Canada not a police state: PM (Politics Watch)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

http://www.politicswatch.com/Arar-jan22-2004.htm

(PoliticsWatch posted January 22, 2004) OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin today denied that the RCMP raid of the home and office of an Ottawa Citizen reporter investigating the Maher Arar case was a sign that Canada was becoming a police state.

"We are not a police state and we have no intention of being a police state," said the prime minister from Davos, Switzerland.

"I have made it very, very clear that freedom of the press is an essential condition to protect our democratic freedoms."

The RCMP spent five hours yesterday at the home of Ottawa Citizen reporter Juliet O'Neill, who wrote a story in November detailing the intelligence community's dossier on Ottawa resident Arar, who was deported from the U.S. to Syria on suspicion of being a member of Al-Qaeda.

Paul, one of the basics of politics is that you never give credence to people accusing you of something by explicitly denying it. It's always best to ignore it.

[iverglas]

1. ah yes

Another example of Paul's adept and articulate leadership.

I mean, I don't actually think that the RCMP raid on O'Neill's home is the sign that we're becoming a police state ... but I might think of something more intelligent to say.

Maybe they just asked him the wrong question. Instead of "Is this a sign that Canada is becoming a police state?", they might have tried something like "What did US Ambassador Celucci tell you would happen if you didn't do something about this Arar mess?"

Just like I wonder what we were told might happen back when they first detained Arar in NYC, if we had said something like "He's a Canadian citizen en route to Canada and we demand that you release him and allow him to continue to Canada immediately."

Perhaps a little "leak" by someone else to the media, all about how Canada was harbouring terrorists and something more had to be done to plug up that porous border? Some more import duties that NAFTA prohibits, maybe that would do it ...

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[Noon_Blue_Apples]

2. Great to see you Iver!

So, are you going to kick some ass this year!

counting on it...I'm going to have some fun this political season as well.

Bill

[iverglas]

3. howdy -- and how 'bout that Ed Broadbent?

I see that his nomination in Ottawa Centre hasn't been front-page news here. Hardly anything that would bump, say, the New Hampshire primary, anyhow. ;)


http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040121/NATS21-1//?query=broadbent

Ottawa -- Former federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent is
back in politics after handily winning a nomination last
night to run for the NDP in the spring election, nearly
15 years after he retired.


As it goes on to say, Ottawa Centre is a downtown mix of rich and poor. And (it doesn't mention) has returned NDP members to both Parliament and the Ontario legislature in the not-too-distant past.

If anybody can do it this time, I guess it would be Ed. Here's hoping.

.

[SunPalmsSurfer04]

4. question...

This may be a little off topic but, I was wondering about what you guys think about all the stuff going on in the "new" Conservative Party... They sure gave Rick Mercer some stuff to work with

[iverglas]

5. wellll !

Welcome and all that -- and you being among the Rick Mercer cognoscenti ... ah no, I was about to ask were you one of us, but I see you're next door. ;)

(Your weather as atrocious as ours these days?)

I'll put my gold star to work for you, and do a search for "alliance" and "conservative" for the last couple of weeks, and then you can read what some of us think of it all, and the related things that tend to come up.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=316237
"Senior Canadian mulls party defection" (Copps to NDP)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=313441
Alliance MP will run as Liberal - CBC confirms - Keith Martin leaves CPC

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=323778
Broadbent wins NDP nomination (Ottawa Centre)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=322652
"Belinda Stronach makes it official" (Canadian Conservative leadership)


Me, I just don't know what it is about somebody being, ahem, blonde, and wearing a load o' makeup, that makes anybody drool over her on a discussion board ... let alone vote for her, of course. Peroxide and paint aside, her fame and fortune derive from her daddy's union-bashing corp, whose board members include the human-bashing ex-Premier of Ontario Mike Harris ... but I suppose there's no accounting for taste.

The youngsters probably haven't heard much about the Stronach empire and how it has played dirty with the unions for so long. (Think "Walmart".) The Canadian Auto Workers union can tell all about it. I'm sure a Michiganer will share the concern. ;)

http://www.caw.ca/news/factsfromthefringe/issue14.asp

Consider the circumstances of democracy, Magna-style. Only
one side in the vote has access to the voter's list. With no
spending limit, it can mail reams of material to each voter's
home —at times even using courier services. The other side
doesn't know for sure how many voters there are, let alone
where they live. Anti-union advertizing is prevalent, but
pro-union hats or buttons can be banned as a "safety hazard."
The polling site is patrolled by private police. Anti-union
"focus groups" are held during working hours, with
compulsory attendance. Electronic signs flash "Vote No"
messages right through each shift. Enlarged sample ballots,
with a prominent X in the desired spot, are posted
prominently.

This sounds more like an election in North Korea (where they
also use secret ballots), than a true expression of democracy.
Most importantly, the voters are repeatedly threatened,
implicitly or explicitly, that their jobs will disappear if they
vote for the union. For example, the plant manager wrote to all
employees before the vote, wondering aloud why
DaimlerChrysler would continue to buy Magna's seats if the
company's non-union advantage was eroded. (To its credit,
DaimlerChrysler issued a letter clarifying that its business with
Magna would be unaffected by the vote, and this was probably
important to the final outcome.)


http://www.caw.ca/news/allCAWnewsletters/atthetable/atthetable2000feb.asp

It seems Frank Stronach's dislike for unions (and anything that
looks like them) is truly international - even in his native country
Workers at Magna plants in AUSTRIA have battled with the
Canadian-based company throughout 1999 over management's
opposition to government-mandated "works councils." (Works
councils are a type of democratic representation, but without full
union rights.) Magna has been refusing to allow the councils,
pushing instead its own corporate code called the "Magna Charter."
The conflict came to a head over the dismissal in the year of a
worker who had favoured the creation of a works council at a plant
in Styria. A government grant to Magna was suspended as a result,
but re-issued after company threats to move work to Germany and
Hungary.



Ah, Stronach family values.

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[Noon_Blue_Apples]

6. As usual you are a wealth of information

I very much enjoy your posts.

I have never been as 'up' as I am for the upcoming election.

we are going to take back the word socialist and properly position it in the canadian mindset - got to love cons describing the ontario deficit left by harris as - "well its not a NDP style deficit" - um ok.

up is down, left is right. I think the deficit bush is amassing will help this redefinition of parties here in Canada.

It is going to work.

Bill