Sunday, September 30, 2012
Blasphemy Is Good for You
Canada-China investment deal allows for confidential lawsuits against Canada
The deal will tie the hands of Canadian governments, especially in the resource sector, once Chinese firms buy Canadian assets. It allows Chinese companies to sue Canada outside of Canadian courts. Remarkably, the lawsuits can proceed behind closed doors. This shift to secrecy reverses a long-standing policy of the Canadian government.
Under the deal, Chinese firms can sue in special tribunals to protect themselves from Canadian government decisions. Canadian companies can do the same against China. The technical name for this is “investor-state arbitration.” In Canada, it has been in operation since NAFTA.
Disgraced former RCMP deputy commissioner demands justice
She was a distinguished, proud and grateful 30-year veteran of the RCMP before it all, unjustly, came crashing down five years ago.
"I can only put it to the equivalent of travelling through the nine circles of hell," former RCMP deputy commissioner Barbara George said in an exclusive interview on the Global News program The West Block with Tom Clark.
The downward spiral began in 2007, when members of a House of Commons committee said she lied during testimony in a high-profile inquiry. Then a Liberal MP took to national airwaves to repeat the allegation that she committed perjury, and, finally, with her reputation in shambles, she was forced to resign from the force.
"I can only put it to the equivalent of travelling through the nine circles of hell," former RCMP deputy commissioner Barbara George said in an exclusive interview on the Global News program The West Block with Tom Clark.
The downward spiral began in 2007, when members of a House of Commons committee said she lied during testimony in a high-profile inquiry. Then a Liberal MP took to national airwaves to repeat the allegation that she committed perjury, and, finally, with her reputation in shambles, she was forced to resign from the force.
Minister Ambrose upholds current government record on gender equality
Minister Rona Ambrose supporting M312 with her vote was a bit of a surprise to many across the country, and caused a variety of reactions ranging from outrage to applause. However, this vote was only one action in a long line that illustrates the Harper government's steady institutional disempowerment of women in Canada.
To start, Minister Ambrose is the Minister responsible for Public Works and Government Services as well as the Status of Women. This large portfolio and the folding in of the Ministry for Status of Women sends a clear message that Status of Women is not a high priority of the government. Since PM Harper formed government, the ministry has seen budget cuts of nearly 40 per cent and had 12 out of 16 regional offices closed. The word “equality” was also removed from it's mandate.
To start, Minister Ambrose is the Minister responsible for Public Works and Government Services as well as the Status of Women. This large portfolio and the folding in of the Ministry for Status of Women sends a clear message that Status of Women is not a high priority of the government. Since PM Harper formed government, the ministry has seen budget cuts of nearly 40 per cent and had 12 out of 16 regional offices closed. The word “equality” was also removed from it's mandate.
Free community food garden removed by City of Toronto workers
When Occupy Gardens began planting on May 1, the event was reported on by multiple media and took place under the watchful eye of police.
“So they knew it was here and left it undisturbed for almost five months,” said Jacob Kearey-Moreland, in an interview on Saturday in Queen’s Park north.
The poor ain’t what they used to be
As the world’s most powerful leaders met at the United Nations General Assembly this week, another annual ritual was bringing hundreds of scholars, officials, aid workers and journalists to gatherings on the UN’s fringes to discuss the fate of the world’s least powerful people.
There’s a sense, this year, that everything has changed. The poor are still with us, but they aren’t who they used to be. And “ending poverty” doesn’t mean what it used to mean. It’s time to change the game.
The idea of ending world poverty from above – that is, doing something about the dire circumstances that leave about a billion people trying to survive on family incomes of less than $1 a day – is about as old as the UN, and it emerged from a similar sense of postcolonial guilt and beneficence.
There’s a sense, this year, that everything has changed. The poor are still with us, but they aren’t who they used to be. And “ending poverty” doesn’t mean what it used to mean. It’s time to change the game.
The idea of ending world poverty from above – that is, doing something about the dire circumstances that leave about a billion people trying to survive on family incomes of less than $1 a day – is about as old as the UN, and it emerged from a similar sense of postcolonial guilt and beneficence.
Dying woman outlives her 90 days of home care so CCAC cuts her services
Offered by the Central Community Care Access Centre, the program provided a caseworker, personal support workers for eight hours every day, and medical equipment including a special bed, an oxygen machine, a wheelchair and a lift, so Landry could live her final days in the comfort of her niece’s home.
Her niece Charlene Dunlevy took care of her the other 16 hours of the day. “She’s good to me,” Landry says.
Nexen takeover decision a crossroads for Canada and China
As political and commercial stakes mount by the day, federal officials are secretly laying the groundwork for a yes-or-no decision on the $15.1-billion play by China’s state-controlled oil giant for a precedent-setting role in Canada’s oil sands development.
Abortion, immigration debates test limits of dialogue in House of Commons
In one case, two spokespeople from the Canadian Immigration Forum were barred from speaking at the Commons immigration committee Wednesday because content on their website was deemed offensive — including an interview with Canadian white supremacist Paul Fromm.
No Tankers motion passed by B.C. local governments
Yesterday at the Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting in Victoria, B.C.’s local government leaders passed the strongest ever provincial motion opposing the expansion of oil tanker traffic through B.C.’s coast.
The motion, dubbed “A8” read as follows:
WHEREAS a crude oil spill would have devastating and long lasting effects on British Columbia’s unique and diverse coast, which provides critical marine habitat and marine resources that sustain the social, cultural, environmental and economic health of coastal and First Nations communities;
AND WHEREAS citizens of British Columbia, particularly those living in coastal communities, and First Nations communities and environmental groups have expressed well-founded concerns over the expansion of oil pipelines and oil tankers:
The motion, dubbed “A8” read as follows:
WHEREAS a crude oil spill would have devastating and long lasting effects on British Columbia’s unique and diverse coast, which provides critical marine habitat and marine resources that sustain the social, cultural, environmental and economic health of coastal and First Nations communities;
AND WHEREAS citizens of British Columbia, particularly those living in coastal communities, and First Nations communities and environmental groups have expressed well-founded concerns over the expansion of oil pipelines and oil tankers:
To the contrary, Monsieur Harper
U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan reach 2,000
The toll has climbed steadily in recent months with a spate of attacks by Afghan army and police — supposed allies — against American and NATO troops. That has raised troubling questions about whether countries in the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan will achieve their aim of helping the government in Kabul and its forces stand on their own after most foreign troops depart in little more than two years.
Canada’s windows on the world are quietly closing
Hey, what’s the big deal over Canada and Britain sharing a few embassies? We share the same Queen. We both secretly think we’re America’s best friend. Britain invaded Iraq but Canada’s current prime minister also wanted to. In this virtual age, aren’t actual embassies with your nation’s flag flying proudly above them a relic of the past?
Well, not quite. Ask the average Iranian struggling with one of the world’s most despotic regimes. Until earlier this month, when it was closed for political reasons, the Canadian Embassy in Tehran stood prominently in the centre of the city as “a source of shame” for the Iranian government — as one prominent Iranian-Canadian journalist described it — as thousands of Iranians lined up defiantly to obtain visas to come to Canada. That no longer can happen.
Well, not quite. Ask the average Iranian struggling with one of the world’s most despotic regimes. Until earlier this month, when it was closed for political reasons, the Canadian Embassy in Tehran stood prominently in the centre of the city as “a source of shame” for the Iranian government — as one prominent Iranian-Canadian journalist described it — as thousands of Iranians lined up defiantly to obtain visas to come to Canada. That no longer can happen.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Energy-saving program shut down too early, millions in rebates never paid out
Throughout the five-year life of the program, which provided rebates for energy-saving home renovations, Ottawa paid $934-million in grants to nearly one in 20 Canadian households, or 640,000 beneficiaries. In its final year, however, the eco-energy program came in under budget, as the government paid out $190-million despite budgeting $400-million for it.
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver – who was slammed by opposition parties for ending the program earlier than planned – declared it a success.
Christy Clark's curious overture to Alberta
No longer were people talking about the abrupt resignation on Monday of her chief of staff, Ken Boessenkool, over an unspecified indiscretion involving a female political staffer in the B.C. government. But at the same time, it did little to assure Alberta Premier Alison Redford that Ms. Clark has any kind of credible new plan to end the impasse that the two provincial leaders have reached over the pipeline’s future.
Abortion debate: House of Commons vote related to abortion shows Rona Ambrose’s Status of Women post is no longer useful
What’s wrong with this picture?
An abortion-related motion is defeated by more than two to one (203/91) in a House of Commons dominated by the most conservative government in living memory.
Along the way, the most outspoken government defender of a woman’s right to choose to carry a pregnancy to term turns out to be a seventy-something retired male army general.
As government whip, Gordon O’Connor is responsible for making sure that the Prime Minister’s ducks are lined up in the lead-up to a vote. If I was going in battle in Parliament, I would rather have him on my side than just about any other member of Stephen Harper’s cabinet.
An abortion-related motion is defeated by more than two to one (203/91) in a House of Commons dominated by the most conservative government in living memory.
Along the way, the most outspoken government defender of a woman’s right to choose to carry a pregnancy to term turns out to be a seventy-something retired male army general.
As government whip, Gordon O’Connor is responsible for making sure that the Prime Minister’s ducks are lined up in the lead-up to a vote. If I was going in battle in Parliament, I would rather have him on my side than just about any other member of Stephen Harper’s cabinet.
Peter MacKay draws his own red lines on Iran
At a joint news conference at the Pentagon with U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, Mr. MacKay said: “There have been a number of red lines placed already, and Iran has edged closer and stepped over those red lines on a number of occasions.”
CEOs only have eyes for China
East is east and west is west, wrote Rudyard Kipling, and never the twain shall meet.
Clearly dear old Rudyard was never exposed to the Canadian business class hot on the scent of Chinese profits.
The twain appeared to meet with a vengeance at an Ottawa conference put on several days ago by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives on Canada in the Asian century. Clearly Canada’s CEOs never met a Chinese business opportunity they did not want to embrace. And yet these titans of our business world weren’t listening to what was being said at their own conference.
Clearly dear old Rudyard was never exposed to the Canadian business class hot on the scent of Chinese profits.
The twain appeared to meet with a vengeance at an Ottawa conference put on several days ago by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives on Canada in the Asian century. Clearly Canada’s CEOs never met a Chinese business opportunity they did not want to embrace. And yet these titans of our business world weren’t listening to what was being said at their own conference.
A proud nation no longer
A House of Commons committee warned this week that unless the government starts planning now for 2017, Canada’s 150th birthday party will be a pretty lousy affair. It thinks this would be a shame.
Except what’s to celebrate? Or what will be left to celebrate by the time this desiccated husk of a former nation makes it to 2017?
The committee noted that plans for the successful celebration of Canada’s centennial in 1967 began eight years before the fact. So there’s no time to lose.
Except what’s to celebrate? Or what will be left to celebrate by the time this desiccated husk of a former nation makes it to 2017?
The committee noted that plans for the successful celebration of Canada’s centennial in 1967 began eight years before the fact. So there’s no time to lose.
What if Nexen coveted CNOOC?
Pretend the Canadian shoe was on Chinese feet. Suppose a big, privately owned Canadian energy company sought to buy a Chinese energy company lock, stock and barrel. It offered a lot of money, perhaps more than the company’s current value, in anticipation of a higher value in the future. It promised to keep in place all of the Chinese employees and executives.
Would the deal happen? Not a chance. China plays by one set of rules, Canada and other open economies by another. Their state-owned companies can buy here and elsewhere, while our private companies can’t buy there in sectors the state considers vital to its future.
Would the deal happen? Not a chance. China plays by one set of rules, Canada and other open economies by another. Their state-owned companies can buy here and elsewhere, while our private companies can’t buy there in sectors the state considers vital to its future.
Budget watchdog may sue gov’t over lack of information
Page told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife late Friday he will send one more letter to the government asking officials to explain billions of dollars in cuts. If he doesn’t get a response, Page said he may consider suing for information.
Opposition demands Tories return donations from fugitive businessman
OTTAWA – The Conservative Party didn’t respond Friday to opposition demands that it return thousands of dollars in donations it has received from fugitive businessman Nathan Jacobson.
For the second week in a row, Conservative MPs declined to answer questions from the Liberals about the money from Jacobson, who pleaded guilty to money-laundering connected to an illegal online pharmacy in San Diego in 2008.
Jacobson was released by American authorities and the plea deal was sealed, after which he became active in Canadian philanthropic and Conservative political circles, sponsoring charity events and becoming close to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
For the second week in a row, Conservative MPs declined to answer questions from the Liberals about the money from Jacobson, who pleaded guilty to money-laundering connected to an illegal online pharmacy in San Diego in 2008.
Jacobson was released by American authorities and the plea deal was sealed, after which he became active in Canadian philanthropic and Conservative political circles, sponsoring charity events and becoming close to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
Harper to recuse himself from matters dealing with Talisman Energy
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Friday that Harper has consulted with the ethics commissioner over the fact that his younger brother, Grant, works for Talisman Energy, the Calgary-based oil and gas company.
“The Prime Minister has taken steps internally to avoid ever being involved with any matter dealing with Talisman,” said director of communications Andrew MacDougall. “Matters of general application, like tax rates, are of course not relevant here.”
Omar Khadr back in Canada
As the Toronto Star first reported, the 26-year-old prisoner was flown off the U.S. Naval base by American government aircraft from Cuba’s southeast shore at 4:30 a.m. Saturday.
He arrived at Trenton military airbase almost four hours later, and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews confirmed his arrival at 7:40 a.m. at a later morning news conference in Winnipeg.
Voter suppression revealed: The stealth attack on Canadian democracy
Prodding a passive government into caring about the health of Canadians
In the early 1980s a patient who needed surgery at an Ontario hospital very often had to pay an extra fee to the anesthesiologist, even though that same doctor would be paid a negotiated fee by the universal health insurance system, OHIP, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
When this writer required emergency surgery in Ottawa during that period, an anesthesiologist bluntly told him: "We run a closed shop, here. If any anesthesiologist wants to practice in this hospital she or he must extra bill. Otherwise we'll see to it that they don't work here."
This practice of extra billing had become very widespread in a number of provinces by 1984, though it seemed obviously unfair to a great many people.
When this writer required emergency surgery in Ottawa during that period, an anesthesiologist bluntly told him: "We run a closed shop, here. If any anesthesiologist wants to practice in this hospital she or he must extra bill. Otherwise we'll see to it that they don't work here."
This practice of extra billing had become very widespread in a number of provinces by 1984, though it seemed obviously unfair to a great many people.
Subsidizing climate chaos: National youth climate convergence calls for an end to polluter payouts
When it comes to stopping climate change, or, at the very least, balancing our federal budget, ending the annual $1.4 billion in fossil fuel subsidies is the lowest of the low-hanging fruit. Why is it, then, that as oil companies rake in historic profits and our government slashes the services we depend upon, we're continuing to dish out an annual bonus to big polluters?
Canada's oil industry calls for environmental groups to be disbanded
But, in a surprising twist, a leading environmental group is largely backing the call for change by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, which laid out its proposal in a Sept. 7 letter to federal environment minister Peter Kent and Alberta environment and sustainable resource development minister Diana McQueen.
Stephen Harper discusses threats posed by Iran
Harper and Benjamin Netanyahu met in a tiny hotel room in midtown Manhattan to delve into the Iranian situation the day after the Israeli prime minister urged the world to draw a “red line” to stop the Iranians from building a nuclear bomb.
Harper and Kenney shameless in accepting international honours
This is the fall fashion week of the undeserved award, the unearned doctorate and the prizes that anyone with people-smarts would know to turn down. But they don’t.
Why? It’s partly what the philosopher Alain de Botton has described as “status anxiety,” the yearning of the social climber combined with terrible insecurity about how one is perceived by everyone else on the ladder.
It’s a heart-rending affliction but not when politicians catch it. Then it’s just hilarious. I’m looking at you, “World Statesman of the Year” Stephen Harper and soon-to-be “Doctor” Jason Kenney.
Why? It’s partly what the philosopher Alain de Botton has described as “status anxiety,” the yearning of the social climber combined with terrible insecurity about how one is perceived by everyone else on the ladder.
It’s a heart-rending affliction but not when politicians catch it. Then it’s just hilarious. I’m looking at you, “World Statesman of the Year” Stephen Harper and soon-to-be “Doctor” Jason Kenney.
Top Toronto city managers report culture of fear, bullying
A report from the city’s ombudsman released Thursday revealed the administration has been inappropriately interfering with city staff. Former top-ranking Toronto employees say it goes far beyond interference.
Speaking out for the first time, former managers tell the Star about a toxic work environment, where they felt bullied, threatened and encouraged to keep their mouths shut.
Mayor Rob Ford is no longer a laughing matter, should be recalled
“The sad fact is that, in this town, it’s a whole lot easier to get rid of a broken blender than it is to recall a rogue politician. And that’s not right.’’
That was Rocco Rossi speaking during the last municipal election campaign, before he withdrew from the mayor’s race.
Yet his woefully low polling numbers did receive a significant bump — 10 per cent, according to one telephone survey — when he proposed instituting a recall mechanism for tossing out incompetent or maladroit elected politicians before their term was up.
That was Rocco Rossi speaking during the last municipal election campaign, before he withdrew from the mayor’s race.
Yet his woefully low polling numbers did receive a significant bump — 10 per cent, according to one telephone survey — when he proposed instituting a recall mechanism for tossing out incompetent or maladroit elected politicians before their term was up.
Feast of Fools -- How American democracy became the property of a commercial oligarchy
All power corrupts but some must govern.—John le Carré
The ritual performance of the legend of democracy in the autumn of 2012 promises the conspicuous consumption of $5.8 billion, enough money, thank God, to prove that our flag is still there. Forbidden the use of words apt to depress a Q Score or disturb a Gallup poll, the candidates stand as product placements meant to be seen instead of heard, their quality to be inferred from the cost of their manufacture. The sponsors of the event, generous to a fault but careful to remain anonymous, dress it up with the bursting in air of star-spangled photo ops, abundant assortments of multiflavored sound bites, and the candidates so well-contrived that they can be played for jokes, presented as game-show contestants, or posed as noble knights-at-arms setting forth on vision quests, enduring the trials by klieg light, until on election night they come to judgment before the throne of cameras by whom and for whom they were produced.
Europe’s Austerity Madness
So much for complacency. Just a few days ago, the conventional wisdom was that Europe finally had things under control. The European Central Bank, by promising to buy the bonds of troubled governments if necessary, had soothed markets. All that debtor nations had to do, the story went, was agree to more and deeper austerity — the condition for central bank loans — and all would be well.
But the purveyors of conventional wisdom forgot that people were involved. Suddenly, Spain and Greece are being racked by strikes and huge demonstrations. The public in these countries is, in effect, saying that it has reached its limit: With unemployment at Great Depression levels and with erstwhile middle-class workers reduced to picking through garbage in search of food, austerity has already gone too far. And this means that there may not be a deal after all.
But the purveyors of conventional wisdom forgot that people were involved. Suddenly, Spain and Greece are being racked by strikes and huge demonstrations. The public in these countries is, in effect, saying that it has reached its limit: With unemployment at Great Depression levels and with erstwhile middle-class workers reduced to picking through garbage in search of food, austerity has already gone too far. And this means that there may not be a deal after all.
Justin Trudeau Poll Finds Liberals Would Win With Him As Leader
The Liberals would best the Tories with Trudeau at the helm and would return the NDP to third-party status, according to a Forum survey conducted for the National Post (click the link above to read more on the Post's poll).
Those figures present a tantalizing prospect for the Liberals and may help lead to a virtual coronation for Trudeau in the upcoming leadership contest.
Election to Decide Future Interrogation Methods in Terrorism Cases
WASHINGTON — Neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney has said much about torture as part of terrorism investigations during the 2012 general campaign. But the future of American government practices when interrogating high-level terrorism suspects appears likely to turn on the outcome of the election.In one of his first acts, President Obama issued an executive order restricting interrogators to a list of nonabusive tactics approved in the Army Field Manual. Even as he embraced a hawkish approach to other counterterrorism issues — like drone strikes, military commissions, indefinite detention and the Patriot Act — Mr. Obama has stuck to that strict no-torture policy.
Inmates Smash Windows At Fraser Valley Prison
Inmates in the prison's A block broke the windows, prompting prison staff to deny food to the inmates Sept. 20 and denied them showers for four days.
Minneapolis Shooting: Five Dead Including Gunman At Accent Signage Systems
MINNEAPOLIS — A man fired from his job at a Minneapolis sign-making business pulled out a handgun and began shooting up its offices, fatally wounding the owner and four others before turning the gun on himself, police said Friday.
Andrew Engeldinger, 36, injured at least three others in the Thursday attack at Accent Signage Systems, which Police Chief Tim Dolan said lasted no more than 15 minutes. Dolan also said Engeldinger may have chosen to spare some former co-workers.
"It's clear he did walk by some people, very clear," Dolan said.
Andrew Engeldinger, 36, injured at least three others in the Thursday attack at Accent Signage Systems, which Police Chief Tim Dolan said lasted no more than 15 minutes. Dolan also said Engeldinger may have chosen to spare some former co-workers.
"It's clear he did walk by some people, very clear," Dolan said.
Mark Warawa's Motion 408 Aimed At Condemning Sex-Selective Abortion
Langley, B.C. MP Mark Warawa introduced a motion Thursday calling on the House of Commons to condemn discrimination against females via sex-selective pregnancy termination.
"Recent studies have shown that the practice of aborting females in favour of males is happening in Canada,” Warawa said in introducing his bill. “Ninety-two per cent of Canadians believe sex-selective pregnancy termination should be illegal.”
Canada GDP: July 2012 Saw 0.2 Per Cent Jump, Decline In Mining, Oil And Gas
The expansion was double consensus estimates — some economists had thought a negative number was possible — although the shine was dulled somewhat by a downward revision for June to 0.1 per cent from 0.2.
Harper Slags United Nations, Assails Iran While Picking Up World Statesman Award
Canadians expect their government officials to endeavour to make decisions “for the wider interests of humanity,” Harper told a reception at the glitzy Waldorf Astoria hotel after receiving his award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation.
A government on autopilot
In a recent speech to the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, Mr. Flaherty once again reminded Canadian business leaders that the government had done all it could to support economic growth and job creation, and it was now up to the business sector to do its part.
“Our government continues to create the right conditions to enable Canadians and Canadian businesses to feel confident to invest, to create jobs, to participate in the global market place and to grow our economy. But ultimately, it is up to the private sector to take advantage of all these strengths.”
This follows earlier statements by Mr. Flaherty and Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada, exhorting private business to start investing and stop sitting on all that “dead” capital.
“Our government continues to create the right conditions to enable Canadians and Canadian businesses to feel confident to invest, to create jobs, to participate in the global market place and to grow our economy. But ultimately, it is up to the private sector to take advantage of all these strengths.”
This follows earlier statements by Mr. Flaherty and Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada, exhorting private business to start investing and stop sitting on all that “dead” capital.
Thousands sign petition calling for status of women minister’s job after abortion vote
Ms. Ambrose faced calls for her resignation and a barrage of criticism Thursday after standing up in support of M-312, a private member’s motion that would have struck a committee to study parts of the Criminal Code that establish when a fetus becomes a legal person.
Who’s the man between the prime ministers?
Jacobson had an intimate relationship with several senior Harper cabinet ministers, paid off a CSIS agent while doing business in Russia, and apparently finessed a secret settlement out of the Canadian government under the Liberal administration of Jean Chretien even though the government denied ruining Jacobson’s business interests abroad.
The Learning Revolution
Human development has always been driven by knowledge, and by our capacity to impart this knowledge, cumulatively, to succeeding generations. But as the pool of knowledge continually expands, and demand for access to it increases, the traditional means of sharing it are strained.
The Commons: Racists, anarchists, women’s rights and ‘McCarthyite demagoguery’
It should have been obvious then that we would not get through these 45 minutes without someone being accused of McCarthyism.
About halfway through Question Period, the NDP’s Mylene Freeman stood to state her disappointment with a Conservative MP’s recent choice of committee witnesses.*
Troubled times in Northern Ireland
This Saturday, thousands of modern-day loyalists will take to Belfast’s crumbling main streets, to commemorate a battle won. Their republican neighbours—who would have rather seen Home Rule carried through a century ago—are already steeling themselves. The capital city is quiet now, but this past summer it hosted a string of ugly demonstrations that saw bricks, bombs and bullets exchanged across sectarian lines—and young riot officers turn water cannons against civilian crowds. With the memory of Northern Ireland’s bloody “Troubles” still fresh, Belfast residents are counting down to the big anniversary with practised wariness.
Trudeau attracting buzz, but Murray, Garneau, LeBlanc, Cauchon and others still exploring options to run for Grit leadership
Also in the wake of news that Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) is scheduling an announcement of his candidacy on Oct. 2, at an event in his Montreal riding, B.C. MP Joyce Murray (Vancouver Quadra, B.C.) told The Hill Times on Thursday that she is establishing an “exploratory team” to flesh out her own plans to enter the race and is no longer in the “considering” stage.
Air Force's F-35 recommendation was missing key information
Steve Lucas, former Canadian chief of the air staff, acknowledges in an exclusive fifth estate interview, to air tonight, that the military's recommendation in 2006 to their political masters in Ottawa was based on incomplete data.
Tories quietly table Canada-China investment treaty
The text of the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement was released for the first time this week and members of Parliament are just starting to work their way through the legal document.
Rob Ford administration ‘compromised’ recruitment for city boards, ombudsman says
That’s the conclusion of city ombudsman Fiona Crean in a scathing report released Thursday — the results of which, compiled through dozens of interviews given under oath, were quickly contested by Ford and his allies even as they accepted all four of Crean’s recommendations.
Stephen Harper chooses the Waldorf over the UN in New York
You can use 2nd Avenue, but you might make slightly better time heading along Lexington.
It should take about three minutes, but, you know traffic in midtown Manhattan. Better budget six minutes.
Top Rob Ford aide asked province to help with $2.8M in football field improvements
The unusual appeal for financial help for the football team coached by Ford was made on March 3 — a Saturday — and there was urgency to the request, sources say.
Ottawa keeps ADHD reports secret
Health Canada has detailed records of probes into ADHD drug safety, including fatalities, that it is keeping secret from the public.
Every six months to a year, drug companies submit summaries of side effects suspected to have been caused by their drugs worldwide, information Health Canada says it evaluates.
These summaries, called periodic safety update reports, are not available to the public.
“They may contain personal or confidential business information,” Health Canada said in an email to the Star.
Every six months to a year, drug companies submit summaries of side effects suspected to have been caused by their drugs worldwide, information Health Canada says it evaluates.
These summaries, called periodic safety update reports, are not available to the public.
“They may contain personal or confidential business information,” Health Canada said in an email to the Star.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Land rush leaves Liberia’s farmers in the dust
The bush where he gathered medicinal herbs is also gone. His farm, too, has vanished. All that’s left are a few rows of corn, and a new road to serve the vast palm plantation that has enveloped his village for the past two years.
The backbone of Africa: Entrepreneurs who refuse to quit
When rebels laid siege to Freetown in 1999, they searched everywhere for Sierra Leone’s famed businessman, aiming to take his money. One day they captured him – but he had disguised himself in shabby clothes, pretending to be his own cook. He made soup for the rebels for three days before escaping.
Africa next: An enterprising hand up, not a handout
“I had a moment of hope, but it disappeared very quickly,” he mutters. And then he rushes off to negotiate with the truckers who transport the raw material to his factory. They, too, want a raise.
Exposed: U.S. May Have Designated Julian Assange and WikiLeaks an "Enemy of the State"
Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange may have been designated an "enemy of the state"
by the United States. U.S. Air Force counterintelligence documents show
military personnel who contact WikiLeaks or its supporters may be at
risk of being charged with "communicating with the enemy" — a military
crime that carries a maximum sentence of death. We speak to attorney
Michael Ratner, president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional
Rights and a legal adviser to Assange and WikiLeaks.Video
Source: Democracy Now!
Author: --
In U.N. Address, WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Urges Obama Admin to End "Regime of Secrecy"
Speaking via videolink from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange addressed a side meeting of the U.N. General
Assembly on Wednesday evening. In his remarks, Assange gave thanks to
the United Nations for its treaties on political asylum and denounced
the U.S. treatment of alleged Army whistleblower Bradley Manning.
Assange also accused President Obama of exploiting the Arab Spring and
called on the U.S.to end its persecution of WikiLeaks and its
supporters. We air Assange’s address.Video
Source: Democracy Now
Author: --
Six Ontario doctors each billed taxpayers more than $3-million last year
The government announced on Wednesday that it is imposing a two-year pay freeze on just under 500,000 workers in the broader public sector – hospitals, long-term-care homes, universities, colleges and electricity utilities. Ontario’s 25,000 doctors are the only provincial workers excluded from the draft legislation.
Mayor Rob Ford’s administration “compromised” recruitment process for city boards, ombudsman says
The mayor’s office first delayed, and then rushed, city staff’s vetting process for possible citizen appointees and tried to blunt city-mandated efforts to make the talent pool ethnically diverse, Fiona Crean wrote in her report released Thursday.
Analysis: Canada ruling Conservatives split over CNOOC's bid for Nexen
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's ruling Conservative Party is split over a landmark $15.1 billion bid by China's CNOOC for oil producer Nexen, leaving Prime Minister Stephen Harper with a difficult final call to make.
A green light, still viewed by many as likely, would allow China's biggest ever foreign takeover, extend China's foothold in Canada's crude-rich oil sands - an area with the biggest proven resources of energy outside Venezuela and Saudi Arabia - and help Beijing fulfill its drive for better access to energy resources to fuel the world's second-largest economy.
A green light, still viewed by many as likely, would allow China's biggest ever foreign takeover, extend China's foothold in Canada's crude-rich oil sands - an area with the biggest proven resources of energy outside Venezuela and Saudi Arabia - and help Beijing fulfill its drive for better access to energy resources to fuel the world's second-largest economy.
'Too Asian?' anthology takes Maclean's to task
by RJ Gilmour, Davina Bhandar, Jeet Heer, and Michael C.K. Ma, eds.
(Between The Lines,
2012;
$26.95)
Recently, the Bank of Canada removed the image of an Asian woman peering into a microscope from its new $100 banknotes after focus groups participants viewed the woman’s “racialized” identity as an issue warranting review. Equally reprehensible was how Canada’s central banking institution chose to resolve this dilemma: by replacing the original image with one of a European woman (i.e. a woman with a “neutral” ethnicity, according to a spokesperson).
'Statesman of the Year' Stephen Harper also picks up first ever Richard Nixon Prize
Canada's Prime Minister is really racking up the hardware. This morning a coalition of international and community groups announced that Harper has won the first ever Richard Nixon Prize. The award is given to a leader for pursuing "principled, forthright and steadfast international policies in the interests of the rich and powerful, regardless of the consequences" to everyone else.
The decision to grant Harper the Richard Nixon Prize was made after a thorough review of his foreign policy.
Leona Aglukkaq defends Health Canada over concerns about side effects of ADHD drugs
Aglukkaq signalled no plans to change procedures, despite a chorus of concerns that Canadians need to be better informed about reports of side effects suspected to have been caused by their prescription drugs.
Instead, she says parents worried about the potential side effects attention deficit drugs have on their children should be talking more to their doctors and checking Health Canada’s website.
UN Criticizes Canada On Child Rights
In hearings in Geneva to examine Canada's adherence to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Ottawa was repeatedly taken to task for incoherence about how federal and provincial programs actually help kids.
The UN's committee on the rights of the child said Canada needs to "raise the bar" in how it protects the rights of children, especially when it comes to aboriginal, disabled and immigrant kids.
Anti-Austerity Protests Break Out In Athens And Madrid
ATHENS/MADRID, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Demonstrators clashed with police on the streets of Athens and Madrid on Wednesday in an upsurge of popular anger at new austerity measures being imposed on two of the euro zone's most vulnerable economies.
In some of the most violent confrontations, Greek police fired tear gas at hooded rioters hurling petrol bombs as thousands joined the country's biggest protest in more than a year.
The unrest erupted after nearly 70,000 people marched to the Greek parliament chanting "EU, IMF Out!" on the day of a general strike against further cuts demanded by foreign lenders.
In some of the most violent confrontations, Greek police fired tear gas at hooded rioters hurling petrol bombs as thousands joined the country's biggest protest in more than a year.
The unrest erupted after nearly 70,000 people marched to the Greek parliament chanting "EU, IMF Out!" on the day of a general strike against further cuts demanded by foreign lenders.
Canadian bishops block ‘partisan and political’ Church campaign as program takes aim at Harper over cuts
The bishops are reported to have been concerned that the campaign, targeting the Harper government’s controversial changes to Canadian international assistance, would divide parishioners and hurt the Church’s work with the Conservatives on other issues.
Bill C-293 Aims To Put A Stop To 'Ridiculous' Inmate Complaints
MPs will vote Wednesday evening to send Conservative MP Roxanne James’ private member’s bill C-293 on vexatious complainants to the Senate for final approval.
James told The Huffington Post Canada there are about 20 to 25 prisoners who together log more than 4,000 complaints a year about the conditions in federal penitentiaries. Some of the top complainants file more than 500 grievances a year.
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