What the Assembly of First Nations' national executive wants from meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Posted by Joanna Smith, Ottawa Bureau

The Assembly of First Nations have put out a release outlining, in more detail, the eight demands that are on the table during the meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and others on Friday afternoon. They were summarized in the Star's story on the meeting today, based on what National Chief Shawn Atleo, Saskatchewan Regional Chief Perry Bellegarde and B.C. Regional Chief Jody Wilson-Raybould said at their news conference on Thursday, but there is some more detail (or at least more words) here.

These eight "elements of consensus" came out of discussions with First Nations leaders in Ottawa this week.

• Commitment to an immediate high level working process with Treaty Nation leadership for establishing frameworks with necessary mandates for the implementation and enforcement of Treaties on a Treaty by Treaty basis, between the Treaty parties Nation-to-Nation.

• Facilitating fair, expeditious resolution of land claims through reforming the comprehensive claims policy based on recognition and affirmation of inherent rights rather than extinguishment

• Resource Equity, Benefit and Revenue Sharing – building on treaty implementation and enforcement and comprehensive claims resolution there must be a framework that addresses shared governance of resource development and the fair sharing of all forms of revenues and benefits generated from resource development.
• All legislation must be unquestionably consistent with s.35 of the Canadian Constitution and the UNDRIP. Legislation and provisions of legislation as in C-38 and C-45 that contravene our Treaty and inherent rights must be reconsidered and implementation of these provisions be put to a halt. We must have an environmental regulatory regime in this country that respects our rights. Legislation that tinkers around the edges of the Indian Act must stop and be replaced with support for First Nation government and nation re-building including a mechanism for our Nations to push away from the Indian Act as they determine. To fulfill the original relationship, Canada must put in place an ongoing process that all new bills and policies of the federal government must be in full compliance with section 35 and consistent with international human rights standards.
•  Fundamentally transformed fiscal relationship guaranteeing fairness and sustainability and removing all arbitrary caps and burdens on the current inefficient, ineffective and unfair funding relationship for First Nation programs and services.
• Immediate Commitment to the establishment of a National Public Commission of Inquiry on Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, including special focus on murdered and missing Indigenous women, and the broader factors that lead to increased vulnerability among Indigenous peoples.
• Guarantee, as in Shannen’s dream, of First Nation schools in every First Nation that each and every First Nations parent and child can be proud of, that fully reflects our languages and cultures and provides a safe and supportive place to learn.
• In order to be effective, progress on these areas will require fundamental change in the machinery of government including direct political oversight, a dedicated Cabinet Committee with a secretariat within the Privy Council Office with specific responsibility for the First Nation-Crown relationship to oversee implementation.

On Santa Claus and Arctic sovereignty

Posted by Joanna Smith, Ottawa Bureau

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney offered his Christmas wishes to Santa Claus on Friday, teased him about his old-fashioned navigation ways and then capped it off, just in case one was tempted to think this was entirely innocent and adorable, with some political spin.

Minister Kenney Offers Christmas Greetings to Santa Claus

Ottawa, December 21, 2012 — During a week when an empty Parliament gave way to mirth-making and gift-wrapping, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney took the opportunity to wish Santa Claus all the best in his Christmas Eve duties.

“We are honoured that Santa begins his annual journey in Canada,” Minister Kenney stated. “And, as a Canadian citizen living in Canada’s North, he may re-enter the country freely at the end of his international trip.

“Personnel at Nunavut’s Alert Airport will run the control tower lights throughout Christmas to guide Jolly Saint Nick southward on his departure and northward on his return,” Minister Kenney said.

Situated at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, 817 kilometres from the North Pole, Alert is the first landmark for Santa and his reindeer as they make their way to the homes of millions of children. A well-known traditionalist, Santa has not yet adopted GPS technology, preferring the instincts of his reindeer, with a helping hand from the Alert Airport workers.

“The Government continues to invest in measures that exercise Canada’s sovereignty and create more economic opportunities in the North,” said Minister Kenney. “We want to ensure that Santa, and all Canadians, benefit from the potential of the North, making it a prosperous and secure region within a strong and sovereign Canada.”

Green Gables diplomacy in China

Posted by Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa Bureau 

BEIJING-Now it's Green Gables Diplomacy.

Laureen Harper, wife of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, wrote the foreword of a Chinese translation of the Canadian classic, Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Her husband was in the spotlight at a Canadian tourism event in Beijing to launch a 2012 travel campaign to lure tourists.

And signed copies of the book she pitched were on offer.

At the Chinese Youth Travel Services Bureau, Mrs. Harper watched as giant three-storey banners were unfurled picturing the Calgary Stampede - her Alberta stomping grounds.

She is fiercely passionate about the West, and she craned her neck to see the massive wall-sized mural.
But she is clearly a Green Gables fan herself.

READ MORE: Harper in China

Her foreword entices the Chinese to delve into the land further east than Canada's west.
"In the character of Anne Shirley, author Lucy Maud Montgomery created someone we can all recognize – and love – for her independent spirit, her kind and generous heart, and her boundless imagination," writes Harper.

Montgomery’s "powerful story of an orphaned child growing up in a small farming village on Prince Edward Island often moves readers to tears, both of sadness and joy."

"At the same time, Anne inspires us with her honourable universal values, including love of nature, respect for community, and finding satisfaction in hard work and accomplishment. "Like good people everywhere, Anne makes her small world a better place."

"I hope you enjoy Anne of Green Gables as much as I and my family have," she says, inviting Chinese readers to travel to Canada to discover her world.

Ottawa says the traffic of Chinese tourists to Canada has jumped 25 per cent since 2009 when China granted the country "approved destination status" - and was worth $15 billion in 2010.

in the first 11 months of 2011, it meant 232,000 travellers from China made the trek.

Twitter chat with @vfreedlander and @TonyclementCPC

Posted by Joanna Smith, Ottawa Bureau

This should have happened a lot sooner, but on Wednesday I got around to checking whether Vern Freedlander, the Toronto-based vice-president of production at X2O Media Inc. is on Twitter.

I am interested in learning more about (and talking to) Freedlander because while he was working for the Town of Huntsville, he sent this email to Huntsville Mayor Claude Doughty detailing an alleged conversation with Environment Minister Peter Kent.

It raised some pretty serious questions about the $45.7 million G8 legacy infrastructure funds and how the money was doled out. I wrote a story about that on Monday. Environment Minister Peter Kent told me on Tuesday that the conversation the email describes never took place.

It turns out that yes, Freedlander (@vfreedlander) is on Twitter.

When I found his account, he had 14 followers (after I tweeted about it, he gained some new ones).

One of them was Treasury Board President Tony Clement (@TonyclementCPC). Now, it should be noted that Clement, who is pretty active on Twitter, follows more than 17,000 people. Still, the reason this follow-back is remotely relevant is that when Clement was industry minister, he passed along Freedlander's name to Doughty about the G8-related job he ended up getting.

It turns out that Freedlander has tweeted at Clement a few times. It appears, as far as what I can tell from the easily accessible Tiwtter archives, that the conversation was one-way.

For example, on June 19, Clement joked about something that happened to him on Father's Day and Freedlander wrote back.

On June 18, Clement tweeted a link to a statement by Bruce Springsteen on the death of Clarence Clemons and Freedlander replied the next day calling Clemons the "Minister of Soul".

Clement's timeline only stretches back to June 2011. This means it is not immediately possible for me to know whether Clement responded to any of these earlier tweets from Freedlander.

In any case, here is some more.

February 11:

Clement tweeted:

Soon to be in Huntsville, to tape my monthly Cogeco cable access show. Party on, excellent.

Freedlander replied:

@TonyClement_MP Stan Mikita stopping by?

December 8, 2010:

@vfreedlander Vern Freedlander

@TonyClement_MP: Great to hear you're at LM. LM r clients of ours. X2O Media provides them with in-house communication software. Best, Vern

December 3, 2010:

Clement tweeted:

TonyclementCPC Tony Clement

Saw them live back in the day:awesome! RT @stephenfgordon If only TheDemics cld have lasted longer than they did http://youtu.be/KrPOKNU5Ds4

Freedlander replied:

@vfreedlander Vern Freedlander

@TonyClement_MP Speaking of musical anniversaries 30th Darkness on the Edge of Town great album great tour. Best Bruce ever!

November 27, 2010:

Clement tweeted:

TonyclementCPC Tony Clement

Hello out there! Here's a twitpic of the winter wonderland outside my study window this morning... http://yfrog.com/g945uj

Freedlander replied:

@TonyClement_MP Hi Tony, a wonderful winter scene and I am quite impressed with the wood work around the window! Cheers Vern

And that's all they wrote.

It looks like the tweet above was Freedlander's very first. He joined Twitter on April 19, 2009, but his first tweet (out of 39 so far) was that "wonderful winter scene" message on Nov. 29 of the following year -- to Clement.

What's it called again? Oh, right. The UN.

One of the ways the opposition parties and other critics like to go after federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq is to decry her absence (if she is in fact absent) from whatever health-related conference is going on at the time.

On Thursday it was New Democrat Quebec MP Anne Minh-Thu Quach (Beauharnois—Salaberry), who asked during Question Period in the House of Commons why Aglukkaq was not attending the World Health Organization's three-day World Conference on Social Determinants of Health in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (N.B. Chief Public Health Office Dr. David Butler-Jones is actually attending on her behalf).

Here is my translation (from French) of an excerpt of Quach's question:

"The World Health Organization recognizes that social inequalities lead to inequities when it comes to health. The costs are astronomical.

Can the Minister of Health explain to us why she is not participating in this international meeting?"

According to the "Blues", which is the quick transcript of what happened during Question Period emailed to the Parliamentary Press Gallery and others a couple of hours after it happens, Aglukkaq responded with the following:

"Mr. Speaker, we do participate in a number of conferences internationally. Most recently, we were at a conference in New York, at the United Nations, on the declaration around poverty reduction initiatives across countries.

The government has worked hard to protect and promote the health and safety of all Canadians who make huge investments internationally, as well as here in Canada."

What the transcript does not show is that it took Aglukkaq a few seconds to remember the name of that international body that hosted that conference she was at in New York last month. Aglukkaq said the name of the city but then stumbled for a few moments before looking down at her notes and remembering: "the United Nations".

A postscript to: CPC vs "soft-on-crime-coalition"

-Updated by Tonda MacCharles, Oct. 11/2011

Delayed posting this update, but thought it important to point out the CPC isn't the only one availing of political posturing opportunities in the members' statements. On Friday, the morning after I posted Brent Rathgeber's comments (see below), the Liberals' rookie MP for Kingston and the Islands Ted Hsu gloated about the Ontario Liberals' win in the provincial election, citing Prime Minister Stephen Harper's summertime wish for a trifecta of Conservative victories in Ontario. "Mr. Speaker, the Trifecta was Rejecta," Hsu rejoiced. He concluded: "The Liberal movement is alive and well in Ontario."

Well, then. I guess the Liberals won't be complaining about the Tories' use of partisan trash talk anymore. Let's see how long the NDP can keep a civil tongue in their heads.

 

-posted by Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa bureau, Oct. 6, 2011

The 15 minutes before Question Period are devoted to statements by MPs who once upon a time used to talk about significant events or people in their ridings or hail volunteerism or fundraising efforts like the March of Dimes. Over the past several years, the statements began to be used, primarily by Conservative Party MPs, as occasions for partisan attacks.

There's been some lip service paid to trying to foster more "civility" in politics. After the Conservatives won a majority government in May, many talked about how it would change the hyper-partisan atmosphere in the House of Commons. Certainly after NDP leader Jack Layton died in August you heard lots of talk about how politicians would heed his call for a more respectful discourse.

But old habits die hard, I guess.

Today's statement by Conservative Brent Rathgeber (Edmonton—St. Albert) - one of three Conservative MPs involved in screening the next two judges (still unnamed) for the Supreme Court of Canada - took a hard partisan swipe, but this time he broadened his target. 

Here's a bit of what Rathgeber said:

"We reject categorically suggestions from the NDP and their soft-on-crime friends like the Elizabeth Fry Society who suggest: providing prisoners with needles and drugs in order to engage in harm reduction; taking drugs away from prisoners violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; drug interdiction methods are unfair to inmates by violating their “privacy” and drug sniffing dogs can scare away visitors; and, most shockingly of all, strip searches of inmates suspected of smuggling drugs or weapons is tantamount to “lawful sexual assault by the state." Yesterday the member for Sackville—Eastern Shore demanded that I apologize for allegedly wronging this criminal group. I suggest that the NDP should apologize to Canadians for its complicity in the soft-on-crime coalition and for refusing to stand up for victims. I call--"

At that point, the Speaker called time had run out.

That's a shame. I'd like to know who else, besides the people who advocate for women prisoners across Canada, is in the soft-on-crime coalition.

Perhaps we'll hear more in the days to come.

-30-

Searching for truth in MacKay’s search-and-rescue helicopter ride

from Allan Woods, Ottawa Bureau

There's nothing like a fishing story to spice up an otherwise slow Friday in the nation's capital. Thank Defence Minister Peter MacKay and the pugnacious opposition for that.

The latest twist on the personal-use-of-public-aircraft saga involves allegations that MacKay pulled rank on military officials at the Gander air force base when he ordered a search-and-rescue helicopter to pick him up from a fancy fishing lodge.

The way the Liberals understand it, MacKay was initially turned down by a local base commander when he requested that military personnel at CFB Gander pick him up at the lodge on the Gander River in July 2010. MacKay had been salmon fishing with friends.

“We believe the local base was overruled, that he used his minister’s office to talk to higher up military brass, to order it done so that he could have a quick trip to the airport,” Liberal MP Wayne Easter, who made the allegations in the House of Commons, explained in an interview Friday.

MacKay's version of the story is that he decided to fit in a long-delayed search-and-rescue demonstration with a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter when his fishing trip was cut short because he had to attend a government announcement July 9 in London, Ont.

Government officials said on Thursday that MacKay was hoisted from the ground into the helicopter, which was hovering overhead. It was explained that the air force had long sought the demonstration with MacKay to support their case for new fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft.

It isn't clear how hoisting the minister into the air (something that shouldn't be attempted in anything except for a helicopter) bolsters the air force's case for new airplanes.

Having taken part in several military demonstrations as the Star's defence reporter, it is true that there are waivers and forms that must be filled out absolving the Canadian Forces of legal responsibility in the event of an accident. The Liberals have asked MacKay to produce any forms he may have signed before his demonstration, or any emails his office either sent or received proving that his Cormorant ride was anything more than a "limousine ride" as critics claimed this week.

"You know, I had the opportunity to go on one of those army exchanges and they gave us three months’ heads-up and told us where to go, when to show and it was very, very well planned on the army side," said Liberal MP Justin Trudeau. "The helicopters are not at the beck and call of the Minister.  Therefore, there must be a paper trail demonstrating that this was a planned exercise.  If it wasn’t he has some explaining to do."  

MacKay didn't provide any new information in the Commons about what happened, nor did he address allegations that MacKay’s initial request for a ride in the Cormorant was rejected, prompting him to run up the air force chain of command and have the Cormorant ordered to pick him up.

Brig.-Gen. Sylvain Bedard, a military spokesman, said that the helicopter in question was scheduled for an entire day of aircrew training with a flight commander on board as well as a co-pilot, two search-and-rescue technicians, a flight engineer and a flight engineer trainee.

Bedard initially said that the search-and-rescue squadron was aware of MacKay’s visit to Newfoundland because he had made an infrastructure announcement at the base before going on the fishing trip.

Informed that the announcement was in fact made in 2009, not 2010, Bedard quickly corrected himself.

He said that MacKay’s fishing trip began on July 5 but maintained that the military was still aware of his presence in the region because military officers, act as a liaison to the defence minister’s office, knew of his travel plans.

“From our perspective … it really seems like this was a mutual gain-sort of approach,” Bedard said Friday.

But that's the after-the-fact verdict and doesn't answer whether the local base commander in Gander approved of the 30-minute demonstration that air force personnel performed for MacKay that day at an approximate cost of $16,000.

And since this is -- at its essence -- a political argument about cost cutting and use of very expensive government resources, I made an inquiry today after being told that anglers normally use helicopter, float plane or boat charters to reach fishing destinations on the Gander River.

One Gander-based charter operator, contacted Friday, said the hourly rate for a helicopter ride was just over $1,700.

-30-

More on the pranksters behind the pranks: Q&A with LulzRaft

Posted by Joanna Smith, Ottawa Bureau

On Wednesday I requested an interview with the person or people behind LulzRaft, the Twitter account where alleged hackers claimed responsibility for infiltrating the Conservative Party of Canada website and posting a fake press release about Prime Minister Stephen Harper being rushed to hospital after choking on a hash brown. They subsequently posted a list of names and email addresses they said belonged to Conservative party contributors online.

Wednesday night they replied via email to say they do not do telephone interviews and invited me to send questions instead.

In case you are interested in learning more about the pranksters behind the pranks, here is my short email Q & A with LulzRaft:

1. Why the Conservative party website?

We stumbled across the vulnerability, and realized the potential for lulz. There is no political motivation, nor are we associated with any other group.

2. What was your intent?

Our only intent with this one was to spread lulz. We made sure the article had some holes in it as not to alarm anyone...we just had no idea the media would jump on it so fast without checking facts.

3. Are you Canadian?

For the sake of anonymity, we aren't able to reveal any information about ourselves.

4. Was there anything in particular about the CPC website that made it an easier target?

The vulnerability on the conservative website was rudimentary to say the least. It should never have existed on a site of this size and caliber, and says a lot about their protection of peoples information.

5. What next?

There will definetly be more to follow, but we aren't yet sure where the lulzraft will go. Maybe we'll retreat back down south for a bit.

 

Day 26: Jack Layton heads to the farm, then up north to Thunder Bay

The events 

New Democrat Leader Jack Layton is heading to a fifth-generation family farm in Stoney Point, Ont. owned by high school shop teacher and wrestling coach David Tremblay and his wife, Linda, a seamstress and shop owner.

They raise pigs, chickens and alternate between growing wheat and soy. They have a fruit orchard too. Can you guess what the announcement at 11 a.m. will be about?Not so fast — they also have a wind turbine!

But no, you were right the first time.

The policy Layton will present is about farming and the visuals will involve a tractor and people sitting on bales of hay in the background. The campaign will then fly to Thunder Bay, Ont., where Layton will hold a town hall-style event about health care.

The ridings

Tremblay Farm is in the riding of Essex, where Conservative incumbent Jeff Watson won with 40 per cent of the vote in the 2008 election. Liberal candidate Susan Whelan placed second with 29 per cent and New Democrat Taras Natyshak placed third with 27.6 per cent of the vote. Natyshak is running again for the NDP in Essex and the Liberal candidate in this election is Nelson Santos. On the surface this appears to be a long-shot riding, but the NDP views its two seats in nearby Windsor as a sign that Essex is in play.

The town hall will be at the Current River Recreation Centre in the riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North, where the NDP incumbent is Bruce Hyer, who won with 37 per cent of the vote in 2008. Nearby Thunder Bay—Rainy River is also held by the NDP, with John Rafferty having won with 40.3 per cent in 2008. Both Hyer and Rafferty voted with the Conservatives to scrap the long-gun registry, so they are not facing the same challenges as some of their caucus colleagues in rural and northern Ontario. In Thunder Bay, it is the Liberals who are working hard to take the seats, running Yves Fricot against Hyer. The Conservative candidate is Richard Harvey.

In Thunder Bay—Rainy River, the Liberals are running Ken Boshcoff, who represented the riding in Ottawa from 2004 to 2006 until Rafferty defeated him in 2008. The Conservative candidate there is Moe Comuzzi-Stehman.

Liberals say two more teens with Liberal ties tossed from Conservative event in Vancouver

EDMONTON—The Liberals say two more teens with Liberal ties were thrown out of a Conservative rally in Vancouver.

"This is just becoming more and more grotesque," Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Saturday.

He was referring to university students in London and Guelph who were abruptly shown the door, even though they were properly registered.

These incidents help stoke Ignatieff's argument that Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is obsessed with control and is anti-democratic.

Ignatieff said there were Tory supporters at his rally earlier in Sudbury "who said 'I might just vote Liberals this time.' "

"This is about democracy ... and he has just got to stop doing this," he told reporters.

Ignatieff bristled at the Conservatives' explanation that it was a private meeting and can toss who they like.

"Excuse me, there is no such thing as a private meeting in a federal election. These are public meetings. Come one come all," he said.

A spokesperson for the Conservtives acknowledged that even though they were identified as Liberal supporters the teens were told they could stay if they didn't disrupt the rally.

"They declined," he said.

At the Edmonton Liberal rally a man was allowed in despite the fact he was holding a sign that said: "Ignatieff, going back to Harvard soon?"