Dec 082008
 

See also  2008-12-08 and 2009-05-29 .

CONTENTS

(1)  I WILL USE CANADA’S SIGNATURE ON THE TREATY, IN MY TRIAL!

(2)  PROGRESS! CANADA NO LONGER LISTED AS PRODUCER OF CLUSTER BOMBS.

(3)  WHO DO I THANK FOR CANADA’S SIGNATURE ON THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS (CCM)?

(4)  COUNTRIES THAT BAN INVESTMENT IN MANUFACTURERS OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS FOR ETHICAL REASONS.  IF THEY CAN DO IT, WHY CAN’T WE?

(5)  BANK GROUPS INVEST HEAVILY IN THE ARMS INDUSTRY.  LEVERAGE POWER AND LACK OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY A THREAT TO THE WORLD.

(6)  CANADA PENSION PLAN INVESTMENT in MANUFACTURERS OF CLUSTER BOMBS

(7)  CANADIAN BANKS IN CLUSTER BOMB MANUFACTURERS

(8)  STUMBLING BLOCK FOR BRITAIN’S SIGNATURE ON CCM: US MILITARY KEEPS STOCKPILE OF CLUSTER BOMBS IN BRITAIN.

(9)  MINES ACTION CANADA (MAC) REPORT ON THE TREATY

(10)  CANWEST NEWS REPORT ON THE TREATY BANNING CLUSTER BOMBS, DEC 3, 2008

(11)  TEXT OF THE UN CONVENTION (TREATY)

(12)  JULY 24 POSTING RE CLUSTER BOMBS

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(1)  I WILL USE CANADA’S SIGNATURE ON THE TREATY, IN MY TRIAL!

Thanks to those who picked up on the connection between:

– Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of cluster bombs

– Canada contracts-out Canadian census work to Lockheed Martin Corporation

– Canada signs onto the treaty to ban cluster bombs

– my on-going trial for failure to comply with the census because of Lockheed Martin’s role in it.

I will put Canada’s signature on the treaty to ban cluster bombs to good use in the trial!  You are angels on my shoulder – many thanks.

Canada joins cluster bomb treaty, U.S. absent”  Wed. Dec. 3 2008

CTV.ca News Staff

Canada has signed onto an international treaty to ban cluster bombs, though the U.S. and Russia have declined to join the effort.

Canada became a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on Wednesday when Jillian Stirk, Canada’s ambassador to Norway, signed the document on behalf of Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon. …”

Kathleen writes:

” ..  it will be highly controversial for the government to be supporting the production of cluster bombs on the one hand via utilization of a company that produces them, while on the other hand going against cluster bombs within international circles.”

(Then-) Lawyer for the trial, Howard Rubin, says yes – get a copy of the treaty – which I found on the web (#11 below).

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

(2)  PROGRESS! CANADA NO LONGER LISTED AS PRODUCER OF CLUSTER BOMBS.

On July 24th I sent out an email, “Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of cluster bombs.  Canada, producer of cluster bombs.”

Canada is now signed onto this UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS (CCM).

The web information has been changed:

–  Canada is a now listed as “Party to CCM”

NOTE THE UPDATES:

1. Canada is no longer listed as a producer of cluster bombs

Source:  Cluster Munition Information Chart

(Link no longer valid:  http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/Cluster%20Munition%20Information%20Chart.%2011.2008.pdf)

AND

2.  We are now listed as a country that is in the process of destroying its stockpile of cluster bombs.

http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/munitionChart061507.pdf

Hallelujah!

But we still have catch-up to do with the more advanced countries in the world – – we still INVEST in the manufacturers of cluster bombs.  We still give Lockheed Martin census and other contracts.

Challenge the banking and financial institutions, and the government, including CPP.  That’s how we will become a “leading world” country with some morality and integrity.  (See #5 and #6 below)

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(3)  WHO DO I THANK FOR CANADA’S SIGNATURE ON THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS (CCM)?

A.  MAC

I sent a congratulatory and thank-you note to:  Mines Action Canada (MAC)

“… a coalition of Canadian non-governmental organizations, is an international leader working to eliminate the serious humanitarian, environmental and development consequences of landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).”

Executive Director:  Paul Hannon, e-mail: info AT minesactioncanada.org

———

B.  FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER, LAWRENCE CANNON

Later I will write to him:

– express support.

– point out the contradiction of government contracts that support Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of cluster bombs.

– tell him that “the government cannot afford double standards by opposing the use of cluster munitions, while our own government funds (CPP) invest in cluster munition production”.

–  “the government cannot morally allow investments to be made by its resident financial institutions that are in total opposition to its principles or policies”, as expressed by the signing of the UN Convention on Cluster Munitions.

–  “government efforts to fight the misery connected to the use of cluster munitions should include efforts to dry up the capital flows towards cluster munition production and trade.”

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(4)  COUNTRIES THAT BAN INVESTMENT IN MANUFACTURERS OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS FOR ETHICAL REASONS.  IF THEY CAN DO IT, WHY CAN’T WE?

– Norway, through the Government’s “Ethical Investing” which has been discussed many times in this network.  There are excellent statements about why they will not invest in manufacturers of cluster munitions.  Read them by clicking on the link below.

–  Belgium, through the prolonged actions of Netverk Vlaanderen.  The Belgian Senate passed a law proposal in 2007:

http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/explosive-investments_financial-insts-and-clusters-netverk-vlaanderen.pdf (This is an excellent paper, well worth reading.)

We really need to address the question of WHY Canada isn’t a leader on these issues.  We used to be, think back to Lloyd Axworthy and land mines.

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

(5)  BANK GROUPS INVEST HEAVILY IN THE ARMS INDUSTRY.  LEVERAGE POWER AND LACK OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY A THREAT TO THE WORLD.

From the web link:

“Although 98% of cluster munition victims are civilians, producers don’t have any problems attracting capital from financial markets… concepts like corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investment seem to have little impact on investment decisions. …

“1.2  … a big majority of banking groups and other financial institutions  (FIs) are blindly investing in any profit-gaining activity and are totally neglecting – and even ignoring – the impact of their decisions on human lives.  … This combination of a huge leverage power and a lack of social responsibility is a dangerous cocktail posing a serious threat to the sustainable development of our planet.

More and more … are recognizing the power of FIs working behind the screens of companies and projects.  Civil society is increasingly questioning the financial sector’s accountability and responsibility.  The Collevecchio Declaration on Financial Institutions and Sustainability, is a strong call by civil society organizations on financial institutions to embrace a commitment to sustainability, “do no harm”, responsibility, accountability and transparency.” …

“1.2  Fostering cluster munition production: an ethical minefield

Several reports and studies have confirmed and documented the general knowledge that bank groups are investing heavily in the arms industry.  With growing military budgets around the world, and especially the so called “war on terror” since the end of 2001, the arms industry has remained or become an interesting profit making industry for investors.  … Moreover the defence industry is known for its low sustainability standards, tendency towards corruption and lack of transparency.”

(Lockheed Martin is listed as a manufacturer of cluster munitions, which its website confirms.)

(UPDATE: Lockheed later made changes to its website to say that it doesn’t manufacture them.  I have copies of information from their website that contradict the statement, should anyone want it.)

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(6)  CANADA PENSION PLAN INVESTMENT in MANUFACTURERS OF CLUSTER BOMBS

http://www.cppib.ca/Results/Financial_Highlights/public_equity.html

At March 31, 2008 CPP owned:

Lockheed Martin  345,000 shares valued then at $35,000,000.00

Raytheon    551,000 shares valued at $37,000,000.00

Textron   211,000 shares $12,000,000.00

EADS   101,000 shares then worth $2,000,000.00

Through CPP alone, Canadians (some of that money is mine) held $86,000,000.00 of investments in the manufacturers of cluster munitions.  If other countries can lead the way, why can’t we at least follow “best practices”?

The CPP Investment Board’s email address is:  csr AT  cppib.ca

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(7)  CANADIAN BANKS IN CLUSTER BOMB MANUFACTURERS

Continuing with information from the website:

“… What follows are some examples of commercial banking services to six cluster munition producers …

(I picked out all the “Canada” entries from the various list of banks that provided capital in 2005:)

Bank of Nova Scotia (Canada) $US 70 million …

Bank of Nova Scotia, (Canada) $US 45 million, …

Bank of Montreal (Canada) $US 45 million, …

Bank of Nova Scotia, (Canada) $US 45 million,…

Royal Bank of Canada(Canada) $US 45 million

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(8)  STUMBLING BLOCK FOR BRITAIN’S SIGNATURE ON CCM:  US MILITARY KEEPS STOCKPILE OF CLUSTER BOMBS IN BRITAIN.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7423714.stm

” … One stumbling block for the treaty could be the stockpile of cluster munitions the US military keeps at bases on British soil.   It will be very difficult for the US to engage in operations with countries who have banned this weapon and continue to use them

The British representative in Dublin, John Duncan, said the UK would work with Washington to find a solution to the issue.

But in a statement, the Pentagon stood firm, saying: “While the United States shares the humanitarian concerns of those in Dublin, cluster munitions have demonstrated military utility, and their elimination from US stockpiles would put the lives of our soldiers and those of our coalition partners at risk.”

Some campaigners do believe countries like the US will change, however. They cite the landmine treaty of 1997 that was never signed by the US, Israel, Russia or China, yet those nations have not used landmines since it came into effect.

Simon Conway, from the Cluster Munitions Coalition, said there would now be “massive” pressure on the US.    “We think now that all of America’s key allies have just renounced the weapon it will be very difficult for the US to engage in operations with countries who have banned this weapon and continue to use them,” he said.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Ed Davey said the prime minister must make clear whether he would continue to allow the US to store its own cluster munitions on British territory.

“If he is serious about ending the scourge of these weapons, he must bring this abuse of the ‘special relationship’ to an end,” Mr Davey said.

(INSERT:  Lockheed Martin is now into the scourge of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, “unmanned drones”)

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(9)  MINES ACTION CANADA REPORT ON THE TREATY

(NOTE BY SANDRA):  the UN Convention (treaty) must now be ratified by the parliaments of at least 30 countries in order to come into effect. That is the usual process.)

Mines Action Canada (MAC), a coalition of Canadian non-governmental organizations, is an international leader working to eliminate the serious humanitarian, environmental and development consequences of landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).

03-Dec-2008     Summary

Today governments from around the world are signing the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty of the decade, banning the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.

Details

Canada signs historic international treaty banning deadly cluster munitions

New treaty also obligates governments to provide victim assistance and to clear contaminated land

Oslo, Dec 3rd, 2008

Eleven years ago today the world came to Ottawa to ban landmines. Today, Canada took another step towards protecting civilians by signing another historic treaty in Norway – the Convention on Cluster Munitions. “The Convention on Cluster Munitions protects innocent civilians from another indiscriminate weapon,” said Paul Hannon, Executive Director of Mines Action Canada, Canada’s civil society campaign that has been working to ban cluster bombs since 2001. “Canadians are justifiably proud of the leadership we have shown on landmines and we should be equally happy that Canada is one of the first countries in the world to sign the new cluster bomb treaty.

Today governments from around the world are signing the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty of the decade, banning the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions, and obligating them to provide victim assistance and to clear contaminated land.

Signatories of the Convention on Cluster Munitions include many of the world’s producers, stockpilers and past users, as well as some of the most seriously affected states. Close to fifty foreign, defense and government ministers from around the world are signing the treaty, demonstrating the high level of political commitment to urgently rid the world of cluster munitions.

“This treaty shows what can be achieved when states and civil society act together,” said Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) Grethe Østern of Norwegian People’s Aid. “This is a victory because the treaty outlines clear obligations for states to help survivors, clear the land and destroy stockpiles so that the weapon can never be used again.”

Like chemical, biological, and antipersonnel landmine conventions before, this treaty bans an entire category of weapons. For over 40 years cluster bombs have killed and injured civilians during and after conflict.

Unexploded cluster munitions continue to kill and injure for days, months, even decades after conflict. Tens of thousands of civilians worldwide have been killed or injured by the weapon. On average, a quarter of all cluster bomb victims are children. The treaty will help ensure that survivors, including their families and communities, receive concrete and measurable victim assistance, including physical and psycho –social needs, equality, rights and national action plans.

CMC Spokesperson Branislav Kapetanovic said, “The development of this treaty has meant a lot to me and has given me a reason to live. Being able to fight against something that brought a lot of suffering into my life and left me without arms and legs, left me without hope”. Kapetanovic was injured in November 2000 while clearing NATO cluster submunitions in Serbia. ”For us here, this is not the end of our road: we still have to make sure the Treaty is implemented and monitored, and that funding is available to those in need,” he added.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions sets the highest standard to date in international law for assistance to victims and their communities. It obliges nations to destroy all stockpiles within eight years and to clear contaminated land within ten. States must also provide detailed annual transparency reports on progress towards meeting their legal obligations.

“Countries have finally realized that today’s wars cannot be fought or won with cold war weapons – the sooner they are destroyed, the better,” said Thomas Nash, CMC Coordinator. “As of today, millions of these indiscriminate weapons will be destroyed and the world will be a safer place,” he added. A number of countries have already started destroying their stockpiles.

Eighteen out of 26 NATO countries are signing the treaty, including the Canada, UK, France and Germany, as well as most African and Latin American countries, and some of the most contaminated nations, including Laos and Lebanon. After Oslo, the treaty will remain open for signature at the UN in New York. For the treaty to enter into force it must be ratified by 30 countries.

“Like the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, this treaty will stigmatize the use of the weapon by all countries, even if they have not yet signed the treaty, Nations such as the United States, Russia, and Israel will risk severe international condemnation if they ever use cluster munitions again,” said CMC Co-Chair Steve Goose, Director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch. “This is a time to celebrate, but the work doesn’t stop here. It is time for countries to turn these binding words on paper into a reality on the ground,” he concluded.

Even after the signing ceremony is over, regular citizens can still sign the People’s Treaty to pledge their support and get involved in movement to turn the treaty’s goals into a reality. Sign today!

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(10)  CANWEST NEWS REPORT ON THE TREATY BANNING CLUSTER BOMBS, DEC 3, 2008

(the convention must now be ratified by the parliaments of at least 30 countries in order to come into effect.)

(Link no longer valid:  http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=1026584)

Canada signs treaty banning cluster bombs Steven Edwards, Canwest News Service

Published: Wednesday, December 03, 2008

UNITED NATIONS – Canada on Wednesday became part of the first global treaty banning cluster bombs, joining more than 100 countries at a signing ceremony in Oslo.

Announcing at the last minute it would join the group was Afghanistan, which had earlier been seen as bowing to U.S. pressure to refrain.

“This convention is a significant achievement. Over time, it will save the lives of many thousands of people around the world and will help to end the use of a weapon that has devastating effects on civilians,” Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said in Ottawa.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster weapons, is the first international treaty to ban an entire category of conventional arms.

But absent from the ceremony were the top cluster-bomb users, among them the United States, Russia, China and Israel.

Cannon pledged that Canada would work to have the convention accepted universally.

“Canada looks forward to working closely with like-minded states, UN agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and civil society organizations to fully implement the convention, rid the world of cluster munitions, and as far as possible repair the shattered lives of people who have suffered because of them,” he said.

Cluster munitions typically contain dozens to hundreds of small, explosive sub-munitions. They have been used in more than 30 countries and territories, and have a devastating impact on civilians, who account for 98 per cent of all recorded casualties. Children are particularly vulnerable, and many are killed or injured as they pick up the bomblets out of curiosity.

“The signing of this convention by so many states is evidence that the suffering of victims and affected countries has not gone unnoticed,” Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a statement.

With Afghanistan’s decision to sign, the number of countries inking the treaty Wednesday was 108.

“I have received the authorization to sign the treaty,” Afghanistan’s ambassador to Oslo, Jawad Ludin, said to applause from country representatives.

Afghanistan was the target of tens of thousands of cluster bombs dropped by the United States in 2001 and 2002 as the U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban unfolded.

Insiders have said Afghanistan had been an early supporter of the treaty before backtracking under pressure from Washington.

The turnaround in the Afghan position came after lobbyists persisted with pleas to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whose decision, Ludin said, was a “tribute to victims.”

Some former users are already convinced that there are alternatives to having cluster bombs in their arsenals.

Britain, the world’s third-largest user of cluster munitions in the past decade, is working “night and day” to destroy its stock of 30 million bombs, said Thomas Nash of the Cluster Munitions Coalition, an umbrella group that comprises some 300 non-governmental organizations.

He added that France, Germany and Norway had also already begun destroying their cluster munition stocks.

Signing the document for Canada was Ambassador Jillian Stirk. With the Norwegian government having played a central role in hammering out the convention, the ceremony took place at Oslo’s City Hall.

Before it can go into effect, the convention must be ratified by the parliaments of at least 30 countries, something Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere asked countries to quickly do.

© Canwest News Service 2008

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(11)  TEXT OF THE CONVENTION (TREATY)

Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) is at both of these web addresses:

(Link no longer valid:  http://www.clusterconvention.org/pages/pages_v/vb_resourcedocs.html)

(Link no longer valid:  http://untreaty.un.org/English/Opening_Signature/english.pdf)

For “Cluster munitions: What the UN is saying”  go to:

(Link no longer valid:  http://www.mineaction.org/overview.asp?o=1324)

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(12)  JULY 24 POSTING: CANADA, PRODUCER OF CLUSTER BOMBS

Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of cluster bombs.  Canada, producer of cluster bombs.

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