1. Not another Federal election! Why Canadians do not like democracy
2. Tax Shelters: Ottawa does not treat the rich like you and me with regard to taxation
3. Torture Made in Canada: How blithely we violate a UN convention since the events of September 11, 2001
4. Signature of trade agreement between Quebec and Ontario, we cover the speech of obscure technocrats?
5. Following the first summit of North American President Obama: can anyone provide a thorough review of NAFTA?
6. Education and health rather than bombs: A new sustainable security for the 21st century
ANOTHER FEDERAL ELECTION
is confirmed. The government of Stephen Harper will not be overturned on Friday
The Bloc Quebecois will give him his vote while the NDP, which had always boasted of voting against the Conservatives, probably imitate.
But the possibility of an imminent election to fill the parliament in Ottawa is whining over a Canadian citizen
It always makes me laugh to hear a collective sigh like that ... oh no, not an election!
Prime Minister Harper was the first to lament Following the announcement by Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff want to bring down the minority Liberal government's response
Harper was saying he did not meet a single Canadian who wanted an election
Yet in a democracy Ideally, at least in my eyes, we'd all be constantly involved in the political process
Under our system, the policy means that election, then the more there are, the closer one gets to a real democracy
It keeps engaged citizens and political parties on the alert
Under a stable majority, everyone goes to sleep four years
And imagine what might come out of Ottawa if Harper had a majority government ...
So instead of squawking about the fact that we have another election, would rather see it as a civic duty
On top of that, why have we not made a big collective pressure to make the coalition power early this year if we bother to vote that much?
minority government currently in office is so disconnected from reality, from the viewpoint of the majority of Canadians that I'm surprised we have not a Liberal minority government
Which at least has the merit of reflecting the opinion of a majority, and could more easily agree with the NDP and Bloc
And if we take into consideration the number of voters who take the trouble to vote tends to decline
This reduces the number of groups to which politicians must pay attention
... increasing, so, the electoral strength and importance of pressure groups such as religious bigots and rednecks of Western
If there is a problem with the new election is that vote is the only option offered to us for our participation in politics and voting is
a repetitive exercise and without great significance
But the gesture implies that we should vote for people in favor of expanding the scope of our democratic participation, not the other
TAX SHELTERS
Are the rich and powerful receive special treatment from our government?
The lack of public attention is still so yes
and this is the case in Ottawa while we take care over there a survey which gives a strong impression of favoritism towards the rich
is the case a hundred wealthy Canadians who have violated the Canadian tax law by hiding their money in bank accounts in Liechtenstein's paradise.
Nobody will question the zeal with which the Canadian authorities to ensure that normal people pay every cent of tax they must
Except that the government seems to lose motivation when it concerns the rich, even though experts estimate that Canada loses billions of dollars in revenue each year because the rich hide their money in tax havens
The 100 Canadians with accounts in Liechtenstein came under investigation because the details of their accounts have been made to the Canadian authorities there one and a half ago by the German police
In Germany, the unveiling of the content of the accounts to facilitate the tax leakage caused quite an uproar, leading to the conviction of one of the leading business of the country
Also in Germany, 450 investigations are underway
Even in this case Italy makes noise, with the names of participating in this rich tax leakage in the media
In Canada, the hundred rich should roughly 17 million in taxes, interest and penalties ...
And so far three million have been collected
but no prosecution for tax evasion still
very gentle approach to Ottawa to them, compared to the German reaction, is a bit disturbing
Especially in these times of global financial crisis that has pushed other countries in the west to attack tax shelters
For the U.S., it runs after 52 000 citizens who have had accounts with UBS, the largest Swiss bank UBS
was sued for $ 780 million for helping wealthy Americans hide their assets
Perhaps the Harper government is working vigorously to ensure that wealthy Canadians are not able to hide their money so easily
But we know nothing ... and one can doubt it! Especially since everything is done behind closed doors, away from public view
TORTURE CANADIAN
I saw a very good story on the Discovery channel, a few weeks ago, on interrogation techniques for suspects linked to violent crime ...
was very conclusive: torture as a method to tell the suspect does not work ... and more often than not leads to misreporting
Just enough so that it would be against it, but it also appears that morally, torture is indefensible
Each year in June marks the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
Yet many members of the UN practice today, and in many cases, openly
Torture is an abomination, and would appear on paper at least, there is a general consensus to recognize that fact
But
Canada is a country where political connections to torture in recent years is undeniable
We only think of the young Canadian Omar Khadr who are still languishing in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba
Y'a Maher Arar, the Canadian who was tortured in a prison in Syria with the help of our secret services
Torture is part of the political relationship of Canada to the world since the events of September 11, 2001
notice wishing that torture works and is needed more than ever seems to gain popularity here
There is also the case of Abdelrazik
The Canadian who has visited his mother patient in Sudan, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had recommended to the Sudan to arrest based on false information
The Canadian government has played a direct role in the torture of Mr. Abdelrazik Instead
to intervene and prevent its abuse, CSIS went there to question him in prison is a
example of how the Canadian state returns the security arsenal against its own citizens
can also talk about the security certificate program, currently directed towards five permanent residents in Ontario and Quebec
Against whom was deposited this famous security certificate, which allows to detain, deport even people who are believed to participate in terrorist activities
This does not even have the opportunity to know the charges or a public presentation of evidence
attempts to deport people to countries that practice torture is a violation of the commitment Canada in the UN 1984 Convention against Torture
So in Canada, people against whom we use the law of the security certificate automatically lose their humanity, being degraded to the level where torture is a possibility
The Canada has received much criticism for its treatment of Afghan prisoners, many of whom were tortured
In 2008, Amnesty International launched a lawsuit against the Canadian government that seeks to stop the transfer of Afghan detainees to Afghan prisons
Last month The last stage of the proceedings was whether Canada knew that prisoners transferred would be mistreated
In Ottawa, the Conservative government is trying to put an end to proceedings which are expected to continue this fall
Other cases of torture, as told by Canadian Maher Arar and Abdullah Almalki show that Canada has taken a wrong turn, is complicit in this violation of a fundamental human right
Even if we signed the UN Convention against Torture, the actions of our government shows that our commitment is not worth much
NAFTA REVIEW
At the first summit of North American Barack Obama in August, leaders of three states failed to discuss NAFTA, the Free Trade Agreement North American or its ramifications
particular project obscure the partnership for security and prosperity
despite the fact that the treaty was the origin of these meetings annuals, the negative results of NAFTA made it more a source of shame that a positive political achievement
Heads of States want North American perhaps, with reason, to distance themselves from NAFTA, thing that was supposed to improve the lives of all North American
But Canadian citizens, Mexican and U.S. continue to pressure for a thorough review of NAFTA, leading to a renegotiation of the treaty
During the Democratic primary of 2006, NAFTA had been sullied by the presidential candidates Obama and Hillary Clinton, vowing they would review the license thoroughly
all, in order to receive the votes of workers, often unemployed, who see NAFTA as a source of problems in their lives
Polls show a majority in three countries have only negative things to say about the treaty signed in 1994 between the U.S., Canada and Mexico
During the 10th and 15th anniversaries NAFTA, there has been no growth in Mexico and massive job losses in the U.S.
Nowhere in the world has there been a regional integration as fast and far in the world in North America with NAFTA
An agreement that has destroyed the barriers to trade and investment such as protective tariffs and local preferences
NAFTA dismantled social programs, extended the monopoly of intellectual property, well beyond the requirements of WTO
What NAFTA did not like the EU ... NAFTA has totally ignored the potential impact of its own immigration
measures and refused to put aside funds or strategies of transition to reflect the huge asymmetry between the economies involved
Mexico's economy is 1/15th the size of that of the U.S., millions families living in extreme poverty
NAFTA has taken no action to address this inequality ... relying instead on the international market to solve the problems
But if we measure only the level of economic integration, the experience of NAFTA was a success
The border of the U.S. and Mexico has become Region the most integrated in the world ... $ 35 million in goods crosses the border every hour
The total trade between the three countries has more than doubled, tripled in the case of U.S. and Mexico
Ranging from $ 81.6 billion in 1993 to 266,600,000,000 in 2004
From our side, Canadians have complained about the loss of sovereign control over our economy and our ability to make sustainable development of our natural resources ate a stroke because of our exports to the U.S. include mandatory in NAFTA
In Mexico, NAFTA has caused massive displacement, especially farmers, victims of arrived agricultural products from U.S. ...
Thousands of workers lost their jobs, pushing the precarious, especially women forced to move to jobs with no benefits, no security, and minimum wage
But it's not just losers with NAFTA, the agreement was forged with the direct participation of TNCs
liberalization of trade and investment have enabled them to develop regional strategies, giving them the opportunity to take full advantage of natural resources, cheap labor and government subsidies
The whole, to long-term costs to society, such as loss of control over our lives
We are at a critical point of continental integration, is that it deepened the NAFTA, with its obsession for export, loss of employment and capital mobility
Or we find a way to reform our way of continental integration has created an economic recovery more just and equitable, rule-to encourage people at the bottom
In Canada, especially civil society demand an elimination of the proportionality clause, which requires that we send our oil to the U.S., even during hollow
it would also be eliminated as the famous chapter 11, the clause that entitles investors to sue governments if they feel that their right to earn profit is bullied
This chapter is controversial because it allows companies to overturn laws to protect the health and safety of citizens that would cut into their profits
And in these proceedings, the court looks for companies almost every time
Mexican President Felipe Calderon strongly opposes neoliberal the renegotiation
Obama seems to understand the negative consequences of NAFTA, but he said having much to do now before going to the negotiating table
And our good Harper government also does not seem to touch the NAFTA, except to deepen its worst
SUSTAINABLE SECURITY
Know sustainable development, let me now turn to lasting security ...
The combinations of multiple simultaneous crises: financial, economic, social inequality that is growing, military power, food insecurity, climate change, in short, governments and citizens of the world does not lack challenges
And in this context we need to fundamentally rethink the concept of security in order to bring the world back on track ... a sustainable path
Besides spending spree in the military budget, which we know too well in Canada ...
Maybe if we look to the sources of insecurity and to act there, not only do we save money that could be put in our social services are in great need, but we could reach a level of more stable security and extended
In the UK we started this discussion, watching carefully the impacts of climate change on the divisions socio-economic marginalization and mass migration
I hope we will see that fighting climate change has nothing to do with the military industry and everything to do with a massive transition of our economy towards the minimal use of carbon
And overall, try to impose security on a world deeply divided or marginalized majority can quickly become violent can not be done only by arms
be seen, especially at a time when we draw irregular warfare, where thousands of insurgents in Iraq were able to withstand 200,000 army troops best equipped in the world for six years
... and the war in Afghanistan enters its 9th year
This mentality of global security with weapons must be changed, it is not only ineffective, it is also cons-productive
There are glimmers of hope, by cons , there's people who reflect seriously on the topic of sustainable security ...
The Center for American Progress in Washington issued a major report on this subject, trying to make the link between national security, human security and collective
This week, the Center for Global Security Geneva issued a report on sustainable national security part of its program on globalization and transnational security
The Oxford Research Group, a small British think tank, started a project in 2006 entitled Moving Towards Sustainable Security, Global Response Global Threat to
Also doing the links between socio-economic divisions, environmental constraints and marginalization as important determinants of insecurity
... and respond not with politics but with a militarized approach targeting causes
can know everything about it by going to their website www.sustainablesecurity.org
It's very inspiring's there, even amazing to see how far they go with so little money
In comparison, the cost of a single fighter plane F-35 could fund the research program of the Oxford Research Group for over 150 years
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