oh dear canada,

Salmon Confidential

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 03:39:28 -0400

Salmon Confidential is a new film on the government cover up of what is killing BC’s wild salmon. When biologist Alexandra Morton discovers BC’s wild salmon are testing positive for dangerous European salmon viruses associated with salmon farming worldwide, a chain of events is set off by government to suppress the findings. Tracking viruses, Morton moves from courtrooms, into British Columbia’s most remote rivers, Vancouver grocery stores and sushi restaurants. The film documents Morton’s journey as she attempts to overcome government and industry roadblocks thrown in her path and works to bring critical information to the public in time to save BC’s wild salmon.

The film provides surprising insight into the inner workings of government agencies, as well as rare footage of the bureaucrats tasked with managing our fish and the safety of our food supply.

Suncor spill site in Athabasca River also had incident in 2011

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:59:46 -0400

Suncor spill site in Athabasca River also had incident in 2011 :

Days after industrial waste spilled into the Athabasca River from an oil-sands project, the Alberta government has revealed toxic water flowed into the river from the same site for three days in 2011.

Alberta’s Department of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development on Thursday issued an environmental order against Suncor Energy Inc. for an industrial waste-water release in March, 2011, discovered after fish died in a monthly experiment that uses them to test the toxicity of industrial waste water from the oil-sands site. It is unclear why the investigation took two years….

Canada Delivers Another Blow to Global Environmental Law

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:42:12 -0400

Canada Delivers Another Blow to Global Environmental Law :

Prime Minister Harper’s administration has once more shocked the community of nations by withdrawing from an environmental treaty. This time it is the 1994 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This is only the second time in Canadian history we have withdrawn from a treaty. The first time was the Kyoto Protocol.

“We do not see Harper withdrawing from trade deals. The treaties he views as of no importance are those designed to protect the environment. What message does it send to African nations that in the same week we eliminate CIDA, we withdraw from a treaty to stop the advance of deserts?” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

The UN and the nations of the world are losing faith in Canada. Our 2010 failure to get elected to the Security Council was a stark signal of our declining credibility,” said John Streiker, Green Critic for Northern Affairs.

Canada pulls out of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification....

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:35:41 -0400

Canada pulls out of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Read more: http://ow.ly/jyJDw

The Journey of Nishiyuu arrives in Ottawa today — the...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:58:31 -0400

The Journey of Nishiyuu arrives in Ottawa today — the completion of an epic journey of Indigenous youth that started in the community of Whapmagoostui on Hudson Bay in northern Quebec.

Hundreds of supporters, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, will be on hand today in Ottawa to greet them. Members of the labour movement and other civil society groups will be there to show their support. Some Members of Parliament, from opposition parties, will be there when the group arrives on Parliament Hill shortly after 1p.m. EST today.

rabble.ca’s parliamentary reporter Karl Nerenberg will be there on the Hill to report on this historic event.

Stephen Harper, meanwhile, will be in Toronto, rolling out the right carpet for two pandas arriving on loan to Canadian zoos from China.

In other words, on this historic day where Indigenous issues should have the full attention of the national media and politicians, Harper has skipped town, in order to preside over the carefully scripted culmination of his “panda diplomacy” with the government of China….

read full article here… rabble.ca

Canada a significant contributor to international arms trade

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:52:06 -0400

Canada a significant contributor to international arms trade:

The image of Canada as a peacemaking nation has been tarnished by the war in Afghanistan. But many people would still be shocked to find out the extent to which Canada exports armaments. Richard Sanders is with the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade. He details Canada’s role in the production and sale of weapons. Richard Sanders speaks with Redeye host Jane Williams.

Green Party Exposes Worsening Conditions for Canadian Women

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:12:27 -0500

Green Party Exposes Worsening Conditions for Canadian Women :

As the world prepares to mark International Women’s Day tomorrow, March 8, the Green Party is celebrating the valuable role of women in Canadian society. It also notes their worsening status and living conditions under the Harper Conservatives.

“Canadian women in a wide variety of roles, jobs, and lifestyles across the country deserve to be recognized for their courage, determination, and sacrifices,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, MP Saanich-Gulf Islands.

The list of changes affecting women negatively since the Harper Conservatives came into power in 2006 includes:

In 2006, Stephen Harper’s first policy announcement as prime minister was to cut Canada’s year-old, $5-billion national child-care plan, supported by all provincial governments, despite protests from child-care advocates and the provinces.
In 2006, Status of Women Canada (SWC) funding was temporarily cut by $5 million, forcing the closure of 12 of its 16 regional offices; changing the SWC Women’s Program mandate to exclude “gender equality and political justice;” redrafting funding criteria so that advocacy groups and women’s service providers, such as rape crisis centres, are ineligible for funding.
In 2007, offices for the National Association of Women and the Law, a well-respected organization that had made valuable contributions to improving women’s human rights in Canada, were closed. Funding was also eliminated for other women’s organizations like the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW).
In 2009, the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act allowed public sector employers to consider “market demand” when setting compensation levels – preserving the policy of paying men more than women for equal work
In 2010-2011, Status of Women Canada spent just over $10 million on violence against women – an inadequate response to a serious problem which directly affects an estimated one in six Canadians and costs the economy nearly $7 billion dollars a year in missed work, medical, policing, and justice expenses. Advocates have called on the federal government to work with the provinces and territories to develop a national strategy and action plan to combat violence against women.
The challenges facing First Nations women are particularly worrying. Sisters in Spirit, supported by the Green Party and others, have demanded an open, public inquiry into the alarmingly high rates of murdered and missing aboriginal women – without success.

“Not only have key programs and organizations been cut or eliminated in recent years, but there has been little or no progress in reducing violence against women and girls across Canada,” said Rebecca Harrison, Green Party Women’s Issues Critic. “There have been few initiatives to deal with other issues facing women, including poverty, poor health, inadequate housing, and too few full-time jobs.”

In its October, 2012, gender gap ranking, the World Economic Forum revealed that Canada had slipped three spots compared to 135 other countries in terms of gender equality. In fact, we have dropped from the world’s Top 20 countries mainly because of low female representation in politics. Canada is now 21st – behind the Philippines, Latvia, Cuba and Nicaragua.

“As we celebrate the women of today, we should also confront the fact that, with cuts to Old Age Security and Employment Insurance, for example, women of the future will know even greater insecurity,” said May. “Our best gift to them is to fight to protect and restore our social programs and create a more egalitarian society.”

Sandy Pond Alliance court case to decide fate of lakes across Canada

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:11:02 -0500

Sandy Pond Alliance court case to decide fate of lakes across Canada:

The outcome of this case should be a landmark decision as to whether the federal government has been acting illegally by permitting the use of lakes as dumpsites for metal mining companies in Canada…

thegirlwhoownstheworld: “How many rivers run, diseases spread,...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:16:29 -0500

thegirlwhoownstheworld:

“How many rivers run, diseases spread, cultures lost, tragic deaths”

theuprooted: Postcards addressed to Canadian PM Harper. Over...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:02:00 -0500

theuprooted:

Postcards addressed to Canadian PM Harper.
Over 600 indigenous women and girls have disappeared or been murdered since the 1970s and numbers are growing.
We call for a national plan of action to end violence against indigenous women and girls.

4 O'clock Whistle: Critic to minister: Get serious about fracking

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:01:12 -0500

4 O'clock Whistle: Critic to minister: Get serious about fracking:

4oclockwhistlenews:

For immediate release

Feb. 7, 2013

Critic to minister: Get serious about fracking

NDP Environment Critic George Murphy (MHA, St. John’s East) has written to the provincial Minister of Environment in an effort to directly to communicate his own concerns about slickwater…

What’s next for Idle No More? Why provincial governments should matter to the movement

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:56:07 -0500

What’s next for Idle No More? Why provincial governments should matter to the movement:

peuplesvisibles:

“With Idle No More entering a new phase (one we might simply call “Winter” – a time for Anishinaabe people to reflect, tell stories, educate and plan for the future), there is much to consider about the previous two months of spirited activism.

For me, there has been the realization that there’s been a general absence of attention paid by the movement to the role of provincial governments in perpetuating the challenges facing Indigenous communities. Considering that Idle No More has been a movement about protecting the land, it’s curious that the provinces — which have “jurisdiction” over lands and resources — have been left alone. That should change. (…)”

(Hayden King - Media Indigena - 08/02/2013)

28 reasons to take action against the Harper Conservative government

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:02:47 -0500

newsreelz:

1. Attacks on democratic rights: Harper’s way or the highway

2. Omnibus bills

3. Medicare weakened

4. Suppression of research

5. Right to use information obtained by torture

Read More

So the Conservative Government has put up a survey on their website

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:58:43 -0500

So the Conservative Government has put up a survey on their website:

softkneesdeepedges:

Soliciting feedback from Canadians on a variety of policy issues.

Featuring such hilariously neutral and non-biased questions as:

Do you support our move to scrap the wasteful and ineffective Long Gun Registry?

Should refugee claimants get better health benefits than Canadian Citizens?

Do you support Thomas Mulcair’s $21-billion job-killing carbon tax?

It is times like these I am uncertain whether to laugh or cry.

#IdleNoMore, Chief Theresa: Hope, Spirit

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:01:14 -0500

#IdleNoMore, Chief Theresa: Hope, Spirit:

Chief Theresa Spence may very likely die.

That horrifying possibility hit me full on this past week at a Q&A lecture session with Toronto-Danforth NDP MP Craig Scott, where the agenda included Aboriginal-Crown relations as well as the state of democracy in Canada, both of which are in a dire state — just the way our presidential-prime minister (without the checks and balances of a real president) likes it.

One of the women present at the session, Cheryl Maloney, President of the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association, shared with us some of her experiences from meeting with Chief Theresa during her hunger strike on Victoria Island. It’s now a spiritual journey for Chief Theresa, and only she will know whether it will end in her death or otherwise. A Spiritual Journey. There were tears from some audience members. One elderly man near the back let out an audible sob. We’re talking about a political lecture in a law school here. Tears don’t happen.

Before you start to compose an argument, don’t bother. I know where I stand on this issue: I am a settler ally firmly behind Idle No More; praying for Chief Theresa; hoping for everyone’s safety; wishing for understanding, open hearts, even (and most neededly) on the part of our awful government.

Many people are urging Chief Theresa to reconsider, and I understand why. We don’t want her to die. WE DON’T WANT HER TO DIE. And she has done more than enough already. Writing this brings tears to my eyes. But after hearing Ms. Maloney, I have a better understanding of why she would. Yes, she is a modern-day Gandhi willing to die for her people. It is her choice, it is her spiritual journey. I can find peace in her bravery, in her self-sacrifice, in her steadfastness and strength. But I cannot find peace in that it has come to this in Canada.

“I get asked as I go around, “What is Theresa Spence doing?” I don’t answer that because she can speak for herself. What I do say is, “Do you really think that she wants to sit in a tepee on an island on a hunger strike?” She is doing this because everything else has been taken away. There aren’t any other alternatives.” — Thomas King (excerpt from his Globe and Mail interview)

I have tried to keep myself informed, by attending rallies, talking to people, social media, trustworthy online sources (i.e. not relying on mainstream media especially anything Sun News touches). Some examples: APTN, Pam Palmater (a great interview with her appears on 8th Fire with Wab Kinew), the Four Founders of Idle No More, excellent bloggers such as DividedNoMore (read her post “Fish Broth & Fasting” right now!) and âpihtawikosisân, to name but a few. We can access the facts; whether we choose to see them is our own decision. One of the other Native women at the Q&A session suggested we read books, we read up on the history of this country, read the treaties, READ! Here is one resource I’ve found for research. Also, here’s a great article I hope you read called “The Idle No More Movement for Dummies (or, ‘What The Heck Are All These Indians Acting All Indian-Ey About?’),” two excerpts from which are below:

It’s not a Native thing or a white thing, it’s an Indigenous worldview thing. It’s a “protect the Earth” thing. For those transfixed on race, you’re missing the point. The Idle No More Movement simply wants kids of all colors and ethnicities to have clean drinking water…

…Native people did begin this movement—energized by Chief Spence’s sacrifice and sparked by the Four Founders’ initiative. Yet this movement belongs to anybody who wants to stand up for the Earth and women and also make a positive change in the community. That means that non-Natives are certainly welcome. We need non-Natives involved to save this Earth, to give our children and grandchildren the same quality of life that we have enjoyed. It’s about clean water. It’s about clean air. It’s about safety for all women. It’s about making a positive change in our communities.

I think of the Harper government, racist comments online, uninformed people spouting off about what they don’t understand, our broken system and I feel rage. I want to blow up the fucking Parliament building. But then I think of the First Nations women and youth of this movement and how they are conducting themselves, and they are my inspiration to carry myself with respect and dignity. They remind me with their strength to be spiritual and keep my heart open. Given the history of this country’s treatment of Aboriginal People, they have a million more reasons to be closed off to bigots and ignoramuses, yet they hold their heads high. They are being the kind of leaders I’ve looked for my whole life. So I will follow them, respectfully, in solidarity.

For inspiration, I also think of the Idle No More rallies I’ve attended, gatherings buoyed by the energy of young First Nations women who stand up and speak so eloquently and passionately. They are in the vein of Martin Luther King, Jr., of so many other freedom fighters throughout history. There IS something spiritual about it. During a rally I attended in Halifax last week, an amazing Mi’kmaq woman (I don’t know her name) spontaneously stood and carried the event. In the middle of her speech she paused and looked to the sky. An Eagle flew in the distance. In downtown Halifax, I remind you. We all stopped, the whole 300+ of us silent, waiting. The Eagle turned toward us, soared, wing-span full, graceful right over us. I looked around and there were few dry eyes among us. The rally continued with an Honour Song, all of us amazed, inspired, touched by something beyond our cold bodies. Eagle medicine.

Hope. Spirit.

"The unabashed complicity of the mainstream media in carrying out this hatchet job for the Harper..."

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:30:00 -0500

“The unabashed complicity of the mainstream media in carrying out this hatchet job for the Harper government and unleashing a torrent of racism should be the subject of professional examination and deep personal shame for those involved… we may want to take a hard look at the role of certain media in exacerbating problems, fabricating stories, and undermining progress for Indigenous peoples in this country.”

- - Daniel Wilson, “Time for a hard look at the role of media in fostering neo-colonialism” (January 12, 2013)

(via garconniere)

"Mr. Harper may relent, scared of the political fallout from letting this great leader die. I dearly..."

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 04:08:02 -0500

“

Mr. Harper may relent, scared of the political fallout from letting this great leader die. I dearly hope he does. I want Chief Spence to eat. But I won’t soon forget this clash between these two very different kinds of resolve, one so sealed off, closed in; the other cracked wide open, a conduit for the pain of the world.

But Chief Spence’s hunger is not just speaking to Mr. Harper. It is also speaking to all of us, telling us that the time for bitching and moaning is over. Now is the time to act, to stand strong and unbending for the people, places and principles that we love.

”

- Naomi Klein, Idle No More: Chief Theresa Spence’s hunger speaks to all of us |

December 24, 2012

(via smalltalkers)

Aambe! Maajaadaa! (What #IdleNoMore Means to Me)

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 03:54:40 -0500

Aambe! Maajaadaa! (What #IdleNoMore Means to Me):

…I support #idlenomore because I believe that we have to stand up anytime our nation’s land base is threatened – whether it is legislation, deforestation, mining prospecting, condo development, pipelines, tar sands or golf courses. I stand up anytime our nation’s land base in threatened because everything we have of meaning comes from the land – our political systems, our intellectual systems, our health care, food security, language and our spiritual sustenance and our moral fortitude. We all have a responsibility to protect the land and the water. We only have a few generations to turn this around, and we can’t do it without access to land. As a Mississauga Nishinaabeg who has lost virtually all of our territory’s land and waterways and who has been living without the treaty right to hunt and fish for 89 years, with less than 60 speakers left of our dialect, I cannot say this more strongly. We are the land and we need to do everything to protect what is left. We have the land today because our Ancestors did protected whatever they could for us. #idlenomore is standing upon the shoulders of generations of people that were never idle because they couldn’t afford to be idle. Neither can we.

read full article by Leanne Simpson here

http://www.leadnow.ca/saveela - It’s time to stop the war...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:30:25 -0500

http://www.leadnow.ca/saveela - It’s time to stop the war on science. Since Prime Minister Harper came into power, Canada has been subjected to a ruthless assault on its science capacity. This attack has been systemic and strategic, targeting science that seeks to understand the impacts of industry on the environment — information the Harper Government considers inconvenient to their economic agenda. These actions will result in the significant and widespread degradation of our country’s environment and natural resources.

The crippling of Canada’s public science capacity under the guise of austerity measures, coupled with the weakening of federal environmental laws in the absence of open debate, is a blatant desecration of science, nature, and democracy. We need to stop this war on science, and let’s start by saving the ELA.

Help spread this video in the name of ending the Harper Government’s war on science. Go to http://www.saveela.org for more information on how YOU can take action!

leftskewed: The Canada-China Trade Deal (by Deep Rogue Ram)...

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 04:19:33 -0400

leftskewed:

The Canada-China Trade Deal (by Deep Rogue Ram) (FIPA)