Canadian magazine ‘Adbusters.’ Canada’s combat role in Afghanistan ended. Charitable donations increased.

There is a consistent swing of the pendulum in Canadian politics. The RCMP has begun to focus on cleaning its image and its house, and hockey is undergoing intense scrutiny. Next year might not be the disaster the Mayans predicted.

Sergei Bachlakov / Shutterstock.com

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