Vancouver-Kingsway 2008

Don Calls for National Autism Day

2009-03-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

Don on a National Autism Day

Fri 27 Feb 2009

House of Commons Debates

OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD)

Wednesday 25th February, 2009

National Autism Day

Mr Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce an act respecting national autism day. I am proud to introduce legislation that would recognize the work and struggles of those with autism.

It also would recognize the challenges faced by friends and families of people with this condition, in particular parents who raise an autistic child and all the special people who work with and advocate for them. It is right and overdue to mark and appreciate these challenges.

So much about autism remains to be discovered, and I know many in the House have called for additional funding for research, support and coverage under the Canada Health Act. I repeat that call today.

The creation of a national autism day will bring light and attention to those who fall on the autism spectrum and to those who tirelessly support a family member or friend with autism, people like Abbe and Lucas Gates, Patti Bacchus and Dawn Steele.

I ask all members to support the bill.

Don's Open House & Media Bits

2009-01-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

Don's Community Office Open House was a big smash, lots of people coming and going, good food Don and his team were the consummate host and hostesses. Don was able to spend time meeting and talking with constituents and finding out what are important issues to them.

Good luck to Don as he heads back to Ottawa for what is sure to be interesting days.

Don Davies MLA Office in Vancouver:

2951 Kingsway (in the block west of Rupert St).
Vancouver, BC

Tel: 604-775-6263
E-mail: davied@parl.gc.ca

Don Media Bits:

Local blood boils over Gaza as MP pays price
Mark Hasiuk, Vancouver Courier

Published: Friday, January 16, 2009

Excerpt:

Moments later, the NDP arrived. Don Davies, MP for Vancouver Kingsway, stepped up to the microphone and onto the political minefield of Middle East politics, where nerves are frayed and semantics matter.

Davies, whose suit and tie ensemble seemed oddly inappropriate, spoke for 30 seconds before his speech blew up in his face. After condemning the escalating violence in Gaza and calling for an Israeli ceasefire, he said "and Palestinians must also stop violence against Israel."

A brief silence was followed by a smattering of boos. A bearded man, with an umbrella in one hand and a Palestinian flag in the other, shouted "Shame on you! Shame, shame!"

Davies abruptly surrendered the microphone and a female voice thundered from the loudspeaker. "Israel is waging war on the Palestinians! Our resistance will not be criminalized!"

The crowd cheered and chanted. Davies limped back to the mic. "My friends, do not take anything I've said to justify Israeli actions that we've seen."

But the damage was done. The crowd, already suspicious of federal politicians, dismissed Davies with silence. Pale and wet, he descended the gallery steps, nervously scanned the crowd, and disappeared into the sea of umbrellas.

************************************
Response from one of our regular readers & constituents in Vancouver-Kingsway:

Davies deserves credit for courage

Vancouver Courier. Published: Friday, January 23, 2009

To the editor:

Re: "Local blood boils over Gaza as MP pays price," Jan. 16.

It comes as no surprise that Don Davies' message of peace should have raised the hackles of at least some of those attending the recent rally protesting Israel's military offensive in Gaza. What is surprising is the derisive tone of Mark Hasiuk's account of Davies' address. Hasiuk even takes Davies to task for wearing a suit to the rally, describing it as "inappropriate." I wonder what he would have had Davies wear. Battle fatigues? A Hawaiian shirt?

In contrast to Hasiuk's mean-spirited narrative, I would say it took courage for Mr. Davies to decry the shedding of civilian blood on both sides of the conflict and to demand a just and balanced solution to the crisis. Such an approach, after all, used to be a hallmark of Canada's policy on the Middle East--a point recently underscored by Paul Heinbecker, former Canadian ambassador to the UN. Since the advent of the Harper government, however, Canada's voice on this issue, and many others, has merely parroted that of the Bush administration.

Don Davies should be commended for insisting that Canada resume its traditional role in world affairs as a peacemaker.

Stephen Phillips,

Vancouver

© Vancouver Courier 2009

************************************
Last word from Vancouver-Kingsway

I give Don a lot of kudos for having the courage to get up and publically speak to such a contentious issue.

It also shows his integrity and commitment to speak up for peace and end to the violence.

Truthfully, there are many people who have become too fearful to speak out about anything to do with Israel and Palestine for fear of being labeled anti-semitic. That is a tactic I've seen used to silence other courageous folks who've waded into the fray and thorny discussion about the complicated situation in the middle-East.

Thanks for your bravery Don and like they say, the only bad press is no press at all. ;-}

Don in the News & at upcoming Homelessness Event

2009-01-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

Public Forum on Homelessness - Vancouver - January 14th 2009

Host: Libby Davies, Hon. Hedy Fry and Don Davies

Date & Time: Wednesday, January 14, 2009

From: 9:00am - 12:00pm

Location: Vancouver Japanese Language School Auditorium
487 Alexander St. Vancouver, BC

Description

This public forum will explore existing challenges and opportunities for addressing homelessness in the community, with a particular focus on federal policy and funding.

The goal of the forum is to send a strong message to the federal government to implement a national housing strategy and to step up their plan to address homelessness.

Guest speakers include:
Judy Graves, Tenant Support for the City of Vancouver
Dr. Michael Byers, UBC Department of Political Science
Jaimie McEvoy, Director, Hospitality Project
Laura Track, Lawer, Pivot Legal Society

********************
Here's some 'Bygones' for you:

Coalition still a possibility: NDP MP Don Davies

By Carlito Pablo, Georgia Straight.co

The New Democratic Party’s first-term MP for Vancouver Kingsway has some advice for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservatives, on how they should act when Parliament resumes on January 26: stop being bullies.

Don Davies made this suggestion even as he acknowledged that the Harper government may not be immediately toppled by a Liberal–NDP coalition that has the support of the Bloc Québécois.

“If they come back at the end of January and they understand that they need to get the confidence of the House and they act accordingly, then that’s one scenario,” Davies told the Straight. “But if they come back and continue to bully and act undemocratically and come from a hard-right perspective, then I think the coalition will revive itself, and it’s a very real possibility that it will replace the Harper government.”

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean prorogued Parliament on December 4 at the request of Harper, who was facing imminent defeat by the coalition at the time.

The Liberals later installed Michael Ignatieff as their leader, replacing Stéphane Dion, a key proponent of the coalition. Ignatieff has since indicated that he may support a Conservative budget if it contains a sound economic-stimulus package. The budget will be presented in Parliament on January 27.

“One scenario is Harper comes with a fantastic budget,” Davies said. “Another scenario is he comes out with an unacceptable budget, and the Liberals vote for it. Third possibility is he comes back with a terrible budget or an unacceptable budget, and the Liberals and the New Democrats vote down the government. There may be more.”

The Conservatives’ fall economic statement proposed slashing federal subsidies to parties, a plan that was immediately withdrawn after it was attacked by the opposition.

If Delta–Richmond East Conservative MP John Cummins’s comments are any indication, his party may return to Parliament with a more conciliatory attitude.

“I think that cooler heads will prevail, and I think that people will recognize that the Canadian public expects Parliament to work, and that a lot of the shenanigans that went on before Christmas should be set aside,” Cummins told the Straight. “And I’m not putting the blame on anybody in particular. When I say that, I think that things could have been handled differently by everyone, and I don’t think it’s helpful to be pointing fingers at this point.”

Cummins added, “What we got to do is let bygones be bygones.”

*************************************

Also, good news for Vancouver & BC, couldn't ask for a better candidate to take on the resident Oligarch. Go Mel Go!!!

NDP's Mel Lehan will run against Premier Gordon Campbell in Vancouver-Point Grey

Georgia Straight.com

Mel Lehan - Facebook page

Jack Will Be in da V-K House

2008-12-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

Jack Layton, leader of the federal NDP is coming to join Vancouverites,
particularly those living in Vancouver-Kingway, who Don Davies has invited
to the town hall meet & greet, debate, discussion on the "Ottawa" situation.

Here's the details:

What: an evening of discussion, debate and information on
the recent events in Ottawa.

When: Wednesday 17th December 2008 at 6pm.

Where: Collingwood Neighbourhood House -
5288 Joyce Street, Vancouver

With: Special guest NDP leader Jack Layton

Light refreshments will be served. No need to RSVP – just turn up.

For more information, please contact my community office @ 604-775-6263.

E-mail Don @ davied@parl.gc.ca

Hope we can all battle the elements and make it. How often do we get
a chance to sit down with someone who might be leading our next
government and give "Ottawa" a heads up about what's important to us.

Hmmm, I think if memory serves me correctly, "our" last riding rep
left us all "high and dry" on that one. As an elected official, Emerson
was reported to have had a remarkable aversion to meeting with,
or listening to constituents. Right out of the gate Don has him beat.
Rock on, Don.

Where's Waldo (Emerson) Now: Where Else, With Gordon Campbell

2008-12-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

If there are any lingering doubts in your mind that there is little
difference between Gordon Campbell's BC Liberals and the federal
Conservatives, those should be laid to rest for good.

It's not bad enough we were plagued with Emerson from the time he
walked across the floor and with the little he did for us in the
riding he misappropriated electorally, now he's getting crowned
GC's "Minister of Everything." BC taxpayers are set to be forking
out unknown thousands for Emerson's @$$ at board tables all over
the place. Here are just a few gigs he's been appointed to by GC
recently:

- senior adviser to a Vancouver law firm
- CEO of B.C. Transmission Corp.
- member of the board at Finning
- chairman of the province's newly formed economic advisory council

My guess, is Emerson's first order of business is to ensure that BC's
governmental infrastructure (think every piece of information that the
BC government has on every citizen in the province) is signed away
by January 2009. In a deal that's been secretively getting carried out,
Gordon Campbell and his government are set to sign a multi-million dollar,
multi-year contract with HP-EDS (operating in BC as EDS Advanced Solutions) that will remove BC's privacy rights forever. This deal will shovel millions of BC taxpayer dollars into a subsidiary of a transnational corporation of disrepute for how they've managed their UK contracts.

Read more about this here.

The return of the Minister of Everything
Patrick Brethour
B.C. premier's newest adviser is, as always, ready to think big
Globe & Mail. On-line 12/12/08 06:00 AM

Don Davies Invites Us to Visit with Him @ Collingwood

2008-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I’d like to invite you to join me for an evening of discussion, debate and information on the recent events in Ottawa.

When: Wednesday 17th December 2008 at 6pm

Where: Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce Street, Vancouver

Light refreshments will be served.

No need to RSVP – just turn up.

For more information, please contact:

My community office on 604-775-6263
Email me @ davied@parl.gc.ca.

I hope to see you there!

Best Wishes

Don

Don Davies MP
Vancouver Kingsway

Emerson & Campbell: Birds of a Feather...

2008-12-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

Emerson to chair B.C. economic advisory council
CBC News. December 10, 2008.

Excerpts:

Former federal cabinet minister David Emerson will head a B.C. economic advisory council tasked with finding ways to stimulate the provincial economy.

Premier Gordon Campbell made the announcement Wednesday, saying the nine-member council will begin work immediately and report directly to cabinet.

The council will focus on economic issues related to energy, natural resources, forestry, the environment and the Asia-Pacific market area.

Last month, the B.C. government appointed Emerson as CEO and board chair of the BC Transmission Corporation, a Crown company that works with BC Hydro to supply electricity across the province.
****************
- Enough patronage to Campbell & neoConservative insiders.
- Enough "summits" enough studies, enough research.
- Enough self-interested, arrogant wind bags full of hot, fetid air
and sucking up time, space and taxpayer money.

BC NEEDS ETHICAL, INTELLIGENT ACTION & Good Government, something neither of these Flocking Birds seem to know Anything About.

Vote Campbell's Liberals/neoCons Out on May 12th 2009.

Emerson De-Lurks: Look out for BC's Water & Power

2008-12-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

For those of you wondering where David Emerson was lurking:

NEWS RELEASE: For Immediate Release
2008EMPR0068-001807

Nov. 25, 2008
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources

DAVID EMERSON TO CHAIR B.C. TRANSMISSION CORPORATION

VICTORIA – Former federal cabinet minister David Emerson will serve as the new executive chair of the British Columbia Transmission Corporation, presiding over the board of directors and assuming the responsibilities of the chief executive officer, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Richard Neufeld announced today.

“This new structure will allow for a smooth transition in the BC Transmission Corporation’s corporate leadership,” said Neufeld. “David Emerson’s successful experience in both corporate sector and government makes him well-suited to lead the company.

BCTC Board & Executive

An electrifying connection
Posted by Sean Holman, Public Eye Online at 01:44 PM.

"I am looking forward to working closely with BC Hydro in further developing our province's potential in opening up new opportunities for investment and family supporting jobs in clean energy." That[is]what former federal cabinet minister David Emerson said last week, upon being appointed the new executive chair of the British Columbia Transmission Corp. And that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the former Canfor Corp. president and chief executive officer. After all, BC Hydro Corp.'s senior corporate affairs vice-president Susan Yurkovich worked with Mr. Emerson when she was an executive at the forest company. And, according to The Vancouver Sun's Jeff Lee, Ms. Yurkovich also helped run Mr. Emerson's successful 2004 election campaign in Vancouver-Kingsway. Fancy that!

**************************************
Looks like they've got it all worked out, eh?

Wonder what folks at Save Our Rivers and Citizens for Public Power
have to say about how the corporate elites are lining things up?

Save Our Rivers: Protecting BC's River & Public Power

We as a population in BC face a historic challenge. All through time our rivers have flowed freely. Our provincial government is quietly giving away rights to our public rivers for private power production to some of the world's biggest corporations

BC Citizens for Public Power (BCCPP) is a grassroots, advocacy organization established to give voice to British Columbians' demand that the province's power generation system remain in public hands.

**************
Cosy Business Ties Exposed by Health Budget Turmoil
Purchase quit as chair of Fraser Health Authority BC's Health Authorities:
Who gets hired (and fired).
By Will McMartin. Published: January 31, 2007. TheTyee.ca

Excerpt:

Susan Yurkovich, one of [Gary] Collins's dearest political pals, was also an early government appointee to the Vancouver Coastal board alongside Purchase and Johnstone. Yurkovich worked as a staffer with Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative government in the early 1990s before joining Canfor Corp., where she worked closely with CEO David Emerson.

Emerson and Yurkovich both left the forest company after its 2004 merger with Slocan Forest Products. Emerson won election to the House of Commons as a Liberal in Vancouver-Kingsway in 2004, and was re-elected with that party in 2006 (defecting days later to Stephen Harper's Conservative government). Yurkovich was a senior strategist with Campbell's B.C. Liberals prior to and during the 2005 general election.

According to Sean Holman's Public Eye website, Yurkovich and Mike McDonald, a former political aide to Gordon Campbell (and husband of Campbell's deputy minister, Jessica McDonald), were in the pre-election 2005-06 budget lock-up for stakeholders, registered as representatives of McDonald's firm, Rosedeer Strategies Inc. McDonald declined to answer Holman's query as to the purpose of his and Yurkovich's unusual presence in the lock-up, but others suggested that the pair's task was to ensure that stakeholders received -- and later reiterated for the news media -- the political "spin" desired by the B.C. Liberals. A few weeks later, Yurkovich was re-appointed to Vancouver Coastal's board of directors.

During the election campaign, the Vancouver Sun newspaper identified Yurkovich as a member of an inner circle of B.C. Liberal political strategists. After the election, she got another order-in-council appointment, this one extending her term on the health authority board to 2008.

More work for Yurkovich

In addition to her service on the Vancouver Coastal board, the re-elected Campbell government evidently needed Yurkovich's talents for a greater task. The B.C. Liberals were unhappy with B.C. Hydro's public-relations strategy for development of the proposed Site C dam, and decided that Yurkovich had the corporate-communication skills evidently required by the province's largest Crown corporation.

In June 2006, Yurkovich was named B.C. Hydro's senior vice-president for corporate affairs.

How to Contact Don Davies, MP -VK

2008-11-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

Updates on Don Davies, MP for Vancouver-Kingsway and where to contact him with constituency concerns and other issues.

E-mail: Davies.D@parl.gc.ca

Constituency Office:
2951 Kingsway Avenue
Vancouver, British Columbia
V5R 5J4

Ottawa Address:

Parliament Hill:
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

NDP Riding Association for Vancouver-Kingsway

209-569 16th avenue
Vancouver BC V5Z 4N7

Phone: (604) 602-1690
Email: sphillips@langara.bc.ca
President: Stephen Phillips

I suppose constituents can expect a Holiday Open House of Don's new constituency office once Don is back from this session in Ottawa.

In case you missed the NDP announcement of it's Shadow Cabinet, Don has been given some important portfolios.

Deputy Critic Immigration and Citizenship
Western Economic Diversification
Multiculturalism
Metro Vancouver

Message from Don Davies - MP Vancouver-Kingsway

2008-10-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a message from Don Davies, Vancouver-Kingsway's
new Member of Parliament (MP):

Dear friends,

I am writing to thank you for all of your work, support, and encouragement throughout this long election campaign.

Thanks to your effort, and that of so many others like you, I now have the privilege of representing the citizens of Vancouver Kingsway.

This is a responsibility that I take most seriously, with an attitude of great humility, and in full recognition that this was only accomplished through the hard work, talent and commitment of people like you.

It is my intent to represent the constituents of this riding to the very best of my ability, whether standing in Parliament to add my voice in support of the progressive values of New Democrats, working to highlight issues of concern in our neighbourhoods, or being involved in the activities and events of our community.

One of our first tasks will be to establish a constituency office, to which the door will always be open to anyone who cares to enter. We will make this a place where people are made to feel welcome and a place to raise concerns, whether large or small, in all matters of federal jurisdiction.

I will work my utmost to restore honest and effective representation to the people of Vancouver Kingsway.

Thank you once again for all your efforts in affording me this opportunity to serve, so that we can now work together toward a fairer, most just, and more compassionate society.

If you have any opinions, ideas or questions please do not hesitate to contact me at any time.

Together, we were elected - together, we will represent Vancouver Kingsway.

Sincerely,

Don Davies

For those who want to stay in the loop:

E-mail Don @ dondaviesndp@gmail.com

Or, from his web page

Don Davies' webpage

Don Davies Facebook page

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Don Davies makes lone victory speech at NDP party
By Pieta Woolley. October 15th 2008. The Georgia Straight.

The NDP crowd was hungry for a victory, so when Vancouver-Kingsway
candidate Don Davies walked into Heritage Hall, it might as well have
been Posh ’n’ Becks.

The thick crowd pounded their applause, and chanted "Davies, Davies!"
The ruddy-cheeked first-time MP-elect, followed by his wife and teenaged
daughter, was scrummed by a pack of news-starved TV crews. He took the
stage, did the requisite Rocky-inspired victory fist shake with B.C.
NDP president Jeff Fox, and let the noise die down.

"I wrote a victory speech and a defeat speech," Davies told the crowd,
"and my defeat speech is better."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Defeat sucks!"

After thanking a crew of folk, Davies said he had two pledges.

"The last person elected here put the king in Kingsway," he said, to more cheers. "Tonight, we put the constituent into constituency!" The crowd
went ballistic.

"Second," he said, "I will work hard to serve you, and I will strive
mightily to listen. I'll bring democracy, fairness, and a voice to the
ones who may not be able to speak for themselves."

Of the four NDP candidates at Heritage Hall tonight, Davies was the
only one elected.

New Blog & Election Information

2008-10-17T11:42:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who read the election blog.

I've started a new blog, come check it out.

Westcoast Indie News

Two more elections to go here in BC in the next eight months:

The municipal election: November 15, 2008

Frances Bula has posted a slate of her blog:State of Vancouver

2008 VANCOUVER CIVIC ELECTION CANDIDATES

BC Provincial By-Election: October 29th 2008

Vancouver-Fairview

Vancouver-Quadra

BC Provincial Election: May 12 2009

Electoral Finance: see who's been contributing money to parties.

Omar Khadr Documentary: CBC violates Canada's Rights to Freedom of the Press

2008-10-16T08:48:00.001-07:00

If there is any doubt in our minds that the CBC is in service to Stephen Harper and the neoConservative government, lay that to rest.

Airing on CBC on October 16th - just two days after the Canadian federal
election, The US vs. Omar Khadr, a documentary by Terence McKenna, which is openly critical of Harper and the Canadian government for failing to act in the best interests of this Canadian child, who has been imprisoned, tortured and abused FOR YEARS in Guatanomo Bay.

It is the grossest abuse of the responsibility and duty of the press to freedom, justice, liberty and democracy that the CBC, our taxpayer funded media, chose to supress the showing of this important documentary. This is an abuse of the human rights of all Canadians.

If the leadership of the CBC will not reform themselves and remember whose interests they are there to serve, Canadians, then it is time for the leadership of the CBC to resign.

Omar Khadr Project

Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms

Fundamental Freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
a) freedom of conscience and religion;
b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
d) freedom of association.

Enforcement of guaranteed rights and freedoms

24. (1) Anyone whose rights or freedoms, as guaranteed by this Charter, have been infringed or denied may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction to obtain such remedy as the court considers appropriate and just in the circumstances.

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Canada re-elects Stephen Harper

Murray Dobbin: Harper will continue to dismantle social democracy

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper was re-elected this week, as his Conservative Party won its second minority government. Harper called an early election last month after accusing the Canadian Parliament of being dysfunctional. Observers called it a calculated political move, meant to take advantage of his lead in the polls, with the aim, to secure a majority for his party.

With another minority parliament Murray Dobbin thinks Stephen Harper "will really hate this situation" and ultimately feels Harpers move for an early election could be the cause of his own demise. If Harper doesn't work with the other parties which has been the case in the past Dobbin claims "We'll go in to a recession…..he'll start cutting things and that will bring about his defeat."

Dobbin says with Harpers reluctance to use government spending as a way to stimulate the economy and his "60 billion dollars in tax cuts which completely ties his hands, we'll be in a deficit position by December or January unless he goes back on his tax cuts."

"The future of Canada has been in trouble for 20 years ever since the free trade agreement" according to Dobbin, with Harper back with his minority government the dismantling of the social democratic system will continue.

You can find complete coverage of this story on our website: The Real News

WOOHOO DON DAVIES WINS VANCOUVER-KINGSWAY!!!

2008-10-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

That is just the bomb, way to go Vancouver-Kingsway and the NDP team!!!!!
Looking forward to Don Davies representing us in Ottawa.

Boohiss!!! to everyone across Canada who voted Conservative. Someday, Canada will look back and know what you've done. And I want to remind everyone that Stephen Harper spent over $300 million dollars of tax payer money to have an election where he is still the minority government and yes, I did say he is the government . Virtually everyone who voted neoConservative voted for candidates who did not speak, or listen, to constituents during the election because Harper put a gag on all of them. Good luck with your representation now that you elected them.

Ironically, it was Salomon "regular blood donor" Rayek, the Conservative candidate in V-K who turned out to be the strategic monkey wrench to the Liberals winning this riding. For that we gotta thank you, Mr. Rayek, way to go.

I want to send a shout out to Wendy Yuan and her campaign team for a strong, tough fight.

Also, way to go to the other candidates, who put on a worthy fight for reminding us what democracy is all about.

A BIG HUGE hug and kiss to Quebec for seeing what the Conservatives are all about and saving Canada from a Conservative majority, Quebec is the hero in this election.

Vancouver-Kingsway numbers

BC Voting Results

Thanks to everyone who made this little election blog experiment so successful.

It's SHOW TIME: Get the Vote Out Canada

2008-10-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we're down to the wire, it's SHOW TIME folks.

Here are the final few stories making the rounds in Vancouver-Kingsway.
I hope those voting remember that our next elected Member of
Parliament is a representative to all of us in the riding, a wide and diverse range of voters.

I hope that people get out and vote, no matter what riding you live in, with the knowledge that this is one of THE most important elections in Canadian history.

Wendy Yuan 3rd Party Advertising

Of thousands of candidates running in 308 ridings across the country only one candidate - Wendy Yuan - appears to have multiple third party individuals running election advertising in her support.

Vancouver-Kingsway: Race Card Played?
Mike Watkins.

Additionally, an official advertisement released by the Yuan campaign exhorts:

Please unite, on 10/14 cast a vote for your ethnic Chinese candidate, Wendy Yuan.

Patrick [Tam] points this out as a racist appeal for votes and I agree. Candidates shouldn't be asking for the vote based on their race or skin colour, and nor should their supporters.

Sadly this approach typifies much of campaign 2008 where the politics of
attack and division have dominated over that of ideas and the future.

Critic accuses Liberal Yuan of prejudice (Oct 13, The Tyee)

A local photographer accused Vancouver-Kingsway Liberal candidate Wendy Yuan of prejudice after the appearance of two Chinese-language ads that
promote her ethnic background.

“[Yuan] is dumbing down the Chinese voters,” he said. “One
should vote for the most able candidate, not because of their ethnicity.”

Tam said the ads set a bad precedent for Canadian politics.

Wendy Yuan’s Policy Emptiness is Bad for Vancouver-Kingsway

Posted by Stephen Elliott-Buckley on October 13, 2008. Politics ReSpun

A vote for the NDP and Don Davies is a vote for progress, humanity and real political representation in Vancouver-Kingsway.

A vote for the Liberals and Wendy Yuan is a vote for the federal Liberal party “brand”, elitist and pro-corporate policies and the Paul Martin-David Emerson gang.

Worst of all, NOT voting is a vote for Wendy Yuan. Here’s why:

As far as I can tell, Wendy Yuan seems like a nice person: earnest, believing in the importance of a prosperous future for Canada [she owns a small business so you do the math] and somewhat down to earth.

But in the context of who we want representing us in parliament, she’s an empty vessel and fully uninspiring on the issues.

Don Davies has actually lived and volunteered in the riding for years, works for human rights and social and economic justice, and is interested in his fellow citizens in the riding and our concerns as opposed to pro-corporate issues or concerns of people who own big homes in Richmond like Wendy Yuan.

And without going into Wendy Yuan’s foibles which you can read about elsewhere:

* the tragic optics of the apartment she rented last fall in Collingwood to go along with her house in Richmond
* her probably good work with SUCCESS, the Richmond Economic Advisory Committee and SFU in Surrey [as opposed to any real work in Vancouver-Kingsway]
* whether she was involved in nomination meeting voter shenanigans, racially-divisive advertising, or supporting or failing to oppose China’s practice of murdering Falong Gong members for lucrative organs,

on what she actually brings to the table, she is a disastrous pick for MP.

You can review it for yourselves in a few places. Her YouTube site has a few vignettes of true policy emptiness that reflect her party’s abject refusal to address issues of real people. Its three features are so free of issues that we hear our anthem, see some pictures of her showing up at public events and trust-based service pledges. Empty otherwise.

She also seemed quite useless at the all-candidates meeting on October 7, 2008. While these videos may have neglected her best moments, what we do see is cringe-inducing.

Vancouver-Kingsway Riding Talk on CBC

Final Vancouver-Kingsway 2008 comments:

It looks like the race here in V-K is going to be a tight one. Here are some things to consider:

Conservative candidate - Salomon "regular blood donor" Rayek- He does not live in the riding, nor work here, has never spent one moment volunteering here, or had any involvement in community work, or improving the health & wellbeing of our community.
- He lives in Richmond and has long been on the executive of the Richmond-Delta East Conservative Riding Association.
- During this election, he has snubbed constituents by not showing up for 2 different All Candidates meetings.
- His office will not return e-mails to me, a constituent.
- He has not done one thing that would demonstrate he has a commitment to the people of this riding. If he has refused to show up, won't talk, or listen to constituents & voters DURING AN ELECTION - why would we have any hope he will be there if we need him as a MP?

A vote for Salomon Rayek is a wasted vote for Vancouver-Kingsway.

Wendy Yuan - Liberal Party- She moved to the riding in preparation for the election, she has never spent a moment working, or volunteering, nor has she been involved with any community groups working to make V-K a better place for all.
- I saw her in action at both All Candidates meetings and her performance at both was substandard. She was inarticulate, easily rattled by simple questions, did not do her homework, was not prepared, did not even know her own party's platform & was reading it verbatim, but was accusing other candidates of not having their facts straight. She was a poor public speaker and was evasive in answering questions she didn't want to answer, or that she didn't know the answer to.
- Ms. Yuan has managed to incur very serious hostility and anger from the Chinese Falun Gong and other practitioners due to her hands off opinions about China's human rights abuses.
- Ms. Yuan has not learned that just because you want something really, really bad, doesn't mean you will be any good at it.

Don Davies - NDP- He has lived in the riding for years, his kids go to school in it and he has volunteered and been part of the community for years.
- At each All Candidates meeting he was smart, articulate, knew the issues, could provide facts, details & background easily.
- He knew his party's platform, has been inclusive and interested in the needs & issues of a wide range of constituents.

Vancouver-Kingsway needs a strong representative in Ottawa, someone who will represent a wide range of constituents. It isn't right that someone wins this riding due to race, since we are a very diverse riding. Let's vote for the most capable, strongest and most prepared and knowledgeable candidate to re-store pride to Vancouver-Kingsway. Happy voting day Canada.

Video of All Candidates Forum

2008-10-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

There is a whole schwack of video footage from the All Candidates debate on this
YouTube page.

I encourage voters to have a look at the different question & answer panels to get an idea for yourself whether the candidates (those that showed up) know the issues, how they articulate themselves and respond under pressure.

Of course Conservative Salomon "Regular Blood Donor" Rayek did not grace constituents with his presence, so he isn't there to see in action.
***********************
Thanks to Mike Watkins for pointing us in the direction of the Vancouver-Kingsway webpage where the questions & videos are all linked up for easier viewing.

Also check out Mike Watkins web page for a lot more information about the Conservatives bungling. You won't be reading these things in the mainstream media.

Where is the Liberal Party?More on Wendy Yuan's Troubled Election Bid

2008-10-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

Liberal candidate Wendy Yuan condemned for playing the race card

By Charlie Smith. October 11, 2008. The Georgia Straight.

Vancouver photographer Patrick Tam has called upon Vancouver Kingsway Liberal candidate Wendy Yuan's campaign to apologize for a Chinese-language ad that plays up her Chinese heritage.

Tam, a long-time supporter of New Democratic Party candidates, sent the Straight a copy of the ad, which compares Yuan to her NDP rival Don Davies.

The ad, which appeared in Sing Tao yesterday according to Tam, describes Yuan as a successful entrepreneur who will cut taxes and who speaks Chinese. Davies is described as having a union background who will increase taxes and who doesn't speak Chinese.

"Please unite on 10/14 and cast a vote for our Chinese community candidate, Wendy Yuan," the ad states.

Tam claimed in his e-mail that the ad is "racist" because it basically says: "Vote for me because I'm the same race as you."

Tam stated in his e-mail that he knows Yuan personally, and he is "very saddened and disappointed that she allowed her team" to place the ad.

"It makes us Chinese look bad in the eyes of the other Canadians," Tam claimed.

2008-10-10 SingTao Daily - page B16 - Wendy YUAN Ad

Verbatim translation of this ad.
= = = = = = = = = = = =
PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE FOR WENDY YUAN
NDP candidate - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Liberal Party candidate
Don Davies - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wendy Yuan
union background - - - - - - - - - - - - - - successful entrepreneur
increase taxes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - cut taxes
do not speak Chinese- - - - - - - - - - - - speaks Chinese
no [CHN] community leader support - has [CHN] community leader support

This federal election, the Conservative party candidate is so unknown that he's
only an also-run. Please unite, on 10/14 cast a vote for our Chinese community candidate, Wendy Yuan.

Thank you!

Authorised by Yi Xin Chen
**********************************************

Don Davies Response - Chinese Ad (Translated)

In the last few days, Wendy Yuan's ads contain messages that mislead the voters.
The truth is:- The Liberal's carbon tax will increase your hydro bill, fuel bill and home heating expenses.
- The NDP's policies will not increase personal or corporate income tax.
- Don has a few successful careers. He was a successful government worker, a successful lawyer and a successful consultant in labour relations.
- In the Kingsway riding, Don has the support from all ethnic groups and community leaders.
- The Liberal Party lost the last election because of scandals and the lost of trust of the voters.
- The main reason that Wendy Yuan plays such an important role in the Liberal Party is because in the last federal election she stepped aside as the Kingsway candidate and let David Emerson run.

Wendy Yuan is misleading you, she's not worth your trust.

Only the NDP have the courage to fight Harper and the Conservatives.
We need the truth and respect for politics.

Oct 14, for you and your family, please cast your vote for Don Davies and the NDP.

Paid and authorised by the official agent for Don Davies.

***********************************

Follow up:
Liberal candidate Wendy Yuan denies playing the race card

By Charlie Smith. October 11th. Original story modified, Georgia Straight.

Yuan's campaign, however, sent a reply to Tam denying responsibility for the ad and insisting it was bought by a third party.

"In reply to Patrick Tam's comment let us be very clear that this was a 3rd Party Ad and it was not published by the Wendy Yuan campaign. We did not authorize it and had no prior knowledge of it."

The Yuan campaign added: "As Patrick and others know, Wendy has worked exceptionally hard in all communities in Vancouver Kingsway. In reality she is an individual that is committed to building bridges. It is true she has an ability to communicate in other languages and knows well the realities that many face in making Canada their home. She is a proud Canadian and she will work with all the residents of Vancouver Kingsway to make our community stronger and to assist people in realizing their aspirations and dreams."

Davies will be endorsed by the following supporters: MLA Jenny Kwan, UBC medical school professor and Vision Vancouver council candidate Kerry Jang, lawyer and former NDP federal candidate Tommy Tao, COPE activist Meena Wong, NDP MLA Adrian Dix, Jack Ho, head-tax activists Grace Schenkveld and Ron Mah, Raymond Ying, Thomas Yip, Inderjeet Hundal, unsuccessful Vision Vancouver council hopeful and Filipino community leader Rey Umlas, Ronnie Nicolasora, NDP MLA and long-time human-rights activist Raj Chouhan, Katrina Chen of the Taiwanese Association, and multiculturalism advicate Todd Wong.

***************************************

I’m sorry, readers and voters have to be reminded of the little tidbit below. Ms. Yuan has a long history of denying her involvement in things that are a bit on the sketchy side during nomination, or election bids. Once again, she was caught out, outright slamming her opponent and appealing to Chinese voters by playing one of the only things she has going for her, her ability to speak Chinese.

I also have to take serious exception to this statement: The Yuan campaign added: "As Patrick and others know, Wendy has worked exceptionally hard in all communities in Vancouver Kingsway.”

I’d like Ms. Yuan to tell voters EXACTLY what “hard work” she has done with ANY communities in V-K? Because I’ve read her election brochure and her bio and she hasn’t done one damn bit of community work in this riding, if she had, she would have shouted that from the rooftops in this election. The ONLY community work SHE mentions is her work on the board of SUCCESS, which is a great organization, that primarily provides services strictly to the Chinese community.

I’ve had enough of this window dressing and I think A LOT of other voters have too. The REAL DEAL is that Ms. Yuan has always positioned herself in this riding and her party wants her in this riding because they are PLAYING THE RACE CARD, due to the high population of Chinese voters. She doesn’t really live here (except for the election), she doesn’t work here (her business is in South Vancouver) and she hasn’t spent one moment contributing to the health and wellbeing of ALL of the citizens of the Vancouver-Kingsway constituency by being involved in our community.

An additional issue is Ms. Yuan, her campaign and the Liberal Party’s concerted effort to ignore the statements she has made about China’s human rights abuses of the Falun Gong. This has turned into an election issue for many, both in the Chinese community and a more broad base of voters. I know this, because they are e-mailing me and I saw it at the All Candidates meeting, where Ms. Yuan was offensive,in her evasiveness, to Chinese citizens who was asking her a legitimate question: to confirm whether she had stated "For Falun Gong, our policy is not to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs.”

I think it is an important issue to delve into, especially considering Ms. Yuan’s possible positioning as a Liberal candidate, who would likely be placed into a position where she will be a liaison to the Chinese government on issues of trade and commerce if the Liberals were to win the riding. I think all constituents of Vancouver-Kingsway deserve to know where Ms. Yuan and the Liberal party stand on trade initiatives with a nation whose human rights abuses of all citizens, not just Falun Gong, impact all of us at a global level.

**************************************

In 2004, Yuan stepped aside to allow David Emerson , to run as a Liberal in Vancouver Kingsway. Here’s an interesting little e-mail controversy that came up during 2006 nominations for the Liberal riding candidate where it is alleged that Wendy Yuan's campaign manager. allies and insiders may have had something to do with changing the addresses of registered party members so people would be ineligible to vote in the riding nomination contest against Mason Loh. In the end, it didn’t matter since Emerson elbowed everyone else when he was placed in the riding by the Liberals and we all know how that went. More about how the big guns from Liberals HQ denied Loh's appeal.

Wendy Yuan denied she knew any of this. She continued to stress that her campaign was clean and she's done nothing against the book. Since Loh has already filed an appeal, she wouldn't comment on the matter.

The Loh's camp claimed that at least 20 other addresses were changed at the last minute, almost all of them were Loh's supporters.

*******************************

From the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong

Liberal Candidate Wendy Yuan’s View on Rights Abuses against Falun Gong in China Consistent with Chinese Communist Party Line

CIPFG Calls on Dion to Reject Yuan’s view, and to affirm that party policy is to the contrary

Vancouver – At an all candidates debate organized by Chinese Radio AM 1320 in the Vancouver-Kingsway riding on October 4, 2008, Liberal Party candidate Wendy Yuan spoke of Liberal Party policy regarding the rights abuses against Falun Gong in China.

Ms. Yuan stated: "For Falun Gong, our policy is not to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs.” Aside from Ms. Yuan, all the other candidates spoke in favour of protecting the basic rights of Falun Gong practitioners.

Clive Ansley, chairman of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), is demanding that Liberal Party Leader Stephane Dion disassociate the Liberal Party from Ms. Yuan’s indefensible position which in effect holds that the torture, genocide, and mass murder of Falun Gong practitioners for the purpose of harvesting their organs is an internal Chinese issue, and that Liberal Party policy is to turn a blind eye toward these atrocities.

“Human Rights are universal and non-partisan,” said Mr. Ansley.

“It was shocking to hear from Ms. Yuan that the Liberal policy toward genocide, torture, and murder for the theft of organs is to cooperate with the Chinese Communist Party’s cover-up of its crimes. Under International Law, Human Rights abuses and Crimes Against Humanity can never be considered the internal affairs of any sovereign state. No state is permitted, under International Law, to violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention Against Torture, or the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. It is imperative that Stephan Dion, in the light of Ms. Yuan’s troubling statement, make absolutely clear whether the Liberal Party stands on the side of International Law or on the side of the Chinese Communist Party — the most prolific perpetrator of Crimes Against Humanity in this era.”

We have written to Dion and still await his reply,” said Lucy Zhou and Sue Zhang, Falun Dafa Association of Canada.

Posted by Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong to Vancouver-Kingsway 2008 at October 11, 2008 10:37 PM

Generational Divide: Time to Fight for Canada's Survival

2008-10-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

We are living in unprecedented times my fellow citizens and voters.
A time, where our sitting Prime Minister, Stephen Harper & his
neoConservative government have incurred the biggest backlash coast
to coast of any government that has sat in Canada's history. And all of
this is occurring in the midst of an election Mr. Harper himself called,
albeit illegally. See here and here for more on that.

Without a doubt, the rallying assault of voices against Harper & his pack of neoConservatives has been strengthened and boosted by the global world we all inhabit. Canada is one of the jurisdictions with the highest Internet access of
any around the world. It has made joining ranks and spreading the anti-Harper and neoConservative word all the more effective and risen this to a national pastime over the course of this campaign. At least amongst those who have climbed on board this wagon and know that the very survival of Canada is at stake in this election.

The Generational Divide: Who Represents "Our" Voices

What makes this election different too is that the many Internet campaigns,
the media and information available have brought more and more younger and more diverse voters into the political and electoral fray, something we should all be thankful about. Politics for too damn long has been an old white man's game to the exclusion of any other voices, to the detriment of the needs, interests and issues of those who don't have the luxury of running for
office, of soliciting funds from other rich white men who attach strings to
their support.

The generational divide is nowhere more noticeable than by taking a look at
the mainstream media, with the big "old boys" club using their club and might
to promote Stephen Harper for Prime Minister in their editorials. If there was any doubt in my mind, that has been resolved: the mainstream
corporate media (MSM) has ceased to have relevancy, credibility,
or retain a single shred of an idea about the public's thirst for
new leadership amidst an awakening of the deceit, bigotry and
unethical conduct of Stephen Harper and his neoConservative government.

Quite simply put, the corporate media has ceased to be viewed as a legitimate
media and information source in Canada by a growing number of citizens,
especially those on the other side of 40 because they serve their
neoConservative and corporate masters and have forgotten their purpose in
a free and democratic society - to provide news & information to the public,
for the public, in the public good. See Who Killed Canada for more.

Mainstream media is dead in Canada, I don't think they know it yet and no
amount of blogging by their beleaguered journalists is going to change that.

*******************************************
The Truth of a Person's Character will Always be evident by their Actions

It is the duty of men to judge men only by their actions. Our faculties furnish us with no means of arriving at the motive, the character, the secret self.
We call the tree good from its fruits, and the man, from his works.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

* What exactly is happening, why are Harper & his neoConservatives melting
down in front of our eyes?
* How have things gone off the rails so quickly?
* Why is it not only public opinion is rapidly shifting, but also those
closely watched polls of voters?

These are some of the reasons and all of them are related to Harper's character
and judgement:

Harper heads a Party for White, older Rich folks who already have Theirs - The neoConservatives really only resonate with a very small
bunch of people - older, richer, whiter, more small c conservative, those
who feel like crime is running rampant (it isn't) and people aren't being
punished hard enough (they are). It's called fearmongering, and the
Conservatives are masters at creating problems where there are none
to scare people. People who don't like those "junkies," people who take what
they read in the Vancouver Sun as gospel and who are perhaps too intellectually lazy to move beyond the pablum of the masses brought to them by the corporatized media. Because there is so much more than the crap these corporate hacks put out for their political masters. Last night I watched one of Harper's media appearance, making a big deal about nothing over Dion's brain fart & the whitewash in the background (his supporters) was an indication of what a narrow appeal Harper & his Conservatives have. From coast to coast, it's a party made by white men, for white men. Check out the candidates to see if I'm exaggerating.

Lack of Respect, Dignity & Voice for Canadians (Ie. Arrogance of
the Elite) - Harper & his neoConservative backroomers, who include more than a few Americans, have made THE biggest mistake of any election anywhere by muzzling and directing candidates not to attend All Candidate forums and debates, and preventing them from talking to local media, constituents and voters. To deny the people of Canada the right and opportunity to meet with, to hear from and see candidates in action is one of the grossest breaches of democracy I have ever seen in my life. And this neoConservative strategy proves that this is a one-man government, ALWAYS and FOREVER. If the Conservative candidates won't meet with and face voters now, during an election, what makes anyone think they will have one minute to spare listening to the needs & issues of Canadians if they get voted in. Will they even be allowed to? Just look at the numbers of neoConservative candidates who are failing Canadians during this election and these are only the ones being reported.

Manipulation & Lack of Judgement - Harper, while sitting as Canada's Prime Minister, is alleged to have listened to and approved plans for his Conservative members to offer a million dollar life insurance policy to Chuck Cadman, while he was dying from cancer, to swing his vote their way. Then, when caught, Harper is alleged to lie about it & denies his VERY OWN words. Then, to deflect from his abysmal judgement, he files a lawsuit against the Liberals (on taxpayer's dime, no doubt), accusing them of deceit. And now we have it, Harper's own expert has confirmed that the audiotape was not tampered with, was not edited, or in any
way altered. This means only one thing - Stephen Harper, as Prime Minister of Canada, knowingly approved a plan for his people, other neoConservatives, to offer money to a dying man to influence his vote in OUR CANADIAN PARLIAMENT.

What I'd like to know is where the hell are the RCMP in this? Maybe instead
of operating as Harper's neoCon private police force they can investigate the fact that our Prime Minister quite possibly, allegedly, may have committed a few criminal code violations, ones that had the possibility of impacting an entire nation of Canadians.

" Under cross-examination in August, Mr. Harper said he believed Mr. Zytaruk had altered the tape.

“He asked me a question about the insurance policy for $1-million. And my answer was that I did not know about that. The answer is not contained there,” Mr. Harper said under oath."

Hear for yourself exactly what Harper told Mr. Zytaruk during the interview and ask yourself, why is Harper keep Dona Cadman, Chuck's widow, away from the media and voters so strenuously and using the RCMP has her bodyguard and private police force to do so.
Read more about "the Chuck Cadman bribe controversy" here.

I think it is fair for voters & Canadians to ask what kind of moral and ethical compass does Mr. Harper have?
Is this really the kind of person that we want in our leader, as Canadians? Or to represent us internationally?
Don't Canadians deserve better?

Zero Openness, Transparency & Accountability - Although he knew he was calling an election, Harper waited until just days ago, over a month in,
to release the neoConservative "party platform," which is a whole lot more of nothingness for most of Canada. Over 1.5 million Canadians went to the ballot box before the neoConservative party even released their party platform. In fact, Harper waited until after the advanced polls closed to release his platform. If that does not offend you as a Canadian and demonstrate the
neoConservatives lack of commitment to fairness and democracy, AND a profound contempt for the people of Canada, I don't know what will.

Harper is the Washington's Toady - Harper's role as a handmaiden to the Bush regime and it's continuing plan for assuming more control of Canada's natural resources and cracking open our country and systems to American corporate greed and domination make Harper the most dangerous Prime Minister Canada has ever seen, except for Mulroney, also a Conservative, who foisted NAFTA on us, which has been hurting us ever since. And let's not forget the Liberals involvement as well.

To be crass, Canadian politicians used to have balls, used to stand up proudly and independently protecting and representing Canada as a sovereign nation on the international stage and especially in Washington, DC. We were never anyone's bitch until the neoConservative swing that has seen our "leaders" on their knees, groveling at the feet of the American hegemony that is causing the ruin of our entire global village. Yet even when faced with that, Stephen Harper misled to the Canadian public and denied the Canadian economy was in trouble.

Harper is fast tracking Canada's "deep integration" into the United States under the Security & Prosperity Partnership (SPP), the North American Union (NAU) and now apparently he's also working to integrate Canada into the European Union. Lets get this straight, with an election ongoing, our sitting Prime Minister, Harper & his people, our people (?)have been holding secret meetings for months and have come up with a draft agreement with the European Union that would see Canada become part of the EU, opening up our country to even more corporations eager for access and ownership of our natural resources and to corporatize our systems & Harper doesn't even bother to tell us about it, won't release the draft agreement & hasn't told us about his meeting with the EU on October 17th, 3 days after the federal election?

Is this in the best interests of Canadians?
Shouldn't we have an opportunity to know more?
Shouldn't we have an opportunity to voice our opinions about our continuing status as a sovereign nation?

The Gas Tank is Running on Empty - Harper & the neoConservative gene & talent pool is so low that it stretches the imagination that he could even develop a roster of Cabinet ministers. My God, hasn't Canada suffered enough humiliation and indignity with the likes of Tony Clement, Maxime Bernier, & Jim Flaherty? If these were the best Harper could do last time, what does this say about Canada to the rest of the world? It's an embarassment and a disgrace to Canada and as citizens, we deserve so much better than these clowns and idiots. Not to demean the former, or the latter, who might not want to be associated with the likes of those neoConservatives.

There are many clever souls who have been keeping running tabs on all the BIG and little things and reasons Canadians shouldn't vote for Harper & his neoConservatives and they are making it easier for all of us to access that information too:

100 Reasons not to Vote fpr Harpers' Conservatives

Exclusive: Harper Running Deficit... NOW
Mikewatkins.ca

Conservative leader Stephen Harper continues to claim that Canada is enjoying a surplus, yet his Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty this calendar year has racked up an operational deficit in six of the past seven reported months, totaling over $23 billion dollars, or $20.3 billion for this fiscal year to date. In either case these amounts are unprecedented during this decade

sCandelpedia

Fifty-two important reasons to drive out Harper's Tories

The Straight Slate to Stop Stephen Harper
Editorial. October 9th 2008. Georgia Straight.

The stakes are so high that we're urging a vote for the candidate
with the best chance of defeating Stephen Harper in your riding.

Excerpt:

Harper has aligned Canada closely with the United States in this competition for scarce energy resources. Harper has also taken several steps to bring Canadian economic, climate-change, and military policies in line with the debt-saddled superpower to the south. Last February, for instance, the Harper government quietly signed a deal with the Bush administration to permit U.S. troops to enter this country in an emergency.

The relatively high price of oil has also been the catalyst for an international investment frenzy in the Alberta tar sands, causing widespread environmental destruction. To appease the oil industry, the Harper government has provided millions of dollars in subsidies and muzzled government scientists to prevent them from commenting on the environmental effects of tar-sands developments.

Harper, the son of a former Imperial Oil executive, once described the Kyoto Protocol to limit greenhouse gases as “a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations”. The Conservatives, like their Republican counterparts in the U.S., have refused to cap greenhouse-gas emissions to curb climate change.

Meanwhile, Harper’s Security and Prosperity Partnership with the United States and Mexico is another step along the road to continental integration. Some of Harper’s ideological friends at right-wing think tanks like the Fraser Institute have also promoted a common North American currency. Don’t be surprised if Harper moves in this direction if he wins a majority government.

In previous elections, the Georgia Straight has recommended the best candidates in each riding. Because the stakes are so high this year, we’re joining the cross-country grassroots movement to promote strategic voting and deny Harper a majority. We have examined the polls, looked at previous voting patterns, and assessed the impact of each party’s campaign in B.C. in 2008. After doing this, we’ve recommended the candidate with the best chance of defeating the Conservative.

Vancouver Kingsway
Don Davies (NDP)

It’s not likely that the Conservatives will take Vancouver Kingsway. Davies, a lawyer and former political aide in Alberta, is hard-working, humble, and understands the legislative process. The NDP’s high standing in the polls in this region suggests it could pull off an upset in this riding if people vote strategically. In 2004, New Democrat Ian Waddell would have defeated David Emerson in Vancouver Kingsway by 1,126 votes if the anti-Emerson and anti-Conservative vote coalesced around the NDP. Davies’s main competitor, Liberal Wendy Yuan, is a businesswoman who wouldn’t be a disaster, unlike Emerson. Green candidate Doug Warkentin is earnest and knowledgeable, but probably doesn’t stand a chance of winning this time.

Should Canadians be worried about Conservatives not taking questions?

By Susanna Ng. Georgia Straight. Also see Chinese in Vancouver.

Surprise: Gays Don't Vote for Tories
XTraWest.

Yes, I’m Scared Of Stephen Harper!

Vive le Canada.

Harper's government as acolytes to the American Empire and neo-conservatives values have taken a fatal hit.

Harper’S Political Death Watch

Stephen Harper: Bulking Up Pentagon North

Vive le Canada.

************************************

From their mouths to our eyes & ears:

Jim Flaherty - neoConservative Minister of Finance:

On the homeless
"I will make homelessness illegal and jail people who persist in living on the street. It will be illegal to live on the street it will be illegal to live in public places... on the streets and in the parks." Jim Flaherty, Deputy Premier of Ontario, (Montreal Gazette, A10, Feb 15, 2002)

On aboriginals and ‘real people’
"The federal department of health delivers health-care services only to aboriginals -- all the provinces have the responsibility for delivering health-care services to real people in real towns, hospitals, doctors, nurses.” (Toronto Sun, Jan 23, 2002)
*************************************************
Canada Vote Swap

This group is a forum for those who oppose Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. It is imperative that they do not obtain a majority in the 2008 federal election. To prevent this from happening, those on the broad left and those concerned about the environment must cooperate.

The campaigns to stop Harper
Election race narrows as Liberal Party polls within 4 points of Conservatives.

Senior Editor Paul Jay sat down with Rick Salutin to discuss the sudden rise in the polls of the Liberal Party, just days before the Canadian election. Salutin talked about the fact that the Conservative Party of Stephen Harper has never really represented a majority of Canadians' values and as such many Canadians have been looking for a reason not to give them a mandate to see-through their vision of the country. Rick also talked about the vote-splitting which allows the Conservatives to get into office in the first place and summarizes some of the innovative ways that Canadians are organizing to overcome this electoral phenomenon that the Canadian party system presents.

Go to The Real News website to read more & find out how you can join the campaign to stop Stephen Harper & his neoConservatives.

**********************************************
Who Killed Canada - A 2008 Election Primer

Mel Hurtig & John Riddell - The Dream of Canada

Mel Hurtig - Pay the Rent of Feed the Kids: The Tragedy and Disgrace of Poverty in Canada

At no time since the Great Depression has the gap between rich and poor been so wide and the outlook for poor people been so grim. Hard-hitting and outspoken, Hurtig builds a compelling portrait of Canadian society under the rule of the “neo-Neanderthals.” He puts together the latest and most reliable statistics with stories told by people on the front lines of the poverty wars.

******************************************************
A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the sound of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. - Jawaharial Nehru

If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost. - Aristotle

Open letter to Wendy Yuan from former MP Simma Holt

2008-10-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Open letter to Wendy Yuan

Dear Wendy Yuan,
(Liberal Candidate for Kingsway-Vancouver)

I was really shocked when I heard you talk at a town hall meeting last week of the "sovereignty" of China and the suggestion that the Falun Gong is a sort of an outlawed/criminal organization.

Have you any idea how China has interfered in Canadian sovereignty, for example and only one of many, manipulated the CBC to doctor Peter Row's documentary "Beyond the Red Wall", and how the consul in Vancouver has used our police, our courts, and our government to harass the Falun Gong.

Though I am not a member of that organization or a "practitioner" as I gather they are called, they are beautiful moral peace people. Like the Monks of Burma and Tibet in their spirituality, their wonderful commitment to their three principles of ‘Truth-Compassion-Tolerance’—I ask you how evil is that?

By supporting the butchers of Beijing and their crimes again humanity -- yes even worse than Hitler and Stalin combined -- you become complicit in those atrocities. Surely you know and the whole world knows that people were displaced in order to put on the Big Show called the Olympics in August. And remarkably, there are people who like to pretend that this is not a repetition of Hitler's 1936 show Olympics as he was preparing his extermination plans.

I know of no Chinese friend or the thousands who are not Chinese here and in 60 or more countries around the world who are not aware of the fact that China is building its military to be the most powerful on earth, in military hospitals where they seize the organs of healthy people, primarily Falun Gong and any person they dislike, for sale to the rich transplant tourists from around the world --prices range from $70,000 to $200,000 an organ, and like MacDonald's you get two organs for cheaper -- called supersizing when it comes to McDonald fast food. It is Communist China’s fast organs. You can get an organ in three or four days; they kill to order. In the rest of the world instead of two or three days it takes two or three years to get an organ.

As I mentioned earlier, I am not a Falun Gong member. But I admire them greatly. It might interest you to know, also that even though I am Canadian born, a journalist here for 30 years, a Member of Parliament, daughter of one of Canada's earliest pioneers from Europe (in Alberta before it joined confederation in 1905) I have been harassed by the agents from the Communist consul. That is respect for our sovereignty?

And to think that the Canadian Chinese with whom I was so close, who worked so hard for me, and who I served from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland--all of them came to me for their cases to be handled as a journalist seeking social justice for them or as an MP with problems of immigration, family, or just because they were my friends. I was supported by the Chinese Benevolent Association, Chinese Merchants Association and they were all my friends. I attended family parties and weddings and every community event with these friends. Now they are willing to call out the police against me...and I might tell you that the police, who have been my friends for years, were amused but angry because they know they are used by the Chinese Communists in Canada to harass Falun Gong and their friends.

Yes, my father was a Canadian pioneer -- in Alberta-- there before it joined the confederation in 1905. So you can imagine how much I despise those who owe some sort of allegiance and love of China, who are silent when a young man is pistol whipped (twice) outside the Chinese consulate compound at 5 a.m. ...and I know that there are thousands of illegals here serving the Communist Chinese government.

And you dare to talk of their sovereignty!

What about the country you owe your allegiance to—the sovereignty of Canada?

I am told however, that you have a vested interest as did David Emerson--a personal agenda--business with China. I hope my information is wrong ...

Simma Holt, former MP - Vancouver BC
Liberal MP for Vancouver-Kingsway between 1974 and 1979

******************

Simma Holt: An Inventory of Her Papers at the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections

They don't make people, or speeches like this anymore:

Simma Holt: The Power Manipulators and Who Runs Canada.
The Empire Club of Canada Speeches 1977-1978, Edited by Hermant, Peter (Toronto, Canada: The Empire Club Foundation, 1978) pp. 407-426.

Wendy Yuan, the Liberal Party & China's Human Rights record

2008-10-10T09:31:00.000-07:00

Here is some of the fallout I referenced to Ms. Yuan's appearance at the All Candidates Forum on Monday, October 6th.

Thanks to Anonymous who posted this to our blog:

Leeshai Lemish: The Games are over, the persecution continues
National Post blog.

An Open letter to Wendy Yuan & the Liberal Party from the Falun Dafa Association of Canada - representing members of the Falun Gong in Canada.

Dear Liberal Candidates,

I am writing with our serious concerns that the Liberal Party candidate Ms. Wendy Yuan, speaking of the Liberal Party policy regarding the torture and killing of Falun Gong in China, stated "for Falun Gong, our policy is not to interfere other country's internal affair" at an all-candidate debate in Vancouver on October 4, 2008, while all the rest of the Candidates all spoke for protecting the basic rights of Falun Gong practitioners.

We were shocked beyond belief to hear this statement from Ms. Yuan about the Liberal Party's policy. Why would the Liberal Party’s policy on Falun Gong reflect the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s policy? For the purpose of stopping the condemnation and criticism from the international community toward its horrific human rights abuses, CCP has already claimed their rights abuses to be “internal affairs”.

However, human rights abuse is not an internal affair. The murder and torture of world citizens for their beliefs is NOT an internal affair. It is a crime against humanity and against all human, international, and constitutional laws! We hereby write to you to seek answers and clarifications from the Liberal Party on its position of the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong. We would start with giving you the necessary background:

What is happening to Falun Gong in China

First of all, Falun Gong is a spiritual practice with a principle of "Truth-Compassion-Forbearance" and five sets of gentle exercises and meditation. It was widely accepted in China before 1999 when the persecution started because of Falun Gong’s popularity. The CCP leader at the time, Jiang Zemin, declared that the CCP must defeat Falun Gong.

For the past nine years, the persecution of Falun Gong has been a crucial and essential part of the human right abuses in China and the persecution has been happening systematically across the nation. UN Special Rapporteur Manfred Nowak reaffirmed in his 2007 report that Falun Gong practitioners accounted for 66 percent of victims of alleged torture while in government custody. US State Department annual reports indicated that Falun Gong adherents constituted at least half of the 250,000 officially recorded inmates in reeducation-through-labour camps, while the real number could be even higher.

The Hon. David Kilgour, former Liberal MP, and Mr. David Matas, renowned human rights lawyer, concluded in their independent investigation report that "there has been and continues today to be large scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners" by the "the government of China and its agencies in numerous parts of the country"; “The widespread killing of Falun Gong practitioners for profit to provide organs for transplants is "so shocking that it represents a new form of evil on this planet.”

According to the Falun Dafa Information Center more than 3,100 practitioners have been tortured to death to date. Many more cases of detention and death remain unreported, as the Chinese regime imposes an information blockade, and reporting these cases to outside authorities constitutes a severe “crime” of "leaking state secrets."

Millions upon millions of Falun Gong practitioners have lost their jobs, housing, education, and all basic rights and have been incarcerated and tortured for refusing to give up their belief. No lawyer was allowed to defend them. Lawyer Gao Zhisheng, "the conscience of Chinese lawyers," lost his license to practice, his law firm was shut down, and he was incarcerated himself for defending a Falun Gong practitioner, and for writing to Chinese leaders calling for an end to the persecution.

Persecution affects Canadians

The persecution also affects Canadians. Currently, thirteen family members of Canadians and practitioners of Falun Gong are currently incarcerated in China for their belief in Falun Gong. Yue Yao, wife of Canadian resident Wenyu Liu in Calgary, is one of 12 jailed practitioners with Canadian ties. In 2001 Ms. Yao was sentenced to 12 years in prison for downloading information from Falun Gong websites and printing leaflets for distribution. Mr. Jian Ma, husband of Ms. Yao Lian in Montreal, is currently serving 2.5 years in forced labor camp for having Falun Gong-related documents at his home.

What is the responsibility of the international community

We have appreciated the help from members of the Liberal Party, such as Prof. Irwin Cotler, who was instrumental in rescuing Canadian Falun Gong practitioner Kunlun Zhang in 2001. There are also others who have supported us; I will not list their names one by one here.

It is disheartening, however, to see statements from your candidate that your current policy on this issue is not to "interfere with China's internal affairs".

Now the victims of the persecution are not just practitioners of Falun Gong. The persecution of Falun Gong is a persecution of the human conscience of our elected officials, and the candidates for the elections also. When facing such a "new evil on this planet", should the candidates and your elected officials be turning a blind eye to such atrocities in exchange for business, trade, and other interests under the excuse of so-called “engagement”? Should the international community label it a Chinese “internal affair” to avoid their moral and social responsibility?

Dr. Martin Luther King said: "Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere." China is a signatory of the UN Declaration of Human Rights; so is Canada. Does Canada also have a responsibility to urge the stop of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners?

With this letter, we seek clarification from the Liberal Party on your policy regarding:

1. the ongoing human rights abuses in China against Falun Gong in general; and

2. efforts in rescuing the family member of Canadians who are incarcerated in China for their Falun Gong belief.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Lucy Zhou

Falun Dafa Association of Canada

Predictions & Polls

2008-10-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

People have been asking me about poll numbers for the riding, here is a link to Susanna Ng's blog, Chinese in Vancouver, where she is posting the predictions from 3 different sources. These latest numbers were from October 8th. These are the sources:

Election Prediction Project

Vote for Environment

democraticSPACE

Canada Federal Election 2008 Polls

Election Opinion Polls - SFU

Harris/Decima - 2008 Federal Election Tracking

Ipsos-Reid Election Polls

More on the Developing Conservative Republic of Canada

2008-10-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Bill Tielemann broke this on his blog:

From: Lorne Mayencourt - Information [mailto:lorne.mayencourt.info@gmail.com]
Sent: October 07, 2008 3:21 PM
To: lorne.mayencourt.info@gmail.com

Subject: Important Invitation from Lorne Mayencourt!

The Prime Minister will attend a major rally in Vancouver.

Details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, October 8th

Where: The Westin Bayshore Hotel, 1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver, BC

Doors Open: 6:00pm

Rally Starts: 7:00pm

Registration: MANDATORY, call 1-778-565-4965

For RCMP security reasons, you must pre-register by phoning 1-778-565-4965. You will need to include your name, address and phone number.

Please note that large bags, satchels, backpacks or similar items will not be allowed in. Campaign signs on metal or wooden sticks will not be permitted either.

*******************
Not only did people have to provide their names, addresses & phone numbers AND pre-register, people were advised to ensure they had identification to provide if asked.
This is to attend a public appearance, during an election with two candidates, where one of those is our very own Prime Minister??? Is this really happening in Canada?
**************************************
From his lips, to our eyes & ears, Mr. Harper himself:

'You've got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettoes and who are not integrated into western Canadian society.'
- The Report newsmagazine

'These proposals included cries for billions of new money for social assistance in the name of child poverty and for more business subsidies in the name of cultural identity. In both cases I was sought out as a rare public figure to oppose such projects.'
- The Bulldog, National Citizens Coalition

'Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it.... In terms of the unemployed... don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance.'
- Speech to the US Council for National Policy

'Fixed election dates prevent governments from calling snap elections for short-term political advantage. They level the playing field for all parties and the rules are clear for everybody.'
- CBC News

'The government is clear that it will not be seeking an early election. At any time Parliament can defeat the government and provoke an early election, if that is what the opposition irresponsibly chooses to do.'
- Hansard

Does Stephen Harper have a hidden agenda?

*******************************************

Naomi Klein: “It’s time to grow the hell up”
Briarpatch: It's time to fight the War on Error.

Excerpt:

“I think we need to be extremely wary of how a new Harper government would fit in as this (U.S.) crisis migrates to Canada.”

“It’s an important time for 800 people to gather,” she said, referring to the overflowing hall. “We can fall apart and look to leaders to save us, or we can rise to the occasion. We can regress or we can grow up – and it’s time to grow the hell up.”

Afterwards, people remained in the hall to discuss strategic voting in the federal election. Klein recommended a national coalition called VotePair, which has set up a vote-coordinating web site.

The site includes a ‘vote exchange’ system where voters can ‘trade’ Green, NDP and Liberal votes across the country, according to which ridings a particular vote will have the most impact in turning back Conservatives.

Also see Canada Vote Swap:

OUR MISSION:
Our mission is to ensure that Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party do not obtain a majority in the 2008 federal election.

We have a way to ensure you get the best bang for your vote at the polls.

Anti-Harper Vote Swap Canada on Facebook

Facebook's Pair Vote (Swap) - Canada Election 2008's Notes

Canadian Republic Broadcasting (CRB)

2008-10-09T10:50:00.001-07:00

I want everyone reading this to understand how much CBC, our Canadian tax payer funded broadcasting news, is censoring and limiting free speech and dialogue of citizens and constituents during this election.

I've been following discussions on the CBC's Vancouver-Kingsway riding page and have been shocked to find that they are censoring and refusing to print comments I am trying to add to the dialogue, as well as invitations to constituents to read more on my blog. I'm very careful in writing my posts, non-libelous, stick to facts and observations that have basis in reality and experience (ie. what happened at the debates).

As far as I'm aware this humble little blog is the ONLY one reporting on the only two All Candidates meetings that took place in V-K leading up to the election, CBC sure as hell wasn't there & hasn't reported a damn thing about this riding.

It is this blog and maybe one other that are reporting critically on the invisible Conservative candidate and the inept Liberal candidate. CBC is censoring and limiting dialogue about cogent facts that voters in our riding need to help them make decisions on voting. This is what our national media has become under a neoConservative leadership, a state-funded propaganda machine & barrier to free speech. I think it's time for a re-brand and new name, lets call it: the Canadian Republic Broadcasting (CRB), because the censors are behaving no differently than state-owned media in the People's Republic of China. He who owns the press owns the dissemination of information & the people.

I can't help but wonder, am I the only person that the CBC is censoring and
limiting? I can't be. There are only 41 comments on the CBC riding site & I know there are A LOT of people interested, involved and invested in ensuring fairness during this election. Please e-mail me, or make a comment on this blog if the CBC has censored you too.

Here is another story about how fast Canada is sliding into dangerous territory, when you add in Stephen Harper using the RCMP in Surrey as bodyguards to shield Dona Cadman, Conservative candidate from constituents and local media, we can see where our "national police force" is heading too. Notice also how the media is sanitizing the story. The RCMP member was in RCMP uniform AND used a taxpayer bought RCMP vehicle to deliver lawn signs for the Conservative candidate, former RCMP Staff sergeant.

Voter says uniformed RCMP officer helped candidate
Incident alleged to have happened at Tory campaign office

David Hutton
The StarPhoenix

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

A La Ronge resident says he witnessed a uniformed RCMP officer delivering campaign signs for a Conservative candidate in northern Saskatchewan, a violation of the police force's strict neutrality policy.

Bill Layman, a longtime northern resident who's in the mining exploration business, said the uniformed officer was delivering large campaign placards on Monday around noon to the downtown constituency office of Rob Clarke, the Conservative candidate in the Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River.

The officer was using a marked RCMP pickup truck. Layman was driving to an advanced polling station to vote when he saw the officer taking signs out of the truck.

"This was a big freaking sign," Layman said. "I'm not into partisan politics . . . but this guy was 100 per cent totally delivering this stuff."

Layman tried to approach the man, he said, but the officer was "incredibly dismissive."

"He was very offhandish, like it was no big deal. He gave me a kind of Valley girl stare like it was no big deal, what's your problem?"

RCMP say the officer was off-duty at the time and was on his way to nearby Southend, where he is stationed. An investigation has been launched into the complaint, RCMP Sgt. Carole Raymond said.

"Any activity that our members do that seems that we're supporting any party is not something the RCMP supports," she said. "If we start taking sides then we're going to come across as supporting certain policies."

Clarke, the Conservative incumbent, won the riding in a byelection earlier this year. He was the RCMP sergeant in charge of the Spiritwood detachment in 2006 when three constables were fired on. Two of them, constables Robin Cameron and Marc Bourdages, died. He enjoys strong support among RCMP members because of his involvement, members of his campaign team said.

Russell Ullyatt, Clarke's campaign manager, said the organization has more than 500 volunteers and doesn't "have control over what they do.

"If the story is true, it's very unfortunate," he said.

Liberal party candidate David Orchard, Clarke's main rival in the riding, said it was "totally inappropriate" for a uniformed Mountie to be involved in campaigning during a federal election.

"It's completely (unacceptable) in a democracy for the national police force to be using its vehicles, openly, on the main street of a town, to drop off signs for a candidate," Orchard said. "It's a gesture of intimidation. It's frightening and unacceptable."

Layman said several people have accused him of playing partisan politics after he alerted media and other campaigns of what he saw. But, ironically, he cast his vote for Clarke at the advanced polling station a mere 10 minutes later, he said.

"This just really bothers me," Layman said. "This is about perception. It doesn't matter that he was off-duty. It's that he was doing it."

dhutton@sp.canwest.com

-------------------

For Immediate Release
October 7, 2008

RCMP investigating the Conservatives for abusing police resources during the campaign

OTTAWA - With the RCMP now investigating why an off-duty officer used a police vehicle to transport campaign signs for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River Conservative Candidate Rob Clarke, Conservatives must immediately stop the outrageous and unacceptable practice of using RCMP resources for their own political ends, said Liberal Candidate David Orchard.

"Our tax dollars are used to purchase RCMP vehicles so they can be used to protect our communities, not transport Conservative lawn signs," said Mr. Orchard. "The Conservatives have been caught politicizing the RCMP throughout this campaign. This is entirely unacceptable in a democracy and this abuse must end immediately."

Media reports confirm that that an off-duty, but uniformed RCMP officer used an RCMP vehicle to deliver campaign signs to the Conservative campaign office of Mr. Clarke. The fact that Mr. Clarke is a former RCMP officer makes the optics involving this incident even worse.

Throughout this campaign Conservative staffers have been trying to use the RCMP to do their political bidding.

At a recent campaign event in Surrey, British Columbia, Prime Minister Harper's staff demanded the RCMP block journalists from speaking with Dona Cadman about the financial offer she says her husband told her the Conservatives made to get him to join their party on the eve of a crucial confidence vote.

Again, on September 11, 2008, Mr. Harper's press secretary was caught on tape directing the RCMP to block reporters from questioning the Prime Minister saying, "I want that camera out of here."

The RCMP were also reportedly involved in assisting Conservative staffers in physically subduing a Conservative supporter at a rally who had made the apparent "error" of making a comment during the Prime Minister's speech.

"The job of the RCMP is not to campaign for the Conservatives or protect the party from media scrutiny. It should never be used as a political tool or resource by anyone during an election campaign," said Mr. Orchard.

-30-

Contact:

Liberal Party of Canada Press Office
613-783-8888

**********************
RCMP apologize for campaign gaffe
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 8, 2008. CBC News

Report from 2nd All Candidates Meeting - Vancouver-Kingsway

2008-10-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Report from All Candidates Meeting - October 7th
Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Candidates:

Kimball Cariou - Communist Party
Don Davies - NDP
Matt Kadioglu - Libertarian
Donna Petterson - Marxist-Leninist Party
Doug Warkentin - Green Party
Wendy Yuan - Liberal Party

Format:

- Introductions from the candidates
- Questions from the audience
- Concluding remarks from candidates

Summary

There was a standing room only crowd, with several different media
outlets there. This was a much better format, although it wasn't possible
to ask all of the questions citizens placed into the question box, which
was disappointing, since issues of far more importance than those asked
didn't make it on the radar.

The moderator pointed out, with no small irony, that in her years of moderating these election debates, this was the first time a candidate from a major party had declined to participate. Yes, neoConservative imaginary candidate Salomon "Regular Blood Donor" Rayek was a no-show to meet the voters in the riding for a second time.

The evening started with the moderator asking each of the candidates to promise the constituents of the riding that they would not cross the floor of parliament if they were to be elected. Each candidate very earnestly and emphatically made this promise and were reminded there was now a roomful of people and video footage to hold them to their word.

Some of the questions asked & answered:

What promises to constituents have that the candidates won't cross the floor?
What would the parties do to protect pensions for seniors?
Explain your understanding of the role of the Senate?
Where do you stand on the arts?
What legacy will you leave as a MP and what legacy will your party leave on Canada?
What will your party do to pay down the national debt?
What will your party do about electoral reform?
There was a question about what will parties do about proposed copyright legislation?
How will you support small business?
What is your position and your parties position on the Security & Prosperity Partnership (SPP)?
What will you do to improve immigration?

It's really beyond me to report the answers of each candidate to these questions.
In a general sense, Don Davies, Kimball Cariou & Donna Petterson were the most articulate, knowledgeable and well-informed about the issues and
where their parties stood on them.

Impressions of the Candidates

Kimball Cariou (Communist) is open and states he doesn't live in the riding, he knows he's not a major contender in this election. He is a witty, clever fellow and is interested in challenging the status quo of the market economy and how it's working for working people. He was also able to get a plug in for the
upcoming municipal election in his closing statement.

Matt Kadioglu (Libertarian) also knows he's not a contender, he spoke so low it was hard to hear him most of the time. Like all libertarians everywhere, he positions the party against a lot of rules, regulations, more privatization and self-determination and is not in favour of borders between countries. He was not a crowd pleaser.

Donna Petterson (Marxist-Leninist) is whip smart, articulate and well informed on the issues presented and did a very good job for a party that has no hope of winning. I think she earned some respect from the audience, although
not for the party. Her biggest hook was democratic reform and power to the people.

Don Davies (NDP) was the most well versed, well prepared, articulate, calm, and intelligent in a way that appeals to everyone (ie. not "too smart" as to come across as arrogant). He was able to maintain focus on the questions, didn't get flustered, was concise in his answers and positioned himself and his party as being most concerned about regular working folks and families. He again articulated his commitment to the riding, as a resident himself, and to constituent concerns.

Doug Warkentin (Green Party) is a bright, well spoken candidate. He knows his party's platform and is able to speak on the issues in an informed way. He is the kind of guy you want to invite to a Saturday night potluck, or to your community event. In my opinion, he doesn't have the stuff to represent V-K in Parliament. He's more of of a local and community activist,which the world needs more of.

Wendy Yuan (Liberal) again made a poor showing. I can't help but feel bad for Ms. Yuan. She is earnest, hardworking, but she kept repeating over & over how she came to Canada with $25 and a dream and that got stale. She wasn't able to articulate her answers well, she wasn't as informed about many of the topics and was reading directly from the Liberal platform at one point. She was also lobbed a very mean and uncalled for question that I'm not even going to repeat here and it was unfair this was put in the question box and the moderator should never have even put this question out there. She was also heckled for not answering a question and that was uncalled for as well.

Ms. Yuan was clearly rattled and instead of maintaining focus on her party's positions and promises, she kept going on the offensive and at one point very strangely said she stated she wasn't sure the other candidates had their facts straight (when she was the one who had little in the way of facts to offer) and also said something about not wanting to say too much in case her NDP colleague might say something to attack her, or something odd like that.

Overall, I stand by my position of yesterday, just because someone wants something badly (in this case Ms. Yuan really, really wants to win this election) doesn't mean they are up to the job, or have the knowledge, skills and abilities to do it competently. From what I've seen of Ms. Yuan over the last 2 evenings of debate is that she could barely keep her head above water in these small, relatively benign venues. There is no way in hell she would survive in Parliament, or the cutthroat world of Ottawa.

The Declared Winner: Don Davies - NDP

Mr. Davies put in 2 solid forum/debate performances over the last 2 nights. He is what he is: a hard working, community and family oriented professional. He's not the kind of guy who is putting it on, he's been representing working class folks in his career as a labour and employment
lawyer for years, has connections and has lots of volunteer experience in
the riding and with a diverse range of community groups.

All Candidates Forum: Appearances, Absence & Credibility on the Line

2008-10-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Attended the All Candidates Forum @ the Polish Community Centre last night, although I suppose that is a misnomer, since Salomon Rayek of the Conservatives failed to show. From coast to coast, Conservative candidates are in Stealthmode, so much so, a new website Harpocracy.ca has sprung up to maintain a running count of all of the neoConservatives who have been muzzled by their Brigadier General, Stephen Harper.

I really don't know what could be more shocking... during an election,
candidates are refusing to meet with constituents, refusing to explain their
parties' positions, refusing to participate in DEMOCRACY for heaven's sake.
Again, if this is their conduct during an election, what can any of
us expect if they get in? How can Canadians even consider voting for a party that conducts itself in such a way?

The Main Event

Candidates Present:

Kimball Cariou - Communist Party of Canada
Doug Warkentin - Green Party of Canada
Wendy Yuan - Liberal Party
Donna Petterson - Marxist-Leninist Party
Don Davies - NDP

Right off the bat, the format of the forum was not popular and a lot of people actually left gradually as it played out. It was designed so candidates pulled straws and sat at different tables (Children & Youth,Women's Issues, Immigration & Multi-cultural issues & Poverty Reduction & Housing) and a facilitated discussion took place amongst the parties at the tables.

The Candidates rotated to other tables and then reported out to the larger group. It was good to have some time with candidates, however, it was only one candidate, for a short time, with important discussion carrying on, but not reported on.

Question Time

The question & answer part of the evening also caused some frustration for those asking questions and the candidates. Individuals could direct a question to one candidate and then only one other candidate could get answer the same question. It was just not a succcessful way of proceeding, since constituents had very little
chance to actually hear the differences of the different party platforms.

No offense to the candidates for the Communist & Marxist-Leninist parties and I appreciate the fairness involved in inviting them, but this detracted from being able to hear from the real contenders in this election:

Don Davies, Wendy Yuan & Doug Warkentin.

The Performances

Right off the bat, Wendy Yuan's public speaking challenges became apparent when she was reporting out from the small group discussions. Anyone seeing her last night would have had to developed some serious misgivingsabout her experience and ability to speak in Parliament as our representative. She was not articulate, she said
"uh" almost constantly, isn't a quick thinker on her feet, her command and facility of English is still coming along, she wasn't able to connect with the audience, she was easy to throw off, she was evasive and quite simply was unable to discuss some of the issues.

Right off the hop, Ms. Yuan committed a cardinal sin of public speaking, especially in an election panel. When asked what her party's position was on the Security & Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and Canada's integration into the European Union, she told the audience she thought Canada's involvement with Europe was good, that the Liberal party didn't have a position on the SPP and that she would talk to the questioner "privately" on the matters. There was a collective gasp from the audience at that last bit.

Ms. Yuan also appeared to have sparked some serious anger and hostility from some of the Chinese Falun Gong members in the audience, when she was evasive in answering whether she had stated in a speech the previous day in the Chinese community that China's human rights issues were something they needed to handle internally. It was quite interesting that when the second Falun Gong person was attempting to ask her to confirm her previous answer that she was almost playing some sort of game and she asked him three times to repeat himself, as she didn't understand him. It almost
seemed like some sort of mocking of the man's English. Finally, another woman came over to explain and Ms. Yuan really offended this contingent, who were angrily stating that she was lying to the crowd and they have what she said on tape.I did not get the impression they would leave this one to die and I'd be worried if I were Ms. Yuan.

Now, what was interesting was Don Davies (NDP) followed up with some comments about meeting with a delegation of Falun Gong members in his office recently to discuss the issues, ensuring that the crowd got a glimpse of him as an inclusive and compassionate person, interested in the human rights of all.

Mr. Davies also made two promises to those in attendance.

1. He would never walk across the floor.
2. That he would always have an open door to his constituents.

Mr. Davies also "outed" Ms. Yuan, telling the audience that she rented an apartment in the Collingwood neighbourhood for appearances going into the election. Ms. Yuan had told the audience she, her husband and son had been living in a place in the neighbourhood for over a year. She called this a cheap shot by Mr. Davies, but he was following up with questions asked by a constituent - do you live in the riding, for how long & if you don't, why do you think you can represent the neighbourhood? It was in this set of questions that the frustration of the candidates with the format could also be seen.

There really wasn't a lot more that stood out for me. These were the impressions I was left with:

Ms. Yuan - Despite really wanting to be the V-K candidate, just does not have the leadership, or political experience, the
public speaking, nor credibility to represent this constituency. She also doesn't have the connection to the diverse people of the community and it is really difficult to understand how she would be able to represent the interests of all citizens
in the riding. Last night demonstrated that she has managed to let down, or even betray members of the Chinese community.

I think one of the things last night did for me was demonstrate that although someone can be a hard worker, "successful" (Ms. Yuan made sure we knew she was a successful businesswoman) and wants something really, really badly, doesn't mean they are qualified, or would be good at what they want. And when we're talking about something as huge as representing a constituency like ours, that means a lot.

Doug Warkentin - He came across as a sincere, bright and committed person. But, as his bio points out, he's more of a local leader and activist, he doesn't have the experience, or credibility to move into the big political leagues. We're lucky though
we have someone of his calibre living in V-K and working with us and on our behalf on local initiatives.

Don Davies - He came across as thoughtful, focused, intelligent, a quick thinker, and committed to representing the interests the wide range of citizens in the riding. I think in all honesty, his track record in the riding and the community, as well as his
performance last night demonstrate he is the best candidate to represent the interests and needs of Vancouver-Kingsway.

***********************************************************
Some other things - Someone actually stole my Don Davies - NDP sign right off my lawn last night and although I certainly can't say who it was, Salomon Rayek's people were leafletting in the neighbourhood yesterday as well.

And I have to say, his brochure leaves me VERY unimpressed with the following:

President of a local Electoral District Association for the Conservative Party. Lets be clear - Mr. Rayek has no ties to Vancouver-Kingsway at all. He's been involved with the Richmond-Delta East Conservative Association since at least 2006.
He doesn't live, or work in the riding and in fact is strongly tied to Richmond. I find this choice of language deceptive and unacceptable for a candidate running in this riding.

Also, Mr. Rayek's brochure informs us he is a "regular blood donor," which although that qualifies for my Laugh of the Day, it certaintly doesn't make me feel he's qualified to run to represent our riding in any way.

When one examines About Salomen Rayek, we can see he hasn't done one single thing in this riding, has no political, or community involvement (except with his synagogue, his "place of worship in the riding"), has no political, or community experience beyond holding positions within the neoConservative party. When you add on that he won't attend All Candidate Forums, he won't speak to local media, and he won't meet with constituents in public gathering, why on Earth would anyone waste a vote on this guy? And that is what a vote for Salomon Rayek would be - a waste of a precious Vancouver-Kingsway vote.

===================================================================================
Second All Candidates Meeting tonight

Date: Tuesday, October 7th 2008

Time: 7pm

Location: Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce (@ Euclid, just down from the Skytrain station).

Election Issue Alert: Canada's Integration with the EU & United States

2008-10-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

These issues are not on the radar at all and as we head into a week of All Candidates forums & debates and a final week before we go to the ballot box, this has become one of the pressing issues of this election.

Ask the candidates where do their parties stand on the Security & Prosperity Partnership (SPP)? Anything less than scrapping it will not do.

Where do the parties stand on Canada's "Deep Integration" with the European Union?
Parties must push for the draft of this agreement to be released by the Harper government and must fight against this Canada-EU agreement.

Where do the parties stand on Canada's "Deep Integration" with the United States of America, the North American Union?

What is at stake?

~ Canadian sovereignty forever
~ Canadian natural and human resources & capital
~ Canadian water, electricity & hydro
~ Canadian ownership and decision-making of our health care system & services
~ Canadians being sued in our own courts by foreign corporations for protecting Canadian businesses and domestic ownership of our industries and systems. Canada is already being sued under NAFTA by American corporations that want to expand private health clinics, turning our national health care system into a for-profit industry for American corporations. Ask yourself, do you want American-style health care here in Canada?

These agreements will affect every facet of Canadians lives - work, employment & income, water, energy, security, military, more involvement in more American wars, civil & human rights & liberty, safety, regulations & inspection standards, transportation & border mobility & costs, identification & freedom of Canadian citizens.

Integrate This: Challenging the Security & Prosperity Partnership

Integrate This! is about challenging the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), an executive-level pact between the governments and corporate sectors of Canada, the United States and Mexico, which has never been debated publicly or voted on in any of the three countries. There are over 300 initiatives in the SPP aimed at harmonizing North American policies on:

work, employment & income, water, energy, security, military, more involvement in more American wars, civil & human rights & liberty, safety, regulations & inspection standards, transportation & border mobility & costs, drugs/pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, trade, immigration, the environment, standards & industry regulation, personal identification & freedom

Behind Closed Doors: What they're not telling us about the Security And Prosperity Partnership (PDF 10.7 MB)

Deep Integration

Canada and the European Union (EU) are set to begin preliminary discussions on deeper economic integration a mere three days after the election. It has been reported that the proposed trade deal will far exceed NAFTA. Some see this as an opportunity to possibly update the 15 year-old accord. Stephen Harper is busy telling Canadians that only a Conservative majority government will be able to bring confidence back and stabilize the economy. That is why I find it a little strange that this has not become a pillar of the Conservatives economic platform. Harper has decided not to release the full text of the draft proposal until after the election on October 14. The reality is that such an agreement with the EU will be no different than NAFTA in the sense that it will be used to further advance corporate interests.

Canada-EU trade proposal rivals scope of NAFTA
DOUG SAUNDERS. On-line 18/09/08 02:00 AM

LONDON — Canadian and European officials say they plan to begin negotiating a massive agreement to integrate Canada's economy with the 27 nations of the European Union, with preliminary talks to be launched at an Oct. 17 summit in Montreal three days after the federal election.

A newly completed study of the proposed deal, which European officials said Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided not to release until after the election, concludes that the pact would increase bilateral trade and investment by at least $40-billion a year, mainly in trade in services.

Ottawa officials say they have overcome what they see as their biggest hurdle: the resistance of provincial governments to an agreement that would force them to allow European corporations to provide their government services, if their bids are the lowest.

Although Ottawa’s current list of foreign-policy priorities does not include European issues, European and Canadian officials say Mr. Harper has been heavily engaged with the proposed trade pact.

Europe to Canada: Get your act together
DOUG SAUNDERS (dsaunders@globeandmail.com)
October 4, 2008

Excerpt:

BRUSSELS -- The two presidents of the European Union will arrive in Montreal on the Friday after Canada's Oct. 14 federal election for a meeting that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has studiously avoided mentioning.

That night, the three of them will announce the economic and political engagement of the two federations. They still haven't agreed on the name of the thing, though they are leaning toward Economic Partnership Agreement.

It will just be the preliminaries, but many people hope it will result, after a period of talks, in the consummation of a complex and potent marriage between Europe and Canada.

Two weeks ago, when I revealed that there had been months of secret meetings, led by Quebec officials and involving serious engagement by Mr. Harper and Mr. Sarkozy, to arrange what some European officials call "deep integration" talks, the idea proved to be enormously popular with Canadians.

"Deep Integration": Timeline of the Progress Toward a North American Union
by Vive le Canada. Global Research, December 20, 2006.

North American Union (NAU)

The North American Union (NAU) is a theoretical continental union of Canada, Mexico and the United States similar in structure to the European Union, sometimes including a common currency called the Amero.

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BushHarper.com

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ACTION ALERT: Release the Canada-EU 'deep economic integration' text!

September 18, 2008

As reported in the Globe and Mail on September 18, "Canadian and European officials say they plan to begin negotiating a massive agreement to integrate Canada's economy with the 27 nations of the European Union, with preliminary talks to be launched at an Oct. 17 summit in Montreal three days after the federal election." The article continues, "...a senior EU official involved in the talks described (them) as 'deep economic integration negotiations.'”

DEAL WOULD EXCEED SCOPE OF NAFTA

The article states, "The proposed pact would far exceed the scope of older agreements such as NAFTA by encompassing not only unrestricted trade in goods, services and investment and the removal of tariffs, but also the free movement of skilled people and an open market in government services and procurement – which would require that Canadian governments allow European companies to bid as equals on government contracts for both goods and services and end the favouring of local or national providers of public-sector services."

TEXT OF THE DEAL WON'T BE RELEASED DURING THE ELECTION

The Globe reports, “Because of the election, Mr. Harper appears to have decided not to unveil a full text of the proposed agreement, but instead to use the summit to inaugurate the trade talks with the launch of a 'scoping exercise' that will quickly set the goals of the pact and lead to formal 'comprehensive trade and investment negotiations' to begin in 'early 2009,' according to communications between senior Canadian and European officials examined by The Globe and Mail…The two governments have completed a detailed study of the proposed agreement that will be unveiled shortly after the election, should the Conservatives win. Both Ottawa and Brussels have had staff work on a draft text for a deal they had hoped would be introduced at a Canada-EU summit, to be attended by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Mr. Harper in Montreal on Oct. 17.”

BIG BUSINESS BACKS THE DEAL

While the public has not been allowed to see the study or the draft text, apparently large corporations have. The article notes, "Proponents, including all of Canada's major business-lobby organizations, are in favour of the deal..."

TAKE ACTION

E-mail Prime Minister Stephen Harper at pm@pm.gc.ca today and demand that the full text of the proposed agreement and the detailed study of it be released immediately.

cc.Stephane Dion, Liberal Party of Canada, Dion.S@parl.gc.ca; Jack Layton, New Democratic Party of Canada, Layton.J@parl.gc.ca; Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Québécois, Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca; Elizabeth May, Green Party of Canada, leader@greenparty.ca.

The full article can be read here.

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Layton would reopen NAFTA negotiations

Title: Layton would reopen NAFTA negotiations
Topic: Globalisation and Trade
Written By: NAUWATCH
Date: Sunday, September 28 at 09:47

An NDP government would fight to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement to enhance protection for Canadian jobs, NDP leader Jack Layton said yesterday in Hamilton, Ont.

"We want a new NAFTA. We want a North American fair trade agreement," Layton told supporters. "We want a fair deal, not a sellout."

With the prospect of the reopening of NAFTA if the Democrats win the U.S. election, Layton said his party, among other things, would fight to add "meaningful" labour and environmental standards to the deal - and reform the energy provisions, which require the export of fossil fuels to the United States.

Layton's plan would remove NAFTA's contentious "Chapter 11" provision that permits foreign investors to legally challenge Canadian policies if it threatens their investments.

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Please consider all of this as we prepare to vote.

Our current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper & his (neo)Conservative minions have been having secret meetings for months to create this agreement with the European Union. We go to the ballot box in one week (some have already voted in advanced polls) & THE MAN WHO LEADS OUR NATION HAS NOT AND DOES NOT PLAN TO MENTION, OR RELEASE THE DRAFT AGREEMENT FOR DEEP INTEGRATION OF CANADA INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION. IS THIS THE KIND OF LEADERSHIP CANADA NEEDS? THIS IS NO LITTLE OVERSIGHT, OUR PRIME MINISTER IS LITERALLY HANDING CANADA OVER TO OTHER NATIONS ON A PLATTER, BOTH THE UNITED STATES & THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. I'VE GOT A FEW CHOICE ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO ME, HOW ABOUT YOU?

PLEASE DON'T LET STEPHEN HARPER GET AWAY WITH THIS, HELP KEEP CANADA A SOVEREIGN NATION.

An Interesting Interlude

2008-10-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Haidt: The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we're left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.

Jonathan Haidt studies how -- and why -- we evolved to be moral. By understanding more about our moral roots, his hope is that we can learn to be civil and understanding of those whose morals don't...

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The Garden of Earthly Delights
c.1504
by Hieronymus Bosch

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Kali Yuga

The end of the Kali Yuga results in absolute chaos world-wide. In present times it shall be a fight to the finish between Christianity and Islam. Both the sacred Scriptures the Bible and the Quran confirm it. Kali Yuga is aka the metal age because end of the Kali Yuga results with a clash of the metal. The fight between the two parties would see the use of the metal to its extreme...

The end phase of the Kali Yuga is of great happiness on the whole. For many centuries ahead it would be a period of reconciliation and reckoning. The humanity would have learnt a bitter lesson in the passing phase of Kali Yuga.

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It's no America's Next Top Model, or Survivor 54, but, it might be worth a peek: "storytelling can change the world"

Wade Davis: Cultures at the far edge of the world

With stunning photos and stories, National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the world's indigenous cultures, which are disappearing from the planet at an alarming rate.

A National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, Wade Davis travels the globe to live alongside indigenous people, and document their cultural practices in books, photographs, and film.

Real Top Issues Facing Canadians - Child Care & Early Learning

2008-10-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

Make no mistake about it child care is one of THE most important election issues Canadians are facing, although this gets little attention, nor interest from the parties, or media. This is an issue that affects every one of us, not just families with children. The leader and party that form our next Canadian government need to understand that child care is a necessity for Canadian families. If that is not understood, then the leader and party are unfit to govern Canada. It really is as simple as that.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that affordable and accessible child care benefits families in the following ways:

- allow parents, often women, more opportunities to participate in the workforce;
- impacts child poverty rates
- increases incentives for individuals to have more children and boost birth rates

We need to examine this issue with some historical background. It is a HUGE mistake to assume that child care is an negligible issue, or one that simply impacts women. We never have lived in some rosy world where working women of the lower and middle classes had the luxury NOT to work, to stay home and rely on their husbands, the breadwinners. I grew up listening to the struggles of the amazing women in my own family, in the 30's and 40's, cobbling together child care, while they went out to work to keep the roof over their children's head and food on the table. Staying home to raise the kids was never an option for working class women, nor is it for many women and families today where an average house in our riding goes for over $700,000.

It is a national disgrace that in 2008 Canadian families continue to be subjected to inadequate access to affordable and subsidized child care. The responsibility for that lies in two places.

For decades the Liberal party has strung voters along with promises of a national child care system. It was only in 2006, heading into an election were they finally dangling that bedraggled carrot once again. It is the mark of extremely poor leadership and an opaque vision, devoid of reality, that the Liberal party failed to project the necessity of child care and early learning resources and supports.

As the birth rate started to lessen, child care advocates and families across our nation continued to yell for access to child care, the Liberal government did not listen. When labour market implications began to be projected and it became obvious that the mass retirement of an entire nation of baby boomers would leave thousands of jobs and professions unfilled, the Liberal government still did nothing. That lack of leadership and vision has cost families from coast to coast. It has also cost Canada in productivity and has limited the potential and opportunities for women for many generations. These are real world outcomes of failed political leadership and this short-sightedness will cost our nation for decades to come.

When we examine the Liberals election platform, we can see that they still offer little real leadership, or vision, in the issue of access to affordable child care.

And I quote from one of the vaguest platforms I've ever seen regarding child care:

"we will allocate substantial new federal funds. This investment will increase over a four-year period and at full implementation in the fourth year, the[sic] will climb to $1.25 billion annually."

Anyone smell a carrot here, because I sure do. And it is rotting as we read this.
So, exactly HOW MUCH will the Liberals put into child care in Years 1,2 & 3 of their Master Plan?

A significant number of an entire generation, or two, have foregone increasing Canada's birth rate, largely due to the struggles to find child care. It is a source of discussion among many women, who find the costs, stress and lack of support for families having children are all too difficult to bear. I really don't know why Canadian leaders cannot examine the successful child care, family incentives and supports available in European nations and the huge benefits these have in their countries' productivity and labour market supply. This also speaks to a lack of leadership and vision.

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Below is the Conservatives boasts of their record on Child care. I don't know about any of you, but I feel frightened, discouraged and quite shocked that a sitting government, Stephen Harper and his Conservatives, have not actually released a platform on anything, let alone child care, even though Canadians head to the ballot box in 10 days and advanced polls are open now. What kind of accountability is that? What can we expect? And when you consider the rapid increase in the number of StealthCon's who are showing up to meet with constituents and local media, I would say Canadians are taking a tremendous risk if they vote Conservative in this election.

The Conservative Record

Delivered choice and support to parents through the Universal Child Care Benefit: $1,200 per year in direct support for every child under six – over $3.7 billion in 2006 and 2007 to help parents with the cost of child care

Invested $250 million per year to assist the provinces and territories in creating new child care spaces

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Stephen Harper and the Conservatives even went further than the Liberals by cutting the plan for a national child care system AND bringing in the offensive and hostile so called "child care benefit." The Conservatives contempt for women and families played out in every household across this country with their policy on child care. The "child care benefit" and how it has been administered is an act of aggression and an insult to every family in Canada, especially the large numbers of Canadian children and families who live in poverty.

This miserly $1200 each family (under age 6) receives is grossly inadequate and really is an attack on families. For someone who is using his family so shamelessly for photo ops, you would think Harper would understand the real needs for child care for Canadian families. But clearly he doesn't, or he just doesn't care at all about the necessities of real families.

This isn't about "choice for families" it is about deprivation, government negligence and a failure of vision. When a government purposefully denies children and families access to child care and early learning they are short-changing Canada, now and in the future.

$1200 taxable income dollars does not pay a quarter of real world daycare. And there is Conservative cruelty and a contempt for families in making those funds taxable income. Single parent families end up losing a good chunk of that inadequate bit anyways and wealthy, two parent families can collect the whole bit if one parent stays home with no income. And in the Conservatives 50's coloured glass, guess which person stays home. Do you get the impression that Stephen Harper doesn't really like kids, or families? It's hard not to get that impression when considering the actions of his government.

Stopping the "benefit" when a child turns age 6 is an irresponsible act as well. Has Mr. Harper ever had anyone point out the high cost of after-school care? Since most parents have to work, especially if they are single parents, not having the funds to put your child in after-school care, or even to find spaces, is a disaster and leaves many children-at-risk. Under the Conservatives leadership, more and more children have become latch key children, spending time at home, by themselves while their parents work to keep shelter and food on the table. Is that really the kind of leadership Canada needs? What does that say about the real respect and care Stephen Harper and his party have for families?

I think the values of any party say a lot about them and the Conservatives are no different, this is the sole founding principle they have to say about families and children (dependents they so affectionately refer to them as) in their entire list of principles and that explains A LOT:

A belief that it is the responsibility of individuals to provide for themselves, their families and their dependents, while recognizing that government must respond to those who require assistance and compassion;

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The Green Party's - Vision Green discusses their own ideas about child care and supports to families:

Our Vision

The Green Party believes we need a high-quality federally-funded universal child care program in Canada. Workplace child care has been shown to improve productivity, decrease employee absenteeism, ensure quality care for children (because parents can “drop in” at any time to see their young children), and permits longer breast-feeding of infants.
Work-place child care spaces create other benefits, recognizing the emerging literature that children benefit enormously from time with their mothers, especially when very young.

Green Solutions - Green Party MPs will:

* Restore and revamp the 2005 agreement reached between the federal government, provinces and territories to achieve a universal child care programme in Canada.
* Specifically ensure that Canada’s universal child care programme provides workplace child care spaces wherever possible.
* Tax shift to make advertising directed at children ineligible for corporate tax write-offs.
* Accelerate the creation of workplace child care spaces through a direct tax credit to employers (or groups of employers in small businesses) of $1500 tax credit/child per year.
* Value the decisions of parents who choose to stay home with children.
* Promote and facilitate access to Roots of Empathy Programme to every Canadian child at some point in their elementary school years.

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The NDP's Child Care Platform is called Children and Child Care: Ensuring a Head Start for Kids

In consultation with the provinces and territories, Jack Layton and the New Democrats will:

Enact the New Democrats' Early Learning and Child Care Act – which has already passed Second Reading in Parliament - to establish the program in law for the first time in Canada.

Establish and adequately fund a Canada-wide child care and early learning program. We will make high quality, accessible, affordable, non-profit and licensed child care available to Canadian families, including aboriginal Canadians.

These initiatives will create 150,000 new child care spaces in the first year, growing to 220,000 spaces per year in the fourth year.

Ensure a healthy head start for kids. We will develop a Children's Nutrition Initiative to support and expand provincial and local programs that provide healthy meals to school children.

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While the NDP and Green Party plans sound infinitely better than either the Liberals or Conservatives, they both fail to actually identify how much funding they will allot to these in the real world. I'm kind of a meat and potatoes kind of person and Canadians have been led down the garden path too many times before on child care. I want to know exactly what to expect and vague promises do not leave me feeling encouraged by any of the parties.

Access to affordable child care and early learning opportunities cuts to the core of an issue impacting Vancouver-Kingsway constituents and is one that candidates must understand and be committed to.

When we look at different statistics from our riding, many questions come up:

How many individuals aren't able to be in the workforce because they have no child care?

How many children of immigrant families would benefit from early childhood learning and ESL opportunities?

Which party has the courage, vision and commitment to build a child care and early learning system that benefits all children and our entire country, which continues head on into a labour shortage which will change the fabric of our entire country?

As we head into the final week before the election, lets tell our candidates loud and clear what kind of a child care system we require for our children and send a clear message that this is what we expect and if their party can't deliver, they don't get our vote.

Meet the Candidates – Part 1: Don Davies – NDP

2008-10-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Who is Don Davies?

A long-time resident of Vancouver Kingsway, he wants to provide strong representation and restore respect for democracy in the Riding.

After graduation, Don articled at a corporate commercial law firm and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1989. Don then went to work as a Researcher and then Executive Assistant to the Leader of the Official Opposition at the Legislative Assembly.
In these capacities, Don gained first-hand experience in the legal needs of the business community as well as in government, writing legislation, analyzing budgets and developing sound public policy.

CanadaVOTES: NDP candidate Don Davies running in Vancouver Kingsway

Friday, September 26, 2008.

A lawyer, he has spent the last 25 years fighting for human rights. A two-time student government representative, Davies was involved in the anti-apartheid, third world and peace movements. Admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1989, Davies and family moved to Vancouver in 1991, where he became the Director of Legal Resources for Teamsters Canada (Local 31), the next year.

He is a long-time volunteer for children's charity Variety, is Chair of the Parent Advisory Council at Mount Pleasant school, and a Director of the Meridian Cultural Society, among other things.

Don Davies of Vancouver Kingsway

Don Davies Facebook Page

Federal New Democrats in Vancouver Kingsway nominate Don Davies over Alicia Barsallo and Tony Kosovic
By Carlito Pablo. March 19, 2007.

NDP candidate Don Davies wants housing on RCMP site
By Carlito Pablo. February 21, 2008. The Georgia Straight.

Excerpt:

The site of the RCMP E Division headquarters in Vancouver—bigger than the Little Mountain Housing complex—is an ideal location for affordable housing, according to Don Davies, federal NDP candidate for Vancouver Kingsway.

The RCMP administrative headquarters for British Columbia is moving to Surrey. This will free up 8.5 hectares of federally owned land on Heather Street on the west side of Vancouver, which is part of Davies’s riding.

“Ninety percent of Vancouver is market housing,” Davies told the Straight. “We have very, very little land available. The entire site should be dedicated to affordable housing.”

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So, the race is on for NDP nomination in Vancouver-Kingsway

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In the interest of fairness I've searched high & low for any kind of challenges, or questionable, or concerning issues related to Don Davies and his run to be the next candidate in Vancouver-Kingsway and couldn't find a thing. What I found was a candidate who lives in the riding, has been involved with different community groups and is well thought of by those who have met, or worked with him.

Although he went into the legal profession, instead of going into other types of law, such as corporate where he could make truckloads of $$$, he's spent much of his career representing the interests of working class people. There is an integrity to that that can't be denied and is something voters should think about when they go to cast their ballots.

Mr. Davies and his family live in the Vancouver-Kingsway riding and his involvement in the school of his children is also an important consideration as it speaks to his character. Anyone who has spent time volunteering with the PAC of their children's school can tell you this is where the rubber hits the road about a person's commitment to their children and the larger community.

It's easy to sit on boards with higher profiles and status, or on committees and executives within political parties, but show me someone who is doing the grunt work in the trenches of their kids schools and in the community and I'll point out someone who has the on-the-ground experience of the issues impacting the members of the community of all ages, different economic backgrounds and diverse cultural communities.

Action speaks louder than words and promises. Lets all remember that on October 14th.

What will Canada's next Leader do to Make Poverty History?

2008-09-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hello,

All the federal party leaders except Stephen Harper have gone “on the record” answering questions on video about what they would do to tackle global, domestic and Aboriginal poverty.

Check out what the leaders of the Bloc, Greens, Liberals and NDP would do about poverty if elected. And make sure to ask Stephen Harper what he would do, because he won’t tell us.

In these short video clips, Stéphane Dion, Gilles Duceppe, Jack Layton and Elizabeth May talk about their support for Make Poverty History goals and answer specific questions about reaching the target of giving point seven percent of our income for foreign aid, a national plan to end poverty in Canada and what they would do to narrow the living standards gap between Aboriginal people and the rest of Canada.

Once you have seen the videos, send a message to Stephen Harper asking him to say what he will do to make poverty history. We believe that before Canadians go to the polls they should know what all the party leaders would do to end poverty so that they can make an informed decision about which party is best able to help make poverty history.

Maybe you can get Mr. Harper to go ‘on the record’ with his plans to fight poverty.

Many thanks,

Gerry Barr
Chair
Make Poverty History

PS: Check out our election site for more ways to get involved.

Vancouver City Politics: Good for COPE, Good for Vancouver

2008-09-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve recovered sufficiently from the marathon nomination conference for the COPE slate for Vancouver city council, school board and parks board. It was a grueling three and a half hours of voting, party business and chit chat.

It took 3 ballots to get to the two COPE candidates for city council out of these candidates:

Nominations started with 322 registered voters and by resolution, the winning candidate had to have 161 + 1 (50% of r. voters + 1).

David Cadman 1st Ballot(161) 2nd Ballot (211)-Wins 1st spot
Tim Louis (157) (141) (131)
Ellen Woodsworth (126) (136) (137)– Wins 2nd spot
Meena Wong (118) 2nd Ballot - Meena steps down.
Terry Martin (82) 2nd Ballot - Terry dropped off.

This was a nerve wracking and surprising contest. Talking to different people many were surprised and dismayed with Tim Louis coming out ahead on the first vote. He had a good team campaigning for him and got a lot of support. Inevitably the talk turns to “strategic voting” with people trying to figure out how best to cast a vote depending on how things could split.

The Grace under Pressure Award goes to Meena Wong, hands down. When she stepped down and took herself out of the race it had to be a tough decision and an interesting thing to analyze. With Terry Martin dropping off and Meena stepping out, Ellen Woodsworth only picked up another 10 votes, from the 200 cast for the former two candidates.

And as a shout out to Meena, everyone in that room knows you have only just begun to rock and roll and you will have the support of many as you head forward.

The essential ingredient of politics is timing.
~ Pierre Trudeau

In the 3rd ballot, 271 voted, 3 ballots were spoiled and so out of 268, the race was very close, with Ellen only winning by 6 votes (needing 135 to win). Someone called for a re-count, but that was vetoed.

There were many who were happy that the 2 COPE city council candidates will be David Cadman and Ellen Woodsworth. They both have a lot of experience at city council and I think they will be excellent people to represent Vancouver. They are both people who are consensus builders and will be able to work constructively with the candidates who are elected from the other parties. With Vision Vancouver, COPE and the Greens united the NPA stands very little chance and I think they know that.

I know there were some very heavy hearts from the Tim Louis camp, who fought strong and well. There may be some disillusionment and anger, but I hope those will fade and all of the left can continue to talk and work together, like we always have.

Vancouver and its’ citizens and our visitors need all of our energy, knowledge, expertise and commitment in the days to come. This is the time to come together and not let political spats in the family get in the way of the politics we need to play outside of the house. We all have an election to win on November 15th 2008.

Politics is about winning. If you don't win, you don't get to put your principles into practice. Therefore, find a way to win, or sit the battle out.
David Horowitz
**

Parks Board nominees:
(2 COPE spots)
John Irwin, who withdrew his name because he and his partner are expecting twins, congrats to them.

Anita Romaniuk & Loretta Woodcock won by acclamation, which is great since both have lots of experience on Parks Board and are really good representatives for various stakeholders.

School Board nominees:
(5 COPE spots)
1st Ballot
Alvin Singh (242)
Bill Bargeman (246)
Jane Bouey (263)
Alan Wong (265)
Al Blakey (268)
Imitaz Popat (142)

Another All Candidates Forum - October 6th

2008-09-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is a fresh new idea for a candidates’ forum in the Vancouver Kingsway riding. You are invited to this unique evening to have a face-to-face dialogue with your community and the candidates.

Take a seat and participate in the facilitated roundtable discussion and express your views on social issues concerning your community.

Confirmed candidates:

Wendy Yuan - Liberal Party
Don Davies - New Democratic Party
Doug Warkentin - Green Party

Date and Time: Monday, October 6, 2008 at 7:00pm to 9:30pm.

Location: Polish Community Centre
(4015 Fraser Street – Corner of Fraser and 24th Avenue)

This pilot forum is co-hosted by the following:

·Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC)
·Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies (AMSSA)
·First Call: BC Children and Youth Advocacy Coalition
·Get Your Vote On
·Lower Mainland Affordable Housing Network
·West Coast Leaf

Conservatives Shut Down Free Speech, Communications & Voice

2008-09-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

You know, it’s really pissing me off how Stephen Harper and his Conservative backroomers are putting a gag on Conservative candidates from speaking to the media. This is two cases in the last week, that we know about. First it was Dona Cadman, Chuck Cadman’s widow, who is running as a Conservative in Surrey-North, being blocked from being asked question from media IN HER OWN RIDING??? Actually, the Conservatives “initially laughed off in apparent disbelief that the media would even bother asking.”

Yes, how silly of the media and the constituents of the Surrey-North riding to ask questions of a Conservative candidate who is running in their riding? Who is the idiot in this scenario again?

Not to be outdone, Pablito Carlo notes: “The Straight wasn’t able to get a comment from Conservative candidate Salomon Rayek. In a phone conversation on September 19, one of his staff members said the Mexican-born politician “isn’t available for media interviews at this point”.
So, Harper and the party elite have silenced and gagged their candidates – DURING AN ELECTION!!! What the hell is going to happen if they get in? Is this what Canadians can expect from a government run by Stephen Harper and the Conservatives: constituency representatives and Members of Parliament who don’t speak to members of their ridings, or the local media?

Frankly, I think that is EXACTLY what we will get if Stephen Harper gets in again. And it isn’t for this alone. He is running on a long record of shutting down dissent, free speech and muzzling people WE want to hear from. He has put up barriers to transparency of his decisions and government, and limiting access to civil and human rights for Canadians.

These are just a few of the things he’s done, ask yourself what more can we expect if he gets in again and the heavens forbid, with a majority Canadian government:

He fired the Health Canada Warriors of Truth & Safety

Health Canada fires 3 scientists
Last Updated: Thursday, July 15, 2004 | CBC News

Health Canada has fired three scientists who criticized the department's drug approval policies.

Shiv Chopra, Margaret Haydon and Gerard Lambert received letters of termination on Wednesday, said Steve Hindle, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service.

They criticized Monsanto's bovine growth hormone, which led to a Senate inquiry and a decision not to approve the drug. They also questioned carbadox, a drug used in pigs, and Baytril, which was used to promote growth in cows and chickens.

Haydon called a 2001 Canadian ban on Brazilian beef a political decision, and Chopra criticized former health minister Allan Rock for stockpiling antibiotics during the post-Sept. 11 anthrax scare.

Prior to the May 2003 discovery of mad cow in Canada, both Hayton and Chopra also warned measures to prevent the disease were inadequate. They had called for a ban on the use of animal parts in feed.

The scientists' actions were applauded by NDP MP Pat Martin, who called the three "heroes."

"If the government has signalled the way they feel about whistleblowing by firing these three prominent whistleblowers, it doesn't bode well for the future of meaningful legislation...this is a huge step backward," added Martin.
Hindle agrees that this action sets a bad precedent saying, "it will cause other public service employees, who have legitimate concerns, to keep those concerns to themselves."

Whistleblower scientists to fight government firing
Last Updated: Thursday, July 15, 2004 | 9:37 PM ET
CBC News

Boy, we sure wouldn't want too many people looking out for public safety now would we? In light of the listeriosis outbreak serious questions have to be asked about how Stephen Harper & his Conservatives views on less regulation, or rather, more regulation from industries will protect us.

He cancelled funding to the Court Challenges program

The Court Challenges Program (CCP) provided funding to help minority, women's and other disadvantaged groups so they could launch "test court cases" challenging laws that may violate equality rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The program was ended by the current Conservative government in 2006.

Coalition Fights to Bring Back Court Challenges about an upcoming Federal Court case against the federal government’s decision to eliminate funding for the Court Challenges Program back in 2006.

He cancelled funding to many women’s advocacy organizations telling Canadians

Conservative Cancellation of Funding to the National Association of Women and the Law - Senator Larry Campbell’s Weblog

…this Conservative government is absent in their responsibility to protect the rights of women in Canada. Truth be told, through their ideological prejudice the Conservatives are deliberately targeting and cancelling programs that protect the rights of Canadians and promote gender equality in our country.In the most recent example of this, the Conservatives cancelled funding for the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL).

Reason #37 - Status of Women slashed of Fifty-two important reasons to drive out Harper's Tories

Status of Women Canada (SWC) was the only government arm to address gender inequalities at a cross-Canada level, financing research and policy development through advocacy. When Stephen Harper made his first billion dollars in cuts, the operating budget of Status of Women Canada was slashed by $5 million, or 40 percent. The Conservatives also announced that the SWC Women's Program will only finance direct, local initiatives, and barred funding for projects that include advocacy for equality. According to the Canadian Feminist Alliance For International Action: "The current terms and conditions aim to provide `direct' and `local' assistance. This is very much based on a charity model which ignores the systemic issues behind the problem at hand. Instead of providing analysis and aiming for legal change the current approach privileges a case by case basis, almost as if women's poverty and violence against women were exceptions, aberrations to the norm. This approach is not meant to result in any significant change and does not challenge the status quo."

Stephen Harper's Conservative's attacked and fired Linda Keen, President of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, when she ordered the Chalk River nuclear reactor to shut down because it posed a safety risk.

What’s the stench around this, oh it’s Tony Clement again. And Gary Lunn trying to attack and discredit Keen when she was doing HER JOB. When intimidation didn’t work for Lunn, the Conservatives fired Keen the night before she was due to testify at a House of Commons natural resources committee.

The commission ordered the reactor to close on Nov. 18 over safety concerns about the emergency power system not being connected to cooling pumps, as required to prevent a meltdown during disasters such as earthquakes.

Liberal MP David McGuinty accused the Conservatives of U.S. Republican-style tactics by dismissing Keen in the "dark of night," just hours before she was due to testify before the Commons committee.

A ministerial directive on Dec. 10 ordered the CNSC to reopen the site. The agency refused, insisting a backup safety system be installed to prevent the risk of a meltdown during an earthquake or other disaster.

On Dec. 11, an emergency measure passed through the House of Commons overturned the watchdog's decision, and the reactor was restarted for a 120-day run on Dec. 16.

Embattled fired bureaucrat fires back in nuclear dispute
Juliet O'Neill, Canwest News Service
Published: Tuesday, January 29, 2008

OTTAWA - Health Minister Tony Clement belittled Linda Keen's concern for nuclear safety Tuesday, within an hour of the fired nuclear watchdog saying a reactor shut for an upgrade in November posed a safety risk 1,000 times greater than the international standard.

Keen testified the 50-year-old reactor would not be licensable today by any nuclear regulator anywhere in the world and the extension of a routine maintenance shutdown in November to install two backup pumps was aimed at heightening safety standards which, for a nuclear facility, should be the same as for a space shuttle or a jumbo jet.

Keen accused Lunn of "stepping over the line" by calling her at home on a Saturday afternoon to direct her to get the reactor reopened and told how taken aback she was to be fired late at night, after 10 p.m., on the eve of her scheduled testimony to the committee.

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Hear for yourself a little of what our sitting Prime Minister has to say about Conservative party players and their “overtures” to Chuck Cadman (RIP Big Guy). Hard to say whether the tape is real, or if it’s been doctored. I have to say though that I believe, as voters, it is in the public’s interest and we have a right to have a few questions answered:

· Where this matter stands before the court from both Mr. Harper’s and Mr. Dion’s camps?
· How much has it all cost Canadian taxpayers so far?
· While we’re on it, how much money is it costing taxpayers for the RCMP to be acting as bodyguards to candidates in their own ridings, or elsewhere?

Rick Mercer video - Stephen Harper/Chuck Cadman

Tories use RCMP to block media from talking to candidate Cadman
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 | 12:40 PM ET
The Canadian Press

Excerpts:
The Conservatives called on the RCMP Tuesday night to block reporters from speaking with B.C. candidate Dona Cadman, in a scene reminiscent of the last election when they stashed a local candidate in a restaurant kitchen.

Cadman, a candidate in Surrey-North, has fallen silent since alleging months ago that her dying husband was offered a lucrative life-insurance policy to side with the Tories in a 2005 confidence vote.

A dispute over exactly what kind of deal the Tories tried to strike with the late Chuck Cadman now lies at the heart of a legal battle between Stephen Harper and the Liberal party.

Reporters following the prime minister's national tour asked to interview Dona Cadman after a campaign rally in Surrey — a request that Harper aides initially laughed off in apparent disbelief that the media would even bother asking.

"We have media availabilities every morning in which journalists can ask questions of the prime minister," Teneycke said. "We have events every day in our war room, generally with members of cabinet."

Harper recently won an adjournment putting off a hearing that had been scheduled on the affair, and he's still seeking an injunction to keep the tape out of Liberal hands in the longer term.

Harper also launched a $3.5-million defamation suit last March against the Liberal party, which had used media reports about the tape to accuse the prime minister of "immoral," "illegal" and "unethical" behaviour.

The prime minister says the 2005 tape, in which he discussed the party's overtures to Chuck Cadman, was doctored by the journalist who conducted the interview.

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Vancouver Kingsway candidates dance with the ethnic vote
By Carlito Pablo. September 24, 2008. The Georgia Straight.

Excerpt:

On a recent Saturday morning, the NDP candidate for Vancouver Kingsway, Don Davies, sparred with Liberal candidate Wendy Yuan on a Vietnamese radio talk show.
In the evening that same day, Davies went to a dinner and dance event at the St. Patrick Recreational Hall on Main Street, upon the invitation of one of his Filipino-Canadian supporters. At one point, the Teamsters lawyer danced with Leony Cajigas, a nurse from the Philippines.

The next day, Davies was scheduled to attend a dim sum party, this time to court Chinese-Canadian voters.

“There are over 60 languages spoken in Vancouver Kingsway,” Davies told the Straight.
Of the riding’s 119,815 residents, 42,130 have English as a mother tongue only, according to the 2006 census. Moreover, the riding has a visible-minority population of 81,385, of whom people of Chinese descent number 47,605, and those of Filipino origin 11,930.

“I really respect and appreciate and like the multicultural fabric of our riding,” Davies said. “That’s why I live in Kingsway. I’m the only candidate who lives here with roots here.”

Yuan, who came to Canada in 1984, has her own story to tell.

“I came to this country just like most immigrants with $50 in their pockets and a dream,” Yuan told the Straight. “I came with limited means but through hard work, I got recognized and became a successful businesswoman. I understand what immigrants have to go through to reach what they want.”

Once an NDP bailiwick, Vancouver Kingsway has gone Liberal in recent elections. Its current MP, David Emerson, was elected a Liberal but crossed the floor to the Conservative side days after the 2006 vote.

Doug Warkentin, who is running for the Green Party of Canada in Vancouver Kingsway, acknowledged that the ethnic vote has been traditionally one of the areas that his party has a hard time cracking into.

A resident for the past three years in the riding, Warkentin, an engineer, hopes that his personal connections to small business owners that are mostly of immigrant extraction could win him a number of votes.

“Beyond that, just being the Green party candidate, I think anyone who’s interested in the future of Canada, it’s in their interest to support the kind of things that were supporting as well,” Warkentin told the Straight.

The Straight wasn’t able to get a comment from Conservative candidate Salomon Rayek. In a phone conversation on September 19, one of his staff members said the Mexican-born politician “isn’t available for media interviews at this point”.

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Canadians face a tough choice on October 14th 2008, but what is one of my mantras for voting is that a party and its’ leaders stand (and fall) by their reputation and history of ACTION in the community and how they represent the interests of citizens and protect our collective rights.

Over the past few years with a Stephen Harper minority Conservative government, many Canadians have experienced the sharp end of the stick and a poke in the eye, especially if you’ve tried to alert the public to safety risks. And as soon as they could, the Conservatives put limits and barriers on Canadian’s equality, civil and human rights and access to justice by using their power to cut funds to many important government programs. And they go to extraordinary lengths to silence those working for our safety. A particularly important thing to highlight is that in this election, we are seeing the Conservatives transform the RCMP, Canadian’s public police service, into little more than bodyguards in the pocket of the Conservatives. We are going down a very dark road, alone at night, when our national police services are being used by Stephen Harper to shield Conservative candidates from reporters and citizens like they are hired help keeping the paparazzi away. Citizens have a right to ask questions of candidates and if they don’t have that right during an election, then those candidates don’t have a right to be elected. Stephen Harper’s vicious, controlling and totalitarian nature has been apparent throughout his tenure as Prime Minister and is being played out right before our eyes during this election. No fuzzy sweaters or forced cheery smiles can hide the truth about his nature, his leadership style and the threat he poses to the continued civil and human rights of all but a few.

Actions speak louder than words. Please remember that when you head to the polls on October 14th 2008.

Ready, Set, Go: All Candidates Forum Confirmed

2008-09-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

Date: Tuesday, October 7th 2008

Time: 7pm

Location: Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce (@ Euclid, just down from the Skytrain station).

Looking forward to hearing from the candidates and seeing them in action and I hope
we can ensure a good turnout.

What is Crime All About: Do our Political Leaders even Know?

2008-09-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

Ah, crime, the easy favourite for political leaders and parties to make empty, uninformed promises for fixes. In my life and work, I’ve probably met more criminals than most people would ever hope to meet in a lifetime. I’ve learned some things about criminals and why they choose crime as a career path. It might be difficult to think of it as such, crime as a career path, but in many respects that is what it is. For some, they are raised in criminal families, or those, who espouse and socialize their offspring to naturalize anti-social values and criminal behaviours. For many of these families, this is simply survival, pure and simple.

The hidden issues behind crime are what get ignored by the politicians, who sell a “Get Tough on Crime” ethos which is really just inadequate, shame-based and ineffective and panders to middle class fear. Meanwhile, the real issues of crime go unmentioned, until now of course. These are the real issues behind crime:

Abuse and neglect of children – I have yet to meet a criminal, child, youth or adult who did not have an indescribably horrific history and background of abuse and/or depravation. We’re talking abuse in every possible way – physical, mental, emotional and sexual – girls and boys.

Neglect – deprivation of the most basic necessities of material, emotional and psychological life. If most citizens were to read the forensic assessments of some of the children before the courts, they would understand the difficult lives most criminals start out this world in.

Mental health & Psychiatric Disorders – When children are abused and neglected they experience long-term mental, emotional and psychological damage, only instead of most receiving timely assessment and counseling they get labeled with ADHD, opposition-defiant disorder, and a host of other things. They don’t get labeled as victims and survivors. These kids are often stigmatized and rejected in school and community. Then they come to internalize themselves as unworthy, as outside the norm of their peers. People wonder why the Downtown Eastside exists, well, one reason is that no matter who you are, what you are, or what you do, you will find a community of belonging, which is often more than you can find anywhere in the rest of the world.

Canada now has a Mental Health Commission. Part of their role is to create a national strategy. As the Commission points out on its’ website, Canada was the only G8 nation that did not have a national strategy to address mental illness. So far, they’ve got lots of reports and have made public appearances, with little to show in that way of a strategy. Canadians deserve better and some real action.

Here in BC, one thing we can take pride in is that we created the first Child & Youth Mental Health Plan in Canada

This is an example of best practices and improving outcomes:

Parent resource centre targets troubled youth
Cheryl Rossi, Vancouver Courier. Published: Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Poverty – No-one will ever be able to claim that being poor is always the impetus for engaging in criminal behaviour. However, one man I knew told me his first criminal acts began when, at age 8 years old, he began breaking into houses to steal food. As an adult, he has a long history of crime and addiction, which started as a child whose strength to survive was so strong he had to steal food to eat, in a country where he was surrounded by wealth that denied him the basic necessities of life.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders & other Developmental Disabilities – Canada has a shameful and negligent history and a profound failure of leadership to address the holistic needs of boys and girls with FASD and other DD’s. There is a saying amongst those working with and parenting FASD populations – “the boys get locked up, the girls get knocked up.”

Have you ever seen a newborn baby kicking heroin, or crack cocaine? I have. More than one or two. If the first thing you have to do when you come into this world is detox from dope, your life will ALWAYS be an uphill climb. If your government (federal and provincial) fails to provide you the support you need for your invariable special needs and developmental disabilities, your options in life are significantly reduced. Last time I checked, you don’t need a university degree to sell crack.

If politicians want to make a difference on youth AND adult crime then they better fund and create a national strategy for addressing FASD and other Developmental Disabilities and not leave it up to the provinces to take leadership on this.

Addictions & Residential Treatment – Again, no national leadership and patchwork provincial addiction systems and a lack of treatment beds specifically for youth. The younger you are addicted and entering the anti-social lifestyle associated with addiction & crime, the worse your health, the lower your life expectancy, and often, the more chronic and prolific offending takes place to feed the monkey.

I’ve known a few of those so-called “prolific” or chronic offenders. Their need for dope and the high of crime is insatiable. Even when they go to prison for longer stretches (where they don’t have access to any rehabilitation programs), detox off dope, they are back to the life within a short span of time. Usually they’re released from prison with the clothes on their back, if they’re lucky they get onto welfare before they’re out (most of the time not), no housing and few supports in the community. It isn’t rocket science why they get back into crime again.

Labour, Vocational Training & Apprenticeship Programs – Again, something that falls to the provinces, but the federal government takes very little leadership on this, although headlines across the country are already screeching at us about the current labour market recruitment & retention problems.

It’s all well and good for middle class kids going into the trades. But, it takes some effort to convince a kid who grew up in abject poverty, has no education, maybe doesn’t even speak, or write, English to be employable, who can make the same amount of money, or more, selling crack, meth and heroin and driving a Hummer.

Canadian economy crippled by skilled labour shortage
Eric Beauchesne, Canwest News Service
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Support Services & ESL classes for Immigrant Children & Youth – It is no coincidence some immigrant youth fall into criminal lifestyles. In many respects, their options are for employment are limited. There was an excellent story in a recent issue of the Vancouver Courier that outlined the issue very well. It told the story of young Vietnamese refugee who came to Vancouver, who was illiterate in both his native language, and English. With the pressures on him to work and support himself here (in one of the most expensive cities in North America) and send money home to his family, school and literacy, by virtue of survival had to become a secondary thing. His employment and career options are limited as a result.

Canada’s statistics on literacy rates are staggering for a nation that requires an abundance of “skilled and knowledge workers” for our countries’ future survival. I don’t see one iota of attention being paid to issues of literacy, access to education and ESL education by the party leaders in this election.

"More than 40% of working age people in British Columbia have a hard time with the everyday demands of reading, writing and using numbers. This means they may have trouble finding and keeping jobs. It means they may not be able to get the information they need to protect their health, safety or legal rights. And it means they may be unable to read to their children". (Literacy BC)

"Close to 33% of employers reported training problems because some of their staff were functionally illiterate". (ABC CANADA)

Continuum of Housing Options & Transitional Supports for Youth – In a province such as BC, where the provincial government is set on privatizing and devolving the child protection system, youth aren’t just falling into cracks, they are being swallowed up whole by crevasses where social services and the government used to exist to provide them supports, such as housing, and life skills as they transition into adulthood. It would be lovely and put a smile on all of our faces if all youth got launched into the world from well appointed and nurturing nests, with parents who are there to catch them when they fall. That isn’t the case for a very problematic minority, who become all of society’s problem when they are forced out, or dumped out onto the street before, or after the age of majority.

The Representative of Children & Youth, Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafond reported that in BC, more youth from foster care “graduate” to prison, than actually graduate from high school. That is a failure of all levels of government, because a statistic like that can be replicated in every province. The outcomes of children & youth from care, a most vulnerable population, are well known and established in the research. Yet at a national level, since the Honourable Senator Landon Pearson, no-one stands as a National Champion and Advocate for Children & Youth. That is an international embarrassment for Canada, a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

BTW, Stephen Harper might want to peruse the UNCRC before making all of his “get tough on youth crime” proclamations. His anachronistic and ridiculous campaign promises fly in the face of more progressive and intelligent responses to issues of youth crime.

Youth Crime Prevention – I’d like to know the total Canadian dollars the Conservative government has invested in Youth Crime Prevention initiatives and programs since they became the minority government? I am underwhelmed when I look at the GOV page for youth crime prevention and the meagre findings that turned up when I searched. I strongly suspect that it isn’t enough, especially for Aboriginal youth, who continue to be over-represented in every aspect of the legal system, whether that is arrest, charge and incarceration rates.

I remember one particular immigration mentoring program that went under in Metro Vancouver, losing their government funding and it was just so maddening to think how short-sighted governments can be sometimes in helping youth settle in with peers who can help them find a positive path.

Good Youth Crime Protection programming includes gang prevention activities. But education only goes so far, real efforts and dollars have to go into increasing opportunities and supports to vulnerable youth.

Implications on the UN Convention for Crime Prevention

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So, after all of this, if doing the right thing still isn’t enough to convince our leaders, maybe appealing to our collective self-interest is:

Meet Carl, he’s an 19 year old kid, he was taken away from his alcoholic, neglectful parents when he was around four years old. One of the only things he has pride about is that he used to be the protector of his younger siblings when the parties happened, but no-one was there to protect him. He was abused and neglected in every way a human being can be violated.

The government sends him to the United States, where he stays in a foster home for most of a decade, with no contact with any natural family. He's also abused and neglected there. He’s kept at home, he’s also been taught how to shoot and collect guns, and begins to do break-ins with his other foster siblings, mostly for food. He’s hustled out of the country after he shoots and kills a cow and some other animals and causes some other problems. He has little to no education, is barely literate and unsocialized.

He’s back here in Canada and he is before the courts on a violent crime, it’s just a series of offenses, escalating over time, as his world is crushed over and over and he has NOWHERE and NO-ONE he belongs with, or to. His family can’t cope with him, especially after he assaults one of his relatives. He’s dabbling in pot and trying to stay off alcohol, he knows what it does to him, but it also makes the pain go away, for a little while anyways. He’s also managed to collect some knives. He pulls a kidnapping, while on probation, so he goes away again. He’s still only 16. He drifts to another town. Commits an armed robbery and another kidnapping, more time, now he’s doing adult time. Bigger tricks of the trade, meaner and rougher in-mates and more abuse.

No family, no community, no job, no income, no home, can’t read or write, he’s got addictions, has years of committing violent and sex offenses and mountains of disabilities, special needs and mental health issues no-one has ever been able to help him with.

He is getting released into your community after his time is up. What do you think is waiting for him? Is this the kind of Canada we want for Carl, or ourselves? It isn’t what I want. Carl isn’t theoretical. He was a living, breathing child-man who was thrown away by our society, but he meant something to me. And so do all of the other Carl’s and Carla’s out there.

This time around, we need to choose a better government, one that will seriously commit to helping the Carl and Carla’s in our country. That is the kind of Canada we should strive to be.

Mark Your Calendar for the All Candidates Forum

2008-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

All Candidates Forum
When:Mon Oct 6 7:30pm–9pm

Where: TBA (Please check back closer to the time)

Description

The purpose of this forum is to provide a space for the candidates to engage in conversations on specific social issues in the areas of Child poverty and Child care, Poverty reduction, and Housing, Women’s issues, and Immigration issues.

The Candidates Forum will consist of four parts: Roundtable discussions, Candidates report back, Questions from the floor, and Candidates summary remarks.

This forum is an alternative to the traditional format because we see the value in allowing candidates to hear from their voters the concerns in the community.

We've sent an e-mail to the candidates campaigns to find out more information, check back for updates.

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Not sure if everyone is aware of Riding Talk for Vancouver-Kingsway on CBC's Election blog. I'd certainly like to see more of a dialgue on there about the issues impacting our riding.

The Real Top Issues Facing Canadians - Part 3: Canadian Economy & Quality of Life

2008-09-22T19:30:00.001-07:00

Economic Security

You’d have to be living under a rock to not be aware that the global economy recently took a nosedive of such significance it’s only reference points were the Great Depression and 9/11. I can’t even remotely pretend to be an economics expert or discuss at length the myriad reasons for this but what I do know is that many of us have been led down a garden path that has led to many living far beyond their means in an effort to (falsely) boost our quality of life.

The United States and whatever shadowy folks that have been “drunk at the wheel” and steering our large and close neighbour straight into the rocks. A large part of that was the false economy created by offering to finance housing loans to people who simply could never qualify to buy homes they could never really afford. It’s beyond me to go into the reasons for this unfettered gluttony and the “movin’ on up” mentality of the folks who bought in, but the sub-prime lending crisis has essentially bankrupted the U.S. and has dragged all of the other international banks who bought into it, thus bringing the entire global economy to its knees.

How does this affect Canadians?

We can’t claim to have the same kind of sub-prime lending crisis, but a little of that has rubbed on us in the form of no money down mortgages and First Time Home Buyer programs through Canadian Mortgage & Housing Corporation have enabled borrowers with no money down to get into the real estate market, when they probably shouldn’t have. As a renter, I can understand the impetus to become a “landowner,” paying others’ mortgages is annoying, unproductive in raising the bar of my quality of life and helping me plan for the future security for my family.

An additional issue is that the unfettered real estate market has seen the price of all manner of homes rise to a ridiculously inflated level. In Vancouver Kingsway we’ve seen this, with basic, not even attractive homes are going for $700,000 or more. And people are still buying these homes and in some cases, these people are spending more than 70% of their total income on mortgages.

Then there are those 25-year and longer mortgages, what some refer to as Freedom 95. This is something our political leaders really need to pay attention to. The 2008 Homeless count here in Metro Vancouver found that the fastest growing population of homeless were senior citizens. That is alarming and in my opinion, a disgrace for all levels of governments to allow this to happen to our Elders.

Fundamentally, as much as the CMHC & the Conservative federal government wants to spin this issue, they are not investing enough money in affordable housing for Canadians. CMHC is running a dramatic surplus, some say about $2 billion. That is unacceptable when so many people are insecurely housed, or not housed at all. I want to know when my Canada decided that only certain people deserved to have housing and quality of life? This is rhetorical, I know when this started, but this is one of the things I find most shameful about the neo-conservativism of successive Canadian governments since the 80’s. It’s also short-sighted and frankly stupid public policy to have withdrawn federal investments in housing to the provinces. I just have this picture in my mind of people sitting at the top of a big pile of money while the homeless and insecurely housed die beneath them. I don’t want to live in a Canada like that.

Nearly 30 per cent close to retirement think income won't be adequate: StatsCan
Published: Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Canadian Press: Lauren La Rose, THE CANADIAN PRESS

In the Vancouver-Kingsway riding, housing affordability and security are pressing issues. Statistics Canada reports modest family incomes for most of us, well beyond the price of the average mortgage. With a 0.1% vacancy rate in BC, we’re all one pay cheque away from a missed mortgage, or rent payment and losing our housing, it’s that easy and simple. Most people don't realize how close they are to the street because we've been filling our pockets with fools gold and grabbing a slice of a quality of life that isn't sustainable on our real incomes.

Mortgage crisis may be looming for Canada
Homebuyers advised to save down payments, accept smaller starter homes.

Ray Turchansky, Canwest News Service. National Post.
Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2008

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Food Security

It is a well-established fact, one that the United Nations acknowledges, that there is a global food crisis, that will continue to grow more dire due to a number of public policy decisions and actions of those in power, both in Canada and elsewhere.

Food Security is one of the major issues facing many Canadians these days. You would not know that if you were looking at the federal leaders in this election. This issue does not rate anywhere in any of their platforms, but it ranks pretty high for many of citizens with climbing costs of basic food stuff. I don’t know about you, but the ever-increasing prices of food at the grocery store have definitely had an impact on how we shop for food and necessities. We simply can't afford many of the items we used to and have to use our limited funds more wisely. This includes cutting back on meals spent in restaurants in the community, impacting small local businesses too.

Food Banks, which were supposed to be a temporary solution, have become institutionalized and are on the frontlines of socio-economic trends impacting families. Food banks have seen new faces and a changing demographic requiring their support – the working poor who no longer have access to adequate and nutritious food for themselves and their children, in spite of being employed.

Some organizations, such as our very own Collingwood Neighbourhood House realize the issue of Food Security weighs heavily on many of our citizens and have taken leadership in creating the Renfrew Collingwood Food Security Institute, which offers community kitchens, gardens and other community food initiatives. They can be contacted @ foodsecurity@cnh.bc.ca or 604-435-0323 ext: 237; for more information

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BC leads the country in child poverty rates for five years in a row!!!

On November 24th 1989, all members of the House of Commons vowed to end child poverty by 2000. What have we seen, increased poverty, marginalization and barriers for many Canadian children in reaching their full potential.

Our Vancouver-Kingsway riding has a very high rate of immigrant families, single parent families, Aboriginal families and those with lower socio-economic status. Some of these families live in complete poverty and have no choice but to raise their children without everything that they need for success. In 2007, the United Nations ranked Canada a dismal 12th out of 21 countries Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Development in Rich Countries.

Family Poverty Rates in BC for 2005 (by family type)

Campaign 2000 has released the 2007 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, revealing that 18 years after the 1989 all-party resolution of the House of Commons, the child poverty rate is exactly the same. Despite a growing economy, a soaring dollar and low unemployment, Statistics Canada data show:

·788,000 children – 11.7% - live in poverty
·A job alone is not enough. 41% of low-income children live in families where at least one parent works full-time all year, and the family still lives in poverty.
·The risk of living in poverty is not the same for all children. Poverty hits children in racialized, First Nations and recent immigrant communities much more often.

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I want our political leaders to understand that all Canadian children deserve the best opportunities for health, education and economic security. They are here now, this is their human rights and they are the future of Canada. This doesn’t take just words, but action. Child poverty can be eradicated in a wealthy nation such as Canada. It takes political commitment and will to make this happen.

Campaign 2000 urges all federal parties to set minimum targets of a 25% reduction in child poverty rate over the next five years, and a 50% reduction over 10 years. They are also calling for a national poverty reduction strategy.

Will it be Heat & Gas, or Housing & Food?

This is a question that many citizens of the United Kingdom have been faced with increasingly as their nation went down the path of deregulation and privatization, a situation that we here in BC are rapidly coming to. They’ve actually coined a new term to describe it: fuel poverty. Many of the working poor, seniors, persons with disabilities and other regular folks are rapidly coming to find themselves faced with the choice, food & housing, or heat and electricity? And it isn’t out of line to say that the record-breaking profits of the multi-national power companies in Britain are making those off the backs of citizens, who are begging for relief from their corporate overlords.

“The combined profits of the big six energy companies last year were more than double those in 2006, rising from £2.07 billion in 2006 to £4.3 billion in 2007.”

If the cost of housing wasn’t enough. Our provincial government, under Premier Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals, has allowed our Crown agencies, BC Hydro and Terasen Gas to de-regulate and privatize power, gas and electricity. The government’s appointees on the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) have also allowed BC Hydro and Terasen Gas to raise the costs of heat, water and electricity beyond what many can afford. Now, much of our water, hydro power and electricity are being sent to the United States and many of us find it more and more difficult to afford basic necessities of heat, water and electricity.

The BC government also introduced a carbon tax, which not only is applied to gas, which is used for transportation, but this tax will also be applied to every gigajoule of gas that we have to purchase from Terasen and other companies. This will make a phenomenal hit on citizens in rural areas, who have no choice about their transportation and the heat they need for their homes and families.

Already, many citizens, including seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants and individuals and families who live at, or below the poverty level have to choose between food and heat and electricity. And winter hasn’t even come yet. From what we have already experienced, it is predicted, that we will have a very cold winter this year. While these kind of decisions are made at a provincial level, I’m looking to our federal leaders to take some leadership here and get tough on provinces that are gouging their citizens and creating more economic insecurity and detrimentally impacting citizens quality of life. It is no mistake that the middle class is shrinking and sliding into lower socio-economic classes, while the rich are getting richer and the number of hands that hold the wealth of our nation becomes smaller and smaller. That is not smart, nor just socio-economic policy for Canadians.

Blowing Smoke Where?

2008-09-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to jump into this whole shadow story that is popping up about the NDP candidates who’ve been taken down due to their histories for, horror of horrors…
SMOKING POT.

Get real people, bunch of hypocrites. If political candidates are now going to be vetted and “weeded out” for smoking pot, or being involved in the marijuana decriminalization and legalization movements, then that pretty much rules out at least three generations of candidates:

Baby boomers - Hello, remember, “tune in, turn on, drop out” and that was about more than toking, my friends in weed. And y’all know most of you did much more than inhale.

Baby boomers still lead other U.S. age groups in drug abuse
Use dips among adolescents, survey finds
By KEVIN FREKING. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. September 3, 2008.

Drug use increased among the 50-59 age group as more baby boomers joined that category. Their past month drug use rose from 4.3 percent in 2006 to 5 percent in 2007.

"The baby boomers have much higher rates of self-destructive behavior than any parallel age group we have data from," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Walters, 55, is a boomer himself.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, being released Thursday by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is based on interviews with about 67,500 people.

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Sensible words from Vancouver’s own Senator Larry Campbell on his blog:

Once again, rather than being an advocate for the use of marijuana, and I am simply a believer in the fact that personal choice and proper parenting should be the parameters for a substance that is clearly less harmful than alcohol, which is of course legal and easily accessible.

According to recent crime statistics, it is estimated that the federal and provincial governments spend between $300 million and $500 million a year enforcing the law against simple possession of cannabis. Now maybe Canadians have become used to hearing about such amounts of money, but I know that a lot of communities, particularly those where our Aboriginal peoples reside, could make much better use of such funds.

Senator Larry Campbell in the Province:

"If we're going to call people who have smoked pot criminals, half the country would be criminals," Campbell, a former Vancouver mayor, coroner and RCMP drug cop, said yesterday. "We don't see marijuana users going around beating and robbing people. They don't fit the criminal profile but there's a criminal stigma attached that means people can't get into the States." (or now run in elections)

Generation X - I don’t care where you’ve grown up in this great land of ours, more than half of all Gen X’s, quite likely a majority of voters, have either indulged at some point, or regularly and guess what, they are regular tax paying citizens, stand up people.

Generation Y - This is a generation that has such liberal views of marijuana use and are so bold as to move their vices to a new level by posting pictures, videos and comments on Youtube, Facebook and MySpace that they will be lucky if anyone from this generation will EVER be accepted for candidacy of any party, except for one with names like the Sex Party, or the Party More Work Less Party.

I can’t believe the “Evil Demon Weed” propaganda machine that has led to resignations of some decent and quite likely excellent candidates. And this smacks of the right-wing, fundamentalist anti-drug ethos of the Conservatives, a party made by white men, for white men, funded by white men. Wonder how many of those folks have indulged in the old green? How many have downed more than a healthy amount of alcohol? Or, have full blown alcoholism? Been caught drinking & driving? A ever-climbing number of Conservatives have sure been known to have some pretty poor judgment in quite a few other areas: Maxime Bernier. Gerry Ritz. David Emerson. Tony Clements. Chris Reid.

This stuff is piggy-backing on the international embarrassment that is Tony Clements, Conservative Minister of Health, traveling around the world, humiliating himself and Canada refuting the solid research results and success of Insite as part of the harm reduction strategy for IV drug use and addictions. Yes, Mr. Clements, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree seems to think he is eminently more qualified than the researchers and doctors who have studied Insite and published articles in the leading peer reviewed medical journals on the planet. A quote directly from the horse’s …

That’s why, to me, Insite is an abomination…

Now, for some real outcomes about Insite:

Insite has been subject to rigorous, independent third party research and evaluation by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, recognized as one of the world’s leading research organizations.

The Centre’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, and The Lancet.

Results include:
·Insite is leading to increased uptake into detoxification programs and addiction treatment. (New England Journal of Medicine)
·Insite has not led to an increase in drug-related crime, rates of arrest for drug trafficking, assaults and robbery were similar after the facility’s opening, and rates of vehicle break-ins/theft declined significantly. (Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy)
·Insite has reduced the number of people injecting in public and the amount of injection-related litter in the downtown eastside. (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
·Insite is attracting the highest-risk users – those more likely to be vulnerable to HIV infection and overdose, and who were contributing to problems of public drug use and unsafe syringe disposal. (American Journal of Preventive Medicine)
·Insite has reduced overall rates of needle sharing in the community, and among those who used the supervised injection site for some, most or all of their injections, 70% were less likely to report syringe sharing. (The Lancet)
·Insite is preventing overdose deaths and reducing hospital visits (The International Journal of Drug Policy)

Vancouver's supervised injection site celebrates fifth anniversary
Cheryl Chan, The Province. Published: Sunday, September 21, 2008

Despite research that shows Insite works, the federal government has refused to support it, say members of PHS Community Services, which runs the facility along with Vancouver Coastal Health.

"Old arguments against Insite just don't stand up against real research," executive director Liz Evans told The Province.

We sure wouldn't want those "junkies" as the Conservatives called some of the citizens of the Downtown Eastside having more opportunities to reduce harm to themselves, the community and boosting their chances of getting into treatment. Why that would just be too clever and humane. And what exactly is it the Conservatives have planned for all those "junkies?"

**
Another NDP candidate quits in B.C.

Vancouver-Quadra candidate Kirk Tousaw, a civil liberties lawyer and former campaign manager for the B.C. Marijuana Party, resigned Friday afternoon.

Tousaw has been a long-time advocate for the legalization of marijuana and once appeared on Pot TV, a website run by party leader Marc Emery. He is also chair of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association's drug policy committee.

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Boy, we sure wouldn’t want someone clever, educated and committed to civil and human rights like Mr. Tousaw to represent Canadians, eh? Absolutely not when Deborah Meredith, a scary right-wing Conservative who would represent the constituents so much better:

A Vancouver Quadra voter wrote Conservative candidate Deborah Meredith to express her concern about Ms Meredith's refusal to meet with Medicare For Autism Now representatives DURING the election campaign. This was apparently Meredith's reply:

"What I said is that if I am elected I will meet with you. If not, it is a waste of time for both of us. Make sure what you put on your website is accurate please. Deborah"

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So, lets get real people. I think we can see the Conservatives are running scared and grasping at straw men, look at the shallow gene pool they are working with.

I hold the NDP responsible for this mess too. Why can’t the left just stop pandering to everyone. Regular every day people, many of whom either smoke pot, know people who smoke pot, or who don’t care what substances other adults choose to put in their bodies will respect you and your party more if you stand up straight and tell people, we believe in sensible reform of drug laws so regular citizens are not criminalized for smoking a plant.

Tell the people, Jack, that if Stephen Harper gets in again, he and his party have big plans to start handing out contracts to build lots of private prisons. You know how in the United States the prison industrial complex has been created and more American black men are in prison than colleges. Guess what, that kind of “law and order” plan is right up on the top of Harper and the Conservatives list in their "Get Tough on Crime" platform. I hope all the people who vote for them remember that when their precious little Conservative offspring are getting scooped up and jailed for smoking a blunt and have a permanent criminal record.

Layton denies striking deal with pot party
EDMONTON - NDP Leader Jack Layton's biggest political headache on the campaign trail Saturday wasn't Stephen Harper or Stephane Dion. It was some angry pot-smoking activists who felt they'd been burned. Full Story

May stands firm on legalizing pot
John Colebourn, The Province. Published: Sunday, September 21, 2008

Green Party leader Elizabeth May said last night her party stands firm on its position toward the legalization of pot.

May, in a taping for a segment of The Daily Weekend Edition with host Todd Cantelon on the faith network's Vision TV, said the Green Party would like to see organized crime put out of business by the legalization of pot. "We should face the reality that we are losing the battle against substances like marijuana," she told a pre-selected audience last night. "We would deal a real blow to organized crime."

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More from the campaign trail this week:

Chris Reid, who was challenging Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae in Toronto Centre, resigned after blog postings emerged in which he criticized passengers on a Prairie bus this summer for not intervening to stop the beheading of a fellow passenger. Reid also blasted the CBC for a "far left-wing bias," among other extreme views.

In an Aug. 10 posting, Reid opined of the bus tragedy: "This is where socialism as (sic) gotten us folks, a castrated effeminate population."

Toronto Tory candidate quits over blog postings
Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, September 21, 2008

Right-wing ideology penetrating the Canadian psyche? Don't count on it
Janet Bagnall, Montreal Gazette
Published: Sunday, September 21, 2008

"But the thing I look at most noticeably is when I was first involved in politics we were fighting about the basic precepts of 'getting taxes down' and 'living within a budget' and I think there's been a tremendous change in that." This is almost delusional. Canadians were never in favour of out-of-control spending and living with crippling debt. And proof is thin that the Conservatives are more fiscally responsible than other governments.

Under Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty the $13-billion surplus the Conservatives inherited from the Liberal government more than two years ago is nearly gone.

Last month, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation blasted Harper's government for its tax cuts and 11-per-cent spending surge that outpaced revenues by a factor of three.

Meet the Candidates Part 3: Wendy Yuan – Liberal Party of Canada

2008-09-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

Wendy Yuan – Liberal Party of Canada

Who is Wendy Yuan: Her official bio can be found here.

She is President and CEO of Bradley Pacific Enterprises located in the Vancouver South riding, where Ujjal Dosanjh is the candidate for the Liberal party of Canada.

Ms. Yuan has volunteered with a number of non-profit organizations and has served on the several community boards and has been a real party player in the Liberal Party.
Clearly Ms. Yuan has a lot of business and community board experience, and a decent education background. But and this is a BIG but … there is nothing on her candidate page that indicates she has ever lived in, or worked in the Vancouver-Kingsway riding.

NDP candidate Don Davies reported yesterday that she lives in Richmond and has not denied his repeated claims that she does not live in the riding:

Davies said that although Wendy Yuan, a long-time resident of Richmond, last year claimed that it’s not important for an MP to live in the riding, the Yuan campaign office now says she is a resident of Vancouver Kingsway.

According to land title records as of February 1, 2008, Ms Yuan and her husband are the registered owners of a home in Richmond. Documents further show that Ms Yuan re-mortgaged this property in April, 2007. As of February 6, 2008, there is no record that they own a home in Vancouver.

“We also searched on-line telephone and address directories. We can find no record of any residence attributed to Ms Yuan in the riding,” said Davies.

An anonymous comment on Politics Respun entitled Wendy Yuan: The Next David Emerson for Vancouver-Kingsway and some follow up by Don Davies state that she's perhaps renting a place in the V-K riding.

I’m not really familiar with the kind of income Ms. Yuan makes as President and CEO of Bradley, but it doesn’t add up that someone of that stature and income level and status would be living in the rather run down and sometimes downright scary area of Joyce Skytrain Station. When things don’t make sense, there is some other answer. The one that comes to mind is that for appearance’s sake, Ms. Yuan and her HQ Liberal handlers rented Ms. Yuan an apartment when it was decided she would be parachuted in because she is…..CHINESE. That kind of pandering and political manuevering to “win” the “ethnic vote” in V-K is offensive, insulting and a joke being played on voters who’ve had enough of these kind of tactics. It does not lend credibility to the Liberal Party of Canada being any different than it always has been.

In her own words from 2007

Yuan, a businesswoman who lives in Richmond, noted that Emerson was not a resident of Vancouver Kingsway, and neither were two former MPs in the riding, namely, Sophia Leung of the Liberals and Ian Waddell of the NDP.

“In history, nobody really lived in that riding,” Yuan said. “The criteria for a good MP is not where he or she lives.”

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I couldn’t disagree with Ms. Yuan more. Vancouver-Kingsway does not any more “parachute candidates.” These are candidates who parties strategically place because they perhaps fit a demographic of voters, or somehow “fit” the riding.

Wasn’t David Emerson enough of an example to all of us in this riding about what can happen when someone’s heart and life isn’t really in our community? You would be hard pressed to find anyone who Emerson represented in this riding and he became infamous for failing to meet with constituents. That is a betrayal of all of us and we don’t need a repeat with Ms. Yuan.

And more interesting bits are below:

In 2004, Yuan stepped aside to allow David Emerson , to run as a Liberal in Vancouver Kingsway. Here’s an interesting little e-mail controversy that came up during 2006 nominations for the Liberal riding candidate where it is alleged that Wendy Yuan's campaign manager. allies and insiders may have had something to do with changing the addresses of registered party members so people would be ineligible to vote in the riding nomination contest against Mason Loh. In the end, it didn’t matter since Emerson elbowed everyone else when he was placed in the riding by the Liberals and we all know how that went. More about how the big guns from Liberals HQ denied Loh's appeal.

Wendy Yuan denied she knew any of this. She continued to stress that her campaign was clean and she's done nothing against the book. Since Loh has already filed an appeal, she wouldn't comment on the matter.

The Loh's camp claimed that at least 20 other addresses were changed at the last minute, almost all of them were Loh's supporters.

Premature nomination syndrome?
Sean Holman, May 23, 2006. Public Eye Online.

Earlier, we reported Wendy Yuan would be running for the federal Liberal nomination in Vancouver-Kingsway - the riding presently occupied by turncoat cabinet minister David Emerson.

In an interview with Public Eye, her campaign chair Mike Hillman explained Ms. Yuan's early start this way: "It's my understanding that Bill Graham, as our leader, is anxious to make sure whoever becomes our leader in December has a party organization and structure that is prepared (for an election).

Mr. Hillman also responded to questions as to whether being Ms. Yuan's campaign chair was in conflict with his role as the Liberal's national vice-president - one of the party's senior elected officials. Explained Mr. Hillman, "I don't see it as a conflict. The process around the machinery of elections rests with the leader and with his campaign team. I'm not a member of that.

Contact Wendy, or her team:

Email:wendyy@starwell.com

Riding President: Ivan Curman
Phone: (604) 879-8915

Provincial/Territorial Association:
Liberal Party of Canada in British Columbia
460 - 580 Hornby St.
Vancouver, BC V6C 3B6

Vancouver City Politics: Lessons in Democracy for All of Us

2008-09-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Political campaigns are designedly made into emotional orgies which endeavor to distract attention from the real issues involved, and they actually paralyze what slight powers of cerebration man can normally muster.
Author: James Harvey Robinson

September 15th 2008

News from the COPE Policy Conference & Candidacy meeting

It was a long, arduous day, with many windbags and much hot air. But success of a sort was achieved, as it can only be described about what happens at COPE meetings.
It's not a newsflash, there are "factions" in COPE and frankly, sometimes I wonder why I continue to be a member and actually attend the long boring meetings, in aging community centres and organizations in need of some TLC.

But, as annoyed, tired, warm and bored as I get sometimes, what always reminds me of why I stick around is that as hard as the process and the spectacle it is sometimes (think "train wreck") this is participatory democracy and civic engagement and for that I am grateful. Unlike most other parties, COPE tries as hard as it can to include people and their opinions, sometimes perhaps to a fault. But it does so with great vigour. At a COPE meeting, everyone has a right to be heard and state their point and perspective. But thank the political gods there is such a thing as "calling the question."

Most other political parties, organizations and even corporate and other boards have the final say stop with the elected executive. Until you become part of boards, what happens at the executive level is so little understood by most of us, the manuevering and politicking. In COPE, the executive does not have that kind of authority, the membership hears recommendations from all sides and the entire membership has a chance to vote on adopting policies and recommendations, like what happened today.

And make no mistake, other than a small and very vocal group, that did a great job of usurping the floor, and spinning their argument, with empassioned pleas from both sides, the membership in attendance in the afternoon was substantially in support of an agreement and terms negotiated by the negotiating committee for a collaboration between COPE, Vision Vancouver & the Green Party. And that is:

1) COPE, Vision, and the Green Party have agreed to run less than a full slate of candidates for each level. The breakdown is as follows:

a. Mayor: Gregor Robertson
b. Council: 8 (Vision), 2 (COPE)
c. School Board: 5 (COPE), 4 (Vision)
d. Park Board: 4 (Vision), 2 (COPE), 1 (Green Party)

COPE agreed to run two COPE candidates for city council. That will be an interesting battle, with David Cadman, of course, Ellen Woodsworth, a capable former city councillor and Meena Wong, a well connected and respected candidate who Vancouver would find itself fortunate to have sitting at the council table as well. The COPE candidates will all have something excellent to offer.

Like many parties, COPE has a core group of people who do most of the work, often with little recognition. But what is different than other parties, is that COPE works on a shoestring budget. That's one of the motivations for this agreement, the meagre funds from the left, which are tiny compared to the deep pockets of the developers and other corporate business folks, are more likely to be spread around a teensy bit more for the municipal election.

One interesting point discussed, but not adequately, was whether Vision Vancouver is going to contribute some sort of financial arrangement for the debt COPE racked up getting Larry Campbell and the other bunch elected? Later on, COPE watched them ride off into the sunset, leaving COPE with less than empty coffers. I know everyone would like to just brush that one under the carpet, but it's always spoken to me about principles and character. But, as they say, "politics is a blood sport." And, challenging times call for pragmatic compromises to stay in the game.

As much as people get lost in the left-right rhetoric at the end of the day, COPE members, including their candidates and elected representatives take their right and oppportunity for civic and electoral participation in creating policies that aim to benefit the city of Vancouver, its citizens and the communities we're all part of very seriously. COPE is a thoughtful, rambunctious and always thought-provoking dialogue and a reminder that democracy exists and why it is worth fighting for and other parties could learn a lesson from the party and its' membership.

Now, the mind begins to wonder, who might this mysterious Green Party candidate be for Parks Board? A curious little birdy wonders if it will be none other than Stuart McKinnon? I guess time will tell and much more is to come. It's shaping up to be one of the most interesting Vancouver city elections in years and we're looking forward to it.

In a democracy dissent is an act of faith. Like medicine, the test of its value is not in its taste, but in its effects.
J. W. Fulbright

The Real Top Issues Facing Canadians Part 2: Housing Security & Homelessness

2008-09-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

Article 25
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

The human right to adequate housing

As defined by the first Special Rapporteur, “the human right to adequate housing is the right of every woman, man, youth and child to gain and sustain a safe and secure home and community in which to live in peace and dignity”.

This definition is in line with the core elements of the right to adequate housing as defined by General Comment No. 4 of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (the body in charge of monitoring the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the States which are party to it).

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In a city where the municipal government, under the NPA, has allowed unfettered development of real estate, the cost of housing has grown far beyond what most individuals and families can afford without cutting into their food budgets. With a vacancy rate of less than 1%, many of us are forced to live in substandard housing and are faced with housing insecurity.

Some Aboriginal, immigrant and low income families live in third world conditions in Canada. I have been inside some of the homes that families living in poverty are forced to live in, it is shocking that people can be expected to live in these conditions and raise their children in them. Many families come to Canada wanting a better life for their children. They are not prepared for what awaits them and it is not right for all levels of government to allow these substandard conditions to continue for anyone.

Why is there a housing crisis?

The federal government of the past cancelled funding affordable housing to the provinces. Some provinces, such as BC continued to fund housing, but most do not now.
Now, there is a severe lack of affordable housing and municipal and provincial governments do not place obligations on real estate developers to fund and build social and low income housing as part of their developments, or those governments downgrade the expectations on developers.

Housing “booms” in BC have allowed unfettered development, increased density, buying on speculation and out of country ownership and sales have dramatically driven the price of basic housing stock up in BC. This is not a sustainable for our province. For most individuals and families in the Metro Vancouver region, owning a home, even a condo is beyond their economic ability and reality. Governments who receive political contributions from developers, business and construction industry players prevent reasonable and commonsense limits being placed on the price of housing. Many citizens and families are simply one pay cheque away from homelessness now.

Areas that used to offer affordable, working class and low income housing have been taken over, developed and “gentrified,” pushing renters out of the area and even out of the city. This isn’t just Vancouver, this is all across Canada.

These are other main reasons:
· Unavailability of employment opportunities (that provide sufficient incomes to afford housing)
· Poverty, caused by many factors including unemployment and underemployment
· Lack of affordable healthcare
· Substance abuse and unavailability or lack of needed services
· Mental illness and unavailability or lack of needed services
· Domestic violence
· Prison release and re-entry into society
· Natural disaster
· Forced eviction
· Depletion of the supply of rental housing
· A fragmented infrastructure support system
· Personal vulnerabilities stemming from lack of adequate education and vocational training, and the handicaps experienced by people with physical, mental health and substance abuse disabilities.
· Immigration, employment and income issues

Why Did Homelessness Become So Bad?

The deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill was a huge reason so many people became homeless. Governments wanted to close large institutions, talking a good game about community “inclusion” of the mentally ill and handicapped individuals. Really, institutions were too expensive and governments did not dramatically increase low income and affordable supportive housing, so when people who required support services to live functional and safe lives were pushed out of institutional care, many ended up as street homeless. Once on the street, these citizens became easy victims for drug dealers and others who enjoy victimizing others.

When people become homeless, they often become de-socialized and for those who already had mental handicaps and psychiatric illness, exposed to the daily trauma of homelessness and violence that is often part of the street world, every day is one of survival and insanity. No-one should EVER have to live like this is a wealthy nation like Canada and this is a matter of leadership, political will, policy and commitment, or lack thereof.

Miloon Kothari, the UN Special Rapporteur for Housing, visited Canada in October 2007 on a fact-finding mission to look at the issues of homelessness, Aboriginal housing issues, women's housing issues and the impact of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Mr. Kothari granted this interview during his recent visit.

He was shocked and taken aback by what he saw in Vancouver. This was what he said:

There is a deep homelessness problem here. I must say I was taken aback by the scale of the crisis here in the Downtown Eastside.

It's glaringly apparent in Vancouver that for quite some time... successive governments have failed to create the housing that is necessary. You have a legacy of misguided government policy that has led to this massive crisis in housing and homelessness. … It is striking that a few blocks from million-dollar condominiums, that there is such immense poverty.

I would say that the part that is the most disturbing, and the scale is astounding, is the issue of forced evictions.... what we see is an astronomical rise in development and market-driven evictions.

Up to 15,500 Homeless: Report
Tally of BC homeless by health profs far higher than housing minister's.
By Andrew MacLeod. Published: January 31, 2008. TheTyee.ca

In B.C. there may be as many as 15,500 adults with severe addictions or mental illness who are homeless, says the 149-page report, Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia.

The report says some 130,000 adults in B.C. have severe addictions and/or mental illnesses. About 39,000 are "inadequately housed," meaning they meet the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's definition of being in "core housing need." Of those, about 26,500 don't have enough support to help them stay in their home.

Somewhere between 8,000 and 15,500 are what the report calls "absolutely homeless," meaning they are living on the streets, couch surfing or otherwise without shelter.

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The Metro Vancouver Homeless Count in March 2008 found 2,592 homeless citizens on the street and in shelters in a 24 hour period. These were only the people found. There are many, many more who are not included in the counts. These include youth and adults who “couch surf,” individuals who live in hotels, people who are transiently housed, live in areas that aren’t included in the count, and those who are homeless for other reasons, such as eviction.

Read Pivot Legal Society’s submission to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, where they recently reported that since 2005 street homelessness in Vancouver has increased by 39%.

· BC Housing statistics state that there were 40,000 incidents in a nine month period where citizens were turned away from shelters where they were seeking an emergency bed.

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What do the Leaders and Parties have to say about Homelessness & Housing?

It is symbolic of the Conservative government’s commitment to homelessness that when we go to the “Homelessness” link on the Canada’s Human Resource and Social Development page that nothing actually comes up. Over the course of the Conservatives time as the leaders of our country, they have invested very little in housing and homelessness. They don’t even identify this as a top issue facing Canadians as we can see on their Key Issues website heading into this election. This just proves how out of touch Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are about the real issues facing Canadians.

After perusing the Liberal Party website, although they discuss the issues of housing and homelessness, this is not included in their election platform and they have no policy explaining what leadership their party will take to improve the plight of Canadians faced with housing insecurity and homelessness and funding affordable housing for citizens.

Both the Liberal and Conservative governments of Canada either created, or have allowed these conditions of homelessness and housing insecurity to flourish and have shown no leadership and no commitment to change these conditions.

The Green Party of Canada, while not ignoring the issue of homelessness and housing does not make it one of their key platform, or policy issues as we can see on it’s Issues page.

Jack Layton, the leader of the federal New Democratic Party has written Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis. The NDP is the only major party that highlights housing and homelessness as a key election issue facing Canadians.

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Other links

Homelessness in Canada

Homeless in Canada - Resources

Homeless Nation

Growing Home - Housing and Homelessness in Canada – Conference in Calgary, Alberta from February 18th to 20th 2009.

The Homeless Individuals and Families Information System HIFIS Initiative that created an electronic records management system to collect information about the population using shelters while assisting in daily operations such as booking-in and out clients, and reporting on shelter use.

Federal Election Advocacy Kits: Child, Youth & Family Issues

2008-09-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Federal Election Kit from First Call

First Call has produced an election kit to support community members in getting children, youth and families on the federal agenda. Organized around First Call's Four Keys to Success for Children and Youth, the election kit:

• identifies ways that advocates can engage with candidates and learn more about issues that are important to their community;

• provides facts about child and youth issues and why they are important;

• describes the federal government's responsibilities to children, youth and families;

• offers sample questions that can be asked at all candidates meetings, in the media, or via e-mail correspondence with candidates.

Given the results of the August 29 poll by Angus Reid and the Toronto Star naming poverty as the fourth most important issue identified by Canadians in determining which party to vote for in the next federal election, it is our hope that the community will have the ear of candidates when voicing concerns over the stubborn persistence of child and family poverty in Canada and BC in particular.

First Call would like to see children and youth high on the agenda of all federal parties, and encourages community members, parents and advocates to communicate their concerns to their candidates for Parliament and federal party leaders.

Visit www.firstcallbc.org to download the 2008 Federal Election Kit, background materials and resources from First Call and other organizations.

Meet the Candidates Part 2: Salomon Rayek – Conservative Party of Canada

2008-09-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Meet the Candidates Part 2: Salomon Rayek – Conservative Party of Canada

Unfortunately, there is no contact information on the Conservative party website for Mr. Rayek. And, just this week, our household received a gigantic and very expensive brochure for David Emerson, entitled: David Emerson, MP Vancouver Kingsway: Strong Leadership: A Better Canada. I wonder if the Conservatives are aiming to confuse voters as to who is actually running in the riding?

Who is Salomon Rayek: An immigrant who came to Canada from Mexico with his wife and two sons. He’s an entrepreneur and small business owner. He’s also a family man, who tells potential voters his young son was born and raised in V-K riding and that the family is part of the community. It doesn’t appear as though he and his family live in the riding though, or have anything much to do with it at this point, so it's difficult to know how and to what extent they are "part of the community."

Rayek became President of the Delta-Richmond East Conservative Riding Association and his party affiliations with that riding go back to at least 2006, when he was a director on the board and was the Richmond Electoral district Association (EDA) liaison. This is quite confusing, when did Rayek's interest spark for the Vancouver-Kingsway riding?

Rayek’s business, where he is President of WeeStep Enterprises Ltd, is located in Richmond as well. He and his family apparently have a condo in Richmond. Sean Holman of Public Eye Online (see below for story) found Mr. Rayek had a bit of a problem with the annual general meeting of his townhouse building being conducted in Cantonese and spoke to the Richmond News about it, stating:

"I've been in Canada for about 10 years, and I have never felt so discriminated against. I was really upset by the situation."

It is hard to tell at this point if Rayek has any connections in the Vancouver-Kingsway riding at all, other than being a Conservative that is? Apparently he also made an unsuccessful attempt to be elected as the Conservative candidate running in the Burnaby-Douglas riding as well. Mr. Rayek gets around. For someone who clearly is interested in politics, his judgment in speaking with the media about language and communication issues with his Chinese neighbours of the strata council might be questionable, since the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway has a substantial number of Chinese candidates.

I think it’s fair for voters to ask what does Mr. Rayek know about the Vancouver-Kingsway riding, the issues, needs and concerns of the voters and citizens here?We will be asking him and all of the candidates that question and others in the near future.

Apparently Mr. Rayek is quite the letter writer on a wide range of issues including the Tsawwasen Final Agreement, Insite and complaints about other party members’ communications with their constituents.

Residents of Burnaby got some of his vitriol when he wrote about Insite, stating: that injection site supporters aim to "legalize hard drugs and get rid of law enforcement."

Re: Take ideology out of decisions, Burnaby NOW, May 7, and Opposition is not just 'ideology', Burnaby NOW, May 10.

I wasn’t aware the large contingent of professionals working in the area of addictions, health, mental health and the other professions actually working with this high-risk population were advocating for legalization and an end of policing. I think voters in this very large riding will want to strongly consider the kind of tolerance our next elected representative will have for both people living and dealing with addictions, their families and those working with them in this riding. Mr. Rayek's ignorance and extremity of perspective and judgment about a wide range of people working in this area of health practice is frightening and goes against the well established research and real world outcomes for the individuals who use the site.

Contact: Salomon Rayek Campaign
#120 - 4395 Fraser St
Vancouver, BC,
V65V 4G4
Phone: 604 - 454 - 9001
salomon@salomonrayek.ca

The Platform: Conservative Party Key Issues

Key Issues - Sovereignty, Leadership, Environment, Health Care, Lower Taxes, Child Care, Tackling Crime, Accountability

Conservative Candidates

Language barriers

Conservative candidate Salomon Rayek wants to represent the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway, where - according to the 2001 census - 41.8 percent of the population is Chinese. So those voters may be interested to know that, just last year, Mr. Rayek sounded off in the Richmond News when his strata council conducted its annual general meeting in Cantonese. At the time, Nelson Bennett reported a majority of the townhouse owners spoke Cantonese. And the meeting was translated into English. But one of the owners, according to Mr. Bennett, suspected much was lost in translation. And Mr. Rayek, another owner, was quoted as saying, "Definitely we feel that we lost more than half the meeting. I don't have anything against Chinese. But when I feel discriminated against, as a minority by being singled out - because that's the way I feel - something is wrong." Indeed, Mr. Rayek added, "I've been in Canada for about 10 years, and I have never felt so discriminated against. I was really upset by the situation." Mr. Rayek hasn't responded to a request for comment placed this morning.

The following is a complete copy of Mr. Bennett's June 29, 2007 article.

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Don’t hold back, tell us how you really feel Mr. Harper, the man who is the Prime Minister of Canada:

"You’ve got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettoes and who are not integrated into western Canadian society."

- Stephen Harper, The Report newsmagazine, January 22, 2001.

Scandalpedia: the free encyclopedia of Conservative scandals

The Conservative Rats are Jumping Ship!!
September 5, 2008

Emerson, Hearn, Solberg won't run in next election

CBC News. September 4, 2008.

The Real Top Issues Facing Canadians: Human and civil rights

2008-09-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Human and civil rights are basic and a starting point for any society. Government leaders can talk and talk and talk, we all know it's actions that speak louder than words.

Mahatma Ghandi said:

“The best test of a civilised society is the way in which it treats its most vulnerable and weakest members."

I believe you can also tell a lot about the darkness of a government leaders heart and soul by how they ignore and erode the human and civil rights of its’ own citizens and betray the trust and sovereignty of their nation.

Many citizens in Canada are completely ignored by the federal and provincial governments and their most basic human rights to shelter, food, safety and health care are being denied by our governments. I don’t know about you, but I want our Canada to value and take care of everyone, not just the rich, the greedy and the corrupt. We have more than enough to take care of our own and to help our global village as well. It is a matter of conscience, priority, commitment, will and humanity.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states the following:

LIFE, LIBERTY AND SECURITY OF PERSON.
7. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.
TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT.
12. Everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

EQUALITY BEFORE AND UNDER LAW AND EQUAL PROTECTION AND BENEFIT OF LAW / Affirmative action programs.
15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

In the past, Canada was seen as a world leader and has signed many United Nations conventions declaring human rights for all citizens. Equity, human rights and dignity for Aboriginal and immigrant children, youth and families, as well as many working class, poor, persons with disabilities, homeless and single parent families are not something we, as Canadians, can count on. We believe that we need a government that will actually take action to improve things, not just talk about things they will do. Or, do yet another research study, or parliamentary dog and pony show, which results in nothing than another report collecting dust.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
Article 25
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Read Pivot Legal Society’s submission to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights about the conditions of life and human rights of citizens in Vancouver here.

Read more about what Canada can do to improve the lives of Aboriginal citizens from the Institute for Research on Public Policy

Promoting Equity and Dignity for Aboriginal Children in Canada

Read more about the experiences of Immigrant Children and Youth in Canada

Immigrant Youth in Canada: Introduction

The Local Scene:BC & Human Rights

Things have gotten so bad that the BC government has taken away the human and civil rights of homeless citizens to vote in the next provincial election by amending the Election Act of BC. If you don’t have a home, or identification, you can no longer participate in electing the government. In a supposedly democratic nation this is shameful and illegal law makes a mockery of the Rights and Freedoms of the citizens who need them most. This is happening in Canada.

Article 21
1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Election Bill Pared Back: Bill 42: Oppal retreats halfway on ad ban, leaves ID rules untouched.

ID requirement kept
The other part of the bill that has drawn heavy criticism is the requirement for greater proof from potential voters of their identification and address. The changes are similar to ones made by the federal [Conservative]government last year that are already being challenged in court.

Jim Quail, a lawyer and the executive director of the B.C. Public Interest Advocacy Centre:

"What they don't understand is voting is a right not a privilege in this country," he said. "It's a right not a privilege and the government has no right to interfere with our right to elect, or unelect, them."

Election Amendment Act (2008), aka the BC Liberal’s Gag Law. BC Liberals Suck Monday, July 21, 2008.

ARISTOTLE:

If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.

Meet the Candidates Part 1: Green Party of Canada

2008-09-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Green Party of Canada

Leader of the Party: Elizabeth May

Here is her candidacy website.

Candidate: The Green Party hasn’t confirmed a candidate in this riding yet. According to Elections Canada, nominations close September 22nd and notice of riding candidates will be available September 25th 2008.

They quite likely won’t run a candidate, as May and Stephane Dion (leader of the Liberal Party of Canada) have an agreement not to run candidates against each others’ parties in certain ridings.

The Party Platform:

Green Values: Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Participatory Democracy, Non-Violence, Sustainability, Respect for Diversity

Global Greens Charter – 2001

Green Party Policy

News: The leaders of the Conservative and NDP and a “consortium” of major media players have blocked Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party, from participating in the televised leaders debate. This is the nasty side of politics and one of the main reasons why so few women get into the game. Politics are a blood sport after all. And it doesn’t bode well for the future either.

May is being blocked by the “Old Boys Club” and they are making the rules up as they go along. Many of us are seeing this as a direct attack on democracy and ever-increasing control of unelected shadowy media men who seem to think they know what’s best for us as citizens to see and hear. They can decide what leaders we should hear from too. Apparently they think they know best.

I think this issue has tapped into a zeitgeist of this time. Most of us of younger generations, or those of diverse backgrounds and cultures do not feel like we are represented by the same old, same old. The white men in suits are ubiquitous and we can’t get away from them anywhere, in politics, in the upper echelons of the corporate world, in academia, and elsewhere. The world has changed around them and Elizabeth May and her party are a glaring example of that. What’s been done to her has ignited the anger and indignation of generations of people and many others who do not feel we have a voice in how our country is run, who feel we simply don’t matter to those who sit in Ottawa and in those fancy boardrooms deciding who is fit to be seen and heard and who isn’t. And the who isn’t, is most of us. If the parties involved in this decision-making know what is good for them, they will back down and allow May into the debate, if they don’t, that is a loud slap in all Canadians faces and a clear message that a majority of Canadian citizens do not matter.

Blair Wilson, a Liberal who was kicked out of caucus became the first sitting Green party Member of Parliament when he joined the Greens in August 2008. According to past practices, this should have ensured that May, the leader of the federal Green Party should be included in the Leaders Debate. The Boyz don’t want May cutting into their time and they don’t want to allow a voice to a party that will appeal to young people and those voters who are disillusioned with the status quo parties. In their own words:

The Green Party is making waves -- and making news. We're the vibrant new voice in Canadian politics -- surging in the polls, demanding a place in the leaders' debates, speaking out on the issues that matter.

From the Green Party Blog:

Harper. Layton afraid of a Woman

Submitted by Tina Crouse on 9 September 2008 - 1:41pm.

If Stephen Harper's new 'I'm a good dad' ads are directed at women voters, then his fear of facing Elizabeth May should go down really well. 'Old Boys Club' should read 'Old Buzzards'. If women, as 50% of the vote don't get this one, they never will. Until the ability of men to silence women is ended, politics, life and government will remain as 'same old, same old'.

Greens are going to change that; we will. If not today and not this election, then before I die and that's because life has changed immeasurably in my lifetime due to political engagement - the Berlin Wall, Apartheid, the Battering of Women and even Saving the Whales. Forbidding women the right to speak and be heard because of the frailties of a few men is so old school. Thank God, school always ends.

Read more media & comments from hundreds of citizens of all political stripes are really angry about this exclusion:

May calls out Harper, Layton for boycott threats

Voters outraged by Greens' exclusion, May says

Greens can't participate in leaders debates, networks rule

Break up Liberal 'old boys club' New leader must bring more women into Parliament
Tom Axworthy. Nov 19, 2006.

Old Boys Media Club Scared of Green Party Leader
Paul Langan, Sep.08.2008.

Federal Government & Election Information

2008-09-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

Parliament of Canada

Dissolution of Parliament

On the advice of the Prime Minister, the Governor General, by proclamation on September 7, 2008, dissolved Parliament and gave instructions to issue writs of election. October 14, 2008 has been set as the polling day.

An Explanation of Parliament: Senators and Members

Senate. The Upper House of the Canadian Parliament consisting ordinarily of 105 Senators appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Senate possesses all of the powers of the House of Commons except that of initiating financial legislation.

House of Commons. The elected part of the Parliament of Canada. Made up of 308 Members, the House alone is constitutionally authorized to introduce legislation concerned with the raising or spending of funds.

304 Members of Parliament

Learn about the Government of Canada

Government of Canada

Voter Identification at the Polls

Voter Information is available in: 27 heritage languages and 8 Aboriginal languages

Members of the House of Commons

Historical Information since 1867 provided by the Library of Parliament

Elections Canada

Election Financing - Check out who donates and how much they donate to different political parties.

The Electoral System of Canada

How are candidates elected to Parliament? Answer: First Past the Post

"In every electoral district, the candidate with the most votes wins a seat in the House of Commons and represents that electoral district as its member of Parliament. An absolute majority (more than 50 percent of the votes in the electoral district) is not required for a candidate to be elected."

There are many of us who do not believe the FPtP method of elections provides for a fair selection of our elected representatives. Canada is a very diverse and pluralistic society, (sometimes Canada is referred to as a mosaic) but we can see that our Parliament and those who are elected most often are not representative of our diversity. We believe that electoral reform at both provincial and federal levels of government must take place before we will see true representation of all Canadians.

Find your Member of Parliament:

Members of The House Of Commons

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A Cheeky Bit of Fun at our Friends Down South (don’t forget to vote at the end)

The Authoritative Trig Palin Conspiracy Time Line
by Vanity Fair
September 5, 2008, 12:20 PM

Vancouver-Kingsway Voters Get Your Questions In to Us...

2008-09-07T20:09:00.001-07:00

We will be sending a list of questions to the candidates running in Vancouver-Kingsway and will be posting their answers to the blog.

Your input as citizens in the riding and as voters is a necessity.

Simply reply to this post, adding questions you would like to see asked of the candidates by making a Comment to this message.

Or send us an e-mail @ vancouverkingsway2008@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you and encourage you to distribute the Vancouver-Kingsway 2008 blog to as many voters in the riding as you can, to other interested parties and ask your friends and neighbours what questions they'd like to ask the candidates and what issues they want our potential elected representatives to be aware of.

We don't have much time, advanced polls open October 3rd 2008.

Please get out and vote and encourage your fellow voters to get out too.

Alex Carey:
... the 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: The growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.

Australian social scientist, quoted by Noam Chomsky in World Orders Old and New

This is our country and our riding and we decide who should run it, for the people, by the people, with the people.

Aristotle:

If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.

More on the Vancouver-Kingsway Riding

2008-09-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

From the CBC:

Vancouver-Kingsway Riding Profile

This central Vancouver riding encompasses an area running from Boundary Road in the east to Oak Street in the west, bordered on the south by 41st Avenue West, 41st Avenue East, School Avenue, Tyne Street and 49th Avenue East, and on the north by 16th Avenue West, 16th Avenue East, 15th Avenue East and Grandview Highway South.

The 2001 census found just one-third of residents here listed English as their mother tongue. More than 55 per cent are immigrants. Nearly 40 per cent are ethnically Chinese – the second-highest such proportion of any riding.

The area is mainly residential. The service sector is the major employer, along with manufacturing and retail. The average family income in 2001 was $54,724, and unemployment was 8.2 per cent.

The riding of Vancouver Kingsway existed from 1953 until 1986. It was re-established in 1996 from half of Vancouver Quadra, one-quarter of Burnaby-Kingsway, and smaller portions of Vancouver East and Vancouver South. In 2004, 11 per cent of the population was redistributed to other ridings, while about 7,000 people were added from Vancouver Quadra and 1,830 from Vancouver East.

Population: 115,325

Political History

Liberal David Emerson won here in 2004, defeating former New Democrat MP Ian Waddell by 1,351 votes. Paul Martin named Emerson minister of industry in 2004.

Sophia Leung held this seat from 1997 to 2004, first beating out New Democrat Victor Wong and then, in 2000, fending off the Canadian Alliance's Alice Wong (by 5,042 votes).

Vancouver Quadra was held by Tories from 1949 to 1963, by Liberals from 1963 to 1972, and by Tory Bill Clarke from 1972 to 1984.

The old Vancouver Kingsway riding picked MPs from the CCF and NDP from 1953 through the 1984 election, with just one exception, a Progressive Conservative in the 1958 Diefenbaker sweep.

Vancouver Kingsway:
1997, 2000, 2004 - LIB

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Ex-Liberal minister from B.C. joins Harper
Last Updated: Monday, February 6, 2006 | 10:18 PM ET
CBC News

Former Liberal industry minister David Emerson has jumped ship to become a Conservative cabinet minister.
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From Census 2006:

Population in 2006: 5,836

Elections Canada Map and information on the Vancouver-Kingsway riding.

Game On!!!

2008-09-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Greetings Vancouver-Kingsway Constituents, Contestants and interested parties.

Welcome to the Election 2008 Vancouver-Kingsway Blog. This is a short race, voters go to the polls on October 14th 2008 and this constituency is one of the most important contests in Canada. Why is this the case, you may ask?

Well, many of us know that our riding faired very poorly in the 2006 federal election, with David Emerson sailing into office, elected a Liberal on the backs of his supporters and a majority of voters in Vancouver-Kingsway. And just moments later, he crossed the floor to join the Conservative Party of Canada, disgracing himself, betraying and dishonoring the constituents who elected him, and indeed, the entire riding and the electoral process. Read more about here: De-elect David Emerson

Here’s a little quote directly from David Emerson which should give voters some food for thought:

"The overlap between the Liberals and Conservatives leaves a little ground where people can be comfortable in either one."

This is a very diverse and challenging constituency to represent. According to the 2006 Census, Vancouver-Kingsway is one of the most ethno-culturally diverse ridings around. Our next elected representative must be a strong and ethical leader who is aware of and will fairly and adequately represent the interests of the wide range of stakeholders who call Vancouver-Kingsway home and have their businesses here.

In addition to representing our interests, needs and issues, our next elected Member of Parliament will need to be a strong leader and voice for all of British Columbia. It isn't our "imagination," or "Western alienation" for too long, the House of Parliament, the "People's House" has been dominated by the issues, wants and concerns of Eastern Canada, specifically Ontario and Quebec, who have the largest populations.

A simple example of BC's status as "poor country cousin mouse" is that BC celebrated it's 150th anniversary this year. Quebec celebrated it's 400th anniversary, certainly an amazing and historic event. The Conservative federal government gave Quebec $110 million for their celebration. Guess how much they gave BC for our celebration? If you guess nothing you're right. At least that was the initial contribution. Once the Conservatives were informed they were heading to the polls, they managed to find a pittance to throw BC's way.

Statistics Canada Census Profile for Vancouver-Kingsway

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For more Election 2008, go to CBC Canada Votes 2008

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Check this page at Elections Canada to find your electoral district, by typing your postal code into the box: