Jason Kenny email making the news

There has been quite a bit of talk in the media the past few days about the email Immigration Minister Jason Kenny sent out last Friday. One of the most talked about aspects of this email has people wondering if the Harper government is targeting selected groups of individuals.

I received the email so I thought I'd share it with you.

Subject:

LGBT Refugees from Iran

Friends,

Last Friday, my colleague John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke in great detail about Canada’s principled foreign policy, including our efforts to promote basic freedoms around the world, and to take a stand against the persecution of gays and lesbians, and against the marginalization of women in many societies. I made similar remarks in my speech last November to the global conference of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where I raised the particular plight of gay and lesbian refugees.

As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I believe that Canada should always be a place of refuge for those who truly need our protection. That is why we continue to welcome those fleeing persecution, which oftentimes includes certain death, including on the basis of sexual orientation.

We are proud of the emphasis our Conservative Government has placed on gay and lesbian refugee protection, which is without precedent in Canada’s immigration history. We have increased the resettlement of gay refugees living abroad as part of our refugee programs. In particular, we have taken the lead in helping gay refugees who have fled often violent persecution in Iran to begin new, safe lives in Canada. We are also helping community groups like the Rainbow Refugee Committee to sponsor gay refugees for resettlement to Canada.

Please click on the web-links below for more information. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Hon. Jason Kenney, PC, MP

Calgary Southeast

www.JasonKenney.ca

Robogate.ca

During the 2011 federal election, Canadians in several ridings with tight races across the country were contacted by automated calls and individuals providing false and misleading information. These dishonest tactics were deliberately used to weaken Canada's electoral process and discourage people from participating in our democratic system.

We cannot allow this! 

Robogate.ca

Green Cleaning Solutions for Dirty Politics

TORONTO -The robocalls scandal shows the need for a wider clean-up of our electoral system, says the Green Party of Canada.  “First of all, we need to have a public commission of inquiry into the robocalls scandal and get to the bottom of it.  But we also need to look at wider issues including the investigative power of Elections Canada, the increasing use of negative election tactics, and whether more teeth need to be added to the Elections Act,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

Green candidate in the ongoing Toronto-Danforth by-election Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu agreed, “The robocalls scandal involves such a volume of complaints and is so widespread, it should now be turned over for a full public inquiry.  Then we need to make sure that Elections Canada can handle any future complaints.”

The Green Party is suggesting that the resources and powers of investigation for Elections Canada be expanded and rules added to the Elections Act to specifically prohibit impersonation of any government body or political party in phoning or communicating by any means with voters.

“It is sad that this is what we have come to in Canada.  This scandal shows that we can not afford to be complacent.  We must act to protect the most fundamental right of voting,” said May.

The Greens have also suggested a ban on TV advertising by political parties and third party groups to reduce the increasingly negative tone in elections.  “Negative advertising is proven to turn people off voting.  Now the robocalls are adding to the lack of confidence in our political system.  This is an alarming trend that we must turn around,” said Mugnatto-Hamu.

In addition, to better engage voters, leaders’ debates should be taken out of hands of the media consortium and handled by an independent body that would ensure the inclusion in debates is based on fair rules.

“Above all, Canadians object to unfairness.  What we need to do now is restore Canadians’ faith in our electoral process and take action to restore fairness and transparency in our elections,” said May.

Reclaiming Canada's role as leader on human rights

In a report released today "Getting Back On The 'Rights' Track" , Amnesty International outlines a human rights agenda for Canada. It provides a blueprint for leadership at home and a consistent and principled stand for Canada abroad that should be adopted by all politicians during the election campaign. And it must be implemented by those who win the election. The report covers human rights issues within Canada including Indigenous rights, women's human rights and the need to protect the rights of Canadians abroad. And it calls for global leadership by Canada in areas such as maternal health, economic, social and cultural rights, and on rights in the Miiddle East. 

Read the report here.

Send Environment Minister Peter Kent a Love Note!

Click here to send Peter Kent a love note.

Hudak & McGuinty: Stop Darlington!

It Gets Better Canada

10-10-10 Our Wedding Day! (and the wedding day of many others too)

I've been wondering how to tell you the story of our upcoming wedding on 10-10-10 here at the Daye. Well, this morning I woke up today and found out that apparently the 10.10.10 wedding is not exactly an original idea so I decided to start our story today.

The wedding chambers at Toronto City Hall is so booked for weddings on October 10, 2010 that they have moved their weddings to a nearby hotel. According to the Star it is "Wedding Perfection". The perfection part comes from the number 10 supposedly being perfect in the Chinese calendar.  I don't know anything about that but I do know that 101010 is the perfect binary number and computer language for the number 42 which we all know is (according to Douglas Adams) the answer to life, the universe and everything!

Our story really has nothing to do with 42 or 10-10-10. It all started on 10-10-04 when we happened to meet. Conveniently we just happened to be on the Eiffel tower in Paris on our fourth anniversary of meeting and David asked me to marry him. I said yes and we set the date: 10-10-09!

YES, 10-10-09. Shortly thereafter we realized good friends of ours were getting married on 10-09-09 and that most of our friends would therefore probably be hungover and tired for our wedding.  It was the right decision. I think we finally went to bed at 6 am following that wedding!

The solution; wait a year. The result of this decision is well; 42. 

So, there you have the back story. This is the first official post about our wedding on Sunday which has a Moulin Rouge theme, which is my favorite movie and a great tie-in to getting engaged in Paris.

We will be leaving on Tuesday the 12th for a trip around Europe and I will be posting about our wedding and our trip over the next few weeks. I hope you will enjoy the story.  The picture to the left is David and I in Prague in 2008, it was on this trip that we became engaged (on 10-10-08).

Canada’s prostitution laws unconstitutional, court rules

A Toronto judge has struck down Canada’s prostitution laws, effectively decriminalizing activities associated with the world’s oldest trade.

“These laws, individually and together, force prostitutes to choose between their liberty interest and their right to security of the person as protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Justice Susan Himel of Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice said in Tuesday’s landmark decision.

The long-awaited judgment had been on reserve for nearly a year.

Himel said that while she has concluded the laws amount to a serious violation of the Charter, she has imposed a 30-day “stay” on her decision to give lawyers for the federal and provincial governments, as well as the women at the centre of the case, an opportunity to make fuller submissions on whether her decision to invalidate the laws should be placed on hold for an even longer period of time.

Warchild Canada

This past saturday I stopped by the War Child Canada booth and signed their card (pictured) and I also signed up for their newsletter. I encourage you to do the same.

For more information about their international work and events  planned in Toronto, take a peek at the website www.warchild.ca 

The next big event is taking place next week on Tuesday, September 21st. The event, Busking for Change, is in its 3rd year, floods the streets of Toronto with artists who play music and raise cash. To see which artists are participating please visit: Busking For Change

Also, today – Monday, September 13, 2010 – Aeroplan will be matching all points donated to War Child. War Child uses these miles to travel to international programs and these donated points offset operational costs significantly. To donate please click here.

For all you sports fans, War Child is the Argo’s charity partner for the upcoming game on Friday October 15th. A portion of ticket sales will benefit the organization and are on sale at a discounted price of $25 for more information or to pick yours up visit www.warchild.ca/argosgame.

To view the photos of other supporters signing the War Child poster click here. 

Rethink Alberta

 

RethinkAlberta.com

WWF - Help Save Canada's Arctic from Disaster

WWF - Help Save Canada's Arctic from Disaster

Let your voice be heard! Right now the US is using every tool at their disposal to respond to the Gulf oil spill crisis. In Canada, we need to call on every tool at our disposal to keep such a tragedy from happening in our waters. Now is the moment to rise to the challenge, and halt offshore drilling for oil until or unless we can safeguard our environment, our marine species, and our coastal communities.

WWF - Help Save Canada's Arctic from Disaster

Prince of Pot ordered to U.S.

A five-year battle by Canada's self-styled “Prince of Pot” to avoid extradition to the United States on drug charges appeared to be over Monday.

The federal justice minister has ordered Marc Emery surrendered to American authorities, the final step in the legal process.

Emery, who was charged in the U.S. in 2005 in connection with his Vancouver-based seed-selling business, had turned himself in to sheriffs earlier in the morning to await the federal justice minister's decision.

Full Story

NBC Describes Canada

CANADA WINS FIRST GOLD!

OUR HERO ALEX

Canada is celebrating!!!

Bilodeau wins gold!

 First GOLD. 


The drought has ended!

  
Mens Moguls.

Bilodeau wins Canada's first gold at home!!

OLYMPIC GOLD AT HOME BY ALEX THE GREAT!!!!

Mogulist Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first ever gold on home soil laying down a near-perfect final run at Cypress Mountain on Sunday.

The 2009 overall World Cup champion executed a back full off the top air and a perfect-scoring back iron cross off the bottom air to earn a score of 26.75.


The Star

FULL STORY

London, ON Peeping Tom Video

I saw this on the news this evening. The guy had his charges tossed and his lawyer is trying to say the infra-red cameras may be abusing his right to privacy. The premier of Ontario, Dalton McSquinty McGuinty has apologized to the three girls who were being watched; apologized on behalf of the crown who tossed the charges. Apparently the perv was incorrectly charged.

Billy Bob Thornton Interviews Joaquin Phoenix

Billy Bob Thornton Interviews Joaquin Phoenix

Seemingly high actor has a spoiled brat attack

Now that he's had his little hissy fit, and gotten tons of publicity, almost at one million views on You tube we all know who the Boxmasters are, right? 

But does anyone care?  I don't think they will sell many albums in Canada, I know I won't be buying their albums, I don't know, nor do I care how good they are.  I suggest Willie Nelson drop this loser as an opening  act.

Calgary student association hung up on 'exclusionary' Canadian flag

Here's one for the ridiculous category!  I cannot believe that this is even happening. Hopefully these idiots that make up the student association will take a look at the country they live in and realize how fortunate they are to be able to even have this debate. I say get a life and hang up the friggin flag already you losers.

A Mount Royal College student says it's ludicrous that his student association wants to ask for opinions before deciding whether it should re-hang a Canadian flag in its building.

"I don't see why this discussion even exists. It's just ludicrous," said Dylan Clarkson, a journalism student at the institution and a reservist with the Canadian Forces.

"When I've gone around talking to students, particularly other reservists, students that I know, they all want the flag back up there. So I'm wondering where this dissenting voice is coming from that they feel is so powerful they can't put the flag back up."

A Canadian flag used to hang from the ceiling of Wyckham House, the student services building owned and operated by the Students' Association of Mount Royal College. The flag was taken down during extensive renovations to the building last year and has not been returned to the same location.

Full Story at CBC.CA

CBC.Ca is now reporting that the idiot students have decided to hang a flag. See the update here.

CBC To Cut 800 Jobs

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. plans to cut up to 800 jobs to make up for a $171 million shortfall in 2009-10.

CBC president and chief executive Hubert Lacroix announced the layoffs Wednesday in a broadcast to employees.

He said the public broadcaster also needs to sell $125 million worth of assets to make up the shortfall in operating costs.

The sale of assets depends on approval by the federal government. Lacroix did not say which assets would be sold.

The CBC is projecting 393 layoffs in its English services — including radio, TV and new media platforms — and 336 layoffs in French services. An additional 70 jobs will be lost at the corporate level.

Layoffs could start in May. The full number of layoffs could be reduced if some employees opt for retirement.Source: CBC.ca