D-Day for Afghan Detainee Document Agreement

Today is the day where all parties must come to an agreement for releasing of Afghan detainee documents that Peter Milliken two weeks ago made in his ruling or the government could face "contempt of parliament" and possibly an election. Apparently the Dippers even have a motion in their back pocket.

OTTAWA -- The New Democratic Party has a contempt motion in its back pocket, but government and opposition MPs all struck fairly conciliatory tones Monday, the eve of Speaker Peter Milliken's two-week deadline to work out a deal giving MPs access to uncensored Afghan detainee documents.

The opposition care about and want to coddle those barbarians who set IEDs that kill our troops and those of our allies.
These are the kind of people the opposition want to protect? From AFP

HERAT, Afghanistan — US and Afghan forces killed 10 Taliban militants in a raid in western Afghanistan after the insurgents beheaded four guards working for the US military, the Afghan army said Sunday

Looks like those insurgents didn't care about Geneva Conventions or anything of the like. BTW I haven't heard this story at all in any of our media.
The protection of our troops and our allies are of the most importance. I am very leery of opposition getting to see sensitive documents that if leaked could very well put in jeopardy the relationship with our NATO allies not to mention everyone's safety. Look, a week ago Mr. Ziffy proved he can't be trusted with certain issues and circumstances that should be kept confidential when he was consulted on the next GG. He just had to make it a media event. How would having him or any of his MPs seeing secret sensitive files be any different? I bet it would be leaked in short order to the media and Ms. Kady would have the full documents posted on the CBC website.
For heavens sake, all this over the testimony of accusations of alleged torture. The testimony of a diplomat( Richard Colvin) whose credibility is in question when he was contradicted over and over again by credible sources like former General Rick Hillier. and the alleged shoe throwing at a detainee who are our troops quickly rescued from the shoe throwers. Up until now, there has been no credible evidence of torture or cover up etc. and this is costing us how much?
The way I see it, it's all about political games on the part of the opposition and the media to make the government look bad on the lives of our brave men and women in uniform. I'm with the government protecting our troops and our allies.
Election if need be. The opposition parties would pay for it at the polls, I'm sure of it. Now the opposition wants more time. Funny isn't it now, that it's the opposition anxious for extension and not the government. You would normally think it would be the government looking buy more time. Me thinks they're trying to avoid facing the electorate.

Since When Are Table Manners Classified a Human Right?

This is a story  that I hadn't heard about until yesterday when Roy Green on his show had touched on it. When I heard about it, it just stuck in my craw. It's senseless and it's just one more reason why the HRCs should be scrapped.

Tasha Kheiriddin has so eloquently put it:

Now table manners are a human right?
From Quebec comes yet another case for why human rights tribunals should be abolished.
A family has just been awarded $17,000 in damages because a lunch monitor tried to instruct their then-seven-year-old son to eat with a knife and fork, instead of with a fork and spoon (the traditional Filipino way of eating).  The monitor allegedly told the boy’s mother that her son “ate like a pig” and the school’s principal told her that her son should “eat like a Canadian”.  The boy was also allegedly punished for clowning around during lunch.
So what did the boy’s family do?  File a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission, natch!  Four years later, despite the Commission initially rejecting the claim for lack of evidence, the Human Rights Tribunal continued to investigate the case and has now issued its ruling, fining the school.

The Vancouver Sun writes:

MONTREAL – A West Island family of Filipino origin is rejoicing over its victory in a school cafeteria dispute that ate up a lot of money and time.

 “Of course, we’re happy (with the ruling), but we just hope (the school board) won’t appeal,” Gallardo said from her Roxboro home, referring to the Marguerite Bourgeoys School Board.

 I just bet they're rejoicing. The family won the lottery and since it's the the school board paying the so called damages, it really means the taxpayer is paying.  

This is outrageous because first of all it shouldn't have been a Humans rights case in the first place.It should have been thrown it out. Second because it took "4" years to play out. Third the taxpayer is on the hook for the cost of the investigation, prosecution and settlement. So really it's way more than the $17,000 damages that taxpayers have had to dish out. Why couldn't a simple apology been enough?

 

Kids have always be insulted and have been called names. Why is it now a human rights issue?     Why did the Humans Right Tribunal even consider hearing the case? It just doesn't make sense. It's just nuts!

Humans Commissions have gone crazy and have stepped way out of bounds and should be shut down.

Elections Canada, Liberals and Loans

 What's with Elections Canada, Liberals and loans?
 First earlier this year Elections Canada gave failed 2006 leadership candidates 'till the end of 2011 to pay off their debt in which they really shouldn't have. It was the second extension granted. 

Now this,Elections Canada has decided they won't probe Liberal MP Marc Garneau for loaning himself  $20,000 for his election campaigns without a written contract. There is no paper trail, nada, nothing and he gets off?

Elections Canada has ruled that no investigation of Liberal MP Marc Garneau is warranted after he loaned his own election campaigns $20,000 without a written contract.

In March, a longtime member of the Liberal riding association of Westmount-Ville Marie submitted a complaint to the Commissioner of Canada Elections regarding the circumstances of a June 2009 payout of more than $20,000 from the riding association to Mr. Garneau. The MP-- a former astronaut and the Quebec lieutenant to Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff -- and his wife, Pamela Soame Garneau, had taken out a line of credit and made two $10,000 loans for expenses on two election campaigns during the fall of 2008.
The basis of the complaint of Daniel Sweeney, a director of the riding association, had been that no documentation exists for the loans.
In a March 17 letter to the elections commission, Mr. Sweeney wrote: "I have not been able to find any records stating that the Member of Parliament (the candidate at the time) had directly, in his name, loaned, or laid claim to $20,000, plus interest, to our association."
On Tuesday, Mr. Garneau told the Post that he made a pair of $10,000 loans in the fall of 2008, one to the riding association and one to his own campaign, which were to be reimbursed with interest later on.
"There's a complete paper trail available for all of that," he said. "I cannot understand why this person [Mr. Sweeney] has decided to do this."
However, in a phone call yesterday, Marc Laperriere, Mr. Garneau's official agent for the 2008 campaigns, admitted the loans were made on the basis of a verbal agreement alone -- which is not prohibited by the Elections Act.
In a decision letter written in French and addressed yesterday to Westmount-Ville Marie Liberal association president Brigitte Garceau, an Elections Canada official wrote that all loans made by the Garneaus to Mr. Garneau's own campaign were "duly reported."
Mr. Sweeney said Mr. Garneau and the riding association should have acted in a more transparent manner.
"They've admitted that there is no loan contract that was written between the MP and either the riding association or his campaign," Mr. Sweeney said, calling the agreement "unethical and not transparent, unprofessional and irresponsible in my view."
"It's ridiculous and absurd for the MP to go into an alleged loan agreement" without documenting the terms, he said.

  "Duly reported?"  Huh?   With no paper trail just word of mouth?  How can that be?
On the other hand a couple of years ago the CPC got their office raided by Elections Canada concerning the "so called in and out scheme"something in which all parties have been engaged in and is legal. But it was just the Conservatives that got hammered.
 How come all the special treatment for the Libs? If it were the  Conservatives, they  wouldn't be let off so lightly.   I bet Elections Canada would come down hard.
Are there different rules for Liberals than Conservatives?  Are there double standards?  That's what it looks like.  Elections Canada biased? Looks like that to me. What I'm saying is Conservatives wouldn't be allowed to get away with  what the Liberals are able to get away with.  Thankfully, the Conservative Government has introduced legislation that would restrict loans.

BTW. Where is the mainstream media with this story? Shouldn't they be all over it? If this involved Conservatives, they would.  Fife, Taber,etc and the whole CBC cabal would be on the case and make sure it was the top story. Will Tom Clark or Evan Solomon even mention it on their shows?  I highly doubt it.
Another thing, who holds Elections Canada accountable anyway?   Time to fire them all!

LIberal MP Derek Lee Accused of IIlegal Lobbying

Liberals have been have been skewering the Tories for weeks and weeks on Rahim Jaffer's so called inappropriate lobbying practices. Oh,oh well, now they have their lobbying own problem to deal with. What now?

Tories accuse Liberal MP of illegal lobbying for foreign companies

OTTAWA - Liberal MP Derek Lee faces accusations that he's been illegally lobbying the government on behalf of foreign companies.
The bombshell dropped by Transport Minister John Baird has turned the tables on Liberal efforts to tar the government with unethical conduct.
They've been roasting the Harper government for weeks over allegations that former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer illegally lobbied up to seven different government departments and agencies.
They're now scrambling to explain why one of their own sitting MPs is promoted as a lobbyist on a Toronto law firm's website.
Sun and Partners touts Lee — the firm's legal counsel since 2007 — as someone who works on behalf of foreign and offshore organizations lobbying the government and helping secure government approval for mergers and acquisitions.
Lee is not registered as a lobbyist.

Ed Stelmach Slaps the Face of Democracy

How's this for democracy?  Everyone assumed Premier Ed Stelmach would announce that Senate Elections would be held along with the municipal elections this fall. Our current senators-in-waiting term is coming due at the end of the year. Parties were gearing up to nominate their candidates. Well he's put the kibosh on that!  He's putting the senate elections off in Alberta and has chosen instead to extend our current senators-in-waiting's terms for another 3yrs.

So how did Alberta welcome this affirmation of its 25 years of work on the file? By refusing to hold new Senate elections and using a cabinet decree to extend the terms of its existing senators-in-waiting by three years.

In announcing that he would keep Alberta's three current senators-in-waiting in "office" until 2013, after their terms run out this coming December, Premier Ed Stelmach insisted his move "reaffirms the democratic will of Albertans who voted for them."
Yet is has been six years since Alberta voters identified the three current senators-to-be: Tories Betty Unger and Cliff Breitkreuz and Independent Link Byfield.
The only sure way to gauge voter's democratic will would be to ask them to express it again. But not only will Alberta's ruling Tories not go back to voters in a new Senate election, they didn't even have the courage to ask the provincial legislature -- in which they have an unassailable majority -- to back the term extensions.
"Our province has shown leadership in holding Senate elections and continually advocated that the will of the people must be reflected in the Senate," Premier Stelmach added, then without reference to those same people or even to their elected representatives, he merely declared Ms. Unger and Messrs. Breitkreuz and Byfield reaffirmed for an additional half term. Lorne Gunter

Senator-in-waiting, Link Byfield is none too happy about it. Thinks Ed has done this because he's afraid that Eddie's candidates would lose. 

“I think it’s a very bad idea,” said Byfield, calling it undemocratic for the premier to make such a move, especially since previous terms have always been six years.
“If you start playing too many games with that, you discredit the whole process and of course the process is challenged enough as to its credibility without them further straining it,” Byfield said.
Byfield is a founding member of the Wildrose Alliance, which has surged in public opinion polls in the last year, but he insists his criticism has no political angle.
“I’m speaking as a senator-elect on this. Even if I thought the Wildrose Alliance would actually lose these elections … I would say it anyway. Six years are up, let’s go to the polls,” he said.
Byfield thinks the government is afraid that Progressive Conservative candidates would lose if an election was held along with municipal elections in October

Just when the federal goverment  is urging provinces to elect their senators, this happens.  Not very encouraging to the other provinces that's for sure. We were the leaders in senate elections now Ed Stelmach has set Senate reform back.   I happen to agree with Link Byfield in that Ed is probably afraid his candidates would lose, so what! And yes, I agree "let's go to the polls."

Gee, thanks a lot Premier!   I'm sure the Prime Minister is just thrilled too!  Not! (sarc)
Premier where are your principals, hold those elections, I want to choose!