Daily Digest July 19, 2008

The DAILY DIGEST: INFORMATION and OPINION from ST. JOHN'S to VICTORIA.
ARCHIVED at http://cdndailydigest.blogspot.com/

EDITORIALs

ST.JOHN'S TELEGRAM -
Fish(y) economics
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=154394&sc=80

CAPE BRETON POST -
Working smarter pays dividends
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=154275&sc=151

HALIFAX CHRONICLE HERALD -
Crime and demography
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorial/1068289.html

MONTREAL GAZETTE -
Canada is a lot safer than you think
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=858e18ab-b4de-4e1a-b8f4-336f5c4aae1c

And another thing ...
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=5ac5fdb0-b020-4d46-9008-566ec32e8e08

OTTAWA CITIZEN -
From one victim to two 
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html?id=ec1c3327-92a8-4219-b482-a8dfa9467a03

BELLEVILLE INTELLIGENCER -
Khadr must be brought back to Canada to face our justice;
http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1120989

TORONTO STAR -
75th anniversary for CCF/NDP
Whither the New Democratic Party?
http://www.thestar.com/comment

Reality check on crime
http://www.thestar.com/Opinion/article/463411

GLOBE & MAIL -
Toward a single labour market
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080718.welabour19/BNStory/specialComment/home

Animals and the law: Not just furniture
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080718.weAnimals19/BNStory/specialComment/home

HAMILTON SPECTATOR -
Was it satire?
http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/405524

ST. CATHARINES STANDARD -
Great Lakes meeting just a group hug
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1121726

Seeing some gains from gas pains;
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1121720

NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW -
Not sure how to walk? Let the Region tell you how
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1121281

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS -
Co-opting little Gage
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/editorial/story/4201166p-4793087c.html

SASKATOON STARPHOENIX -
Best for Tories to show respect for election law
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/forum/story.html?id=83c416b2-608d-445a-9bc6-81129ce8b24f

REGINA LEADER-POST -
A sweet deal for Iraqi crude oil
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/viewpoints/story.html?id=bce7afb1-d4da-4f2e-934a-dfeb23d1c038

EDMONTON JOURNAL -
Deserting another foreign policy
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/opinion/story.html?id=cc3628a3-c7c5-4369-bd91-ceceb4affe56

LETHBRIDGE HERALD -
Privacy commission not a court
http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/article_11423.php

VANCOUVER SUN -
Campbell must abandon closed-door decision-making 
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=306b53cb-7625-4e50-838f-b42c4f702132

VICTORIA TIMES-COLONIST -
Gambling with food safety
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=0c04675c-e9f7-4ef2-b157-f7e514279c00

Tearing down the job barriers
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=59f8eaec-d4a0-435e-acc3-aa4af406affb


ISSUES

ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS -          
PM promises fall summit to tackle native issues
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080719.wnatives19/BNStory/National/home


AFGHANISTAN -
Al-Qaeda 'may be shifting focus'
Al-Qaeda may be considering shifting its focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, the top US commander in Iraq has said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7515870.stm

Pakistan signs peace accord in Orakzai tribal agency
Orakzai goes red, leaving almost all of the tribal agencies bordering Afghanistan under Taliban control.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/07/pakistan_signs_peace_1.php

Recent develooments in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran.
http://www.covertradioshow.com/podcast.cfm?pid=20


CANADIAN FORCES
Bomb kills Canadian soldier
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/463605

Canadian soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan
88th soldier lost in Afghan mission
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=667282

Canadian soldier killed by roadside bomb
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080719.wsoldier19/BNStory/Afghanistan/home

Shaky start for new defence chief
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/463417


CANUSA/USACAN
Khadr team alleges friendly fire
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=35bc9396-6d87-4c6b-997e-3178fb7279c5

The deeper ugliness behind the Khadr affair
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/1068398.html

Khadr video flops
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Coren_Michael/2008/07/19/6205426-sun.php


ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
Boom redraws Canada's economic map
Global demand for potash, oil, uranium a boon to country's once-poor cousins
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=657a836b-9005-4939-934c-8b907395f6b3

The Doha Round must not be allowed to fail
The prestige of the WTO could hinge on the trade talks on Monday
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=e5fc9a7e-bca7-4cdc-a600-e4227e223fff


FOREIGN AFFAIRS
New war looms in Mideast
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Mansur_Salim/2008/07/19/6205431-sun.php

Iran says no to suspending enrichment
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080719.wiran19/BNStory/International/home

U.S. to Iran: Cooperate or face confrontation
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25733175/

Brazilian foreign minister's Nazi reference rocks WTO talks
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080719.wwto0719/BNStory/International/home


HEALTH CARE RELATED
 The shortage of health personnel will worsen
http://translate.google.ca/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ledevoir.com%2F2008%2F07%2F19%2F198444.html&sl=fr&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


MIGRATION
Czechs warned over refugees
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/463502


POLITICS IN THE PROVINCES
POLITICS: FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL RELATIONS
Premiers seize climate-change initiative
Ontario becomes fourth province to join North American program, putting pressure on Harper to step up
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080719.PREMIERS19/TPStory/TPNational/Politics/

Liberals' bluster can't hide botched forest-land file
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=a2b5e3ef-9118-4f3c-b8b3-32b9962eae68

Expect more growls from new watchdog
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=4720a0db-07f1-4a93-80d6-028233345c77

Rich Coleman, minister of real estate development
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=5eff2677-4531-47d8-9717-28e3fcfb19a8

Special Prosecutor, defence lawyer reject NDP demand that Attorney-General Wally Oppal intervene in Basi-Virk case to drop Supreme Court appeal
http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2008/07/special-prosecutor-defence-lawyer.html

Specificity Quebec and raise domestic criticism of the opposition
http://translate.google.ca/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Finfo.branchez-vous.com%2FNationales%2F080718%2FN0718117AU.html&sl=fr&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

When the smoke clears, there'll be tough talking
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/theeditorialpage/story.html?id=0500740f-7a2a-4cfa-8888-6f19e869aa0c

Former premiers says Alberta a target for oil envy
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=55d4fc74-06f2-4c31-9d7a-2a636df9fe57


PARTY POLITICS

M.P.s on vacation

POLITICAL OPINION -
Lower the temperature in climate change debate
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/columnists/story.html?id=6574abe9-8b54-4bd3-9ec2-c87921655596

Here's the thing: What do the Harperites do next?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080719.COSIMP19/TPStory/TPComment/Politics/

Fiscal defences threadbare with wolf on the doorstep
Right-wing tax cutters weakened governments' ability to blunt impact of looming recession
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/463418

The hitchhiker's guide to the Crown share
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/1068364.html

(Most journalists as well)

OPINION AND INFORMATION
Taliban cannot win this war
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Commentary/2008/07/19/6204911-sun.html

Getting tough on crime is toughest on the taxpayer
http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/Crime/article/460704

Socialism: A faith to love, free of utopias
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080718.wcoessay0719/BNStory/specialComment/home

Champlain belongs to history
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=cbc0498c-de44-40e1-8f55-30e3831ea0a1

U.S. military under fire for using anti-terror money for luxury
Watchdog says new amenities for officials will cost $4.4 million
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=7da463ff-4761-4a3a-8152-12550e9c15fc

The perennial challenge of ethical journalism
New directions in journalism can add more voices, but often those voices are vitriolic or lack credibility
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=1fa50fb3-6faa-471d-8b3b-a017c3616ef4


INFOS 
Un 88e soldat canadien perd la vie en Afghanistan lors d'une patrouille à pied
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/080719/N071932AU.html

Ottawa organisera un sommet des premiers ministres cet automne
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/080719/N071964AU.html

Ottawa pourrait semer des embûches à l'adoption internationale
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/080719/N071946AU.html

Les provinces s'engagent à accroître l'efficacité énergétique
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/080718/N0718113AU.html

Spécificité québécoise et commerce intérieur soulèvent la critique de l'opposition
http://info.branchez-vous.com/Nationales/080718/N0718117AU.html

Nucléaire iranien
Aucun progrès à Genève
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2008/07/19/004-nucleaire_iran_reunion.shtml

Amnistie critique le protocole sur les détenus canadiens
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080717/CPACTUALITES/80717227/1025/CPACTUALITES

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080717/CPACTUALITES/80717227/1025/CPACTUALITES

La pénurie de personnel en santé va s'aggraver
http://www.ledevoir.com/2008/07/19/198444.html


La Teoria Conspiratoria

BELOW(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)30)30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)(30)

Taliban cannot win this war

The insurgents are resilient and brutal. But they can't defeat the massed economic and military resources of the entire developed world.
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Commentary/2008/07/19/6204911-sun.html

MICHAEL DEN TANDT is accurate in what he wrote above.
A question unanswered is can the insurgents be defeated?

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From: "John Duddy"
Subject: Video.

Here is a good video showing Prime Minister Harper and his friend George.
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-1429144751008474466

===================================
From: Ron Thornton

*Hi Joe:

One of the best aspects of this forum is the odd occasion of reasoned debate, especially from those who have an opposing point of view. I am thankful Anne Dickinson takes part, for her response to my "I don't give a shit" views on Omar Khadr were indeed thought provoking and well presented.  In fact, I found myself agreeing with just about everything she stated in her comments published on July 18th.

Where our views depart was Anne basing the reason we should care for this individual's fate on the fact that this Afghan Taliban irregular is actually a Canadian citizen. This might be true, in law, but it would appear that Omar's birth in Toronto makes him as much a "Canadian" as being born in the back seat of a car makes one a "Buick." Other than his days of contributing to our society in a Toronto maternity ward, how long has Omar actually spent in this country, being Canadian? I suspect he has spent much more time on the island of Cuba, never mind his time in Pakistan, than he ever spent within the borders of this nation. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Nothing from this family's actions would indicate that they came to this country, had their children born on our soil, with any intention of making a contribution to this nation. It would seem that to them, Canada provides nothing more than a citizenship of convenience, one that might provide a safe haven from the consequences of their actions while living their lives on the other side of the world.  Other than that, I doubt folks like you and I have exactly been in their hearts and minds.

Based on his upbringing and life experiences, even prior to his capture, I wonder if Omar would view our plucking of him from his present plight with sincere gratitude for our compassion, or see it as yet another example of our weak pathetic western values? Should he be set free, would he become a good Canadian, or even a good Pakistani, or is there a good chance a Canadian soldier will end up a future victim due to our misplaced benevolence?

These are questions that need to be answered before we get too wrapped up in worrying how we can bring this poor Canadian boy "home." If home is where the heart is, I suspect we are all strangers to him.

Ron.

===================================
Subject: Omar Khadr
From: John Anderson

Hello Joe:

I sent the following letter yesterday:

"Dear Mr. Harper:

"I think it is time for you to come out of your bubble, or down from the
mountain top, and do your duty with respect to Omar Khadr.

"Omar Khadr should be brought home IMMEDIATELY.  There are three major
reasons for this.

"1. Omar Khadr is a Canadian citizen.  Whether you like it or not, he is
"our" problem.  Trying to get the United States to do our "dirty
work" (assuming that there is "dirty work" to be done) is clearly an
abdication of responsibility.

"2. The "system of justice" that the United States has invented to "try"
Omar Khadr and the other Guantanamo detainees is a sham.  George Bush
and Co. are clearly making it up as they go along -- and they are
clearly also doing their damnest to make sure that the legal safeguards
that apply to all other "normal" prosecutions in the United States will
not apply.  The concept of "illegal combatants" is a joke, merely a fig
leaf to avoid having to answer to the international community, never
mind the U.S. courts, for the treatment of these people.

"3. At the time of the incident leading to Omar Khadr's detention he was
legally only a child.  To suggest that Omar Khadr should -- at the time
-- have had the perceptions of an adult, especially in a society that is
as family-oriented and paternalistic as those of Afghanistan and
Pakistan, is clearly wrong.

"I am not excusing what Omar Khadr is alleged to have done.  But under
our system of justice Omar Khadr is innocent until PROVEN guilty  -- in
open court, with clearly defined charges alleged to contravene
ESTABLISHED legal norms, and with an honest opportunity to defend
himself, i.e. no secret evidence.

"Going along with George Bush's attempts to distort justice in order to
achieve a pre-determined objective is a disgrace to all of us.

"Mr. Harper: DO YOUR DUTY!

"Best Regards, (signed) JOHN ANDERSON"

AND

Subject: U.S. Justice Vis-a-Vis Foreign Citizens

Hello Joe:

I want to add one other thought regarding U.S. justice that should scare
the *** out of all Canadians.

The U.S. treatment of Omar Khadr illustrates the American penchant for
inventing "laws" that suit the immediate purposes of the political
leadership.  There is another example that has been reported a few times
but which has not had much media play.

It appears that if I, for example, physically cross the geographical
boundary of the United States and then I am subsequently refused
admission to the United States by U.S. Immigration, then I have NO LEGAL
RIGHTS WHATSOEVER.  U.S. authorities are under no obligation to simply
return me to Canada, and my status as a Canadian citizen means diddly
squat.

This position has, I understand, been upheld by the U.S. courts.  It is,
of course, the legal precedent under which the United States was able to
take Maher Arar into custody when he tried to transit through New York
on his way back to Canada.  He was physically in the United States, but
he had not been admitted to the United States.  Thus he had no legal
protections, and the U.S. authorities were perfectly free to make him
disappear -- which they tried very hard to do.

This is why I am personally very reluctant to enter the United States.
My only protection comes in the case of air travel departing from
Canadian cities where there is pre-boarding clearance.  Then if I am
refused entry, I am still physically in Canada and I still have rights.

There is one other extension of this which is perhaps even more scary.
If I am on a flight transiting U.S. airspace and my flight is forced to
land in the United States for whatever reason, including an in-flight
emergency, then U.S. authorities reserve the right to inquire into the
status of every person on that flight.  And if they find someone that
they "don't like", then the above-mentioned precedent applies: that
person is physically in the United States, but has not been admitted to
the United States, and thus he/she has no rights.

The United States authorities of course claim that they are "only
looking for terrorists".  But the definition of a terrorist is elastic
at best, especially when the evidence that is used to brand someone a
terrorist is kept secret.  And the United States seemingly makes no
apologies for cases of "mistaken identity."

Scary!  And Harper and Co. seem to have no problems with this ... !

Best Regards, John A.

===================================
From: "Claudia Hudson" <hudcom@sympatico.ca>
Subject: Bills C-51 and C-52
 
Bill C-51 was defeated at second reading
 
However, under one portion of Bill C-52 dealing with safety of manufactured goods with same Draconian penalties, Bill C-51 can come alive
 
The www.hppa.org tells me that Harper is very determined re C-52.
 
Why?---look at the penalties --not the safety issues--an open door for removal of all freedoms and foreign government authority--(SPP)
 
Canadians have only until Sept. 15 to fight for their freedoms--if they know about this!!
 
Claudia
"If you are NOT outraged, you do NOT know your rights.
 If you do NOT know your rights - YOU HAVE NONE!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Bill C51 in Canada is a MAJOR WARNING to all of us. Fascism is coming in through food and health products.
by Linn Cohen-Cole     Page 1 of 1 page(s)
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Bill-C51-in-Canada-is-a-MA-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-080719-433.html
                          
Tell A Friend

Activists in Canada have wrung some changes from the government in regard to Bill C51 the bill is so draconian that it stands as a warning to all of us of what corporate/government agencies will do to destroy alternative movements that are growing, whether in health or in food, and the means that they are using.

The bill derives its forces from the Codex Alimentarius, created by the United Nations in 1962, through a series of relationships between The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as the American FDA and USDA.  

The dangerous elements of the Codex are first, that these standards are devised as international rules intended for world-wide adoption, and second, that they classify nutrients as toxins.

"The Codex Commission decided­with the support of the United States­to use something called Risk Assessment, which assesses the maximum level of a substance ­ in this case a nutrient -- that may be ingested without causing any discernable biological effect. 

Risk Assessment is a branch of Toxicology, a.k.a. the science of toxins (as opposed to the science of nutrition). In a sane world, it is used to assess how much of a toxic substance you can safely eat without noticing any physical effects or problems. As soon as there is a biological effect, you have hit the upper, maximum limit for that substance. 

Codex is slowly but surely shimmying into position to mandate the universal maximum "safe" level of every vitamin, mineral, supplement and herb that may legally be manufactured, used or sold -- with "safe" being a level that has no physical effect." 

Bill C51 would amend Canadian law to allow trade agreements to become law without Parliamentary involvement and "for the regulation to incorporate documents produced by a foreign state or subdivision of a foreign state."  If Canada adopts the Codex rules, supplements would be treated on a toxicology scale and if the North American Union goes into effect, the United States and Mexico would "may have little choice but to fall under the same umbrella of laws and standards."

So, what happens in Canada could be our future. 

"And, even if you refuse to believe that the North American Union will ever take place, passing similar, potentially restricting natural health laws in the U.S. will be a whole lot easier if Canada sets the precedent."

What seems critical to watch in all the current large bills aimed at "protecting" our health or food, is the radical alteration of terminology.  Bill C51, for instance, replaces the word "drug" with "therapeutic product," the same term for all natural products, thus setting natural products up to be controlled as though they were drugs, and "toxins."  More, the bill redefines "sell" which we have always understood to mean to distribute with consideration - that is, for payment of some kind. 

But the new definition of "sell" in Bill C51 is "includes offer for sale, expose for sale or have in possession for sale, or distribute to one or more persons, whether or not the distribution is made for consideration and in relation to a device, includes lease, offer for lease, expose for lease or have in possession for lease."

That is, for free.  This would include sharing and giving, and the criminalization of either if the thing being shared were any nutrient  the government wished to control.  That could include herbs and even food.  Raw milk people, alert by now?  Seed bankers should also be on the edge of their seats since all of this is coming down from the Codex was influenced by the WTO and our USDA and FDA, which are Monsanto controlled.  And seed banking is the sane, generous, caring, biodiversity-protective solution to the genetically engineered patented and biologically devastating trap Monsanto has lured farmers into around the world.

Mercola reports that "Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement decided to make some vital changes to the bill after rallies were organized across Canada by the Canadian Health Food Association, which represents manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in the natural products industry.

The Natural Health Products Protection Association also launched a campaign to rid the bill of its "police state" powers to search private property for illegal products, stating the proposed legislation "read like a police state manual."

After hearing the opposition, Mr. Clement admitted that "it became clear that some things that we thought were implicit in the bill needed to be spelled out."

To me, that particular statement sounds a bit funny coming from a lawyer (he was previously employed as legal counsel with the law firm Bennett Jones LLP.), and this incident of "oops, I didn't see those loopholes," unfortunately ends up smelling like industry infiltration." 

 Now, for the petition:
"Target:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper

The Canadian government, afraid of the public reaction once people find out what they are trying to pull, is currently fast-tracking a Bill which threatens to strip you of your rights to access a wide range of natural health products.  If it passes, and you buy/sell/share/collect/dry/eat/feed to your family any of the restricted stuff, you become a criminal subject to fines 1000X bigger than those currently in effect.

Please take action to protect your current right to use the foods, herbs, supplements, and therapies ...


The  government is putting out misleading information that this Bill is OK, that it has none of the nasties that the opponents are claiming.

Let's take it as a sign that the pressure of opposition is having an effect, and rather than backing down, let's keep the pressure steady.

(NaturalNews) A new law being pushed in Canada by Big Pharma seeks to outlaw up to 60 percent of natural health products currently sold in Canada, even while criminalizing parents who give herbs or supplements to their children. The law, known as C-51, was introduced by the Canadian Minister of Health on April 8th, 2008, and it proposes sweeping changes to Canada's Food and Drugs Act that could have devastating consequences on the health products industry.

Among the changes proposed by the bill are radical alterations to key terminology, including replacing the word "drug" with "therapeutic product" throughout the Act, thereby giving the Canadian government broad-reaching powers to regulate the sale of all herbs, vitamins, supplements and other items. With this single language change, anything that is "therapeutic" automatically falls under the Food and Drug Act. This would include bottled water, blueberries, dandelion greens and essentially all plant-derived substances.

The Act also changes the definition of the word "sell" to include anyone who gives such therapeutic products to someone else. So a mother giving an herb to her child, under the proposed new language, could be arrested for engaging in the sale of unregulated, unapproved "therapeutic substances." Learn about more of these freedom-squashing changes to the law at the http://stopc51.com/

===================================