Obfuscated Thoughtlessness Inversed

The Conservative Government and its backers in the Liberal Party should be ashamed of themselves. Canada's last government brought in an abandonment of basic civil liberties with the so called anti-terror act. Thankfully, after five long years two parts of the act are being allowed to sunset.

In the end, 12 Liberal MPs didn't show up for the vote, with some excused by the party whip for other parliamentary duties.

But at least four no-shows were known to oppose killing the powers: Keith Martin (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca), Don Bell (North Vancouver), Derek Lee (Scarborough-Rouge River) and Roy Cullen (Etobicoke North).

Only one Liberal – Tom Wappel (Scarborough Southwest) – outright defied Dion, voting with the Conservative government to renew the powers.

Wappel was a member of the Commons subcommittee that last fall supported their extension.

Another Liberal – MP Irwin Cotler, a former justice minister – showed up, but abstained from voting because he supports renewal of the powers, but only if they are accompanied by a comprehensive review and reform of the act by Parliament.

Cotler (Mount Royal) said he expected no discipline for doing so, and Dion didn't indicate what if any consequences Wappel or the no-shows would face. - from The Star

With friends like Keith Martin and Irwin Cotler who needs enemies? If Dion hopes to be Prime Minister he had better show he can discipline his caucus now. Speaking of which why is Ignatieff sitting down during the standing ovation for Dion?

"The two measures, introduced by a previous Liberal government in 2001, have never been used." - from CBC

"Prescription drugs are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists" - via Rational Reasons

Dion should get his caucus together and vote to repeal the rest of the ridiculous Anti-Terrorism Act. In the end though - both the Liberals and the Conservatives are right about one thing - each other:

Leading up to Tuesday's vote, Conservatives ... accused [Liberals] of flip-flopping on a law they'd written themselves.

Liberals have responded that governments cannot be trusted with too free a hand over people's rights, especially the current Conservative government. - from CBC

At least we still live in a multi-party democracy even if the only two parties that have ever held the federal government don't act like it.

Labels: alternatives, anti-war, cons, day, democracy, leftist content creation, ndp, opinion, spy-watch, whale rights abuse, yay immigration

It isn't that the provincial police used in Ontario, Newfoundland and Quebec are any better than the RCMP. However, the enforcement of the criminal code is jurisdictionally a provincial matter in Canada. Why is it that the BC Attorney General continues to pretend he has no control over the policing of our province.

The BC office of the Police Complaints Commissioner has had a rocky ride since its inception nearly ten years ago. A limiting budget and a more limited mandate from the start got much worse when the courts over ruled the first significant Public Hearing into the riot at the Hyatt. I remember the police's actions that night vividly and a public hearing was absolutely warranted. The courts however, stated that the commissioner acted without jurisdiction in calling for a hearing. Although Commissioner Morrison was eventually successful in overturning this ruling, 4 years had now passed since the incident. Morrison himself was finished as commissioner long before there was a final outcome. Now, a series of suggestions for improving the complaints process have been brought forward by Justice Wood.

From Opininon 250:

• Strengthening the oversight powers of the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) to ensure that serious complaints are properly investigated and resolved.
• Shifting from the current model where the OPCC oversees a complaint after police have investigated it, to contemporaneous oversight where the OPCC can be involved throughout the handling of a complaint. This would involve the use of new software to track complaints across all municipal police departments.
• Increasing the police complaint commissioner's powers to include the ability to provide advice or direction to a police department during an investigation; the power to issue guidelines that are binding on police; and statutory responsibility to monitor non-lodged or oral complaints (complaints made by a member of the public who does not want to commit the complaint to writing).
• Compelling police by law to co-operate both with internal and external investigators, including providing a statement and submitting to an interview. Failure to co-operate would constitute a new category of discreditable conduct under the Code of Professional Conduct regulation.

Of course, no Canadian can forget how much worse the RCMP's Public Complaints Commission is. Their handling of the complaints related to the injured protesters at APEC will go down in history as a massive blunder almost as bad as the actions of the RCMP in the first place.

For those of you who don't live in British Columbia, or who do and don't follow policing jurisdiction closely, I should give some background. The RCMP is a federal police force reporting to the federal government. The BC Government and all but a few BC municipalities contract the RCMP to provide policing. This arrangement is used instead of provincial police forces in much of Canada. Cities like Surrey, Kamloops and Kelowna don't have their own police forces. Many smaller cities, districts and municipalities do, like Central Saanich and the District of Oak Bay. It gets weirder though, districts like the UBC endowment lands and the Naval Base at Esquimalt are policed by the RCMP on contract but surrounding areas like the Esquimalt municipality and the City of Vancouver have their own policing arrangements that don't include the RCMP. Federal legislation stops any kind of real oversite of the RCMP by the provincial governments, civilians or municipalities. However, the option exists to negotiate a new policing regime or simply do away with municipal and provincial policing duties by contract with the RCMP.

Today's call from the BC NDP Opposition that all communities should benefit from improvements to police complaints requires extending a new kind of civilian over-site to the majority of the province is one I hardily support. The RCMP can no longer operate by a different set of rules than the rest of the police in BC.

If Stockwell Day and the RCMP continue to insist they should have their own set of rules; then we should simply call their bluff and stop using the RCMP in BC.

Labels: alternatives, bc blogs, bc ndp, cons, copwatch, day, democracy, human rights abuse, link, ndp, opinion, rcmp

"Since 2001, the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act has exacerbated the systematic racism, discriminatory criteria and arbitrary decision-making of Immigration Canada, creating more obstacles for people to qualify as refugees and permanent residents. Additionally, the asylum procedure for refugees lacks an appeal process, and bureaucracy has created an enormous backlog. Yet, day by day, this growing underclass of exploited clandestine workers, deprived of all rights, fuels the Canadian economy." - The four demands of Solidarity Across Borders

The on-going genocidal and xenophobic practices of the Canadian government must change now.

"[Ahmad Jaballah] said he believes security certificates were issued - the first in 1999, from which [Mahmoud] Jaballah was released after seven months and then the second in 2001 - because his father had refused to work for Canada's spy agency.

"CSIS has their own agenda. I believe they're out there to get my dad," Ahmad Jaballah continued." - from Inside Toronto

The on-going hunger strike by security certificate detainees must be stopped by creating a positive resolution to the crisis it highlights. Mahmoud Jaballah is on day 78 of this courageous stand against the injustice of detention without trial and without the opportunity to see the evidence against him.

"Mr. Jaballah, Mr. Almrei, and Mr. Mahjoub have been detained for over five and six years without charge or conviction, under the provision of security certificates." Conservatives vote against Siksay’s motion seeking an end to Kingston hunger strike

Don't forget, if they can do this to "them" they can do this to you and I. Some slopes are much more slippery than others.

"dem come for de rasta and you say nothing
dem come from the muslims you say nothing
dem come for the anti-globalist you say nothing
dem even come for the liberals and you say nothing
dem come for you and will speak for you? who will speak for you, who ?"
- Asian dub foundaton

Labels: alternatives, anti-war, canada, day, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, human rights abuse, ndp, online campaign, spy-watch, yay immigration

With the recent and long overdue apology to Maher Arar finally issued, it is time for arrest warrants to be issued against those responsible.

This style of warrant issued by prosecutor Christian Schmidt-Sommerfeld of Berlin, Germany has issued against 13 CIA agents is a spectacular step forward for democracy. Although, we may never see a trial or any kind of a conviction in this case.

In Canada we have had a public inquiry, we allocated blame, we apologized, we compensated and we simply cannot leave out the last steps on the stairs to justice. Those steps are charging and potentially convicting those who are criminally responsible. Mr. Arar and our entire country deserve to know that our government will prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law. I suggest we start with US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales who still will not clear Mr. Arar's name and have been involved in this illegal policy of rendition from the start.

It is likely we can not gain jurisdiction over the American agents who broke international law and deported Mr. Arar to be tortured. However, we can at least ensure these people understand they are being sought and will be arrested if they do happen into our country's jurisdiction. The Canadian's responsible should be charged as well.

At the very least we need to ask: Where's the contrition for rendition?

Labels: anti-war, copwatch, day, democracy, human rights abuse, rcmp, spy-watch

“Mr. Majoub, Mr. Jaballah, and Mr. Almrei have been detained on security certificates for five and six years without charge, without conviction, and without knowing the evidence against them. They cannot be deported due to the likelihood that they will be tortured in their countries of origin. There is no place in Canada for indefinite detention without charge or conviction, and there must never be deportations to face torture or death.” Bill Siksay, MP Burnaby-Douglas

The xenophobia of Ministers' Day and Solberg does not represent the Canadian public. We must protest the on-going detentions at the the Kingston Immigration Holding Centre. The centre was opened in late April of this year and represents the worst of our immigration policy.

The Government argues that "these individuals are free to leave Canada any time they wish, and return to their country of origin or to another country, provided that these countries are willing to accept them." Clearly, no suitable third country arrangements or acceptable return arrangements have been made. There can be no deportations to torture or to countries that will not guarantee that the death penalty will not be used.

"Since 1991, 27 certificates have been issued. ... Once signed, the certificate is referred to the Federal Court of Canada. The judge examines the information and evidence in private, in the absence of the person named in the certificate and their counsel. Upon examining the information and evidence, the judge determines what information cannot be disclosed for reasons that its disclosure would be injurious to national security or to the safety of any person. ... [T]he judge provides to the person a summary of the information and evidence which does not include anything which, in the opinion of the judge, would be injurious to national security or the safety of any person if disclosed." from Canadian Boarder Security Agency website.

In short, these people have been held without knowing the nature of the accusations against them for five and six years. Family members are forced to go without visitation rights and are without the primary income earner in their families.

This is Canada. Do your part to speak up for those who are suffering in your country and community.

Labels: canada, day, human rights abuse