test blog #10

Part One here. Part Two here. After I left, the government's counsel continued to hammer away on case law, intending to prove that there is a mountain of legal precedent for interpreting Section 34 of IRPA - the anti-terrorism section - so broadly that George Galloway's donation to Hamas renders him inadmissible to Canada. She also elaborated on the argument that CIC Minister Jason Kenney and Communications Director Alykhan Velshi do not speak for the government. Government counsel characterized Kenney's and Velshi's comments as "ill-advised," "regrettable" and "unfortunate". They claimed that no matter how much rhetoric is thrown around, decisions of admissibility are rendered independently. Thus, because Galloway never arrived at the border, no decision was made. * * * * Next, lawyer Barbara Jackman deftly demolished the government's case. Jackman herself had represented many of the people cited in the government's argument. She h...

Part One here. The government's lawyer opened with an anecdote and an analogy. On her way to court, she saw a copy of Maclean's with a picture of the recently famous Iceland volcano on the cover. She said that blaming the Canadian government for the ban of George Galloway is like blaming European air-traffic controllers for the grounded planes. The closures were because of the volcano, and the ban of George Galloway was caused solely by the actions of Galloway himself. Galloway donated money and goods to Hamas, and Galloway himself chose not to visit Canada. After this embarrassing attempt at analogy, the CIC lawyer tackled the "no decision was made" argument, claiming the letter from CBSA to Galloway's office were merely informative. It did not deny him entry. Galloway himself chose not to attempt to cross the border. The judge asked what other options were available. [Note: words in quotation marks are verbatim quotes. Everything else is a very close paraphras...

This week, I attended the Federal Court hearing reviewing the Canadian government's decision to bar British MP George Galloway from entering the country. I wasn't able to stay til the end, but what I saw was very interesting and sometimes amusing. I've asked a few people about what I missed, so I'll update this later if necessary. The Federal Court agreeing to review this case is itself a victory, and was accomplished through the tireless efforts of Canadian peace activists and defenders of free speech , and likely because the person deemed inadmissible is a Member of the British Parliament. In my opinion, in order to find for the Government - that is, in order to uphold the ban against Galloway - the Federal Court will have to find that a British MP is a member of a terrorist organization. It's the only halfway cogent argument the government has, and I don't believe the court will be willing to do that. I may well be wrong - no one knows what will happen in an...

Remember the WikiLeaks video, " Collateral Murder "? This highly disturbing footage leaked from the US military's own flight videos shows a practice we have heard about time and again from war resisters. Pilots confirm that there are no allied troops in the area - but ask and receive no information whether the people are civilians or "combatants" - then fire away. In this instance, twelve people were killed, all civilians. They were women, children and civilian men, including two Reuters journalists. When the video began to circulate, Army specialist Ethan McCord recognized himself in the footage. Anna Maria Tremonti had him on "The Current" yesterday . Earlier, he was interviewed by Wired . McCord tried to save two Iraqi children's lives. He was ordered not to, and although he tried anyway, one grievously wounded boy died in his arms. When McCord was distraught and sick over the incident, he was mocked, harassed and threatened. This is not unusual...

Thanks to the hearing being rescheduled , I was able to attend today's Federal Court hearing into Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney's ban on British anti-war MP George Galloway. I'll be busy with War Resisters Support Campaign activities all evening, and we have plans tomorrow , too. I'll write as thorough a report as I can and hopefully post it on Friday. See you then.

Sign and share! We, the undersigned, call on Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario government to go forth with intended changes to Ontario's sexual education curriculum beginning September 2010.

Good timing , eh? We received this in the mail today. NOTICE TO APPEAR TO WRITE CITIZENSHIP TEST Please appear on: 27 May 2010 4:00pm MISSISSAUGA CITIZENSHIP OFFICE 75 Watline Avenue . . . [ I know it well! ] You will have to write a test about your knowledge of Canada and the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. You may write the test in English or French. To prepare for the test, you should study the book "A Look At Canada"... This says our test is based on the old citizenship guide, but they may be using a form letter that was never updated. An earlier letter I received said our test will be based on the new guide. Hm, what to do... Study both? "Before I write the test, could you please tell me if the test is based on the neoconservative wishful-thinking version of Canada, or the progressive wishful-thinking version?" Whoo-hoo! We'll be citizens in time for this year's wmtc party! PS: Dear Trolls: in your face!

As I type this, Canadians who love free speech and democracy are gathering in front of the Federal Court building in Toronto. (I'm so disappointed to not be there, but this one was just impossible for me.) After the rally, supporters will pack the courtroom to witness George Galloway's suit against the Canadian government for refusing him entry to Canada last year. Galloway and his legal team - through a government error - gained access to 66 pages of government emails and supporting documents demonstrating how Alykhan Velshi, Jason Kenney's communications director, took a special interest in keeping Galloway out of Canada, misinterpreting Canadian law to reflect his political point of view. From the first e-mail that Mr. Kenney's communications director , Alykhan Velshi, sent on March 16, 2009, at 2:09 p.m. to immigration bureaucrats – the subject line was "inadmissible" – only 102 minutes passed before an official in the National Security section of the C...

Cover of "Discover Canda," the CIC's new guide to citizenship In November 2009, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced the release of a new study guide to help immigrants prepare for Canadian citizenship. The new guide, called "Discover Canada: the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship" replaced a booklet called "A Look at Canada," first published by Jean Chrétien's Liberal government in 1997 and updated in 2005 by Paul Martin's Liberal government. This is a comparison of the two guides and the differing visions of Canada they reflect. A noticeable absence of peace The new booklet was announced with much fanfare. In a media release chock full of praise, Rudyard Griffiths, co-founder of the ultra-conservative Dominion Institute, gives an enthusiastic "Two thumbs up!"; historian Margaret MacMillan says approvingly, "It is not easy to capture Canada — its geography, its people, its society and its history — in a br...

It's hard to believe this is still being debated in Canada, but as long as there are bigots like Charles McVety, this will need to be said. Good, thoughtful editorial from the Globe and Mail . If a basically conservative media outlet like the G&M can see clearly on this issue, the Province of Ontario should be able to, as well, and not be held hostage to right-wing protest. The only thing I dislike about this piece is the use of the phrase "family values" to describe these anti-gay groups. I grew up in a family that valued tolerance, respect and diversity. Progressives raise their children with family values. Same-sex couples raise their children with family values. Calling anti-gay bigots "family values" groups is another linguistic hoax, along with "pro-life" to describe anti-abortion-rights, "ethnic cleansing" to describe genocide and "liberal media" to describe nearly anything left of Bill O'Reilly. With that caveat, I a...

From Embassy : When Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced sweeping reforms to Canada's refugee determination process at the end of March, he promised to increase the number of UN-selected refugees that resettle in Canada by 2,500 to maintain "balance." But despite a persistent notion that Canada is a generous country that graciously welcomes thousands of refugees each year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada records show the Conservative government has been gradually but significantly granting fewer refugees permanent residence status since 2006. The decrease worries experts and advocates, who say the government is trying to quietly close refugees out. Each year, CIC prepares an immigration plan as part of its plans and priorities, highlighting permanent residency targets for different categories of migrants. Government-assisted refugees, privately-sponsored refugees, inland refugees and their dependants abroad make up the overall refugee category. In 2006, the dep...

The physical and academic requirements of basic training posed little challenge for Rob. From the beginning, however, he had serious doubts about life in the army. He recalled, "One night we're there eating and this guy says, 'You know, this is the first time I've ever had three meals a day. You know what else, this is the first time I've ever had shoes that didn't leak.' And I look at him and I was thinking, so that's why, that's how the army works." US Vietnam War resister, quoted in Northern Passage , by John Hagan

We've learned that Bill C-440 , which would allow US war resisters to apply for permanent resident status in Canada, will begin second reading on May 25. This is very exciting! This is the same date as a major court hearing for war resister Jeremy Hinzman, so the Campaign is rocking. We have a lot to do between now and that first hour of debate at the end of May, and there are some concrete steps you can take to help. Postcards! Have you signed one? Have you asked your friends, family and cohorts to sign? There's still time. The new final date to get your signed postcards in is May 21. MPs! Tell your MP you support Bill C-440 and you want to know if she or he will be supporting it, too. Although there will not be a vote on May 25, this is the time to lay the groundwork. Click here to email your MP. Donate! In Toronto, stay tuned for info about an exciting Campaign event featuring Naomi Klein and the spirit of Howard Zinn. Details coming soon.

After the Harper Government banned UK MP George Galloway from Canada last year, Galloway and his Canadian supporters filed a suit challenging that decision. This Monday, April 26 , the Federal Court of Canada will hear arguments by lawyers representing Galloway and the organizers of his 2009 speaking tour. Galloway's legal team will be joined by lawyers representing the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), which has been granted leave to intervene in the case. There have been some developments in this court case that are just delicious. Thanks to some Government bureaucratic bungling, the Galloway team learned exactly what went on behind the scenes that led to Galloway being banned. I heard about this months ago but didn't know enough details to blog about it. Now Rabble is running a terrific two-part series on the case. Here's a taste. Galloway and his supporters launched a court action against the government when he was barred from entering Canada in March 2009 a...

We'll release more Afghan detainee documents when we're " good and ready ". Oops, sorry! Although not sorry enough to release all the documents. The Liberal caucus should see to it that Michael Ignatieff is " black and blue ". Oops, sorry! I don't know how that got in there. Even though it has my name on it. Answer: Apparently not.

This is a terrible, heartbreaking story of bigotry and discrimination. None of it (except perhaps the household accident) ever had to happen. When I posted this link on Facebook on Monday morning, none of my contacts (including folks in California) had seen it or heard about it yet. By now groups have formed and real-life action is being taken. But it's very frightening to think that this can happen in one's own backyard, in a country built under the words "all men are created equal". Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place--wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health. One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives ...

The Star has a great story about Project Maddie ! You may recall that Project Maddie is the brainchild of my friend and fellow activist Kim Ford (sometimes known as Dharma Seeker ). I heard about a war-resister family in a serious financial crisis, and contacted Kim, wondering if she could connect them with resources to help feed their Golden Retriever, Maddie. The next thing I knew, we were dropping off food donations with Maddie's mom, and Kim decided it was time to launch her dream project. The Star story also profiles the Companion Animals Wellness Foundation , K9 Rescue Me and other initiatives to help people and animals get and stay together. The best thing about the story, from an organizer's point of view, is that it includes a link to the Project Maddie blog . Here's hoping the donations will soon be rolling in.

In early March, I wrote that Joe Glenton, the first known U.K. soldier to publicly refuse to fight in Afghanistan, was about to be court martialed . I neglected to follow-up: he was sentenced to nine months in prison. Glenton is now facing mistreatment in prison. His appeal is scheduled for tomorrow, April 21, and his support network has asked us to send letters of protest and support to the Ministry of Defense. Here's information from the Stop the War Coalition (UK) ; below that is a model of a letter that can be sent on Glenton's behalf. Whether you copy and paste this model, or write your own letter, or send two quick sentences of support, the Ministry will count them and they will know that Joe is not alone. And Joe will know he is not alone. Cruel treatment of soldier refusing to fight in Afghanistan Soldier Joe Glenton, who was court martialled on 5 March and jailed for nine months for refusing to fight in Afghanistan , and for speaking out at anti-war demonstrations , is...

I hope you will enjoy this wonderful video of the great environmental justice activist Vandana Shiva, part two of "Food, farming, and climate change: People-centred solutions". If you can't take 10 minutes to watch the whole thing, scroll over to about 8:00, where you'll see this wonderful exchange. Question: It really strikes me that there's a good guy-bad guy thing going on and that Monsanto are sort of this evil corporation. And I'm just wondering if you had a response to being able to communicate with them in a way that's, apart from what we're doing, which is the grassroots and the local work, but a way to communicate with them to try and change their consciousness or to expand them, because, I don't know, I'm uncomfortable with the idea that they need to be destroyed in some way, but it'd be better to communicate with them." Shiva: The communication issue of course must be kept open. But I've dealt with Monsanto now for more ...