#1 — CBC | Prison staff failed to help suicidal inmate, inquest hears
An inquest into the death of an aboriginal prisoner heard Tuesday that corrections officials were aware of his history of depression and suicide attempts, but he never got the help he needed.
[...]
#2 — CBC | Woman gets life for Alberta teen’s murder
A young Edmonton woman who was convicted of first-degree murder in the slaying of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years.
[...]
#3 — CBC | Pie hit should earn PETA ‘terrorist’ label: MP
A protest pie thrown at the federal fisheries minister should make Ottawa look into whether an animal-rights group should be labelled “terrorist,” says an MP from Newfoundland and Labrador.
[...]
#4 — CTV | Toyota halts sales, production of 8 models
Toyota Motor Co., the largest car manufacturer in the world, says it has suspended sales of eight recalled vehicles as the company moves to fix a problem with unreliable accelerator pedals.
[...]
#5 — Globe | Taking action on hockey headshots
Hockey Canada, the governing body for amateur leagues, is convening a summit to discuss player safety as a public outcry grows over violent headshots at all levels of the sport.
[...]
#6 — Globe | With plight of mothers, Harper seeks new G8 course
Stephen Harper is highlighting the healthcare plight of mothers and infants in the developing world as a means of transforming the role of the G8 club of wealthy countries.
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In the months following the hate-fuelled blood frenzy of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the top diplomats at Rwanda’s embassy in Ottawa were recalled to a vastly different country than the one they had left.
[...]
#8 — MG | Australians look to Canada in Union Jack debate
Advocates for a new Australian flag have launched a high-profile campaign to emulate Canada’s 1965 rebranding by dropping the Union Jack from the current design and adopting a homegrown icon comparable to our maple leaf — perhaps a kangaroo?
[...]
#9 — MG | Judge orders stay of proceedings thanks to Mounties’ blunder
Saying the RCMP turned a blind eye to criminal activities committed by an undercover agent while on parole, a Quebec judge yesterday ordered a stay of proceedings in the drug case of a Montreal man.
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#10 — Star | What Pearson airport could learn from Israel
Airport security expert and frequent flyer Rafi Sela diverted his travel path to avoid Toronto Pearson International Airport in favour of landing on Toronto Island.
[...]
Re: With plight of mothers, Harper seeks new G8 course – A laudable goal, too bad he’s not as interested in the plight of mothers and infants here at home
Re: #1 — I’m far from certain what Harper can accomplish here considering that our Constitution gives natives many powers that cannot be disrupted without opening a can of worms. You know that situation far better than I do and so I look to you for a solution out of the mess.
Just how does Harper help our native community considering that all the money (billions) goes to the local chiefs and disappears? How do we change that picture? This isn’t a cheap shot — I truly want to know.
Jack, good question and a good audit wouldnt hurt either. But I agree with stageleft, theres something wrong with the way our aboriginals are treated. Even our insensitive federal government allegedly sent them body bags during the last swine flu outbreak instead of the necessary flu shots.
Even our insensitive federal government allegedly sent them body bags during the last swine flu outbreak instead of the necessary flu shots.
That is complete and utter bullshit UV. “According the findings of a much-anticipated investigation, the head of the community’s nursing station placed the order for 100 body bags on Aug. 12—but didn’t tell the chief. Health Canada was simply answering the request.”
http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/10/08/the-reserve-requested-all-those-body-bags/
I wish you would stop twisting things here, UV. The Health Minister (Leona Aglukkaq) came out at the time the bodybag’s issue exploded on the front pages and explained clearly how the situation happened.
In searching today for a reference on Google I can’t find one story on the situation but I know she did so. I accept her explanation. I do not accept your reference to a situation that has now been put to bed.
Re: #5 — What can I say? Cops stick together and “your ass is grass”.
Thats strange Jack. Then why did the government admit that “it was INSENSITIVE to send body bags in a shipment of medical supplies to First Nations communities awaiting help to prepare for the fall flu season.”
I do wish you would stop twisting things here Jack.
‘Federal government apologizes for shipping body bags with First Nation flu supplies’
http://www.canada.com/sports/Federal+government+apologizes+shipping+body+bags+with+First+Nation+supplies/2003854/story.html
As I’ve said before, UV — you remind me of a close friend that never sees the good stuff — only the bad.
What do you want here?
Iggy as our next PM?
I’m waiting.
Well thats simple to answerJack, like so many Canadians I’m not a big fan of either but will agree that Harper is the best of a bad lot.
However, if he continues to act like a liberal, well anything can happen so I guess its his to lose.
Remember that old saying ‘governments arent voted in but are voted out.’
Another poll:
Harris-Decima poll puts two main parties in statistical tie, with prorogation blunting any potential boost from Stephen Harper’s swift Haiti response.
From the right leaning Grope & maul newspaper:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-and-liberals-slide-back-into-too-close-to-call-territory/article1446461/
I watch polls UV but take them all with a grain of salt because they be can manipulated and are far from being what people actually believe. There is only one way for this to be sorted out.
An election — but before that happens Harper must appoint his new five senators.
VA:F [1.9.13_1145] please wait... Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast) VA:F [1.9.13_1145] Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
Translation (Google) -- http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-tribune/estrie/201001/27/01-943322-pierre-hugues-boisvenu-serait-nomme-senateur.php rel=”nofollow”>Apparently Friday if I have it right.
It looks like Harper is going to call “Iggy”. We’ll see in due course.
‘Harper is going to call “Iffy” – Jack, I dont think hes interested in a senate seat (just kidding).
Re: # 11 — I’m still waiting UV. Maybe you should sleep on your answer and get back to me later. I’m interested.
Jack – I think I have answered your question in that ‘Harper is the best of a bad lot’ as for me, I may destroy my ballot this time around. I’m still undecided at this point.
And an interesting discussion going on about prorogation over at the extreme right leaning Freedominion entitled
’CPC hires prorogation crisis management team?’
http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=127317
New senators coming (translation) — take it where you find it.
Apparently this is not confirmed.
Re: #13 — If you destroy your ballot UV that is your choice and I applaud you for sticking to your guns but you would be wrong because Harper is the best leader that Canada has seen “post-trudeau” and whether you like it or not he’s a happening thing.
You can get behind him or disappear. One vote destroyed. Not a major issue.
Your entry makes my case.
Jack, if the two main political parties cant get the vote out, then it will be status quo which could spell the end for both Iffy and the PM and you can take that to your bank.
http://www.undecidedparty.ca/undecided/news.html
http://www.undecidedparty.ca/undecided/index2.html
‘Disappear’ Jack – I dont think so any more than anyone else who has an interest in Canadian politics
I think the first thing that people here seem to have to wrap their heads around is the fact that there is a very large difference between First Nations people and their governance structures and the Inuit people and their governance structures.
The Inuit have no chiefs, there are no band councils, there are no reserves, and just like you and me Inuit pay all taxes – so bringing any of those ideas into any discussion about Inuit is like bringing turnips into a discussion about telephones.
The First Nations people chose First Nations people only Band Councils, the Inuit chose a non-ethnicity based municipal government structure for local affairs, and non-ethnicity based public territorial governemnt – in other words, if anyone here moved to the Arctic, and stayed there long enough to meet the residency requirements, they could run for Mayor or MLA or Premier just like they could in their home town or province.
And for Undecided Voter — WTF is this “theres something wrong with the way our aboriginals are treated” stuff? “Our” denotes ownership and using a phrase like that in the wrong company can lose you friends – the correct phrase is “there is something wrong with the way Canada treats Aboriginals“.
Quite simply Jack the answer to your question is that Canada initially needs to live up to its responsibilities in the areas of health and housing (which in the territories, because they are not provinces, are federal responsibilities) in what the Inuit refer to as Inuit Nunagnat (the Inuit Homeland); and quit scrimping and making excuses on both.
The vast majority of Inuit have no doctor within hundreds (and hundreds and hundreds) of miles of where they live and no roads to drive to the closest hospital – if you get sick, or hurt, you hope that the understaffed and poorly equipped local nursing station can look after you until a plane can be sent in (and maybe if you’re lucky enough to be really bad off there will be a doctor on that plane) to pick you up to take you to the hospital. A few years ago a study came out that showed that only 45% of Inuit children had seen a doctor within the last year of the study compared to 85% of non-Aboriginal children.
The vast majority of Inuit live in over crowded housing where it is not the least bit unusual for three generations to live in a drafty house – communicable disease runs rampant as everything from the common cold to tuberculosis is passed around over crowded housing from person to person and generation to generation. According to the last figures available TB rates among Inuit were 90 times higher than in other Canadians, a recent UNICEF report indicated that 33% of Inuit children suffered from chronic health conditions, and that “respiratory virus and pneumonia infections are rampant”.
Add those two basic factors together and it should be absolutely no surprise to anyone that the infant mortality rates are approaching that of third world countries like Sri Lanka.
(I have theorized that maybe, just maybe, if UNICEF put pictures of little Inuit children on the fund raising boxes seen every Halloween it might embarrass the Canadian public into being at least somewhat concerned about this – and just may send them an email suggesting it before the next round of Halloween fund raising)
There is no “native can of worms” in the Arctic Jack, there is simply a lack of will on the part of the government to address the issues, and a lack of interest within the majority of Canadians to demand the government address them.
None of this is new, it’s all been known (and growing) for years, and years, and years – in fact it’s been known (and growing) for generations. The Canadian government knows it and the media reports on it, and the average Canadian simply ignores it, shrugs it off, or mutters about the unaccountability of chiefs because they can’t be bothered to inform themselves to a degree sufficient to know that not only do modern Inuit governance structures not include chiefs, but that they never have.
I suppose that that’s probably not too surprising, here’s a couple of facts for you:
In November of 1996 the final Report of the Royal Commission On Aboriginal Peoples was issued, one of the recommendations in that report was “That the appropriate place of Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history be recognized.” – every government since then has ignored it.
When the current government came out with its’ new and wonderful “Discover Canada” study guide Inuit got a whole 6 word sentence in the “Canada’s History” section – I’ll save you the time of looking it up (but do feel free if you’d like), it reads “The Inuit lived off Arctic wildlife.” The Vikings got a bigger mention in “Canada’s History” than the people who have lived here for thousands upon thousands of years for petes sake.
In a couple of weeks the financial leaders of the wealthiest countries on the planet will go to a part of the country where a great many Canadian adults go hungry on a regular basis so that their children can eat – and the government of Canada will isolate them from that.
Harper is off in foreign lands mounting a great plan to alleviate infant mortality rates in developing countries and ensure his place in the history books saying
“Members of the G8 can make a tangible difference in maternal and child health and Canada will be making this the top priority in June,” Mr. Harper said in a statement. “Far too many lives and unexplored futures have already been lost for want of relatively simple health caresolutions.”
Ya know what…. f*uck him and his grand plans for the world while he ignores the Canadians in his own back yard that are dying for want of simple Canadian health care solutions. Not so long ago I lost a niece to pneumonia – she was only a few months old, she, and her parents, and her grandparents, all lived in the same drafty over crowded house, the poorly equipped and understaffed nursing station didn’t recognize the magnitude of the problem until it was too late, the hospital was too far away, and the plane didn’t get her here in time to save her.
OK – short (and I did edit this a few times) rant over…. I am willing to take questions either here or via email (stageleft @ stageleft . info), answer them if I can, and I promise to try Jacks patience as little as possible in the mocking and deriding of any utter idiocy – provided I don’t simply ignore it.
I like to read comments by readers of Jack’s Newswatch but StageLeft gets carried away with long and boring dissertations. KISS: Keep It Simple Sam. Short and sweet, that’s the key.