Monthly Archives: February 2007
Anti-Terror Clauses Ride Off Into Sunset
| 2/28/2007 | Posted by Patti under General |
When good people start surrendering civil rights and freedoms to fear of terrorist attacks then the terrorists gain an upper hand without ever lifting a finger.
Parliament voted Tuesday to allow the two controversial clauses in the Anti-Terror legislation rushed into law in 2001 following 9/11 to expire as of last night. The two clauses allowed for preventive arrest if a suspect was believed to be involved in an imminent terrorist act and investigative hearings which can compel individuals to testify about information they may have about terrorist activity.
The two clauses were controversial when the then Liberal government rushed the bill into law. The country, the world actually, was in shock at the scope and scale of the 9/11 attacks and governments were rushing to restore calm and a sense of security. The two clauses allow for suspension of civil liberties provided for under the Charter while at the same time the Act uses a very broad ranging definition of terrorism. Debate at the time was fierce within the Liberal caucus leading to the inclusion of a sunset clause in five years time. The two clauses have never been used.
Debate over the government’s motion to renew the clauses was acrimonious, to say the least, this time round. The NDP and Bloc Quebecois were solidly opposed to the motion while once again considerable debate took place within the Liberal caucus. Eventually, Stephane Dion, Liberal leader imposed party discipline and declared that the vote would be against the government’s motion.
While Dion views the decision to oppose the motion as a principled stand in defense of human rights, Harper and his band of thugs errr…. the government called the Liberal decision a flip-flop, accused them of being soft on terrorism, imply that their opposition was to protect a Liberal MPs father-in-law from being called to an investigative hearing into the Air India crash and even went so far as to accuse the Liberals of making back room deals with ethnic groups to squash the clauses in order to gain Liberal support.
After the Liberals got past their howls of outrage over the drive by smears they pointed out that government has failed to do its homework. The government has had in its possession for at least five months a report of a parliamentary committee calling for reforms to the Anti-Terrorist Act and have done nothing, preferring in their usual black and white manner, to put the motion forward with an all or nothing attitude.
An Ontario court recently struck down a key measure of the Act when it said that Parliament will have to rethink the definition of terrorism. The law says terrorist acts are motivated by politics and other beliefs that are protected by the Charter of Rights. Some Conservatives have been honest enough to express discomfort with the definition of terrorism. That to a large degree is the issue with the two clauses giving law enforcement such extraordinary powers within the framework of such a broadranging definition of what a terrorist is.
In a last ditch attempt to win the motion on an emotional basis rather than reasoned argument or consensus building the government trotted out family of some of the 9/11 victims. Ms Basnicki, left a widow in the attacks appealed for the extension on the basis that she’s often thought had the US had the powers of preventative arrest or investigative hearings that the attacks might have been thwarted. She said that she was already a victim of terrorism and didn’t want to be a victim of politics.
Well, Ms Basnicki, if you didn’t want to be a victim of politics you shouldn’t have let the Harper crew manipulate you. The fact is that the US government failed to act on the intelligence (what a oxymoron reference) they had and that is why 9/11 wasn’t thwarted. Police and security agencies claim they have foiled at least a dozen plots since 9/11 and have not had to use those clauses.
Joseph over at Canada’s Debate puts the family’s involvement into perspective:
A victim should have a voice when discussing justice, and when applicable restitution. But in my experience personal tragedy by itself imparts no particular knowledge or expertise.
The New York Times provided a voice not reported in the Canadian national media, Amnesty International who along with other human rights groups had been urging the government to allow the provisions to expire arguing that other criminal laws can fight terrorism.
After the vote, Alex Neve, Amnesty International’s Canadian secretary general, said: “This by no means should be interpreted or misunderstood that Canada is somehow going soft on terrorism. What I think this is an affirmation of is that Canada is increasingly concerned that its approach to terrorism is fully grounded in respect to fundamental human rights.â€
Terrorists can rob of us our fundamental human rights, if we allow them to through laws which do their work for them.
Hijab at Issue in Quebec Soccer
| 2/28/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News |
An eleven year old girl, Asmahan Mansour from Ottawa, was ejected from a soccer tournament in Quebec last weekend because she refused to remove her hijab (a head scarf worn by devout Muslim females). The ejection prompted her team and four others to pull out of the tournament and prompted a storm of controversy. It was her team mates who made the decision to follow their team mate and friend off the field when she was ejected.
Reasonable accommodation of ethnic minorities in the province has been a hot button issue there for seveal months. According to her mother, who is Italian heritage and doesn’t wear the hijab, her daughter chose to wear the hijab when she was 9 years old. Her father is Lebanese. In an interview on Canada AM her mother said that the youngster announced her decision to wear the hijab to her parents on her own and they were very proud of her.
The Quebec Soccer Federation maintains that they are simply enforcing FIFA’s (an international governing body) rules. An official at FIFA said that non-standard equipment is allowed as long as it isn’t dangerours and that there is no specific rule against headgear being worn. The Quebec Federation claims that she could strangle herself with the scarf and it is dangerous. Meanwhile teams regularly play in other provinces with girls wearing hijabs without incident. Mansour tucks her scarf into her uniform shirt when playing.
The youngster has played in tournaments in Ontario and two previous games at the Lavel tournament before the referee in the third game ordered her to remove the hijab. The Federation seems to feel that because the referee is Muslim that doesn’t make the ruling discriminatory. The youngster was not told at the time of registering for any of her games that the hijab was not allowed.
The tournament organizer placed the blame for allowing her play in the first two games on the refs. Which begs the question, if the rule about the hijab being worn is clear, why was she not told at registration and not subjected to being centered out in front of the crowd by being ejected by the ref?
One of the wonderful things about covert racism is the ability to claim “we’re just following the rules” to justify the discrimination. It is very clear in looking at this story that the ability to be flexible and allow the hijab are present in FIFAs rules that the Quebec Federation could and should show the tolerance that their governing body has shown. There are soccer teams in Muslim countries on which women wear their hijabs. I haven’t heard of any of them being killed on the soccer field.
A Bengali in TO maintains that Quebec is the most racist province in Canada, even more so than redneck Alberta. He also comments:
The right of a woman to wear the hijab is non-negotiable. It is a shame that while Canada fights in Afghanistan to “free” women so they can wear what they want, that right is stripped away at home. What is it with the French and the hijab?
Comments at The Offside include:
How a head scarf could be a danger to anyone is beyond me. I guess in theory a players hand might get caught in it and that could somehow lead to an injury. I guess. But if player safety is really the issue here than rules should be made to make the ball less dangerous for one’s head, the ground softer to fall on and there should be absolutely no contact allowed between players.
On the flipside Rob on his MySpace blog posted:
I have huge problems with the fact this is even news! This isn’t important, this isn’t life altering, this is someone who doesn’t like the rules complaining. I remember when I was younger and playing sports with sports glasses on (I couldn’t wear contacts at the time). Before every game, I had to get approval from the ref to be able to compete with them on. Some gave their approval, others didn’t and when that happened, I took them off and played with everything very blurry, but I still played by the rules.
dd
Gas Prices Rise
| 2/27/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News |
Gas prices in Ontario have been climbing for the last week, not because the world price of oil has risen but because of a strike at CN Rail and fires at Ontario’s Nanticoke refinery owned by Imperial Oil which are causing gas shortages at the pumps. Initially the shortages started at Esso stations and some Candian Tire outlets which they supply.
At this point those not able to fuel up at their local Esso have gone to other stations like Petro Canada and Shell which are now starting to experience shortages. According to reports on Canada AM this morning of the roughly 4,000 outlets in Ontario, 130 are out of gas and 80 are rationing gas to no more than 75 litres at a time. So while it sounds like cars will soon be dropping like flies.. don’t hold your breath.
Normally, like anything is ‘normal’, if a situation like this happened rail cars of fuel would be brought in to make up the shortfall in the province while repairs were being made at the stricken refinery. CN Rail, the primary mover of freight in the country has been on strike for the last two weeks. Faith Hope of the Canadian Petroleum Institute said this morning on Canada AM that the last two weeks have been a confluence of unusual events. Like isn’t life a confluence of unusual events.
The oil companies are apparently focusing mostly on keeping a flow of supply going to smaller communities which are more dependent on fewer outlets for gas. I’ve not yet seen anything in the local media about a local impact out here in the Cobourg area but I’ll likely see one way or the other when I head in there to meet up with a friend for a walk this morning.
Plans to bring gas in from south of the border has run into a glitch, apparently the US allows more sulpher in their gas than we do here in Canada. pearlies of wisdom has an interesting article she’s found about fuel supply and refining capacity in Ontario.
You know, I can appreciate that Esso is going to be experiencing some loses due to the fire. At a time when oil companies are reporting record profits, I tend to think that they can cover the cost of that fire and clean up without it being on the backs of the consumers by gas prices rising. Yes, there are some outlets will and likely have arbitrarily raised pump prices without direction from the companies. Their suppliers can apply pressure to deal with that sort of gouging, but they wont.
The Boy Harper Finds New Low
| 2/22/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News, Canadian Politics, Ethics, Harper, War on Terror |
Harper sank to a new low yesterday in the House of Commons when he launched a smear at Liberal MP Navdeep Bain and his father-in-law who the Vancouver Sun is reporting was to be on the potential list of witnesses to be brought before an investigative hearing into the downing of the Air India flight in the 80′s.
The smear came in response to a question that was being put to him by Liberal leader Dion about Harper’s meddling with the judicial appointment process. It does appear that the boy was attempting to avoid answering questions on one of his dictatorship moves and created a firestorm over another issue that truly is worthy of serious and reasoned debate, not one of attacks and slurs.
At issue is two clauses in the Anti-Terrorism legislation that was passed in the wake of 9/11. One clause allows for ‘preventative arrest’ of people that law enforcement agencies believe is or could be involved in an imminent terrorist activity and the other allows for investigative hearings where witnesses could be compelled to testify. Both of the clauses were controversial amongst the Liberals when they passed the legislation and they appear to be just as controversial now.
The clauses are set to expire March 1st if the House doesn’t vote to extend them. The sunset provision was built into the clauses at the time the legislation was enacted because of their controversial nature and the concerns about the potential for abuse of civil liberties by police. The clauses have yet to be used and at this point the Liberal stand is against extending them.
I have to admit to some ambivalence on the issue of extending the clauses.
The social justice part of me leans towards not extending them because they do leave too much power in the hands of law enforcement agencies and we’ve seen what them and an agenda can do to innocent people. Out of necessity, the definition of ‘terrorism’ is rather broad which adds to the potential for abuse of the clauses.
Another part of me looks at the fact that the clauses have not been invoked which provides some hope that they would not be abused. I would be wearing rose coloured glasses not to realize that there are situations when police have a pretty strong sense that someone is about to or is involved in some criminal activity which they are powerless to prevent in the absence of appropriate evidence in order to arrest the suspect. So, the concept of preventative arrest has it’s benefit if applied prudently.
I have zero ambivalence about the boy’s smearing though.
He was wrong and had he made the same statements outside of the House, he could be finding himself facing some legal ramifications. A reading of the article in the Vancouver Sun gives little indication as to what exactly a hearing would expect to be exploring with Darshan Singh Saini (Bain’s father-in-law) or if he could potentially be implicated in the plot.
The boy Harper was attempting to link the potential witness of Saini to a hearing that will not take place should the anti-terrorism clauses expire next week to the reason that the Liberals have taken a stance opposite to the stand they took five years ago when the laws were passed.
That is somewhat typical of the low brow thinking of Harper. A lot has changed in five years, not the least of which is the makeup and leadership of the Liberal party which had been divided in the first place on the issue. We also have a minority government in place that demonstrates a very black and white thinking process towards its own right wing ideology. The Liberals as the Official Opposition needs to be the party of sober second thought.
Mike over at Rational Reasons puts the issue rather well:
It is quite clear that Stephen Harper will spread any myth, any lie, any outrageous conspiracy theory as long as he thinks it will get him his precious majority. God help us all then.
….
Stephen Harper has demonstrated he has no honour, no morals, no ethics and no scruples. He does not deserve to be president of a student’s council, let alone Prime Minister of Canada. Frankly, none of them do, but Harper most especially.
Well expressed Mike.
Eugene over at LE REVUE GAUCHE puts forth his argument that Harper is not and never will be a statesman or parliamentarian:
But pompous megalomaniac he is Harper could not resist, nor could he trust anyone else to deliver his hit on Dion and the Liberals.And so he showed himself to be what he really is, an Opposition Leader. Not a Prime Minister.
And what he was today was an Opposition Leader, a strong one, one who is gaining in the polls. And thus one doomed by his limitations of office, and personality, to act like an Opposition Leader rather than as a PM. Holding on to power with a minority, but acting like you are majority has won Harper the polling support of some Canadians.
But in reality what the recent polls have shown is that he is far better as Leader of the Opposition than Dion is.
And that is what he confirmed today. He does not have the stuff to be PM. He is no statesman, and no parliamentarian.
I agree with Eugene, the boy has zero class. He strikes me as someone who either was the schoolyard bully or was bullied and is now getting his revenge on the whole country. Course, when you vote for a red-neck you get low brow.
The final word goes to Ekonoline:
Harper is a chameleon of sorts, fashioning himself as a moderate conservative while simultaneously sinking to any low to gain political advantage. Three years ago, he accused Paul Martin of supporting child pornography. How low can he go? I seem to recall learning in my high school civics class that Canada is a democratic country, where slanderous allegations cannot be simply thrown about at will. Harper would do well to keep that principle in mind. Innocent until proven guilty, Stephen, innocent until proven guilty.
Innocent until proven guilty indeed.
Ontario Eyes Banning Old Style Lightbulbs
| 2/22/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News |
The Ontario government is considering following the example of Australia and banning old-style lightbulbs. The move would make the compact florescents the standard for lightbulbs. Although more expensive to purchase the bulbs than the old style bulbs, the florescents do have some advantages.
I have them in most of my lamps in the house and have done so for at least four or five years. I’ve yet to have to replace any of the bulbs which means that while I spent five or six bucks to buy the bulbs, that cost has now been spread over four or five years or however many more there is before I need to replace them.
Mind you, I’m reasonable prudent about my use of lights. I have enough windows in the house that during daylight hours, I don’t have lights on and when they are needed, I usually only have one light on at a time.
One thing I have noticed about these bulbs is they actually do seem to throw a much brighter light than conventional bulbs at a much lower wattage which means I’m actually getting more for less in the long run. The only question in my mind is what’s holding the government up? Time’s a wasting Dalton.
Hillier Speaks Out — Again
| 2/17/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News, Canadian Politics |
General Rick Hillier, the Canadian Chief of Defense Staff, in a speech to the Conference of Defense Associations on Friday referred to the 1990′s as a “decade of darkness” for the Canadian Armed Forces. His remarks received warm applause from pretty much everyone in attendance except Liberal Defense critic Denis Coderre.
Coderre responded by accusing Hillier of being a Conservative ‘prop’. “I’m disappointed,” he said. “It’s too much. Talking about the darkness, 10 years of darkness. I think it’s unacceptable.”
That would be almost funny if it wasn’t so pathetic. Fact is that Hillier spoke the truth. Coderre later tried to justify the deep cuts that so deeply hurt the military during those years as necessary to fight the deficit.
The Doomsday Vault
| 2/17/2007 | Posted by Patti under World News |
The Toronto Star today carries a story about what is being referred to as ‘the Doomsday Vault’. It’s a project which will see a high tech vault built into a cavern on the Norweigan island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. The cavern will be located 7 feet above where the water line would come if the worse case scenario of both ice caps melting would bring the sea level.
Canadian Anti-Terror Legislation Dividing Liberals
| 2/16/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics, War on Terror |
Stephane Dion is facing what appears to be his first divisive issue as Liberal leader. Two clauses in the anti-terror legislation brought in by the Liberals under Chretien are set to expire on March 1st unless renewed by parliament. The two clauses were controversial when the laws were passed which is why the sunset clauses were built in. The left wing members of the party are now pushing for the clauses to be allowed to expire on the basis they are not needed.
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