Missing Aboriginal Women and Missing Federal Funding

I'm simply passing this information along from the Facebook group, Proud to be a Member of That "Left-Wing Fringe Group" Called Women,* with the fervent hope that you will take action and write to your MPs, Minister Guergis and Mr. Harper. Our country has a very poor record when it comes to the treatment of aboriginal populations and aboriginal women have borne the brunt of this mistreatment.

Please help this group continue its work by making the Conservatives aware that we do care - about every person's rights and dignity.

Thank you.

{snip}

From Elizabeth Pickett, February 15 at 5:56pm

Minister of State for the Status of Women Helena Guergis has made several announcements over the last ten days with respect to small funding grants to various groups across Canada, particularly those encouraging and coordinating educational projects for women entrepreneurs fitting with SWC's theme Strong Women, Strong Canada. There has been no announcement about funding for the Sisters in Spirit initiative of the Native Women's Association of Canada. From the Winnipeg Free Press :

"We haven't heard anything," said Sisters in Spirit director Kate Rexe. "The government is silent on the issue."

With a grant of $5 million, Sisters in Spirit spent the last five years compiling a database of more than 520 women who have disappeared or been killed over the last 40 years. The group prepared tool kits for families and police to use when a woman goes missing and developed policies and programs to help stop the cycle of violence.

Rexe said the Sisters group is prepared to begin implementing policies and community programs aimed at three specific areas -- the justice system, child welfare and poverty. But that's been on hold for months because Ottawa won't say if it plans to keep funding the work.

"It's unbelievably frustrating," Rexe said. "We have all the knowledge, the momentum. We can actually start to implement change, but we don't even know if we can keep planning."

A year ago, Status of Women Minister Helena Guergis said she was working on extending the project. "I want you to know, I've already engaged in the process of what Sisters in Spirit Two would look like," Guergis said at the Status of Women committee meeting Feb. 12, 2009.

But a spokeswoman for Guergis would not say Friday whether funding for Sisters in Spirit is forthcoming, and said in an email Ottawa has asked NWAC to share its database with police.

Please support Canadian First Nations sisters in spirit and write, phone or fax Helena Guergis, the PM, opposition critics, opposition leaders and your MP demanding full funding for this critical initiative. First Nations women must be the leaders in resolving the national shame of missing and murdered Aboriginal women - they are our experts. The RCMP and provincial and local police have miserable track records with respect to these tragedies and must work in partnership with women to create effective strategies for their resolution.

PM Harper
Harper.S@parl.gc.ca

House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-992-4211
Fax: 613-941-6900

Helena Guergis
Minister for Status of Women
guergh@parl.gc.ca

733 Confederation Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Phone: 613-992-4224
Fax: 613 992-2164

Suzanne L. Clément
Deputy Head
suzanne.clement@nlrb.gov

Michael Ignatieff
IgnatM@parl.gc.ca

Anita Neville (Lib MP, Winnipeg South Central & party critic on SWC)
email@anitaneville.ca

Jack Layton
LaytoJ@parl.gc.ca

Irene Mathyssen (NDP MP, London-Fanshawe & party critic on SWC)
mathyi@parl.gc.ca

Libby Davies (NDP MP Vancouver East)
daviel@parl.gc.ca

Olivia Chow (NDP MP Trinity-Spadina)
chowo1c@parl.gc.ca

Nicole Demers (Bloc Québécois MP Laval & party critic on SWC)
DemerN@parl.gc.ca

Find Your Member of Parliament

{snip}

* The name of this group refers to a comment Mr. Harper made in a supposedly closed-door meeting in Thunder Bay where he commented on the cancellation of the Court Challenges program and proclaimed that they had shut down the influence of left-wing fringe groups. It's at 3:40 of the video though you might enjoy his bragging about the cancellation of universal daycare at about 3:30. Sadly, one of, if not the major beneficiary of the Court Challenges program had been the equity and rights of women through many cases. It was a major loss to equity in this country and it slipped right by, almost un-noticed and un-challenged. We might as well change it to the Minister of State Against the Status of Women

If democracy doesn't function, it isn't the fault of politicians

[Letter number 2 in what will most likely be a series of Letters to the Editor of the Era-Banner that I am not allowed to send because I am a declared candidate for an election that will happen sometime in the future. I wish I had realized that when I declared for the Green Party I would lose my voice at the Era-Banner but such is life. Now I get to make my letters longer. Ha!]

Dear Editor,

Re: Voter turnout low because politicians lie, letter from Mr. L. Rothwell, Feb 11 / Re: If you care about democracy, vote, editorial, Jan 28

With all due respect to Mr. Rothwell I must challenge his hypothesis that when "80 per cent of voters... stay at home. Then, maybe, politicians will get the message."

While there are a few directions my disagreement could take - including my belief that when 80% of voters stay home we will live in a true oligarchy where only the select few have any say in government and tyranny will reign and Canada will weep. Though, this scenario is fairly close to the mark with respect to municipal elections. Anyways.

That was not the point.

What I really wanted to dispute was Mr. Rothwell's obvious anger towards 'politicians' and his categorization of them as "people who lack integrity and ethics."

Of course, as a recently declared political candidate I take it a little personally that because of my political choice I suddenly have no integrity nor ethics. I actually consider myself to be a person possessing both integrity and a high ethical standard.

But that is still not the point, though closer to it. The point is - there are no politicians. There are merely people, just like Mr. Rothwell and myself, that have chosen to join in the political process.

Politicians are not usually born. They are made. They are people who have decided to pursue a public life - hopefully in the service of their country and the best interests of the electorate.

Do these people sometimes lose focus and become swayed by the pretty, shiny danglings of lobby groups? Yes.

Do they sometimes pursue power to the exclusion of everything else. Yes.

Do these people sometimes let us down? Yes. Often.

Do we have a democratic crisis in Canada? Yes. I believe we do.

But my point is that sitting at home and whinging about it is not the best use of one's time.

Stand up. Get engaged. Make your voice count.

And if you can't find a single political candidate that you can trust - then take the leap and become a candidate. For municipal, provincial, or federal politics quality candidates are desperately needed.

Of course, it would be super-spiffy if you would support me and my bid to be the first Green MP for Newmarket-Aurora, but if you can't, then get your butt out there and run against me.

I also have an issue with your contention that "the population is a lot more educated these days." Hardly. When the anti-proroguing rally was being organized most people did not even know that our democracy had been suspended. They didn't understand what it meant. And they didn't know why they should care. Some were happy to get the 'liars' out of Ottawa for a while. People know far more about what Britney Spears is up to than what our PM is doing showboating in Vancouver.

But that isn't the politicians fault. If there are issues with our democracy it is because we expect 'someone else' to take care of it for us.

We are the change we wish to see. We are the smallest unit of a democratic society. And it is up to us to keep it safe and keep it strong. If we don't have anyone to vote for then it is up to us to find them - or to become them. That is what I did. And it is what I encourage everyone else to do.

That is why I am so proud of local organizers like Liz, Neale, Nick, Carter and everyone else who helped make the January 23rd rally such a success - and who are now organizing a public meeting in Aurora on February 25.

Holding the Line on Democracy will take a frank look at what is happening in our society and, hopefully, send people away feeling more educated, more empowered, and more motivated to take action to keep our democracy strong.

Mr. Rothwell, I am personally inviting you to join us. It's kind of fun to be around other people who care as passionately as you obviously do.

This. Is. Awesome.

There are no words to express the awesomeness of this blog post (not mine, obviously, but the one I am linking to):

http://www.1001words.com/2008/09/obama-to-nation-im-outta-here.html

Enjoy!

UN International Day of Peace

Keen! If you are in the States, you can send a text message. Living anywhere else? You can send a message of peace online.

Goodness knows we could use some uplifting and peaceful thoughts these days. I could get in to a long speech about how our thoughts are energy and have a tangible impact on the world of matter - but I won't. At least not right now. Just go for it. Think peace for a little while. See how it feels.

Here's my first shot:

Peace will never be felt while we are divided. While one gender is treated as inferior, while the earth is taken for granted, and while we allow one group to suffer for the benefit of another. When we realize we are all one - then we will have peace. Create a compassionate world that cherishes peace, abundance, and diversity.

Blessings.

More on aboriginal mass graves (?)

...and then there is this article which questions the claims made by Annett's group back in April regarding mass graves. It's pretty long but the comments following are also interesting. There is so much to think about here and so much that is unknown. I didn't even know who Kevin Annett was until I read this article, now I want to know more. Knowledge is power.

That is why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is such a great idea. But so is an independent forensic investigation into a few of the supposed grave sites.

The more information we can get into the open, the better. Transparency is the first step towards trust building.

Aboriginal mass graves

I'm really, really trying to be apolitical. I'm really, really trying to keep my mouth shut...

... but I can't. Not when this keeps happening.

In my own country. I am so ashamed. Mass graves of children. Hundreds? Thousands?

Canada's Secret Shame.

I am so angry and I transform this anger into a thirst for justice.

And I will stand in solidarity on May 29th.

Chimo indeed.

It makes me so sad...

To realize that I live in a world where people are treated like this (and, of course, much worse)...

This photo was taken way back on January 25th at the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

The crossing has since been re-opened in a more controlled way but not without a lot of violence. Plus, Israel is now thinking about building a border wall to separate itself from Egypt.

I really wanted to write something pithily observant here but anything would be too trite. It makes me glad I live in Canada.

I just want to remember how grateful I need to be.

More on Afghanistan...

Excellent point raised yesterday that perhaps we are getting the truth and not the Europeans. However, it seems that the truth is changing.

Here is an article from two days ago describing Karzai's recent comments to a German newspaper.

Here is another one, from a British newspaper on the 25th, detailing the souring relations between Karzai and Britain.

Finally, I am including this article, which I cannot find substantiated in western newspapers (on an admittedly cursory investigation) though ReliefWeb is administered by the UN which I generally consider to be pretty credible. It details a night-time raid by "foreign" and Afghan troops where civilians were killed in Helmand province. I am totally not saying that it is true but there are two aspects I want to draw attention to.

The first is that one of the article tags when reposted to this blog is "Imperialism" which supports the views of many commentators that this war is seen by many as an attempt by the West to enforce their worldview globally. Second, is the very existence of this article. If true, this attack represents an abominable breach of just war principles and should be investigated and punished to the full extent of both international and domestic law. Whether true or not, the existence of stories such as this cannot help but raise hatred against Western troops from the very people that we think we are helping.

Stating a bit of the obvious...

In case you've missed it, Israel has closed the borders into Gaza meaning that no supplies (including humanitarian aid) have been entering the Palestinian territories for the past 5 days...

"Meanwhile, John Dugard, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, also released a statement on Friday saying that recent Israeli actions in Gaza violated international treaties.

“The killing of some 40 Palestinians in Gaza in the past week, the targeting of a Government office near a wedding party venue with what must have been foreseen loss of life and injury to many civilians, and the closure of all crossings into Gaza raise very serious questions about Israel’s respect for international law and its commitment to the peace process,” he said in a press release.

Mr. Dugard said the actions violated the strict prohibition in the Geneva Conventions on collective punishment and one of the basic principles of international humanitarian law – that military action must distinguish between military targets and civilian targets.

Mr. Dugard, who serves in an unpaid and personal capacity, reports to the UN Human Rights Council, which will hold a special session this Wednesday – at the request of the Group of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) – to consider and take actions on “human rights violations emanating from Israeli military incursions in the occupied Palestinian territory,” including Gaza and the West Bank town of Nablus." (from the UN Daily Digest on 21 January 2008)

Violating international treaties? Violating the Geneva Conventions? Ya think? Dear, dear me oh my. I think it is time for this occupation to end.

One final, historical example of exclusion

Again from Hopgood's article, a few quotes on the project to assimilate 'the Indian' in the U.S. back in the 1800s and early 1900s.

The native peoples of America were considered to be like children by the governments in the U.S. during this time period. They were deemed incapable of taking care of their own land and behaving in a civilized manner, therefore, their lands were held in trust until they showed their capacity. Those who could pass the competency test were given "fee-simple titles to the land and thus citizenship during elaborate and heavily symbolic ceremonies conducted by the Indian Office:"

"The crowd would look on while their 'competent' brethren were summoned individually from inside the lodge. The candidates for land titles were dressed in traditional costume and armed with a bow and arrow. After ordering a candidate to shoot his arrow into the distance, the presiding officer... would announce 'You have shot your last arrow'. The arrowless archer would then return to the tipi and reemerge a few minutes later in 'civilized' dress. 'Take the handle of this plow', the government's man would say, 'this act means that you have chosen to live the life of the white man - and the white man lives by work' " (from Frederick E. Hoxie, A Final Promise: The Campaign to Assimilate the Indians, 1880-1920. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989: 180).

This process of "cultural suicide" was continued through institutional schooling which in the words of Captain Richard Henry Pratt aimed to "Kill the Indian in him and save the man" (David Wallace Adams, Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1995: 212, 52).

"Education serves to both clean the slate and replace it with a new lesson" (Hopgood, 18). The trick is that back in the 1800s, the elites were open and proud of this mission - to replace the savage with the civilized, to create an individual who would be worthy of citizenship and participation in civil society. Today, this intention has had to remain part of the subtle background, elite members of a society can no longer openly proclaim their project to erase the savage and preserve the man but, instead, attempt this aim through the promotion of supposedly universal human rights.

Sigh.

The Hypocrisy of Modern, Liberal Civil Society

I finished Stephen Hopgood's article, "Reading the Small Print in Global Civil Society" (Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 2000. 29(1): 1-25) today and he raises some interesting concerns about the displacement of morality and virtues from discussions in civil society to a position of sub-text that underlies the more acceptable "rights" discussion occurring in the world today. The idea is that back in the 1800s and early 1900s, in order to be a citizen and acquire the rights of that position, one would have to meet certain criteria of civilization. Those criteria would include certain moral values, in the United States these would mostly be the Protestant virtues of "industry, piety, parsimony, and self-reliance" (16).

Today, it is accepted that it is incorrect to expect everyone to have the same values so instead we talk about universal human rights. The trouble is that within this distribution of rights is the assumption of a certain moral basis - instead of openly constructing societies with the same moral basis, liberals now try to sneak them in the back door, at least, according to Hopgood.

It makes me wonder if there is any chance for a truly open space of discussion (or discourse) to exist. If we all bring our own moral choices to the discussion, how can we remain open to what others will say? Moreover, if global power elites insist that all those included in the discussion have the same sets of values, how will we ever move past the ideas that divide us? How can we come up with truly universal rights when only a select group of people with similar values is allowed to participate in the discussion?

From Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux while in Malawi: "I sketched out my theory that some governments in Africa depended on underdevelopment to survive - bad schools, poor communications, a feeble press, and ragged people. The leaders needed poverty to obtain foreign aid, needed an uneducated and passive populace to keep themselves in office for decades. A great education system in an open society would produce rivals, competitors, and an effective opposition to people who wanted only to cling to power."

And then in conversation:

Anne: "I have my doubts sometimes. I say to my mother, 'What if we just upped and left? All of us. Every last one.'"
Paul: "What do you think would happen?"
Anne: "Then the people here would have to think for themselves. They'd have to decide what's best for them - what they want. No one would influence them. Maybe they would say they wanted education - and they'd have to do the teaching."

"I wanted to see some African volunteers caring for the place - sweeping the floors, cutting the grass, washing windows, gluing the spines back onto the few remaining books, scrubbing the slime off the classroom walls. Or, if that was not their choice, I wanted to see them torch the place and burn it to the ground and dance around the flames, then plow everything under and plant food crops. Until either of those things happened, I would not be back... I did not feel despair at having been prevented from [teaching], but rather a solemn sense that since only Africans could define their problems, only Africans could fix them."

Interesting perspective.

Canada's Woeful Performance in Bali

Canada has twice been awarded the daily Fossil award by the Climate Action Network this week in Bali.

Understandable. Our government has embarrassed us in front of the world with their false concern about climate change. From one side they speak of Canada's commitments while from the other they work to sabotage the attempts by the rest of the world to actually do something. To do something now. Before 2020. Before the next election cycle. Our national short-sightedness is disheartening, to say the least.

Here is a link to sign a petition specifically for Harper and newspapers across Canada. Please sign and add your name to the (hopefully) huge list of people in Canada who actually care about our global reputation, not to mention the relatively minor issue of the catastrophic damage being caused by climate change.

I am stunned that people still vote conservative.

But I guess what really upsets me most is what the conservative position says about the character of Canadians. Are we really a nation that gives up so easily? My understanding is that when the Harper government took power they were faced with a difficult decision on what to do about Kyoto. After years of neglect by the Liberal governments - who pretended to care while doing basically nothing - it looked almost impossible for Canada to meet its commitments under the Kyoto agreement. I appreciate that.

But instead of saying "Gee, Canada's international reputation is on the line - we had better buckle down and do some pretty amazing things here to do the best we can to meet our national commitments. But it's okay, we know that Canadians are totally amazing and we can come together as a country and do what needs to be done."

They said, "Gee, Canada's international reputation is on the line - we had better back out of a legally binding agreement and postpone taking any action until long after our government's term will be over. That way we won't have to do anything and we'll be able to blame it on the Liberals."

Shame on them. And shame on us for letting them get away with it.

I believe that Canadians can do amazing things and that we can help lead the world - but we certainly won't with the government we have now.

It is time for a different type of politics.

A few more sites of interest:

David Suzuki (the Nature of Things) calls the government's spin on climate change "humiliating" and "ludicrous".

The former editor-in-chief of CBC news discusses the damage done by Canada's climate policy to our international reputation.

This is a report from CTV on Canada's performance (or lack of) at the conference so far.

The Fossil of the Day Award site.

The U.S. is no safe haven for refugees

Last week a Canadian judge ruled in favour of the Canadian Council on Refugees, the Canadian Council of Churches and Amnesty International in a case brought against the Canadian government regarding the Canadian-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) that forces refugees to apply for status in the first country they arrive in. According to the Globe and Mail, the judge has ruled that this agreement puts Canada in breach of our international obligations (because of course Canada has signed the refugee convention, we sign everything). Specifically, it violates our commitments under the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the UN Convention Against Torture.

According to the decision the judge decided against the STCA because the U.S. treats refugees so abysmally that we can not legally force refugees to stay there. There was also the whole shipping people off to countries for torture aspect of the U.S. system as well. (BTW, if there are any legal wonks out there reading, the link above will take you to the federal court decision in its entirety which is nicer than relying on the newspaper reports. If you just want to read the outcome, skip down to Section IX. Conclusions.)

Justice Michael Phelan also criticized the Canadian government for not fulfilling its commitment to review the agreement "despite both the significant passage of time since the commencement of the STCA and the evidence as to U.S. practices currently available". Once again, our government is letting things slip through the cracks while they act like a bunch of dilettantes (see any post relating to Kyoto or Schreiber).

Who does this affect most? For Canada, it will have the greatest impact on refuge seekers from Latin America who travel overland - since 2004, we have been able to turn them away at the border but if the STCA is overturned we will have to let them in.

If this ruling destroys the agreement (and opinions seem to be leaning that way) then they will be allowed through the U.S. and into Canada. Both parties have until 14 Jan 2008 to file their appeals.

Thought you might like to know.

It will be interesting to watch the international fall-out from Canada declaring again (through the proxy of its court system, of course) that the U.S. is a human rights violator.

Schreiber - the saga onwards

So Schreiber had his extradition postponed so that he could once again appear before our Parliamentary Ethics Committee and make them all look like a bunch of fools - again.

At what point do we just cut our losses and remember this old phrase:

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.

or W's version (plus more Bush witticism's):

Fool me once, shame on [pause] shame on you.
Fool me [pause] you can't get fooled again.

We seriously need to extradite this man (oops, that would be Schreiber, not Bush, we can't extradite him).

Canada's Integrity = My Integrity

Here's the thing - I am passionate about Canada, I love being Canadian and I proudly identify myself as Canadian wherever I go.

Here's the problem - if Canada is my country (and as a democracy there is no way I can get out of taking responsibility for it and ownership of it) then when Canada does something that violates its integrity, it violates my integrity.

Well, I'm pretty partial to my integrity and I don't like having it screwed up by my government. (Shockingly, this is not a Kyoto tirade.)

And it is being screwed up, has been messed up and is increasingly being lost. Canada has the interesting distinction of being the country who has signed the most international agreements and is part of the most international organizations - that means that we are the world's most committed country to international relations.

So when we break our commitments, we lose integrity. Today I'm a little upset about our arms trade - did you know that we are in the Top 10 and possibly in the Top 5 of the world's largest arms suppliers. I say possibly because Canada has not kept accurate records and reporting for the last several years. Our transparency rating on arms sales is now placing us just above Iran. Seriously, how embarrassing.

The worst part is that the arms we do produce quite often end up being used by states against their own civilian populations. So now, not only do I live in a country that is a major arms supplier, I am also complicit in egregious state-committed human rights violations. Fabulous. That is a definite compromise of my integrity.

I am so not voting Liberal or Conservative.

Why do we need a Vision?

GAB got me thinking about the idea of a national vision and how we don't seem to have one, or at least not one that has captured my fancy.

What is a Vision? Here is one answer from Susan Ward at About.com, adapted for politics:

"What you are doing when creating a vision statement is articulating your dreams and hopes for your country. It reminds you of what you are trying to build.

While a vision statement doesn’t tell you how you’re going to get there, it does set the direction for your planning. That’s why it’s important when crafting a vision statement to let your imagination go and dare to dream – and why it’s important that a vision statement captures your passion."

I have a personal Vision Statement and it has created the space for me to go back to school with the aim of heading off to Law School. One year ago, I didn't know what I wanted to do and if I had not sat down and thought very hard, brainstormed very creatively and dreamed a little I would still be slogging away, my life much the same, sinking slowly ever deeper in debt and knowing that something was amiss but not knowing what it was.

My Vision has wrought massive change in my life, I am moving in a month, I've gone back to school, and I've had to re-evaluate my volunteer commitments.

The point is that creating and believing in a Vision creates massive change but it acts as a support and guiding light to inspire you forward. The change becomes empowering instead of frightening.

I too wonder when we will see a politician of great vision in this country. One who can give the rest of us something better to aim for than 'resource whore'.

The Green Party has Vision 2020:

The Green Party holds a positive Vision of Canada, now and into the future.

We will strive to support a society where the pressure to make a living does not crowd out having a life; where having more does not supplant being more.

In our Green Vision, Canadians enjoy a higher quality of life, experiencing health and wellness, education and meaningful work, prosperity and economic success supported by ecological health.

In our vision of Canada, ability or disability, economic, racial, or cultural backgrounds do not preclude individuals from contributing to and benefiting from a prosperous Canada.

Canadian communities – urban and rural – thrive in our Green Vision, including communities dependent on fisheries, forestry and agriculture.

Canada plays a positive role in the world, working cooperatively with governments, North and South, to ensure equity, global security and peace."

While I buy into the Green Part Vision, it seems a little long to me. I'd like to see a one-sentence Vision Statement, something short and snappy. Personally, I vote for Bhutan's Gross National Happiness. :-)

Schreiber - the saga continues

I hate even giving him the credit of creating a saga, but it is a story that has managed to capture the fancy of the Canadian media. Silly media, tricks are for kids.

So they managed to get Schreiber before the Ethics Committee and he proceded to play our illustrious members of parliament for total patsies. Very smart Schreiber. Why isn't there an outcry, an uproar? Why aren't citizens screaming to ship this to Germany so he can face charges of fraud... Fraud. Let's take a moment to think on that...



Fraud. And yet we expect him to tell the truth here. Sigh. He refused to say anything until they cut a deal which includes giving him more time "to go through his documents" and lays out how long he'll be able to avoid extradition.

Seriously, give me a freakin' break. I want this man gone gone gone. I don't care if Mulroney did take the money and promise to be his 'special' friend. I really don't. There are much bigger issues of integrity-breach to be dealt with.

Like our nation looking like a bunch of two-face, lame-asses who broke their word on an international treaty (yes, I am talking about Kyoto). That breach should be enough to ensure that our standing internationally has dropped to somewhere about the level of the, hmmm..., ah yes, the U.S. Oh no wait, I guess our reputation is lower than that since at least they refused to ratify so made no promises. We are oath breakers, they are just deniers.

Or perhaps our internment of Ukranian Canadians during World War I and Japanese Canadians during WWII. Or maybe our unbelievably poor treatment of the indigenous peoples from whom we stole this land.

But, let's spend some more time listening to a criminal play our country for a fool. Why not? It's better than looking at our own issues.

P.S. I realize he is a dual citizen but I don't think he is at risk of torture in Germany.

Golden Compass banned in Halton Catholic Schools

Sigh. They even banned distribution of the Scholastic flyer that had an ad for the book.

Support Catholic school funding, support banning books. Fun. I'd like to point out once again that we are only committed to fund separate school up to Grade 9, Ontario continues the funding through high school voluntarily.

"Thursday, November 22, 2007 - 07:55 AM
By: 680News staff

Toronto - The Halton Catholic School Board has pulled a fantasy book off library shelves because of a complaint.

The Golden Compass was named the best children's book in the past 70 years by readers across the globe and has been made into a movie, opening Dec. 7, starring Nicole Kidman.

But its popularity didn't stop the school board from banning it.

Two other books in the trilogy by British author Philip Pullman have also been removed as a precaution.

Halton's Manager of Library Services said the complaint came after Pullman said in an interview that he's an atheist.

Principals have also been ordered not to distribute December Scholastic book flyers because The Golden Compass is available to order."

Schreiber

Okay, I just had to put my two cents in on this one.

Please, please, please extradite him to Germany. Please, for our country's sake. The man has played our legal system like a pro and made us look like a bunch of chumps.

Just send him away.

I don't care whether there were unscrupulous business dealings. I really don't. I mean, $300,000? Our government wastes that much on letterhead, much more on fancy golf balls. Who cares what Mulroney did almost 20 years ago?

There was far more money wasted canceling the Airbus deal and the damage it did to our international reputation... how is this going to help?

And now, Schreiber says he won't co-operate if he gets extradited. He is issuing threats and attempting to hold my government and my justice system hostage to his rantings.

Send him home.

He has been fighting extradition for 8 years. Eight! It is so embarrassing.

Don't waste millions more on a public inquiry that is likely going to find - oh, what a shock! the guy was pulling out any desperate accusations he could to remain out of the reach of the German legal system...

where maybe there's a hope in hell he'll actually get convicted of something.

sigh.