Posts Tagged by Canada
Pardon System to be Revamped
| 5/12/2010 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Canada’s Pardon system is about to see an overhaul. The Conservatives tabled a bill yesterday to make the changes. The most important changes and the ones I believe were absolutely needed is the deny pardons to those convicted of sex crimes against children and those with convictions of three or more serious offences.
In typical Harper Conservatives fashion, they are now trying to ramrod the bill through the house by raising the spectre of Karla Homolka being eligible to apply for pardon this year. Let me say quite clearly, that woman shouldn’t be even walking the streets let alone being eligible for a pardon.
It’s cleared the flawed system needed some fixing and quickly before another serious injustice occurs. So why wouldn’t the Conservatives table a carefully thought out bill with the most important changes included and leave the door open for other changes to follow? Now that would be a tad too civil.
An editorial in today’s Toronto Star says the bill goes too far. It finds that the move to change the name from Pardon to “Record Suspension” as mean spirited. Toews rationalizes that a pardon implies forgiveness and that the state is not in the business of doing so. (more…)
Police & Liberals Support the Gun Registry
| 5/6/2010 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
A couple of weeks ago, at a meeting of Police Chiefs, Ignatieff committed to a whipped vote on the Conservative gun registry bill. The bill is a private members bill and as such it is unusual for any party to whip (require a vote on party lines). It is also rather unusual for a bill that is part of a party’s platform to be brought to the house as a private members bill.
The bill has previously passed Parliament but had died on the order paper when Harper prorogued the House in December to avoid the detainee issue. The bill had passed the House in part as the result of 8 Liberal MPs giving it support in a free vote. The MPs had been targeted by the Conservatives as vulnerable to the issue. That doesn’t necessarily make it a free vote when the MPs in question vote as the result of political pressure.
The Canadian Association of Police Chiefs opposed the elimination of the gun registry. The consider it an important tool in fighting crime, something that the Conservatives claim as being their committed forte. In response, Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz dismissed their call to leave the registry alone as the chiefs being out of touch with the frontline officers on the street.
Guess what, the Canadian Police Association (the frontline guys), has now stepped up to call for the registry to be left alone. That sounds like a pretty loud plea from those who are sworn to serve and protect to leave this tool for police work alone. Do the Conservatives listen?
Of course not, that would be way too far off their ideological path. Government in Canada these days is not about the will of the people, it is about what Conservative ideology demands.
Ignatieff should have seen through the Conservatives ploy the first time round when they introduced the bill as a private members bill. He’s seen it now, he hadn’t better waver.
Conservatives claim that women in Canada want less crime. Apparently women voters haven’t bought that assumption of what we supposedly want, the latest poll shows a 10 point gap between the men and women who would vote Conservative.
Maybe women are more concerned about the huge cost of the Conservative’s plans for mandatory sentencing while at the same time seeing so many woman’s groups having their funding cut. Those groups meet needs in this country which work towards true equality between men and women, something Conservatives appear to be quite willing to impede.
As for this woman, leave that gun registry in place. The more tools the police have to work with to prevent serious crimes, the less we’ll pay later while the criminal lingers in prison. Prevention is way cheaper than cure.
UPDATE: Just after making this post I came across this link: Top 10 Myths About the Canadian Firearms Registry. An eye opening read.
How Much Is This Conservative Stall Going to Cost?
| 3/15/2010 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Back in December the majority of Parliament ordered the government to produce in their entirety the documents related to the Afghan detainee issue. Harper made clear he was going to defy that order and went so far as to prorogue Parliament in order to try to squash the issue.
He claimed the prorogue was to recalibrate the government’s direction and agenda. Having since seen that ‘recalibration’ via the Throne Speech and the budget, I don’t think anyone really truly believes the government did anything but stall and enjoy the Olympics.
So, parliament returns and in order to further flip the bird at the supremacy of parliament Harper, through his minion Rob Nicholson (Minister of Justice), is stalling by appointing respected jurist Frank Iacobucci to review the documents and rule if the documents are able to be released or not. (more…)
Own The Podium Controversy — Chill Out
| 2/24/2010 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News |
Five years ago Canada; as in the Canadian Olympic Committee, sports federations and the government took a pretty bold and overdue move. They put together a group known as “Own the Podium” with the goal to provide the training, support and technology to our top athletes with the stated goal of topping the medal count at the 2010 Olympics.
I was rather amused at the premise that Canada would own the podium in 2010 when we have taken far too long to pour the resources into our sports programs from which our Olympian’s emerge. Other countries, like the United States, Russia and China have made no bones about pouring millions into the development of their elite athletes. Why shouldn’t Canada?
Some criticize the goal of owning the podium as arrogance on Canada’s part, as setting unrealistic goals, putting to much pressure on our athletes etc. Chill out people. The fact is if you don’t set the bar as high as you dare to reach, you will never reach the goal. There is nothing unrealistic about the goals the program sets, Canadian athletes throughout the history of the games have turned in amazing performances, there is no reason why they shouldn’t receive the support of the nation they so proudly represent. (more…)
Letter to Ignatieff
| 9/29/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
Last week I was having lunch with a friend and briefly the subject of politics came up. I expressed some of my views on Ignatieff to which she responded that I should write him a letter about my views. My response was, I would but it would not likely get anywhere near him. I thought about that and decided that be damn if it gets anywhere near him, I’ll write my letter here on my blog. So here goes:
I joined the Liberal Party of Canada in July of this year. While I’ve spent a lifetime reading and thinking about politics and how our leaders (or lack), shapes my country, I’ve never before made the decision to commit myself to a political party.
I’ve always leaned towards liberalism, largely because I have a deep-seated belief that one of the great strengths of this country is our social safety net which provides a level of support for those at the lower socioeconomic levels of our society. That sense of social responsiblity balanced with fiscal responsibility has always come from the Liberal Party of Canada.
So, why did I join in July? After a few years of what appeared to me as utter chaos within the party due to their infighting and weak leadership, there appeared to be a leader with some integrity and vision. I still think you have the integrity, but to be frank, I’m having a lot of trouble with discerning your vision.
Where’s the vision?
You seem to be spending a lot of energy and air time reacting to Harper. Canadians know what Harper is, the problem is they don’t yet see a viable alternative to him. True there are aspects of Harper the Canadian people don’t fully realize or appreciate how wrong he is, but they still don’t see a viable alternative. Why do you think Canadians haven’t yet given him a majority government? (more…)
Canadian Municipalities Show Guts
| 6/7/2009 | Posted by Patti under General |
The Canadian Federation of Municipalities passed a resolution at its meeting in Whistler, BC to shut out US firms from their municipal contracts in response to the Americans doing the same. The resolution is not binding on all municipalities and I personally would have preferred to see a “Buy Canadian” resolution.
The resolution is a response to US municipalities taking on a Buy American approach to their local acquisitions. The Americans do so largely because they have enough confidence in their own abilities and independence to believe they can look inward and thrive. They likely can in reality look inward and manage to survive but not necessarily thrive.
In order for Americans to learn that lesson, other municipalities, especially where their policies have killed jobs and businesses, need to return the favour and refuse to allow American firms to tender on local projects.
Canada needs to have enough guts and confidence in our own business people to support them when they are being denied access to foreign markets.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=82e63346-994e-4784-a1b8-e6de4549df82)
Deal With the Devil Collapses
| 5/8/2009 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan |
Less than a month after the signing of the regulation giving the Pakistan Taliban control over the Swat Valley and the ability to impose their form of Islam on the people, the deal has collapsed. What a non-surprise. Shortly after the Taliban moved their forces into Bruner and tried to take control there which would have placed their forces some scant 35km from the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
How many times are the Taliban, Pakistani or Afghani, going to have to demonstrate they can’t be trusted before the two governments are going to stand firm against them? It has taken 25 years for that conclusion to be reached in Sri Lanka in their fight against the Tamil Tigers. The Taliban, like the Tigers, will never be fully wiped out, that’s a given. With enough resolve and resources their ability to openly and freely regroup, train and finance their operations can be seriously restrained. That will not happen while the Pakistan government continues to waffle. (more…)
Canadian Soldiers Are Both Warriors and Peacekeepers
| 4/14/2009 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan, Brave Canadians |
The godfather of Canada’s latest fallen hero seems to feel that his goddaughter died for nothing. He believes that Canada’s military should return to its “peacekeeping roots”. Canada’s roots are not in peacekeeping any more than his roots are English instead of French.
In the next few days the remains of Trooper Blais will land at CFB Trenton and like all those who arrived before her, she and her family will travel the Highway of Heroes. On one of those bridges I’ll be standing in my place as a Legion officer to the left of the Canadian flag flying in her honour, saluting her service and sacrifice. I’m assuming her godfather, Mario Blais, will be in one of the vehicles passing under us.
I’d like opportunity to sit down with him and have a quiet talk about the legacy that his goddaughter signed up to. I’d like to talk to him about how his claim (and he’s not the only one to do this) that Canada’s roots are in peacekeeping diminishes the memory of those warriors Karine followed in the footsteps of. I’d like to talk to him about how even peacekeeping missions were not without danger and death, in fact at times the danger was even more while our soldiers were denied access to weaponry to protect themselves. (more…)
Follow Me!