Who killed Bill C-440, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to permit war resisters to remain in Canada? Well the numbers are in and the culprit is Michael Ignatieff and 17 of his colleagues who voted with their feet and left the House prior to the vote. Here are the numbers.
C-440 was sponsored by Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy and supported by the NDP, the Bloc Québécois and a huge majority of Liberals. It should have been a slam-dunk; previously, two Parliamentary resolutions supporting war resisters had been passed by the House of Commons. However, it lost by 7 votes, an avoidable defeat if Ifgnatieff had remained true to the words he had uttered two days before the crucial vote when he said:
“Canada has a tradition that goes back to Mr. Pearson and Mr. Trudeau of accepting people that come to Canada with conscientious objection to military service.”
Ignatieff had to have known that the absence of 18 Liberal MPs would doom the bill. If he didn’t want to support the bill, he could have at least emulated Liberal Alan Tonks (York South-Weston), who had the guts to stay in the House and vote against it.
Once more, Iggy fails to appear even remotely Trudeauesque — incapable of channeling the peace-‘n-love-Pierre or the more resolute War-Measures-Act-Trudeau.
On a related theme, for those who hope a vote for the Liberals is enough to get us out of Afghanistan next year, think again. In June, Ignatieff announced the Liberals support remaining in Afghanistan until 2014 to train Afghan troops and police, creating a military training institute in Kabul, much like the Royal Military College in Kingston. Dishonestly, in a war where the Taliban have been able to strike in Kabul at will, he says this is not a combat mission.
Michael Ignatieff has betrayed war resisters. More fundamentally, he has betrayed the majority of Canadians who want to end Canada’s military intervention in Afghanistan and to welcome American war resisters into our country.
Bill C-440, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (war resisters) failed to make it through second reading Wednesday evening by a vote of 143-136. The bill would have allowed conscientious objectors to non-UN sanctioned wars to seek refuge in Canada on humanitarian or compassionate grounds. Clearly, a majority of the MPs present lack humanity and compassion.
I was surprised that this bill didn’t pass. On two previous occasions, a majority of MPs voted to support non-binding resolutions in support of allowing war resisters to remain in Canada. With a reported 64 per cent of Canadians supporting war resisters, I thought the bill had a pretty good chance for success. Silly me.
This is not the Canada I grew up in and this is not the Canada I wish for my children and grandchildren. An ugly shadow is creeping across the land; mean-spirited and fearful men and women are undermining our rights and freedoms and transforming our country into a cog in the U.S. imperial machine.
Shame on them!
And shame on us if we allow this set-back to weaken our resolve to work for peace and to support war resisters who seek refuge here.
If you haven’t already done so, go to the War Resisters Support Campaign web site and see what you can do to help out. We must not let this go without a fight.
If it weren’t for blogs like Creekside or Dawg’s Blog (and many others) we would not have heard that the Combating Terrorism Act passed second reading in Parliament and is well on its way to being another nail in the coffin of Canadian democracy.
“Bill C-17: Combating Terrorism. (Oooh. Kickin’ in doors and swingin’ clubs, eh? Not really — it’s all about imposing court provisions to force people to testify if their neighbour who looks suspiciously Arabic buys fertilizer.)”
That’s it. Our mainstream media is pathetic at best, criminally irresponsible at worst.
Bill C-17 is a victory of sorts for those who want to make the Magna Carta history. Under the banner of “combating terrorism” the act will make warrantless arrests possible and provides for 12-month preventive imprisonment of people suspected of planning terrorist acts.
It is not too late to try and stop this outrage, but it will be difficult to overcome the Tory-Liberal bloc that voted for it.
Might I also suggest that we start writing to our local purveyors of news and tell them to wake up and start covering news that matters. (And send some kudos to the afore-mentioned bloggers — they deserve them.)
More than 250 Winnipeggers signed a petition yesterday afternoon calling on the Canadian Parliament to withdraw all Canadian troops from Afghanistan and to “not extend the military mission in any way, shape or form including training of local forces.”
Yesterday’s two-hour information picket in Winnipeg’s Osborne Village marked the beginning of a Peace Alliance Winnipeg campaign to help our fellow citizens express their opposition to Canada’s continued participation in the occupation of Afghanistan.
In addition to collecting signatures on the petition, PAW members distributed several hundred postcards produced by the Canadian Peace Alliance for communicating with Members of Parliament (Get yours here.) as well as several hundred copies of an information bulletin entitled Ten Reasons to Bring Canada’s Troops Home from Afghanistan.
Please help collect signatures for the petition.You can download it here. (Please mail completed copies to Peace Alliance Winnipeg, P.O. Box 1, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 2G1).
Additionally, you can sign the petition online, and encourage everyone else you know to do likewise.
And don’t forget to get in touch with your Member of Parliament. Let them know we appreciate it when our troops stay home and defend us where we really need them, such as Newfoundland, where they are helping Canadians cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Igor.
Paul Jay, of the Real News Network, argues that Canada’s rich elite, whose wealth grows in tandem with the rise in both unemployment and the federal deficit, has a special responsibility. Their decisions created the economic mess we’re in; they should pay for it. Right on! Are you listening, Stephen Harper?
With the American Empire assembling its forces for a nuclear assault on Iran, and children being born horribly deformed by the effects of depleted uranium in Iraq and Serbia, it was heartening to participate in the annual Lantern Ceremony in Winnipeg and hear MP Bill Siksay (NDP, Burnaby-Douglas) talk about the private members bill he and Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis (Scarborough-Agincourt) introduced last September calling for a Canadian Department of Peace.
Even if passed, this bill will not result in a Peace Ministry because private members’ bills cannot compel the government to spend money. That said, debating Bill C-447 could be educational; passing it would be highly symbolic of the desire that Canadians have expressed repeatedly for a government that promotes peace.
According to Bill Siksay, a major benefit of having a federal peace department would be the presence of a cabinet minister whose job would be to speak for peace at the cabinet table. While a little voice keeps telling me that we have environment ministers who don’t seem to care for the environment, health ministers who preside poorly over the nation’s health care system, and labour ministers who don’t give a damn about the working class, I still see his point. In our imperfect democracy, we need someone in government to utter the P-Word, forcefully and often. Watch the video and get some good talking points — then write your MP.
On Aug. 6, the 1945 nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be marked with a Lantern Ceremony at Memorial Park in Winnipeg. The keynote address will be given by MP Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) on a private members bill (C-447) now before Parliament for the establishment of a Department of Peace.
Date: Friday, August 6, 2010 Place: Memorial Park (by the fountain, York Avenue and Memorial Boulevard) Time: Lantern making begins at 7:30 p.m.; speakers begin at 8:30 p.m.; lanterns will be launched at 9:15 p.m.
The annual commemoration of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings is part of a world wide observance held to promote nuclear disarmament and world peace. In Winnipeg, the event is sponsored by the Manitoba Japanese Canadian Citizens Association, Peace Alliance Winnipeg, and Project Peacemakers.
In August, 1945, after 6 months of firebombing attacks on 67 Japanese cities, US President Harry Truman ordered the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9). The death toll was enormous – 140,000 in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945. Many more thousands died over the months and years to come from injuries and illnesses caused by radiation poisoning.
For many years, Winnipeggers have commemorated these tragedies and reaffirmed our commitment to peace and freedom from nuclear terror. We symbolize our commitment with a Lantern Ceremony.
The Lantern Ceremony is part of an ancient Buddhist Ceremony (O-Bon), that commemorates the lives of deceased loved ones. For many years around the world, this ceremony has been used on Hiroshima Peace Day to remember and embrace the memory of people who died because of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During these ceremonies, participants are invited to design a lantern that represents their thoughts and feelings regarding personal losses, global concerns of peace, nuclear disarmament and any other issues relevant to keeping our planet safe.
Video of last year’s Lantern Ceremony in Winnipeg
Sadako and a Thousand Paper Cranes
In addition to lanterns we will be making origami peace cranes to commemorate the story of “Sadako and a Thousand Paper Cranes.”
Sadako Sasaki, a young girl of 10 years old, became sick with leukemia from the effects of the atomic bomb in post war Japan. She believed in an ancient tale that if you made 1000 paper cranes, you would be granted a wish. She wished for good health.
She died before she completed making the cranes and her classmates completed the task for her.
Each year, thousands of paper cranes from all over the world adorn the statue of Sadako in the Hiroshima Peace Park in Hiroshima, Japan.
Bill C-447 – An Act to establish the Department of Peace
Bill Siksay, MP (Burnaby-Douglas) is the mover of Bill C-447 – An Act to Establish a Department of Peace. Seconded by Jim Karygiannis, MP (Scarborough-Agincourt ), the bill passed First Reading in the House of Commons, Sept. 30, 2009. Mr. Siksay will speak about this bill at the Lantern Ceremony.
You can read the full Bill in English and French, here: Bill C-447
1. Develop early detection and rapid response processes to deal with emerging conflicts and establish systemic responses to post-conflict demobilization, reconciliation and reconstruction
2. Lead internationally to abolish nuclear, biological, chemical weapons, to reduce conventional weapon arsenals and to ban the weaponization of space
3. Implement the UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (1999) to safeguard human rights and enhance the security of persons and their communities
4. Implement UN Resolution 1325 on the key role played by women in the wide spectrum of peacebuilding work
5. Establish a Civilian Peace Service that, with other training organizations, will recruit, train and accredit peace professionals and volunteers to work at home and abroad, as an alternative to armed intervention.
6. Address issues of violence in Canada by promoting nonviolent approaches that encourage community involvement and responsibility such as Restorative Justice, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)
7. Support the development of peace education at all levels including post-secondary peace and conflict studies
8. Promote the transition from a war-based to a peace-based economy.
“Peace, Freedom and Democracy” was the theme of this year’s annual Winnipeg Walk for Peace.
In its 29th year, the Walk for Peace is a shadow of its former self. In the 1980s, under the ever present threat of nuclear annihilation at the hands of competing super powers, thousands of Winnipeggers felt motivated to participate. The end of the Cold War changed all that, and today, the event is kept alive by a stubborn handful of activists who continue to insist that a peaceful world is possible and necessary.
This year’s walk drew about 150 people. While small in comparison to the marches of the 1980s, it was larger than those held in the last few years, and I sensed a more positive mood. While the mood may have been the result of the sunshine and the melodies of Winnipeg’s beloved Flaming Trolleys marching band, I think something else is affoot.
A broader range of organizations turned out for the walk, expressing their concerns about domestic and international threats to peace and human rights. Supporters of freedom for Gaza marched along side activists against police brutality in Winnipeg; opponents to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq accompanied activists in solidarity with the Haitian people. And so on.
Notably, the Peace Walk was sandwiched between a World Refugee Day “Rally for Refugees” and a conference about the prospects for peace in Sudan called “Eyes on Sudan.” The organizers of all these events worked together, along with Peace Alliance Winnipeg, to promote these events to their respective members.
It’s too early to say if this cooperation points toward a renewed peace movement in Winnipeg but the signs are all positive at this point.
My alter ego packed his video camera. Grab some popcorn and join me in wishing a long life to the Flaming Trolleys marching band.
Some of you will remember the jailed Iranian trade unionist Farzad Kamangar. He was the subject of a LabourStart campaign more than a year ago.
Kamangar was accused by the regime of “endangering national security” and “enmity against God”. He was convicted in a sham trial that lasted less than five minutes, sent to prison and tortured.
Teachers’ unions around the world campaigned for his release, backed by the labour movement and human rights groups like Amnesty International.
Last weekend, the Iranian regime executed Farzad together with several other prisoners. He was hanged secretly, without his family being informed, in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran.
As the one-year anniversary of Iran’s fraudulent Presidential elections approaches, we have reason to fear that the regime will become even more brutal in its crackdown. Other trade unionists languishing in Iranian jails now fear for their lives too.
We must act now to send a loud and clear message to Tehran — no more executions! Please take a minute and send off your message.
And afterwards, please make sure to spread the word in your union. We must act quickly to save the lives of our fellow trade unionists. At a time like this, we cannot remain silent.
On April 5, 2010 WikiLeaks released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate murder of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad — including two Reuters news staff. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.
Anyone who doubts that war is anything other than organized murder should watch this video.
