Crescent Canuck (Politics)

3 Reasons Why Canada's Immigration System is Broken

2011-05-10T10:29:00.001-04:00

1. When we immigrated there seemed to be a value to speaking either English or French before you immigrated to Canada.

Now it seems there's lots of immigrants here who not only can NOT speaking either of those languages, but have no desire to learn.

Example: If you go to a No Frills in Scarborough, Ontario, for example, the lady behind the fish counter has no idea how to speak English. Ask her a question, she doesn't know how to respond, and will call someone else who also speaks very limited English. You point to the fish, say "small or large pieces" and they cut it for you. And this type of customer experience is now becoming widespread in parts of Toronto.

2. It used to be multiculturalism. Now it's being dominated by a few immigrant groups.

Canada used to be a magnet for immigrants from across the world. Yet now, attend a citizenship ceremony in Toronto, and it's dominated by immigrants from one or two ethnicities. And not only that, these groups seem to go out of their way to not mix with other groups.

Example: You will never see a non-desi working in a desi store, or a non-Chinese worker at a Chinese store. Why?

3. Immigrants are being denied work opportunities and discriminated against daily.

I don't need to link to studies or research here to prove what every immigrant knows is a fact of life.

Why is an engineer serving fast food?

Why is a doctor driving a taxi?

Why is an MBA cleaning rooms?

Canada imports qualified immigrants to do cheap labour, thus robbing the developing countries of their talent pool, while wasting them here. The Canadian boards that govern doctors, engineers, and other "licensed" boards make immigrants run around circles for years in a desperate quest to do what they are adequately trained to do.

Why Rana Sarkar Lost Scarborough Rouge-River

2011-05-03T21:12:00.004-04:00

When stalwarts like Yasmin Ratansi can lost in Don Valley East, no Liberal riding was safe in the GTA. Yet, Scarborough Rouge-River was one riding Liberals could have held on. Instead, the Liberal candidate Rana Sarkar lost to NDP's Rathika Sitsabaiesan (18,856 votes and 40.5 per cent support). In fact, he came third, with Conservative Marlene Gallyot placing second (source: The Star).

Having grown up there, and knowing many of the families through sports and recreational meets, here's why I think the Liberals lost.

1. Well known and liked MP Derek Lee was standing down, so there was no incumbency factor.

2. Rana Sarkar was relatively unknown; in fact I am told he lives downtown (so was not even a resident of the area). Rathika Sitsabaiesan was someone who lives in the area and was involved in activism (she was involved in the University of Toronto student council).

3. Rana Sarkar was an Indian-Candian in a riding that has a huge Tamil population. In fact, I felt someone else, preferably a Tamil candidate, should have taken Derek Lee's position. My choice would have been Shamoon Poonawala, someone close to Derek Lee's campaign, and also a Tamil. In fact, I was surprised Neethan Shan, who ran a credible municipal candidate, was also not tapped (even though he leans NDP).

Lesson for the Liberals - local candidates matter.

From a Voter - Why the Liberals Lost

2011-05-03T10:19:00.001-04:00

I had a hard time voting for the Liberal party this election. And I live in one of Scarborough's most ethnic communities in the GTA, full of immigrants, Muslims and (former) Liberal supporters. And yet, our riding went Conservative. Here's my take on why the Liberal party has been decimated in their stronghold of Toronto.

1. A "Just Visiting" Leader

A lot of us don't like Michael Ignatieff. And that's us Liberals; forget those who just know him from "Just Visiting" ads. The guy stays out of the country for 30 years, and then comes back and immediately wants to be Prime Minister? What does he even KNOW of the average Canadian? Hell, he even supported the Iraq war!

2. A Shift to the Right

The Liberal party was supposed to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. What happened?

The Liberal party was supposed to oppose corporate tax rate reductions. What happened?

The Liberal party was supposed to be against deficit spending. What happened?

The Liberal party used to have a balanced position in world conflicts. What happened?

When the voters cannot see a difference between Liberals and Conservatives, those on the right will vote for the real right party i.e. Conservatives. And those on the left will support the NDP, which is what happened. I have said long ago that Liberals need to be more left than right.

3. The Economy is Pretty Bad

Really. People are worried about their jobs, or how they will pay the next bill. And along comes the Liberals promising $4000 in tuition to students, cap and trade, telling people to "Rise Up" (for what?) and so on. What about their MAIN CONCERN?

As a Blue Grit, I would have LOVED to see my taxes go down. The Liberals should have borrowed Paul Martin's playbook and promised a reduction in income taxes. Liberals need to concentrate on the basics.

4. McGuinty Or, as I call him, Mc Guilty

You can blame Harper for the G20 all you want, we who live in Toronto know that the real villains were Mc Guinty and his secret law, and the powers he gave to a police force that seems to have abused it. And which party is Mc Guinty again? Oh, yes - the Liberals. And that's not even getting into the HST.

5. Taking Immigrants and the GTA for granted

What was the last thing the Liberals did for us immigrants? It let us in. And that was it.

For years, I have been crying out about jobs and credential recognition for immigrants, while the Liberals seem happy to just let in immigrants to work as pizza delivery men or window washers or taxi drivers. Stephane Dion told me during an interview on how he planned to tackle this, but nothing was proposed by the Liberals in the last 4 years. Instead, it was Harper who was seen to be moving on this agenda.

Only time will tell how the Tories will reward Toronto and Rob Ford for their support, but at the moment, Harper is right when he mentions about the money he had spent in Toronto (Union Station, Spadina subway extension, and yes, G20).

Rocco Rossi - FAIL!

2010-01-22T11:23:00.003-05:00

I have not made an in-depth analysis of Rocco Rossi's proposals yet. But anyone who targets to stop Transit City, which is Miller's only worthwhile initiative that I can fight for, is a FAIL! candidate.

Anyone who wants to stop Transit City is not fit to be mayor of Toronto.

Perhaps they care after all

2010-01-13T15:40:00.002-05:00

The Prime Minister thought Canadians wouldn't care when he prorogued Parliament.

Slightly left-wing Toronto radio host John Moore agreed.

I also had asked whether Canadians truly cared.

However, latest numbers show the Tories are tied with the Liberals in support.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has paid a large price in popularity for shutting down Parliament, with his Conservatives effectively tied with Liberals in a new poll by The Strategic Counsel.

Conservatives are at 31 per cent, compared to 30 per cent for Liberals, in the poll conducted by Strategic Counsel late last week, as controversy was starting to build over Harper's prorogation of Parliament until March 3.

That's the lowest the Conservatives have been since last June in Strategic Counsel polling.

"Proroguing of Parliament has hurt the Tory brand," said Tim Woolstencroft, the managing partner at Strategic Counsel, who believes that Harper's Conservatives must be seeing the same kind of numbers, because the government has appeared to be in a defensive posture all week. "I think the government is worried about it," Woolstencroft said.

When the Liberals, without laying out alternative policies, with a leader still not broadly popular, with only Facebook numbers for comfort, can be tied with the Cons, perhaps the reports of their death had been highly exaggerated after all.

Harper going (pro)rogue

2010-01-07T21:19:00.002-05:00

In a great piece of investigative journalism the Toronto Star has found that majority of Canadians oppose Harper suspending parliament.

What to me would have been a more illustrative question would have been "Do you care?".

We will have the Olympics, then Parliament will resume and come election time, no one will remember this incident. That's why these polls mean nothing.

Opposition "Outraged" At Prorogue

2010-01-04T21:38:00.001-05:00

Er... except that Michael Ignatieff is somewhere in Europe and Layton is surfing in Belize.

Seriously.

Harper suspends Parliament ... again!

2009-12-30T16:23:00.002-05:00

Why?

This is not Windows... that you can restart with Cntrl-Alt-Delete whenever you want to and all is well. This is the engine of our functioning democracy.

More than Harper, our Governor General Michele Jean should be ashamed. Perhaps there was a reason to prorogue Parliament last year due to the Coalition. There is no reason to do so now.

This might be the first of many that entices people who were OK with Harper and uncomfortable with Ignatieff to start voting Liberal again.

What is Ignatieff's stance on Galloway?

2009-03-24T12:48:00.002-04:00

What is Mr Ignatieff's stance on Galloway?

Mr Ignatieff is an unelected (by rank and file Liberals) leader.

He supported the Iraq war (initially).

We have had no debate on his positions and views of Canada as leader of the Liberal party post-Dion.

As a Liberal, I deserve to know where Mr Ignatieff stands on issues important to Liberals. Issues like freedom of speech, justice and peace.

Mr Galloway is clearly no security threat to Canada. In fact, he is in the USA right now speaking.

Will he be allowed to do so in Canada? Will Mr Ignatieff do the right thing and work to overturn this ban? Or at least speak out against it, as the NDP has done?

Letters Accuses Harper of Racism

2009-02-03T15:39:00.001-05:00

A letter signed by 185 groups and individuals charges that Harper is anti-Muslim.

Harper government anti-Muslim, letter charges.
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Signed by Muslim and non-Muslim lawyers, academics, and public policy commentators, the letter says Harper's silence and inaction on Khadr's case is much different than his approach to other cases, and suggests it is motivated by a lack of regard for Muslim Canadians.

I think this letter is deserving of comment, and I have to say I agree with the central charge of this letter. This is a serious allegation and for the first time in recent times the government of Canada has been accused of racism.

I have no sympathies with the Khadr family and I wish the US soldiers who captured him had put a bullet right and prevented us from dealing with this saga. However, he has been captured alive and it is Canada's duty to see justice prevails.

If he is guilty, punish him. If he is innocent, bring him home. To have him remain in limbo is not justice, and the "new" government of Canada has dragged its heels.

On the flip side, I am surprised the help provided to Lebanese-Canadians during the Israel attack on Lebanon in 2006 is not mentioned by the letter.

The Night The World Watched

2008-11-06T08:56:00.001-05:00

I remember, eight years ago when news filtered of Bush winning the 2000 election. Most of my Muslim friends in the US had been ardent supporters of the Republican ticket, driven mostly by anti-semitism (I fear) caused by the Gore-Lieberman ticket.

It was a long fight, but ultimately Gore conceded. I remember it rained on inauguration day. Thousands of protesters lined up to snarl at Bush's parade. Under black umbrellas and dark clouds, Bush took the oath of office, and an equally dark chapter began in America's history.

I remember, four years ago, when I stayed with CNN late in the night, hoping the result would turn, and then, on getting up in the morning, finding that Kerry had conceded the election. My mind thought the thought that an English paper The Daily Mirror had printed so eloquently - "How can 59,054,087 people be so dumb?".

Yesterday, at 11 pm, as CNN made the historic projection, it seemed as if America had finally laid the ghosts of the Bush regime to rest.

Whereas the night had been dark and gloomy eight years ago, last night was crisp, bright, clear. The weather, as if on cue, was brilliant and unseasonably warm.

The celebrations - I have seen nothing like it following a political election. It was as if a team had won the World Series, or a country had won the World Cup. A colleague remarked to me this profound though, "I think the American people, whether they knew it or not, were oppressed. And they could feel it. For the last eight years, their freedoms have been suppressed, and their many rights slowly taken away, and their nation pillaged. Yesterday, something changed."

Now, as the USA embarks on a new era, I am reminded once more as to why, despite its many faults, America still remains a leader amongst nations, a truly great country, and a shining example of its ideals to the rest of the world.

US Presidential Debate 3 - Live Blogging

2008-10-15T21:01:00.032-04:00

8.53 pm - CNN gathers their focus group - another bunch of ~~idiots~~ undecided voters. How can ANY one be undecided at this time?

8.55 pm - Boy, this election is still dragging on. Our election was up and running much later and was done and dusted by yesterday.

8.58 pm - Another older moderator. Where are the hot young newsreader women?

9.01 pm - Breaking news - McCain shakes hand with "that" one.

9.03 pm - McCain says it's good to see you Bob. And then he turns and says "Senator Obama". And that's it.

9.05 pm - "The fundamentals of the economy are weak." Says Obama. The question was WHY is your plan better than his, not WHAT is your plan. As like before, no one answers the question. Obama again says "Senator McCain and I agree ..."

9.08 pm - McCain talks about some Joe that Obama met. Joe the Plumber - that's the name. Can you get any more generic than that?

9.09 pm - McCain: "Senator Obama will raise taxes." Obama: "He will cut taxes for oil companies." Rinse, repeat. I wonder why McCain brings this up - it just gives Obama a chance to state his plan again.

9.11 pm - McCain brings up the tax plan again. Joe the Plumber. I am sure he has a point but he is struggling to make it.

9.13 pm - NOW McCain brings his point, comparing tax rates between Ireland and USA. Just as he is making his point, the moderator shifts the topic. Poor luck!

9.15 pm - "Borrowing money from China to send to Saudi Arabia" is how Obama describes the current energy policy of USA. I like it.

9.18 pm - Again, I am wondering how such a projector in a planetarium can cost $3 million?

9.21 pm - "Senator Obama, I am not Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run 4 years ago." With that, McCain scores the first zinger of the evening.

9.24 pm - "If I am mistaking you for Bush it's because you agree with him most of the time, and propose another 8 years of the same!" Obama responds. Meh.

9.25 pm - The moderator asks the men to say face to face what their campaigns have told everyone. This should be interesting.

9.30 pm - You said I was bad, no you did! No you did! Nah nah nah ...

9.32 pm - McCain somehow schools Obama after being schooled. It's a funny thing this - McCain looks grumpy but somehow manages to get a zinger or two.

9.37 pm - Obama's strategy seems to be to get McCain to make accusations so he can refute them on national TV. It works because he doesn't get to "lose the debate", get time on TV and serves McCain no good.

9.41 pm - Joe Biden vs Sarah Palin. Who do you think is better? Gee, that's a tough one.

9.45 pm - Obama tears down McCain's support of spending freeze while spending on autism. McCain tears down Joe Biden.

9.47 pm - Zzzzz .. wait! They mentioned Canada!

Obama: "Oh yes, when Obama said he would renegotiate NAFTA the Canadians (that's us, wave!) said we would sell our oil to China." Hmm, I don't remember that.

9.51 pm - Obama gives a solid reply. Lot of facts, few nuances. My union buddy would love Obama's response. Full of protectionism. In this, I am with McCain. If Obama wants to renegotiate NAFTA, we got two words. "Softwood lumber".

9.54 pm - Somehow I think this debate is going McCain's way just because Obama is not attacking him.

9.55 pm - McCain: "Obama doesn't wanna free trade with our best ally while sit across the table with our worst enemy". Zing!

9.59 pm - Please explain your health plans.

Obama: If you got health coverage plan keep it. If you don't, take mine!

McCain: Go to Canada.

10.03 pm - Obama tears apart McCain's health plan. McCain talks to Joe the Plumber again. Maybe Obama can pick Florence the Nurse?

10.06 pm - McCain thinks he has zinged Obama on the health plan but Obama simply picks apart his argument without making a sweat.

10.08 pm - Roe v Wade. To their credit, both candidates state their positions on abortion clearly, unlike Kerry last time who waffled. Again, I am surprised at how progressive Canada is compared to the States.

PS. McCain is pro-life? Since when? 2007?

10.15 pm - Abortion. Abortion. Yawn. Thankfully the moderator aborts the discussion.

10.16 pm - I am just waiting for the debate to be over. This debate has been very engaging and boring. Somehow this is possible.

10.19 pm - How do you educate young Americans? By boring them to death, apparently.

10.21 pm - The undecided voters think both are speaking well.

Obama: "The fact of the matter is ..."

McCain: "We need to ... we need to ..."

10.23 pm - McCain: "Bush wanted to fix the problem - "No child left behind" - but he messed it up so you need me to fix it."

10.27 pm - Hurray, closing statements.

10.28 pm - McCain: "We cannot afford 8 years of the same - huh? - I fight every body, their party, my party, myself (from 2006) ... there's a long line of McCains who served the USA, and I wanna serve again."

10.29 pm - Obama: "The sky is falling, the economy is down, the end times are here. So we can NOT have the last 8 years again. I am change you need. Tax cuts. Health care. Jobs. Higher wages. Ponies for every body."

Verdict: Meh.

I think Obama came out ahead because he didn't lose. Or, as McCain told him when he shook his hand again, "Good job".

PS. Did Michelle Obama gain weight?

PS. Michelle looks hot.

US Presidential Debate 2 - Live Blogging

2008-10-07T20:52:00.034-04:00

8.53 pm - 'Perception analyzer' - probably the most over-hyped product on CNN.

9.01 pm - wow, just had a look at the moderator. Apparently John McCain won't be the oldest fossil on stage!

9.04 pm - "A lot of you are worried," says Obama. "This is the fault of Bush and McCain." All this in answer to what he would do. And then he talks some talking points.

9.06 pm - "Senator Obama, good to be with you here tonight." McCain says. First lie of the evening.

9.10 pm - Who would you appoint as Secretary of Treasury? Both Obama and McCain gave the same answer - "Warren Buffet". But Obama didn't say this time "Senator McCain is absolutely right."

9.11 pm - Ouch! Obama just says "Senator McCain is right we have to stabilize blah blah..."

9.12 pm - "Senator Obama and his cronies ..." Oh my, that's low, McCain. Low!

9.16 pm - Very good, polished, dare I say, presidential reply to McCain's charge. He is continuing his cool demeanor from the first debate.

9.19 pm - "There's blame on both sides but it's all ~~George Bush~~ McCain's fault." Obama should be a lawyer.

WHAT is a "net spending cut"?

9.21 pm - I can't focus on what McCain is saying, as he keeps moving around too much. I notice Obama stands at one spot. McCain goes attacking Obama now. Boy is he nasty.

9.26 pm - What will you prioritize? McCain says everything and Obama lists them in order. And who says who doesn't have a plan?

I am reminded of Dion's statement "Do you think it's easy to make priorities?"

9.29 pm - McCain brings up a Chicago projector again. "We have to have a spending freeze." And then he says "defense". "We are not rifle shots, we are Americans."

9.30 pm - Obama is now for offshore drilling. He then tells everyone to be green. Seems to have looked up Dion's Green Shift.

9.33 pm - Obama is doing a Clinton, bringing up normal, every day examples. Teacher living in a budget, CEO = bad guy and so on. "McCain wants to use a hatchet to cut the federal budget while I want to use a scapel."

9.35 pm - "Obama is Jello", says McCain. What?

9.40 pm - Wow, Obama is on fire. McCain is king of bad jokes.

9.41 pm - McCain's solution to everything: We gotta seat down at the table and reach across the aisle ...

9.44 pm - McCain: "Senator Obama wants nuclear power that is safe. Haha, chicken! I have been on navy ships that are nuclear powered. It's safe!"

I am paraphrasing of course. Not!

9.46 pm - Again, Obama points out there is something he and McCain agree on. But this it's a dig on him.

9.48 pm - McCain: Obama voted for a bill with goodies. I voted against. Actually he doesn't even say "Senator Obama". He says "that man". Wow, low. *UPDATE* it looks like he said "that one", not "that man" (as per the comments). Even lower!

9.50 pm - Obama gets a question on healthcare. This should be a softball. "We have a moral commitment to do something." Obama then gives a step by step plan. Any bets McCain will say "my friends" and "we have to work across the aisle"?

"What one hand giveth the other hand taketh away" is how Obama describes McCain's health plan.

9.54 pm - "We have to give Americans choice, not mandate healthcare." That's McCain's take. He didn't even mention reaching across the aisle. *Sniff*

9.56 pm - Obama brings up his mother and her cancer death bed. *sniff*

I have to say again Obama is on fire. He countering charges effectively and he sounds more genuine.

"Did we hear the fine?" McCain's bad joke #3.

10.00 pm - McCain gets his own softball, a question about US army deployments as a peacemaker. McCain shines on this, saying he opposed Lebanon and so on.

"Short career" and "on the job training" is how McCain characterizes Obama.

Obama sidesteps the surge smear and deftly maneuver Iraq as McCain's bad judgment.

10.06 pm - "If we don't act (when there's genocide and ethnic cleansing) it diminishes us." Obama doctrine.

10.07 pm - "I know US military situations. I have been here all my life. I know what to do." McCain doctrine.

10.09 pm - Obama is asked a question on Pakistan. He should be able to clear this without any problem.

"Pakistan is the Central front on the war on terrorism." I am guessing some of my Pakistani friends supporting Obama must be thrilled.

10.12 pm - "... same strategy that succeeded in Iraq ..." says McCain. A strategy that succeeded in Iraq?

10.13 pm - "If he gets a follow-up I want a follow-up" McCain rants. He is justified but looks petty. Unfortunately.

10.15 pm - McCain repeats "I know what is it like to handle young Marines". Sounds dirty!

"I am not going to telegraph my punches." McCain gets a good joke finally. And then, "I have been a military person."

10.17 pm - Amazingly, Obama is schooling McCain on foreign policy. McCain repeats "General Patreaus." He must be McCain's favorite general.

Finally McCain says "Obama is correct in ..."

10.20 pm - "We have got to show moral support for Georgia." This is McCain's home turf, and he speaks correctly and convincingly on the Russian threat.

Obama: "We have to see around the corners. I put out a statement last blah blah ..."

"We tend to be reactive." Obama again brings up Iraq.

10.24 pm - "Is Russia an evil empire? Yes or no?"

Obama gives a long winded reply.

McCain: "Maybe!"

Haha, second good joke of the day. Then he says the same thing as Obama but it is funnier.

10.28 pm - Mandatory Israel question. Mandatory Israel rah rah from both the candidates. McCain gives the more passionate reply. Obama has the more explanatory one.

10.31 pm - "What don't you know and how will you rectify that" is the question.

"Ask my wife," says Obama, to great laughter. It's a great funny line.

"It's never the challenges that you expect it's those that you never thought of".

10.33 pm - "What I don't know is what is the unexpected", is McCain's response. Boooo-ring.

However, a great closing line. "Put my country first."

Verdict: I give this debate to Obama hands down.

US Presidential Debate 1 - Live Blogging

2008-09-26T21:37:00.028-04:00

9.07 pm - McCain brings up Ted Kennedy (to me it sounds tacky - an obvious ploy to be classy).

9.20 pm - Did Obama just promise a tax cut for 95% of the USA, AND promise to build schools and bridges and stuff? Wow.

9.27 pm - God this is boring already. They are not going after each other at all. Memorized set pieces.

9.30 pm - "Using a hatchet where a scalpel is needed" - fantastic line from Obama.

9.37 pm - Obama goes after McCain - "you agree 90% of the time with Bush!"

9.39 pm - McCain gives a feeble reply and then brings up "I have been in Senate for a long time". Reference to his experience?

9.40 pm - McCain reply to Iraq is standard. "We are winning in Iraq, general is good, etc. etc."

9.41 pm - Obama's reply hasn't set any fires either. He says what he has to say (I disagreed / we should have been in Afghanistan). He should have accused John McCain of lack of proper judgment (bring up the 100 years).

9.43 pm - Brings up the surge which should be a plus point. Rightly brings up the O' Reilly show and Obama's daft comment ("surge worked"). Obama's reply should be interesting.

Obama says McCain thinks war started in 2007. Brings up early quotes and the slam "you were wrong". McCain is grinning like an idiot.

Now it's getting interesting. McCain says Obama doesn't understand the difference between tactic and strategy.

9.46 pm - McCain gets emotional (or tries to) with a story about how soldiers are running up to re-enlist to go to Iraq. Obama's background "this is not true" is not enough. He has to be forceful.

Obama explains his funding troops issue because it was a timetable issue. Question is - will it fly?

Obama is spending too much time on was this a wise war. He should pull out the bus into a ditch story he used in the debates against Hillary.

Did I say this debate is boring?

9.50 pm - McCain is pulling out names. He is boring, and I don't understand the point he is trying to make.

However Obama is not countering him forcefully. They are too used to being scripted.

9.51 pm - Obama rises to the Afghanistan issue. He says no one in Iraq has anything to do with 9-11. He says there was no Al Qaeda there. He says he always wanted to put troops there (should be music to Harper's ears).

Obama just mentioned Pakistan! When will he say he will bomb it? Now he brings up poppy trade.

AH PAKISTAN. "We have got to deal with Pakistan!" Let's see ...

9.53 pm - McCain replies. He promises not to abandon the Afghanistan again like they abandoned freedom fighters after they fought off the Russians. Does he know those freedom fighters are now the Taliban?

"I am not prepared to threaten Pakistan at this point." Good line. Works.

Obama is being schooled by McCain on the Afghanistan issue. Unbelievable.

9.56 pm - Obama is not blocking McCain at all.

"Pakistan is a very important element in all this."

Now, Obama is explaining his "bomb Pakistan" speech.

Haha, Obama brought up 'bomb Iran' and North Korea speech of McCain. This is good, now.

"If Pakistan is unwilling to cooperate we have to make some decisions," says Obama.

"We were anti-democratic," says Obama. Boy, he got guts to say that.

Now McCain calls Pakistan a 'failed state' when Musharref came to power.

So far Obama has come back with some effect on the Afghanistan issue.

9.58 pm - McCain brings up Bosnia, Kosovo and some other thing (yawn). Oh ya, Somalia. Why is he bringing that up? What has it go to do with Afghanistan. Oh, he has a record of being involved with national security issues, he says.

10.00 pm - One hour gone and so far no fireworks or gotcha moments. How long is this again?

Obama is now saying "he got a bracelet too". What? First time on live TV presidential candidates are debating on who is wearing bracelets.

"Let no US soldier die in vain again".

If you have a drink to every time Obama said "John you are absolutely right" and "our troops are doing a good job" you would be drunk by now.

"We are having enormous problems in Afghanistan because of Iraq."

He brings up McCain's "muddle through Afghanistan" comment.

10.02 pm - McCain scolds Obama for not visiting Afghanistan. He knows his VP pick got a passport only last year, right?

10.03 pm - Iran comes up. This should play to McCain's strength. Will he bring up Obama's readiness to talk to that leader?

Israel makes its first appearance.

"We cannot have a second holocaust." Woah! Did he watch Palin's interview?

Now he says Iran is lousy. They have a lousy government and their economy sucks, something to that effect. So if Iran has a nuclear weapon this is a threat to Israel and the world. I get it - Iran sucks.

OK. So what are you going to do about it?

10.06 pm - Obama correctly says Iraq war has emboldened Iran.

"Senator McCain is absolutely right." Again? Grrr!

Says he wants tougher sanctions.

"Tough diplomacy." Again, Obama brings it upon himself to bring that topic.

10.08 pm - McCain then latches on to this comment, saying talking with Ahmedinajad would give him a propaganda platform. "This will legitimize their behavior".

"I will sit down with anybody, but there has to be preconditions." McCain declares. Seriously he is more Bush while Bush is now more Obama.

10.10 pm - Obama says McCain's own adviser Kissinger says US should talk with Iran without preconditions. Very good gotcha moment, but next minute he mumbles the difference with preconditions and preparations.

Um, tough to say. Kissinger will surely come out with a reply now in McCain's favour.

10.12 pm - Obama says McCain doesn't even want to meet with a NATO ally, the President of Spain. He didn't expand on that.

McCain says he doesn't even have a seal! Haha, this is good stuff now. He calls Obama's approach "dangerous", followed by "he doesn't understand".

10.16 pm - The moderator cuts off just as they were getting fired up. McCain spews a great joke about a supposed meeting between Iranian President and Obama to great laughter.

10.19 pm - Obama explains his position on Russia, followed by McCain. McCain is very calm and cool and spews a lot of names.

"I saw three letters in Putin's eyes. K-G-B." Good quote. Wonder if Putin is watching.

10.24 pm - Obama follows McCain's cool explanation (and history lesson) with a proper explanation of its own. He is holding his own on Russia and Georgia.

In some ways this debate is boring but in other ways it is showing up the very different characteristics of the two men. McCain reacts and is on-the-spur whereas Obama can see the big picture and nuances with foresight.

10.29 pm - Will we have another 9/11? Ooooh.

A pause of silence. I think both candidates are shocked at the question.

McCain says we are safer but not safe yet.

Obama says we are safer in some ways. Er ... Will you say your opponent is right again!

Yes! Obama praises McCain on the torture issue (really! shut up about him already.) but fails to mention that McCain changed his mind on the torture issue lately.

McCain again says Obama doesn't understand.

10.32 pm - Obama makes a great point summation that over the last 8 years the focus on Iraq has made them less safer - "weakened our capacity to project our power throughout the world".

I see another Liblogger Last Canadian Exit... is also live-blogging the debate.

10.35 pm - McCain says he knows the veterans know he will take care of them. Wow. It sounds good. Republicans are all about good sound bytes.

Aha! Obama talks about his Kenyan father. And American dream. You can tell he is dying to give a speech!

Aha! McCain brings up his POW experience. He says he doesn't need any on-the-job training. Ouch. This is a nasty old man.

10.37 pm - It's over. I think I can safely call this a boring 0-0 draw.

Dion wishes Muslims on Laylat al-Qadr

2008-09-26T18:23:00.002-04:00

Today I was pleasantly surprised to see a statement from Stéphane Dion, the leader of the Liberal party and the Hon. Leader of the Opposition in Canada.

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to all of you who observe Laylat al-Qadr during Ramadan.

As this is the holiest night of Ramadan, when the Qur’an was first revealed to the prophet Muhammad by God, I know that you and your families will be taking this opportunity to pray, to reflect and to meditate.

I would like to highlight the important lessons that come from this spiritual evening. This night teaches values of sincerity and forgiveness which I believe should be a part of every person’s life. Your culture and religion, which espouses these principles, help to demonstrate the richness of diversity that Canada has and our country is a better place for it.

As you gather at your mosques or in your homes with loved ones tonight, I wish you a rewarding day.[source]

It's really reaching out to Muslims. I have seen politicians greet us on Eid before, but this is specific, man.

And then we have Walmart with Ramadan specials to know we have truly arrived!As an aside you gotta love how Walmart has 2-for-1 (Ramadan AND Eid Mubarak) on one banner - truly lower costs!).

One person is missing in action though - our Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Listerio-gate and the $70 billion plan

2008-09-18T12:12:00.003-04:00

Elections are all about moments.

Today, Dion had two moments gift-wrapped to him.

The first - Dion's 70 billion dollar plan to invest in infrastructure. By all counts it's a winning plan and it's a great plan.

1) In times of recession (which is what we are under now regardless of what Flaherty says), the government should spend in building infrastructure (roads, transits, etc) as these are great for not only helping you out of recession, but for future needs.

2) Who can say no to more transit and roads and bridges?

3) And where's Harper's plan to tackle Toronto's crowded streets and Montreal's crumbling bridges?

The second, a cabinet minister who jokes about people dying. I saw one post title on Liblogs that captured the sentiment perfectly.

HOW DO YOU JOKE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

Even Bill Carol on 1010 CFRB in the morning (a strong conservative) was aghast at this guy. This is a resignation offense. I would attack Harper in the debates with this.

"You had the option sir. You could have fired him. You chose not to."

Harper in Favour of Selling off Canada's Natural Resources?

2008-09-12T09:47:00.001-04:00

Dion is missing doing one thing this election.

Setting the agenda by announcing new policies.

Today, however, Harper has offered him a golden chance.

Harper would relax foreign ownership rules

Even though it's a Friday, we must get on this and be all over Harper immediately.

Do we really want more of our natural resources in the hands of the Chinese, Indians and Americans?

Already, most Canadian businesses know the routine - have a great idea, run a great business, and then when you reach a critical mass, be bought by a larger American company.

Our mines and mineral wealth are eagerly eyed by the growing Chinese, and our water and energy always precious to the Americans. Kissinger once famously said, "What is ours is ours. What is theirs is negotiable."

And to that type of mindset, WHY do we need to make ourselves easier to sell?

UPS and Skirts

2008-09-10T11:05:00.001-04:00

I have been following these stories with some interest.

Muslims fired over long skirts, tribunal told

Worker hiked skirt to be safer at work

As an armchair critic I have to say UPS is wrong on this issue and they have to change their guidelines if necessary to ensure these women's religious guidelines are met.

There are no two ways about this - a Muslim woman HAS to cover to below her knees. It is not the case they they are applying to Hooters for a job - a job which is basically at odds with their religion. These women were applying to be line workers at UPS and those jobs should be open to everyone.

There is a line in the sand and the UPS guidelines cross it.

It is not the case that Harper can make about women needing to unveil their faces for identification - something not mandated by law by the way - the safety guidelines that exist are either outdated with today's society or exist for more malicious reasons - and need to be changed.

Harper's To Lose

2008-09-07T12:26:00.002-04:00

And so we are off.

At this moment I have to confess it is hard for me to imagine how Dion would win this election. From the Star:

Harper will run on his record, outlining the tax-cutting promises kept since the 2006 campaign, and slammed the Liberal "green shift" plan to tax carbon fuels and offset the impact with other income tax cuts and subsidies for hard-hit sectors and individuals as a risky gamble.

I believe Dion hadn't had time to fully sell his Green Shift to the general population.

At work, hardly many people know the details of the Green Shift. More people know about the tax increase on pollutants than the income tax relief that Dion has proposed. With the Green Party also doing well, Dion could leak support to them as well.

All in all, it will come down to the English debates where Dion has to invoke a "gotcha" moment vs Harper - and I am not a big optimist that his English will improve sufficiently in time.

Sensitivity Training For Pearson Staff

2008-08-01T12:04:00.000-04:00

The Toronto Star is reporting that Canada Border Services Agency is putting officials through sensitivity training so they can appropriately deal with Arab and Muslim travelers.

This is of course welcome news. As a manager we personally negotiate or deal with people of other cultures all the time - and thus we take cultural sensitivity training. For example, in North America when people negotiate, the terms are usually very clear and everyone is eager to get a deal and time is a constraint. We don't mix business with pleasure. However when you negotiate with the Mexicans or Indians, they like to take their own sweet time. This is NOT a delaying tactic - they have a culture of getting to "know" the person they are dealing with and cultivating relations. Time is fluid and "there is always tomorrow" and a deal may not be very specific in the details.

Once you KNOW this, then you know this is something you can always use to your advantage. Sensitivity training never hurt anyone. Thus I find the attitude of the union representative in the article very selfish, self serving and borderline racist (no pun intended).
I do think that once they become a Canadian and they live among us, that they should pick up our ways and not have us picking up their ways.
Let alone the fact that some Arabs and Muslims may be travellers and not Canadian, so they DON'T have to "act Canadian" (whatever that means). Sensitivity training actually helps border agents do a better job.

For one, they don't waste their time on nothing cases. To quote the example in the article, many Muslim women come from cultures where they don't look an authority figure in the eye as a sign of respect. So while she is respecting you, you think she has something to hide and pull her over for scrutiny. So of course she is going to feel discriminated again, while you merely did your duty by acting on a valid suspicion (which you SHOULD do). She will them complain and an inquiry will be filed against you and you will go through the whole rigamarole at the end of which you will be found not guilty and she will be unhappy and you will be unhappy at going through the ordeal. So in the end, having that piece of cultural insight would have been good and advantageous for all concerned.

Second, WHY in God's name would you object to being paid by work for NOT doing work? We used to love those courses our offices sent us on, as that meant taking a paid break while relaxing in a course and eating free food. Me thinks the border guards doth protest too much.

[the Toronto Star]

A Brown Man Fighting A Court Discrimination Case

2007-12-11T13:21:00.001-05:00

My friend Liya's uncle is fighting a discrimination case today. Please head over there and give her your support.

This shit really pisses me off, especially after the Vancouver airport taser event.

And what pisses me off even more is the attitude of some people who then go "oh our police/security can do no wrong the guy must have deserved it, they get a lot of shit for doing their job".

Probably The Sunshine Girl

2007-12-05T16:42:00.000-05:00

Don't the New Democrats have anything better to do?

Conservative MP James Moore is the subject of a complaint that he's been checking out "scantily clad" women on his laptop computer in Parliament.A female New Democrat MP rose in the House of Commons today to complain that she saw Moore with a racy image on his computer screen while at his seat in the parliamentary chamber.[Star]

Then again, probably Harper was giving a speech in which case, time well spent Mr Moore.

Too Bad He's Not A White Blond Female

2007-12-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

It's time we took gun crimes seriously.

Yesterday 16-year-old Keyon Campbell was shot down on his driveway as he attempted to start his mom's car [Star]. Police think it's a case of mistaken identity - Campbell's a smart, student, employed, an avid basketball player, did not have a problem with the law and even starred in a short documentary as a boy on the right track - in short, all strikes against the negative stereotype of a young black man.

And he was shot down in cold blood in front of his house.

Police are of course clamoring to solve the case, but it's time gun crime is taken more seriously at higher levels.

When the Harper government came to power I thought finally we would have someone with the balls to do something about gun crime. Let's face it, Paul Martin's good-for-nothing plan to ban guns that were already banned was an act of desperation.

Yet now, nothing seems to have worked, in fact Toronto is on course to break it's 1991 record of 89 homicides, mostly with guns. School fights are now not settled with a punch-up but a shoot-out. What sort of society is this?

I don't think Campbell's death will strike much into public consciousness. Another black kid shot, most will think, besides he wasn't shopping downtown on Boxing Day and where's his dad? Those were what I thought as I read that story.

But his death DESERVES to be in the public conscious. It SHOULD spearhead an effort to cut down the illegal guns brought in from the States. And it SHOULD result in demands for greater punishment against perpetrators of gun violence on our streets.

Dion Wishes Muslims On Eid

2007-10-13T22:29:00.000-04:00

Statement by the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Leader of the Official Opposition, on the Celebration of Eid al-Fitr

October 12, 2007
On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary caucus, I would like to extend my best wishes to all Muslim Canadians celebrating the end of Ramadan with Eid al-Fitr.

Eid al-Fitr is a joyous occasion for Muslims around the world. It not only marks the end of fasting, but it is a time to express appreciation to Allah for the strength and perseverance he has given to help practice self-control during the previous month. It is a spiritual time that brings rejoicing and happiness.

As you gather with relatives and friends to partake in special prayers and festivities marking the end of Ramadan, please accept my warmest regards for a most memorable celebration.

Vote No To MMP

2007-09-30T23:35:00.000-04:00

After a lot of consideration, I will be voting "No" to MMP. There's a few reasons:

MMP tends to result in minority governments. While I recognize minorities can keep a "dictatorial" leader in check, and prevent any one party from implementing radical reforms, we have Senates in Canada (a house of 'sober second thought').
A minority government implies nothing gets done and too many games being played as the government remains busy trying to keep governing rather than getting anything done. I would rather the government push forward its agenda - whatever it is - and be judged on it, than 3 years of no action.
A minority government implies the government has to compromise its agenda, which is really what they were elected on in the first place.
I prefer Instant Runoff Voting, which is not on the ballot.
So a party gets a majority of the seats with only 35% of the people voting for them. I fail to see what the problem is. If more people voted it would have been fairer, but you know - the guys who didn't vote - consciously made that choice.
I don't like MPs being beholden and being blindly loyal to the party and party leaders. Even as it is now the "whip" has too much power.

Why McGuinty Is Wrong

2007-09-23T23:20:00.000-04:00

As a life long Liberal and someone who will work the boots off for a Dion victory, I cannot bring myself to vote for McGuinty. The debate and his attack on Tory's plans for funding faith-based schools have soured me to him.

I have said repeatedly that I do not agree with faith-based schools at all, yet the way McGuinty has attacked faith-based schools is completely wrong. He pointed to Toronto not having cultural divides, racial riots, civil unrest etc. because kids of many cultures go to school together. His argument - faith based schools divide people and promote segregation is completely hypocritical. McGuinty himself is the product of a faith-based school - the Catholic system.

So, in effect what McGuinty is saying to us is, faith based schools are wrong and promote racial discord - unless it happens to be a Catholic education - then it's all good. If that's not discrimination and if that's not elitist and if that doesn't feel racist then I don't know what else will.

As Tory said, it's a question of fairness. Either fund all faith based schools or fund none.

Where I would differ from him is that I would choose the "fund none" option.

Canadian Punjabi Newspapers Running "Abortion" Ads

2007-08-03T20:01:00.001-04:00

I first heard of this news story from Michael Coren today on CFRB.

Evidence suggests that ultrasound ads may be targeting Indo-Canadian groups to determine the sex of their unborn babies, which in turn may lead to abortions based on sex-selection, as is happening in numerous countries throughout the world.

So far the given news link is the only source I can find to verify Coren.

Personally my belief on abortion is coloured by my religion (OK in first four months under some circumstances - detailed analysis here), but I wonder how can we really be shocked that this gender-selected abortion is now not only occurring in Canada, but is paid for by tax payers too!

I don't care about multi culturalism - getting an ultra sound done to determine if the baby is a girl and then having an abortion if it's a female is wrong. I wonder how all the proponents of those who strictly believe in a woman's right to have an abortion can justify killing that woman in the first place itself.

Related Links:

BBC Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6275770.stm
CSM: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0113/p01s04-wosc.html
Sepia Mutiny: http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/004550.html

Ontario Election General Preview

2007-08-02T22:15:00.001-04:00

My view is that this is McGuinty's election to lose. Elections are usually a referendum on the current government and the general feel I get from everyone is that by most standards, the Liberals have delivered.

The biggest factor anyone I talk to mentions to me is education. There has been no labour dispute regarding teachers in the last four years - a constant fact of life under Mike Harris. Class sizes are on their way down, and it actually seems teachers are plentiful. However I do share a concern with this writer that some standards are getting lower.

The government has also provided money hiring more police officers (as promised) and even though we hear of shootings in and around Toronto, most people generally feel safe (and thus crime is not a big issue).

Immigration doesn't seem to catch anyone's attention (nor does terrorism - these are mostly federal issues) but immigrants as a whole are worried about recognition of foreign educational credentials, but these are again not blamed on McGuinty.

Where the Liberals have failed to pacify the voters is health care. This is of course my gut poll, very unscientific, but there are many people who are very angry at McGuinty on this issue alone. Not only did he put that much hated health tax (call it premium, whatever) but also took away eye care. We are getting less bang for more bucks, and every time we look at the pay stub we are reminded of this issue.

So the general preview is that even though the polls say it's 50-50, I feel it is the Liberals' election to lose. In the coming couple of months, three issues could rise into prominence where Tory will try and differentiate himself.

Funding for the TTC and easing the provincial downloading to cities.
The Cricket-Gate mismanagement of $32 million
Funding for non-Catholic schools.

It remains to be seen how much of a traction each of those issues can take.

Obama Oh Gone-a!

2007-08-01T19:36:00.001-04:00

Today is the day the Obama campaign starts to head downhill. What a way to torpedo oneself! And I had such high hopes for him too.

From the Boston Herald,

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists even without local permission if warranted - an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.

The BBC has a slightly nuanced report:

US presidential candidate Barack Obama has said he would order military action against al-Qaeda in Pakistan without the consent of Pakistan's government.

Clearly whatever he meant, this policy is supposed to show that Obama is firm on terror, a tough guy and has balls.

It also shows how incredibly naive he is, a charge Clinton had levelled against him the other day when he said he would meet the leaders of Cuba, North Korea and Iran without conditions.

I won't even get into the contradiction of how Obama has accused Clinton and Bush of invading a sovereign country (Iraq) illegally and is now prepared to do the same. I won't even get into the fact that Pakistan is officially an ally of the U.S. and is doing what they can to fight radicals holed up in the north of the country. What I will get into is how this shows what I had feared true all along - despite his charisma, Obama is a very weak candidate and unsuitable for the position of the President of the United States.

First, even if this is just blustering and a bluff to rally around foolish voters who think military might is the answer to all problems - it's wrong to do so. Clinton so far has a lead over Obama because people believe the senator has the experience and maturity to fulfill the duties of a President.

Second, if Obama really believes this is how to solve the Pakistan conundrum, then he is even more foolish than I give him credit for. When your country is bogged down in an unpopular and energy sapping war in one country, while trying to do the impossible task of nation building in another, with your army stretched to breaking point, it's not the time to open yet another front and another war with yet another country.

Third, they can rest assured Pakistan is a different kettle of fish. It has nuclear weapons and from all previous statements of their leaders, will not be shy of using them if left no choice.

Fourth, if they attack Pakistan, the conflict will spread, very easily, far beyond the shores of Pakistan. A whole other set of countries will then turn against the US, if not so already.

Fifth, am I wrong or does Obama's position keep changing with the polls? One day he is a man of peace, the next day he is a man of war, one day he wants to meet everyone for a group hug, the next day he is shunting a key ally, one day he is calling Clinton "Bush-Cheney lite" the next day he is proposing an act even Bush didn't do.

Providing covert help for Pakistani forces (who are friendly to the US aim of eradicating radicals) is one thing, invoking war on a nuclear powered country is another. Obama has rightfully shown himself to be naive, irresponsible and immature.

The MCC Has No Importance

2007-07-30T22:35:00.000-04:00

I was amused today to see both Warren Kinsella and Queer Liberal play up the MCC's lack of support for John Tory's plan for funding religious schools.

The MCC has zero credibility amongst most Muslims in Canada, as far as I can see. Many of us see them as left wing loons, with a few solid ideas, but so removed from religious orthodoxy that what they say has no weight. This is isn't to say that other Muslim groups are very credible (there is a crisis of leadership) but as far as the MCC goes, not many particularly even like them.

If the Liberals want to focus on education (and they should - no labour problems in last four years, class sizes down, etc.) they would do well not to remind ethnic voters about the Tory plan (most Hindu, Jewish and Muslims are in favour of funding faith bases schools AS LONG AS the Catholic system is also funded). Letters like the MCC's play no part in dissuading them from this fact - rather enforce the idea of discrimination that exists.

Nursing Home Allowance Is Rubbish

2007-07-29T20:31:00.000-04:00

Small Disclaimer: I am a federal Liberal. When it comes to national issues, national elections and national concerns, I vote the Liberal party. Provincially however, it's a different issue. I evaluate each platform and have no allegiance. Given Ontario's provincial electoral history, that seems to be the mainstream nature of the voters. This election I will examine who benefits me more, which directly translates to who benefits Toronto more (transit subsidies topmost), and vote accordingly.

The Liberals decided today to raise daily food allowance for seniors to $7 a person. This move does absolutely nothing for me.

In my opinion, seniors should be taken care of by younger family members and tax incentives should be provided for those caregivers. In case you are a senior who does not have any family members to care for you, and do not earn enough on your own, then the government should do a lot more than just $7 for food (and this is daily). Moreover, McGuinty had four years to work on this file, why did he just move on it now?

Ever since McGuinty told Toronto two days ago to raise taxes to solve its financial problems he has been in the red for me. This is a man who seemed to, in my opinion, blame the previous government for every woe of Ontario, then he should know that Harris downloaded the TTC costs to Toronto. If Harris was wrong, then right the wrong, Mr McGuinty. Tell us you are going to fund the TTC, again. Then I can vote for you, for sure.

What's In A Name? Ask Mr Singh.

2007-07-24T15:34:00.000-04:00

This is completely absurd.

Common Sikh names banned under Canada's immigration policy

A Calgary woman waiting for her husband to arrive in Canada is upset by a long-standing immigration policy that forces people with the surname Singh or Kaur to change their last names.

.
.
.

Karen Shadd-Evelyn, a spokeswoman with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said the policy preventing people from immigrating to Canada with those last names has been in place for the last 10 years.

This policy is discriminatory and needs to change immediately. (h/t: Liberal Catnip)

Tory's Plan To Fund Faith-based Schools

2007-07-23T21:12:00.000-04:00

I admit the first thing I remarked when I say John Tory's proposal to allow private faith-based schools to access public funds was this: $400 million? That's it?

While I admit that it is a lot of money, it's not much when compared to some other big ticket items. I only have two questions about Tory's proposal.

Where will he get $400 million from?

How will we decide which school deserves what share of the funds?

It should be noted that Tory is not proposing to immediately allow this to occur, rather former premier Bill Davis will lead a commission to figure out the best way to bring religious schools into the public system.

While a long time advocate against faith based schooling, primarily for the reason that I feel kids who will work in a multicultural environment of the future need to grow up in a non-segregated public schooling system. Yet, in Ontario today we discriminate by allowing Catholic schools access to public funds yet withhold the public purse from other faiths. Thus I see nothing wrong in extending the purse strings to schools of other faith. Either we take away funding from Catholic schools (I would strongly support this position) or we fund all faiths.

While details are scant at this point, I like one phrase in Tory's proposal. He said "the best way to bring religious schools into the public system".

This would mean certain disadvantages students of such faith-based schools now suffer (mainly due to lack of funds) might go away.

Taught by inexperienced teachers with no teaching credentials.

Lack of proper equipment such as a gym or computer labs.

Not having teachers of a different faith.

... and so on.

The Alleged Abuse of Chilean Players

2007-07-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

The story about the Chilean players and the Toronto police brawl irked me. Even though I wasn't there, the story about policemen cracking heads of 19 year olds has something of an over-zealous nature. So I started to read about the various reports of the incident.

Let us not forget the some of the Toronto police are not always squeaky clean either. The case of Mr Jama Jama comes to mind. On August 4, he tried to break up a fight when the police intervened and punched him in the face. When he reported this to the authorities, the policemen involved stated that he was involved in the fracas and was resisting arrest. They in fact charged him with assaulting a police office. Unfortunately for the them, and fortunately for Mr Jama Jama, a friend nearby had recorded the whole incident on camera. [Source]

So when I saw the police chief and other officials rapidly closing ranks behind Toronto's Finest, I wasn't convinced that they were in the clear. And after thinking long and hard and reading all reports about the incident, I can only see one bottom line.

The police used pepper spray, batons and tasers to control a bunch of unarmed 19 year olds who had just spent 90 exhausting minutes running around a 100 m pitch, and not to mention were outnumbered.

Regardless of who started this, the argument is that the police used OVER BEARING force, not to mention being overaggressive and overzealous. Again, these were not rowdy drunks on a Saturday night, these were kids (some as young as 13) who were just a little hotheaded.

No, we don't need to apologize, but we need to evaluate our security and training given to policemen when controlling soccer matches, teams and officials. This should not have happened.

Sicko and the American Healthcare

2007-07-11T12:34:00.000-04:00

I remember once I was in southern Georgia, US, on my way to Orlando, Florida. We stopped at this little town where a buddy of mine worked, to rest for the night. He took us for dinner at this small family restaurant, along with a few co-workers of his. During dinner, the conversation shifted to voting.

"So you guys are all voting this year?" I casually asked his colleagues.

"Oh yes," one tall woman replied, "but we haven't gotten our vote card yet."

"Vote card?" I asked.

"Oh yes," she replied, "our company gives us cards with the candidates positions and who they recommended to vote for, and we do accordingly."

My jaw was like an :-0 in shock. And it is because of people like her (and she was not an aberration I found - many in the south of USA are truly politically ignorant hicks who never step out of their own towns and have no knowledge - nor interest - in what is going on at home and abroad), people who never think, yet they vote, that I despair of films like Sicko ever having any impact in the US.

Sicko was not a bad movie (though I maintain Moore's Bowling for Columbine was his best). It did paint a rosier picture of Canadian health care than what is the truth, but despite all the purported problems of our health care, I would not change it at all for an American-style user-pay-as-you-go health care. It is baffling that the richest, most powerful nation in the world cannot afford to provide adequate health care for more than half of its citizens.

It's also surprising how environment is suddenly the top issue amongst all the supposedly educated elite and the secular thinkers of the American political establishment. Yes, Gore my man, kudos to you for raising the profile of an issue you did nothing major about for eight years as the vice-president, but this Live Earth thing wasted more energy than the Canadian army in a single day in Afghanistan! Yes, I know the intent was to raise awareness, but everyone already knows about the environment! It is easy to latch on to the environment as something to do, because other than petitioning the government to sign the faulty Kyoto agreement you don't really have to do much.

While watching Sicko, there are many times I was glad that man, I am Canadian. However, one nagging thought did keep interrupting me - wait times. There are times when I had been down with something, or had a broken bone wherever, and had to wait a week or two before seeing a specialist. In those one or two weeks, pain killers would have to do. At those times, I sometimes wish I could have the option of paying and seeing the specialist early.

However, problems with our system are limited (and caused by) how we run our system, not with the system itself. For no other reason do many Buffalo citizens still try and somehow manage to obtain an Ontario Health card.

The Greens Are Stupid

2007-06-05T11:56:00.000-04:00

'Coz if you are a new party, looking to break into the political mainstream, you want to make your pitch by telling voters, "Vote for us, pay even MORE for gas!"

They would have had a better reception had they, oh I don't know, suggested we build a better transit system in the cities. Most people wouldn't abandon cars if the gas prices rose by 12 cents. Hell, it rose by more than 30 cents since last year (from 75c/l) and I am still driving to work (albeit painfully). You know what would stop me, and I suspect most people, from taking their car to work?

A much better, and connected, transit system. Where a 10 minute drive by car does not take an hour to go by transit. If they connect Scarborough in Toronto to the subway by, for example constructing a north-south line through Markham Road, suddenly much of the cars that now clog-up the 401 from Kennedy to Morningside would disappear. And I suspect it's much the same in most of the major cities in Canada.

Miller had a good idea by making the Metropass transferable and affordable so more people take the transit to work. It's time to take the next step and expand the subway.

Not having stupid ideas by trying to punish people for just living their daily lives.

Bullying Illegal: Key Concerns

2007-06-04T23:14:00.000-04:00

Yet another positive in the field of education by the Ontario Liberals, and good on the Opposition to support such a bill.

Bullying officially illegal under schools act

Students who engage in physical or online bullying could be suspended or expelled under changes to Ontario’s Safe Schools Act that unanimously passed third and final reading today in the provincial legislature.

The key words in the phrase above are "could be".

As we have seen in the latest school shooting in Toronto, such laws are only good if the punishments are enforced. How will the Ministry or the school boards monitor how schools deal with reports of infractions?
How will the law deal with regular offenders? It's not clear - everything seems to be wishy-washy optimism.
“These amendments would ensure there are strong consequences for inappropriate behaviour,” said [ Education Minister] Wynne
... but ...
“The legislation will more effectively combine discipline and opportunity for students to continue their education,” Wynne told the legislature during third reading debate.
... but ...
“I think we have to find ways to take people who are repeat offenders and make sure what we don’t do is put them out on the street and have them out of the school system,” [Conservative Leader] Tory said.

“Then they’re almost guaranteed to have a life that is going to go the wrong way, and I think we’ve seen what the consequences of that can be.”
I don't understand.
This is the first time "online" has been added to the legislature. Are schools overstepping their authority here? What if I have a blog and I bitch about my high school classmate? Is it bullying now?

Education is one of the key fields this Liberal government has come up trumps. There hasn't been a labour disruption that I can remember, which was a regularity under the Harris years. Nor has there been any serious concerns as far as schools and spaces are concerned. The Liberals should own this area in the upcoming election, and continue to remind parents how good and peaceful their children's school has been under them.

Missing Role Models and Black Culture

2007-05-31T15:33:00.000-04:00

As I read through the news reports about the school shooting at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate, then the teachers' rant on what was wrong at the institution, and then I saw the pictures of the funeral and the news conferences, I could not help but notice one thing amongst all others.

Where are the fathers?

Every time there's a shooting involving black kids in Toronto, I see similar pictures. A kid dies, the mother (God bless her) crying to the camera. Then there's the funeral, you have a mother and 3 or 4 siblings, mournful. Then the accused (also black) are brought to court. Again there's his mother, teary eyed, in court.

In all these situations, you have the missing factor. The father. He's nowhere on the scene.

What type of monster produces a kid then wants nothing to do with it?

Some time ago when Tony Blair "blamed" black culture, I said it was a bit rich coming from him. Maybe I was a bit too hasty in condemning him.

Between 1992 and 2003, the number of homicides involving black youths in Toronto was almost five times greater than the average overall homicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000, according to a 2004 analysis by two University of Toronto's criminologists.

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As much as society overall bears responsibility for the shooting death of a child, there's also no getting away from the cultural things going on, such as the deterioration of the family structure and lack of role models for some youths, says John Muise, of the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness, who participated in the news conference at the Christian Centre Church on Jane St. It's been said the single greatest predictor of anti-social behaviour in a young male is the absence of a father.

"At the end of the day, you've got a bunch of young guys who are having babies way too young, that they don't look after," which leaves boys "without fathers, or they're confused about who their father is ? not that they don't have loving moms, but their influences, their role models are guys with guns, guys who act like thugs and act like gangsters," said Muise, a former police officer.[source]

I think the government owes it to the black community to provide more funds to promote sexual abstinence and educate them on the practice of safer sex and contraceptive methods, so if they are promiscuous at least kids are not being produced that will not only be brought up in an economically disadvantaged household, but also minus a father figure. The government should also go after dads who have kids and then do not financially contribute, with jail time if necessary. Finally, the government should seriously and aggressively target youth crimes, making the punishment such a big stick that it acts as a deterrent - in other words the punishment is not worth the crime or the risk.

And all of this is not just me speaking - this is also the opinion of a mother of a dead black son.

So It's The Blacks Who Are At Fault?

2007-04-13T12:54:00.000-04:00

So Tony Blair thinks "black culture" is a problematic one.

"We need to stop thinking of this as a society that has gone wrong – it has not – but of specific groups that for specific reasons have gone outside of the proper lines of respect and good conduct towards others and need specific measures to be brought back into the fold."

That's a bit rich coming from someone who has caused the death of tens of thousands with an illegal war, but let's focus on this ridiculous notion of blaming "black culture". The remarks were made in a Guardian article.

Many a times I have been told this by some right leaning person: "See, it's not you guys that are a problem. You guys are good immigrants. Asians (Indians, desis, Chinese), the Europeans - you guys assimilate and integrate and are successful. It's the blacks that are a problem."

So we have Good Immigrants and Bad Immigrants. It should be noted that most blacks are not immigrants.

Herein lies the crux of the problem. Most immigrants today are the 'cream of the crop'. To come into Canada, we had to be educated, medically sound, have some wealth and be industrious and hard working. Therefore it's very unlikely for us to be of the criminal bent and therefore crime rates amongst such immigrant communities are low.

Black people, on the other hand, have been in Canada for ages. They are mostly from the lower end of the economic scale, having been enslaved for centuries, then systematically discriminated against even up until 30 years ago. So it's a little bit premature to expect all of a sudden that the black community will pull itself up without any help.

The problem is children "being brought up in a setting that has no rules, no discipline, no proper framework".

In other words - no father figure.

In my opinion, rather than blaming a certain culture for being marginalized, the government should try and make sure they are not. These are the following ways to go about it:

Actively fight racism and discrimination.

Do not allow ghettos to be built up.

Increase funding to safe-sex and sex education and awareness classes in schools, as well as visits by reformed convicts and former drug addicts. Rather than slashing funding to these so-called leftist programs, the conservatives should remember that 'prevention is better than cure'.

The black community needs role models. I thought it was a brilliant idea for the NBA to require their players to wear suits if they are not playing.

Legislate against violence in rap lyrics and videos.

Very strict, long term prison sentences for crimes - make the punishment not worth the risk for the reward.

Track down truant fathers and make then pay for the kid's upbringing. It's not right that you should have a kid and then not shoulder a burden for the child's raising.

Bring the church in as part of the solution. I would wager that one of the many reasons why there is a distinct lack of single mothers in the South Asian community (or even pre-marital sex) is due to strong religious and cultural taboos.

Let's Not Reduce The Level of Debate

2007-03-06T14:38:00.000-05:00

So apparently, now I am a "Pakistan supporter".

All, because, yesterday when Mr Sappani wrote a Pakistan-bashing article on his blog, I merely asked him for facts to clarify his story. He, of course, took the rationale that "what he was saying can be googled" which therefore excused his rant. Whatever, it's his blog, his rant space.

However, asking for facts is akin to "Pakistan supporting".

On January 5, 2007, I wrote against Majid Khan, particularly because he had served in the Pakistan army during 1971, which I felt had committed genocide and war crimes in that war. As someone originally from Bangladesh whose family had been in the Mukti Bahini fighting Pakistan forces, I would be amongst the last to be called a "Pakistan" supporter.

However, when I am accused of just that, Mr Sappani is trying to reduce the level of debate on Libblogs to a more George Bush-like "us versus them" attitude. His anti-Pakistani article was just that - anti-Pakistan. It started from a news article about a debt-ridden third-world country's national airline (PIA), and spiraled into an anti-Pakistan vitriol. As someone who has many Canadian friends of Pakistani descent, I asked Mr Sappani for clarification on his conclusions, one of which included a mark against Pakistan because it was the "only Islamic country with the N-bomb".

Now I am of the mind-set that India is the only Hindu-country with the N-bomb, but I would not use that in an article against Indian nuclear weapons because I consider such a term racist. Moreover, both India and Pakistan has proved themselves responsible nuclear countries so far. Our strategy should be to accept that these nuclear weapons are here to stay, but to promote freedom, education and democracy in those countries.

There are many things wrong with Pakistan. I myself have written about their Hudood Ordinance (which thankfully has now been struck down), but when you have to criticize a single issue, do it on that issue, objectively. For example, I take issue with India's caste system and their nationalist Hindu party making a tough time for converts here. Doesn't mean I go India-bashing or those who disagree are "India supporters". This is a progressive blogspace, we can all disagree in a civil manner here.

If someone disagrees with the Afghanistan mission, or wants to bring them home (Kennedy and Dion) if the mission is not defined, that does not make them any less patriotic. If someone thinks Pakistan's Musharraf is our moderate ally fighting against extremists, that does not make them any less willing to stand up for our soldiers in Afghanistan. Let's leave the 'wrapping ourself in the flag syndrome' to our neighbours down south.

Is Quebec A Racist Province?

2007-02-26T20:33:00.000-05:00

In my experience, yes - they have a problem.

The very statement that Quebec is a racist province could be termed racist itself. However, the recent ejection of a female Muslim soccer player for wearing the hijab is merely one incident in a long line of incidents that just reinforce the belief that Quebecers, despite crying foul for being discriminated against by English Canada, themselves have a problem with racism.

Consider:

A Toronto Sun report last month found that Quebec was the province where a majority of the people saw themselves as racist (59%). A day later, a private Muslim girls' school in Montreal was vandalized, with hooligans shattering 15 windows and damaging a school bus. [Canoe]

In a diverse society, "religious symbols have no place in public space," Parti Quebecois Leader Boisclair said.

Mario Dumont, leader of the Action democratique du Quebec, said Quebec should quit bending over backwards to accommodate minorities.

"We must make gestures which reinforce our national identity and protect those values which are so invaluable to us," Dumont wrote in a letter to be sent to Quebecers.

Unpopular with his political opponents, Dumont's position seemed to strike a chord with some Quebecers.

A Montreal elementary school had to hire guards last April after a Filipino mother alleged that her son was chided by a lunch hall monitor for the way he ate. The school's excuse - "Oh it had nothing to do with the traditional Filipino manner of eating, but bad manners."

Two Orthodox Jewish schools have been firebombed in the past couple of years.

Hérouxville, a small town in Quebec, published a new code of conduct for immigrants, stereotyping Muslims and Sikhs amongst others. It banned kirpans and head scarves except on Halloween, and said women can drive and write cheques but cannot be stoned to death.[CBC]

It was Quebec that had a problem with a kirpan.

My own experiences in Quebec has not made a favourable impression on me. As a rule, many Quebecers of French descent has behaved rudely with me when they found out I did not speak French. Why is it that when the rest of Canada has no problem with reasonable accommodation for diverse cultural and religious practices, it is Quebec that must make a fuss, all the time?

Neo-Con Logic: How To Stop A War

2007-02-23T10:55:00.000-05:00

Will their be a war this summer?

I think it is 85% a sure thing and their is nothing less than a massive strike on Iran that can stop the war from happening. - Yoni

Yes, that's right. To stop a war that hasn't started yet, we must strike first which will definitely not start a war.

Right. Got ya.

How's that "will be greeted with flowers as liberators" plan coming along?

Stephen Harper - Shame On You

2007-02-21T23:10:00.000-05:00

Today Stephen Harper has proved himself to be a man without class. I am ashamed to have such a man as Prime Minister.

Despite all the politics that politicians play - there were unwritten laws that you do not harm the family of parliamentarians, you do not drag them into the fray.

Harper has consistently proved that he will sink to any low if he thinks it will help him. During the election three years ago he called Paul Martin a child pornography supporter (or something like it). Today, he was engaged in a drive-by smear on the family of a Sikh Member of Parliament, based on an unproven story of a tabloid newspaper, with neither the accused present to defend himself, nor the allegations proven in any court of law.

As such, Harper has shown himself to be below the dignity of the chair he now occupies. When the next election comes, I want this moment to be played again and again in all the immigrant communities that Harper will no doubt try to court. No wonder we immigrants see the Conservatives as a party of racists, bigots and old farts.

Gloves Come Off - The Star

Iraq - What A Mess

2007-02-18T20:19:00.000-05:00

This picture sums up my mood on Iraq perfectly. It's time for Conservatives to admit - Iraq was better off under Saddam Hussein. Every day I open the paper or read the news I hear about people being killed in Iraq - and it's in double digits.

People are dying there. Every day. By the dozens. Others, hundreds of them, now lie injured or permanently disabled. Under Saddam, people had security. As long as you didn't say anything against him, you were fine.

I lived through a dictatorship (UAE). It's not as bad as people think. It's stupid to hear people who have never been outside of their city telling me what's good for a place thousands of miles away.

It's also time to remember that Stephen Harper was in favor of the Iraq war. If it was up to him, Canadian soldiers would now be dying in Iraq.

Canada's Water Is Nominated For An Oscar

2007-01-23T12:59:00.000-05:00

Great job by Deepa Mehta. Her movie, Water, a Canadian entry under the "Best Foreign Language Film" category, is nominated for an Oscar.

This movie was brilliant in many ways. First, it showed how strict, fundamentalist and literal interpretation of religious texts is a danger to human civilization's progress. Second, it cast a light on discrimination that many Indians face in India even today.

Second, rather than disparage India, it cast her in a more progressive light as Gandhi is shown as a religious man who is also liberal. Mehta's statement that "water is good only when it's flowing, and stagnant water is a danger", is so apt and true.

What are the chances of its win?

It's a tough question to answer. The Academy is mostly white and India is big now, so rewarding Water might be seen as a slap to India's face.

Its first rival, Days of Glory, is a good movie that already had one practical result - the picture has shamed the French government into granting pension increases to Algerian soldiers who fought for the French before being discarded by them. The Academy also loves movies about war and its aftermaths.

After the Wedding is more of a personal/family drama type of movie. It also has part of its setting in India, but is mostly about a Danish person. I would be surprised if this won. It's a good film, but not that good.

The Lives of Others is a German movie, set before the fall of the Berlin wall, about a spy, the lives he spies upon and how he becomes involved. Just like many European movies it has lots of closet sex, dark and gritty scenes and a slow narration. Maybe some members of the Academy might vote for this movie to send a message to the current US administration about spying and civil rights.

The final rival is Pan's Labyrinth, a Mexican movie. Another war movie. Latin setting. Won lots of awards at Film Festivals. Could just sneak this one too.

Little Blog Post On the Little Mosque

2007-01-10T17:31:00.000-05:00

I loved the show.

As a Muslim it is a great feeling to have a show where the focus is on normal Muslims. Not the evil bad Muslim terrorist. Not the token patriotic Muslim. Not the token translator. Not the harem dancer.

Normal, everyday Muslims facing normal everyday issues.

Kudos to CBC. Kudos to Canada.

As for the show itself, while not laugh out funny, it was warm, cosy and left a hard-to-suppress giggle throughout. I actually found myself wishing it wouldn't end, and felt a pang of disappointment when 9 pm appeared. It did have a couple of really hilarious moments (the dead body in the laundry, the 'you do not choose which country we deport you to', to mention a few). I see myself buying the DVD for the set when it comes out. I hope they can contain to keep it fresh and tackle some issues while at it.

If anyone has any questions about an Islamic aspect of the show they did not understand, you can always email me/comment here..

Khan Optics Bad For Dion

2007-01-05T12:33:00.000-05:00

I have said it before, and have no problems repeating it here: Khan was wrong to work for the Conservatives, and Bill Graham should not have allowed it to happen. Now, however, the optics of the situation makes Stephane Dion look very bad. And in politics, optics and perception is a big part of the game.

Dion is casted as the villain in this piece, when he allegedly gave an "ultimatum" to Wajid Khan. And Khan therefore stated that he had to choose between his country and his party. In reality, the choice, in my opinion, was between the position of just another backbench MP, or a backbench MP with a "special advisory" position.

Dion should have offered Khan a future cabinet position (as either in "special advisory capacity" to the Foreign Minister, or some other junior cabinet post in that capacity). And no, it's not a bribe. We are offering him that position for the same purported expertise that Harper has made Wajid Khan his special advisor.

Personally, I don't like Wajid Khan.

In my own opinion, Khan has no unique characteristics that makes him suitable for that role. So he is Muslim, of Pakistani descent, and was a member of the Pakistan Air Force. How does that make him better qualified than anyone else? We have lots of academics, and one can easily pick another academic of South Asian descent, preferably Muslim. The Pakistani air force that he is so proud of, and where Khan served as an officer and pilot from 1966 to 1973 [source], was part of the same Pakistani military that committed genocide in 1971, as documented vigorously since. Wikipedia also states Khan actively took part in the war of 1971. As a Canadian Muslim of Bangladeshi descent I want him to clarify his role in that war and ask whether he had any innocent Bengali blood on his hands.

As a Muslim, had I lived in his riding, I would have to seriously question how he was best serving my interests. In my opinion, we have a Prime Minister who is so pro-Israel that he cannot acknowledge the poverty and destitution of Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, the fertile breeding grounds for terrorism. Harper also refuses to acknowledge reality in Afghanistan, that our mission cannot go on as planned and we need a change in direction. So how much of Wajid Khan's advice is Harper taking? And what is his advice?

Saddam: 1 down...

2006-12-30T12:21:00.000-05:00

To me, BBC's leading paragraph summarizes Saddam the best.

He brought little but war and suffering to a people who should have been among the most prosperous in the Middle East, given the oil wealth the country sits on.

That is the crux of the despot that was Saddam. There is a twinge of sadness that is the result of any loss of life, but with Saddam's death I can only say one thing.

1 down. Many more to go.

As Abu Sinan said, "Why should this one die whilst we send others money, arms and political support to the other dictators? This is the same man who received arms, money and political support from the USA."

Saddam was a cruel man. Those of us who do not like the US administration or its policies should not fall into the trap of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' mindset. No present day Western leader in his or her most evil moments can come an iota close to Saddam's brutality. This was a man who had his own son-in-laws killed, who had his brother-in-law shot when he grew too powerful, who made a man divorce his wife so Saddam could have her, who had wives of his officers raped to teach them a lesson, who let his sons loose in Iraq, who gassed Kurds (no one asks where the gas came from btw), and so on. His list of crimes go on.

Death by hanging was a much more humane way for him to go compared to how he treated his foes.

I believe though Iraq was a much better place under Saddam than it is now. As long as you didn't speak up against Saddam or his cronies and kept a low profile you have a good (read: secure) life. Whether the death of 30,000 Iraqis ('more or less', as Bush callously stated, showing how much he values Iraqi lives) and the collapse of infrastructure of a country was worth the price to bring this one man to the gallows is a question history will decide.

A Muslim's Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T12:26:00.001-05:00

I would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to everyone.

Ten years ago when I landed in Canada from the Middle East I would not have said that. Call it my evolution over the decade I am in Canada but now I realize wishing someone well on their occasion of joy does nothing to diminish what is yours, but only adds to the mosaic that is ours. Yes some people may argue that Jesus (peace be upon him) was not really born on December 25, but you know, ultimately in this instance it's not what is right but what is good. And no one can deny that Christmas is a good time.

Yes, even though I may not celebrate Christmas in the religious sense as having a Christmas tree or going to church (I am a Muslim after all) I do enjoy the festive season. As the days get shorter and darker, as the temperature falls and a sense of gloom descends with the weather that will not falter until March, it's nice to slip into the malls and marvel and the embellished decorations and glitzy lights. It's fantastic to see crowds of people roving around with smiles on their faces. And yes, you can't deny it, people are generally in a better mood in December, and you can't but help being caught up in smiling and being festive - good behavior is infectious. Not to mention all the bargains that can be had.

Add to that all the free food you can eat at various Christmas parties and the sense that you are under no pressure (after all I don't have to buy gifts, look for and decorate a Christmas tree or have a dysfunctional family over for dinner) I would dare to say Muslims have a better time over Christmas than many Christians themselves!

Of course our Eid is coming up shortly (December 31) so there is that pressure to come. Fortunately we have Boxing Day (in Canada) in the middle (December 26) to shop for our gifts.

Orchard's Importance In Dion's Liberals?

2006-12-08T12:21:00.000-05:00

Read an interesting article in the StarPheonix on the role of David Orchard in the victory of Dion at the recent Liberal convention. A few interesting excerpts.

If delivering support to the winning candidate means anything in politics, then David Orchard's star must surely be on the rise in the Liberal party. The longtime critic of free trade, two-time candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party and new Liberal can be credited for playing a significant role in Stephane Dion's rise to the Liberal leadership.

...

In fact, every Dion delegate from Saskatchewan but one was part of the Orchard camp.

...

There were many reasons why Dion won, but he obviously would not have had the horses to overtake Kennedy without Orchard's support.

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This turn of events raises some very interesting questions about Orchard's future. There's no doubt he intends to remain active in Liberal politics, and there are a number of issues he intends to press.

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Should he decide to run for the Liberals and actually win a seat, he might even have a shot at a cabinet post.

[full article]

Ignatieff Smacks Down Day

2006-12-06T19:12:00.000-05:00

When the then-Liberal government began belatedly, timidly asking for Arar's release from his Syrian torture chamber in the fall of 2002, opposition leader Stephen Harper was dismissive. The Liberals, he claimed, were "hitting the snooze button on security matters". His colleague, Stockwell Day, even argued the government's "lack of vigilance" had allowed a notorious terrorist like Arar to avoid detection and detention in the first place. [source]

"I have in my possession a letter from the former Commissioner dated November 2, in which he notes his intention to clarify his initial testimony," said Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion today. "Given that the Prime Minister's national security advisor must have known about these inaccuracies, why did the Minister of Public Safety tell Canadians on Monday (Dec 4) that the commissioner ‘still has the confidence of the government’?"

Today, in Question Period, Stockwell Day had this to say:

"Why these folks across the way refused to deal with it then and let an innocent man languish in prison?"

Ignatieff's response was smack on.

"This government, when it is in a tight position, has become accustomed to blaming the previous government."

"You are the government now. When are you going to start to act like one and take responsibility?

Stéphane Dion Is A Loyal Canadian

2006-12-06T12:07:00.000-05:00

Stéphane Dion as a French citizen is OK by me. He has done more for Canada than Ezra Levant ever has and ever will. When the call came, he stood by Canada in opposition to his peers and despite it being an unpopular move, called for the Clarity Act. I am proud that such a man is the leader of the Liberal Party.

Ezra Levant (and the nature of Cons as a whole) is also hypocritical. He should then criticize any MP who has American citizenship. As I noted previously, Peter Worthington (another stauch Conservative) once wrote:

The view that "a Canadian is a Canadian" and all should be treated equally may need revising.

However that should not include American-Canadians, because:

If someone wants to be a Canadian, that person should give up citizenship in his birth country.An exception should be made with the U.S. on grounds that we are geographically, traditionally and culturally close.

Ofcourse. You cannot serve two masters. Unless it's the US. Then it's OK.

People may not give up the citizenship of another country for many reasons. They may wish to retire there. They may have property or business there and the citizenship helps ease the legal paperwork. This is the 21^st century.

Canada is a multicultural country, one in which people can pride themselves on being Canadian without being forced to forget where they or their family came from. It is insulting to many of us that Levant questions the Canadian-ness of any dual citizen, particularly one of such stellar qualities as Mr Dion.

Beware the Extremists - 2

2006-10-25T11:50:00.000-04:00

Let's see if I understand this properly.

	Same Sex (or being gay)	Adultery (having sex with someone you are not married to)
Sin?	Yes (mostly)	Yes (most definitely, clear and unambiguously stated)
Destroys the institution of marriage?	Debatable	Most definitely.
Number of Canadians involved?	Negligible portion of the population	Significant portion of the population - and I am counting premarital sex, one-night stands, live-in, common law - all of which are 'sin', as defined by religion.
Number of protesters against	A lot	Zero
Number of politicians against?	Quite a few	Zero

This is where I stop understanding. If you are going to apply religion, why apply it selectively? Why not all of it? If you believe homosexuality is a sin and that is why you are opposed to gay rights in Canada you should also be supportive of legislation to punish adultery, as well as a host of other things your religion tells you to.

Conservatives will rally against a Muslim who wants allow voluntary arbitration by religious clerics but will endorse (and associate with) their own candidates who want to implement their version of Sharia. Calling it 'traditional' does not make it any less than an equivalent of Sharia - it is still religious law. A lot of it doesn't even make sense.

I am a definitely straight Muslim. I believe homosexuality is a sin and gays are living in sin and all that. There is no way around it, that's what God said to us and you are free to reject it if you like. At the same time, I know in Canada I have to live with people whose values and religious beliefs are a lot different than my own. I would not like my rights as a minority curbed, so why should I deny another minority their rights?

And why is that always the people to deny others the rights are always the same 'type' of people? First they supported slavery because the Bible allowed slaves. Then they didn't want Sikh RCMP officers to wear turbans in the name of 'tradition'. Now they are targeting gay rights. Will Harper become the first Prime Minister to take away a right?

And they call us religious fundamentalists.

See also:
Beware The Extremists - 1
Contraception and you

Tags: Canada Conservative Party

Jane Pitfield Grabs My Attention

2006-10-23T13:01:00.000-04:00

"but her pledge to build two kilometres of new subway line each year for 25 years drew some scepticism. She reiterated her claim that the subways could go in for $100 million a kilometre, although the new subway line to York University will cost more than twice that." [Star]

That's the best idea to come out of a councillor in decades. I don't care how much it costs. I don't care if garbage pickup is once every two weeks. I don't care if she flip-flopped (allegedly). This single issue will most likely clinch the deal for me.

I have to now pay more attention to her.

And best of all, she has the hair of a mayor.

Tories Worried About ...

2006-10-17T18:26:00.000-04:00

Here's another story that some of the Blogging Tories don't want you to see. After all, it would destroy their nice little fantasy that we are out to violently take over the world.

For their kind information, the soup kitchen at Nugget Mosque serves over 600 people a day during some of the busiest weekends.

Whereas from the Blogging Tories we get post denouncing women's rights to clothe themselves as they see fit, 10 ways to fight Islamofacism (BTW wtf is Islamofacism), alleged persecution of Christians, and so on. Coupled ofcourse with a post on how the Court Challenges Program is not dead enough.

Stephane Dion said it best: "Liberals, we need to get back to power as soon as possible."

Being Murdered While Black

2006-10-17T10:49:00.000-04:00

When someone tells me that there are no racist police in Canada or that racism is not a problem for immigrants in Canada that person is usually not of a visible minority. I would be one of the first to believe that yes, there is some racism in Canada. However, even I am loathe to concede that the delay in the conclusion of the murder investigation of Chantel Dunn has anything to do with racism.

[Star]

Jane Creba was shot in broad daylight in one of the busiest intersections of downtown Toronto while shopping in one of the busiest days of the year. She was totally a random figure and was not connected in anyway to the shootings.

Chantel Dunn was killed as she left the darkened Northwood Community Centre near Jane St. and Sheppard Ave. W., on a dead-end street in a quiet residential neighbourhood. She was connected to the killers - the bullet was meant for her boyfriend. And her boyfriend, Shane Morrison - as I suspected when I read the first paragraph - though not a member, was associated with a gang that became divided. Rivalries escalated, and one group shot at the former high school basketball star to send a message. He was hit, but the fatal bullet struck Dunn.

The public outcry that followed Creba's shooting was because the bullet could have hit anyone on that day, and people were outraged at criminals that displayed such brazen disregard for human lives. In comparison, the killers of Dunn clearly aimed at her boyfriend, according to the police.

I am all in support of the black community when they want to complain about racism. However, in Chantel Dunn's case, if you want to blame anyone for the delay in the investigation, blame an uncooperative Morrison. If you want to blame anyone for bringing death to Dunn, blame Morrison.

Moral of the story: Stay away from gangs and gangmembers. They kill.

Tags: Jane Creba Chantel Dunn

Harper Exactly Right On Reverse Onus

2006-10-15T10:41:00.000-04:00

I don't usually find myself in agreement with the Toronto Sun, so today is a rare day. Their editorial today praises Mr Harper's recent decision to place a reverse onus on a criminal convicted for the third time, a plan opposed the Liberals and the NDP. To quote:

We were particularly amused to see the federal Liberals and Toronto mayor David Miller criticizing Harper's proposal almost as soon as he announced it.

Remember in the last federal election when former Liberal PM Paul Martin and Miller, along with Premier Dalton McGuinty, announced they favoured placing a reverse onus on people accused of gun crimes who seek bail?

They said that following a wave of shootings in Toronto leading up to the horrible Boxing Day massacre on Yonge St.

So, to review, less than a year ago they advocated placing the onus on someone simply accused of a gun crime to prove he was not a threat before being granted bail.

But now they're against a law to place a similar onus on repeat offenders who have not just been charged, but convicted of violent crimes not just once, but three times?

The Conservatives have got it right on this occasion.

I always felt the Liberals started to lose support around Boxing Day, and not because of the RCMP investigation into the income trust tax scandal. It was after the shooting of Jane Creba on Boxing Day. Toronto had been struck by gun crime for the last year, and the government seemed to do nothing. I lived in Toronto, and I always voted Liberal, and I was frustrated at the Liberals.

Especially when Paul Martin unveiled his good-for-nothing plan to ban guns that were already banned. Especially when he suggested a policy of reverse onus on a person not yet convicted of anything. That showed to me that the Liberals were desperate, willing to do anything and say anything to cling on to power, and such governments rarely do any good.

Though I disagree with Mr Harper on most issues, on the problem of crime he has got it exactly right. As I wrote before to the Sun,

There are two aspects to dealing with crime - social and judicial. We need social policies to distribute wealth to the poor, to provide education and health care. We need to identify and assist "at-risk" youth. But once a crime is committed, the criminal no longer deserves our sympathy. We don't need to find reasons why they committed the crime. We have to provide justice to the victim - by hunting down the criminals and punishing them with a tough sentence that will act as a deterrent to others. The criminals involved in the Toronto Boxing Day shootout had the same health plan, education and opportunities in life as their victims. Where is the "exclusion?"

Tags: Crime Canada Reverse Onus

Converts Breaking The Law

2006-10-14T14:04:00.000-04:00

I would urge everyone to watch Canada's entry for the Oscars, Water, an excellent film about injustices faced by widows in India due to religious fundamentalists. Another negative aspect to emerge from religion in India is the caste system, and today thousands of lower case Hindus converted to Christianity and Buddhism to escape the discrimination faced by lower-caste Hindus. However they will now face troubles from the law, as several Indian states have outlawed "conversion".

Thousands of people have been attending mass ceremonies in India at which hundreds of low-caste Hindus (Dalits) converted to Buddhism and Christianity.
...
Udit Raj, a Dalit leader, told the BBC that around 2,500 people converted to Christianity and Buddhism.
...
Similar mass conversions are taking place this month in many other parts of India.

Several states governed by the Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, have introduced laws to make such conversions more difficult.
...
Hinduism teaches that most humans were created from parts of the body of the divinity Purusha.

According to which body parts they were created from, humans fall into four basic castes which define their social standing, who they can marry, and what jobs they can do.

But Dalits fall outside this system and are traditionally prevented from doing all but the most menial jobs or even drinking from the same water sources as other castes. [BBC]

Tags: India Dalit

When Ignatieff Was Right ...

2006-10-13T20:02:00.000-04:00

Despite my criticism and misgivings about Mr. Ignatieff, I stand behind him 100% when he issues a statement such as this:

Yesterday, Stephen Harper used my statement that war crimes were committed in this conflict to launch a personal attack on me and on my colleagues running for the leadership of the Liberal party of Canada.

Mr. Harper's remarks were a disgrace. A disgrace for a man who holds an office that is supposed to represent all Canadians. A disgrace for a man who is supposed to defend our constitution and our national institutions, including the integrity of our Parliament. There is no basis for Mr. Harper to suggest that the Liberal Party is biased against Israel. The Prime Minister showed a profound lack of respect to the official opposition and a profound lack of respect to the Canadian people who elected him.

For Mr. Harper, all issues are black or white. He believes that you're either with him or against him. He believes that the blind pursuit of ideology and power should trump all else.

It is because of this one sided, black or white, blind to the realities of the world approach that Mr. Harper failed Canadians this summer.

Mr. Harper and the Conservatives failed to address the damage that the conflict was doing to relations between the Lebanese and Jewish communities in Canada.

Never mind, failing to stake out the positive role that Canada could play in defusing the crisis.

Finally, by taking an entirely one-dimensional position on the conflict, the Conservatives may have weakened Canada's ability to contribute to the potential long term resolution of Middle East tensions.

Leadership means talking honestly and directly with Canadians. Leadership means putting aside the political game now and again to talk about what is in our country's best interests.

Canadians deserve a Prime Minister that helps Canadians from all communities to find a common language in which we can speak about difficult issues together.

One of the first facts about you learn when studying for your citizenship is that once elected, the elected official represents ALL the people in the constituency. A Prime Minister represents the office, not a partisian political party.

To see how good the Conservatives are at dividing Canadians, splitting friends against friends, and provoking rather than defusing, check this comment left on Michelle Oliel's blog by a conservative.

The liberal party is embracing an ever-growing muslim immigrant community that despises us. The liberals don't hate Jews or Israel, they are opportunists who will do anything to get votes. The writing is on the wall. Soon the muslim vote will mean more than the Jewish vote. Iggy's just being a good little red. Jews helped the liberal party get where they are and now they don't need you anymore, Michelle.

Iggy's words are typical of the left. Throw out an accusation for consumption of the unclean masses and hope it sticks. He said these comments to gain support of Quebecers and muslim immigrants in Quebec who are viciously anti-Semitic and viciously anti-Israel. My family is from Quebec and that's how it is there. To deny it shows you don't know Quebec.

Michelle, when Ignazieff wins your nomination and turns the entire party into an anti-Semitic basket-case, what will you do? Or you can sit back as they lie to your face that they're friends of Israel. Don't believe them. And look at Ottawa Liberal's comments for what the NEW liberal grassroots thinks about you as a Jew.

Stephen Harper, you are without class. I can't wait to defeat you out of office under the next Liberal leader, whoever it is.

Tags: Stephen Harper Michael Ignatieff

2006 Nobel Prize For Poverty Bankers

2006-10-13T12:33:00.000-04:00

As a Bangladeshi-Canadian Muslim this makes me extremely proud. Atlast they have recognized this great man for his simple yet practical solution to eliminating poverty from the world. With his business venture he has enrichened himself as well as empowered thousands of poor, rural women. He also shattered stereotypes of the country, by allowing women not only to earn and make financial decisions for the family, but to act as a role model for others.

Just out of curiosity, and as a thought exercise, I wonder if such a project will work in Canada. For starters, Grameen Bank only lends to women - because they don't waste the money on gambling, drinks or women unlike their husbands. Pretty soon someone will bring a Charter challenge to that, citing discrimination by gender. Second, the bank uses a system of collective co-security. For example, if four people want the loan, the bank will assign it to one of them, but each of the four will have to co-sign as guarantor. When the first person pays it back, the loan goes to the second person, and so on. If the first person wants to default or slack off her project, the others pressurize her and "motivate" her to succeed. Could this be intimidation in Canada?

Interesting how concepts work differently across different cultures.

This year the Novel committee has struck twice; first by awarding the Literature prize to Orhan Pamuk of Turkey they have promoted freedom of expression, and second by awarding it to Muhammad Yunus they have promoted a practical way of fighting poverty and realising visions.

Tags: Muhammad Yunus Grameen Bank Nobel Peace Prize

Gaza fishermen risk Israeli fire

2006-10-13T10:54:00.000-04:00

Now This Is A War Crime in my book.

According to Mr Habeel, it did not issue any verbal warning, but opened fire first at the cables holding the nets - cutting them adrift.

Then he says the Israelis circled the unarmed fishermen spraying their craft with machine gun fire from no more than 20m away.

Mr Habeel says that one of the bullets hit Hani al-Najaar - ripping open the side of his head.

"I saw him killed," Mr Habeel says. "I couldn't bear it. God bless him."

Mr Najaar leaves two children.

I am against such policies of collective punishment by the State of Israel. Does it make me anti-semitic? I don't think so, as I don't grudge Israel's right to exist, however such policies need to be condemned by our Foreign Affairs minister and Prime Minister when they talk about Middle East issues.
Tags: Israel

Where Does Ignatieff Stand?

2006-10-12T20:46:00.000-04:00

"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." - John F. Kerry, 2003.

I have compared Ignatieff to Kerry before. Smart man, a not so smart politician.

On the Israeli war against Lebanon he told the Canadian Press on August 12 that he had miss-spoken when he told the Toronto Star earlier that he was "not losing sleep" over civilian deaths in Lebanon. But the words and the attitude behind them were not the least bit hesitant at the time. In the Star interview -- where he was asked to comment on the Israeli bombing of the village of Qana, where at least 28 Lebanese civilians were killed, he said dismissively:

"It wasn't Qana. Qana was frankly inevitable in a situation in which you have rocket launchers within 100 yards of a civilian population. This is the nature of the war that's going on ...This is the kind of dirty war you're in when you have to do this and I'm not losing sleep about that. [link]"

And now, we are to suddenly believe Ignatieff thinks Israel has committed a war crime [National Post]? Why did Michael Ignatieff change his position? What new evidence does he have? And if there is no new evidence, what changed his views?

This (new) view of Ignatieff is actually closer to my views. I have always held the belief that Israel went overboard in its reaction and thought it could finish off the Hezb ollah, and then got stuck in a war it couldn't "win" in the technical sense of the term. Typical neo-con mentality. At that time, after perusing all of Ignatieff's quotes, I had the feeling he was very pro-Israel.

Which is fine. You are free to be pro-Israel. When I choose my leader, that is just one factor I take into consideration. I know Bob Rae is staunchly pro-Israel and that does not discourage me from him (his NDP past does that). I know where most of the other candidates stand.

But now, I don't know where Ignatieff stands. And please - don't give me the crap about he stands for the truth. Either he

a) made a gaffe when trying to explain another gaffe
b) genuinely switched his views after coming into contact with some new evidence that the rest of the world does not know about
c) saw that he was the most popular person after Super Weekend and thought changing his position would help him more
d) didn't change his position at all - huh?

So, which of the above is it?

Tags: Michael Ignatieff

Jack Straw's Veil Comments

2006-10-06T20:19:00.000-04:00

I wasn't originally going to post anything on this issue on this blog as it's not a Canadian issue; however a couple of the Blogging Tories (the usual suspects) have raised this topic as their latest excuse for Muslim bashing comments, perhaps as a distraction from the soldier's pay cut issue. My comments on Jack Straw's statements are on my personal blog.

As an aside, I fail to see where most of the supposed outrage in the Muslim community is coming from. For example, during the Pope fiasco, the media focused on this group in Bangladesh, Khatme-Nobi Andolon, that protested and led a march against the Pope. Number of people = 200. Number of people at a nearby political protest against the government = 10,000. They are a small group of fundamentalists - however they are more fun to interview.

If the media wants to know what the average western Muslim thinks, they should interview Western people like Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, Dr. Zakir Naik, Br. Tarik Ziad and so on, not zealots who crave attention.

Toronto Election Watch - 1

2006-10-03T09:40:00.000-04:00

With the Super Weekend gone, it is time to focus on the upcoming municipal elections. As far as Toronto is concerned, I am going to vote for the candidate that will solve (or attempt to solve) our no. 1 problem - traffic.

Right now the big idea promoted is dismantling the Gardner (east of Spadina) and building a Front Street extension (similar to four lane University Ave.), as if University Ave. is such a high speed expressway.

Traffic on southbound University Ave., 5.10 pm

So far both the primary candidates (Miller and Pitfield) have decided to focus on crime as their main issue - whereas statistics show crime is down in the city. I hope the community takes them to task on the issue of gridlock - we need to increase the outdated TTC subway system and upload the cost to the province.

President Musharraf Is Right

2006-09-28T08:08:00.000-04:00

Over the last couple of days there has been some outrage in the Canadian blogosphere over President Musharraf's remarks, in a CBC interview, where he told Canada to quit crying.

"When a soldier puts on a uniform and he joins the army, is this for fighting or for peacekeeping? What has he joined the army for? He's joined to fight, and when you fight, there are casualties. The nation must be prepared to suffer casualties. So if you're not prepared to suffer casualties as an army, then don't participate in any operation," Musharraf said. - [Globe]

Where exactly is Musharraf wrong? He is not belittling our war effort, but our whining about it.

It would be wrong to say Pakistan places less value on a soldier's life. Every commander hates to lose men. Yes, they do not have free press to the extent that we do, therefore they cannot examine whether their soldiers died for a valid reason or a just cause.

Most of the opposition to Canada's new war in Afghanistan by Canada's "new" government has stemmed from the fact that increasing number of Canadian soldiers have begun to be killed disproportionately in recent times. If we have to oppose the direction this war is taking, it should NOT be due to increasing body counts - but whether our approach to Afghanistan is right for democracy to prevail, or whether our troops are being increasingly placed in needless danger for political reasons. To critics of Musharraf, I ask you this: if tomorrow the Canadian public was told that in a newly planned operation in Afghanistan, necessary for military reasons, we were expecting 500 casualties, do you think support for the mission would go up, stay the same, or Canadians would be up in arms in protest?

If you have to criticize Musharraf, criticize him for this. Or this.

Tags: Canada Afghanistan Musharraf

Liberals Call For Daniel Petit's Resignation

2006-09-22T15:41:00.000-04:00

This is inexcusable.

After the Montreal shootings, Charlesbourg MP Daniel Petit of the Conservative Party of Canada made the following comment:

"the reason that the three gunmen terrorized Montreal campuses was because they were not "pure laines" (old-stock francophones)."

This is a racist comment. This comment is unbecoming of a Member of Parliament of any party. An apology is not enough, punishment is necessary.

Where is the outrage on the Blogging Tories? I remember a few weeks ago when they jumped on Denis Coderre for attending a pro-Lebanese rally in Quebec, without acknowledging the fact that the MP spoke against terrorism. Garth Turner is all over those Lebanese-Canadians, who have now returned to their homes after being evacuated.

The Liberal Party of Canada has already issued a statement calling for Mr Petit to resign, or for Prime Minister Harper to sack him.

See also A Conservative Blogger's "Paki" Rant

Tags: Racism Canada Conservative Party

Gerard Kennedy Is The Right Man For Liberals

2006-09-22T08:44:00.000-04:00

Very rarely in politics do you get to vote for a politician you really like; usually you have to pick the lesser of two evils. I am glad to say that amongst the candidates for the Liberal leadership, there is one person I can genuinely vote for and that person is Gerard Kennedy. I agree with most of his stances on various issues, and endorse him whole heartedly for the coveted post.

Immigrant Success

This is an issue very close to my heart. In my interview with Dion, I had asked him what he would do to help immigrants get the jobs in Canada (for which they emigrated to via the points system in the first place). I liked Dion's answer, and I like Kennedy's strategy. I wish the two could be merged.

First of all, Kennedy wants to declare "closing the gap between Canadian-born citizens and immigrants of similar education and work experience" a National Priority. Recognition of the problem is the first step - and so far this problem has been marginalized, despite Canada losing an estimated $6 billion per year.

Kennedy advocates greater recognition of skilled labour within Canada's Point System, increased focus on family reunification and greater access to language programs.

Afghanistan

When the Taliban was first toppled, I had great hopes. After all, the Taliban were abusing Islam and the muslims of Afghanistan, perpetuating great myths (such as women not working when the Prophet's own sister-in-law worked, that too in the fields, or no education for women). They were engaging in barbaric massacres, such as Mazar-e-Sharif. They were engaging in supporting terro rism.

However the mission was so badly mismanaged (lack of sufficient manpower, for example) that now it is a losing mission. We cannot overwhelm the Taliban by might alone.

"We cannot eliminate the Taliban, not militarily anyway," Gordon O'Connor told Reuters in an interview on September 7 from Australia [Globe].

Yet we are there, losing lives, dollars and goodwill. We need to help the Afghanistan people, but in other ways. Kennedy has called our strategy in Afghanistan a losing strategy and I agree. He wants to reevaluate the mission and I agree.

Canada

Kennedy is not for declaring one part of the country a "nation" or re-examining the constitution. He wants to fight for Canada. That's why he has called for Saskatchewan to become a leader in bio-fuel technology (which will also aid our environment), values his Western roots (set up Canada's first food bank in Edmonton), had an eye on our climate by calling for a GST aid to hybrid car purchasers. He had worked as MPP and in cabinet in Ontario, where our education system now unrecognizable from the mess that it was under the Harris government.

Foreign Affairs

Kennedy has supported a balanced view of the Middle East, calling on Israel for restraint and deploring the Canadian lives (and others) lost in the recent Israel-Lebanon conflict. Unlike Harper, Kennedy thinks Canada can be a leader while promoting peace, while Harper's ideas of leadership roles are a bit different. Kennedy is for solutions and peace, not for war. When the news about the arrests of the Toronto 17 broke, Kennedy was one of the first to offer an honest statement, which while congratulating the police and RCMP, also stated we must assume the suspects "not guilty unless proven", and also not discriminate against other Canadians of similar faith and culture. Frankly, he didn't jump on the 'We Are Not Scared' bandwagon, when none of the charges are proven, and now that we know that the RCMP can make mistakes, and then try and hide them.

Summation

A full list of Kennedy's positions and statements on various issues is available from his webpage. He is young, charismatic, has been in our country for the last little while, has been a Liberal as far as I can remember, has no baggage and is bilingual. He can appeal for support from various constituencies, and I am sure is the right man to lead our country. I hope he stays in the leadership race till the end, and wins it.

Tags: Liberal Party Gerard Kennedy

Why Is Curling Recalled?

2006-09-21T10:02:00.000-04:00

When I was growing in a 3^rd world country, some friends of my father, who were ambassadors to foreign countries, knew that their postings were temporary, until the government changed. When a new party would rise to power, the party leaders would appoint their own friends and inner circle to lucrative foreign posts. I never knew such a tactic would be present in Canada.

By mutual consent, most ambassadorial positions are appointed to men and women who deserve the honour, and their loyalty is mostly to the country rather than to a particular political party. Even if the Senate is a centre for patronage appointments, most of the Senate appointees are lawyers, judges, businessmen and other prominent figures in Canada's political scene, and their loyalty is to Canada first and foremost. They are a safeguard against politicians trying to leverage short term gains.

Canada's "New" Government must explain why it recalled MPP Alvin Curling from his post as ambassador to the Dominican Republic, a post for which he quit as MPP and Speaker of Ontario Legislature. He was the first black Speaker of a House for Canada, and served as MPP for over 20 years.

He [Curling] could think of no reason for being axed other than partisan preference, explaining he must have fallen out of favour with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He added: "I didn't come with a Liberal agenda; I came with a Canadian agenda."

A spokeswoman at Foreign Affairs said the department does not comment on appointments, and calls to the PMO yesterday were not returned.

Curling joins a growing list of Liberal-appointed diplomats who have been recalled - a not-unusual practice with a change in government.

After the Conservative victory in January, some resigned from their posts, such as Frank McKenna, the former New Brunswick premier who stepped down as ambassador to Washington, and former federal minister Allan Rock, who resigned his post at the United Nations.

Others are slowly being called back. In July, former MP Stan Keyes was recalled from his position as consul general in Boston, and, this month, former MP Karen Kraft Sloan's position as Canadian Ambassador of the Environment was abolished.

Last week, former MP Yvon Charbonneau was recalled as Canada's ambassador to UNESCO.

"I think Harper is being overzealous," said Delores Lawrence, president of Operation Black Vote Canada, which encourages black Canadians to participate in politics. Members of the black community are "very disappointed and very upset by this," she said. - [Star]

Yesterday, Prime Minister Harper was out of town when the house apologized to Maher Arar, a man the Prime Minister at one time called a "suspected terrorist". When Conservatives think why they cannot get more votes from the immigrant or multicultural communities, they should ponder on the optics of a case such as this. No wonder we don't see the Conservative Party as one of our own.

Tags: Alvin Curling

The Pope And His Speech

2006-09-15T10:35:00.000-04:00

The first headline this morning on CNN:

Muslim fury at pope jihad comments

"Oh no," was the first thought that came to my head. "Not again!"

So the pope believes (wrongly) that Islam was spread by the sword and by violence.

I hope the hordes of illiterate, oppressed and unemployed Muslims in the developing world do not take the decision to prove him wrong by burning down embassies, churches or businesses. It seems every time there is an opportunity to put a foot in our mouth, the Muslims in the uneducated East will oblige.

First - the Pope is wrong. If Islam was really enforced on the colonies, then all of India, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Greece, Armenia, Sudan, Egypt etc. would all have been Muslims. The Coptic church survived thousand years of Muslim rule. The Ottomans never interfered with the local churches. The Mughals in India did not convert hordes of Hindus and Brahmins into Muslims.

And Indonesia would never have become Muslim either. No Muslim army landed in Indonesia, Malaysia or Singapore.

Second, and this I find troubling, is why the Pope made those statements. It's one thing if he believes it. It's also negligible if it's a slip up; but if he deliberately made those statements to provoke a certain reaction, then he is guilty of a serious charge. He wants a clash of civilizations - that's very easy to get in today's polarized world.

I had hoped the Catholic church was going to move into the twenty first century. Yet, one of the first statements I recall from this pope was that Turkey shouldn't be allowed into the European Union as this would dilute Europe's "Christian" heritage. The Pope also wanted situations of Christians in the Muslim world to improve (I would like to know how his current statements would help them). On one hand the Pope leads a fight for the rights of this minority and on the other hand the Pope leads the fight against same sex marriage and gay rights. And now, he reads a 14^th century criticism of Islam in discussion of the present century (as if there was a shortage of criticism from this century). One has to question - why?

UPDATE: (11.15 am) I am in NYC so it will be hard to have the updates of this sitation but I will try.

In India, taking strong exception to the remarks, Congress party spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi said: "The Pope should have spoken with more wisdom. He is not merely the head of a religion, he is also the head of a state (Vatican)."

The (Hindu nationalist) BJP's reaction was stronger. "The pope should immediately clarify his position and if he has actually made the remarks he should apologise," senior party leader Mukthar Abbas Naqvi said. [link]

In a gross overreaction a Turkish lawmaker compared the Pope to Hitler.

In an alarming development, Reuters reported an explosion at a Gaza church, meanwhile BBC showed pictures of Sunni and Shia muslims marching in India, burning effigies of the Pope, while Pakistan deployed forces to guard Catholic churches.

BBC has a variety of "important" people in the Muslim "community" who have decided to take offense.

Again, one has to wonder at the Pope - why? Did any Muslim leader criticize your faith, your religion or you that you suddenly decide to be Pope Urban II (or XIVI or whatever).

Tags: Pope

And The Reasons To Vote For Watson Are ...

2006-09-12T09:03:00.000-04:00

Am I the only Liberal who is getting irritated at the increasingly negative tone of the by-election in Parkdale-High Park? For the last week or so, rather than outlining reasons on why we should vote for local city councillor Sylvia Watson, we have been hearing selectively edited excerpts of a speech by her NDP opponent Cheri DiNovo.

This battle has ceased to be about ideas, about local issues, about riding issues and has become a negative mudslinging match. That's not what the Liberal party should be about - especially when we are talking about renewal.

The Liberal party is the best party to be but sometimes they do not choose the best candidates. For example, in Scarborough-Rouge River by-election last year I would have preferred local councillor Raymond Cho (who has done a lot for the area) but he was not nominated.

Are there any good reasons to vote for Ms Watson? If so, I want to hear about it.

This statement of Mr McGuinty angers me to no end:

"Look, it's a tough by-election for us," the premier told reporters at an event held at the High Park home of prominent Liberal strategist Peter Donolo. "We're going to fight as hard as we can."

The end justifies the means, eh? Where have we heard that before, I wonder.

I am not outraged at the number of government ministers on the campaign trail, Mr John Tory's outrage there seems to me hypocritical - in a pinch the Tories would do the same. However, Paul Martin ran a negative campaign last time and lost. The Harper Tories ran a positive idea-based campaign and won. The Ontario Tories ran a negative campaign and lost. The McGuinty campaign ran an issue-based positive campaign and won.

And for the record, I read the full script of Ms DiNovo's sermon, and I do think she is more coddling and forgiving of criminals than I would be. But guess what - she's a priest. That was her sermon. When legislating, the NDP always votes with one voice and I cannot imagine the NDP voting to reduce punishments for child molestation, pedophilia or sexual assault. One of Layton's big promises of the last election was getting tough on crime. Yes, he also promised to fight for more statutory holidays but I am yet to see him getting results for people in that area.

From my understanding of her speech, Ms DiNovo implied harm was more likely to come from people we know than the stranger down the street. I would like to know what she proposes we can do in that regard. I would like to hear Ms. Watson's thoughts on the condos that continue to go up on the waterfront. I would like to hear their musings on the never ending construction along certain areas of the riding. I would like to hear about the high property taxes (that continue to increase every year) forcing long time residents to sell their houses. I would like them to debate the island airport issue. I would like them to outline their plan to fight for cities in the Ontario legislature. I don't want to dwell on selectively edited excerpts of an old speech.

Tags: Cheri DiNovo Sylvia Watson

Laws To Protect Homeowners Just A Start

2006-09-10T11:57:00.000-04:00

Regarding Ontario's new laws to "protect" homeowners from fraud:

The laws fail in one important aspect - they do not fine the bank that approved the mortgage to a faulty title in the first place. In the case shown in the article, a simple phone call to the house would have prevented a lot of hassle to the rightful homeowner. Fining fraudsters is great - only if you can catch them. The article says the person taking out the mortgage 'disappeared'. In this age of documentation and computerization, how did the bank give a mortgage to a fraud? And who will stop the bank as they now try to harass the proper homeowner.

The new 'laws' are just tinkering. The fault is with the government-run land titles registration system, and there seems to be no change on offer there [Star].

Currently, the law provides that fraudulent property transactions based on bogus mortgages, land transfers, and powers of attorney are considered lawful by the courts as soon as they are registered under the province's land titles system.

Because of that defect, homeowners may find themselves on the hook for mortgages fraudulently put on their property without their knowledge Â instead of the banks and the mortgage companies.

Homeowners may also discover to their horror that they are in danger of losing their properties permanently to people who bought them from criminals without knowing of the fraud.

The government should amend the Land Titles Assurance Fund, which should also provide legal help to victims of land fraud. The fault is with the failure of the government's run land registry system - so why should victims pony up the cash for legal fees? Cases take a long time to settle as well - leaving legal homeowners in limbo.

In going after the fraudsters, will the law also tackle the lawyers who prepared these fake legal documents? After all, you need a lawyer to affect a land transfer.

Actress Elizabeth Shepherd, whose Leslieville home was recently stolen by criminals who rented the property and then put a large mortgage on it using forged documents, said she "resented" having to go through "this expensive and cumbersome process for seeking compensation.

"I don't see why I should be one cent out of pocket," she said. "It's not my fault. The bank is responsible for handing out mortgages without due diligence."

Shepherd said her quest for compensation is "draining. It is extremely time-consuming and I have to spend so much time researching the situation and meeting with my lawyers."

At best, this is a start. The government should not now claim 'job done'.

Vatican Flexes Muscle - III

2006-09-08T13:10:00.000-04:00

The Pope is at it again.

Today, he lashed out at Canadians for allowing gay marriage and abortion.

Pope Benedict hit out Friday at Canada for allowing same sex marriage and abortion, saying they result from Catholic politicians ignoring the values of their religion.

"In the name of tolerance your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse, and in the name of freedom of choice it is confronted with the daily destruction of unborn children," the Pope told a group of bishops from Ontario.

Such laws, he said, are the result of "the exclusion of God from the public sphere." [Star]

Well, excuse me, it's not exclusion of God but your version of God. Just as you won't like me to tell you what you should worship, neither should you tell me how I should worship.

As Pope and leader of Catholics he has every right to tell Catholics how to conduct their religious affairs. As leader of a state he has no right to interfere with our legislative matters. I would like my Catholic politicians to keep their religion aside when legislation. Just as I would want for politicians from any other religion.

From my other blog:

Vatican, Canada and homosexuality.

Vatican, Slovakia and Abortion

Tags: Vatican Pope Canada

Japan Celebrates Birth of Boy

2006-09-06T08:56:00.000-04:00

The news on TV showed ecstatic Japanese crowds celebrating the birth of a baby boy in the royal house.

[CNN]

Obviously stories of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Nepal (both self-proclaimed 'religious' states) etc. where the birth of a boy is preferred and women denied their rights are tragic. However, I would have expected better of the up and coming developing countries such as China, India and Japan.

"A few days before India's 60th Independence Day celebrations, government officials in Punjab, one of the wealthiest states of India and also the birthplace of Bhangra music, discovered dozens of female fetuses dumped in an unused well in a town called Patran." [Blogcritics]

The Indian film Matrubhoomi detailed the story of a village in India where no brides could be found (all the girls were killed while still babies) for men - therefore baby girls from nearby states were married to as many as 5 men. We already know that in China and India there are many more men than women.

And now we have the Japanese celebrating the birth of a prince. Forgetting that monarchy is an unjustified age-old chronism at best, this tells the princesses that their lives weren't worth a lot - just due to their gender. Japan cannot have a female successor to the throne. I would have thought we have come far from the time where baby girls were buried alive. Not so far, it appears. Shame on the Japanese government and the royal family and their supporters.

Tags: Japan Female Rights

Scarborough Politicians Should Be Turfed

2006-08-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

All Scarborough councillors who have agreed to not push for an extension of the subway deeper into Scarborough should be turfed from office. It is clear to anyone that the RT is just not capable of sustaining the growth. At 5.30 pm, the rush into the RT at Kennedy Station is so huge that people have to wait for two or three trains before boarding one. The buses run infrequently amidst busy streets. Even smaller roads such as Neilson are now busy.

What we need is an extension from the Kennedy Station to Markham Road and Morningside. We also need to extend the purple line into Scarborough Town Center. Finally, we need a North-South subway line on Markham Road.

"I think we came to a mature conclusion that we Scarborough politicians are not going to fight for a subway," said TTC commissioner Glenn De Baeremaeker.

...

Scarborough councillors have long complained of the lack of attention the former city receives from the TTC, saying residents pay the same fare, but have no streetcar service and only three subway stations. - [Star]

Today those councillors have agreed that dedicated bus lines, street cars and better LRT is the way to go. This would only work if they increased the road width (not happening so rush hour would be more packed than usual), or increased the size of the subway stations and platforms.

What really bugs me is that they took the low cost option. This is infrastructure we are talking about, it's worth will not be known in the short term. Scarborough needs councillors who can fight for a subway. I urge all Scarborough residents to write to their local councillor and make their feelings known.

Tags: Toronto TTC

Is This Man The Next Kerry?

2006-08-30T09:33:00.000-04:00

Question: Will you run as MP in Etobicoke-Lakeshore if you lose the leadership race?

Possible - simple - answers could have been "No", "I don't know", "Let's see".

What does Michael Ignatieff say?

"I'd like to serve my constituents well, but you're asking me an anticipatory hypothetical about the situation that prevails on the 3^rd or 4^th of December."

[The Star]

Tags: Michael Ignatieff Canada Liberal Party

Can You Hear Me Now? Good!

2006-08-16T12:55:00.000-04:00

Preacher Moss, a muslim comedian who appeared on Comedy Network and at Yuk Yuk's, starts his comedy routine with "Welcome to America! Land of the freedom and opportunity, where I can be anything I want - except a pilot!"

Add cellphone businessmen to that list of jobs that Arab Americans can now no longer participate.

As Shabina from Moz Boondoggle writes,

In a nutshell, some 20-year-old Dearborn guys were held on terrorism charges because they bought a ton of cell phones and had a security guidebook for Royal Jordanian Airlines in their car (oh, and they were Arab). The bros from Texas were held on terrorism charges because they bought a ton of cell phones and snapped pictures of the Mackinac Bridge (oh, and they were Arab).

Both cases crumbled pretty fast (Texas boys free first, then Dearborn dudes). After hours-long interviews, the FBI conceded that the guys were innocent. Their families and lawyers said they were just being good businessmen, buying cheap phones and selling them at a markup. The guys will most likely sue, and I sure hope they make a buttload of money.

Liberal Catnip has more of that as well.

The good thing about the affair was that the investigation agencies approached the cases with an open mind. The bad thing was that we are now encouraged to snitch on our neighbours and fellow citizens. While that may not be a bad thing, as the British airplane plot was foiled by a Pakistani-British muslim reporting suspicious behaviour, I do wonder where as a society we are heading off to, as Britain discusses profiling.

UPDATE: Thanks to knb, here's the CSIS head's attitude to profiling.

The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Tuesday that the spy agency avoids racial profiling because it is "fundamentally stupid'' and does not knowingly use information gleaned under torture offshore because the practice is "morally repugnant.''

One Blogging Tory's "Paki" Rant

2006-08-11T10:29:00.000-04:00

The next reason Conservatives wonder why people in ethnic communities don't vote for them, they should take a hard look at posts like this by fellow Conservatives. While it is illogical to tar all Conservatives with the same brush, I find it amazing that Blogging Tories allows such posts to be linked to from its main site, and no other Tory rebukes the original blogger.

Pakistani Terrorism

Call me a racist or a bigot, I am gonna say it any way and I don't care what you call me at all! I was wondering why all these Pakis want to blow up thousands of people all over the world including Canada and recently UK.

Pakistan is the most dangerous country on the face of planet and its people are among the most dangerous and most radicals.

They are an Islamic nation without a national identity. Believe me, they identify themselves first as Muslims and then as Paki nationals.

First, regarding the alleged terror plot yesterday, it was the Pakistani government and intelligence services that helped disrupt the plot.

At a news conference, British Home Secretary John Reid said he was "grateful" for the help of the international community, in particular Pakistan, in disrupting the suspected plot.[BBC]

Second, some of the suspects are not even of Pakistani origin.

Third, it's just wrong to term all Pakistanis as 'dangerous', 'radical' and 'Muslim first'. If all Pakistanis were Muslim first then Bangladesh wouldn't have separated from Pakistan in 1970, and Pakistan wouldn't have a Baluchistan issue to deal with now. If all Pakistanis were radicals, then the Conservative Prime Minister wouldn't have appointed Wajid Khan, a Liberal MP of Pakistani origin, as his 'special advisor'.

Fourth, while I am not a Pakistani, the term 'Paki' has racial connotations and history, and should not be used in such a manner. It's like using the 'n-word' for a black person. It's just racist.

Finally, it's one thing to say Pakistan has a problem with some radicals (that moderates like Musharref are trying to fight). It's another saying all Pakistanis are so. It's plain wrong, and the Blogging Tories should call him on it.

And for symbolism's sake, last week England won a cricket match and clinched the series against Pakistan, in England. Their main bowler in the second innings? One bloke called Sajid Mahmood, of Pakistani origin, now playing for England, who took 4 wickets for only 22 runs to help crush Pakistan.

Tags: Racism Canada Conservative Party

Which Part Of Opposition Don't You Understand?

2006-08-10T14:56:00.000-04:00

To MP Wajid Khan,

Dear Sir,

You are a member of the Opposition party. The Liberal party is right now NOT the governing party. As such, your duty as a caucus member is to keep the government on its toes. It's the governing party's responsibility to govern. For that, they need members of their OWN caucus to step up to do the job. If their caucus canNOT do the job, it is your duty to call them on it, and remind voters at election time why the whole party of Conservatives could not find a special adviser on South Asia and the Middle East to the Prime Minister.

Thank you,

Crescent Canuck.

PS. Mr Bill Graham, much as I like you as a person, how could you allow this to happen?

UPDATE: I believe the Conservative party must make efforts to have one of their OWN caucus members approach South Asians and other ethnic minorities to show that they are reaching out to those communities. Hiring an opposition member is no way to move to the centre. Where is Jaffer, Grewal? The Conservatives must also try to examine WHY they cannot get elected in major cities.

Tags: Liberal Party Wajid Khan

Israel's Right To Defend Itself

2006-08-08T14:38:00.000-04:00

Today Israel has warned South Lebanese that it will 'escalate its operations' as well as destroy 'moving vehicles' [BBC]. So if you are a family still living there, you can't escape.

As the conflict dragged on, I heard various people say 'well Israel has the right to defend itself'. I don't have any problem with this statement. Any sovereign nation (and I include Israel) has the right to deal (militarily if needed) with threats to its existence. You heard it here on Crescent Canuck - most Arabs accept that Israel is here to stay (some like Jordan and Egypt even have peace treaties with them). This may come as a shock to some people, but most residents in the middle east aren't opposed to peace - even if that means giving up claim to occupied territories - in return for a fair solution to the refugees / displaced people and settlements.

Growing up in the Middle East, every book teaching Arabic used to have a chapter on the Palestinian issue. During 1993, when the Oslo accords were signed, and we saw pictures of Arabs and Jews in the Holy Land exchanging flowers, I remember telling my Arabic teacher - "we don't need this chapter now". There was genuine optimism amongst the Arabs. Sadly, the joy was short lived as the thorny issue of the refugees remained.

In this crisis, I criticize the 'defensive' action of Israel that went too far in proportion. Most Arab states - initially supporting the Israeli action (even *gasp* Saudi) - has now withdrawn that support.

As I posted on June 28,
"Today, in response to the kidnapping of a 19 year-old Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, Israeli forces have invaded the Gaza Strip - cutting off electricity and water, at the height of summer, to some 1.3 million people."

This is what sparked off the chain of events. Israel could have dealt with the militants by
a) sending in a negotiation team.
b) trying to pinpoint where the soldier was being held hostage and attempt a rescue.
c) warn Ham as of consequences if the soldier wasn't released.

They did none of that.

Again, when two soldiers were kidnapped and few others killed in Lebanon, again Israel had the following options
a) give the government of Lebanon time to negotiate a safe release for the hostages and demand punishment for killing eight others, and warn of consequences.
b) send in an elite force to rescue the hostages.
c) restrict military operations in south Lebanon. As Beirut is over 100 km away from the border, and the maximum range of the rockets are 30 km, rocket launchers in Beirut are not a threat.
d) provide positive proof to the UN that Iran was behind this attack.

This didn't do any of this. Instead, Lebanon is being collectively punished. A government that could've been a model of democracy is now terribly weakened. A terr orist organization is now seen as legitimate by the rest of the country.

And finally, Israel could have asked itself why are 342 Palestinian children (under 18) still in custody. Surely, they can't all be terro rists?

Divisive Politics From Harper

2006-08-04T16:40:00.000-04:00

"I understand that not everyone is lucky enough to be born into a rich family, to attend private schools, or to live an international lifestyle," he said. "Instead, millions upon millions of people wake up each and every morning, and get ahead the Canadian way. By working hard, by saving a bit of money, by doing the best they can to make the right decisions for themselves and their families, these people are our people." - Stephen Harper's address to members of his caucus and invited constituents in Cornwall, Ontario.

This type of us versus you is crass politics at best, and at worst class warfare. We shouldn't be surprised. We have seen similar divide-and-smear attacks from conservatives in the past. We should be above this way of politics where we divide and include certain groups and exclude others. My Liberal Canada is inclusive of ALL Canadians. It is progressive. Is it no wonder that it is only in the Liberal party that we have religious candidates with strong views of homosexuality campaign along with gay candidates? It's because we don't play divisive politics, unlike others.

'Real' Canadians versus 'fake' Canadians.

Good Women versus Ambitious Women

'True' Marriage versus 'Fake' Marriage

'The West Wants In' versus 'a culture of defeatism'

Those Who Drink Tim Hortons vs Starbucks (ohh...).

And many others.

h/t Red Tory, HarperBizarro.

Tags: Canada Stephen Harper

Ban Or Regulate Cycles On The Road

2006-08-01T10:47:00.000-04:00

As someone who carpools to work every weekday, I see lots of cyclists on the road as we approach downtown. Downtown Toronto is a very bike-friendly city, with bike lanes, narrower car lanes, right-of-way and other facilities given to the bicycle. Unfortunately I find cyclists often abuse those rights.

For example,

many a time I have come to a complete stop at an All-Way-Stop, and the driver in the other direction is about to go, when a cyclist zooms by besides me. It seems Stop signs do not exist for some cyclists.
When the light turns red, as a driver you stop. Some cyclists on the other hand become a 'pedestrian', getting off thier bikes and running the red if the road is clear. That's jaywalking for you, on a bike.
Many cyclists do not check their blind spot before veering onto your lane in case of construction blocking the bike lane. Many a time you can brake and the cyclist 'dings' you. By the time you are out of the car yelling at him, he is on some side street furiously biking away.
Quite often it seems to me an accident between a car and a cycle will be due to the cyclist's recklessness, yet you will see some city politicians and bicyclists crying foul about this city's intolerance for bikes.

As the price of gas keeps going up, we are only going to see more and more cyclists on the road. Those bike lanes are going to get crowded. It's time to either ban cyclists from the road, or regulate them. I propose the following legislations that should be passed either in busy metro cities, or province-wide, and should apply to any cycle using the main roads:

All cycles must have working white (front) and red (rear) lights (not reflectors).
All cycles must be equipped with mirrors on the handles.
All cyclists must pay a plate registration fee (could be as small as $40 per annum). This should give them a license plate with a unique license number they can (and must) attach to their bikes. This would prevent them from 'dinging and running'.
All cyclists must pass the G1 road test (or an equivalent bicycle test) so they are aware of the rules of the road.

While I agree that the bicycle is an environmentally-friendly way to commute, save money and be physically fit, that does not give it a free pass from the law.

PS. FYI I was not 'hit' by a bike today. This is something I have thought about for some time, and especially after near misses.

Tags: Toronto Bicycle Commute

Snubbing Ontario Could Be Costly

2006-07-31T13:25:00.000-04:00

Flipping Ontario The Bird Could Cost Harper

Remember those early days of the Conservative government when Harper met Charest numerous times, yet could find just precious small time for the premier of Canada's most populous province, while attending a Tory fundraiser? Harper Snubs Ontario, read most headlines across the province.

Now it looks like Ontario could be important again.

"Harper has staked much of his political fortunes on gains in Quebec and on his promise to make federalism work there.

If he fails to satisfy Quebec Premier Jean Charest, it will allow nationalists to crow about the failure of federalism, and fuel the separatist cause, a nightmare scenario for Harper and Charest, both of whom will likely face the electorate in the next year or so.

Quebec's strong Lebanese and Arab community condemns Harper's recent support for Israel in the Mideast crisis, and warns he cannot count on their support.

Quebecers are also the least supportive of Canadian involvement in Afghanistan.

So most observers think the Tories will need to win more ridings in Ontario, where they now hold 40 of 106 seats.

Premier Dalton McGuinty hints that Harper could pay a political price in Ontario if he meets only Quebec's demands on the fiscal imbalance."

What should McGuinty do if Harper suddenly wants to 'be nice'?

Down in Quebec

According to the latest polls, Harper's chances of majority government have taken a huge hit by low polls from Quebec, stemming from his support of Israel. The interesting fact for me is that while the Tories are reported to be down to 23%, the BQ has surged to 43%.

Why did the votes not go to the Liberals? I interpret it as soft federalists going to the BQ because they see the Liberals not likely to win the next election. I predict that if, by midway through the next election campaign, the Liberals look favourites to win, the Conservative support in Quebec will bleed further (as federalists look to back the winner and abandon a sinking Tory ship) while those voters flirting with the BQ will return to the Liberal fold.

Tags: Ontario Stephen Harper

Liberals Standing Up For Canada

2006-07-27T14:57:00.000-04:00

Graham blasts PM

There you go.

Also, does any one know who David Orchard is endorsing /has endorsed for the Liberal party's leadership convention? I heard a rumour he was endorsing Dion (don't know how true it is). I don't know too much about Orchard, though I recently posted one of his writings. His latest article deals with Stephen Harper and 'Stand Up For Canada'.

Orchard's latest article:

Standing up for Canada?

[also posted at Global Research]

Here are a few excerpts:

A million tourists, expats and "snowbirds," including roughly 50,000 Canadians, were trapped in the country.

...

The current Canadian government was recently elected promising to "stand up for Canada."

...

With 50,000 Canadians in harm's way what has been our government's response? Canada's new UN ambassador, John McNee, told the Security Council that Israel's action in Lebanon "was an exercise in its right to self-defence." The minister of foreign affairs, Peter MacKay, refused point blank to endorse the secretary general's call for a ceasefire. Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated: "Israel's response, under the circumstances, has been measured." He announced that it was "too early" to call for a ceasefire.

...

Eight visiting Canadians, including four children, were killed by Israeli bombs. The Canadian government made no protest. Is this Mr. Harper's idea of "standing up for Canada?"

...

The Harper government's abject response to the murder of Canadians and its refusal to demand an end to the bombing constitutes an abandonment of its duty to protect Canadians and to defend the rule of law on behalf of all humanity.

...

Gideon Levy, writing in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, said, "In Gaza, a soldier is abducted from the army of a state that frequently abducts civilians from their homes and locks them up for years without a trial but only we're allowed to do that. And only we're allowed to bomb civilian population centres."

Our government in Ottawa has, whether for reasons of religion or ideology, sided uncritically with a foreign government, in this case Israel's, at the expense of our own national interests as Canadians and law abiding members of the world community.

Perhaps Harper should review the change he made to his Five Priorities.

" ... strengthening our country at home and around the world".

I thought it was a sad day for Canada when our nationals (particularly operating under the UN badge) are killed by a foreign army and our Prime Minister questions the actions of those killed.

I have said all along that regardless of who you support (Israel/Palestine) this is a foreign conflict.

Tags: Canada Stephen Harper

Ottawa to Review Help For Non-resident Citizens

2006-07-26T14:35:00.000-04:00

Following on from my discussion of "Convenient Canadians", I find this article from the Globe and Mail (emphasis mine).

Ottawa to review help for non-resident citizens

Canada will re-examine the practice of paying to rescue its citizens who have made lives in other countries, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday as the evacuation in Lebanon winds down.

...

Numbers suggest that most of the 8,700 people evacuated through the port of Beirut on ships chartered by Canada were tourists. Many Lebanese-Canadians have strong ties to their homeland and holiday there with relatives and friends.

...

Canadians travelling abroad who are placed in a situation of danger and need to be evacuated are generally expected to cover the costs. But those fees are occasionally waived in the case of large-scale operations that involve extraordinary circumstances, Foreign Affairs officials have explained.

The article does not detail the cost and logistics required to vacate the 8700 or so Canadians who wanted to get out of Lebanon.

I don't know what to say about this. I think Canada has a duty to help her citizens (any citizen, regardless of hyphens) get out of a warzone. However asking them to pay for it may not be so bad. Those who went there on vacation will get a refund from their unused portion of the air ticket but Canadians who live there may be unable to access their bank accounts in a war zone. However, it shouldn't have costed too much to evacuate 8700 people that a G8 country cannot handle. There are many countries where many citizens live elsewhere (such as Ireland, Sri Lanka) but the home country does not question their citizenship. Is there any reason Canada be different? I hope the review is only about the cost of the evacuation and who will bear it.

The article had this interesting excerpt:

But Mr. Harper's suggestion that the government will review the policy of helping to evacuate Canadians who have relocated to their countries of origin is unlikely to sit well with the immigrant communities he has been courting in his bid to win a majority government. His remarks represent another example of his willingness to take a strong and occasionally controversial stand on issues of principal or that appeal to his core constituency.

...

In either case, no distinction has been made between Canadians who make their home in Canada and those who have homes in other parts of the world. And no distinction is made between Canadians who are citizens of more than one country and those who belong to this country alone.

The Citizenship Act of 1977 permitted people to be citizens of Canada and another country. And, for decades, Canada has taken pride in the fact that it takes in people born in other parts of the world and embraces them as its own. Former prime minister John Diefenbaker pledged to bring in a Canadian citizenship that "knew no hyphenated consideration."

Mr. Harper's remarks drew some harsh criticism from opposition members yesterday.

There was no complaint last year when Canada tried to rescue hundreds of its nationals from Louisiana after hurricane Katrina, said Dan McTeague, the Liberal who was responsible for the protection of Canadians overseas during the previous government.

"Why is it an issue today when it wasn't at this time last year?" he asked. "There is no such thing as degrees of citizenship or classes of citizenship. And what does it say about Canadians who are going around the world imparting their expertise and making Canada a world player? . . . [That] the Prime Minister might review whether or not it's worth the effort of trying to get them out?"

Bill Siksay, the NDP citizenship and immigration critic, said there is no distinction in Canadian citizenship for people who are resident in Canada and those who live elsewhere.

Tags: Canada Dual Citizenship

"Fisking" Peter Worthington

2006-07-25T08:50:00.000-04:00

I should start a "Toronto Sun Stupid Column Watch (As I See It)" on this blog. I am sure with Michael Coren and Peter Worthington on their staff, that section would never be short of new material.

Worthington's latest article is "Convenient Canadians".

First, he makes the ridiculous statement that "there are twice as many Canadians [50,000] in Lebanon as there are Canadians in the army". As far as I know, the strength of the Canadian Armed Forces is 62,000 [Wikipedia]. Moreover, only 40,000 Canadians have requested evacuation.

Worthington, half of 40,000 is 20,000, not 62,000. Please get your facts straight.

He writes "most are dual-citizenship Canadians who've chosen to return to the motherland to live as Lebanese -- until trouble strikes and then they want the Canadian government to rescue them, not the Lebanese government". We have no way of knowing how Worthington came to this conclusion. Does he know the average age, wealth or status of Lebanese-Canadians? Some have lived for decades in Canada before choosing to retire there. Lots of snowbirds do that. They live for 6 months in Florida. It doesn't make them any less Canadian.

Others, after spending considerable amount of time here, have returned to start a business or venture there. They may still have family, property here.

The venom continues: "frankly, any dual-citizenship Canadian who chooses to live in one of the danger areas of the world should not expect Canada to rush to his aid and rescue him and relatives when danger threatens."

So I guess we should also not rescue any mountain climber, skier who gets stuck on the 'Danger' terrain, spelunker or a hiker. And if you choose to live in a desolate part of the world (like Northern Canada) you should not expect a rescue when danger hits either. Remember, two weeks ago, Beirut was a peaceful capital city of a thriving multicultural country recovering well from a civil war.

Then Worthington gets to his point of view that deserves its own blog entry - "The view that "a Canadian is a Canadian" and all should be treated equally may need revising".

A Canadian is a Canadian. Period. Across all political aisles, there should be no dispute. We should not have categories of Canadians.

The Lebanese-Canadians who were living in Lebanon are no less Canadian than the thousands of Canadians who live and work in the USA. You know, like Worthington's daughter and son-in-law, a certain Mr David Frum.

Mr Frum and his wife, Danielle Crittenden, have both emigrated to USA. They are now US citizens. They live and work there [Wikipedia]. And so, Worthington concludes, in his bid to deny dual citizens full Canadian status, "If someone wants to be a Canadian, that person should give up citizenship in his birth country.An exception should be made with the U.S. on grounds that we are geographically, traditionally and culturally close.

Ofcourse. You cannot serve two masters. Unless it's the US. Then it's OK.

One other statement from the column caught my eye.

"Although Lebanese have settled in Canada for well over a century and are productive citizens, Canada's current policies risk clogging the country with people who shouldn't be here and whom we don't want."

Who do you not want to come to Canada, Worthington? And why?

PS. I actually submitted a Letter to the Editor, that got published today, however it's a truncated and edited version.

Tags: Canada Peter Worthington Dual Citizens

Saturday Protest Pictures

2006-07-24T07:20:00.001-04:00

The Saturday protest started on time, weaving it's way past ROM and the Israeli consulate and stopping at the US consulate. What was surprising was that given how angry some of the protestors were (they after all had family members still being bombed and killed) the protest managed to pass off quite peacefully. The Druze, Christians and Muslims (Sunni and Shite) of the Lebanese community were there, protesting, as were some Christian and Jewish (!) marchers. In the Middle East these groups would be fighting each other. Here in Canada they march together peacefully, get angry at the government and then go for work. That's the beauty of 'freedom of speech'.

There was a strong NDP presence at the rally (and these are communities that traditionally vote Liberal). After Warren Kinsella managed to obtain from some of the Liberal candidates statements unilaterally supporting Israel (kudos to Martha Hall Findlay for not falling into the trap) many people were angry at Joe Volpe. I remember Volpe coming to our mosque and issuing blunt statements that he was 'with us'. That kind of ethnical politics can backfire spectacularly, as he no doubt will find out. I don't have a problem with candidates such as Bob Rae supporting Israel. He has been very clear on this issue and we can disagree on some things, but what really irks me is when politicians try to play both sides and be hypocritical.

Sign saying 'bombing Canadians is NOT a measured response'.

What surprised me was the presence of a large number of Jewish protestors.

The NDP had a strong presence at the rally, here represented by MP Peggy Nash.

More Jewish protestors.

What's a Bantustan? But the map was interesting.

A Jewish rabbi and a Shite Imam speak. The placard to the left had an interesting drawing of a 'BBC' missile.

The vibrant (and angry) Lebanese community of Toronto were loudly present.

Some of the pictures were heart wrenching, especially those of babies bombed that the media won't carry.

(Photos courtesy: L.C.)

Tags: Canada Israel Protest

Attention! You Should Be Offended!

2006-07-21T12:50:00.000-04:00

Desecration?

Courtesy Red Tory, I came across this article. It mentions that the patron saint of England, St. George, may be changed as he may be considered offensive to Muslims. Red Tory writes, "this is cultural sensitivity gone mad".

I don't think this is a case of cultural insensitivity at all. What I don't get is who decided this image is offensive to Muslims. From the article, it appears that the Church of England is worried that his image is too warlike. And it is the Church of England that appeared to have decided this could be offensive. I am sure they got a few crackpots who wrote letters but it looks like this is the Church's initiative.

I had a hearty laugh about that one. What is offensive to me is now going to be decided by someone else, be it the Church of England or the mullahs of Iran. The British also had a history of fighting India. All Indians (and Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and so on) have a bad memory of the Union Jack. Should that now be changed as well? I am sure if you ask any Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan living in Britain (and are British) about it, they would go hmph! They don't care! What matters is bread and butter issues like discrimination, jobs, taxes, education, health care and so on.

What offends me is if a politician preaches hatred against a particular sect. A person tries to shove his particular beliefs on me. If a legislator decides to ignore hate crimes. If a leader breaks his promises. If people are blind to abuses by their elected representatives, and so on. A flag, a symbol, a piece of ancient history, that's irrelevant. I am sure the Church of England has better things to do.

We look forward to having this debate again on cultural sensitivity come Christmas/Holiday time. Meanwhile, come Euro 2008, I will be waving my England flag on my car again.

Tags: Cultural Sensitivity Political Correctness

A Few Questions On The Evacuation

2006-07-20T21:41:00.000-04:00

Before I begin I would like to say we shouldn't criticize the evacuation procedure too much - Canadians never had to deal with anything of such a magnitude before, and so quickly. I think they are doing the best they can under trying circumstances. I can proudly say our government was there for Canadians. We should all follow Sam Eid of Toronto's example - who volunteered to work as a baggage handler at the port because, as he said, "The Canadian government gave us an escort. It was my way of paying them back". Having said that, I have a few questions:

Why did Israel blockade one ship carrying Canadians to Cyprus for more than 3 hours, before sending them to Turkey? Many people got sea-sick, deprived of medical attention and water, or got sunstroke. This is a ship carrying helpless civilians!
Why is the "security window" provided to Canadian ships so narrow? And why should there be even a need for security windows? Noone should bomb ships carrying innocent civilians, period. You would think that for all the blind support our Prime Minister gave to Israel (even after our citizens were killed), the Israelis would be nice enough not to threaten our ships, no?
Six ships carrying passengers were not able to fully load before they had to leave port. Why? I heard the captain of one ship refused to go to Beirut until the Israelis gave him a security guarantee, which took its time coming.
France offered to help with the evacuation effort, Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who met with French President Jacques Chirac. Why? I mean, thanks France, but please make the offer to the leader of our nation, Mr Harper, will you? Charest is just the premier of a province, not a nation, get it?
Why are some bloggers (especially Cons) questioning the Canadian-ness of some evacuees? They are Canadians. Period.
Nine days ago some bloggers wrote they were glad the Israeli Prime Minister didn't pussyfoot around the Hezbollah attack, having the guts to say this was an act of war by Lebanon. Therefore it was Israel vs. Lebanon - a war where civilians could be killed. Now, as Israeli atrocities mount (considerable enough so that Louise Arbour could speculate them as war crimes) suddenly it's back to Israel vs. Hezbollah, or a democratic nation vs. a bunch of terrorists. What happened to Israel vs. Lebanon? 'Cos that would mean it will be democratic nation favouring one religion vs. democratic multicultural country. Oh...

Tags: Canada Israel

Belinda Stronach's Ideas Reviewed

2006-07-18T08:44:00.000-04:00

I have just finished reading through Ms Belinda Stronach's ideas for the renewal of the Liberal Party (h/t Clear Grit). I have said before that I am glad Ms Stronach is a Liberal and a smart one at that. Let me go through some of her ideas.

The need for a grassroots strategy.
This cannot be denied. For too long it seemed an elite crew had the keys to the party machinery. Liberals must feel they can influence the party's direction, and thus will become more involved with the party (important in the ground war during elections). In here when Ms Stronach mentions grassroots financing she is correct - if more money came from individuals than corporations, the party would be more reflective of its members than corporations. However we need to get a lot more contributions from a lot more people to remain financially in the black.
One Member One Vote.
While I recognize this is as grassroots as it gets, there is one problem with this. Let's say Ontario has a larger number of Liberals than Alberta. That would mean Ontario has a larger influence in the party than Alberta. I would like some sort of equal representation of ridings, and one-member-one-vote within each riding itself.
A Convention on party renewal in advance of the leadership selection.
Certainly. This should be a must. If we are serious about renewal we need to hear from the Liberal leadership candidates their ideas on such issues.
Caucus Election of Ministers and Critics.
I still think the cabinet should be the privilege of the PM/leader. However if a system was proposed where the cabinet was appointed by the PM/leader and then approved by the caucus that would be a suitable compromise and check to the power of the PM/leader.
No parachute candidates.
I don't have a problem with a person from one riding deciding to run for nomination in another riding and gathering suitable support to win the nomination. However the process adopted when Michael Ignatieff was crowned, as well as when Raymond Cho was not allowed to run for the provincial Liberal nomination in a by-election in Scarborough Rouge-River, left a bad taste in my mouth. To be truly democratic, anyone wishing to run for the Liberal nomination should be allowed to do so, as long as the person has been a bonafide member of the party for some time. Let the local party members decide on their representative. Now, the leader can appoint someone, or the riding association can decide so-and-so will be on the ticket as someone else has no chance of winning the nomination.
More women in the party.
While I support more women in politics I don't think a party should make special affirmative action to that end. Like any male-dominated field, women will be rare.
$1 Memberships.
To join the Party or to renew one's membership should be recognized as an expression of political faith, not a fund-raising opportunity.
I agree 100%. The present membership fee of $16.50 in my riding (for a year only) is quite steep, in my opinion. Also, Ms Stronach's other ideas in this section, such as party auctions, shares etc. are quite innovative.

Please do go over to her site and read her ideas. As we head into another election in a year's time (likely), we should have atleast implemented a few of those suggestions.

Tags: Canada Belinda Stronach

More on Harper's Position

2006-07-17T18:05:00.000-04:00

I find it perplexing that Canadian PM Harper would not criticize Israel for Canadian deaths. Regardless of whatever position you hold on the Israel-Palestine conflict, we are Canadians first. And Canadians are now dead in this war.

When the US made it a policy to pull over Arab-Canadians at the border, Canada's Liberal government protested. They even posted a travel advisory on their website warning about travel to the US, our best friend, business partner and ally. The US then disregarded that policy. Similarly Canada's Liberals have frequently petitioned for Canadian activists held by Israel. When it mattered, the Liberals stood up for Canada.

I don't think Israel purposely targetted the Canadians. However, they purposely targetted civilian infrastructure in Lebanon. They are destroying airports, bridges, houses, buses, ports, offices and hospitals [BBC]. Harper should first condemn Israel for targetting civilian infrastructure that has nothing to do with the radicals in the south of the country. Then he should say Israel's response is now no longer measured. And finally, he should ask Israel to stop attacking ports [this is how we are going to remove our stranded nationals].

Many bloggers said since a radical force over which the Lebanon government has no control kidnapped soldiers near the border, they hold Lebanon responsible for an act of war. Now Israeli warplanes have killed Canadians under direct order of the government. Is Israel's response still measured, Prime Minister? What about the thousands of Lebanese/Palestinians the Israelis hold in their prisons? Who begs for their release?

On Harper's Misguided Position And Quebec:
It seems Harper's ill-thought out strategy and position on the Middle East crisis may backfire in terms of votes towards the Conservatives. First, thousands of Lebanese Canadians in Montreal have protested against the government's position. These are Quebec suburbs where many voted Conservatives last time around, being sick of the Liberals. Reuters reports that many may now rethink their vote next time around. It looks like Peter's comments from my previous post is a bit optimistic. I am glad. It is time politicians realize their actions have consequences at the ballot box.

The flip side of this position is that many of these votes may now go to the BQ rather than the Liberals.

Did Harper modify his position, as asked by the Star? Even though he dodged questions, It would appear no.

Meanwhile the Canadian Arab Federation has criticized Harper and accused him directly of being responsible for the death of Canadians. This is ofcourse stupid of them. It's like Jack Layton blaming Paul Martin for the death of the homeless. Arab lobbyists still have to learn a lot.

Tags: Canada Israel

Canada Needlessly Involved

2006-07-16T11:48:00.000-04:00

Canada is getting involved in the new Middle East crisis with no parliamentary debate whatsoever [Star], courtesy Bush's new lapdog "Steve". As far as I can remember Canada has always had a balanced view in the conflict, tending to reflect a position in between US and France. Many Liberals such as Jason Cherniak and Shoshana have different point of views than mine. However, this position of Canada on the crisis needs to be debated in Parliament, a fact that seems to be lost on the Conservatives, who debate next to nothing or usually give 6 hours notice. And where is the Opposition when you need them? Even the NDP? If Canada gets needlessly involved, who knows whose apple-cart we could rattle?

Update: US blogger Abu Sinan picks some illuminating Israeli quotes.

Tags: Canada Israel

Liberals Need To Be More Left Than Right

2006-07-13T13:48:00.000-04:00

Jason Cherniak commented sometime ago, regarding his statements about Omar Alghabra, that Muslim Canadians are unlikely to vote Conservative because of vitriolic statements by some Tories. While this generalization has its flaws, one part of it is basically true. Let me get to the flaw first.

All Italian-Canadians do not vote one way, neither will all Muslim Canadians, many of whom come from various cultures and backgrounds. Indeed many South Asians vote for Liberal simply because they have more role models in the Liberal caucus (such as Ruby Dhalla) but that does not stop a lot of them for also voting for Conservatives in the West. Harper's strategy of focusing on same sex marriage in the GTA has not borne fruit, however his actions on jobs, credential recognition and tax cuts have.

The Liberals have always played a delicate balancing act (on their position on the Middle East) well. This meant both Jewish voters and Muslim voters simultaneously voted for the Liberals. However, Paul Martin lost a lot of support within the Muslim community when he declared "Israel's values are Canadian values". Looking at recent actions by Israel where they seem to be killing civilians for fun it is clear Canada's values are very different. Paul Martin was probably pandering to some vote bank. However, the second part of Jason's statement is true. The lost votes did not go to the Conservatives but to the NDP.

It is for this reason that I believe the Liberal's next leader must be more left-leaning than right. We must emphasize our social programs, our environmental policies and our progressive society to steal back those NDP Liberals that we lost.

Another thing that struck me recently is how rabid the right wing has become. In previous eras, to be right leaning you wanted less government, lower taxes, less involvement in foreign affairs, more spending at home, increasing personal freedoms and protecting rights. Today, the right subscribes to strict interpretations of a religious code that they seek to impose on others, restrict personal liberties, increase spending (military, GST cut), do not care about deficit, treat environment as a dirty word and so on. The Toronto Sun has recently called even for standing together with Israel, as if that is something Canadians should do, when we have no stake in that country and should NOT be involved. The way to fight the Conservatives is NOT to be more right (look where it got the Democrats) but by re-stating progressive Liberal values.

Tags: Canada Foreign Relations Liberal Party

Even More Gruesome Than Haditha

2006-07-04T00:54:00.000-04:00

(Remember, from what I understand, Michael Ignatieff supported this Iraq war, while Mr. Harper bemoaned that our solders are not there with our allies.)

This is what we need to guard against as Mr. Harper puts us in a US-style insurgency fight in Afghanistan. It has been said that soldiers placed in unfamiliar situations often react in unpredictable ways, actions they would condemn in 'normal' life they would not hesitate to undertake in a warzone.

Conversely here you don't hear calls from Bill O' Reilly and the like for all Americans to condemn this incident, rather most Americans will hardly know about it, thanks to their impotent media. However when a single allegation is made on a muslim, they hold all 1 billion muslims responsible for this situation.

"After the decision was made to rape the woman, according to the FBI affidavit, three of the soldiers changed out of their uniforms and into dark clothes. One soldier told investigators that Green covered his face with a brown T-shirt. One of the soldiers told investigators he changed clothes so he "wouldn't be seen." The affidavit said that four of the soldiers then grabbed three rifles and a shotgun and headed to the house. The fifth soldier was said to have stayed behind at the checkpoint.

According to the accounts of the two who stood guard, Green went to a back bedroom, closed the door and shot three family members. An Army official said the three were believed to be the woman's mother, father and sister, approximately age 5. "Green came to the bedroom door and told everyone: `I just killed them, all are dead,' " the FBI affidavit said.

Around the same time, the soldier identified as the "known participant" grabbed the young woman -- whose age is believed to have been about 20 -- and threw her to the floor, according to the affidavit. The two soldiers acting as guards told investigators that both Green and the other soldier raped the woman before Green picked up an AK-47 assault rifle he had found at the house and killed her."

[Full Article] it is as disgusting as it sounds

To those that say Canadian soldiers are well trained and 'better' than our American counterparts, I say while that may be true, we cannot prevent such incidents from taking place. Remember Somalia? It may be one bad apple, but it's a stain on our uniform.

The Army should ensure soldiers not be posted in Afghanistan for more than 4-5 months, get regular and long leaves for home, and psychiatric assessment is performed on soldiers on a regular and mandatory basis.

(h/t: blevkog)

PM Incensed by 'Fouling' of Memorial

2006-07-04T00:27:00.000-04:00

Is this really national security matter that it's top news on our newspapers and even the Prime Minister is compelled to comment about it on radio?

A man urinated on a statue (or even a graveyard). Charge the man with public mischief. End of story. I am sure the guy peeing did not care about 'fouling' a national monument. He just needed somewhere to go and made the unwise decision to do it in a public place and not go to a washroom.

The right wing picks pseudo battles and wars on which there is only one position, they claim that position, and then ignore the real issues of the day.

I am not saying the issue is not important. However it's not a priority.

Israel's Actions Destabilize The Middle East

2006-06-28T22:52:00.000-04:00

Mr. Stephen Harper was quick in his early days to show his displeasure with the election of Hamas (a result no one wanted or expected in the West) by cutting off aid to the Palestinian Authority and restrict cash flow into the impoverished area. Many right wing commentators had mouthed that election of Hamas was like declaring war on Israel, as Hamas did not recognize the country.

Today, in response to the kidnapping of a 19 year-old Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, Israeli forces have invaded the Gaza Strip - cutting off electricity and water, at the height of summer, to some 1.3 million people. That's 1.3 MILLION of the poorest people on earth without electricity and water in 45 degrees heat. Many of them, employees of the civil service, will be seriously short of cash as all aid had been restricted. Israel also destroyed three main bridges that connect to the Gaza strip, thus preventing any subsequent relief to reach the area. And in what could be tantamount to a declaration of war, Israel has captured the cabinet members of another government [Star].

Is the targeting of and destroying the lives of 1.3 million justified, for the sake of 1 soldier's life? And not to forget, actions such as these of Israel's breeds terrorism, which in turn affects the capability and safety of our soldiers in Afghanistan. Canadian soldiers who would have struck a cordial relation with many Afghans will now have to distance themselves from Israel (our ally)'s actions. Previous Liberal governments had succeeded in cementing a balanced position of Canada in the Middle East conflict. By aligning ourselves with the US and Israel, Mr. Harper runs the risk it entails for Canada.

All this ofcourse, to secure the release of a soldier. And what were the demands of the insurgents who captured the soldier in the first place?

Arab blogger Sabbah informs us:

"... are now asking for the release of Palestinian women prisoners and Palestinian children under the age of 18. And in case you don't know, as of April 2006, the latest numbers of Palestinian women prisoners and Palestinian children is 342 Palestinian children and 122 women. I wonder how much attention the Western media gave to this fact, if they did in first place. Do the Western media mention the demands of the Palestinian militia? Did you hear about the Palestinian Women and Children in the Israeli prisons?"

Another blogger, Avari writes:

"Of course, this did not start with the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. It started when Israeli shells led to the deaths of Palestinians, including women, on a Gaza beach; predictably enough, Israel claimed it released a report ... that showed no Israeli involvement, though TIME Magazine, in its June 26, 2006 issue, questioned such a report, citing Human Rights Watch's impartial report."

Even though the language used by some of these bloggers may be harsh, the truth in asking for fair coverage of Israel's actions and its implications cannot be denied. Mr. Stephen Harper should now ask Israel to withdraw and return to negotiations for the release of its solder.

Liberals Should Concentrate On Basics

2006-06-17T11:51:00.000-04:00

The Conservative Party will win the next election. Unless the Liberal party members and its candidates change their tactics - that is my conclusion. The Conservative Party has focused its attention onto a few basics - and this is what the people will remember come voting time. Let's see what the Conservatives have done for ethnic communities (a Liberal stronghold in Toronto and other cities) recently:

Opened a public enquiry into the worst terrorist act on Canadians. Yes, I am talking about the Air India bombing. I can say rest assured had most of the targets been white, the public enquiry, outrage and condemnation would have been super fast. The Liberals had 13 years to solve the crisis. They didn't.
Most immigrants credit Pierre E. Trudeau and his liberal policies for helping them come to Canada. This is the no. 1 reason why they keep voting Liberal. However, in recent times, the feeling has set in that we Liberals only bring in immigrants to secure a vote bank, and do not care about their looking helplessly at the job banks.

Last month, the prime minister announced the creation of an agency to help ensure the overseas credentials of immigrants are recognized by Canadian employers. Many foreign-trained doctors, accountants and other professionals are forced to take low-paying jobs because their credentials aren't recognized here. Harper said the agency will help new immigrants "navigate the bureaucratic labyrinth of credentials." The agency will receive $18 million in funding over the next two years.
Most telling was the vice president (South Asian Market, RBC)'s comment at a recent awards gala "The Liberals came and went (in government), but they never showed up at this event". Added one member, "Indians by nature are a conservative people. And they like to back a winning horse."
Thousands of skilled immigrants who struggle to be licensed by Ontario's regulatory bodies could be helped by a new law that would target unfair barriers to employment. [link] My parents who are first generation immigrants and face numerous hurdles to get their degrees recognized positively cheered this announcement. We don't know how it will help but it's doing something.
The Liberals in their debates are focusing on abstract dreams. "Big Canada Big Dreams", "One World", "Green Economy", blah blah blah blah blah. Only Scott Brison, Stephane Dion and Gerrard Kennedy (especially him) gave some concrete steps on how they would deal with BASIC problems. Like it or not we are taxed too much and it is time the party realized that throwing money at (some) useless social programs is not working.
There seems to be a basic tendency amongst the candidates to be too leftist or too right. Yes, we know street racing is already banned (maybe) or tougher sentencing for crimes does not solve crimes. But it makes for good politics and you guys are POLITICIANS. Remember Jean Chretien's quote "Politics is a game and I am a good player"? Well, get back to politics. We are not in power anymore, and we should realize it.

Signed: A Frustrated Liberal.

Tags: Liberal Party Canada

Please Protect Us From South Toronto

2006-06-09T15:55:00.000-04:00

A Canadian blogger warned today that USA, and in particular the enclave of "South USA", was a breeding ground for "Christian" extremists and that Canada will be under threat as long as passports are not required of all Americans crossing the border.

"South USA, like those parts of Birmingham that are host to the radical homeschooled children who influenced the Oklahoma building attacks and the abortion clinic bombing, has people who adhere to a militant understanding of Christian values," said ---, chairman of the blogging subcommittee, dealing with topics of immigration and border security, noting that USA has a very large North American community.

...

What I wrote above could be classified as racist. Wrong. Or plain bigotry.

What a moron. Is it that easy to get elected there, wherever that is?

Tags: Toronto Canada

Canada Not Doing Enough For Sports

2006-06-08T08:46:00.000-04:00

The World Cup of football (soccer) is one true global sporting event. Forget Olympics or the Superbowl, the World Cup beats all comers combined. Over 200 countries participate, with 32 in the finals, watched by over 3 billion people (that's 1 in every 2 persons on earth), this is the world fiesta of sports. Amongst all the flags that will be flying high in diverse Toronto over the next month, one flag will be sorely missed. Canada's.

It seems unbelievable that a poor country with a population of a million people (Trinidad) can qualify from CONCACAF for the World Cup, but Canada cannot. Soccer is also not Trinidad's main sport, cricket being the primary while basketball comes second. Yet they made it. Is it just the culture?

I feel Canadian kids do not place too much value in any sports except hockey. There is nothing wrong with loving hockey too much, but our government should encourage other sports as well. They do nothing of that sort.

We do not even have a dedicated Ministry of Sports (unlike many other Commonwealth nations) - it's grouped under the Ministry of Heritage. Canada, with a rich source of immigrants, should excel in three world sports - football, cricket and tennis. Yet, we suck.

Sports requires enormous dedication. Athletes have to train hard, dedicate time, and their parents their money. Once they reach high school, most kids abandon sports. If the sport is not big and does not have a winning team, there are no sponsors, and therefore the team members have to take other jobs to sustain themselves, thus they cannot train or practice full time, and therefore they cannot win - ergo the cycle continues.

Although this news may surprise ice hockey fans, cricket has a long history in Canada. The Toronto Cricket Club was established in 1827 and the Canadian Cricket Association was formed in 1892. Cricket was the national game of Canada in the 1900s. The Canadian team has qualified for the last World Cup as well as the next. Yet most of the team are amateurs and weekend players with regular week jobs.

For sports such as soccer and cricket, where Canada has potential, the Government of Canada and the governing bodies of the sports must sit down and work out a funding formula for the team so that they can practice full time, play full time, and do not have to worry about paying out of their own pockets for equipment, travel and so on. This can continue until the sports get popular and obtains enough sponsors to sustain themselves. For all the money spent on the sponsorship fiasco in Quebec to promote Canada, nothing raises your patriotic fervour than watching your national team on the pitch.

Tags: Canada Sports

Who's Afraid?

2006-06-06T13:11:00.000-04:00

Warren Kinsella and Cerberus both posted a 'We Are Not Afraid' post. I decided to join too, and made up my own 'made-in-Canada' solution (to paraphrase our Minister of Environment).

Tags: Toronto Canada

Toronto Arrests

2006-06-03T12:56:00.000-04:00

Following this very, very bad news story with morbid curiosity. The Star, the CBC, the Post and even the BBC have all made this their lead story of the hour (check out BBC's really old stock photo of Toronto - no condos around the CN tower). Most reports are talking about how the people nabbed are 'homegrown'.

As a Torontonian this is ofcourse bad news for us, and for Muslims as a whole, if only because an RCMP source says it "anticipates more arrests". Although the men are innocent until proven guilty (remember not a single successful conviction has so far resulted from RCMP arrests in this arena lately), the Muslim community of Canada must take its head out of the sandbox and realize that there are some Canadian Muslims who don't feel the love of Canada the same way as the rest of us do, and they will not care what happens to Canadians (and their fellow Muslims) as long as they can blow up something.

The black community seemed to be in denial for a long time about the 'gangsta' and thug culture that led to many young black men choosing a life of crime, and the consequences are not pretty. Thankfully, statements such as these was only the start. Time and again I have gone to the mosque to hear the imam preach that as Canadians it is our duty to stop terrorism and protecting Canada is a holy duty. Yet you will see many older immigrant Muslims pretending the problem does not exist or is a vast conspiracy. Thankfully the younger generation (homegrown Muslims) are more aware of the dangers. Most of them blame illegal immigration, propose a tougher line on immigration than many Conservatives I know, and are more likely to question radical views than the older folk.

"Islamic extremists" as mentioned by the news reports are an oxymoron, any more than Mc Veigh was a "Christian extremist" or an IRA member was a "Catholic extemist". However, the Western world themselves were Christians, so could understand that the IRA did not represent Christian values (just as Iraqi Muslims blown up by other Iraqi Muslims never blame 'Islamic' bombers - just bombers). Muslims in the West are a minority and not enough is known about us. As such, people can be ready to assume the worst about us - that's why Muslims in the West will face a greater burden to explain themselves to their neighbours and friends when such issues crop up. That can only be resolved when more and more young Canadian Muslims (and other immigrants) are ready to involve themselves in the Canadian society politically, or in the media.

Having said all of this, I condemn Mr. Harper's act of issuing a statement on the issue. This is a law-and-order arrest situation, the men have not yet been convicted, this is just a photo-op and another political opportunism on his part.

Tags: Toronto