Canadian PM likes muzzling dissent, limiting free speech

Stephen Harper MUZZLING CABINET MINISTERS, MPs, JUDGES, ETC.

How Harper controls the spin:

Zeal to manage message sees journalists shunned, bureaucrats, cabinet ministers routinely muzzled. Public appearances by cabinet ministers – whether it's a speech or an interview – are carefully staged, starting with a "message event proposal" vetted by the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic wing of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/429906

PM slaps muzzle on military brass
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/National/2006/04/15/1535119-sun.html

Hillier, Sr.Officials Muzzled by PMO
http://forums.army.ca/forums/index.php/topic,42247.0.html

Mum’s the word: Harper tells MPs to keep mouths shut
http://www.carleton.ca/ctown/archiv/mar3106/Insite2.htm

Tories tighten muzzle on PS [Public Service] for campaign
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=93e98b5c-593a-4eac-b835-a4359e80babd

Former chief justice of Canada accuses PM of trying to "muzzle" the judiciary
http://www.anticorruption.ca/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4792&sid=44cad6d7756e9bd7010d182cb62e00da

'Muzzle' Placed On Federal Scientists
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=47bf0fba-b98f-43fb-89fb-58b6464a7b24&k=65248

Tories muzzle environmental scientist
http://www.hour.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=8942

Minister stops book talk by Environment Canada scientist
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/04/13/ambrose-climate.html

Mum's the word till message vetted
No federal cabinet minister speaks to a journalist, gives a speech or makes a policy announcement until a "message event proposal" has been vetted by a wing of the Prime Minister's Office.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/429903

Harper lawsuit smacks of authoritarian state: prof
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/08/07/harper-lawsuit.html

Holland shocked by Conservative comments on media
http://www.markholland.ca/news/2006/060331harpermedia.htm

Harper government whips Tories into line with secret handbook
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/columnists/story.html?id=b8122d51-95e8-4b29-b99b-34217406425d

Information Commissioner Robert Marleau told The Hill Times recently that the Harper government has been quietly drafting about 25 government policies that impact on the rights of officers of Parliament, and that it has been happening without their knowledge or input.
http://www.thehilltimes.ca/members/login.php?fail=2&destination=/html/cover_index.php?display=story&full_path=/2008/may/12/spindoctors/

Conservative headquarters scripting calls to radio shows
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080325.wtorytalk0325/BNStory/National/home

Feds keep lid on Atomic Energy Canada sale report
http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Feds+keep+Atomic+Energy+Canada+sale+report/2121029/story.html

Huge loss expected in any AECL sale, MPs concede
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Huge+loss+expected+AECL+sale+concede/2129653/story.html

Is he sitting on it?
Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan still has not tabled the 2008 report from the Commissioner of Firearms. Knowing the report will likely be favourable to the existing gun registry, many have questioned whether Van Loan is suppressing the report until after tonight's vote on scrapping the long gun registry.
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2009/11/is-he-sitting-on-it.html

Canada slips in 'press freedom' rankings
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/712978--canada-slips-in-press-freedom-rankings

Torture probe delayed; Tories deny gagging witness
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/704155

Lawyers seek to gag witnesses in Afghan prisoner inquiry
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090929/taliban_prisoners_090929/20090929?hub=Canada

Has Canada entered a 'Bush-like vortex'?
Richard Colvin's torture allegations suggest civil servants aren't writing down what the government doesn't want recorded
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/has-canada-entered-a-bush-like-vortex/article1404311/

PMO issued instructions on denying abuse in '07
Former NATO official says response to reports was 'scripted' in Ottawa
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/729157--pmo-issued-instructions-on-denying-abuse-in-07

Tories attack credibility of diplomat who blew whistle on torture
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-attack-credibility-of-diplomat-who-blew-whistle-on-torture/article1369993/

Attack on senior diplomat signals demise of independent public service: experts
"If we don’t have a public service that speaks truth to power we might as well have everything run out of the Prime Minister’s Office.”
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Attack+Colvin+signals+demise+independent+public+service/2283460/story.html

Diplomats told to keep quiet on torture allegations, sources say
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/diplomats-told-to-keep-quiet-on-torture-allegations-sources-say/article1367390/

Former ambassadors condemn Ottawa's attack on diplomat
Response to Colvin's detainee testimony discourages honest reports, letter says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/former-ambassadors-condemn-ottawas-attack-on-diplomat/article1392248/

Public service in crisis over Colvin
The Harper government's attack on a senior diplomat could be the final blow in the unravelling of Canada's once-sacred tradition of an independent, non-partisan public service, warn experts
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Public+service+crisis+over+Colvin/2285239/story.html

Afghan detainee watchdog warns of Tory ‘chilling effect'
Departing military commission chief's [BECAUSE HE WAS REFUSED REAPPOINTMENT BY THE TORIES] comments come as Harper government digs in its heels in face of parliamentary order to turn over confidential files
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/afghan-detainee-watchdog-warns-of-tory-chilling-effect/article1397570/

Detainee watchdog post remains unfilled
Military police commission set to meet in March, but Ottawa's delays in appointing new chairman could prompt delay
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/detainee-watchdog-post-remains-unfilled/article1428874/

Feds refuse legal funding to whistleblower diplomat
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091027/whistleblower_legal_091027/20091027?hub=Canada
Ottawa's stance on whistleblower's legal costs called 'unethical'
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/716489--ottawa-s-stance-on-whistleblower-s-legal-costs-called-unethical

Feds tried to order nuclear regulator to bend rules
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071218/reactor_order_071218/20071218?hub=Politics

Ottawa fires nuclear safety commission head [nuclear regulator]
http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/2008/01/ottawa_fires_nuclear_safety_co.html

Ousted regulator just doing her job
http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/294886

Tories drop RCMP complaints commissioner
Paul Kennedy sparred with government over office's powers, budget
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/731775--tories-drop-rcmp-complaints-commissioner

Clement slams CMA doctors for supporting drug-injection site
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=732204

Scientific data backs Insite
http://www.straight.com/scientific-data-backs-insite

Budget officer [Kevin Page] questions projected federal surplus
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/Budget+officer+questions+projected+surplus/1054174/story.html

If the object of the exercise was “truth in budgeting”, that’s what Kevin’s office provided. But that realism, whether in regard to rosy but flawed government fiscal forecasts or the true cost of the war in Afghanistan, has been a bit too much truth for this government. Mr. [Kevin] Page’s office has had its budget cut by one million dollars.
http://informedvote.ca/2009/11/07/our-parliamentary-budget-officer-kevin-page-%E2%80%93-a-canadian-hero/

Conservatives stop funding for learning organization
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservatives-stop-funding-for-learning-organization/article1423912/

Ottawa is cutting off public input into climate-change policy
http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/Ottawa+cutting+public+input+into+climate+change+policy/2126254/story.html

Tory candidate dumped for frank TV comments: Mused riding wouldn't get infrastructure cash because it's Liberal-held
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/702396

Tory candidates avoiding debates [Election Campaign, 2008]
Campaign official says 'there's no policy' forbidding participation in certain all-candidates' meetings
http://www.thestar.com/FederalElection/article/510147

Gov't program wants job applicants' views on Tory budget
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091104/interns_federal_091104/20091104?hub=QPeriod

Insults, discourtesy and disrespect mark Harper team's behaviour: Targets have included AIDS activists, Nobel Prize winners and Road to Avonlea star
http://www.harperindex.ca/ViewArticle.cfm?Ref=00145


More Stephen Harper attacks on democracy

Canada's proposed Bill C-10 violates civil liberties

Canadian Civil Liberties Association has broad concerns over flawed legislation

Six main points where CCLA is most concerned about the impact of this Bill:

1. Broad and vague amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act:

Amendments give a very broad mandate to deny any foreign national a work permit and do not specify what factors would be used to target an individual as ‘at risk’ of being exploited. It is also poor public policy to punish foreign individuals who are vulnerable to abuse as opposed to addressing the Canadian employers who exploit these populations.

2. Hollow expansion for the rights of victims:

Both torture and terrorism are serious crimes of international concern. Numerous Canadian victims of torture have been unable to access meaningful justice in Canadian courts– and yet the government has chosen only to make these amendments available to victims of terrorism. Even victims of terrorism would have to have their cases ‘pre-approved’ by the government, which has the ability to decide which governments can and cannot be sued. Canada should not play politics with victims of torture and terrorism.

3. Unconstitutional use of mandatory minimums:

The use of mandatory minimums for broad and vague underlying offences may result in the imposition of unjust, grossly disproportionate sentences. The drug provisions include low-level drug offences – producing as little as six marihuana plants – and extremely broad aggravating factors which would target all those who rent or live in a house they do not own.

The child pornography provisions criminalize, and would impose mandatory minimum jail sentences, for the consensual, legal sexual activities of youth and young adults. There is little evidence that mandatory minimums provide any deterrent impact, enhance community safety or lower crime rates. There is also little evidence to suggest that they will significantly impact sentences for the most serious offenders – who are already being sentenced to significant amounts of jail time by the judiciary. Rather they will handcuff the judiciary, preventing them from responding to unique facts and exceptional personal circumstances.



4. Prison conditions and disparate impact of amendments on aboriginal peoples and persons requiring mental health care:

The proposed will amendments greatly increase the prison population, and are likely to have a disproportionate and devastating impact on already-marginalized communities – particularly Aboriginal peoples and those with mental health needs. These populations are already greatly over-represented in correctional institutions, and existing programs and services are already ineffective and insufficient to keep up with general demand. The elimination of conditional sentences for a range of offences is particularly concerning, as these flexible sentencing tools are used by the judiciary to allow single mothers to continue working while serving their sentence and preventing the breakup of families, or to ensure that those with underlying mental health needs get the community treatment that best ensures their recovery and rehabilitation.



5. Unconstitutional amendments to the International Transfer of Offenders Act:

The amendments attempt to give the Minister an unconstitutional level of discretion over when Canadian citizens, incarcerated abroad, can return to Canada. From a policy perspective, facilitating such transfers enhances public safety as rehabilitation and reintegration is enhanced when individuals are close to their families and have access to high-quality, culturally-appropriate programs. When offenders serve a portion of their sentence in Canada, it also allows the government to create records of their crimes and monitor their rehabilitation. Absent such transfers, offenders would simply return to Canada at the end of their sentence without any records or legal restrictions on their activities.


6. Increasing transparency and accountability:

The CCLA welcomes the required 5-year review of the mandatory minimum provisions set out in s. 42 of the Bill and the requirement that the National Parole Board submit an annual report that includes the number of applications for record suspensions and the number of record suspensions ordered. Similar reviews and public reports to parliament should be undertaken with respect to the changes to the other acts.


What is CCLA doing, and what can you do?

We are doing our best to convince the government to make specific amendments that will hopefully mitigate the most devastating consequences of the Bill – for example by eliminating some of the broadest mandatory minimum sentences and introducing some sentencing flexibility for marginalized communities that are already overrepresented in, and underserved by, our penitentiaries. We are writing op-eds, speaking to media, and sent written submissions to the Parliamentary Committee that considered the Bill. We will continue to advocate for changes to be introduced by the Senate We also need you to lend your voice – call your MP, write to the Senate, make your opinion known!

Three specific changes you can ask for:

Eliminate the mandatory minimum sentences

Introduce flexibility in the conditional sentencing exclusions to make sure that already-marginalized communities are not needlessly harmed by excessive and unnecessary jail time

Call for a five-year, independent report to Parliament that will evaluate the impact of any changes that are enacted!


Canada's Bill C-10 and Canadian Civil Liberties Association research

Origin of "tree hugger" phrase

The first tree huggers were 294 men and 69 women belonging to the Bishnois branch of Hinduism, who, in 1730, died while trying to protect the trees in their village from being turned into the raw material for building a palace. They literally clung to the trees, while being slaughtered by the foresters. But their action led to a royal decree prohibiting the cutting of trees in any Bishnoi village. And now those villages are virtual wooded oases amidst an otherwise desert landscape. Not only that, the Bishnois inspired the Chipko movement (which means “to cling”) that started in the 1970s, when a group of peasant women in Northeast India threw their arms around trees designated to be cut down. Within a few years, this tactic, also known as tree satyagraha, had spread across India, ultimately forcing reforms in forestry and a moratorium on tree felling in Himalayan regions.

History of the phrase "tree huggers" explained

Occupy Canada: Q&A for NDP, Green Party

With Occupy Canada showing the way to Unity, here are questions that NDP and Green Party of Canada members may desire to ask themselves:

Do you believe that a merger of the NDP and the Green Party in Canada makes sense ideologically and politically?

Do you feel that a unified party could win the next federal election in Canada?

What do you think are the major obstacles to a union of Canada's two progressive parties?

Do you think a merger could be completed within the next four years (eg before next federal election)?

Is there a specific policy of the “other” progressive party that you disagree with and believe needs to be altered?

What do you believe are the keys to Canada's success as a livable nation?

What do you believe is Canada's greatest strength?

Do you believe in traditional parliamentary representation (first past the post...) or do you think Canada may benefit from some form of proportional representation?

How do you view Canada's relationship with the USA?

Would you consider transforming Canada into a bilingual, secular democratic republic, or would you prefer to retain the Monarchy?

What do you feel is the key factor promoting Canadian unity?

Occupy Canada music performances

Joe Keithley and DOA at Occupy Vancouver protest

Here's an awesome 35 minute video of DOA performing at Occupy Vancouver, including The Enemy, General Strike, Woke Up Screaming and more:






Activist and singer / writer Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine performs The Fabled City at Occupy Wall Street







Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel performing at Occupy Wall Street







Down By The Riverside at St. James Park, Occupy Toronto






Chanting and singing at Occupy Taipei, Taipei 101 financial center







Jam session with Violin, Banjo and Two Guitars at St. James Park, Occupy Toronto





St. James Park, Toronto; video montage set to a boppin tune

Occupy Together movement points way to NDP / Greens merger

Canadian progressives divided again

When the right wing in Canada was split into a Reform camp and a PC core, the Western upstarts split the reactionary vote and allowed Jean Chretien a majority government. The combining of the two entities was the first step in a long path that has led to Stephen Harper's new majority government. Though he was helped by the collapse of Liberal party leadership (neither Dion nor Ignatieff was electable as PM), the split of the progressive vote (NDP, Green Party of Canada) was also a factor in the PC majority. Now it is time for the left of center parties to unite!

In its thirty year existence, the CCF's membership ranged from 20,000 up to 40,000 except for a brief spurt to 90,000 in 1944, the height of the Second World War, and was generally under 30,000 after that. Tommy Douglas got us going, and Ed Broadbent and Pierre Trudeau got the people a new constitution and an amazing Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a document admired around the world and an example of a 21st Century style document appearing in the late 20th Century. Trudeau was a European social democrat in French Canadian, rather Liberal attire ...

When the CCF joined with the Canadian Labour Congress to form the New Democratic Party of Canada in 1961, it was the work of many citizens over three decades that allowed us to unite in the form of the NDP.

So let's say J.S. Woodsworth, M.J. Coldwell, Tommy Douglas, David Lewis, Ed Broadbent, and Jack Layton are Canadians in a tradition that would support the Occupy Together folks, and unions today are able to unite in a bigger voice through this vehicle.

People may ridicule the Occupy Together movement and United for #globalchange as a ragtag group of disgruntled youth and old hippie wanna-be's, but our urban occupations are part of activities going on in over 900 cities in more than eighty countries. I would also like to add that there are already more than thirty thousand of us in Canada, and if we can unite the NDP and the Green Party, then we'll be about two million strong, and getting more focused by the day.

Green Democratic Party of Canada call for logo designers

With the United for Global Change movement gathering momentum and set to demonstrate in over 850 cities and 70 plus countries this Saturday, October 15th, the timing for a Green Party / NDP merger in Canada could not be better.

If we are to unite the progressive elements in Canada into one social democratic, environmentally conscious political party, what will be our logo? Think Green Democratic Party of Canada, GDP Canada, GDPC, Green Democrats and other versions of the name that would work in media and on swag.

For now, please post any links to sketches or finished designs in the Comments section if you want to get a head start, otherwise Bookmark this page in your Favorites, as we hope to set up an email address for logos soon. Strictly pro bono, no fees, no royalties, as we do not want a merged NDP / Green Party of Canada to have unnecessary expenses.






This is a great opportunity for any young designer in the world to view and learn NDP and Green Party graphics, logos and symbols, and come up with seamless, iconic imagery that melds the two traditions, creating new branding exemplifying social justice and ecological awareness.


Need inspiration? Google or Bing "green party of canada logo" and "ndp canada logo" and click Images from the top bar choices. Open two browser windows so you can click back and forth between the two pages of images.

Create something that builds on these crucial Canadian pillars. Orange and green, anyone?