pupdate, special cody day edition

Today is the most special Cody Day of all, the one I thought I we wouldn't see. Eleven years ago today, we brought our quirky, lovable girl home from Jackson Heights, Queens. Cody is now older than any of her canine predecessors in the Kaminker-Wood family.

She is definitely declining. Her hips are deteriorating, and there are some indications that her medications may have stopped agreeing with her. That is what happened to our first dog, the amazing Gypsy: she couldn't live comfortably (couldn't walk) without the medication, but her system couldn't tolerate it anymore. Of course that was a long time ago; there are more medication options now. But we're already on the third one. Cody's panic attacks and anxiety have also gotten worse, now triggered by any change of weather.

That's the bad news. The good news is Cody is still clearly enjoying her life. She goes on short walks, has a good appetite, even plays with Tala a little in the backyard. At the dog park, she surprises everyone with sudden bursts of energy, sprinting around like a dog half her age.

Cody insists on pulling herself upstairs to sleep in the bedroom - and when we're not home, she still sleeps on the bed! People have suggested we put up a baby-gate to keep her on the first floor, but we're very resistant to that. I don't want her to feel punished or cut off from her family at the end of her life. If she really can't walk the stairs, she won't.

Tala dotes on Cody, doing whatever it takes to get her attention, including annoying the hell out of her. When Cody was in Guelph for her surgery, Tala didn't eat the whole time; she stayed in her crate with her head down. A preview of things to come.

But not today.

Our first place in Port Credit



She looks so young!



And even younger! A few months after we adopted her.


This morning.

current musical obsession

I was a huge fan of Los Lobos in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Allan and I saw them several times and he interviewed the band and wrote about them. I fell out of touch with them somewhere along the way, but have rediscovered them and now can't stop listening to a live download Allan found for me from last New Year's Eve at this New York City venue.

On this fan video, you can just barely see my man Steve Berlin and his enormous contrabass saxophone, and can't really make out all the textures and rhythms going on. But cumbia is cumbia. I find it completely addictive.

sanctuary a cbsa pr nightmare; rev matthews: "push pause on application of unjust law"

The Canadian Border Services Agency has a public relations quandary on its hands. They want to deport people who are in sanctuary, but they fear pissing off too many Canadians, and need to "manage public opinion".

We don't need CBSA to manage our opinions for us. We can stand up for justice on our own.

CanWest filed access-to-information requests to get this story. Emphasis mine.

The doors of a church have long served as the final barrier between desperate asylum-seekers and deportation.

But, after at least two years of internal wrangling, the Canada Border Services Agency has come up with a formal policy, listing some examples of when the agency says it may be necessary to violate the tradition of sanctuary.

According to documents obtained by Canwest News Service, the agency believes church-sanctuary cases, "pose a threat to the integrity of the immigration system."

To date, CBSA officials have opted not to enter places of worship, even though there is nothing legally preventing them from doing so. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

The policy, which was added to the CBSA's enforcement manual on March 29, maintains a case-by-case approach but outlines in broad terms some of the "exceptional circumstances" when entering a church might be necessary, including "cases where there are strong public calls for enforcement action" or where there's a risk to public safety or national security, such as cases involving terrorists or murderers.

The policy states that the frequency of sanctuary cases will be closely monitored and if there is evidence of widespread abuse, forced entry may be required in less-urgent cases "to maintain the integrity of the system."

All decisions to enter a church must be approved by the agency's Inland Enforcement Directorate, the policy states.

Access-to-information documents show that formulating a written policy has been difficult because the public appears divided on the issue.

Whatever action the agency takes will lead to criticism, agency staff acknowledge in briefing notes and policy proposals from the past two years.

"There is a relatively even split in public opinion on enforcing removal orders in sanctuary cases," the documents state.

"Thus, regardless of what approach is taken, managing public opinion will be a challenge." . . .

While church-sanctuary cases are rare they "pose a threat to the integrity of the immigration system" and "invite negative media attention," according to the documents.

There are currently three active sanctuary cases, two in British Columbia and one in Ontario.

In June 2009, former KGB agent Mikhail Lennikov took sanctuary in a Vancouver church. Immigration officials declared him a national security threat and denied him permission to stay in Canada.

In August 2009, Gankhuyag Bumuutseren, a Mongolian citizen who spied on Chinese dissidents in the United States, moved into a Toronto church to avoid deportation.

And in September 2009, American Rodney Watson, an Iraqi war deserter, sought sanctuary in a Vancouver church after he was denied refugee status and ordered to leave the country.

Since 2000, there have been about 30 church-sanctuary cases across Canada.

Reverend Ric Matthews of the First United Church of Vancouver feels CBSA's leaked stance further reinforces the need for sanctuary. Matthews offered war resister Rodney Watson sanctuary last year, and continues to shelter him at his church, which also feeds three meals a day to hundreds of homeless Vancouverites.

A Vancouver church minister says new guidelines on sanctuary that have reportedly been drafted by the Canada Border Services Agency may reinforce the ancient tradition of fugitives finding temporary shelter in churches.

The new policy outlines the exceptional circumstance when entering a church to seize someone might be necessary, including strong public calls for action or risks to public safety or security, according to a National Post story published earlier this week.

Rev. Ric Matthews, who has been offering sanctuary to U.S. Iraq war deserter Rodney Watson at Vancouver's First United Church since September, admits sanctuary isn't a legal right, but rather a respected 2,700-year-old tradition.

The CBSA has yet to comment publicly on the leaked report. The agency has never violated the principal of sanctuary, but under the draft policy, it reportedly maintains it has the right to do so and may under exceptional circumstances.

"The concern is the broad nature of the permission to go in and the circumstances. It's very subjective . . . particularly the clause that speaks to protecting the integrity of the system is a challenge, because it is hard to know how you interpret that," said Matthews.

But Matthews says the new policy actually reinforces sanctuary, because the default position will be that border agents not enter a place of worship to seize someone, unless that person poses a particular threat.

Bureaucratic safety valve

Matthews says people need to understand what sanctuary is, and compares granting sanctuary to pushing the pause button on the unjust application of the law.

"I don't think it's defiance. I mean, that Rodney Watson is in this building — he is not free to do what he wants — and this is clearly not something he can do for the rest of his life. There has to be a point where this has to be resolved one way or the other," he says.

Immigration lawyer Richard Kurland says sanctuary provides a second chance for those treated poorly by the immigration system.

"Sanctuary is a safety valve against bureaucratic failure. In Canada, the absence of an appeal for refugee decisions gave legitimacy to the sanctuary system."

There are two other cases of people living in sanctuary in Canada.

Mikhail Lennikov has been living in an East Vancouver church since last June, after the CBSA declared the former KGB agent a threat to national security and ordered him out of the country.

Mongolian citizen Gankhuyag Bumuutseren took sanctuary in a Toronto church in August to avoid deportation to the U.S., where he is wanted for allegedly spying on Chinese dissidents.

the scars of war, the healing power of animals

Several people sent me this story. Could it have any more relevance to my interests? I guess the dogs could read Dickens or Orwell while attending library school.

Here's to the day we stop creating new cases of PTSD from sending people to war. Until then, innovative programs like this deserve our time and attention. As always, cheers to Senator Al Franken, leading the way on this important piece.

Click through for pics!

Just weeks after Chris Goehner, 25, an Iraq war veteran, got a dog, he was able to cut in half the dose of anxiety and sleep medications he took for post-traumatic stress disorder. The night terrors and suicidal thoughts that kept him awake for days on end ceased.

Aaron Ellis, 29, another Iraq veteran with the stress disorder, scrapped his medications entirely soon after getting a dog — and set foot in a grocery store for the first time in three years.

The dogs to whom they credit their improved health are not just pets. Rather, they are psychiatric service dogs specially trained to help traumatized veterans leave the battlefield behind as they reintegrate into society.

Because of stories like these, the federal government, not usually at the forefront of alternative medical treatments, is spending several million dollars to study whether scientific research supports anecdotal reports that the dogs might speed recovery from the psychological wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In dozens of interviews, veterans and their therapists reported drastic reductions in P.T.S.D. symptoms and in reliance on medication after receiving a service dog.

Veterans rely on their dogs to gauge the safety of their surroundings, allowing them to venture into public places without constantly scanning for snipers, hidden bombs and other dangers lurking in the minds of those with the disorder.

In August, Jacob Hyde got his service dog, Mya, from Puppies Behind Bars, a program based in New York State that uses prisoners to raise and train dogs for lives of service. The organization has placed 23 dogs with veterans with P.T.S.D. in the last two years, training them to obey 87 different commands.

“If I didn’t have legs, I would have to crawl around,” said Mr. Hyde, 25. “If I didn’t have Mya, I wouldn’t be able to leave the house.” . . .

More here, with photos.

northern passage: "canada should be a refuge from militarism"

I'm reading John Hagan's Northern Passage: American Vietnam War Resisters in Canada. The book is famous within the war resisters movement; John is a stalwart supporter of our Campaign.

The book is out of print, but Allan found a used copy online and included in my birthday haul last year. It's wonderful to read about the movement that preceded our current fight for war resisters. It's also fun for me because I know and work with many of the people Hagan interviewed for the book.

As soon as I started reading, I was overwhelmed with sadness at how Canada has changed, and a fierce desire to see the country once again reflect the values of the majority of its people. The Canada that welcomed between 50,000 and 100,000 Vietnam War resisters still exists somewhere. So does the Canada that wants to disassociate itself from US foreign policy and chart its own independent, Canadian course. But the ruling class does not reflect the will of the people.

I'm sure I'll post several times about Northern Passage, but for now, one important note, made many times in this blog. We must never accept the commonly-heard canard that draws a distinction between the Iraq war resisters and their Vietnam-era predecessors: that supposedly the Iraq resisters volunteered and the Vietnam resisters were escaping conscription. Leaving aside whether a military based on stop-loss, recruiter lies and the poverty draft can rightly be called volunteer, this oft-repeated lie betrays a blatant misunderstanding of Canadian history. The Vietnam resisters were both draft resisters and military deserters. Tens of thousands of Americans who had volunteered for military service, then saw what was happening in Vietnam, deserted and came to Canada. (The man who is arguably Canada's most famous war resister, Andy Barrie, is one of them.)

The exact number of Vietnam War resisters who came to Canada is not known. Hagan combed through census and immigration records for the best possible estimate. He found that about 50,000 draft-age American men and another 50,000 American women came to Canada between the years 1964 and 1975. It was, he writes, "the largest politically motivated migration from the United States since the United Empire Loyalists moved north to oppose the American Revolution." My own brother might have been among them, had he not found another way out of the draft. My father always said that if it came to that, they would go to Canada together. There is no doubt in my mind that my family would have done whatever was necessary to keep my brother out of that terrible, useless war.

Hagan's book starts with this epigram.

Those who make the conscientious judgment that they must not participate in this war . . . have my complete sympathy, and indeed our political approach has been to give them access to Canada. Canada should be a refuge from militarism.

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau speaking to Mennonite and United Church leaders, 1970 and 1971


He served honorably. True, he didn't go to Vietnam, but his unit wasn't sent. But there's another truth: He did not go to Canada. He did not burn his draft card. And he damn sure didn't burn the American flag.

Presidential candidate George Bush introducing Dan Quayle, 1988


In earlier immigrant booms we welcomed farmers, artisans, railways builders and construction workers. During the Vietnam war we also benefited from actors, poets, educators, writers, social workers, musicians, publishers, and urban planners. Most of all we got people who had social consciences that they refused to betray. Canada is immeasurably in their debt.

Historian Pierre Berton on American Vietnam war resisters, 1996

You know I am not one to indulge in nostalgia, which usually involves a misreading of the past. Still, I cannot help but ask, Where is our Pierre Elliott Trudeau today?

And lest my brief indulgence in nostalgia be misinterpreted... I am not implying that in those days, the impetus to allow US Vietnam War resisters to stay in Canada came from the government. It most certainly did not. It came from a people's movement. But the government eventually responded - and took credit. It's that response that we need now. A show of leadership from above, following the real leadership from the people.

people before profits: stand up for public health care: ontario vs the pharmacies

When Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharma Plus, Rexall and the other big drugstore chains threatened to lay off staff, charge for delivery and reduce hours to compensate for proposed lower generic drug prices, it wasn't difficult to see through their blatantly transparent ploy. In the last three years, SDM's profits have increased by more than $250 million, from $300 million to $585 million. We don't need to further subsidize their profits with our health care needs.

Now we see that SDM, Rexall and Pharma Plus are already cutting services - before the Ontario reform plan has even been adopted! Charging $8.00 for delivery is an outrageous ploy that disproportionately affects seniors and low-income people, who rely on public transit (shoddy in non-urban areas) or can't easily get around.

Corporations protect their own profits; their only interest is their shareholders. But our publicly-financed health care system has to protect our interests. We must refuse and resist the pharmacies' tricks and lies, and call them out on every turn. We must insist that Ontario stand strong in the proposed changes to the drug system.

* * * *

When Allan and I moved to Ontario, we were shocked that pharmacies here charge a "dispensing fee" for their services. Dispensing is what pharmacies do. Don't we pay for their services through the costs of our drugs? How can they charge an extra fee for counting out pills and putting them in little bottles?

Now I understand that the cost of drugs is more strictly regulated in Ontario than it is in the US - as it should be. So because of the regulated markup, pharmacies are allowed to charge a fee (also regulated) for their services. But pharmacies can charge a "usual and customary fee" - currently set at a maximum of $7.00 - or they can jack up the prices. As you can see on this chart, the biggest drugstore chains in Ontario all charge the highest dispensing fees, with SDM and Pharma Plus taking $12.00 per prescription, and Guardian Drugs coming in at a whopping 13.50. (Guardian is owned by the Katz Group, which also owns PharmaPlus, Rexall and IDA.)

When we lived in Port Credit, we found an independent pharmacy called Hooper's Pharmacy, which has four locations in the GTA. They were very convenient, knowledgeable and helpful, and they happen to be a distributor for Metagenics supplements. I use several Metagenics supplements for my fibromyalgia, and the products are only available through practitioners and certain pharmacies (not over-the-counter but not by prescription). One of my concerns about moving to Canada had been the availability of their products, so I was happy and relieved to find a source so close to home. Hooper's charges a maximum dispensing fee of $9.00, but if you have prescription insurance coverage, they will accept whatever amount the insurance covers as the full fee.

Now that we no longer live in Port Credit, there's a SDM very nearby - much closer than Hooper's - but we won't use them for prescription drugs. $12.00 per prescription is just insane. We do shop at SDM for non-drug items, and collect their "Optimum" points. However, starting today, we will buy our non-drug products elsewhere and give up SDM altogether - until and unless the company stops obstructing drug system reform.

The London (Ontario) and District Labour Council is urging its 30,000 members to boycott SDM and Rexall pharmacies in the London area. I fully support them and will do the same in my own area.

"What a spectacle -- watching Shoppers and Rexall team up with huge generic drug companies to block the public's access to life-saving medicines," said Patti Dalton, president of the local labour council.

Shoppers Drug Mart announced shorter hours and delivery charges at its London stores earlier this week -- the home turf of Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews.

OFL president Sid Ryan called the big chains' moves to charge for deliveries, shorten their hours and threaten layoffs "unconscionable."

"This is the height of corporate greed. A corporation like Shoppers Drug Mart that made $585 million in profits last year is using the most vulnerable people as pawns," Ryan said.

More from Sid Ryan in a bit.

* * * *

The proposed changes, from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's website:

What reforms are the government proposing to the province's drug system?

The Ontario government plans to further reform the prescription drug system to provide better access to lower-cost generic drugs for patients, while continuing to increase annual funding to the drug system as a whole.

These proposed changes include:

* Lowering the cost of generic drugs by at least 50%, to 25% of the cost of the original brand name drug for Ontario’s public drug system, private employer drug plans, and people who pay for drugs out-of-pocket

* Eliminating the system of ‘professional allowances’ - payments generic drug companies make to pharmacy owners to fund patient services and are being used by many pharmacies to fund employee benefits, bonuses, overhead costs and boost profits

* Ensuring pharmacists are fairly compensated for helping patients by increasing dispensing fees and paying for additional services provided to patients

* Supporting access to pharmacy services in rural communities and under-serviced areas with new dedicated funding

Why is the government making these changes?

To get lower prices for generic prescription drugs. The cost of generic drugs in Ontario is a lot higher than in most other countries around the world.

The main reason Ontario pays so much more for our generic drugs than other countries is professional allowances. Professional allowances are payments generic drug companies make to pharmacy owners intended to fund patient services

In 2009, generic drug manufacturers reported paying pharmacy owners more than $750 million in professional allowances. However, we know that:

* Pharmacy reports indicate that approximately 70 per cent of professional allowances have actually gone toward salaries, fringe benefits and bonuses instead of direct patient services.

* In 2009, 750 individual pharmacies either failed to disclose any documentation whatsoever related to these payments or filed incomplete documentation

* Audits have found that some pharmacies and wholesalers have been involved in a ‘re-sale’ scheme that triggers the payment of professional allowances multiple times for the same product.

Eliminating professional allowances would increase the accountability of Ontario’s drug system, enable the government to more effectively compensate pharmacists for the care they provide to prescription drug users and help reduce the cost of generic drugs.

Also from the Ministry's website, myths and facts about pharmacy reform:

Myth

If Professional Allowances were reduced or eliminated, there would be serious impacts on patient care and some pharmacies may even have to close.

Fact

Professional Allowances have directly helped to inflate the cost of generic drugs. These inflated costs are borne by patients, employers and taxpayers and it cannot continue.

The reform package that is being brought forward would directly pay pharmacists for providing a wider range of health care services.

Professional allowances are monies generic drug companies pay pharmacies for stocking their prescription drug products. These payments are estimated to be over $750 million in 2009.

Under the Ontario Drug Benefit Act and the Drug Interchangeability and Dispensing Fee Act, drug manufacturers are required to report to the government the amount of professional allowances paid out to pharmacies. A payment of more than 20% on the ODB side is considered a "rebate" as well as any payment that is not for direct patient care. Rebates are not allowed under the Ontario Drug Benefit Act and the Drug Interchangeability and Dispensing Fee Act.

Since 2006:

* Pharmacies have reported that 70 per cent of professional allowances have actually gone toward fringe benefits, bonuses, profits and overhead costs instead of patient services as was the intent.

* As many as 100 individual pharmacies have failed to disclose any documentation whatsoever related to professional allowances collected, in the most recent reporting period.

* Audits have found that some pharmacies and wholesalers have been involved in a 're-sale' scheme intended to trigger the payment of professional allowances multiple times for the same product.

Myth

People in Rural communities won't be able to get prescriptions filled.

Fact

Once the reforms are in effect, dispensing fees paid by the Ontario government would increase by up to $4 for every Ontario Drug Benefit prescription filled in rural or underserviced areas of the province. The government is doing this because it knows how important it is to ensure that the people who live in these regions have a full-service pharmacy, close to home.

Myth

PAs do not increase the health costs for taxpayers.

Fact

This is simply not true. Professional allowances increase health costs for taxpayers by inflating the cost of generic drugs. Professional allowances are monies generic manufacturers pay pharmacies for stocking their prescription drug products.

Generic drug prices are significantly higher in Canada than in most other developed countries. One reason that prices are high is the amount of professional allowances paid.

These higher drug prices are borne by patients, employers and taxpayers.

Myth

Ontario pays the same as other jurisdictions for drugs.

Fact

Example: 4 generic drugs in 5 other countries; other jurisdictions pay 31% to 82% less than Ontario. (See chart here.)

Myth

Pharmacies provide a wide range of services that the government does not pay for.

Fact

The government recognizes the valued work that pharmacies and pharmacists provide to their communities and patients across the province. This commitment was demonstrated in 2006, with the passage of The Transparent System for Patients Act. Among other things, the government has created the MedsCheck program to compensate pharmacists for the advice and guidance they provide patients. Since 2007, some 465,000 Ontarians have had a MedsCheck review with their pharmacist, and the government has dedicated $50 million a year in reimbursement to pharmacists for this program.

The reform package that is being brought forward would pay pharmacists for providing a wider range of health care services. A compensation model will be developed in consultation with stakeholders to pay pharmacists for providing these new services. Again, the government realized that pharmacists have skills and expertise that provide value to Ontarians and it is acting to continue paying for specific services provided to patients. These proposed reforms will boost direct financial support for the valued services pharmacists offer to patients.

Myth

Pharmacies lose money every time they dispense prescription drugs (both brands and generics) to patients in Ontario.

Fact

In fact, pharmacies were paid more than $950 million for dispensing brand and generic prescription drugs under the province’s drug program. (Approximately $695 million in dispensing fees and $264 in mark-up)

The proposed reforms include an increase in the dispensing fee paid by the Ontario government to pharmacies.

Myth

These government actions will result in cuts to services to seniors, chronic care patients and families.

Fact

This is not true. The proposed drug reforms would result in increased access to lower-priced generic drugs and reimburse many services provided by pharmacists. In addition, the government plans to protect access to pharmacy services in rural and underserviced areas.

Myth

The reforms introduced in 2006 – including a cap of 20% on professional allowances in Ontario's Drug Benefit Program, have had a negative impact on pharmacy revenues.

Fact

This is not true. Stores owned by publicly identified members of the Independent Pharmacists of Ontario have all received an increase in total dollars received per month from the ministry since the implementation of Bill 102 in 2006. (From the Ontario government in dispensing and mark-up fees.)

The government spends about $4 billion on providing drug benefits to Ontarians. Of this, more than $950 million is spent on dispensing fees and drug cost mark-ups that are paid directly to pharmacies.

There are more than 140 new pharmacies in Ontario since Bill 102 became effective in October 2006. As of February 2010, there are some 3,306 pharmacies in Ontario.

Myth

The government is planning to reduce the number of drugs currently covered under Ontario's Public Drug Programs.

Fact

There are no plans to discontinue any classes of drugs that are currently on the formulary (the list of drugs covered under Ontario's Drug Programs).

In fact, Ministry intends to continue investing savings generated into new innovative drugs.

The Ontario Federation of Labour is calling on SDM to stop obstructing pricing reform (Facebook group here).

Tell Shoppers Drug Mart to stop trying to make us all pay more for less and stop using us as pawns!

The Ontario Federation of Labour today issued an Open Letter to Shoppers Drug Mart blasting its lead role in undermining a government initiative to lower the cost of generic drugs by 50 per cent for the people of Ontario; threatening its workforce, and using patients and customers as pawns in its battle with the Health and Long Term Care Ministry.

OFL President Sid Ryan has called on unionized workers in London, Ontario, the site of the current Shoppers Drug Mart protest, to take their business elsewhere. The OFL is also is urging the general public in that city to vote with their feet. Shoppers has imposed charges for delivery -- a move that targets the most vulnerable people in the community and has cut back hours in it stores.

"In its determined effort to sink a government reform that would see generic drug prices cut by 50 per cent, Shoppers Drug Mart is fast becoming one of Ontario’s worst corporate citizens," says OFL President Sid Ryan.

"We remind Shoppers that it enjoys the PRIVILEGE of, not the right to, consumer loyalty. We urge this corporation to align itself with the public interest, rather the interests of the generic drug companies."

Shoppers Drug Mart's profits have increased from $300 million to $585 million over the last three years, yet they are cutting hours of their employees and threatening to lower services and charge more for them.

The media release headline urges Ontario to "follow the Irish example and contemplate publicly run pharmacies". A brilliant idea whose time has surely come.

simone de beauvoir institute calls jean charest on his hypocrisy

The Simone de Beauvoir Institute, part of Concordia University in Montreal, was Canada's first women's study department, founded in 1978. Last week, the Institute issued this statement in response to Bill 94, Quebec's proposed legislation to punish women who wear niqabs. It's a clear, concise, feminist critique of the hypocrisy and wrongheadedness of this bill.

Simone de Beauvoir Institute's Statement
in Response to Bill 94

On March 25, the government of Jean Charest announced Bill 94, an act that would prevent women wearing the niqab from accessing hospitals, daycares, schools, universities, and other public services, and would bar women in niqab from working in the public sector. In a press conference, premier Charest described the legislation as defending two principles: gender equality and secular public institutions.

We oppose this legislation and strongly believe that it will restrict rather than enhance the rights of women. As we stated in November 2007 in our public response to the Commission de consultation sur les pratiques d’accommodement reliées aux différences culturelles, while we agree that the government should be doing more to ensure gender equality, we argue that this is not achieved by creating a false opposition between secular values and religion, but rather by attending to gender-based violence, poverty, women's health, and women's access to education and work.

In fact, Charest's use of the terms "secular" and "gender equality" is misleading. It is obvious that the government's concern is not with all religious practices, but very particularly with Muslim practices. Furthermore, regulating women's public religious expression and denying them access to government services and public life is not a step in the direction of gender equality. Bill 94 chauvinistically casts Québec as having achieved gender equality while implying a view of Muslim communities as inherently oppressive to women.

As feminists, we are committed to supporting bodily and personal autonomy for all women, as well as all women's capacity to understand and articulate their experiences of oppression on their own terms. And it is as feminists that we oppose state interventions that promise gender equality at the expense of women's autonomy.

Signed: The Faculty and Students of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute with the support of The School of Community and Public Affairs
Concordia University
April 7, 2010

happy dogs (a kutyák is szeretik a strandot)

Guaranteed to make you smile.

More - and more relevant - posts coming today.

not too much to say, and enjoying that

I was planning to write a few posts during my mini-holiday, but I seem to have left the ability to write in Ontario. My brain appears to be on vacation - from school, from war resisters, from politics. I like it.

Family dinner last night (mom, sister, brother, sis-in-law, bro-in-law and one nephew), day with sister today, dinner with mom tonight, dinner with mom and nephew tomorrow night, day with friend on Thursday. It's good!

I'm spending the day with my mom tomorrow, probably going to this small museum in Connecticut, so at least I'll report on that.

border crossing take 2

[redsock guest post]

So Laura felt that our detention at the US border last November would be a "one time incident". ... Bzzzt! Wrong.

We left the house at 8, hoping to get to the airport in Buffalo at 10:30 for L's 11:30-ish flight. Monday morning traffic was less than expected and we drove over the Peace Bridge at about 10. Laura was driving and handled the booth guy our passports. There was the usual questions (citizenship, destination/why) and the passport swipes, and then:

BG: So you had some trouble the last time you crossed the border?

L: Yes, I did.

BG: Why was that?

L: Because of my political activism in Canada.

After a brief pause, he asked Laura to put the car in park, unlock the doors, turn off the engine, and hand him the keys. She did. He asked her to get out of the car and I think someone else opened our hatchback (nothing back there but white dog hair).

I was motioned to get out of the car also. I was asked if I was carrying any weapons or sharp objects, perhaps a knife, or a cellphone. Four border patrolmen escorted us to the same building we had been detained in last November. At some point, one of the men must have turned back and gone to move our car, which was still silently parked alongside the booth, into the parking lot.

This time they took us in the back way so we entered the main waiting room from another direction. They told us to sit. When Laura asked to go to the ladies room, they simply waved her across the room. This was very different, since last time we had been separated the entire time and L had needed an armed guard to take her to the rest room.

We couldn't imagine what they could talk to us about. Pretty much the last thing the border guards told us in November was "You are not breaking any US laws, but we don't like how you live your life in Canada, so we are going to delay you for two hours and search through your suitcases and notebook because we can." Not a direct quote, but that was the gist.

We had been waiting about 25 minutes when someone signaled for us to come up to the counter. No questions this time, though; the guy said we were free to go. The man who brought us out to our car apologized for the delay. He said it was because "we had to call someone". We did not ask who was called. L's suitcase had been searched, of course -- it was turned the opposite way in the back seat and some of the zippers had not been closed.

It was about 10:40. It seemed like they had wanted to delay us long enough for Laura to just miss her plane. But we got to the airport at about 11, L dashed inside, and when I got home, there was a message from 11:13 saying she had made the flight.

off to new york

This morning I'm headed for the Buffalo airport. I'm really looking forward to seeing my mom, my sibs, my friend NN and my friend NYC.

I'm not looking forward to any incidents at the border. (In case you are wondering at my paranoia, read this.) My money is on "one time incident," but I'll feel a lot better when we know for sure.

I plan on blogging from my mom's place, so don't go away.

a u.s.-style construction boom canada can do without

There's a building surge in the state of Delaware.

Why Delaware? Because that state is home to Dover Air Force Base, where the bodies of US soldiers arrive for burial. The military is investing millions of dollars in the base, because they're expecting a lot of business.

In the past year, as the remains of 462 service members along with nearly 2,000 relatives have passed through Dover, the experience on the flight line has become as common as it is excruciating. Now, to meet the demand and to accommodate what Dover officials expect to be increasing casualties from Afghanistan, the military has embarked on a building surge at this main entry point for the nation's war dead.

In January, Dover opened the Center for the Families of the Fallen, a $1.6 million, 6,000-square-foot space of soft lighting and earth-toned furniture where parents, spouses, children, siblings and other relatives assemble before they are taken to the flight line. On May 1, there is to be a groundbreaking for a new $4.5 million hotel for families who need to spend the night. The same day, ground will also be broken on what Dover officials are calling a meditation center, a nondenominational space with an adjacent garden where relatives can pray or be alone.

The building boom is under way as the Iraq war is winding down — some 50,000 American troops are set to withdraw from the country between now and August — and as President Obama has set July 2011 for the start of withdrawals from Afghanistan. But most of the 30,000 extra troops Mr. Obama ordered to Afghanistan are still due to arrive this summer, bringing the total American force in that country to nearly 100,000. Heavy fighting is expected in the months ahead.

Here in Canada, the Harper Government continues to lay the groundwork for Canada's continued presence in Afghanistan past the 2011 planned and promised withdrawal date.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay on Saturday repeated the government's official line that the country's soldiers would be withdrawn from combat in Afghanistan next year, but he also suggested some Canadians might stay.

Canada is willing to continue mentoring Afghan police after the troop disengagement begins in summer 2011, MacKay said as he wrapped up a three-day trip to the Central Asian country.

Canada currently has 48 civilian police — RCMP and municipal officers — and 40 military police mentoring Afghan police officers in Kandahar. On Thursday, MacKay announced 90 more troops would be sent to help train local police and the national army, but at the time he said those new trainers would be brought home in 2011.

"After 2011, the military mission will end," MacKay said Saturday. "What we will do beyond that point in the area of training will predominantly be in the area of policing."

Call them soldiers or police. Pretend they're peacekeepers, pretend they are welcome. Call them nannies, why don't you, since those wild Afghan children can't be trusted on their own.

Dress them up in whatever costume you will. They will still be occupiers, they will still be unwelcome in Afghanistan, and so their lives will be at risk. Not because Afghanistan poses a threat to Canada's security. And certainly not because Canada is liberating women. (It's not, and the Harper Government clearly doesn't care about women's lives.)

Canadian lives - young people, people with futures, people with all their limbs and senses who deserve to grow old with their loved ones - will be at risk simply to do the US's bidding.

Canada Out Now.

video: know your rights at the border (you have none)

You might like to bookmark this for future reference. It's just under a half-hour long, and very educational.

Know Your Rights at the Border

catch 22 harper conservatives

From the things-I-didn't-get-to-while-in-school pile, I hope you've all heard about the Catch 22 Conservatives campaign. This is "a national, grassroots, pro-democracy campaign to help defeat the Conservative government in the next election". Catch 22 Conservatives is not affiliated with any political party. It has one goal: get rid of this government. And it's targeting specific ridings in order to do so.

It's an intelligent and focused strategy and there are ways we can all get involved. The ridings are listed here:

British Columbia
North Vancouver - Andrew Saxton
Surrey North - Dona Cadman
Vancouver Island North - John Duncan

Prairies
Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar (SK) - Kelly Block
Palliser (SK) - Roy Boughen
Saint Boniface (MB) - Shelley Glover

Ontario
Brant - Phil McColeman
Essex - Jeff Watson
Haldimand—Norfolk - Hon. Diane Finley
Huron—Bruce - Benjamin Lobb
Kenora - Greg Rickford
Kitchener—Waterloo - Peter Braid
Kitchener Centre - Stephen Woodworth
London West - Ed Holder
Mississauga—Erindale - Bob Dechert
Oak Ridges—Markham - Paul Calandra
Oakville - Terence Young
Oshawa - Collin Carrie
Ottawa—Orléans - Royal Galipeau
Ottawa West—Nepean - Hon. John Baird

Québec
Beauport—Limoilou - Sylvie Boucher
Pontiac - Hon. Lawrence Cannon
Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean - Denis Lebel

Atlantic Canada
Fredericton (NB - Keith Ashfield
Miramichi (NB) - Tilly O'Neill-Gordon
Saint John (NB) - Rodney Weston
South Shore—St. Margaret's (NS) - Gerald Keddy
West Nova (NS) - Greg Kerr
Egmont (PE) - Gail Shea

Northern Canada
Nunavut - Hon. Leona Aglukkaq

They're calling these ridings "Tier 1". There may be a Tier 2 as the campaign proceeds.

Each riding has a profile (here's an example that might interest a few wmtc readers) and a group you can join, to share ideas and coordinate actions.

Here's the pitch from the campaign itself.

The Harper Conservatives' stubborn minority government has been a disaster. Whether it’s the economy, international relations, the environment, human rights or democracy, they have a hard right-wing agenda. They have a long term plan. And they are already implementing it in steps. Their coup de grace would be a phony majority government with 100% of the power. After four years, we’ve tasted the appetizers. Can we afford to be complacent about the entrees?

So, what are anti-Conservative voters (the majority) to do under a first past the post voting system? We cannot expect the political parties to change their spots. Competition is in their genetic make-up. It would be a futile distraction to rely on the opposition to come up with a plan to defeat the Conservatives. They seem quite comfortable with Harper at the helm. Meanwhile, Rome is burning – or should I say, the ice highways are melting.

The Catch 22 campaign offers a possible solution. We are using a targeted riding strategy. Campaigns will operate in a limited number of ridings where the Conservative incumbent is particularly weak. For a grassroots movement to have maximum impact, we must focus our efforts where we are most likely to succeed.

Relying mostly on the 2008 election results as our main criteria, we have proposed 30 ridings for possible Catch 22 campaigns. In almost every case, there was a close 2nd place finisher with 3rd place far behind. If successful in getting those campaigns off the ground, we will look at expanding to more challenging ridings.

We intend to get our message out to voters before the next election is called. Why before? Because once an election is called, we will have a much harder time getting the voters’ attention.

This is indeed an excellent project. If you're already involved, please feel free to tell us more in comments. If you live in one of these ridings, I encourage you to dig in. My riding is not listed, but since I live near one that is, I'm going to find out how I can help.

the story of bottled water

I missed World Water Day, but this excellent video is relevant every day. From the good people who brought us The Story of Stuff, comes The Story of Bottled Water.

We were in Peru in 2006. The water is not drinkable there, not for anyone for any reason. The very rich have filtration systems in their homes; everyone else boils water for a full 10 minutes before using it for anything.

For tourists, which is a big chunk of the Peruvian economy, there is bottled water. Women sell it along the roadside, at train stations, in parking lots - everywhere there are tourists, there are women selling bottled water. They sell it cheap (by tourist standards) and cold.

In many places where tourists are gathering, it's hot and very dry, and it's important to stay hydrated. You simply have no choice. You have to buy bottled water everywhere. And you can't refill the bottles, because you can't drink the tap water.

And... plastic is not recycled. Only glass is recycled. We were there for three weeks, in all areas of the country except the Amazon. I only saw glass bottles once.

So millions of tourists are drinking millions of litres of bottled water and tossing away the bottles. Where are the bottles going? What is happening to all this plastic? It really troubled me; I think about it still.

I also wonder if the bottled-water industry in Peru is preventing or obstructing clean-water projects from going forward. Various politicians campaign on a "clean water for all Peruanos" ticket... but nothing changes.

I don't know the answer to these questions, but I know we in North America can drink tap water, filtered if necessary. Every once in a while I still have to buy a bottle of water - because I'm out somewhere without my own water, and I need to drink, and I only drink water or coffee. Then I try, as I'm sure you do, too, to reuse the bottle as many times as possible, and I hope my recycling actually gets recycled.

But there are still people all over North America buying massive quantities of bottled water for their own refrigerators. Hard to believe, but true. Here's hoping some of them see this video.

The Story of Bottled Water.

introducing project maddie: “keeping people and pets together”

A few weeks ago, a war resister family was facing a serious financial crisis. They were in danger of losing their beloved Golden Retriever, Maddie, because they were unable to support her. I contacted Kim, who comments here as Dharma Seeker. Kim is part of an animal-rescue community and I thought she might know of some resources to help the family.

Kim immediately swung into action, making phone calls, sending emails, posting on Facebook. Within days, we had delivered a two-months' supply of quality dog food to Maddie's mom.

Little did I know that Kim has wanted to start a pet-food food bank for a long time. This experience gave her the impetus to start Project Maddie:

Project Maddie aims to help pet owners who are at risk of losing their pets due to sudden, short term financial instability. Project Maddie collects and distributes donated quality pet food to offer temporary relief to families that might otherwise have to sign a beloved companion over to an animal shelter.

Project Maddie will also offer ongoing, longer-term help to seniors who need assistance in order to keep their animals.

What a great idea, eh? Project Maddie's wish-list includes quality pet food, gas cards, gift cards for office supplies (like Staples or Grand & Toy), web design and volunteer drivers for food pick-up and delivery. And of course, cash donations are always welcome.

Visit Project Maddie here.

majority of canadians agree: don't extend it, end it!

According to a recent EKOS poll, a full 60% of Canadians oppose the extension of Canada's involvement in Afghanistan past the planned 2011 withdrawal date, and half of all Canadians oppose the war in Afghanistan altogether.

Imagine what these numbers would be like if Canadians knew the truth about what's going on over there. Here's a bit of how much we don't know.

The government and the opposition must know we feel this way. Keep the pressure on.

today, april 8: greet jason kenney in winnipeg, hear war resister joshua key

In Winnipeg? Downtown at lunchtime today? Join people of peace and conscience for an information picket about the Harper Government's proposed overhaul of Canada's refugee process, which threatens the most vulnerable people among us.

War resister Joshua Key, co-author of The Deserter's Tale will address the gathering.

+ + + +

Jason Kenney's Refugee Reforms “Unbalanced”: Groups to picket Kenney's April 8 visit to Winnipeg

WINNIPEG, April 7, 2010 – Three Winnipeg organizations will hold an information picket outside of the Fort Garry Hotel this Thursday to tell Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to take his planned refugee reforms back to the drawing board.

Kenney, whose talk is entitled "Balanced Refugee Reform", will be speaking to the Canadian Club at noon on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at the Fort Garry Hotel. In the view of Peace Alliance Winnipeg, the Canada-Palestine Support Network (CanPalNet) and Canadians for the Inclusion of LGBTT* Rights, Kenny's reforms are unbalanced and guaranteed to cause hardship to many refugee claimants.

“Kenney's so-called reforms create two streams of refugees and drastically limit protections available to refugee claimants,” said CanPalNet spokesperson Erin Bockstael. “Under the Conservatives, unsuccessful refugee claims have increased by 56%. Unless he changes course, we anticipate tragic consequences for many refugee claimants.”

Earlier this month, Habtom Kibraeb, an Eritrean refugee, committed suicide in Halifax from fear of a pending deportation. In December 2008, a 24-year-old woman was deported to Mexico, where she was murdered months later. She had applied for asylum in Canada twice. This tragedy occurred while Kenney was imposing visa requirements on Mexicans, claiming they were bogus.

Kenney's immigration policies have angered the LGBTT* community. Over the past year, Kenney appointed a known anti-gay activist to the Immigration and Refugee Board and deliberately removed references to LGBTT* rights from a newly revised study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship.

“We see a future where the rights of the human person, without regard to sexual or gender identity, are recognized,” said Sean Gee of Canadians for the Inclusion of LGBTT* Rights. “Unfortunately, Mr. Kenney's immigration policies do not reflect this goal.”

“Peace Alliance Winnipeg is very concerned about the erosion of human rights under the Conservatives,” said PAW Chairperson Glenn Michalchuk. “Kenney's refugee reforms are part of an ugly, recurring pattern of disrespect for basic rights and freedoms.”

The Conservative government has cut funding to community groups for their involvement in pro-Palestinian efforts, barred British MP George Galloway from entering Canada because of his opposition to the occupation of Afghanistan, instituted immediate visa requirements for Czechs and Mexicans, and overseen unprecedented immigration raids in workplaces and women shelters in Ontario.

Kenney has made inflammatory comments about getting tough on immigrants and “fake” refugee claimants. He is currently the subject of a Federal Court inquiry on whether such public statements have interfered with the independence of the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Peace Alliance Winnipeg is committed to developing a broad movement for peace in our city. It organizes actions and educational events to promote an understanding of the events which are shaping our world.

CanPalNet includes Canadians of all backgrounds who support the human, democratic and national rights of the Palestinian people. It aims to change the policies and actions of the Canadian government so that these come to support the rights of the Palestinian people.

Canadians for the Inclusion of LGBTT* Rights believes that the rights of the LGBTT* person and those of all people should be protected and recognized without discrimination. “LGBTT*” is an acronym that refers to people who define themselves as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, or *Unidentifying.

why are students penalized for attending part-time?

Canada has something called the "Lifelong Learning Plan," which allows you to use money from RRSPs for tuition without tax penalties. Only full-time students are eligible.

I recently learned that the Friends of the Mississauga Library System make an annual award to four Mississauga residents who are enrolled in library programs. I could sure use that! I emailed for more information: only full-time students are eligible.

I've come across several other examples of this - student grants, awards, loans that are only available for full-time study.

I don't understand this. I am financially unable to attend school full-time. Why am I penalized for that?

"when someone says abuse, that's a euphemism for torture"

The hits just keep on comin'. Now there's more proof the Conservatives were warned last summer.

The Conservative government was warned last summer that working with the Afghan secret police would lead to allegations Canada condoned abuse and that Canadians could face legal liability for complicity in torture.

The information, contained in a candid top-level government memo shared with CBC News, shows that officials were worried that Canada's relationship with the Afghan National Directorate of Security was risky — and possibly illegal — even while the government was defending it.

The document warns that the directorate, or NDS, is so secretive, even Canada and its allies are in the dark about much of what it does.

The NDS has wider powers of arrest and detention than most intelligence agencies, the memo says, and as a result, "there is considerable scope for the use of improper methods." Engaging with the NDS "entails a degree of risk to Canadian interests," it adds.

The document doesn't detail those risks specifically, but human rights lawyer Paul Champ said he has an idea of what they are.

Champ is the lawyer at the centre of several investigations into the alleged abuse of Afghan detainees. He said the NDS can't be trusted with detainees transferred into its custody by Canadian soldiers, and the Conservative government is well aware of this.

"Make no mistake, the methods of the NDS are well known," Champ told CBC News. "It's electric shocks, it's pulling out toenails, it's beating people with chains, it's hanging them for days. So when someone says abuse, that's a euphemism for torture."

Please tell Stephen Harper and the leaders of all the opposition parties that Harper is wrong: we do care about this.

Terrible things are happening in Afghanistan in our names. We care, and we've had enough.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
613.992.4211
pm@pm.gc.ca

Michael Ignatieff, MP
613.995.9364
IgnatM@parl.gc.ca

Jack Layton, MP
613.995.7224
LaytoJ@parl.gc.ca

Gilles Duceppe, MP
613.992.6779
DucepG@parl.gc.ca