Canadian News
We Must Not Shrug Off Our Democratic Rights
Jul 12th
Two weeks after the G20 summit concluded the fallout continues, and so it should. Canadians watched an unprecedented attack on our civil liberties and human rights as the result of police action during that weekend. The question is, who issued the orders which allowed this to take place with impunity?
Many Canadians remain blissfully unaware, while others are choosing to be unaware as they don’t believe what happened. Many choose to focus on the violence as justification for the mass arrests which followed the next day. The question should be: where were the police and why did they not move in to corral and stop those who were committing the violence?
All too many Canadians are choosing to ignore the facts and the politicians who should be on the hot seats are able to avoid answering to the public they are supposed to be serving.
An acquaintance of mine seems to be pretty typical of those who haven’t woke up to the assault on them that took place. When the subject came up, he immediately pointed to the violence on Saturday and said the police had to react. More >
Tags: canadians, civil liberties, g20 summit, mass arrests, police action, politiciansWe All Lost With the G20
Jun 28th
I watched in disgust on Saturday the footage of the rampage by black clad protesters as they wantonly vandalized stores and businesses in the downtown area of Toronto. I saw police cruisers vandalized and set on fire. For a while, I was willing to reluctantly consider that the almost $1billion in security costs may have been money well spent.
The question also arose in my mind though, with all that money spent and the massive police presence in Toronto — just how did that group of 100 or so vandals manage to run roughshod over areas of Toronto? It became rather apparent the police were far more intent on protecting that fence than the downtown area outside of it.
Ah yes, that fence, the same one that Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair asked the provincial cabinet to pass regulations which allowed police officers to violate our rights and freedoms to protect. The regulations which were supposed to only have effect five metres from that fence. The regulations which appear to have been applied throughout the city to accommodate whatever police state tactics the cops chose to deploy.
I read in the Toronto Star on Sunday morning that the police were aware of at least one bus load of people from Quebec who were headed to Toronto for what appeared to be exactly what we saw on Saturday. That begs the question — if the cops knew they were coming, why did they let them arrive? Being unable to prevent their arrival, why was some of that massive police presence not used to keep a close eye on them and nail them as soon as they started something? More >
Tags: bill blair, fence, G30, police state tactics, protesters, rampage, security costs, Toronto, toronto police chief, toronto starFather calls for Canada to finish mission
May 15th
Just two days away from returning safely home, Pvt. Kevin McKay was on patrol in Afghanistan on Thursday. In an instant his life ended. Instead of returning home to a party, he will be returned to his family for a funeral. He is the 144th Canadian to die on this mission.
The father of this brave young Canadian has looked past his own grief to call on our government to stay the course in Afghanistan. He’s calling on the government not to set an end date but to set obtainable objectives and stay until they’re finished. He’s calling for the objective to be the training of the Afghan army and police.
Pvt McKay’s father is a deputy fire chief in Toronto. Firefighters in Toronto and along the Highway Of Heroes all understand the cost of this war, they have been a strong presence on every overpass between Trenton and Toronto every time Canadian soldiers are repatriated. I understand the cost of this war. I weep privately for our fallen and then join the firefighters on the bridges. More >
Tags: Afghanistan, canadian soldiers, highway of heroes, kandahar province, parliament, returning home, young canadiansLocal Pharmacist Needs to be Careful What He Dials Up
May 11th
In the last couple of weeks, on the Sundays to be exact, I’ve received a phone call which appears to come from an 800#. As I do during the week, I let calls like that go to the answering machine. When one arrives on Sunday though, I get rather irritated along the lines of do those bloody telemarketers have no limits!!
The two calls I’ve received came from a pharmacist in Port Hope which is west of where I live. I’m not and never have been a customer of his. I definitely will NEVER now be a customer of his. It’s bad enough he’s calling on Sunday but it isn’t even about whatever mundane specials he happens to be running in an effort to expand his business.
In an article in Northumberland Today the pharmacist indicates the calls could continue indefinitely. I’ve sent him an email from his website to advise him in no uncertain terms to stop making those calls to my home. He will do his cause more harm than good doing so.
In his call he urges people to call the local MPPs office to protest the cuts. I called to leave a message urging the MPP to hold the line and support the cuts. I called again today to inquire if others did the same. The lady in his office said yes, often, but was diplomatic enough not to say which was the greater numbers.
Tags: government of ontario, government regulation, health dollars, health service, medcheck, northumberland today, pharmaceutical firms, pharmacies, pharmacists, public healthPolice Background Check System Broken?
Apr 9th
The Toronto Star today is reporting that a little noticed move by the RCMP last December to comply with provisions of the Privacy laws has resulted in breaking the police check system. Anyone who has volunteered in the community, particularly in positions dealing with children, will be familiar with having a police check done.
The check is supposed to insure that the volunteer is free of any criminal past which would endanger the people the volunteer is working with and the organization they are volunteering for. In some instances volunteers undergo multiply checks as a single check can’t be shared with other agencies.
They are a routine nuisance for honest people in the belief that they will catch those who should not be anywhere near vulnerable clients, especially children. Not only are pedophiles who have been pardoned, some 887 sex offenders in 2009-10, shielded from discovery in these checks but now those who have been convicted are as well. More >
Tags: checks, pardons, pedophiles, privacy laws, sexual offences, sexual offenders, volunteersNo Quarter For Pedophiles
Apr 7th
Of all the crimes in our society I don’t believe there is any which raises the ire of people more than crimes, especially sexual crimes, against our children. Children are the future of any society, without healthy children a future healthy adult society just wont happen.
Two stories have been getting a lot of press time lately. The first is the series of scandals hitting the Roman Catholic Church and in particular the Pope’s possible involvement in attempts to coverup the crimes of its clergy. The second is the National Parole Board’s decision to grant a pardon to Gordon James, a junior hockey coach convicted of sexually molesting two players, one being a former NHL player.
I read accounts over the Easter weekend of those who condemned the RC church for not raising the issues during Holy Week services. Others who condemned the few attempts to defend the church from the pulpit by referring to the charges as ‘petty gossip’. Opinion columns, like Anthony Persichilli’s in the Toronto Star, who predicts the resilient church will overcome the scandal. Or from the other perspective in the same paper, Ted Schmidt sees the very rot of the institution enshrined in the scandal. More >
Tags: children, criminal pardons, hockey, parole board, pediophiles, roman catholic church, sexual abuse, vaticanAnti-Project Hero Profs Offside
Mar 29th
Sixteen professors at the University of Regina have written a letter protesting their institutions involvement in Project Hero. This scholarship program provides children of fallen Canadian soldiers with free tuition for their post-secondary education. Several post-secondary institutions across the country are taking part in the program.
The 16 profs in question believe the University of Regina should withdraw from the program. They denounce the program as “a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan and elsewhere.” and “support for Project Hero represents a dangerous cultural turn. It associates heroism with the act of military intervention. It erases the space for critical discussion of military policy and practices“.
Are these people so far up on their ivory towers they don’t know how to find their way to a simple dictionary? I managed to find one and discovered that one of the meanings of ‘imperialism’ is: the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.
More >
Coulter’s People Brought On the Cancellation
Mar 25th
Ann Coulter, a self-proclaimed Conservative bigot, ran from her speaking engagement at the University of Ottawa on Tuesday evening. She didn’t physically run, she just threw in the metaphorical white towel.
While initial reports claimed the police and the University were the cause of the event being cancelled, it is looking more and more like Coulter’s own people threw in the towel.
I’m saying she’s ‘self-proclaimed’ as Conservative mainly because I can’t imagine any true conservative with a brain in their head wanting her held up as an example of conservative thinking on either side of the border. If she truly is an example of conservative thinking, I am understanding more and more why Canadians wont allow Harper a majority government.
The more I’ve read about this incident the more I believe this whole thing is a publicity stunt for a two bit red-neck hack who brings new meaning to ‘dumb blonde’. Prior to her scheduled visit to the University she received an email from the vice-president of the university cautioning her to be aware of Canadian hate laws which differ from laws in the USA. More >
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