Sandra Finley

May 022011
 

http://blog.ted.com/2011/05/02/beware-online-filter-bubbles-eli-pariser-on-ted-com/

Online “filter bubbles”: Eli Pariser on TED.com

As web companies strive to tailor their services (including news and search results) to our personal tastes, there’s a dangerous unintended consequence: We get trapped in a “filter bubble” and don’t get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview.

Eli Pariser argues powerfully that this will ultimately prove to be bad for us and bad for democracy.

(Recorded at TED2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, CA. Duration: 9:05)

May 022011
 

STEFANIA WRITES:

Hi everyone,

As your Senate representative at the University of Saskatchewan, I am forwarding a copy of the e-mail and letter I sent to the University Secretary, Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors, President and Senate members regarding the conflict of interest of Ms.Hopkins, Chair of the Board of Governors by virtue of her position as a Board Member of Cameco.

Stefania


From: Stefania    Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 5:46 PM
To: ‘university.secretary  AT  usask.ca’
Subject: Letter outlining Conflict of Interest on U of S Board of Governors

 Dear Ms. Calver, 

Further to the April 16, 2011 Senate meeting, I am forwarding a copy of my letter addressed to the Office of the University Secretary and Ms. Susan Milburn, Vice-Chair of the University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors for distribution to Ms. Milburn, President MacKinnon, the members of the University of Saskatchewan Senate, and Chair of the University Council, outlining the apparent conflict of interest involving Ms. Nancy Hopkins as Chair of the Board of Governors.    

 I would like to request that your office forward my e-mail and the attachments to Ms. Milburn, President MacKinnon, members of the Senate and Ms. Card, Chair of the University Council via your e-mail list.  

 I am attaching the letter as a word file and as a pdf file with the brochure attachment. 

Please advise me when the distribution has occurred.

 Thank you for your assistance in this regard. 

Yours truly,

 Stefania A. Fortugno, LL.B., LL.M. 

University Senate,   Member at Large

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = == = =  ==  =

Ms. Stefania A. Fortugno                                

Barrister & Solicitor

P.O. Box 137

Saskatoon, SK  S7K 3K4

April 28, 2011

 Ms. Sandra Calver (Acting University Secretary)

Office of the University Secretary

University of Saskatchewan
Room 212 – 107 Administration Place
Saskatoon, SK   S7N 5A2

Ms. Susan Milburn (Vice-Chair)

University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors

c/o Office of the University Secretary

 Re:     Conflict of Interest involving Ms. Nancy Hopkins

          Chair of the Board of Governors (2010);

          Appointed to Board 2005

Dear Ms. Calver and Ms. Milburn:

 I am writing to you in my capacity as a University of Saskatchewan Senate Member at Large.  I was elected to my position on the Senate and represent the views of my constituency drawn from the University of Saskatchewan alumni. 

 It has recently come to my attention that Ms. Nancy Hopkins, the current Chair of the University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors, is a Board member of Cameco Corporation, the uranium mining giant headquartered in Saskatoon.  This information is not posted in the biography of Ms. Hopkins found in the University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors website.  As a result of Ms. Hopkins’ membership on the Cameco Board, she is in an apparent conflict of interest with her position as a member and Chair of the Board of Governors.  

Pecuniary Interests

 Ms. Hopkins has been a Board member of Cameco since 1992 and according to the Cameco Board of Directors web pages, as of 2009, Ms. Hopkins has a total of $1,843,273.00 equity at risk including “Cameco shares, DSUs and options”.  In 2008 her total Cameco equity at risk was $1,001,871.00.  

Moreover, Ms. Hopkins earned $175,873.00 in compensation as a Cameco director for the year 2009.  This amount included $74,853.00 in stock awards.  In 2008 Ms. Hopkins earned $186,500.00 by virtue of her position as a director with Cameco, including $72,000.00 in stock awards.  This information is posted at Forbes.com (see http://people.forbes.com/profile/nancy-e-hopkins/14935). 

University of Saskatchewan Conflict of Interest Policy

The University of Saskatchewan conflict of interest policy for Operations and General Administration was approved on February 8, 2002 and was amended on December 12, 2008.  The conflict of interest policy is the responsibility of the Office of the University Secretary and was authorized by the Board of Governors. 

The conflict of interest policy applies to “everyone who is a member of the University of Saskatchewan” including any “person while acting on behalf of or at the request of the University including, but not limited to members of a University committee (including the Senate and Board of Governors), persons giving advice or providing services to the University at the request of the University, and anyone involved in a decision-making process.”  Thus, the conflict of interest policy applies to all members of the Board of Governors.

The Board of Governors Bylaws further outline under part IV, Responsibilities of a Board Member, item 10, that each Board member is required to “understand the ethical responsibilities incumbent upon a member of the Board, and to declare a conflict of interest whenever such conflict arises.” 

Power and Authority of the Board of Governors

 As you are aware the Board of Governors is the principal decision-making and governing body of the University of Saskatchewan.  Under The University of Saskatchewan Act, 1995, the Board of Governors is responsible for “overseeing and directing all matters respecting the management, administration and control of the university’s property, revenues and financial affairs, other than those matters that are specifically vested in the minister pursuant to this or any other Act.”  (s.48) 

Under the Act (section 49) the Board of Governors is empowered to:  

(1)  “construct any buildings and structures on the university’s property that, in its opinion, are necessary and proper”, subject to prior ministerial approval, and to maintain such university buildings and structures;

(2)  appoint the president, vice-presidents, secretaries, faculty members, and any other officers and employees that are required to be appointed by the Act or considered necessary for the purposes of the University; 

(3)  provide for the establishment or disestablishment of any college, department, chair, endowed chair or institute after consultation with the council; and,

(4)  fix student fees, among other duties. 

 As a result, the decision making power of the Board of Governors is broad and deep. 

 Conflict of Interest: Both in Appearance and Reality 

Any time that the University of Saskatchewan enlarges the role of the nuclear sciences on campus, through the appointment of faculty chairs, or establishing a new $30 million nuclear research centre, and allocates scarce educational resources to the same, the share prices of Cameco Corporation correspondingly increase.  As a result, Ms. Hopkins’ pecuniary interests as a Board member of Cameco gives rise to a conflict of interest in her role as principal decision-maker at the University, most particularly when decisions are taken that directly or indirectly benefit the nuclear industry or the nuclear sciences and allocate scarce resources to such endeavours at the expense of other programs and disciplines at the University of Saskatchewan. 

The conflict of interest policy states: “A conflict of interest occurs when there is a divergence between a University member’s private interests and professional work outside of the University and their obligations to the University such that an independent observer might reasonably question whether the University members’ professional actions or decisions are determined by considerations of personal gain, financial or otherwise.” 

 “Conflict of interest is a breach of an obligation to the University that has the effect of advancing one’s own interest or the interests of others in a way detrimental to the interests of, or potentially harmful to, the integrity of the University. Conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest must be avoided.”  (emphasis added). 

Currently language programs are being defunded resulting in the loss of courses which language students require in order to convocate.   See attached brochure: “Speak Up! Save Languages at the U of S!” 

Similarly, the department of Sociology is unable to offer senior level courses that students require to complete their degrees.  Where is the funding going?  Are these funding decisions that result in gutting the Arts and Humanities faculties and programs intended to make the University of Saskatchewan an Ivy League type institution, a renowned international centre of learning excellence, as indicated in the University’s strategic plan?

 Is the decision to allocate scarce University resources to specialized science programs, in this case nuclear science, rather than to University courses and programs that provide the foundation for a University education (i.e., the Arts and Humanities), in the best interests of the University as a whole or in the best interests of the mining sector in the province or the nuclear industry in Canada? 

Whether or not the intent is to increase the share/stock value of the uranium mining giant, Cameco, the decisions by the Board of Governors that support or promote the nuclear sciences on campus result in an increase in the share/stock value of Cameco.  Even if share prices are not immediately impacted, such decisions serve to promote nuclear industry strategic interests.  Thus, the conflict of interest is both apparent and real. 

 As we have seen, the disastrous melt down of the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear complex in Japan, which is still on-going, has resulted in an approximately 20% drop in the stock value of Cameco (see Reuters Breaking News; Update 1 – Cameco shares tumble on Japanese nuclear crisis, 14 March 2011, at uk.reuters.com.)  A 20% drop in the stock value amounts to a $360,000 decrease in the 2009 value of Ms. Hopkins total “equity at risk” of $1.8 million.   More recent reports place the stock value drop at 37% for Cameco.  

Similarly, any glimmers of hope for the resurrection of the dying nuclear industry, through, for example, the establishment of a nuclear research centre at the University of Saskatchewan (funded by public taxpayer monies) and the development of new small reactor designs for deployment in the tarsands and other remote industrial uses, will correspondingly result in an increase in the value of Cameco stock.   Again the conflict of interest is apparent and real.  

Previous Decisions and Conflict of Interest

Has Ms. Hopkins recused herself from making the following decisions over the last six years? :  

(1)   Appointing nuclear physicist, Dr. Richard Florizone, to the position of Vice-President of Finance and Resources;

(2)   Naming the area in front of the administration building the Cameco Plaza;

(3)   Naming the pedestrian link at the Royal University Hospital the Cameco Skywalk in February 2010;

(4)   Appointing Dr. Howard Wheater as the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Water Security, a researcher with extensive background in examining issues relating to geological disposal of nuclear waste.  See, e.g., DIAMOND’09 Conference, Decommissioning, Immobilisation and Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal, 9-10 September 2009, York, UK, Initial results in the development of a near-surface component for use in a performance assessment model for the geological disposal of nuclear waste by J. Jardine, S. Mathias, A. Butler, H. Wheater.

(5)   Appointing the Canada Research Chair in Advanced Materials for Clean Energy, Dr. Jerzy Szpunar in July 2010.  According to one appointment announcement, “Szpunar’s research into advanced materials includes novel materials that better resist radiation damage and handle the high temperatures, corrosion and stress found in nuclear power reactors.”  

(6)   Appointing the Dean of Engineering Janusz Kozinski, P.Eng in 2007.  One of Dr. Kozinski’s principal areas of research includes the next generation of nuclear reactors. 

I would like to request a copy of all Board of Governors agenda and minutes between 2005 and 2011 to see if Ms. Hopkins recused herself from any decision making that involved the nuclear sciences, and/or any direct or indirect benefit to the nuclear and/or uranium mining industry in Canada. 

It is also problematic that the Board of Governors meetings are held in camera, rather than in public.  As a result there is no proper scrutiny of the decision-making occurring in the Board of Governors.  

New President for the University of Saskatchewan

 As indicated above, the Board of Governors is tasked with appointing a new President.  As Chair of the Board of Governors, Ms. Hopkins is also the Chair of the Search Committee for the President. 

Possible candidates for the next President may include such high-profile individuals as Dr. Richard Florizone (nuclear scientist and V-P Finance and Resources), Dr. Brett Fairbairn (Provost and V-P Academic), and Dr. Grant Isaac (former Dean of the Edwards School of Business; currently a vice-president of Cameco).

 Is Ms. Hopkins in a sufficiently conflict-free position to be scrutinizing and selecting the next President of the University given her ties to the nuclear industry in Canada? 

Undue Influence

 The Board of Governors has responsibility in all aspects of University administration and management including the allocation of scarce resources for hiring faculty, establishing or disestablishing programs and faculties, and making capital expenditures for any buildings or equipment.  The Board of Governors can affect every single aspect of the University’s existence.  By virtue of the presence of a Cameco Board member on the Board of Governors, the nuclear industry has undue influence over every aspect and key decision affecting the University of Saskatchewan. 

The University is a public institution with values and ideals that do not correspond to corporate interests.  The corporate community has its own sphere, it does not properly belong in the sphere of running/heading a publically funded educational institution.  

Appropriate Course of Action

 What is the appropriate course of conduct in this matter?

 The conflict of interest policy states:  “When a conflict of interest exists, the University member in question may be required to relinquish the responsibilities causing the conflict of interest.”  

In this case, it is respectfully submitted, a resignation by Ms. Hopkins from the Board of Cameco or the Board of Governors is required.  

Yours truly,

 Stefania A. Fortugno, LL.B., LL.M.

Senate Member at Large

 VIA POST & E-MAIL

 cc:      (1) President MacKinnon;

          (2) Members of the Senate;

          (3) University Council Chair;

          (4) Alumni Constituency;

          (5) Local Press.

cc: Via E-mail

May 012011
 

This is about WikiLeaks and Harper, not about residential schools.

Residential school apology rare ‘consensus’ moment during centralized, secretive Harper minority rule: U.S. diplomatic cable

National News | 01. May, 2011 by APTN National News

Residential school apology rare ‘consensus’ moment during centralized, secretive Harper minority rule: U.S. diplomatic cable By Jorge Barrera
APTN National News


OTTAWA–
When an “instinctively combative” Stephen Harper reached across party lines to deliver the historic apology to Indian residential school survivors, it marked a rare moment when he attempted “consensus” during a centralized and secretive minority rule, according to a blunt assessment contained in a “confidentialt” U.S. diplomatic cable obtained by APTN National News.

The Jan. 2, 2009 cable, titled, Never Apologize: PM Harper’s Governing Style, describes a prime minister who trusted only an “extremely small” circle of “like-minded” confidantes and kept caucus and cabinet members in the dark on major decisions.

The cable was written by former U.S. ambassador to Canada David Wilkins and was released to APTN by whistle-blower Web site WikiLeaks.

Parts of Wilkins’ assessment was based on conversations with Conservative caucus members.

APTN was one of two Canadian media organizations to receive the full batch of diplomatic cables, including secret and confidential dispatches, originating from the Ottawa embassy and U.S. consulates.

WikiLeaks released hundreds of unclassified cables on its Web site last week.

Wilkins notes that, up to the point of writing, the only times Harper reached out across partisan lines came when he delivered the apology to Indian residential school survivors and secured an extension to the Afghanistan mission.

“In office, Harper has rarely made the compromises typical of a minority (prime minister), nor built the bridges and informal channels that usually get things in a minority Parliament,” wrote Wilkins. “He reached across the floor only twice: in March 2008 to achieve bipartisan consensus on the extension of Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan through 2011; and in June 2008 to resolve the Indian Residential Schools issue.”

In the House of Commons, just before he began the June 2008 apology, Harper acknowledged the role NDP leader Jack Layton played leading to that moment.

“For the past year and a half, he has spoken to me with regularity and great conviction on the need for this apology,” said Harper, at the time. “His advice, given across party lines and in confidence, has been persuasive and has been greatly appreciated.”

The apology came after the government secured a multi-billion dollar settlement with residential school survivors.

Most of the diplomatic cable, however, deals with Harper’s centralized governing style where everyone but his small circle of advisors were kept out of the loop on major decisions. The cable also notes how fear kept his ministers and MPs in line.

“Harper’s inner circle appears extremely small. Notoriously hard on staff … (Harper burned through a series of communications directors as opposition leaders and once reportedly told an aide that he liked to see the ‘fear’ in the eyes of prospective employees) he has tended to surround himself with like-minded people,” wrote Wilkins. “As a result, some insiders say he lacks staff willing or able to act as an effective sounding-board or check his partisan instincts.”

Wilkins compares Harper to former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney, saying the he lacked his predecessors’ ability to connect personally with his caucus.

“Unlike former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney who famously called his MPs when their kids were sick and kept their loyalty even when his personal popularity plunged to historic lows, Harper lacks the personal touch,” wrote Wilkins.

The cable also describes how major decisions, like the controversial announcement to end public subsidies for political parties in November 2008, caught his cabinet and caucus by surprise.

“Discussions with Conservative caucus members over the past year have also made it clear that they are often out of the loop on the prime minister’s plans,” wrote Wilkins. “Many senior Conservatives admitted that they were stunned to hear about the ban on public financing of political parties…neither cabinet nor the caucus apparently had any clue this was even part of the long-range agenda, much less subject of an immediate confidence vote.”

The announcement triggered a crisis that forced Harper to shut Parliament down to avoid being toppled by opposition parties through a coalition.

Wilkins said former Governor General Michaelle Jean was also apparently considering rejecting Harper’s decision to prorogue Parliament and asking the opposition parties to form a coalition government.

“The opposition’s ability to turn the tables with a proposed coalition in turn apparently caught the PM by surprise, as was perhaps the rumoured unwillingness of the Governor General to rule out this option against his advice (sic),” wrote Wilkins.

Wilkins said Harper’s reputation as a master political chess player took a major blow as a result.

“He has played the game of high-stakes, partisan politics well, but his reputation for decisiveness and shrewdness has been tarnished by a sometimes vindictive pettiness,” wrote Wilkins, who was appointed by former U.S. president George W. Bush to the position and left the post in Jan. 20, 2009.

Wilkins also describes a conversation with a junior cabinet minister as an example of the “short-leash” around the necks of cabinet ministers.

“At a December conference, one Minister of State confessed privately that he did not ‘dare’ to deviate from his pre-approved text, even though fast-moving events had already overtaken his speech,” wrote Wilkins.

Wilkins’ assessment concludes that the Conservative leader needed a more conciliatory approach to deal with the country’s fiscal situation and global economic slowdown.

“However, this will go against the grain for such an instinctively combative prime minister,” wrote Wilkins.

jbarrera  AT   aptn.ca

The cable

Download (PDF, 34.27KB)

May 012011
 

Hi Kendra,

These are interesting questions and ideas.   I have responded to all but a couple. 

I do not wish to respond to questions I haven’t thought about, unless there is a principle that is easily apparent and therefore provides direction. 

My thinking on religion has gone through a number of different stages over the course of my life.  I view “religion” as an interpretation by a group of people of the spiritual side of existence.  Often it’s a way for some people to exercise power over others, which means dis-empowering those others. 

My work is related to  the empowerment of individuals so they can develop their potential. 

Related to religion, in today’s world I am particularly concerned about the need of the military-industrial complex to create “enemies”.  They use propaganda and the target is often Muslim people.  It is not different from the lead-up to World War Two when the targeted groups were Poles and Jews.  My thoughts on “religion” are cushioned by the need to protect people who may be vulnerable because of a choice they have made, or been conditioned to make, regarding the expression of their spirituality. 

These are simultaneously troubling and exciting times.  On the troubling side:  there is growing corporatocracy (corporate values, militarism, fascism).  In order to work our way to a new economy, one that is not based on destruction,  we need to work together.  Work that polarizes is not helpful.

You refer in one question to the Charter.

I have been on trial over my refusal to fill in the 2006 census which I would not do because of the involvement of Lockheed Martin (American military) in the Canadian census.   The legal argument available to me is the Charter Right to privacy of personal information. 

Many Canadians either never knew, or have forgotten that we have that Charter Right (mind you – – I was found guilty! in January,  but the verdict is under appeal;  I expect that the decision will be overturned.)  To me Orwell’s Animal Farm does a nice job of describing how we forget.  There are times when we need to fight to uphold the Rights and to teach younger generations WHY we have the rights.

I see part of your work as a contribution to reversing our slide down the slippery slope.   However, I have pointed out what I think are errors in logic in some of your questions. 

You may also be interested in John Ralston Saul’s work to balance the role of our “rational” faculty with other faculties we have such as values, memory, and so on.   There is a brief description on my blog, click on:  2010-03-10 Propaganda, Democracy: Imagining “the other”. Ralston Saul. The Cellist of Sarajevo.

Best wishes,

Sandra Finley

Secularism
1. Do you support the separation of religion and state, and government neutrality in all matters between believer and non-believer?   

Yes I do.  And you will find a number of statements on my blog www.sandrafinley.ca to that effect.   I use the separation of religion and state as an example of the need to separate the “powers” in a democracy.  From there I argue that the same logic applies to the separation of the commercial powers from the state.   Failure to separate the powers leads to corruption and the decline of democracy.   You may be interested in this posting:    2011-03-26 Xcorporatocracy: update – democracy fighting back in North America!

Freedom of Speech

2. Do you believe there should be any legal limits on the criticism of religious opinion in the public square? 



3. Would you support repealing the law against blasphemy in the Criminal Code of Canada?

I vaguely remember laughing when I stumbled across this law in the Criminal Code.  How could it ever be enforced?  Obviously it is not being enforced.  

Questions:

–        When was the law passed?

–        Have there ever been charges laid under the law? 

 There is a further point:   in my opinion, laws should not be allowed to stand, even if they are not being used.  By virtue of just being there, there is an option of using them.  Laws are often used as instruments of coercion and intimidation.   

It should be fairly simple to obtain agreement to repeal this law.  I support doing so.

Religious accommodations

4. “What is your position on granting people exemptions from neutral, generally applicable laws and policies based on their religious beliefs (e.g. religious accommodation)?

Charity status



5. Do you support granting an organization tax-exempt charitable status for the sole purpose of the “advancement of religion”, if such an organization undertakes no other charitable activity such as feeding the poor?

 I think we need to table and sort out all the grievances on the question of charitable status.   I am an activist.  Charitable status is denied to organizations that “advocate”.  It serves to curtail needed community-based action to address problems.  The arrangement weakens democracy.    

There are vested interests in maintaining charitable status.  I have wondered whether it would be better to get rid of it altogether and address funding needs in other ways?  I think discussion is needed.  Otherwise you polarize people with the vested interest,  and it becomes very difficult to move forward.

Anthem

6. Would you support an amendment to the National Anthem Act to remove the reference to “God” in the lyrics of O Canada?

Will you read this posting on my blog:?

2011-04-12 Lesson in democracy: Challenge to the notion that YES / NO responses are appropriate to democratic functioning. 

I think you have to work things out with people.   What is the actual wording that you would like to see?  I am uncomfortable with the use of “God”.  I personally would use something along the lines of “Life force” but I have no idea whether something like that could be worked in.  Someone else will probably have a better idea.   

Charter of Rights and Freedoms

7. Would you support an amendment to the preamble of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to remove the reference to the “supremacy of God”?

Again,  I do not think that “yes/no” responses are appropriate in a democracy.  What wording do you propose?   I am not agreeable to the idea of the “supremacy of human beings”!!    Our record is too abysmal. 

Religious law



8. What position do you hold concerning the legally-binding use by religious communities of separate religious courts (e.g. in family law)?

Your question  assumes that courts are the only option in matters of family law (or other law).  I am not so sure that your premise is valid.  Many of our institutions are obsolete and in need of overhaul.    

Medicine and Health

9. Do you support the requirement that all products labeled “medicine”, including homeopathic or naturopathic remedies, be required to pass the same rigorous testing as pharmaceuticals?

You have stated a false premise:   rigorous testing (of) pharmaceuticals     My experience says your statement is propaganda.   If it was true, why are so many drugs pulled off the market because of the deaths and other extremely serious adverse health effects they have created?  (You will find a lot of documentation on my blog regarding the corrupt nature of the pharmaceutical corporations.)

10. Do you support vaccination as a good public health measure?  

I am curious regarding the relationship between this question and  the mission of your organization>  the Canadian Secular Alliance, a national non-profit organization seeking church-state separation and government neutrality with respect to religion?    

Notwithstanding, I will reply.

I preface my remarks:   yes/no responses shut down the inquiry to get closer to the truth of matters. 

 There may be “good vaccinations”.   But there are definitely very bad vaccinations that no one in their right mind should take.   Many contain mercury and/or aluminum (heavy metals are extremely toxic) and other foreign ingredients.

I refer you to my blog.  Please click on:  Heavy metals in vaccinations, Mercury in dental amalgams.   

Yours in good health!  You’d have a very difficult time forcing a vaccination on me!   The pharmaceutical corporations have undermined faith in the system.

Best wishes,

Sandra

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Getty, Kendra    Date: Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 9:31 PM
Subject: Policy Questions on Church-State Separation and Science from Educational Charity Centre for Inquiry
To: Kendra Getty    Cc: saskatoon.freethinkers   AT  gmail.com

Greetings,

The Centre for Inquiry is a registered educational charity that promotes reason, science, secularism, and freedom of inquiry.  We are also Canada’s most vocal organization representing atheists, agnostics, and secular humanists who constitute one of the fastest growing minorities in Canada. According to a 2008 Harris-Decima poll(1), roughly one quarter of Canadians are atheists or agnostics.

The Centre for Inquiry represents a membership of over 1,000 individuals, and is constituted of 10 branches in the cities of Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.  In Saskatchewan, we have members across the province with active branches in Saskatoon and Regina. 

In partnership with the Canadian Secular Alliance, a national non-profit organization seeking church-state separation and government neutrality with respect to religion, we have prepared the set of questions below. The responses we receive will be posted, without modification, to our website and circulated to our members.

We understand that some of the questions reference propositions that might be complicated to implement, but we are looking for your position on the principles they embody.

Given how busy you are, we trust you appreciate the unique opportunity this request grants of reaching a community that, until recently, had little organized presence.  We thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

QUESTIONS

Secularism
1. Do you support the separation of religion and state, and government neutrality in all matters between believer and non-believer?

Freedom of Speech

2. Do you believe there should be any legal limits on the criticism of religious opinion in the public square? 



3. Would you support repealing the law against blasphemy in the Criminal Code of Canada?

Religious accommodations

4. “What is your position on granting people exemptions from neutral, generally applicable laws and policies based on their religious beliefs (e.g. religious accommodation)?

 Charity status



5. Do you support granting an organization tax-exempt charitable status for the sole purpose of the “advancement of religion”, if such an organization undertakes no other charitable activity such as feeding the poor?

Anthem

6. Would you support an amendment to the National Anthem Act to remove the reference to “God” in the lyrics of O Canada?

Charter of Rights and Freedoms

7. Would you support an amendment to the preamble of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to remove the reference to the “supremacy of God”?

Religious law



8. What position do you hold concerning the legally-binding use by religious communities of separate religious courts (e.g. in family law)?

Medicine and Health

9. Do you support the requirement that all products labeled “medicine”, including homeopathic or naturopathic remedies, be required to pass the same rigorous testing as pharmaceuticals?

10. Do you support vaccination as a good public health measure?

Best Regards,

Kendra Getty

Saskatchewan Chair

Centre for Inquiry Canada
Canadian Charity/Business No. 833642614RR0001

www.cficanada.ca

www.secularalliance.ca

Saskatchewan Address:

Box 31043 RPO Broadway & Taylor

Saskatoon, SK  S7H 5S8

(1) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2008/06/03/f-religion-poll.html

May 012011
 

Hello Ken, Tara, Linda M, Varya, Linda H, Karen, Brenda, Tracy, Claudette, Ashton, and Miranda,    

This is altogether funny!  Usually I am sending petitions such as the one you sent me regarding the CBC.   Now here I am on the receiving end! 

It is wonderful to be living amongst so many people who care so passionately.   I thought you might like to know that the second largest group of people who have emailed me during the election is  CBC supporters. 

Maybe I am too radical on CBC TV:  we were in South Africa a number of years ago.  They had public television, lots of educational programmes, with NO commercials!   If South Africa can do that, why not us?!    (I listen to CBC Radio;  I seldom watch TV, partly because there are so many commercials.) 

Corporate interests and their buddies would like to be rid of the CBC. 

I believe that the Corporations use the air waves at the pleasure of us, the citizens.  I think air waves are part of “the Commons”, like water.   But the Corporations (not referring to the CBC) seem to think that THEY OWN the air waves.   The length of commercials has grown longer and longer, and so on – – right down to a decision to keep Elizabeth May out of the televised leadership debates!

It seems to me that the various parts of a society should be working together.  At the very least, citizens should have more say in the content of what comes into their homes and the minds of children, in particular.   The amount of violence is just one of the problems.   Could we not strive for more noble values?

A well-informed citizenry is essential to democracy . . .  but I am preaching to the choir!   

I have been and will be fighting with you, all the way, when it comes to funding for the CBC. 

For those of you who do not know,  I have run an activist email network for more than 10 years,  working on various issues.  In the end, most things are connected.  If you go to www.sandrafinley.ca ,  to the “categories” in the right-hand side bar, you will get an idea of the work of the network.  You are welcome to go on the distribution list if it would be of benefit to you.

 By the way:  the single largest group of people from whom I have received emails is disease-related.  It strengthens my conviction that we need to join the organizations for disease and for developmental problems together in an effort to stop the poisons we are putting into the environment and directly into our bodies. 

Our immune systems are different, we each have a different history of known and unknown exposure to poisons that are neuro toxins, teratogens (interfere with normal cell development) and so on.  We each now have a “body burden” of poisons, and the Earth has a “body burden”. 

You may be interested in: 

2011-04-23  ONE disease, different manifestations. Proposal: “Disease” organizations form a coalition to stop the poisons. 

Work is now underway.

 I know you are supporters of different political parties, and maybe no political party.   And some people may not vote for the Greens but still believe that Elizabeth May would make a very positive contribution to the governance of Canada (already has). 

I would like to extend an invitation whatever your persuasion:  please feel free to join us at The Bassment (Jazz Society) on Monday night (Election night).

8:00 pm

Let us know if you’re coming (so we can plan food, etc.).

Robin already has it up on facebook  – – you can respond there, or email me.

 Exciting times – will be the best party in town!

 (The Bassment is Downtown, 202 4th Avenue North, kitty-corner from the Library, in the renovated basement of the old Post Office.  Entrance on north side of the building.)

 We may well be celebrating the making of history! 

 There is a very good chance that Elizabeth May will be elected.  I know her personally.  We kept bumping into each other during the years when she was the Executive Director of the Sierra Club and became friends.  She is intelligent, warm-hearted and caring, with amazing energy, dedication and integrity.  She understands the issues and is the reason why I joined the Green Party.  I know that if she is to achieve her potential, there have to be people in every province to help build Green support. 

We cannot poison the place where we live, and our bodies, too. Elizabeth has been a strong voice and active force through all the years at the Sierra Club – I am confident that she, working with others in the Green movement, is our best choice when it comes to driving the change-in-thinking that is urgently needed.

Best wishes,

P.S.   You can watch a special preview (“May in Your House”—a 30-minute TV special that shares the extraordinary story of Elizabeth and the values that are the core of the Green Party.  This mini-documentary explores the practical, realistic Green Party approaches to real problems faced by Canadians: climate change, jobs, health care, education, pensions, youth unemployment, and more.

Apr 262011
 

From: lcdentalclinic  AT  mcsnet.ca
To: mercury AT  ec.gc.ca

Subject: Letter of Notice of Objection
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:40:26 -0600

Please find attached a formal letter as notice of objection respecting the notice published in the Canadian Gazette Part 1, volume 45, No. 9, dated February 26, 2011 regarding proposed Regulations Respecting Products Containing Certain Substances Listed in Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.

Yours truly,
Nestor B Shapka, B.Sc, DDS

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Notice of Objection Exempn Dental Amalgam

 

Apr 242011
 

Pulling together the information for this update on drones (UAV’s or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)  made me sick-to-my-stomach.

Sending it to you I am centred, calm and happy.   Because I know many of you will take a few minutes to do the simple “REMEDIES”!   

Canada is the 13th highest military spender in the world after more than a decade of yearly increases, and many more years of increases are planned.  But that’s not what makes me sick, although it should.

Hi Steve, 

The drones are now deployed along the Canada-U.S. border from Vancouver as far east as Lake-of-the-Woods,  maybe further. 

A  TRAINING program related to drones is being established in a new facility at the Saskatoon airport.  I say this after looking at the Bachelor of Science in UAV’s now in the U.S. schools; the wording is too similar to the School here and the players are the same.   I do not believe the “nonmilitary” description.  

Federal education and stimulus money is being used to create nonmilitary drone education programs. The Department of Aviation at the University of North Dakota, located in Grand Forks and the operator of the test and training site at Grand Forks AFB, now offers the first Bachelors of Science program in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations. The Aviation Maintenance Technology program at Northland Community and Technical College, located in Thief River Falls, Minnesota just 40 miles east of Grand Forks, will soon offer courses in the repair of UAVs.

North Dakota (Grand Forks, Thief River Falls, MN)  and Saskatchewan are not far apart. 

Sask is a second gateway to the tar sands.   It’s why they are trying to get “small” nuke reactors here.  Brad Wall, our Premier, may as well be Stephen Harper.  Wall “co-chairs” with the Americans the “largest on the planet” Canada-U.S. Western Energy Corridor. 

/Sandra

– – – – – – – – – –  – – – – —

The developments are unnerving militarization coming from the U.S. with Canadian collaborators.   

This is an action-based network.  The immediate opportunities (“remedies”) to the militarization are to fight Lockheed Martin’s involvement in Canadian affairs by making F-35 stealth bombers an election issue and by refusing to cooperate in the Canadian census because of Lockheed Martin’s involvement.    /Sandra

 CONTENTS

  1. BRIEF BACKGROUND
  2. THE JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE DRONES ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER (THE MILITARIZATION)  ARE PROPAGANDA
  3.  SECRECY IS COMMON:   2011-02-08  Canada kept U.S. border talks under wraps 
  4.  COMMENTARY
  5.  DRONES HIT LIBYA:  2011-04-23  Attack of the drones: Obama approves the use of unmanned aircraft in Libya conflict.  (This is the first time I’ve seen pictures of the kids at Creech Airforce Base at the console of the remote-control station.)
  6.  DRONES PUT IN PLACE ALONG CANADA-U.S. BORDER,  2007 – PRESENT
  • 2007-02-12  UAV Tested For US Border Security (Canadian border)
  • 2008-12-05  Predator UAV Set for U.S.-Canada Patrol
  • 2009-02-18  US/Canada Border Increasingly Militarized, Unmanned drone prowls over the lonely prairie.  G&M
  • 2011-01-26   Unmanned plane patrolling stretch of Canada-U.S. border
  • 2011-01-27  Unmanned Spyplane For Canadian Border Security
  • 2011-04-22  The Drone-ification of America.  (correction: .. of NORTH America)
  • 2010-11-01  (Drone training in Canada)  Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre Grand Opening at SIIT.

7.  IN THE U.S.

  • 2011-04-24   The Verdict: Guilty of Protesting the Drones
  • 2011-04-16   Drones Fly Through Congress to Enter US Skies
  • 2010-10-10   Stunning victory: Breaking the law to obey a higher law (Lockheed Martin’s unmanned drones, Creech Air Force Base).

8.  U.S. IN THE BUSINESS OF CREATING TERRORISTS

  •  2011-04-13  Pakistan Moves to Curb More Aggressive US Drone Strikes, Spying

REMEDIES:

9.   Send this email to as many people as you can.  Talk about it.

10.  LET’S MAKE THE STEALTH FIGHTERS AN ELECTION ISSUE  (scroll down)  (www.ceasefire.ca action, Steve Staples)

11.  TEN REASONS  THE F-35 STEALTH FIGHTER IS WRONG FOR CANADA  (scroll down)  (Steve Staples)

12.  www.ceasefire.ca   has good information, actions and frequent updates.

13.  May 2:  Do not vote for any political party that supports the purchase of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth bombers  (I appended the positions of the four parties.)

14.  May:  refuse to cooperate with Lockheed Martin Corporation’s involvement in the Canadian Census.

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(1)   BRIEF BACKGROUND   

In 2006 there was the report in Macleans Magazine from the “President of the Americas for Lockheed Martin Corporation”, Ron Covais, about the “how to” of the SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership) for getting what the corporate leaders, working with Government officials, want.  

 The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveillance of the Canada-U.S. border has been in the works at least since 2007.   That was the same year as police were trained, disguised and deployed at the SPP Montebello meetings, to turn peaceful protest violent.

 (2008).  Through trying to stop the involvement of Lockheed Martin (American military)  in the Canadian census we have followed things like the “Canada First Defence Strategy” which gives “compatible doctrine”, etc. with the American war machine.  It followed on the heels of the “Troop Exchange Agreement” with the U.S..

 In November 2008 the Ottawa Citizen reported “American officials are pressuring the Federal Government to supply them with information on Canadians .. Canadian officials have said .. will meet the new standard .. by 2011 .. but there’ll be tremendous pressure (from the U.S.) to get there faster.”

 In March 2010 we circulated the information about the plan to roll out armored vehicles in cities across Canada, followed by the March 2011 update:  Vancouver, York (Toronto), Ottawa and Saskatoon – –  armored vehicles. 

That’s a small sampling.  Go to Lockheed Martin, Census, War Economy  for more details.

Step-by-step they continue to move ahead.  The Council of Canadians has been terrific at battling them every inch of the way.

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2.    THE JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE DRONES ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER, THE MILITARIZATION, ARE PROPAGANDA

The justifications (propaganda) for the militarization are:

  • “The War on Terror”
  • “The War on Drugs”

 Both are bogus arguments.   

In the press releases about the UAV’s  (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or “drones”)  deployed along the Canada-U.S. border (see the “CONTENTS”)  there are a number of references to the marijuana that has been seized as a result of the UAV’s.   UAV’s cannot see marijuana inside a truck.  Drones are a ridiculously expensive way of doing whatever it is they are doing.  The use of propaganda is pernicious. 

REGARDING:

  • THE WAR ON DRUGS, see:  2011-04-24  “The War on Drugs” is a bogus war, propaganda for increasing police and military presence.
  • THE WAR ON TERROR:   all you have to do is look at some of the news articles on UAV’s (see the “CONTENTS”).   As mentioned, pulling them together made me sick-to-my-stomach.  The terrorists are clearly the American Military.  “America is scary “because a declining superpower losing both political and economic dominance but still preserving military supremacy is a dangerous mix.””    AGREED!
  • THE ROLE OF PROPAGANDA IN A MILITARISTIC STATE .  See:

2010-03-05  Love, Hate & Propaganda, the art of mass persuasion (WW2) on CBC

2010-03-06   Propaganda. Kitty Werthmann, Austria, 1938 (The Sound of Music) “the state, little by little eroded our freedom”

2010-03-10    Propaganda, Democracy: Imagining “the other”. Ralston Saul. The Cellist of Sarajevo. 

 AND  read “The Animal Farm” by George Orwell!

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(3)   COMMENTARY

Happy Beautiful Easter Day.  I think we had better all wake up from the dead. 

Yesterday, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s)  started dropping bombs on Libya (2011-04-23  Attack of the drones: Obama approves the use of unmanned aircraft in Libya conflict).  Civilian casualties from UAV’s in Libya have started.

2011-04-24   The Verdict: Guilty of Protesting the Drones   is in follow-up to  2010-10-10   Stunning victory: Breaking the law to obey a higher law (Lockheed Martin’s unmanned drones, Creech Air Force Base),  the Father John Dear story. 

It is striking how

  • (2010-11-01  (Drone training in Canada)  Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre Grand Opening at SIIT)  echoes  this paragraph from
  •  2011-04-22  The Drone-ification of America  (correction: .. of NORTH America)    

Federal education and stimulus money is being used to create nonmilitary drone education programs. The Department of Aviation at the University of North Dakota, located in Grand Forks and the operator of the test and training site at Grand Forks AFB, now offers the first Bachelors of Science program in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations. The Aviation Maintenance Technology program at Northland Community and Technical College, located in Thief River Falls, Minnesota just 40 miles east of Grand Forks, will soon offer courses in the repair of UAVs.

The Drone-ification article continues:

Added to that, an amendment to the House version of the bill legalizing drone testing in American airspace set September 30, 2015 as a deadline by which to have general use of drones. The University of North Dakota is also offering a 4-year degree in piloting drones in what is soon expected to be a $20 billion industry.

Clearly, Congress, the Defense Department, the Obama administration and the military contractors who drive the wars all have strong financial interests in having drones crisscrossing the skies of America. They know that this spy technology will be the next big money-making scheme for those who profit from war and the machinery of war. But you can rest assured that the introduction of drones into American airspace will not only further fuse the American government, the American economy and the military industry, perpetuating needless foreign interventions at the expense of civilians abroad and Americans at home but it will serve as yet another nail in the coffin for American civil liberties.

TRY THIS!   My Canadian version of the preceding.  The wording is transportable.  Talk about “harmonization”!:

Federal stimulus money is being used to create drone education programs. The Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre located in Saskatoon,  a joint effort between Lockheed Martin ($3.5 million), Boeing, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT), SIAST, Western Economic Diversification (Minister Responsible Lynn Yelich), the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Saskatoon Airport Authority,  now offers the first Bachelors program in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations. The Aviation Maintenance Technology program at SIIT  will soon offer courses in the repair of UAVs through the Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre.   The Commercial Pilots programme at  SIAST  will soon be located in the same new facility at the Saskatoon Airport.

Clearly  the Defense Department, the Harper administration, and the military contractors who drive the wars all have strong financial interests in having drones crisscrossing the skies of North America. They know that this spy technology will be the next big money-making scheme for those who profit from war and the machinery of war. But you can rest assured that the introduction of drones into North American airspace will not only further fuse the North American government, the North American economy and the military industry, perpetuating needless foreign interventions at the expense of civilians abroad and North Americans at home but it will serve as yet another nail in the coffin for North American civil liberties.

2011-04-13  Pakistan Moves to Curb More Aggressive US Drone Strikes, Spying   makes you wonder how anyone can believe that the terrorists are not the American Corporations.

Back to   2011-04-22  The Drone-ification of America.  (correction: .. of NORTH America):

This EXCERPT is critical.  It tells the same story as told by William Hartung in his book “Prophets of War:  Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex” (Jan 2011).  You can find details of it by going to www.sandrafinley.ca  and typing  “Hartung”  into  “Search”.

But the real motivator, as is usually the case in Washington, is money — to be exact, money in the form of job creation (which ultimately translates into electoral votes) and campaign contributions from military contractors. In total, Boeing spent $2.57 million and Lockheed Martin spent $2.4 million in campaign contributions to those running for Congress in 2009-2010.

Indeed, elected representatives on both sides of the aisle benefit equally from the push for more widespread use of drones. For example, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), a sponsor of the amendment who, by the way, received $10,000 from Lockheed Martin (a manufacturer of drones and missiles used by drones) during his 2010 re-election campaign, is looking to preserve 1,215 jobs at a base in Mattydale, N.Y., while also potentially creating “millions of dollars in radar research contracts for local defense companies.” In other words, Schumer is hoping he can get enough donations and win over enough voters to maintain his seat in Congress.

On the House of Representatives side, Reps. John Mica (R-Fla.) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.), the driving forces behind the drone amendments that ended up in the House bill, didn’t hesitate to talk up the advantages drones would bring to national security and the economy. They also didn’t hesitate to take campaign contributions from companies involved in the production of drone technology. In his 2010 re-election campaign, Mica received contributions from Boeing, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon amounting to $10,000 each, while Miller received $10,000 each from Honeywell and Ford, and $8,500 from General Dynamics. Maurice Hinchey (D – NY), a member of the 43-person drone caucus, received $10,000 each from Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Honeywell, as well as $9,500 from L-3 Communications in 2010.

Unfortunately, there are few in Congress who are not complicit in helping to advance the agenda of the military industrial complex. Even President Obama, ironically enough the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize who received $870,165 from defense contractors during his 2008 campaign . . .

YES:   Libya hit by drones.  BUT Pay attention to what they are doing with drones in North America, and here in Saskatoon.

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10. Let’s Make the Stealth Fighters an Election Issue  (www.ceasefire.ca action, Steve Staples)

Dear Sandra –    

It’s been a pitched media battle with Harper’s Conservatives and his corporate defence lobby since I last wrote you.

And as you will read below, it’s about billions of dollars in military sales, deceit, corporate and government collusion, and an orchestrated campaign to deceive Canadians.
The campaign of deceit is aimed directly at Ceasefire.ca and at people like you. That’s why I hope that you’ll make your donation today.

Your donation is needed now to stop Harper’s plan to build “Fortress North America,” ringed with fleets of U.S. weaponry like the F-35 stealth fighters, ready to deploy at the Pentagon’s command for the next “shock and awe” bombing campaign.

This may be our most difficult and challenging campaign ever.

Billions of dollars are involved: the Harper Conservatives and the corporations are staking everything on seeing this fighter deal go through, no matter what the cost.
The Harper government has launched a massive public relations blitz to counter F-35 critics like us.

Many senior Cabinet ministers, Conservative MPs, retired and serving generals, lobbyists, and military-funded academics have been drafted to support Harper.

And we are on the front lines of this media battle.

Only two days after an article against the F-35 that I co-wrote was printed in the Chronicle Herald, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose shot back. They said I was “misleading and inaccurate,” and that spending $16 to $21 billion on stealth fighters is “the right decision for the Canadian Forces.”

But the truth is that Peter MacKay is intentionally misleading Canadians. I was in the CTV studio when he told the interviewer about the “contract” for the warplanes – when he knows that there is no contract.

That’s why they are so afraid. The Conservatives have made a huge mistake by agreeing to buy the planes without bothering to settle on a final price or benefits to Canada.  This is just plain deceitful, and unacceptable for a member of the government, especially a Cabinet minister.

As well, Harper has brought in the corporations to attack critics like the Rideau Institute.

The powerful Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) has joined the government in taking political shots at the opposition parties, and making false accusations.
The CEOs even sent a “spy” into our press conference. An AIAC senior vice-president tried to sneak into our media event in Parliament, claiming to security staff that he “was invited.”

Later, the aerospace corporations slammed our statements against the F-35 in a press release of their own.

I am very concerned that the media are not doing enough to expose the PR campaign that is going on. That’s why we have to watch every report and challenge reporters’ assertions, or readers will not learn the truth.

For instance, I was shocked to see a huge article in the Ottawa Citizen by two retired Air Force generals “dispelling myths” and promoting the F-35.
But the Citizen did not reveal that the co-author, retired General Paul Manson, was also the former head of Lockheed Martin Canada’s Board of Directors – the U.S. company standing to make billions in profits from the F-35.

I immediately contacted the newspaper, exposing the General as a lobbyist. As Embassy magazine later reported the incident:

Luckily, Steven Staples, director of the Rideau Institute and a long-time thorn in the side of the military establishment, outed Manson’s Lockheed Martin association in a letter to the editor the following day.

But the story doesn’t end there. Now we’ve learned that the F-35 stealth fighter deal is connected to Harper’s plan to build a security perimeter around Canada and the United States – a Fortress North America.

I first became aware of a potentially new deal when I was on a panel in Ottawa with a well-connected former Foreign Affairs official.
When he mentioned the possibility of a new security perimeter deal, I immediately pointed out that Canada would end up with our foreign and defence policies being faxed to us from the Pentagon.

Days later, that same official confirmed my fears. He told the Globe and Mail that talks were taking place, and that Prime Minister Harper promised President Obama that “if we have to look at perimeter defence . . . we’re ready to do it.”

The latest round of Canada-U.S. border security talks, launched in February by Harper and Obama, could result in a massive expansion of North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) – the joint U.S.-Canada military aerospace command for North America.

Will Harper push Canada into George Bush’s Star Wars missile defence scheme? How far will Harper go?

Now that the secret negotiations are out in the open, a public relations campaign has already begun for deeper military integration with the United States.

A few weeks ago I was invited on CTV’s Power Play to debate Retired Lieutenant-General George Macdonald, the former Canadian head of NORAD.  General Macdonald was an early believer in Canada joining Bush’s Star Wars, and now, as a paid lobbyist for Lockheed Martin, he is pushing for Canada to buy the F-35 stealth fighters.  And guess what? He is also lobbying reporters to support expanding NORAD on a massive scale to include land and sea military operations.

The military establishment is ready to give away our sovereignty and independence. Why are so many generals, who have sworn to defend Canada, so ready to sell out to the Pentagon?Don’t they care about Canada?

The generals, the CEOs, and the Harper Conservatives are betraying our national independence, and our values as international peacekeepers.

That’s why it is so important to make your voice heard. I hope that we can count on your support for 2011.

Maclean’s Magazine called me “the most outspoken critic of the purchase,” and I will continue to try to live up to that compliment. I’ll challenge this government on the F-35 deal and expose the defence lobby at every turn.

We have already hired a campaign person to work with peace groups and with our 20,000 Ceasefire.ca supporters to make our work more effective.  It’s working already. Together, we’ve sent more than 5,000 messages to Harper saying “No Stealth Fighters!” during our historic “Be Heard on March 3rd” day of action.

And there is more to come. We have new research reports in the works to expose the growing militarism in Canada, rising military spending, and the danger of “Fortress North America.”
Our goal is to raise $15,000 to launch our “No Stealth Fighters” campaign for 2011.

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 11.    Ten reasons the F-35 stealth fighter is wrong for Canada

By Steve Staples and ceasefire.ca

March 3, 2011

Today ceasefire.ca launches a petition against the purchase of F-35 stealth fighters for the Canadian military. Check out the petition by clicking here or use the nifty form below, and read 10 plus one great reasons to sign.

1.     The F-35 is for “shock and awe” combat missionsIts stealth capability and weapons are intended for U.S.-style first strike attacks, a role Canada does not need to play.

2. The F-35 is way too expensive

According to National Defence’s estimates, the cost of purchasing 65 U.S.-built F-35 stealth fighters is between $16 and $21 billion — the most expensive military project in Canadian history.

3. The government’s finances are in bad shape

The annual federal deficit is expected to reach $56 billion this year, and cuts to social programs are expected.

4. The F-35 is ill suited for the arctic

Its stealth characteristic is not needed, and only one engine instead of two puts pilots at risk of being stranded in the far north by an engine failure.

5. Little, if any, of the $16 billion will stay in Canada

Unlike previous military contracts, in this one the Harper government has not required the U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin to invest “dollar-for-dollar” in Canada.

6. It is costing Canada job opportunities

Buying any other aircraft would allow the government to require “Industrial and Regional Benefits.” Instead, the Harper Conservatives just hope we’ll get contracts from Lockheed Martin.

7. The F-35 is still a model airplane

The F-35 is still being tested and production is years behind schedule, leaving operating and maintenance costs completely unknown.

8. There was no competition

In a sweetheart deal, the Harper Conservatives committed to Lockheed Martin rather than inviting other firms to put in proposals, increasing the cost by an estimated 20 per cent.

9. There is no hurry to replace our CF-18s

Canada’s current fleet of CF-18s just completed a $2.6 billion upgrade, and could easily remain in service until the mid-2020s.

10. There is no Russian arctic threat

NORAD’s U.S. commander said he sees no military challengers in the arctic, and he is focused on preventing another 9/11 type of attack.

PLUS There is no contract to break

Despite the government’s commitment to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter, there is no signed contract and therefore no firm price expected until 2013, or even later.

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POSITIONS OF THE POLITICAL PARTIES ON F-35 STEALTH BOMBERS

  1. Conservatives –  Stephen Harper has been doing the deal on F-35s  in private, which is consistent with 2011-02-08   Canada kept U.S. border talks under wraps

 Browsing the literature, there are a number of Lockheed Martin people moved into positions in the Government.  I wonder if anyone has done a consolidated list?    

2.    Liberals – Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said that to prevent further abuse, a future Liberal government will cancel the F-35 stealth fighter deal and hold an open competition to replace Canada’s CF-18s.  . . . .   “We need an open debate about whether these are the right planes, and to make sure we’re getting them for the right price,” he stated.   http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/news-release/liberals-will-cancel-f-35-deal-and-hold-an-open-competition/ )

3.   NDP  New ships not jets, say NDP   . .   Layton did not write off the F-35 plan completely.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/CanadaVotes/News/2011/04/08/17922646.html

By Kristy Kirkup, Parliamentary Bureau  

NDP Leader Jack Layton makes his way to a roundtable discussion on his party’s crime prevention plan at Youth Resource Centre in Surrey, B.C., on April 7 2011. The NDP leader announced Friday that his party will invest in shipbuilding instead of F-35s. (CARMINE MARINELLI/QMI AGENCY)

ESQUIMALT, B.C. – Jack Layton wants to focus on shipbuilding investments instead of F-35s purchases, and table a ‘defence white paper’ to pinpoint domestic and foreign policy priorities.

“The New Democrat defence plan will focus Canada’s forces on defending Canada and Canadians,” Layton said Friday, on a campaign stop on Vancouver Island. “We will provide stable support to Canada’s troubled shipbuilding industry by focusing on a dependable policy of domestic procurement.”

The NDP plan commits to maintaining the defence investment outlined in the 2011 budget – $21 billion a year.

“Our defence policy is broken,” said Layton. “And it’s time for us to fix it.”

Layton’s defence plan puts Canada’s joint support ships at the heart of the procurement policy instead of fighter jets. The Parliamentary budget officer reported the Tory government’s plan to buy a fleet of F-35 jets to replace the aging CF-18s will cost about $30 billion.

“The current CF-18 fleet’s operational life extends to 2017 at the earliest,” said Layton. “Our current ships have reached the end of their operational lives. They need to be replaced immediately.”

Layton did not write off the F-35 plan completely.

“The time frame on the planes and whether or not we need those kinds of planes should be the subject of a national discussion before we make that kind of commitment,” said Layton. “That’s why we’re suggesting a white paper.”

The NDP leader says his defence announcement meshes with promoting jobs in the shipbuilding sector.

The party unveiled its policy in the B.C. riding of Esquimalt-Juan, where there is a naval base at CFB Esquimalt.

4.      GREEN PARTY   Six questions about the jet fighters

16 July 2010 – 5:31pm

OTTAWA – The Government’s announcement regarding the purchase of 65 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed-Martin raises a number of questions and concerns. Elizabeth May, Leader of the Greens, says that these are questions for which Canadians deserve an answer.

Where is the security policy rationale for $9 billion in fighter jets?

What happened to the additional $7 billion contract in maintenance?

In what scenario are we fighting air to air combat?

Why have we ignored the criticism in the US Congress of Lockheed-Martin on these very jets for 50% cost over-runs, to date?

What happened to the spending freeze in the defence budget to fight the deficit?

What are the opportunity costs of this giant spending spree while Canada’s schools close, health care suffers, infrastructure crumbles, and greenhouse gases soar? 

“The opposition party – the Liberals – have already indicated that this deal will be reviewed and potentially cancelled if they are elected.  It therefore becomes the fiscal responsibility of the Conservatives – as a minority government on the eve of an election – to ensure that any contract signed has a no-penalty opt-out for at least one year.   Failure to do this due diligence will reflect directly on the Conservatives and they will be the ones held accountable for any future penalties,” said Eric Walton, International Affairs critic.

Apr 242011
 

4.8 Ending the war on drugs

In 2008, according to the Treasury Board, Canada spent $61.3 million targeting illicit drugs, with a majority of that money going to law enforcement. Most of that was for the “war” against cannabis (marijuana). Marijuana prohibition is also prohibitively costly in other ways, including criminalizing youth and fostering organized crime. Cannabis prohibition, which has gone on for decades, has utterly failed and has not led to reduced drug use in Canada.

After analyzing the recommendation of the Canadian Senate’s 2002 Special Committee on Drugs and the examples of strategies used by some European countries, the Green Party of Canada has come to the conclusion that it is time to legalize the adult use of marijuana. Furthermore, the Greens believe that drug addictions should be treated as a health problem, not as criminal offences.

Green Party MPs will:

• Legalize marijuana by removing marijuana from the drug schedule.

• Create a regulatory framework for the safe production of marijuana by small, independent growers.

• Develop a taxation rate for marijuana similar to that of tobacco.

• Establish the sale of marijuana to adults for medicinal or personal use through licensed distribution outlets.

• Educate the public about the health threats of marijuana, tobacco and other drug use.

• Launch a public consultation on the decriminalization of illicit drugs, considering the current high costs of the law enforcement effort.

• Provide increased funding to safe injection sites, treatment facilities and addict rehabilitation.

Apr 242011
 

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/934675–canada-kept-border-security-talks-with-u-s-under-wraps-report

document Published On Tue Feb 8 2011

Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington last week. Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington last week.

MARK WILSON/GETTY IMAGES

Les Whittington and Tonda MacCharles Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA—The federal government deliberately kept negotiations on a border deal with Washington secret while it planned ways to massage public opinion in favour of the pact, according to a confidential communications strategy.

The 14-page public relations document recommended that talks keep a “low public profile” in the months leading up to the announcement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama. At the same time, the government would secretly engage “stakeholders” — interested parties such as big business groups and others — in a way that respected “the confidentiality of the announcement.”

In advance, the government departments involved — including industry, foreign affairs, international trade and citizenship and immigration — were to “align supportive stakeholders to speak positively about the announcement,” according to the strategy prepared by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews’ officials.

On Friday, Harper and Obama signed off on a plan that for the first time envisions throwing up a single security ring around the perimeter of Canada and the U.S. The wide-ranging blueprint calls for increased cooperation between the two countries’ police, border and intelligence agencies; an integrated Canada-U.S. exit-entry system using high-tech identification techniques and more sharing of information about Canadians with U.S. authorities.

At least three major business organizations — the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Canadian Trucking Alliance — quickly issued statements praising the framework agreement Friday.

The document was prepared last fall, when the Canada-U.S. talks were being conducted without any public notice.

Under “communications challenges,” the document lists: “Greater information sharing is part of the initiative. The safeguarding of privacy and sovereignty will be of concern for Canadians.”

It also says Canadians may be too sanguine about security to see the need for the deal. “The Canadian public may underestimate the security threat to Canada.”

The confidential government document also contains a list of “high risk” stakeholders — those in Canada who might raise strenuous objections to stepped-up Canada-U.S. security arrangements.

Officials surmised that Jennifer Stoddart, the federal privacy commissioner, would be worried by plans to share more personal data on Canadians with U.S. authorities. “Will raise concerns re information sharing and protecting private information,” the document says of Stoddart. In response, the government should stress that “we value and respect our separate constitutional and legal frameworks that protect privacy, civil liberties and human rights.” It also recommended “ongoing engagement by officials” with Stoddart.

Advocacy and civil rights groups such as the Council of Canadians, led by Maude Barlow, were also expected to react negatively because of “privacy concerns.” The strategy paper again recommended that Conservatives should stress Canada’s protections for human rights and privacy. It also suggested that cabinet ministers be made available to the media to counteract Barlow’s statements.

Refugee and immigration organizations were considered “high-risk stakeholders” and expected to react by saying the new U.S.-Canada border measures will limit immigration. The recommended response was to say that the deal “will accelerate legitimate travel” and won’t change Canadian immigration and refugee policy. Another high-risk stakeholder was expected to be the Mexican government, which “may raise concerns about not being included in the vision.”

A separate list of “medium risk” stakeholders included academics, who will “expect proof of economic benefits” and may be worried about privacy and sovereignty, and the media, which will “look for specifics” that would be announced later. Also considered a “medium risk” are U.S. critics, who will see the new deal as a “threat to U.S. jobs.”

Now that Canada and the U.S. have begun work on implementing the deal, the Liberals and NDP say they are planning to bring cabinet ministers before a Commons committee to find out the details of the plan.

The public campaign to persuade Canadians that a muscular security deal won’t trade away Canadian rights was clearly underway Monday.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, appearing at a Senate committee on national security and defence, painted it as “necessary” to the free flow of cross-boarder trade, and “beneficial” to Canada.

The Americans, he said, bring greater resources, “assets” and much-appreciated expertise to border security, citing joint efforts during the Olympics security operations.

Asked later whether Canadians should be concerned about a new regime that might see random searches or seizures at the border, Toews said there’s little need to worry.

“I don’t think that is a concern that they should have, but those are the kinds of questions that need to be asked and discussed.”