A Canadian on Politics

Calgary's Mayor proclaims 'trans day of visibility'

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:52:06 -0400

Calgary's Mayor proclaims 'trans day of visibility':

Article from the Calgary Herald. Read below or at the link above:

Calgary and Edmonton are recognizing the struggles facing transgendered people in Alberta.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi proclaimed Sunday as the Trans Day of Visibility in Calgary, while Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel has proclaimed March 31 to April 6 as Transgender Awareness Week in that city.

“This is something people do because they don’t have a choice,” says Leslea Herber, spokeperson for the Trans Equality Society of Alberta.

“This is just another variability of humanity. It’s not that we’re out there doing wrong.”

Nenshi says that trans-identified people may face exclusion from society based on a lack of recognition.

According to Statistics Canada, 74 per cent of hate crimes motivated against the victim’s sexual orientation were violent, with minor assaults being the most frequent type of violent hate crime.

That proportion is higher than those for violent incidents motivated by race/ethnicity or religion.

“We’re just out there trying to be people, trying to live our lives and trying to do so in a way that fits inside of the world,” says Herber.

Statistics Canada has no definitive numbers on the size of the trans community in Canada.

However, a 2011 survey conducted for The Williams Institute, a University of California think-tank, suggests that 3.5 per cent of adults in the U.S. identify as lesbain, gay or bisexual and roughly 0.3 per cent identify as transgender.

Those numbers would suggest that there are about nine million gay, bisexual and transgender people in the U.S.

Note: Article’s author information unavailable.

A man is sexually assaulted by four women. Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star assaults him again.

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:47:22 -0400

A man is sexually assaulted by four women. Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star assaults him again.:

stfusexists:

Enquiring minds are eager to know what the heck befell a young man who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a group of women in downtown Toronto.

**Trigger Warning: Rape culture, victim blaming - exercise caution before clicking the link or reading further**

After a man - who is alternately referred to as a teenager - in Toronto reported to the police that he had been the victim of a sexual assault at the hands of four women in their thirties, Rosie DiManno thought it would be a good idea to pen one of the most disgusting, victim-blaming, pathetic excuse for an article I have ever had the misfortune of reading. DiManno inexplicably thought it was appropriate to write about a sexual assault using the following phrases:

“Of course, one man’s sexual assault is another man’s sexual fantasy come true.”

Having a fantasy of multiple simultaneous partners is not an invitation to be raped.

Mustn’t be seen to make light of an alleged sexual crime simply because the victim is a male…snickering quotient.”

Excuse me, but I simply don’t see the “snickering quotient” of someone being outnumbered, overpowered, and sexually assaulted. I doubt the millions of victims of sexual assault - victims of all genders - see that either.

“Sexual assault, you say? Lucky guy others say, nudge-nudge, a fivesome and didn’t even have to pay for it.”

Those people are despicable human beings, they are wrong, and they and their boss should probably be promptly fired from the Toronto Star.

“They could be sex molls or sex maulers.”

The fact that they were reported as perpetrators of a sexual assault makes them criminals, actually. What journalism program taught DiManno or any of her superiors that this was okay?

“Some “assaults’’ are merely unwanted touching, annoying for an adult woman but should be slapped down when they occur rather than directed to police.”

This teenager was offered a ride home by these women, and taken instead to an abandoned parking lot and assaulted. If this is something the police should ignore, I’m not sure what their role is in society.

Wanted: Bad girls in black minidresses and stilettos, approach with caution.

Yes, the sexual predators in their thirties are just “girls,” as well as an excellent punchline, according to the Toronto Star.

This isn’t DiManno’s first horrifying and utterly hamfisted attempt at being clever. In January, she came under fire for her disgusting coverage of another sexual assault, and the Star immediately came to her defense. As a result, another victim of sexual assault has been publicly mocked, mere weeks after teenage rape victim Rehteah Parsons tragically took her life after being mocked by her peers.

Please sign the petition to have Rosie DiManno fired. This is reprehensible, unacceptable, and cannot be allowed to continue.

(Thank you to reader verolynne for bringing this to my attention.)

UGH

nationalpost: ‘Stay strong’ posters in support of Rehtaeh...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:45:59 -0400

nationalpost:

‘Stay strong’ posters in support of Rehtaeh Parsons’ alleged attackers cause storm of controversy in Halifax
Pink posters supporting the boys accused of sexually assaulting Rehtaeh Parsons have cropped up in Halifax and are being promptly torn down by those vowing justice over the 17-year-old’s death.

The posters read ‘Speak the Truth: There’s Two Sides to Every Story. Listen Before You JUDGE’ and have appeared in numerous Halifax neighbourhoods, including near Rehtaeh’s mother Leah Parsons’s home.

“The Truth Will Come Out, Stay Strong and Support The Boys,” the poster, which doesn’t identify the boys, goes on to say.

RCMP Cpl. Scott MacRae says the posters don’t break any laws, but authorities have received a slew of complaints from residents about the flyers.

Ugh.

"The new application form is 10 pages long. Only those directly affected by the project or those with..."

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:00:50 -0400

“The new application form is 10 pages long. Only those directly affected by the project or those with a particular expertise relevant to the project will be considered. In the case of expertise, the NEB requests that the applicant send a resumé or letter of reference that describes their area of expertise.”

- Hey Canada! Want to participate in a public hearing on a pipeline project happening near you? Get ready to do some serious paperwork. And unless the pipeline is going through your very own backyard or you have credentials and documentation, the National Energy Board doesn’t want to hear from you.

Still not clear what “directly affected” constitutes, but seeing as the oil and gas sector is basically our only growth industry right now and seeing as terminal proposals on the West Coast almost invariably come with a drastically increased risk of catastrophic spill the pool of people who see impacts from major new oil projects is a huge chunk of the population. And it’s pretty clear a ten-page application form isn’t meant to facilitate participation.
(via jakke)
Well. This isn’t concerning at all.

Jakke. Logic does not belong, when only one in four will be...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 18:15:00 -0400

Jakke. Logic does not belong, when only one in four will be white! OBVIOUSLY everyone will move into their own communities and SEGREGATION WILL JUST HAPPEN NATURALLY.

"My question is: why? Why is immigration so scary? In the first place, for argument sake alone,..."

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:22:38 -0400

“My question is: why? Why is immigration so scary? In the first place, for argument sake alone, immigration is allowed and legal. All these numbers and projections are coming from legit sources. What did you think would happen when you allowed immigration? That people won’t come? Or you wouldn’t notice them when they did?”

- Why the fear around “ethnic enclaves” and fewer White faces in Metro Vancouver? by Anupreet Sandhu Bhamra a response to an article in the Vancouver Sun about demographic changes predicted to occur between now and 2031.

Both articles are worth a read, and i found it good to read the criticism first, the article second.

Articles like this seem to come from a belief that White is the default and an inability to imagine that ever changing. You can see that in the insistence of a “new term” the “majority minority”, which I think really has more to do with the oxymoronic belief that somehow, everything other than “White”is “different”. So they cannot possibly just become the “majority”, because of the continued insistence of “Othering” people based on their skin or background.

canadian-communist: Minister John Baird Embarrassed in Amman,...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:20:29 -0400

canadian-communist:

Minister John Baird Embarrassed in Amman, Jordan by Questions Related to Canadian Domestic and International Policy

After meeting with AbdullahII ibn Al-Hussein, King of Jordan, the Canadian Foreign Minister, John Baird held a press conference.

A reporter from the Jordan Times asked Minister John Baird if Canada was governed by a coalition government. Baird explained that there was not a tradition of coalition governments in Canada, and that the Harper Conservatives, with 38% of the national vote, had elected the majority of seats in Parliament, and now have a stable majority. The reporter asked a supplemental question for clarification because he thought that he had misunderstood Minister Baird. He asked: “How is it possible that you could have a majority government with only 38% of the popular vote?” Baird was taken aback because he was not prepared for questions about Canada’s quirky Westminster electoral system; he had come to discuss Syria and increase trade with Jordan.

This response provoked a question from a reporter from AD-Dustour to ask about Canada’s being under the rule of the Queen of England and about the role of the Governor General. Baird pointed out that the Governor General is appointed by the Prime Minister, with the approval of the Queen of England, and he or she has three roles: to summon Parliament; to dissolve or prorogue parliament; and to suspend members of Parliament for sufficient cause. Generally, he added, the Governor General, supports requests of the Prime Minister; rarely has the Governor General not acceded to a Prime Minister’s requests. For example, in 2008, Prime Minister Harper had a minority government with 34% of seats in Parliament with the opposition holding 66% of the seats. Prime Minister Harper claimed that parliament had become dysfunctional because it was being slowed down with frivolous votes on motions by the opposition parties; the opposition parties, in a vote in Parliament, had even advocated strong measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to fulfill the obligations under the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and its Protocol - the Kyoto Protocol. Prime Minister Harper explained that Canada’s economy would collapse if Canada seriously addressed the issue of climate change. He pointed out that the oil sands would have to be closed down, pipelines, to not be built, and tankers not transferring Canadian oil to key foreign markets. Prime Minister Harper then stepped down, went to the Governor General, and requested the dissolution of Parliament. While under Canadian Protocol, the Governor General could have called on the opposition parties to form a coalition government, the Governor General decided, at Prime Minister’s request, to allow for the dissolution of Parliament and for a General Election.

A reporter from Efranews followed up on the Kyoto Protocol, and asked about the issue of Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol, and thus Canada’s failure to seriously address the issue of clmate change and how, at the Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen, Canada had pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only about 3% below 1990 level while the EU had agreed to 20% and was willing to go further to 30% if other developed states would follow.

A reporter from The Jordan Star, then raised the issue of Canada being the only country at the UN to withdraw from the Convention on Combatting Desertification – a major issue in parts of the Middle East; he then asked about the process in Canada vis-a-vis international agreements. Baird responded that it was not necessary for international issues to be brought to Parliament; under the Canadian Constitution the Prime Minister could determine whether to sign or ratify or withdraw from international instruments. Baird explained that, in Canada, in order to sign and ratify an international, covenant, convention, treaty, all that was required was consent by the Prime Minister and cabinet, which The Prime Minister appoints from the elected members in the Prime Minister’s Party.

A reporter from Petra-Jordanian News Agency raised a concern about Canada’s refusal to adopt the UN Declaration on a nuclear arms free Middle East. And about Canada’s double standard in condoning Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons while condemning Iran for possibly developing nuclear Weapons, Baird responded that Israel was a democracy whereas Iran was not.

An unidentified reporter suggested that Canada sounded more like an autocracy than a democracy.

At this point Minister Baird indicated that the Press Conference was over.

Source

_____________

Awe, what’s that matter Baird, can’t muzzle Middle Eastern journalists? ;).

Interesting.

MPs criticize Flaherty's mortgage move

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:22:59 -0400

MPs criticize Flaherty's mortgage move:

jakke:

Okay so the Minister of Finance called up Manulife and told them to change the interest rate on mortgages. Which they did. This comes just a couple weeks after he called up BMO and tried to get them to change their interest rate. (Which they didn’t.)

WHAT ARE YOU DOING BUDDY

YEAH OKAY MAYBE THE BANKS WILL JUST FOLD THAT IN WITH THEIR DECADES OF EXPERIENCE DETERMINING OPTIMAL MORTGAGE PRICING AND CHUGGING ALONG SMOOTHLY EVEN AS MORTGAGE MARKETS CRASHED EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD

THIS IS NOT HOW OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM OPERATES

WE HAVE INSTITUTIONS AND REGULATIONS

NO NEED FOR YOU TO CALL UP THE EFFING BANKS AND GIVE THEM NEW DIRECTIVES

Even other Conservative MPs are quoted in the article as saying this is a bad move. Seriously. How could anyone think this was a good idea? How could Manulife think this was a good idea?

Anyway so Canada apparently financial policy in our country is now set by elected officials with zero economic training (Flaherty’s previous career was the ambulance-chasing type of personal injury litigation) calling up banks and nagging them as to the appropriate interest rate in the absence of any policy guidelines or expert advice. So, you know, that’s kind of suboptimal.

FLAHERTY WAT R U DOIN

Anti-gay religious group gets CIDA funds to work in Uganda

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:14:15 -0500

Anti-gay religious group gets CIDA funds to work in Uganda:

jakke:

PARDON ME

BUT WOULD YOU MIND

IF I TOLD YOU

HOW WE DO IT IN CANADA

Seriously I’m increasingly eager to get the fuck out of this country because we are spiralling in a really pathetic direction.

ugh. because nothing backs up condemnation of homophobia in Uganda like giving money to homophobic religious groups.

yep. Things are going awesome.

Patrick Brazeau may be held overnight after alleged assault

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:59:28 -0500

Patrick Brazeau may be held overnight after alleged assault:

Senator Patrick Brazeau could stay in police custody overnight, CBC News has learned, after he was arrested following an alleged domestic assault and removed from the Conservative Party’s caucus.

Brazeau, who has weathered several controversies since his appointment in 2009, will continue to sit in the Senate as an Independent.

Police said Thursday charges have not yet been laid against a man arrested at Brazeau’s home in Gatineau, Que., across the river from Ottawa, and the investigation is ongoing.

CBC News learned Brazeau was arrested at 9:10 a.m. ET Thursday at his residence after a call to 911.

If police choose to press charges, Brazeau would appear in court at 9 a.m. ET Friday, Const. Pierre Lanthier said. In Quebec, the Crown is responsible for laying charges.

“But for sure we, like I said, will object to his release and we will speak with the Crown attorney to see whether we have enough evidence to lay any charge,” he said.

Lanthier did not use Brazeau’s name, but sources confirmed to CBC News earlier in the day that it was Brazeau who had been arrested.

nationalpost: nparts: Anne of Green Gables gets a sexy...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:13:39 -0500

nationalpost:

nparts:

Anne of Green Gables gets a sexy makeover, blond dye-job for new edition — and Canadian fans are not amused
A new image of Canada’s most beloved literary orphan has Canadians seeing red, but not where they’re supposed to.

A new edition of Anne of Green Gables depicts the notoriously youthful and ruddy-headed heroine as a curvaceous blond teen, sparking a fierce backlash from scholars and casual readers alike.

Critics derided the cover — which shows the heroine reclining against a hay stack, clad in a plaid shirt and smiling suggestively — saying it is a far cry from the feisty, 19th-century 11-year-old brought to life in the pages of L.M. Montgomery’s classic series of novels. (Amazon.com; Postmedia News files)

b

Well, I mean, what difference does her appearance make so long as she’s HOT, right?! That’s the only reason anyone would ever read the book!

Apparently this is being done through a self publishing subsidiary of Amazon, because the Anne of Green Gables text is now open domain. So it’s not like a major publishing company thought this was a good idea. But it’s still eye roll worthy.

artandsciencejournal: Light and Art at Winterlude, with...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 14:05:35 -0500

Andrew O'Malley

Andrew O'Malley

Andrew O'Malley

Andrew O'Malley

artandsciencejournal:

Light and Art at Winterlude, with Ottawa’s Andrew O’Malley

In his upcoming Winterlude art installation, artist, and engineer Andrew O’Malley will allow festival crowds choose a light, and his installation’s gonna let it shine.

For the installation, O’Malley will crowd together 12 cones of varying sizes – he called it a forest – that will be lit up by colourful LED lights. They’ll range from 6 feet tall, to 15 feet tall, and attendees will be able to scan the cones with their smartphones, and influence their colour.

He has yet to decide exactly what colours will be, but O’Malley said:

“I’m gonna create a pallet of nine colours that people can choose. In doing that, I’m playing with the lights, and I’m looking at how the cones light up. I can have cold, icy colours, ’cause its winter, or I can go with a really warm pallet,” said O’Malley. It’ll depend on the mood he wants to create.

“For the actual interaction, the newest colour selected on the phone will be displayed on the three tallest cones, while the previous colours will be distributed around the remaining cones; and every once in a while, one lucky user will be treated to a surprise,” said O’Malley.

The installation is supposed to show how people, especially a crowd, can influence the world through the powerful computers that we call “smartphones”.

“Because it can be accessed simultaneously by anyone with a smart phone, there will also be group play, and dynamics involved with the piece, as people either fight to control it or work together to try and collaborate on a colour scheme,” he said.

A lot of O’Malley’s work deals with the idea that the the natural variation in the environment can be represented in surprising, and interesting ways through technology. And when you start with something as surprising, and interesting as a crowd, who knows where the technology will take you.

For more of O’Malley’s work, click here.

- Tomek Sysak

note to self: take pictures.

Canada's Marijuana Laws Upheld by Ontario Court

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:50:55 -0500

Canada's Marijuana Laws Upheld by Ontario Court:

TORONTO - Canada’s ban on marijuana was effectively upheld Friday when Ontario’s top court struck down an earlier court decision that said Canada’s laws related to medicinal pot were unconstitutional.

In overturning the lower court ruling, the Court of Appeal ruled the trial judge had made numerous errors in striking down the country’s medical pot laws.

Among other things, the Appeal Court found the judge was wrong to interpret an earlier ruling as creating a constitutional right to use medical marijuana.

“Given that marijuana can medically benefit some individuals, a blanket criminal prohibition on its use is unconstitutional,” the Appeal Court said.

“(However), this court did not hold that serious illness gives rise to an automatic right to use marijuana.”

Currently, doctors are allowed to exempt patients from the ban on marijuana, but many physicians have refused to prescribe the drug on the grounds its benefits are not scientifically proven.

The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network called the decision a disappointing missed opportunity.

shortformblog: nparts: “You’re still the one…” Or not. Shania...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:06:16 -0500

shortformblog:

nparts:

“You’re still the one…” Or not. Shania Twain Centre will be demolished and turned into mining pit after losing $10M
TIMMINS, Ont. — A tourist attraction celebrating country-pop singer Shania Twain has officially become a $10-million money pit of taxpayer dollars.

The Shania Twain Centre in this northern Ontario community permanently closes its doors today, barely a dozen years after its grand opening, and will be demolished to become part of an open-pit gold mine.

A sinkhole of taxpayer money, the centre consumed some $10 million in government funds for its construction in 2000-2001, and racked up more than $1 million in operating deficits in the years since.

Twain, now 47, grew up poor in Timmins, and got her fledgling start singing in local bars before striking it rich on the world stage in 1995. (J.P. Moczulski/CP files; AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jason Bean)

Does anyone see the irony in that a center that’s being called a money pit is going to become part of an open pit gold mine? You’re literally turning a money pit … into a money pit.

(Rimshot)

shortformblog: brooklynmutt: Worst lead ever? What the hell,...

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 17:31:59 -0500

shortformblog:

brooklynmutt:

Worst lead ever?

What the hell, Toronto Star? - JIMROMENESKO.COM

Another of DiManno’s awful ledes from this week:

Who edits this woman’s stories?

HOW IS THIS OKAY? I mean, what, we thought that rape was a good thing to get witty about?

IF YOU HAD OSAP BETWEEN 2000 and 2006 CALL THE NATIONAL STUDENT LOAN CENTER. THEY LOST A USB WITH ALL YOUR INFORMATION

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:18:00 -0500

From McBek - Important for ANY Canada Student Loan Recipients unless you are in Quebec, Nunavut, or the North West Territories!- Mei

Can you signal boost this please? HRSDC lost at on of personal information and JUST released the fact that it happened on the 11th. All OSAP recipients between 2000 and 2006 should call the The National Student Loan Center to find out if they were effected.

The link can be found here http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?mthd=tp&crtr.page=1&nid=714639&crtr.tp1D=4

Important clarifications.

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:20:25 -0500

apihtawikosisan:

Harper did not offer to meet with Chief Spence. He offered to meet with the AFN, essentially. Chief Spence is an elected Chief and is going to attend the meeting, but Harper did not mention her, and did not offer this to her personally.

A meeting is not enough. What needs to come out of this meeting is a commitment to actually working on resetting this relationship: owning up to colonialism and putting a stake through its heart.

Short of that, this meeting is merely a stalling tactic. Idle No More isn’t holding its breath, that much is clear already.

Spence to join Harper meeting with Chiefs Jan. 11

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:24:50 -0500

Spence to join Harper meeting with Chiefs Jan. 11:

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence says she will join a “working meeting” between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and a delegation of First Nations chiefs, but is not ready to give up her hunger strike.

Spence made the announcement from Victoria Island just north of Ottawa, where she has been conducting a hunger strike that is now in its 25th day.

“To all the supporters and the helpers, I’m really grateful today. I’m just really overjoyed …. to hear that the Crown and the prime minister and the governments, that they’re going to meet with us Jan. 11th, but I’ll still be here on my hunger strike until that meeting takes place,” Spence said.

Spence said she would attend the meeting, but when asked whether it would be enough to end her hunger strike, she said she would wait to see the outcome.

“We’ll see what the results are, if there’s really a positive result, because there are a lot of issues that we need to discuss,” Spence said.

Spence’s spokesman, Danny Metatawabin, said Spence and her supporters want Gov. Gen. David Johnston and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty at the meeting as well, and said the hunger strike could continue after Jan. 11.

jakke: ayiman: I’ve seen income disparity figures being reblogged a lot, but...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:56:17 -0500

jakke: ayiman: I’ve seen income disparity figures being reblogged a lot, but...:

ayiman:

I’ve seen income disparity figures being reblogged a lot, but they’re limited to the US and despite structures in Canada and the USA being fairly different, they’re not so different that these figures have found their way into my discourse.

I was linked by a fellow I follow on…

This is something rarely discussed.

thepeoplesrecord: Manitoba elder to join Spence in Ottawa as...

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:50:51 -0500

thepeoplesrecord:

Manitoba elder to join Spence in Ottawa as hunger strike continues
January 1, 2013

Chief Garrison Setee of Manitoba’s Cross Lake First Nation says an elder from the band is going to Ottawa to continue his hunger strike in solidarity with Chief Theresa Spence.

Setee says he’s accompanying Raymond Robinson, who began his hunger strike 10 hours after Spence launched hers nearly three weeks ago.

The 51-year old is calling on Prime Minister Harper to withdraw the recent omnibus legislation, Bill C-45.

Robinson says he’ll continue his hunger strike until the prime minister and governor general meet with him and Spence.

Setee says it’s a sad day in Canada’s history when First Nations people are ready to sacrifice their lives to get the government to work with First Nations leadership to recognize, respect and honour their treaty rights.

A visibly weak Spence made a brief appearance on Sunday as a parade of politicians and protesters turned up the volume to demand action from the Harper government.

She acknowledged the support of the growing Idle No More movement, which has held demonstrations in cities across Canada in recent weeks.

Her teepee is situated on an island in the frozen Ottawa River looking up at Parliament Hill.

Source

It must be noted that Idle No More has spread across the United States and has received messages of support from activists in Palestine as well!