Conservative MP’s Stay Home Comments Insult Women, New Immigrants
via: The Canadian Progressive | Saturday, Dec 20, 2014
Conservative MP Bob Dechert insulted Canadian women, immigrant women and new Canadians’ cultures when he said “moms can stay at home, which they’re used to.”
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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How a Cree woman fell to death, and no one saw anything
via: Globe and Mail | Friday, Dec 19, 2014
On July 20, 2013, Bella Laboucan-McLean fell 31 storeys off the balcony of a condo tower in downtown Toronto. She had been at a small gathering inside one of the building’s many glass boxes. There were five other people in the condo that night.
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Supreme Court cellphone ruling opens door to privacy abuse
via: Toronto Star | Monday, Dec 15, 2014
The Supreme Court has unwisely given police too much power to plow through our private lives by searching our cellphones, on suspicion that we have committed a crime.
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Harper Nobel Peace Prize nomination “a disgrace and insult”
via: The Canadian Progressive | Tue. Sept 2, 2014
An online petition on Change.org is calling on the Norwegian Nobel Committee to reject Prime Minister’s Stephen Harper pending nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Meanwhile, Canadians reacting to the proposal seem to be echoing this fact: Harper is no Lester B. Pearson, the late Canadian intellectual, soldier, diplomat and former prime minister who was awarded the prestigious prize in 1957 for his role in resolving the Suez Canal Crisis.
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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Ontario says ‘No’ to removing citizenship by birth on soil
via: Toronto Star | Sun. Aug 31, 2014
The Ontario government says it will not support Ottawa’s proposal to remove citizenship rights to children born in Canada to non-citizens and non-residents.
“In our view, there is not enough evidence to justify the effort and expense required for such a system-wide program change. Citizenship and immigration Canada has not quantified the extent of fraud resulting from ‘birth tourism,’’ said Ontario Deputy Immigration Minister Chisanga Puta-Chekwe.
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A hard look at Mr. Harper’s Economic Record
via: The Grenfell Sun | Aug 27, 2014
When the next federal election rolls around, likely next spring, Stephen Harper says he wants to campaign on his economic record. Well bring it on. That record is highlighted by some spectacular failures.
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Justin Trudeau gets RCMP security at rally following break-in
via: CBC News | Wed. Aug 20, 2014
An RCMP protective detail stood watch at Justin Trudeau’s rally in Edmonton Tuesday night, though that didn’t stop the federal Liberal leader from wading into the crowd of supporters.
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Canada’s Secretive Spy Agency CSEC Spies For Israel
via: The Canadian Progressive | Tue. Aug 19, 2014
A story recently published by Glenn Greenwald reveals that Canada’s highly secretive spy agency CSEC cooperates with with the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and British spy agencies to support Israeli intelligence agencies with “cash, weapons and surveillance.” The Israelis used the data “to monitor and target Palestinians.”
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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Stephen Harper struggling with negative public perceptions
via: Rabble.ca | Mon. Aug 18, 2014
Pollsters are forever serving up useless information. But sometimes they come up with findings that, while devoid of practical value, are sort of interesting nonetheless.
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An Online Tracking Device That’s Virtually Impossible to Block
via: The Canadian Progressive | Fri. Aug 15, 2014
A recent investigation by ProPublica uncovered a new kind of online tracking tool, canvas fingerprinting, which follows visitors to thousands of top websites, from WhiteHouse.gov to YouPorn.
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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Harper government backtracked on bill to curb surveillance
via: Globe and Mail | Thu. Aug 14, 2014
The Conservative government was poised to introduce a new law constraining a federal spy agency’s ability to warrantlessly intercept some Canadian communications – until that bid was derailed amid controversies over unrelated legislation.
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The Toronto Police Videotapped Strip Search Chambers During G20
via: VICE | Thu. Aug 7, 2014
The past couple of weeks have been chock full of bad press for the Toronto Police (TPS). First there was the independent report conducted by former Supreme Court judge Frank Iacobucci that suggested, in the wake of Sammy Yatim’s killing, Toronto cops start wearing body-worn cameras, while also beefing up their taser supply, so that police can hopefully resist the urge to fire their guns into “people in crisis.”
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Harper government’s legal setbacks suggest strategy of confrontation
via: CBC News | Thu. Aug 7, 2014
In what must feel to the prime minister like a visit to the shooting range, another tenet of the government’s tough-on-crime agenda has been blown away.
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2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Artificial Turf Discriminatory, Violates Canadian Law
via: The Canadian Progressive | Tue, Aug 5, 2014
In international soccer, the artificial turf is considered inferior to natural (grass) turf. So much so that, to date, no men’s or women’s World Cup game has ever been played on turf. Why then, are women required to play on artificial turf during next year’s FIFA Women’s Soccer World Cup, to be hosted by Canada?
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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CSEC won’t say how long it keeps Canadians’ private data
via: Globe and Mail | Mon. Aug 4, 2014
The federal government’s secretive electronic intelligence agency is not disclosing how long it can hold onto Canadians’ communications – even though its leaders have said that “firm” time limits are in place to protect privacy.
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Political staffers best be wary when wrangling Wikipedia entries
via: CBC News | Wed. Jul 30. 2014
A Twitter account that alerts Wikipedia edits made from parliamentary computers has been seen as shining a light on furtive attempts by political staffers to burnish the online images of their bosses — or tarnish those of their opponents.
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Canadian party leaders’ “callous devaluation of Palestinian life” condemned
via: The Canadian Progressive | Tue. Jul 29, 2014
In open letter, 690 academics, community leaders decry the “callous devaluation of Palestinian life” by the Canadian government and federal party leaders, urge condemnation of the continuing violation of international law in Gaza.
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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Why Aren’t Harper And Baird Angry About Dead Babies In Gaza?
via: Huffington Post | Wed. Jul 29, 2014
Should the government of Canada denounce the intentional and accidental slaughter of babies and other civilians caught in the crossfire between two military forces? It’s a question as redundant as “does Red Lobster serve Lobster?”
Read it at the Huffington Post
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Chinese cyberattack hits Canada’s National Research Council
via: CBC News | Tue. Jul 29, 2014
A “highly sophisticated Chinese state-sponsored actor” recently managed to hack into the computer systems at Canada’s National Research Council, according to Canada’s chief information officer, Corinne Charette.
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Ontario First Nations prepared to lay down their lives to protect lands: chiefs
via: Macleans | Tue. Jul 29, 2014
TORONTO – Aboriginal people in Ontario are prepared to lay down their lives to protect their traditional lands from any unwanted development, a group of First Nations chiefs said Tuesday.
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Civil Society Groups Launch “People’s Intervention” Campaign to Fight TransCanada Pipeline
via: 350.org | Tue. Jul 29, 2014
As TransCanada prepares to file a proposal to the National Energy Board for its Energy East pipeline, 350.org, the Council of Canadians, and Leadnow.ca have launched a campaign calling for climate change and community voices to be included in the National Energy Board’s review of the mega-project.
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No sense of decency: Canada’s cruel and unusual government
via: Rabble.ca | Mon. Jul 28, 2014
When Justice Anne Mactavish of the Federal Court struck down the Harper government’s policy to slash medical care for refugees earlier this month, she described it as “cruel and unusual treatment” that “shocks the conscience and outrages our standards of decency.”
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via: The Hill Times | Mon. Jul 28, 2014
Feds say NAFTA’s Commission for Environmental Cooperation doesn’t have the mandate to investigate, cites pending court decision in Alberta.
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Germany to reject Harper Conservatives’ Canada-EU free trade deal
via: The Canadian Progressive | Sun. Jul 27, 2014
Leading Germany newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported Saturday that Germany would reject the Harper Conservatives’ multi-billion dollar Canada-EU free trade deal.
The deal, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement or CETA, was signed in principle last fall by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and EU President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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Copper broken on Parliament Hill in First Nations shaming ceremony
via: CBC News | Sun. Jul 27, 2014
A traditional shaming ceremony held today on the steps of Parliament Hill is meant to challenge the federal government to renew its troubled relationship with First Nations, says a prominent West Coast artist.
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Feminist disappears from public history under Harper government
via: Toronto Star | Sun. Jul 27, 2014
The Harper government has spent millions to commemorate the War of 1812 and other episodes from Canadian history, but has also erased at least one inspiring piece of the past.
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Trudeau falls in line with Harper’s stance on Gaza
via: Toronto Star | Sat. Jul 26, 2014
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and, to a lesser extent, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair have fallen in line with Stephen Harper’s support of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.
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WIN! Germany set to reject CETA over investor-state provision
via: Council of Canadians | Sat. Jul 26, 2014
There is some extraordinarily good news today! Reuters reports, “Germany is to reject a multibillion-dollar free trade deal between the European Union and Canada which is widely seen as a template for a bigger agreement with the United States, a leading German paper reported on Saturday.
Read it at Council of Canadians
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Global legal group condemns Harper for attack on Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin
via: The Canadian Progressive | Fri. Jul 25, 2014
Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists condemns Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his recent dictatorship-style attack on Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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Groups ‘Pull Together’ to Cover First Nations’ Enbridge Legal Expenses
via: The Tyee | Fri. Jul 25, 2014
As First Nations prepare to take legal action against the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, an alliance of B.C. residents and non-governmental organizations has launched a grassroots fundraising initiative that aims to help First Nations cover their legal expenses.
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Conservative government spends $4.9 million on public opinion surveys
via: Toronto Star | Fri. Jul 25, 2014
The Stephen Harper government spent $4.9 million on public opinion polls last year, an increase over the $4.3 million it spent a year earlier.
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An Iranian artist has just days to save her artwork from being destroyed by Canadian customs
via: CBC News | Thu. Jul 24, 2014
Iranian artist and Canadian permanent resident, Sadaf Foroughi, has spent the last two years trying to build an authentic shahre farang, essentially a traditional Iranian peep box. It’s part of a project funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. After Ms Foroughi went to Iran to help build the box, that’s when things got complicated.
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Canada Revenue Agency says ‘preventing poverty’ not allowed as goal for charity
via: Winnipeg Free Press | Thu. July 24, 2014
The Canada Revenue Agency has told a well-known charity that it can no longer try to prevent poverty around the world, it can only alleviate poverty — because preventing poverty might benefit people who are not already poor.
Read it at Winnipeg Free Press
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Conservative government censored memo on environmental group
via: Toronto Star | Wed. July 23, 2014
The Harper government heavily censored a memo showing the effectiveness of a non-partisan environmental group that had its funding axed, documents show.
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Underemployed immigrants a loss for Revenue Canada
via: Vancouver Observer | Wed. Jul 23, 2014
Internationally trained professionals keep landing in survival and entry-level jobs, or in positions not related to their field of expertise. The consequences of this phenomenon go beyond the individual frustration. The economy as a whole is impacted.
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OECD Releases New Broadband Data: Canada Ranks in Bottom Third on Mobile Broadband Subscriptions
via: Michael Geist | Wed. Jul 23, 2014
The OECD released its latest Internet broadband data yesterday, covering the 34 OECD member states. The update emphasized wireless broadband access, comparing subscription rates across the OECD (many other aspects of the OECD data collection, including pricing and speeds, were not updated).
Read it at Michael Geist’s blog
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Harper’s Prostitution Bill C-36 ‘Offends’ Charter: Legal Experts
via: The Canadian Progressive | Wed. Jul 23, 2014
Over 200 legal experts from across Canada recently wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to protest Bill C-36, the Conservatives new prostitution law. In a letter addressed to the prime minister, the experts said Bill C-36 “likely to offend the Charter as well” as the laws it seeks to replace did.
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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You won’t believe how many times this government spied on Canadians
via: Toronto Star | Wed. Jul 23, 2014
Government authorities have been making millions of requests to telecommunications companies for Canadians’ personal information as far back as 2006, newly released documents show.
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Pen Canada, Freedom of Expression Charity Supported by Margaret Atwood and Yann Martel, to Undergo Political Activity Audit
via: Desmog Canada | Wed. Jul 23, 2014
Pen Canada, a Canadian charity that fights for freedom of expression and represents more than 1,000 writers and supports is the latest group identified for a political-activities audit by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
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Omar Khadr case: CBC and other media seek access for interview
via: CBC News | Tue. Jul 22, 2014
The CBC is joining the Toronto Star and documentary producer White Pine Pictures in taking the federal government to court today to ask that former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr, who is now being held in Canada, be allowed to be interviewed by media for the first time.
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In Ottawa, protesters denounce Harper’s support of Israel, ongoing war crimes in Gaza
via: The Canadian Progressive | Tue. Jul 22, 2014
In Ottawa today, hundreds of pro-Palestine supporters denounced Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s “steadfast” support of Israel and its ongoing war crimes in Gaza. Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, code-named Operation Protective Edge, has so far killed more than 600 Palestinians. The UN says 75 per cent of the Palestinian deaths are civilians. Among the dead are more than 100 children. Israel has lost 27 soldiers and two civilians.
Read it at The Canadian Progressive
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Newfoundland man wants Harper, Baird charged with advocating for genocide in Middle East
via: Yahoo.com | Tue. Jul 22, 2014
There’s a segment of the Canadian population that thinks the Harper government’s devout support for Israel is not the right approach in the ongoing conflict between the Jewish state and the Palestinians.
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Nova Scotia RCMP buy new fleet of drones
via: Global News | Tue. Jul 22, 2014
They only weigh 15 lbs. each, but a new fleet of drones is taking the fight against crime in Nova Scotia to the skies.
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Beautiful dream of Israel has become a nightmare
via: Toronto Star | Tue. Jul 22, 2014
In Israel-Palestine the powerful party has succeeded in painting itself as the victim, while the ones being killed and maimed become the perpetrators.
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Protesters in Ottawa denounce Israeli offensive in Gaza
via: CTV News | Tue. Jul 22, 2014
Tempers flared briefly as protesters marched through downtown Ottawa today, calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to denounce Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
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List of charities undergoing tax audits related to political activities
via: Winnipeg Free Press | Mon. Jul 21, 2014
Some Canadian charitable organizations under recent audit for their political activities. Revenues and percentages based on the groups’ most-recent filings with Canada Revenue Agency. Rules dating from 2003 limit spending on political activities to no more than 10 per cent of all expenses:
Read it at the Winnipeg Free Press
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Demand That Israel Stop Bombing Civilians in Gaza, Ryan Urges Harper
via: Ontario Federation of Labour | Mon. Jul 21 2014
The Ontario Federation of Labour joins millions of Canadians who are shocked by the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has created a nightmare for tens of thousands of civilians who are caught in the crossfire.
Read it at Ontario Federation of Labour
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Condemning the violence in Gaza by acknowledging Canada’s own violent history
via: Rabble.ca | Mon. Jul 21, 2014
I find watching the siege of Gaza through Facebook frustrating, dreadful and tragic. The images of dead children, dying grandparents and people who were once full of life are disturbing.
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Mike Duffy charged Senate to attend personal funerals, RCMP say
via: CBC News | Mon. Jul 21, 2014
The RCMP served Mike Duffy’s lawyer with the official charge sheet early Monday, outlining the 31 criminal code violations the suspended former Conservative senator is accused of committing.
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Pen Canada hit with political-activities audit by Canada Revenue Agency
via: Calgary Herald | Mon. July 21, 2014
The Canada Revenue Agency has launched a political-activities audit of Pen Canada, a small charity promoting freedom of expression that has criticized the Harper government in the past.
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Is Mulcair just another Harper with a beard?
via: iPolitics | Sun. Jul 20, 2014
For a growing number of angry, disaffected NDP supporters, Thomas Mulcair is fast becoming Stephen Harper with a beard.
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Elizabeth May pitches electoral co-operation for next election
via: CBC News | Mon. Jul 21, 2014
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is offering to co-operate with the NDP and the Liberals when it comes to running candidates in the next federal election.
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Harper risks losing economy as trump card
via: iPolitics | Sun. Jul 20, 2014
Stephen Harper has much bigger problems than Mike Duffy if he wants to stay in power. Canada’s economic numbers, the Conservatives’ principal claim to fame, are fast going the wrong way with an election year right around the corner.
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Canadians at odds with Harper gov’t priorities: Finance Canada report
via: O Canada.com | Sun. Jul 20, 2014
Public-opinion research for the federal Finance Department suggests key government policies are out of step with Canadians’ priorities, including the Northern Gateway project.
Members of focus groups consulted prior to the February budget had “little enthusiasm” for the proposed bitumen pipeline to the British Columbia coast — even those who said they support the controversial project.
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Women on corporate boards: companies need ‘to open their minds’
via: CBC NEWS | Sun. Jul 20, 2014
Liberal Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette is determined to speed up the glacial pace at which women are cracking the ranks of corporate boards of directors.
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Open Letter To The NDP: It’s Time To Condemn Israel’s Massacres
via: Independent Jewish Voices | Sat. Jul. 19, 2014
Dear New Democratic Party of Canada,
As fellow Canadians who are concerned with human rights, we call on you to condemn Israel’s murderous bombing campaign on the defenceless population of Gaza.
Since Tuesday, July 8, Israel has killed over 190 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 25 children, in addition to wounding over 1,000 people, most of them innocent civilians. Israel’s artillery has destroyed crucial infrastructure for water, sewage and electricity, and countless families’ homes. During this same period, Hamas rockets have not caused a single Israeli death or serious injury nor damaged important Israeli infrastructure. While Hamas’ indiscriminate firing of rockets onto civilian areas must be condemned, of far greater significance are the Palestinian deaths from Israeli rocket attacks.
Read it at the Independent Jewish Voices
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Time for Senate to go, Wall says
via: O Canada.com | Fri. Jul. 18, 2014
REGINA – Premier Brad Wall won’t comment directly on the charges against Sen. Mike Duffy, but he has lots of thoughts to share about Canada’s Senate in general.
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Elizabeth May Backs Green Party Motion Condemning ‘Illegal’ Israeli Settlements
via: CBC News | Fri. Jul. 18, 2014
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has no plans to pull her endorsement of a motion that would see the party “fully condemn all illegal Israeli settlement expansions” as “undeniable obstacles to the Israel-Palestine peace-process,” despite escalating tensions in the region.
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Mike Duffy’s defence could put Harper on hot seat
via: CBC News | Fri. Jul. 18, 2014
On the face of it, it seems at odds with basic logic.
How did a payment seemingly deemed perfectly legal while in the hands of the giver — in this case, the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, who lost his job over the controversy — turn into an alleged bribe the instant it found its way to the recipient, Senator Mike Duffy?
A definitive answer to that question will likely have to wait until the case against Duffy goes to court.
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Why Did RCMP Charge Mike Duffy, But Not Nigel Wright?
via: Huffington Post | Thu. Jul. 17, 2014
Why was Mike Duffy charged when Nigel Wright wasn’t?
That question had a few people, including central figures in the Senate scandal, scratching their heads Thursday after the Mounties laid 31 charges against Senator Duffy.
Read it at the Huffington Post
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Six Nations protesters stop Enbridge Line 9 dig in North Dumfries
via CBC NEWS | Thu. Jul. 17, 2014
Protesters from Six Nations and other parts of southwestern Ontario stopped work at a dig on a portion of the Line 9 pipeline in North Dumfries Thursday morning.
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In face of political cowardice, the struggle for justice in Palestine continues
via: Ricochet Media | Wed. Jul 15, 2014
In Oct. 2012 I was the only North American in an international crew from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece and Israel on the Estelle, a 53-metre three-masted sailing vessel, sailing under the Finnish flag, which we hoped would be able to get to Gaza. In this way we would symbolically break the illegal and inhuman blockade that the Israelis have imposed on Gaza in the name of “security.” After all, what security threat could an unarmed sailing vessel, crewed by people committed to non-violence, pose to the fourth most powerful military in the world? But the Israelis regarded us with more panic than the English did when faced by the Spanish Armada. They even appealed to the United Nations to stop us.
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Stephen Harper vulnerable after all: Goar
via: Toronto Star | Jul. 10, 2014
It took a while to find the chinks in Stephen Harper’s armour. But Canadians have done it now.
They are chipping away at the prime minister’s policies on everything from electoral reform to military procurement. Advocacy groups have raised red flags, the media have highlighted the damage he is doing to people’s lives and communities and the courts have reined him in. But the primary thrust is coming from citizens who don’t like what is happening to their country.
The latest manifestation was the July 4 Federal Court ruling striking down the government’s cutbacks to medical care for refugees.
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Corporations Have No Use for Borders
via: TRUTHDIG | Jan. 31, 2012
What happened to Canada? It used to be the country we would flee to if life in the United States became unpalatable. No nuclear weapons. No huge military-industrial complex. Universal health care. Funding for the arts. A good record on the environment.
But that was the old Canada. I was in Montreal on Friday and Saturday and saw the familiar and disturbing tentacles of the security and surveillance state. Canada has withdrawn from the Kyoto Accords so it can dig up the Alberta tar sands in an orgy of environmental degradation. It carried out the largest mass arrests of demonstrators in Canadian history at 2010’s G-8 and G-20 meetings, rounding up more than 1,000 people. It sends undercover police into indigenous communities and activist groups and is handing out stiff prison terms to dissenters.
And Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper is a diminished version of George W. Bush. He champions the rabid right wing in Israel, bows to the whims of global financiers and is a Christian fundamentalist.
The voices of dissent sound like our own. And the forms of persecution are familiar. This is not an accident. We are fighting the same corporate leviathan.