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New Zealand and up to three other countries have rejected controversial amendments, proposed in 2022 by the Biden administration to the World Health Organization’s 2005 International Health Regulations.
(Sandra speaking:) Not only did some countries REJECT the amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) by the deadline.
I listened to some of this video (appears at the bottom of the posting – – Press Conference (U.S.) Growing concerns . . .). What I heard was articulate and sound REJECTION of the WHO’s agenda. I had been kind of freaked out, as explained in 2024-01-10 Repeal Bill 36 the Health Professions & Occupations Act (HPOA). First class tyranny. which is manifestation of the WHO’s work in B.C., Canada. Premier David Eby and other MLA’s might like to know that the ship they’re riding on is going down.
Wenstrup accused the WHO of wanting “to infringe upon our national sovereignty.”
Lindley said there have been initiatives by some states to protect against an encroachment of sovereignty by the WHO, including a bill introduced Feb. 5 in New Hampshire, HB1156, stating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO “shall have no jurisdiction in New Hampshire.”
“As written, the amendments to the IHR are in direct violation of our First Amendment, 5th and 10th amendment,” Lindley said.
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Editor’s note: After we published this article, Dutch attorney Meike Terhorst informed The Defender that the Netherlands made a “reservation” against the IHR 2022 amendments on Aug. 16, 2022. Terhorst added that the Netherlands never ratified the 2005 IHR, which is currently in effect.
New Zealand and up to three other countries have rejected controversial amendments, proposed in 2022 by the Biden administration to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR).
Critics warned the proposed amendments, approved last year by the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA), give the WHO too much power and increase the likelihood that future proposals — including the currently pending 2023 IHR amendments and the “WHO Pandemic Agreement,” or pandemic treaty — will also pass.
WHO member states had a Dec. 1, 2023, deadline to reject the 2022 amendments. New Zealand attorney Kirsten Murfitt told The Defender “New Zealand rejected the amendment which related to the reduced timeframe of future amendments.”
“In May 2022, the WHA voted to adopt the amendment to Article 59 of the IHR (and consequently other articles), which reduces the timeframe for future amendments to come into force from 24 to 12 months. Consequently, the period to reject or reserve future amendments was reduced from 18 months to 10 months,” Murfitt said.
For states that did not reject the amendments by Dec. 1, 2023, “the amendment comes into force in May 2024 by way of ‘tacit acceptance,’” Murfitt added.
Other experts told The Defender their rejection by up to four countries may be indicative of broader obstacles the WHO faces in ongoing negotiations for both proposals.
Independent journalist James Roguski said the WHO scheduled new negotiation meetings after falling behind on its own legally binding timeline due to member states’ disagreements over “equity” — as evidenced by developments at last week’s meeting of the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (WGIHR).
Recent statements by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also suggest a growing unease with the progress of negotiations and the likelihood of reaching an agreement on the proposed 2023 IHR amendments and “pandemic agreement” by this year’s WHA, scheduled for May 27-June 1.
Others, including Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), warned during a Feb. 5 press conference that the proposed instruments pose a fundamental threat to national sovereignty, including that of the U.S.
New Zealand documents confirm country rejected 2022 IHR amendments
Documents obtained from the government of New Zealand via a freedom of information request and shared with The Defender by Australian attorney Katie Ashby-Koppens confirm that, on Nov. 30, 2023, New Zealand formally notified the WHO that it rejected the 2022 IHR amendments.
A Nov. 30, 2023, email from Andrew Forsyth, manager of Public Health Strategy at New Zealand’s Public Health Agency, to the Office of the WHO’s Director-General, stated:
“This document notifies New Zealand’s rejection of the amendments to Article 59 of the Regulations, as adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2022.
“Following New Zealand’s General Election on 14 October 2023, this step is being taken to give the incoming Government the opportunity to consider the amendments. It may not be the Government’s final decision.
“Please be advised that New Zealand will remain a constructive participant in the current, substantive WGIHR negotiations.”
The agreement between the parties in New Zealand’s governing coalition stipulated that New Zealand would lodge a “reservation” against the 2022 IHR amendments.
Ashby-Koppens has worked with New Zealand’s Voices For Freedom in opposing the WHO’s proposals. She told The Defender “reservations” — a declaration by a state under international law that it reserves the right not to abide by certain provisions of a treaty — against new amendments, are not foreseen under the current IHR.
“New Zealand did the right thing and rejected the amendments in time,” she said.
A Nov. 29, 2023, letter from the Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the United Nations, also released as part of the same freedom of information request, notified the WHO director-general of “New Zealand’s rejection of the amendments.”
“New Zealand has rejected these so its new government can conduct its own assessments of the amendments,” Ashby-Koppens said, adding that in doing so, New Zealand became the third of four countries to reject the 2022 IHR amendments.
According to Door to Freedom, an advocacy group opposing the WHO’s proposed instruments, Iran also rejected the 2022 IHR amendments.
“Iran notes that they rejected the May 2022 amendments because they reduce the amount of time for reservation or rejection,” Door to Freedom wrote. Door to Freedom was founded last year by Dr. Meryl Nass, a member of the Children’s Health Defense scientific advisory committee.
During last week’s WGIHR meeting, the Russian delegation also confirmed that four countries rejected the 2022 IHR amendments, stating, “We’d like to point out the Director-General’s letter that four countries have not joined amendments adopted two years ago at the WHA,” according to Roguski.
The other two countries that rejected the amendments have not publicly been revealed.
Roguski said the 2022 amendments were not passed per the WHO’s procedures. He previously wrote that after a set of IHR amendments was rejected in 2022, a different package of amendments was “illegitimately submitted” with the support of the Biden administration. Five of those were passed.
“These are completely void and illegitimate,” Roguski said. “No one has said a word. The U.S. Senate did not say a single word about that.”
According to Door to Freedom, for countries that have rejected the 2022 IHR amendments, “future amendments to the IHR will not come into force until 24 months after approval (not 12 months), and these nations have 18 months (not 10 months) to reject or make a reservation against all future amendments.”
WHO showing ‘a sense of desperation’
The rejection of the 2022 IHR amendments by four countries appears to be just one of several obstacles plaguing the WHO’s ongoing efforts to enact its proposals.
Roguski said last week’s WGIHR meeting “did not conclude its agenda.” Instead, the meeting was “suspended” and “they agreed to schedule an additional two weeks of meetings of the WGIHR” between March 4-15, and a one-day joint session with the WHO’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) on Feb. 23.
According to the WHO, the INB was established in 2021 to “negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.”
Roguski said that “A joint meeting of the INB-WGIHR was held in secret on Jan. 31.”
Separately, the INB is scheduled to meet between Feb. 19 and March 1 and again between March 18-29. The next formal WGIHR meeting is scheduled for April 22-26.
The WHO’s unease over the rate of progress in ongoing negotiations for the IHR amendments and “pandemic agreement” appears evident in several recent public statements Tedros made, imploring WHO member states to successfully conclude their negotiations in time for this year’s World Health Assembly.
In a Jan. 22 statement, Tedros said:
“Over the past two years, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body and the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR have been moving towards a common goal: to build a healthier, safer, and more equitable world.
“This is our chance — maybe our only chance — to get this done, because we have the momentum. …
“Member States have committed to the historic task of delivering a pandemic agreement and a package of amendments to improve the International Health Regulations to the World Health Assembly in May of this year.
“This is a generational opportunity that we must not miss.”
Tedros also warned, “If the international community misses this opportunity, it will be difficult to achieve the comprehensive reform we need, especially for equitable access to pandemic-related products.”
He also sharply criticized the “torrent of fake news, lies, and conspiracy theories” about the “pandemic agreement and IHR.”
Dr. Kat Lindley, president of the Global Health Project and director of the Global COVID Summit, told The Defender that Tedros “appears frustrated according to his tweets,” which she says may be a sign that “some talks are stalling.”
Tedros also warned, “If the international community misses this opportunity, it will be difficult to achieve the comprehensive reform we need, especially for equitable access to pandemic-related products.”
He also sharply criticized the “torrent of fake news, lies, and conspiracy theories” about the “pandemic agreement and IHR.”
Dr. Kat Lindley, president of the Global Health Project and director of the Global COVID Summit, told The Defender that Tedros “appears frustrated according to his tweets,” which she says may be a sign that “some talks are stalling.”
Such statements reflect remarks Tedros made at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum last month, where, after warning that the world must be prepared for a new pandemic that may be caused by a yet-unknown “Disease X,” he said:
“[The] deadline for the pandemic agreement is May 2024, and member states are negotiating. … This is between countries, and I hope they will deliver this pandemic agreement by that time on the deadline, because if this generation cannot do it … [the] incoming generation, the next generation won’t do it.”
“The WHO and Tedros are also uncomfortable about public perception, their messaging sounds desperate and they are sledging comments at the suggestions of mis- and dis-information,” Ashby-Koppens said. “All of the opening and public statements of WHO Working Group and INB meetings this year indicate a sense of desperation.”
Ashby-Koppens attributed this desperation to increased global mistrust of the WHO.
“Member states aren’t all falling into line with what the WHO is trying to achieve under both treaty documents … The WHO is promising future pandemics but isn’t reading the crowd and doesn’t seem to appreciate that all trust is gone in the organization,” she said.
WHO ‘can’t even be trusted to follow its own rules’
Experts who spoke with The Defender pointed to a lack of transparency during negotiations for the two proposed instruments as also jeopardizing efforts to finalize and approve the two proposed IHR amendments and pandemic treaty.
For instance, the latest 2023 IHR amendment documents have not been made public, according to Roguski.
“We understand that the IHR Working Group anticipates a final text being settled only during April or possibly even into May, but there remains no official deadline for it to publish that final text. It refuses to confirm what the documents say, and it refuses to say when it will reveal those documents,” Roguski said.
The most recent publicly available documents about the proposed 2023 IHR amendments are dated Feb. 6, 2023. Roguski said this prompted participants at last week’s WGIHR meeting to call for the public release of the most up-to-date documents.
According to Ashby-Koppens, “The WHO is failing to follow its own rules,” as many of the proposed amendments that are publicly known “are outside the WHO’s remit.”
She added that “By Jan. 27, 2024, the WHO was supposed to supply the 300+ amendments to its member states” — but has not done so. “The concern is that the WHO can’t even be trusted to follow its own rules now, so how can we trust it to follow the new powers our elected officials will be granting the WHO?” she asked.
Japan, in response, “propos[ed] to the bureau and the WGIHR to consider the publication of the Bureau’s text.” The Third World Network, recognized by the WHO as a “relevant stakeholder,” stated, “We request the Bureau to kindly publish the text proposals to the member states in the interest of transparency.”
According to Roguski, “nobody said a peep” at the WGIHR’s meeting about these requests, which he said may be “because they don’t have an agreement” in place.
Ashby-Koppens said the New Zealand government revealed, as part of its response to the freedom of information request, that it has in its possession a more recent draft of the 300-plus proposed 2023 IHR amendments but will not publicly release it.
“This raises the question of why our own country is not prepared to provide its citizens with the current version of the document that purports to be about our health and decisions over it,” she said.
Instead, according to Ashby-Koppens, the New Zealand government “made a bizarre request” last month, “asking for feedback from the public on versions of the treaties that will be different from the ultimate versions that New Zealand will vote on in May 2024.” The government set a Feb. 18 deadline for feedback.
‘Equity’ a euphemism for ‘finance’
Roguski said the key sticking point among WHO member states is “equity” — which will be the main topic of discussion during the newly scheduled March 4-15 meeting.
According to Roguski, Oxfam, another WHO “relevant stakeholder,” “hit a grand slam in demanding equity” at last week’s meeting, by “calling for an end to Big Pharma’s monopoly, the removal of intellectual property barriers and an end to the world’s double standard by calling for health to take precedence over commercial interests.”
“We urge you to quickly adopt concrete measures to ensure timely, equitable access to medical technologies in order to protect all populations,” Oxfam stated.
Countries and entities including Malaysia and the African Group also called for more “equity” during last week’s proceedings.
For instance, the African Group proposed a new Article 44A for the IHR — a “Financial Mechanism for Equity in Health Emergency Preparedness and Response.” The proposed article would create “A mechanism … for providing the financial resources on a grant or concessional basis to developing countries.”
Another “relevant stakeholder” — the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations — “rejected … calls for access to their ‘intellectual property,’” Roguski said.
He added that such disputes are, at their root, about money and funding — which would be distributed through the World Bank’s “Pandemic Fund.”
“Whether the ‘Pandemic Treaty’ or the amendments to the IHR are adopted or not, the massive investment of the Pharmaceutical Hospital Emergency Industrial Complex will continue,” Roguski recently wrote. “Crack the code: In finance, ‘equity’ is an ownership interest … The problem has always been, and probably always will be about money.”
Roguski said the “Pandemic Fund” provides funding to countries for the development of “early warning and disease surveillance systems” and “laboratory systems,” and for bolstering “human resources/public health and community workforce capacity.”
‘This is a trade dispute’
Opponents of the WHO’s proposed instruments say they threaten national sovereignty. Some proposals presented during last week’s WGIHR meeting called for the WHO’s director-general to be granted even greater authority.
For instance, The African Group proposed a new Article 13A for the IHR, stating:
“Immediately after the determination of a public health emergency of international concern under Article 12, the Director General shall make an immediate assessment of availability and affordability of required health products and make recommendations, including an allocation mechanism, to avoid any potential shortages of health products and technologies.”
Similarly, Bangladesh, in proposing a new Article 13A, called for a “WHO-led international public health response.”
According to Roguski, member states “understand that Tedros can declare a public health emergency of international concern anytime he wants,” but “wanted to add the authority for him to then determine what was needed.”
Reps. Smith and Wenstrup addressed the threat to national sovereignty during a Feb. 5 press conference. Smith referred to a “slew of significant issues surrounding the proposed treaty.”
These included “lack of transparency, the backroom negotiations, WHO overreach and infringement on U.S. sovereignty, unknown financial obligations for U.S. taxpayers, threats to intellectual property rights and free speech, funding for abortion, and how the treaty will benefit China at the expense of the United States.”
“Far too little scrutiny has been given, far too few questions asked as to what this legally binding agreement or treaty means to health policy in the United States and elsewhere,” Smith said.
Wenstrup accused the WHO of wanting “to infringe upon our national sovereignty.”
Lindley said there have been initiatives by some states to protect against an encroachment of sovereignty by the WHO, including a bill introduced Feb. 5 in New Hampshire, HB1156, stating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO “shall have no jurisdiction in New Hampshire.”
“As written, the amendments to the IHR are in direct violation of our First Amendment, 5th and 10th amendment,” Lindley said.
But for Roguski, the main issue is trade and finances, not sovereignty.
“This is a trade dispute and it’s a play for money to build out the pharmaceutical hospital emergency industrial complex in the nations that they missed the first time,” he said. “They’re having trouble because they’re arguing over money and intellectual property.”
“Everybody’s been distracted by other aspects of what’s being negotiated, but from the very beginning, the whole purpose of this is the trade dispute,” he added.
“There is a clear and significant financial conflict of interest between the loyalties of WHO to the top private financial contributors and the rights and freedom of citizens around the world,” Murfitt said, noting that a significant portion of the WHO’s funding comes from private partners, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
‘Pressure from people works and we should continue it’
Lindley said that “pressure from people works and we should continue it,” noting that opposition to the IHR amendments and “pandemic agreement” is “creating an awareness and chatter — two things the WHO director-general seems to hate.”
Murfitt said “cracks are forming as the WHO pushes the misinformation and conspiracy theory narrative as concerned citizens, lawyers and politicians have started speaking out,” while Ashby-Koppens said financial interests may derail the WHO’s proposals.
“The pandemic treaty is at a real risk of getting upended … because of the concerns raised by Big Pharma through the U.S. government: They don’t want to give up their intellectual property or profit share, which they may have to with sharing their products with poorer nations,” Ashby-Koppens said.
“It’s crazy to think that the freedom groups are aligned with Big Pharma on the pandemic treaty being axed,” she added. “The WHO is losing its mantle of a trusted organization. People are weary and certainly feel that something is off.”
“We are winning the populist campaign against the WHO,” Lindsey said, but “have much more work to do.”
“A majority vote to the proposed amendment to the IHR is required and a 75% vote for the pandemic agreement,” Murfitt said.
“That’s a lot and I don’t believe we are there yet,” Lindley said.
“Many of us feel that the proposed amendments to the IHR will be passed and then we have to put political pressure on to opt out of the regime,” Murfitt said. “With the current publicly available draft, there does not appear to be a mechanism to opt out after the close-off date.”
Hooray! for the CHD! An important win.
A federal judge on Wednesday issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting key Biden administration officials and agencies from coercing or significantly encouraging social media platforms to suppress or censor online content containing protected free speech. However, he also stayed the injunction until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar injunction in Murthy v. Missouri, a related censorship case.
A federal judge on Wednesday handed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Children’s Health Defense (CHD) a partial win in their landmark censorship case alleging the Biden administration colluded with social media platforms to unlawfully censor online content.
Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting key Biden administration officials and agencies from coercing or significantly encouraging social media platforms to suppress or censor online content.
However, Judge Doughty simultaneously issued a stay on the injunction until 10 days after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar case, Murthy v. Missouri.
That case, filed in May 2022 by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana and several individual plaintiffs, was originally filed as Missouri v. Biden.
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on March 18 on a preliminary injunction in Murthy v. Missouri.
Mary Holland, CHD president, told The Defender that the Valentine’s Day ruling was “a welcome Valentine to the Kennedy plaintiffs,” and “an important victory for the U.S. Constitution.”
She added:
“In a thorough decision, Judge Doughty reasoned that the plaintiffs do have ‘standing’ or the right to sue and be heard; that the defendants have engaged in coercion or significant encouragement to censorship and joint action with social media platforms; and that the court is required to issue the preliminary injunction.
“Further, because it is well-established that violations of free speech rights constitute irreparable injury, the Court acted even before an ultimate decision from the Supreme Court in Murthy v. Missouri. Judge Doughty wrote: ‘This Court … finds the balance of equities and the public interest strongly favors the issue of a preliminary injunction.’
“No doubt the Supreme Court will take account of this ruling as it hears oral arguments in Murthy v. Missouri on March 18.”
Wednesday’s ruling stems from a class-action lawsuit filed in March 2023 by Kennedy, now CHD chairman on leave, CHD and private citizen Connie Sampognaro against President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top administration officials and federal agencies.
The suit was filed on behalf of the more than 80% of Americans who access news through social media.
Judge Doughty consolidated Kennedy v. Biden and Murthy v. Biden in July 2023. Both cases were being argued in his court and had the same defendants and many common legal and factual issues.
Although the cases were consolidated, Doughty ruled that the District Court continues to have jurisdiction over Kennedy and CHD’s separate motion for a preliminary injunction, underscoring the fact that a delayed ruling would delay Kennedy from vindicating his claims.
The U.S. Department of Justice did not respond to The Defender’s request for comment.
In his 24-page ruling, Judge Doughty found that several of the defendants in the Kennedy et al. v. Biden lawsuit were violating the plaintiffs’ free speech rights under the First Amendment, causing irreparable harm. He ordered them to cease these violations.
The court recognized that the “right of free speech is a fundamental constitutional right that is vital to the freedom of our nation, and the Kennedy plaintiffs have produced evidence of a massive effort by defendants, from the White House to federal agencies, to suppress speech based on its content.”
Plaintiffs alleged Biden administration officials “waged a systematic, concerted campaign” to compel the nation’s three largest social media companies to censor constitutionally protected speech.
The government, the lawsuit alleges, pressured social media platforms to directly suppress or censor Kennedy and CHD from major platforms and to do the same to content containing views about COVID-19 and other issues that contradicted the government narrative.
Kennedy and CHD argued the court should rule on the preliminary injunction now, because the case is different from Murthy v. Missouri, asks for a more specific injunction and because the defendants singled out Kennedy, who is a U.S. presidential candidate, for censorship.
In determining the merits of the plaintiffs’ motion, Doughty first had to rule on whether the plaintiffs had standing. On that issue, “the court provided strong concrete examples of government coercion or encouragement to censor, particularly with respect to Mr. Kennedy and CHD,” said Kim Mack Rosenberg, CHD general counsel.
Doughty cited evidence that defendants labeled Kennedy as part of the “Disinformation Dozen” who were eventually censored from social media and that some of CHD’s social media posts were also censored.
He also noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked with the Virality Project to reduce or delete social media posts by people and organizations they believed to be spreading “misinformation” about COVID-19.
The Virality Project explicitly listed Kennedy and CHD in the fifth and second place as the highest performing weekly social-media engagement incidents, he wrote.
“This evidence also was key in the Court’s decision that plaintiffs met all the requirements to support issuing the injunction and that the balance of equities favored plaintiffs here,” Mack Rosenberg added.
Doughty also found the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim, writing:
“As in Missouri v. Biden, the White House Defendants and the Surgeon General Defendants both coerced and significantly encouraged social-media platforms to suppress protected free speech.
“This Court further finds the CDC Defendants, the CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] Defendants and the FBI Defendants significantly encouraged social-media platforms to suppress protected free speech.”
Defendants ‘likely’ to use their power to suppress alternative views in the future
The defendants have argued that the actions at stake occurred in the past and cannot be remedied by issuing an injunction prohibiting future actions and that there is no “imminent harm” to the defendants because the COVID-19 pandemic and the election where the alleged conduct occurred are in the past.
However, Doughty ruled that the alleged past actions also indicate there is a substantial risk of likely future harm.
“Defendants apparently continue to have meetings with social-media companies and other contacts,” he wrote, adding:
“Although the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer an emergency, it is likely that in the event of any other real or perceived emergency event, the Defendants likely would once again use their power over social-media companies to suppress alternative views.
“And it is certainly likely that Defendants could use their power over millions of people to suppress alternative views or moderate content they do not agree with in the upcoming 2024 national election.”
Although Doughty granted a substantial part of Kennedy et al.’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the White House, the surgeon general, the CDC, FBI and the CISA, he also denied the request for an injunction against several other agencies.
The injunction excluded the U.S. Department of State, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, who were also included in the plaintiffs’ request.
The Defender on occasion posts content related to Children’s Health Defense’s nonprofit mission that features Mr. Kennedy’s views on the issues CHD and The Defender regularly cover. In keeping with Federal Election Commission rules, this content does not represent an endorsement of Mr. Kennedy who is on leave from CHD and is running for president of the U.S. as an independent candidate.
Tucker Carlson is right to alert the American public BEFORE the U.S. Election on Tuesday November 5th, 2024, that President Joe Biden does not have the capacity to lead his Country. Joe cannot be the one pulling the trigger for Wars that affect the whole Planet.
Another point: Men who think they are God and Men who know they are NOT God.
Here is the Interview:
25 minutes
Carlson interviewed at World Government Summit
In the interview, Carlson refers to the Report of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Hur on whether Biden should be prosecuted because of papers he destroyed. As I understand, Hur’s Report was a final nail in the coffin for Joe’s mental capacity.
Other Nations sometimes have a Head-of-State who is controlled by Elites, typically military, behind-the-scenes. The head-of-state is a sock puppet. The citizenry has no power. The emperor they bow to wears no clothes.
I think of Biden as a rag doll who is propped up by the military-industrial complex. Thank goodness Tucker Carlson has the voice and balls to say what needs to be said. I will sleep easier tonight. He has put some power back into the hands of the serfs. That’s what a free press does. It can ONLY be done if citizens have a Right to Free Speech. Don’t ever compromise that Right. And for God’s Sake, USE it! Or we’ll lose it.
Also Good on Carlson for making the distinction.:
Men who THINK they are God – – – and Men who KNOW they are NOT God!
I am grateful to this man.
Scroll down to the list: Selected postings, the Privatization of Water, Water for Profit
Where is the water being shipped to ?
Bottom line: the water will be shipped to people who can afford to pay for it.
How long will the water last ?
The markets will never have “enough” water.
Think of buffalo or Atlantic cod. Both were renewable resources. People just expect the money to continue to flow (meaning: the resource has to continue to flow.)
The Taking lasts until the Regional economy collapses. (We should have a conversation about the exceptions.)
Corporations, investors, the Governments and their courtiers or minions do the Taking.
Don’t blame them if we’re stupid enough to let them do it.
We (and they) have limited imaginations.
On the Great Plains of North America in the 1700’s, with vast rivers of buffalo, it was beyond imagination that the markets in Europe for top hats was so large it could and would run the river dry.
The size of the export markets for rivers of BC water we cannot fathom.
There are solutions. Just offhand – – “The Biggest Little Farm” documentary covers 7 years in the life of https://www.apricotlanefarms.com/. It is pretty amazing to watch the transformation that is possible.
Transformation is required in both
But right now, we need to pitch in on Merville, B.C..
If what Government officials in the Nanaimo office did in the Merville licensing is illegal, there needs to be investigation and consequences, conducted OUTSIDE Government.
Laws apply to everyone equally. No one is above the law. IF we really believe and will stand up for our beliefs.
Bruce describes what happened (Merville)
April 23, 2022 Bruce from Merville has been the carrier of the ball asserting the need for due process in the application for licensing of a water bottling and later, tankering, plant in Merville. He writes (2022-04-29) https://sandrafinley.ca/blog/?p=27152
I have always wondered why (The B.C. Govt Water Licensing body that used to be called FLNRORD) has worked SO hard, and has bent over backwards to accommodate this licensee.
I don’t know who or what he knows, but there is some reason this license has been handled with kid gloves from the get-go.
= = = = = = =
(Sandra speaking): It does not get any clearer than Bruce’s observations.
The Ministry is in the business of supporting Government agendas in Canada to commodify water so they (Government) and the Corporate Masters can make money. They are NOT in the business of serving the public interest in, and the NEED for the protection of Water.
I sent to an official:
What has been accomplished regionally and
through UBCM (Union of B.C. Municipalities) presenting Resolutions to the Provincial Government is significant.
BUT take off the rose-coloured glasses:
global interests are determined to have water under their control. There is big money to be made in “Resource development”.
You write (April 29):
The Resolutions that went to AVICC/UBCM a few years ago confirmed that local governments were firmly against the commercial exploitation of groundwater.
Additionally, the applicant’s original proposal was to “bottle” the water and the zoning was denied by the Comox Valley Directors.
I would hope that changed) would recognize that this is just more of the same.
Bruce spelt out what the Ministry IS DOING. It does not get any clearer.
Your hopes will fail the protection of water.
= = = = = = =
Bruce writes:
With regard to the [“Merville” or “Strathcona – Comox Valley”] application, it is the same license we thought we had dealt with several years ago on Sackville Road. The province never did cancel his license, despite my regular follow-up prompting them to do so. Then recently, I was advised that the licensee had applied for an amendment to his license to allow him to extract the water and sell it to bulk water tanker truck operators for supplying water to customers in the Comox Valley who need their wells or cisterns replenished.
The Ministry decision team in Nanaimo has submitted the application for amendment to the CVRD (Comox Valley Regional District) for their decision on whether the new proposed business plan conforms to the zoning of the licensee’s property. While we are eagerly awaiting their decision, I am pursuing a legal avenue by working with West Coast Environmental Law.
We are attempting to stop the Ministry on the basis of their acceptance of an application to amend a license whose primary condition was not met (“the works must be built and beneficial use of the water must be made prior to Dec 31, 2020”) and whose deadline for meeting that condition passed 15 months ago being “legally unreasonable”. I have legal advice to that effect, with an opinion that sufficient time has elapsed that it is “legally unreasonable” to amend that license and that the proposed new use of the water is sufficiently different that a completely new application should be required.
At a higher level, I am trying to connect with Josie Osborne, in her new role as Minister of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship. I am encouraged by the fact that water is identified specifically in this new Ministry, and also by the word Stewardship in the new part of the Ministry. I am also encouraged by the naming of Josie Osborne as Minister of this new portfolio. Josie was very supportive of our campaign and of your groundwater resolution when she was Mayor of Tofino, so I am hoping she has retained that position and will take action to implement the UBCM resolution to protect our groundwater.
UPDATE, Sandra speaking: I spoke with Josie’s Office. They have nothing to do with the Taking of Water (licensing).
DEéJA-VU:
We have Water Protection.
Corporate and Big Government
Will not stand for that.
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SO! Move Water into Natural Resources
“Development” Ministries.
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NEXT! People go ballistic when they see the
Consequences, when they realize
What’s Goin’ On.
NOW! There has to be a new story (propaganda). There’s REALITY and there’s MYTH. The two have to be SPLIT:
MYTH – – for Public Consumption, hype a Born-Again Eunuch, “Water Stewardship”.
↧
REALITY – – exploitation continues unabated and expanding.
… You got it! For Corporations, investors, the Governments and their courtiers or minions. Privatization (people get “equity interests” in the resource which is actually part of The Commons.). Investment, profit-taking, and corruption with compromised regulation.
We are intent on creating our own disasters, UNLESS EVERYONE
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UPDATE – – a lawyer was finally hired. Even then, the process was obstructionist. One delay after another, and then this:
Sent: January 31, 2024
Subject: Court update – Merville
AAARRRGGGHHHH!!! OMG!! I just heard from our lawyer that the criminal case before us will take up the entire court session, so we have been rescheduled to THE WEEK OF JUNE 3rd!!! Unbelievable.
Sorry for all the updates, but apparently that is how our ridiculous justice system works. I am going to go quiet now for the next several months and try to forget about this case until June. Fat chance, but I’ll try.
Thanks for your patience and ongoing support.
Bruce
Selected postings, the Privatization of Water, Water for Profit (Merville)
We people are accomplished at creating disasters for ourselves.
If you glimpse the lay of the land, you will understand:
We have to stop the export of water from BC. It can only end in disaster.
A glimpse:
Prior to the false idea of “public-private-partnerships” and their corrupting influence, Canada had reasonably good protection for water, and improving. The International Joint Commission (IJC) with the U.S. looked after cross-border water (e.g. the Great Lakes). The scientists, the policy work, and the cooperation fostered by the IJC was superb. The protection of cross-provincial water in Canada built on the IJC strength.
Excerpt:
Water is the crucial stuff of life for every living organism. We’d better know exactly what we’re doing before we start trading it for something as ephemeral as cash.
Do people know when, or how, to stop an “economic” activity that is doing great harm?
Excerpt: might explain why today, Agri-Food Canada is still running a program to further expand the export of water (on-going, at the very least since 1995).
The National Water Supply Expansion Program – – sounds a trifle hubristic! Like, we’re running out of water. We’ll just expand the supply. (And sell it in all those parts of the world where they’re running out!)
This Cowichan Valley report is much the same as stories there. The Difference? we are at a much earlier stage. Can we not learn from the mistakes and stupidities of others? Must we create our own disasters? Please have conversations and share information! – – 2022-06-06 Lack of reliable water sources stalling housing developments in Cowichan Valley, ChekNews. (https://sandrafinley.ca/blog/?p=27205) More, More, More of the same “development” only takes us deeper into the quagmire.
MERVILLE:
Watershed Sentinel examines how well the new Water Sustainability Act (Feb 2016) is working in the context of a water bottling controversy in Merville
EXCERPT (full text not included in this package of Selected Postings. Too long. Please view on-line.):
. . . Lui said it’s pretty simple why such a dated principle (first in time, first in right) made it into the new legislation. “I think the government was really not wanting to change the system in such a way that could threaten existing industries, like bottled water or fracking. But that’s really what needs to be done. We need to think about where water is being used and how that’s going to be impacting people and communities in the future.”
IN CONCLUSION:
The U.S. has known for a long time: their water situation is one-way going down.
Canadians have to be able to see where the path we trod leads. The only people who will stop the privatization and export of water is us. Governments will not.
There is excellent local leadership and participation in Merville. Please share their story widely (the link below). Just do what you can. Thank-you!
From the Introduction:
2022-04-29 “I have always wondered why (Govt officials) have worked SO hard, and have bent over backwards to accommodate this licensee. ” Taking of Water Merville (Campbell River – Strathcona – Comox Valley); (https://sandrafinley.ca/blog/?p=27152)
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2022-06-01 Canadian Water Summit June 1-3 . . . Chinese clients “willing to spend “at least $20 million” to buy wells in British Columbia
https://sandrafinley.ca/blog/?p=27189
Water Canada is active on Twitter, and has been for a long time.
This article is front-paged on their website, with the Summit info, just below the top posting (2015).
An immigration consultant told Reuters last week that he has clients willing to spend “at least $20 million” to buy wells in British Columbia. The clients plan to set up bottling plants in the province to export spring water to China.
“One of my clients is exporting—I cannot believe it—200 container loads of mineral water from British Columbia to China every single month,” the consultant, Alex Liao, told Reuters. “Lots of people, right now, are buying wells.”
In recent weeks, two Chinese businessmen have purchased two water sources in the province. Another Chinese man reportedly bought a water source in Chilliwack, B.C. for $17 million.
“Canada is famous for its rich and clean fresh water, which is very cheap and suitable to develop bottled water business,” said Yuan Zhanling, the former economic and commercial counselor of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Vancouver, to China Daily Canada.
“Canada often leaves Chinese consumers an impression as resourceful, natural, and clean, which is an advantage of bringing Canadian bottled water to the market with vast needs, especially the emerging high-end water market,” he added. “To invest in water sources, Chinese businessmen need to be familiar with the related laws of the Canadian government and pay attention to issues such as environment and the interests of the local people, especially the First Nations in Canada.”
Latest trends show that the bottled water market is growing quickly in China, with a 20 per cent annual increase on average. While Canadian bottled water brands have yet to appear in high-end supermarkets in Beijing, Chinese residents are keen to try what they imagine to be pristine, premium water.
“My impression of Canada is that of a country with many snow-capped mountains and clean air, so I think the water quality must be very good, especially compared to China,” said Daniel Cheng, a 33-year-old Beijinger, to China Daily Canada.
The last “For Your Selection” was January 2024 , with emphasis on Federal Court – – the Invocation of the Emergencies Act was unnecessary and Unconstitutional. Hallelujah!
For Your Selection, February 2024
Tucker Carlson is right to alert the American public BEFORE the U.S. Election on Tuesday November 5th, 2024, that President Joe Biden does not have the capacity to lead his Country. Joe cannot be the one pulling the trigger for Wars that affect the whole Planet.
In the interview, Carlson refers to the Report of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Hur on whether Biden should be prosecuted because of papers he destroyed. As I understand, Hur’s Report was a final nail in the coffin for Joe’s mental capacity.
Other Nations sometimes have a Head-of-State who is controlled by Elites, typically military, behind-the-scenes. The head-of-state is a sock puppet. The citizenry has no power. The emperor they bow to wears no clothes.
I think of Biden as a rag doll who is propped up by the military-industrial complex. Thank goodness Tucker Carlson has the voice and balls to say what needs to be said. I will sleep easier tonight. He has put some power back into the hands of the serfs. That’s what a free press does. It can ONLY be done if citizens have a Right to Free Speech. Don’t ever compromise that Right. And for God’s Sake, USE it! Or we’ll lose it.
Also Good on Carlson for making the distinction.:
Men who THINK they are God – – – and Men who KNOW they are NOT God!
I am grateful to this man.
25 minutes:
2024-02-12 Tucker Carlson on US-Russia After Putin Interview | Ukraine War | In Dubai
(You might like to look at 2022-09-28 In support of Salman Rushdie, Freedom of Speech. PEN Canada, John Ralston Saul & Grace Westcott.)
(And say a prayer for Political Prisoners like Julian Assange. Western Nations will not abide exposure and public discussion so we can improve the world.)
2024-02-15 CONNECTED ITEMS
Maybe this is for Rip Van Winkle when he awakes after sleeping for 20 years.
B.C. legislation “Health Professions and Occupations Act” is one of the Connected Items. You should know about it. It’s as fascist as you get.
2024-02-06 Marco van Huigenbos describes the situation: two of the Coutts 4 are now free, after 223 days in remand (jail) in Alberta. Plea deals. The interview of Marco, video’d, is best – – he had been THERE, in the court room.
2024-02-09 Coutts. Solitary Confinement, Alberta. Letter to Professor Doob. Jerry Morin was in Solitary Confinement for 74 days. I thought Solitary Confinement was under strict limitations?
CONTINUING PROGRESS IN LEGAL CHALLENGES:
2024-02-06 Sask Court of Appeal hears challenge to Saskatchewan’s Covid gathering limits. From JCCF
WATER – MERVILLE b.c.
The WATER TAKING at MERVILLE is on the table, STILL on-going after all these years.
OTHER POSTINGS:
1985 Doctors speaking out decades ago. Vaxx Manufacturers. Phil Donahue TV Show.
1988- John Denver and Alexander Gradsky (Russian) sing What Are We Making Weapons For? with lyrics
2019-06-28 A Korean-Canadian opera singer rediscovers her voice in small-town Saskatchewan, CBC
2024-02-03 Synthetic Milk is Not Milk + Measles Outbreak Breakdown. From CHD
2010-07-16 CHRONOLOGY: the involvement of American military corporations in the larger CONTEXT of American military intrusion into Canadian affairs. (I need to review this. A lot happens over 14 years.)
/Sandra
Subject: Next Evidentiary Video: Military Moral Injury with Dr. Kelly Denton-Borhaug
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My Grandfathers and Dad were, by the quirks of fate, prevented from going to war. They were not directly exposed to the environment of killing. In my family, there was no broken down drunkenness returned from the war. Women and children are respected.
A Bitter Fog is the true story of people fighting to protect their families and homes from Agent Orange and other poisons sprayed on them from the air. This book tells the story of ordinary people who defied profiteering corporations and indifferent government agencies. Meticulous research exposes deception and outright fraud by chemical companies to keep profiting from herbicides they knew were toxic and government complicity in covering up severe human health problems and environmental damage.
CONNECTED ITEMS
(The links take you to the material.)
These are some of the escalating “signatures” on what will be the rotting corpse of Canadian “Peace, Order, and Good Governance”.
Fortunately, Replacement Parts are coming!
The associated linguistics are a primary thrust of mine.
It does not matter how many people, or WHO they are, or what forms of communication they have with the Government, the Government knows what’s best for everyone.
People and health care providers are all subject to the diktats under the new legislation. I urge you to go to the link. Autonomy over your own body? Or YOU have a choice in what health care you want? Oh no. Banish that from your thoughts. On top of which:
Item 8 The Cabinet and the Minister of Health can adopt as law in BC any regulations, codes, standards or rules enacted in foreign jurisdictions or international bodies.
Legal analysis – the Act does not meet the legal requirements for valid legislation.
I guess you don’t have to pass a test before you get hired to draft Legislation? Or is it just more of that The Rule of Law is passé?
6. The use of the Court and Jail system to silence the voices of those you don’t like has to be stopped. You get a fair trial. It’s not fair if you have to pay literally a million dollars in lawyer bills to get to an Appeal Court to establish your innocence. (Artur Pawlowski could do that, but only because Canadians helped crowd-fund the legal bills.)
Then he started over again in Lethbridge (Alberta) Provincial Court with charges of mischief, looking at potentially 10 years in jail. I don’t know how else to see it: these are Political Prisoners. Julian Assange comes to mind.
There is too much justifiable disdain for the Rule of Law in Canada. It is our Country. It is up to us to put things right. No one else is going to do it for us. There are so many more of “us” than “them”; we just need to exercise our power. “Have no fear” and “start talking”! It feels good!
7. Don’t forget the propaganda and censorship – –
8. From the Museum of Non-violent resistance in Berlin – – “The Worst . . .
9. “Our Greatest Fear”, Marianne Williamson
10. THE LAST WORD GOES TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?