The Failure of our School Trustees - Part 1 (Personal Post)

Yesterday I sat for an hour with 30 other classmates and was able to pick at the brain of Corey Neyrinck (may have to update his name as I am not 100% on it) - one of the campaigning candidates for school board trustee. Though the average age of the students in the class were on 16, we had all taken the matters of the school to heart. So not only did we find out what his plans were when he was elected, but we also tried to put together what kind of person he is, and I must say this: neither were impressive...

From fumbling with questions given to him, to full out changing the subject when presented with certain issues (i took great offense when he had done this with one of my own.), I can personally say that this man has no reason to be in the school board. Any politician that I would personally vote for must have direct intents - a solid plan, whether it is what he would like to try and push for or what he particularly believes. Mr. Neyrinck's vague intentions and little portrayed want to actually want to work towards something is quite pathetic, and it would personally worry me if he were to be making decisions toward my education.

Now in the defense of Mr. Neyrinck, I have been told he has a child in elementary school. He help profusely within his child's school PAC. When talking with him, he had consistently came back to his child and the school he helped. he has much passion for his child and the quality of education that they and any other child would get. I have a lot of respect for anyone who wants children to have a quality education.

But here's the thing: you're child is only in elementary school, and from that knowledge, along with the fact that you had said it had been the first time in 10 years that you had been in a high school when you started off our discussion with our class, I have to think that you do not understand the need and wants of all levels in the school system. Leaving out both middle and secondary schools, whether intentionally or not, would be unfair to a majority of students who need many resources. Resources that will not only help them get in to post-secondary education, but allow them to thrive in these institutions. I do not want that in my school district and in my school.

So my for you, Mr. Neyrinck, is this: Wait till you child is out of school. I know this may sound absurd, but it will make sense to you if you do go through with it. Still keep helping in you child's school and keep doing this, no matter what school or grade they are in. Have yourself become more immersed in the politics of the schools, not only with the staff, but with the students as well. Get the children more involved with what happens in the school and as we had brought up in our discussion, have it student-led , not teacher led. Do not let any staff interfere with it, whether it be moderation or dictation. And once your child has left the school system, I am sure you will be ready to campaign yet again for trustee, this time as a much better candidate.

I shall be going to the next all-candidates question period, so I may see what the other candidates are like. Hopefully, I shall write on them all.

-Hans

High School Students Are Standing Up to Big Oil, Will You?‏

The Royal Canadian Geographic Society is one of Canada's largest non-profit educational organizations. They publish

Canadian Geographic magazine and run environmental and social education projects all across the country, but this past month they launched a dangerous new partnership with Canada's biggest oil and gas lobby organization - the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. Now High School students are taking a stand, and they need our help to call on Canadian Geographic to pushing Big Oil spin in our schools.

Launched with an open letter to CAPP and Canadian Geographic, the campaign has started to gain serious momentum. Last night it was featured on CBC and Global News.

Will you sign onto the call for Canadian Geographic to drop CAPP?

CAPP is responsible for lobbying to pull Canada out of the Kyoto Protocol, to gut Canada's environmental regulations and review process and most recently, to weaken Alberta's climate ambitions. When High School students have to stand up to keep these tar sands peddlers out of their classrooms, we need to stand with them. Sign on here and share.

Thanks,

Cameron Fenton,
OurClimate.ca - the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition
wearepowershift.ca

Support the growing PowerShift!

Protecting the Rights of MPs

October 31, 2013

While the front pages of this week’s papers contain further allegations in the Senate scandal - a scandal that is deeply rooted in the PMO’s obsession with controlling all aspects of government - I am writing to update you on another example of Stephen Harper’s efforts at total control; one that affects my ability to do my job as MP.

I have previously written to you about a procedure that enabled an MP - such as myself - who is not allowed to sit on committees to put forward substantive amendments at the Report Stage of bills. I was the first MP to notice this rule and have made good use of it. Since being elected as an MP in 2011, my amendments have been a constant thorn in the side of the Harper administration.

This spring, the Harper administration found a way to block my use of this provision by “inviting” me to submit my amendments in committee. If I didn’t accept the invitation, any amendments presented to the House would be ruled out of order because I had been offered an earlier “opportunity”. I was not allowed to participate in the committee meetings, beyond having 60 seconds to introduce an amendment.

As a result, I was forced to race from committee to committee for the ritual rejection of all my amendments, which in turn took me away from my desk in the House. Other members were more than willing to take advantage of these rare absences.

Now the Conservatives have taken it even further by introducing a motion to require that members, who are either independent or are members of recognized parties with fewer than 12 MPs, submit amendments to committee 48 hours prior to the start of clause by clause consideration of any bill. The clear purpose of this motion is to reduce rights of Members of Parliament.

Yesterday this motion passed in four committees simultaneously and identical motions have already been tabled in multiple other committees with votes still to come.

I need you to stand with me and tell Stephen Harper’s Conservatives that this motion is in flagrant violation of one of the most important traditions of Canadian democracy: that all Members, regardless of their affiliation, should have an equal voice in Parliament.

The Conservative approach, of rejecting any and all amendments while simultaneously abbreviating debate opportunities, is a perversion of the parliamentary process. It is a new and hyper-partisan approach to the legislative process.

Please add your name to the list of Canadians who believe that each MP must have an equal opportunity to fully represent the concerns of our constituents:

www.greenparty.ca/mps-are-equal

Thank you for your continued support.
Elizabeth May, O.C., M.P.

Article Mashup!

Bill Clinton Loves Haiti

blackagendareport.com/content/bill-clinton-loves-haiti


Grenada: ‘A Lovely Little War’

zinnedproject.org/2013/10/grenada-a-lovely-little-war


No more foreign wars? US fighting in Yemen's civil war

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/22/foreign-wars-america-fighting-yemen


Manning and Snowden Leaks ‘Undermine Washington’s Ability to Act Hypocritically’

antiwar.com/blog/2013/10/22/manning-and-snowden-leaks-undermine-washingtons-ability-to-act-hypocritically


It's the spies, not the leaks, that threaten our security

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/23/spies-not-leaks-threaten-security


Harper's carefully built house of cards comes crashing down

www.vancouversun.com/Harper+carefully+built+house+cards+comes+crashing+down/9070742/story.html


US may have monitored Merkel's phone -- German government. Merkel livid: reports

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/23/us-monitored-angela-merkel-german


Civil liberties groups launch lawsuit against Canadian spy agency

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-eavesdropping-agency-facing-lawsuit-from-civil-liberties-group/article14984074


US ties to Saudi Arabia and Turkey beginning to fray

www.ipsnews.net/2013/10/for-u-s-in-the-mideast-the-ice-is-getting-thinner


New Brunswick's shale gas protests

http://www.dennisgruending.ca/2013/10/new-brunswicks-shale-gas-protests/

Harper Government Ignores Torture Opponents’ Call to Ban Dick Cheney from **Canada or Prosecute Him

*Protest Planned on Halloween at Metro Toronto Convention Centre*

Toronto—Lawyers from the National Lawyers Guild (U.S.), International Association of Democratic Lawyers, European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (Germany), Brussells Tribunal (Belgium), International Initiative to Prosecute US Genocide in Iraq (Iraq, Egypt, Spain), Lawyers Against the War (Canada) and Rights International Spain (Spain) are urging Canada to either bar Dick Cheney from Canada – as a person credibly accused of torture – or to arrest and prosecute him on arrival, as required by the Convention against Torture. A letter from Lawyers Against the War (LAW) sent to Canada’s Prime Minister, Attorney General and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Immigration has been gravely ignored.

Torture and war crimes suspect Dick Cheney is scheduled as a keynote speaker at the October 31 luncheon of the Toronto Global Forum, hosted by the International Forum of the Americas. Should Cheney be allowed to freely enter Canada despite the illegalities involved, civil society groups are planning a rally beginning at 11:00 am on Halloween, October 31, outside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

“It is long overdue for Cheney and other Bush administration officials to be held to account for the high crimes of instituting and implementing the systematic practice of torture. This record of impunity must not be allowed to stand,” President of the National Lawyers Guild, Azadeh Shahshahani stated.

The Facebook page for the protest can be viewed here . https://www.facebook.com/events/340271606118720

*Brussells Tribunal *(BT)* *is peace organization and think tank with a special focus on Iraq. BT founded IAON, the International Anti-Occupation Network which continues to monitor Iraq. Members of the BT network include Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Denis Halliday, Hans von Sponeck, Tun Mahathir, Richard Falk, Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, Eduardo Galeano and many others.

*Canadian Peace Alliance** *(CPA) is Canada's largest umbrella peace organization working for global nuclear disarmament and peace. CPA organizes campaigns, facilitates actions and provides education for peace. Since its foundation in 1985 the organization has been helping member groups to act as a broad network, in order to provide a strong, coordinated voice for peace issues at the national level.
*CODEPINK** *is a US women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end US- funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, and to redirect our resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities – www.codepink.org

*European** Center for Constitutional and Human Rights** *(ECCHR) is an independent, non-profit legal and educational organization dedicated to protecting civil and human rights throughout Europe. ECCHR engages in innovative strategic litigation, using European, international, and national law to enforce human rights and to hold state and non-state actors accountable for egregious abuses.

*The International Association of Democratic Lawyers *(IADL) is committed to the principle of equality among peoples, the rights of all peoples to self-determination, the elimination of imperialism and colonialism and the peaceful settlement of international disputes. IADL has members in over ninety countries and has consultative status with ECOSOC and UNESCO of the United Nations.

*International Initiative to Prosecute US Genocide in Iraq ** *is mainly concerned with possibilities for legal action against those responsible of war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide in Iraq.

*Lawyers Against the War** *(LAW) is a Canada-based committee of jurists and others who oppose war and advocate for adherence to international humanitarian law and against impunity for violators.

*National Lawyers Guild **(*NLG) is a U.S. national non-profit legal and political organization comprised of lawyers, legal workers, law students, and jailhouse lawyers, founded in 1937.

*Rights International Spain** *(RIS) is an independent, non-profit, NGO, composed of jurists specialized in international law, human rights, transitional justice and criminal law. RIS mission is to strengthen human rights accountability in Spain by monitoring government activity, with a particular focus on rule of law and access to justice, as well as raising civil society’s awareness and mobilize support to demand justice.

*Toronto** Coalition to Stop the War** *(TCSW) is the largest peace organization in the Greater Toronto Area and represents over 60 labour, student, faith and community groups. The TCSW opposes war and occupation and supports civil liberties.

*World Can't Wait *is a US-based movement formed to halt and reverse the terrible program of war and repression, initiated by the Bush/Cheney regime as well as the on-going crimes that continue to this day – www.worldcantwait.net. *War Criminals* *Watch* is a project of World Can’t Wait – www.warcriminalswatch.org. * *

*# # #*
---
Tasha Moro
National Lawyers Guild
Communications Coordinator
212.679.5100, ext. 15
nlg.org
@NLGNews Find Us on Facebook [image: Facebook]

Sign the petition: Stop Harper’s $2 billion tanks the Army doesn’t even want!‏

US defence expert warns Canada about Lockheed Martin; defence industry

Rideau Institute
October 1, 2013

OTTAWA - Canada should be wary of its relationship to the defence industry, especially in regard to the American defence firm Lockheed Martin, U.S. expert William Hartung warns. Lockheed Martin, the large and powerful weapons manufacturer and creator of the F-35, receives more than $36 billion per year in military contracts, the vast majority from Washington. The company is currently seeking to secure new contracts from the Harper government, especially for the F-35 stealth fighter and Canada’s warship program. The government is currently reviewing their previous commitment to purchasing a fleet of F-35s as the costs of the program have come into question. William D. Hartung is the Director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, and author of Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex. Hartung notes that while firms like Lockheed Martin lobby government officials under the guise of improving the Canadian economy, they can have the opposite effect, taking billions of public dollars for costly contracts while providing little benefit to Canadians or the economy.

“Lockheed Martin may make bold promises of Canadian job creation with products like the F-35,” said Hartung, “but the fact remains, their priority will be keeping their main customer – the U.S. Department of Defense – happy by providing American jobs – even if they are supported by Canadian weapons purchases.” Rather than supporting a large defence industry in Canada and companies like Lockheed Martin, as the Harper government is intending, Hartung suggests the government should focus on supporting disarmament efforts on the international stage, like the Arms Trade Treaty. The Arms Trade Treaty has been signed by over 100 countries, many of which are Canadian allies. Yet the Treaty is still unsigned by Canada, even though Canada voting in favour of the introduction of the treaty in April 2013. “The recession cut funds across the board, and the defence industry felt this, too,” Mr. Hartung noted. “Defence spending has decreased globally – this is a failing industry. The government would be well advised to aim at controlling the arms industry, rather than investing in defence firms.”

-30-

For more information contact:
Steven Staples
c. 613-290-2695 e. sstaples@rideauinstitute.ca

Army procurement mired in Cold War thinking, report finds

Rideau Institute
September 18, 2013

OTTAWA – A report on the planned procurement of Close Combat Vehicles has just been released by the Rideau Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Stuck in a Rut: Harper government overrides Canadian Army, insists on buying outdated equipment was written by University of British Columbia political science professor Michael Byers and defence analyst Stewart Webb (a visiting research fellow at the Rideau Institute and research associate at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives).

The government intends to buy 108 new heavily armoured “Close Combat Vehicles” (CCVs) to accompany Canada’s Cold War–era Leopard tanks into battle. In 2013, the need for these vehicles must be questioned. Modern counterinsurgency doctrine emphasizes the winning of “hearts and minds,” which is difficult to do with heavy armour.

The CCV procurement is also redundant – because 550 of Canada’s LAV IIIs are currently undergoing comprehensive upgrades that will improve their survivability and manoeuvrability while extending their lifespan to 2035. The upgraded LAV IIIs are, in fact, nearly as heavily armed and armoured as the proposed CCVs.

Estimated cost of the CCV project is $2 billion. Reportedly, the Canadian Army has told the government that it does not need or want the vehicles and would rather use the money for other purposes, such as maintaining training levels during a time of deep budget cuts.

As Professor Byers explains, “By spending $2 billion on vehicles the Canadian Army neither wants nor needs, the Harper government is abdicating its responsibility to equip and train our soldiers properly, and to provide fiscal accountability.” The Treasury Board is meeting tomorrow, September 19, to make a final decision on the CCV project.

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Stuck in a Rut: Harper government overrides Canadian Army, insists on buying outdated equipment is available on the Rideau Institute website.

For more information contact:
Dr. Michael Byers, University of British Columbia
c. 250-526-3001 e. michael.byers@ubc.ca
(Note: Dr. Byers is in Ottawa today and tomorrow, September 18 and 19)
Stewart Webb, Visiting Research Fellow, Rideau Institute
o. 613-565-9449 ext 26 c. 613-914-1534 e. stewart.tristan.webb@gmail.com