Source: canada.com
"Canada is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Many trafficking victims are from Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, South Korea, the Philippines, Russia, and Ukraine. Asian victims tend to be trafficked more frequently to Vancouver and Western Canada, the report states. It also says Canadian women and girls, many of whom are aboriginal, are trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation. Canadian politicians promised long ago to eliminate exotic dancing from its list of skilled worker categories for immigration because of fears that traffickers were using it as a loophole to legally import women into forced prostitution, yet 14 permits were issued last year. Fifteen were handed out in 2007 and 22 in 2006. Only five traffickers have ever been convicted."
Very disturbing that Aboriginal women are trafficked internally...enough is enough.
6.17.2009
Strippers Are Skilled Workers! (accord'g to the gov)
3.26.2009
Final Results
The priority resolutions that were preferred by En Famille voters are as follows:
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I did take the time to read and vote on everyone - some, I tried to understand what the issue was but went with the majority.
6.05.2008
About C-51 (from an email)
Subject: More about C-51
May 20, 2008
Dangerous Precedents
by Glenn Stewart Coles
Slowly but surely, Canadians and Americans are losing the right to make personal decisions about their health. These changes are fueled by two factors: the belief that intrusive medical techniques are the only way to encourage healing and the desire of pharmaceutical companies to increase profits. Unless citizens work together to prevent these changes, we will soon lose the ability to choose methods for healing and maintaining health.
In Canada, Minister of Health Tony Clement is pushing through Bill C-51, a series of changes to the Food and Drug act that criminalizes the preparation and sale of most natural health products. Bill C-51 also gives government agents the power to invade homes and businesses, to arrest anyone involved in the production or distribution of natural supplements or holistic remedies, and to levy fines that would bankrupt most individuals and small businesses. The fact that Tony Clement is 25% owner of a $140 million pharmaceutical company that would greatly benefit from these new laws is a conflict of interest that has so far been overlooked.
In two US states (New Jersey and Maryland) it is now illegal to refuse vaccinations for children. Though the success of vaccination programs is debatable, any parents who decide that the needle is not right for their children face the potential of arrest. In these cases, the children would be taken from their homes and vaccinated by force. Since most vaccination programs are marketed to government agencies (example: vaccines for HPV and infant diarrhea), the laws are creating guaranteed customers and profits for pharmaceutical companies.
In a recent Canadian case, an eleven-year old boy who has undergone unsuccessful chemotherapy for leukemia was taken from his family and forced to go through the torturous procedure a second time. Even though the boy and his family decided that chemotherapy is not the correct treatment, government agents felt differently. When the boy and his father went to the hospital for a checkup, the father was handcuffed and the boy was taken away. He is now being held captive and suffering through treatment that he knows won't work. Those who truly understand the path of healing await the announcement of the boy's death.
In Canada, Bill C-51 is the first step towards adoption of the World Health Organization's CODEX treaty, which moves the production of supplements and health products into the hands of pharmaceutical companies. The government is stepping into the role of medical enforcer, deciding that the only way to encourage health is through pills and medications. The pharmaceutical industry is very supportive of these measures since government agents will ensure the sale of their products. These decisions are based on revenue and profit rather than health or safety.
While government spokespeople insist that these measures are intended to increase the health of citizens, the reality is that these shortsighted views follow the belief that intrusive medical treatment is the only path to healing. In addition, all of these actions show a bias towards the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Despite the fact that over 30,000 people die annually in Canada because of prescribed drugs, the industry insists that they are really just trying to help.
ur society is being brainwashed by the pharmaceutical companies to believe that drugs are the answer. Huge sales of Viagra and other sexual potency drugs are based on the implanted idea that men require a pill to function sexually. The multi-billion dollar headache industry is based on the assumption that headache relief can only be achieved with painkillers. Even the sale of sunscreen lotion is based on the implanted fear that sunlight is dangerous while the cancer-causing chemicals in sunscreen are irrelevant. While the pharmaceutical industry spent $31 billion on research in 2004, they also spent $57 billion on marketing. These expenditures define their priorities.
Up until now, those who are more enlightened about their personal health have had the ability to make their own choices. These rights are being taken away, and the driving force behind the change is the profit of pharmaceutical companies. In Canada alone, sales of prescription drugs exceeded $27 billion in 2007. These sales equate to about $800 annually for every man, woman and child in the country. Are all these pills and drugs really necessary?
A lot is going on behind the scenes. The big scam that we call the pharmaceutical industry is growing for its own benefit, and as a result the health and choices of individuals around the world are threatened. While many people are beginning to object to these changes, the majority is unaware. Unless the public stands together and says no, we will have lost many of our basic rights. Write your government representative, spread the word, and fight for your right of choice before it is gone.
© Glenn Stewart Coles 2008
http://www.glennstewartcoles.com
1.13.2008
Aboriginal Self-Government at a Glance
Aboriginal Self-Government at a Glance
The term “Aboriginal people” is a collective name for the original peoples of Canada and their descendants. The Constitution Act, 1982 refers to three specific groups of Aboriginal peoples with their own unique heritages, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs, namely Indians (Status and Non-status), Inuit and Métis. Since the 1970s, the term “First Nations” has gradually replaced “Indians” in everyday language.
Historically, colonial policies affected Aboriginal governments' authority. At first, colonial governments signed treaties to ensure friendship between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans so that they could share lands and resources. However, colonial governments, and (after 1867) the Government of Canada, gradually passed laws, such as the Indian Act, encouraging Aboriginal peoples to adopt the social and political ways of the mainstream, non-Aboriginal population. As a result, these laws threatened traditional Aboriginal lifestyles.
Treaties include those agreements made between 1701 and 1923, as well as modern-day treaties known as comprehensive land claim settlements. Treaty rights that existed in 1982, as well as those that arose afterwards, are both recognized and affirmed by Canada's Constitution. Comprehensive land claim settlements deal with Aboriginal rights that have not been previously addressed by treaties or other legal means—the first of these modern day treaties was the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (1975). In 1998, the governments of Canada, British Columbia, and the Nisga'a Nation signed the Nisga'a Final Agreement. The treaty recognizes Nisga'a Lands and contains self-government provisions. On May 11, 2000, the treaty went into effect, marking the end of a 113-year quest. Comprehensive claims continue to be settled between the federal government and Aboriginal people in Canada. The implementation of self-government through negotiated agreements is built upon the relationship already established through past treaties. Treaties and land claim settlements vary in each province and territory. Comprehensive information is available from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada or through the resources listed at the end of this guide.
Aboriginal leaders have strived to help their people regain their rightful place in the Canadian federation, and to have recognized the right to govern themselves and to enter into partnerships with the federal and provincial/territorial governments and other partners, including the private sector.
In August 1995, the federal government undertook a process to negotiate practical arrangements to make Aboriginal self-government a reality. This process is based on the idea that the inherent right of Aboriginal self-government already exists in the Canadian Constitution. Further attempts such as the First Nations Governance Initiative aim to grant Aboriginal groups the power to shape their own forms of government to suit their particular historical, cultural, political and economic circumstances. This will be done through the development of stronger fiscal powers, the settlements of land claims and the transfer of power to Aboriginal peoples to manage their land. As it stands now, Aboriginal peoples are able to elect Chiefs and band councils which have the ability to make decisions and enact by-laws in only a limited number of areas, on behalf of the people.
Self-government is about building self-reliance and establishing a new relationship between Aboriginal peoples and all levels of government in Canada, based on mutual understanding and trust. It means that Aboriginal peoples will be able to take more responsibility and control over decisions affecting their own lives and communities than they have now. It means that Aboriginal peoples will be able to make their own laws in some areas, make choices about how to spend money, deliver their own programs and services (like education) to their people, and more easily build partnerships with others to pursue economic development opportunities. It also means that Aboriginal governments will be more accountable to their own people for the decisions they make, but it does not mean that they will operate as independent countries. For example, the Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms will continue to apply to Aboriginal governments. Federal and provincial/territorial laws will also continue to apply, with federal and provincial/territorial laws of overriding importance, such as the Criminal Code, prevailing over other laws in case of disagreement. In general, self-government is about all levels of government (Aboriginal, municipal, provincial/territorial, and federal) working together as partners to ensure that all Canadians have equal access to the services and opportunities to which they are entitled.
Adapted from The Learning Circle: Classroom Activities on First Nations in Canada, Ages 12 to 14 and Treaties with Aboriginal People in Canada. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. Copies are available through the Department or on its Web site at http://www.inac.gc.ca.
source: http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/special/gouv-gov/section2/infobox4_e.cfm
