Relocation of Urban Poor

Relocation Solution Poses a Dilemma to Slum Dwellers Made Homeless by Ondoy.
This story is the second one I've read in a day about the relocation of people. The first one concerns removing the homeless from the area where the Olympic torch is expected to travel for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. I was very surprised that we here in Canada would do this - as one advocate said, why not just house them? Internationally, the local government in Manila will not allow the families return to the area where a recent storm destroyed their homes. It is considered a hazard/dangerous to return. Instead, they've allocated some land outside the city. This is good, yes, but there is a snag. No social services out there, no jobs. If they do maintain jobs in the city, it will cost them more to travel to work. I don't understand why it is so difficult to find land within the city.

what was I thinking

This evening I had planned on hitting up a Thornhill Liberal Riding Associations' Liberal Helpings BBQ - was delayed at a family gathering, I wasn't going to leave my family; I rarely get the opportunity now to see them, a no-brainer decision right? Anyhow, I arrived home too late. I don't understand the process of nominating someone and its something I would like to take part in. Dr. Karen Mock sounds like a fabulous person. She has spent many years in one form or another focusing on human rights, anti-racism.. "Dr. Mock is included as one of the 100 worldwide “Everyday Freedom Heroes” for her human rights and antiracism work, in a permanent display at the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, the U.S. National Museum to the Underground Railroad." (source: facebook group)

Its wonderful news if she is nominated and selected/elected. Even better if she sends Peter Kent packing. I'm sure he'd like to get back to wherever he lived before. I can't imagine anyone picking up and moving into an area where they will run. But with the salary MP's get, who wouldn't? I'd love to see an actually resident run.

Strippers Are Skilled Workers! (accord'g to the gov)

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.

Liberal Convention 2009

I wish I had the opportunity to attend but am confident most of the resolutions I voted on at Enfamille will pass. I would like to get more involved in this party but feel that it can be too cliquey and my limited knowledge on issues seems to push me to the outskirts of discussions. I don't understand why people get bent outta shape over semantics. And then, I am still surprised how narrow-minded liberals can be and the 'facts' they are relying on to guide their decisions, i.e. voting habits.

The OMOV is coming up - the Young Liberals would like to see 25% of votes go to the Youth in that riding. That is not something I would support. I don't believe that this will increase youth involvement in the Liberal party. I will update this a little later on.

Final Results

The priority resolutions that were preferred by En Famille voters are as follows:

Supporting Canada's Aboriginal People

Supporting Agricultural Producers and Expanding Trade

Making Poverty History at Home and Abroad

Foreign Trained Credentials

Creating a National System of Early Learning and Childcare

Climate Change

Alternate Energy

Preserving High Quality Public Health Care and Health-Performance Indicators

Access to Information

Vision of Rural Canada

Poverty Reduction & Guaranteed Annual Income Strategy

Development of an Integrated Transportation Policy

National Water Policy

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.

National Executive of the Liberal Party of Canada

Who are these people?
With the exception of M.I and Doug Ferguson, who's name I recognise from party emails, I don't know any of these people. I think if I want to get involved in the Liberal party, I'd like to know about the structure...

Interim Leader	Michael Ignatieff
National President	Douglas Ferguson
National Director	Rocco Rossi
National Vice-President (English)	Mike Crawley
National Vice-President (French)	Brigitte Legault
National Policy Chair	Joan Bourassa
National Membership Secretary	Robert Hamish Jamieson
Past National President	Mike Eizenga
President, Liberal Party of Newfoundland & Labrador	Danny Dumaresque
President, Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island	Barrie Harris
President, Nova Scotia Liberal Party	Derek Wells
President, New Brunswick Liberal Association	Britt Dysart
President, Liberal Party of Canada (Québec)	Robert Fragasso
Executive Vice-President, LPC (O)	Meredith Caplan
President, Liberal Party of Canada (Manitoba)	Sharon MacArthur
President, Saskatchewan Liberal Association	Frank Proto
President, Liberal Party of Canada (Alberta)	George Hodgson
President, Liberal Party of Canada (British Columbia)	Craig Munroe
President, Liberal Party of Canada (Yukon)	Christie Richardson
President, Western Arctic Liberal Association	Lana Roeland
President, Nunavut	Ranbir Hundal
Caucus Representative	Anthony Rota
Co-Chair, Aboriginal Peoples Commission	Joshua Fraser
President, National Women’s Liberal Commission	Nicole Foster Woollatt
President, Young Liberals of Canada	Cory Pike
Co-Chair, Senior Liberals' Commission	Catherine Ryan
Chief Financial Officer	John M. Duffy
National Revenue Chair	Herb Metcalfe
CEO, Federal Liberal Agency of Canada	Patrick A. Ryan
National Campaign Co-Chair	David Smith
National Campaign Co-Chair	Marcelle Mersereau
Constitutional and Legal Adviser	Johanne Brodeur
Constitutional and Legal Adviser	Martin MacLachlan

oops, he did it again!

Thank you Stephen Harper, for delivering another lie and leaving many more wondering when will your madness stop! A $64 Billion deficit over the next two years?! Oh and the 18 130K per year salaries was a necessary action right? [that's 2.34 Million before expenses per YEAR!]

"Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper of playing political games on Friday, calling the leaking of information from next week's federal budget a deliberate attempt "to get the bad news out of the way." From CBC.ca

Something tells me that no coalition government will come to light, and Canadians will continue having to put up with this nonsense

Rick Mercer's Rant - Jan 13, 2009

Senate Appointments

What an absolute joke. First of all, I am removing the idiots name from the following blurb because he is such a nobody that he isn't even worth mentioning. How anyone can call him 'a champion' of Aboriginal causes is beyond me, what in g~ds name has he done? What?? Nothing at all. So where is the warrant for the appointment. He should be ashamed of himself, I hope the rest of those intellects up there - eat him up and spit him back to his make believe world...

Biography

Date of birth: November 11, 1974

IDIOT is a member of the Algonquin Nation and a citizen of the Indian reserve of Kitigan Zibi, near Maniwaki, Quebec. A champion of the rights of Aboriginals, in 2006, he was chosen as the National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. He used this forum to promote the economic and social development of Aboriginals, especially those who live off-reserve. IDIOT has a black belt in karate and was a member of the Naval Reserve on HMCS Carleton, in Ottawa.

Again, he's uneducated and turned a backwards ass org into some conservative propaganda machine on the backs of aboriginal people.

some humour from Don Martin, National Post

"Mind you, if Harper really wants to panic the electorate, he has four deadlier words he could still drop in the final days of this campaign: Prime Minister Jack Layton, come on down. Yikes."

National Post
Full Comment

hahaha... now that is funny!

CBC web boards are full of...

I am fed up with supporting the CBC and their tolerance for racist comments on any Aboriginal story (which always goes out of its way to highlight what 'they are asking / doing now to the Joe blow Canadian taxpayer. They are not supportive, no more than that other multicultural conglomerate at City – TV, which in the early days took pride in promoting the immigrant and minority issues. Every time I am on the CBC.ca website, I am appalled by the comments that insist that Aboriginal people are lazy, do not want to resolve any issues without some kind of financial incentive, and that they should just assimilate and forget the reserves. What people fail to acknowledge is that they do not come from cities or towns over in Europe or Asia – where the system of government is somewhat similar universal – therefore, why should they continue to live as if they did? Indigenous people are not going anywhere and as the young people of this country continue to get educated (and yes, native people do sometimes use OSAP) it will lie with them to contribute to the economy when most of those looser neo-conservatives are ready for retirement and looking for their pension fund contributions. Native people will have the last laugh if it were up to them, they would stay on welfare and encourage younger people to do this – and there will be nothing to support this country but those with the money. Money does not last forever and well, they had all better die off than hanging around only to resort to eating grass and potatoes as their ancestors did.

Founding Principles -Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party will be guided in its constitutional framework and its policy basis by the following principles:

1. A balance between fiscal accountability, progressive social policy and individual rights and responsibilities;
2. Build a national coalition of people who share these beliefs and who reflect the regional, cultural and socio-economic diversity of Canada;
3. Develop this coalition, embracing our differences and respecting our traditions, yet honoring a concept of Canada as the greater sum of strong parts;
4. The Conservative Party will operate in a manner accountable and responsive to its members;
5. A belief in loyalty to a sovereign and united Canada governed in accordance with the Constitution of Canada, the supremacy of democratic parliamentary institutions and the rule of law;
6. A belief in the equality of all Canadians;
7. A belief in the freedom of the individual, including freedom of speech, worship and assembly;
8. A belief in our constitutional monarchy, the institutions of Parliament and the democratic process;
9. A belief in the federal system of government as the best expression of the diversity of our country, and in the desirability of strong provincial and territorial governments;
10. A belief that English and French have equality of status, and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada;
11. A belief that the best guarantors of the prosperity and well-being of the people of Canada are:
1. The freedom of individual Canadians to pursue their enlightened and legitimate self-interest within a competitive economy;
2. The freedom of individual Canadians to enjoy the fruits of their labour to the greatest possible extent; and
3. The right to own property;
12. A belief that a responsible government must be fiscally prudent and should be limited to those responsibilities which cannot be discharged reasonably by the individual or others;
13. 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;
14. A belief that the purpose of Canada as a nation state and its government, guided by reflective and prudent leadership, is to create a climate wherein individual initiative is rewarded, excellence is pursued, security and privacy of the individual is provided and prosperity is guaranteed by a free competitive market economy;
15. A belief that the quality of the environment is a vital part of our heritage to be protected by each generation for the next;
16. A belief that Canada should accept its obligations among the nations of the world;
17. A belief that good and responsible government is attentive to the people it represents and has representatives who at all times conduct themselves in an ethical manner and display integrity, honesty and concern for the best interest of all;
18. A belief that all Canadians should have reasonable access to quality health care regardless of their ability to pay; and
19. A belief that the greatest potential for achieving social and economic objectives is under a global trading regime that is free and fair.

The first thing I noticed is the placement of any social 'principles'. Equal access to healthcare is 2nd from the bottom, while ensuring French/English is way up there. Throughout, they talk about equality individuality, sovereignty, individuality. Interesting...

tow or toe the line

Another instance of "...hmm, I did not know!". I was reading the latest blog of Bob Rae and came across this phrase, toe the line. At first I thought did he spell that correctly? So a quick google search and Voila!, the meaning below, was found on a blog about grammar.

"The phrase "toe the line" is equivalent to "toe the mark," both of which mean to conform to a rule or a standard. The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2002; ed. by Glynnis Chantrell) says, "The idiom toe the line from an athletics analogy originated in the early 19th century" (514).

The specific sport referred to is foot-racing, where the competitors must keep their feet behind a "line" or on a "mark" at the start of the race--as in "On your mark, get set, go!"

So one who "toes the line" is one who does not allow his foot to stray over the line. In other words, one who does not stray beyond a rigidly defined boundary."

Source: "http://grammartips.homestead.com/toetheline.html"

My Final Assignment

I can't believe how difficult it is to express my thoughts in writing. I figured this would be the easiest to do, after all, I've only been journaling since I was 12. Knowing that these last 5 journals will account for a major part of my grade in this course, is stressful enough. I am supposed to check into Niagara Falls tomorrow evening, but before that I have to go visiting. I think I am going to take a pass on all of it. I need to have this in by midnight tomorrow. I don't think I could bb it as an attachment either. So, its midnight now, I'm listening to Kitaro and only have one journal completed. I am not even satisfied by that one. I have been putting this off for weeks. I should just write what I feel, and if I can't make sense of it, oh well, I guess I don't really understand the course, right?

President Lincoln and Kennedy

I came across this website on a recent Google search on the Kennedy curse. The following is just a piece of some of the information on the website.

Lincoln & Kennedy - The Coincidences

President Abraham Lincoln and President John F. Kennedy died in tragic circumstances.

Curiously, both the Presidents were elected exactly one hundred years apart (1860 and 1960).

Further how does one explain that :

• Both the Presidents were assassinated on a Friday, in the presence of their wives.
• Each wife had lost a son while living at the White House.
• Lincoln was killed in Ford's Theater. Kennedy was killed in a Lincoln convertible manufactured by the Ford Motor Company.
• The first name of Lincoln's private secretary was John, the first name of Kennedy's private secretary was Lincoln.
• John Wilkes Booth (Lincoln's assassin) was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939, one hundred years later.
• Both the assassins were Southerners who held extremist views. Both the assassins were murdered before they could be brought to trial.
• Both the Presidents were deeply involved in civil rights for Black people.
• Booth shot Lincoln in a theatre and fled to a barn. Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and fled to a theatre.
• Both President's were killed by a bullet that entered the head from behind.
• Both the Presidents were succeeded by vice-presidents named Johnson who were Southern Democrats and former Senators.
• Andrew Johnson was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908, exactly a hundred years later.
• LINCOLN and KENNEDY, each has seven letters. The names of both the assassins are of 15 letters each.
• Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Johnson, the Presidents who succeeded the assassinated Presidents have 13 letters each in their names

gaie stuff

that whole chuck nors suks... now i'm really convinced people are dumb @ []

i drove on sunday, met Bob Rae, the next MP for Toronto Centre - I think I am a neo-liberalist or neo-conservatist. who know's I think people should work for what they have. Why be given everything for free, there's less appreciation and value by the receiver and ...well that's another story.

Public Admin & Governance

I am really loving this course! The only problem is that my social life will suffer for a little bit, but by the end of this course, it'll be one certificate, then another year at advance certificate status, and finally, a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administation and Governance. It's all good.

On another note, I may have another roommate again. Not that this is something I am looking forward to, but a little too many purchases over the holidays and probably too generous on my part in paying the bill, I'm just treading water. Those days are over. I need to be focused and I am not going to allow alcohol interfere with anything. I am going back on the exercise regime, not get caught up in mindless jibber by people around me. Driving is going along just fine... I am getting more comfortable behind the wheel and today actually ventured out in busy traffic.

So hello February!

A friend upt and quit his job last week, blasting another friend for being so bossy. He's in Mtl now, but will most likely end up back in Thunder Bay (where coincidently my cousin just gave birth to a baby - at 39/40, not bad! There is hope for me afterall.)

That's all...

Aboriginal Self-Government at a Glance

Info Box
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

The Corporation: The Corporate Psychopath (2)

The Corporation: The Corporate Psychopath