Where were we? Oh yes. Torture.
By Alison@Creekside
On Friday Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced the government was appointing Frank Iacobucci, a former Supreme Court judge with no legal hold over them, to determine what documents pertaining to the Afghan detainee issue could be released without compromising national security, national defence, and/or international relations. The scope and terms of Iacobucci’s appointment are [...]
The Cons find their wedge issue: Israel
By Alison@Creekside
Two days ago Jason Kenney’s communications director Alykhan Velshi tweeted that Con MP Tim Uppal from the inquiry panel at the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism will be looking for unanimous all-party approval when he introduces a motion to condemn the use of the word “apartheid” as applied to Israel in the House [...]
Israel for dummies
By Alison@Creekside
Jason Kenney explains the difference between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israel at Monday’s session of The Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism:
Irwin Cotler: “How does one distinguish between legitimate criticism of Israel and crossing the line?”
Jason Kenney: “Criticism of Israel predicated on a view of Israel as a criminal enterprise, as a state [...]
“Everybody does it,” and other reasons to prorogue democracy
By Alison@Creekside
Top Ten Reasons to Prorogue Democracy . . . so far:
~ Recalibratin’ Economic Action Plan Pt 2 — but not making any changes
~ We got nearly everything we wanted passed anyway
~ Busy busy busy back home on winter barbie circuit
~ Everybody does it, albeit mostly in the 19th century
~ Only “elites” and “chattering classes” [...]
Democracy is so last year
By Alison@Creekside
This is what democracy looks like.
It’s 1.2 million people marching on Mexico City in 2006 to denounce the abrogation of their right to fair democratic representation by their government.
You know why I’m posting this picture.
For the second time in a year, Steve the Despot and Her Excellency of the Rubber Stamp have dismissed Parliament [...]
Richard Colvin’s devastating reply
By Alison@Creekside
On Airshow Peter MacKay’s attempt to discredit Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin by accusing him of not having brought up detainee abuse the one time MacKay met with Colvin in Afghanistan:
He, Colvin, had only been on the job for 10 days and had not met with any detainees yet. And even if he had, protocol [...]
The Cons’ torture blackout continues
By Alison@Creekside
Among the many fakeries and falsehoods foisted on the House on Thursday by the Cons, in their bid to maintain the most secretive and unaccountable government evah, usual frontrunners Laurie Goldie Hawn and Cheryl Gallant got beat out by Gary Goodyear, Minister of Creationism, Science, and Technology. Here he is explaining why the motion [...]
Richard Colvin and the Wankers
By Alison@Creekside
Wow. More of the smearing of witnesses we’ve come to expect from the Cons, this time at the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan.
- Cheryl Gallant. Although Richard Colvin took pains in his opening statement to the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan to make clear that he had nothing [...]
“That was totally useless. Thankyou.”
By Alison@Creekside
On Thursday, reporters doggedly tried to wring from Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan exactly how long he withheld the RCMP’s Firearms Commissioner’s Report in favour of keeping the long-gun registry so that MPs would not have that info prior to passing the bill to scrap it. The report was released two days after [...]
Shafted by Canada
By Alison@Creekside
Canada is #1 in the world in mining and extractive industries in foreign countries. With over a thousand mining and exploration companies in 100 countries — about 5,000 projects — Canada has well over 50% of the global exploration and mining companies. There have been noises about human rights abuses.
On March 26, 2009, the [...]