Proroguing and the Afghan Detainees

Letter to the editor, Lethbridge Herald Saturday, January 23, 2010

Editor:

Stephen Harper's proroguing of parliament continues to cause criticism. We've heard the phrase "naked self-interest" from the UK's The Economist. His former chief of staff, Tom Flanagan, said "[doesn't] have much credibility."

By proroguing parliament, Harper cancelled all committee work, killed 36 government bills, including bills dealing with consumer protection and white-collar crimes. Only 27 out of 63 bills have passed, or just 43 percent--which, if it were a grade, would be a failing one.

But what were the real reasons? Many point to Harper's wish to end debate on the Afghan detainee issue. This is serious: just before Christmas Parliament passed a motion demanding access to the Afghan detainee documents, in effect a subpoena. Prorogation stops this from happening.

Harper's spin doctors are saying Canadians are not very concerned about a few Taliban sympathizers, but the detainee issue has a keen relationship to the success or failure of the Canadian/NATO mission. First, to say there were only a few (or just one) incidents of torture is to obscure the evidence. The International Red Cross, which can't directly give details, is widely believed to have repeatedly warned the Canadian government that the torture was widespread.

Second, the detainee issue has a strong influence on the view that ordinary Afghanis have of our soldiers: Are Canadians bringing democracy to this troubled country or do they represent a repressive occupying force? We're trying to convince Afghanis that democratic ways are better for them, but if they find that they or their friends and neighbours can be picked up and passed over to prisons where they'll be tortured, their trust and acceptance of Canadian soldiers is compromised. This, in turn, means that every day Afghans are less likely to cooperate with Canadian troops such as by telling where IEDs are hidden. Canadian soldiers and civilians are dying as a result.

Thirdly, as stated by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Canadian forces have legal obligations under international law to ensure that any person in their effective control is never transferred to torture. If reports of torture are made, Canada is legally obligated to intervene to stop the torture, or to request the return of the detainees being tortured.

Our elected representatives are there to hold the government accountable. Without them there, the very idea of Canadian democracy is weakened.

________

Mark Sandilands

On the campaign trail again!

Last evening (Saturday, January 16th) I was nominated again as the NDP Candidate for Lethbridge Federal Riding. The nomination meeting was well attended given it was a Saturday night. Also in competition was an arts event. The audience was pleased to hear what Judy Wasylycia-Leis had to say. My nomination speech was well received and, as a result of requests, I'm posting it here.

Notes for Nomination Meeting speech

Mark Sandilands

January 16, 2010

First, thanks to my nominator, Tom Moffatt. Your kind words make me want to work hard in the upcoming election, whenever it happens. I also thank all who worked in the 2006 campaign with Melanee Thomas and in the 2008 campaign with me, and since, to make us the clear alternative to the Conservatives in Lethbridge.

A few weeks ago I was having a conversation with a young woman, who, I think, is a supporter. She said that she’s disappointed with politicians (like me, I guess) who always seem to criticize each other and never say what they’d do if they were in power.

It seems, though, that from the point of view of those on the progressive side, there is so much wrong with the way Stephen Harper is governing Canada, that it’s easy to criticize. So I’d like to begin by discussing some of the most galling aspects of Conservative rule, and then talk about some of the ideas I’d like to see implemented in a new government.

Just a couple of examples: The issue that seized Parliament in the days before the prorogation was the reports of torture of the Afghan detainees, and that the government was aware of it. Harper and company even had the brass to call critics of his government’s approach disloyal to the troops. I say: by not putting in place a system for the safe handling of Afghan prisoners and showing such a cavalier attitude toward them, even the ones who may be innocent, Harper has sent a message to the Afghan people that he’s not really interested in bringing democracy to that unfortunate country. I believe that Harper is the one who’s been disloyal to the troops and the one who’s endangering them unnecessarily.

On the environment, Harper has spent the past four years blaming the lack of Canada’s action on climate change on the Liberals, but done nothing about it himself. When it came time to introduce stimulus spending to avoid a serious recession, he chose to spend Canadian money on nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage and, even including these questionable projects, he’s spending less on green energy in his stimulus package than just about any other developed nation. Obama is outspending him 14 to 1 per capita on green stimulus.

But enough of this. What would I do? Here are some of the choices we'd make:

1. Harper promised more accountability, but he's even less accountable than Chretien and Martin were. That's the first fix. I note that Democracy Watch gave the NDP the best overall grade in accountability in the last election.

2. Harper's climate record is abominable. As I said, Canada is spending less on green recovery than almost any other OECD country. This would be the second fix--moving Canada to a green economy.

3. Health care--rather than dismantling the health care system and turning a blind eye to privatization, we'd work to make it more efficient.

4. Dealing with crime: The NDP would do better than just locking people up working toward safe neighbourhoods, for example.

On broader issues, very recently I came across an author, Riane Eisler, who’s written several books, the most recent being The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics.

Eisler says, “The real wealth of nations -- and the world — consists of the contributions of people and nature.” Eisler suggests there are two approaches to categorizing societies, the partnership system and the domination system. Most societies we’re familiar with, be they capitalist or socialist, are domination oriented. Domination systems are top-down: “man over man, man over woman, race over race, religion over religion, nation over nation, man over nature.”

On the other hand, core elements of a partnership system “are a democratic and egalitarian structure in both the family and state or tribe; equal partnership between women and men; and a low degree of violence, because it's not needed to maintain rigid rankings of domination.” (For more, go to http://www.rianeeisler.com/ )

I believe the New Democratic Party espouses values that are best in synch with a partnership system, and I will work to make these links more evident.

I could say lots more, but I’m sure everyone wants to hear what Judy Wasylycia-Leis has to say. Before I go, though, a few thoughts: In the last election, only 53% of voters in the Lethbridge riding actually voted. We can work to get the other 42000 votes in our column.

As so eloquently said by Pierre Ducasse in the 2003 NDP Leadership race: “To achieve the results you have never achieved before, you must do what you have never done before!” And, of course there is the still very much relevant NDP slogan from 2007 and 2008: “Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done!” The work begins NOW!

Thank you.

Global warming is real and urgent (Letter to the Herald, Jan. 12, 2009

Editor:

Several letters recently published in The Herald have said current signs of global warming are part of a natural cycle. Further they say we should not take any precautionary steps to reduce our CO2 emissions because they might be too expensive. The warming we're seeing is NOT part of a natural cycle but is the result of an increase of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that humans have put in the atmosphere over the past 150 years. Glaciers are retreating, arctic ice is disappearing, methane is bubbling up from the permafrost, and islands are submerging.

How do we know the cause is CO2? First, CO2 concentration has increased from 284 ppm (parts per million) from the early 1800s to 387 ppm currently. Second, based on research done over 100 years ago, CO2 in the atmosphere is a greenhouse gas that traps heat. The planet Venus, for example, has vastly more CO2 in its atmosphere than Earth. Its surface temperature is 467° C, not because it's closer to the Sun, but because of the CO2.

Two main factors in global temperature are the sun and CO2. If we only use fluctuations of solar radiation (the sun) over the past 50 years, we are just like someone who tries to predict a child's height based only on the height of one parent. However, if we use solar radiation and CO2 levels over the past 50 years, we get better results. The test of accuracy of our prediction is to compare the actual temperature record with the results of prediction models. Climate scientists have found that their set of predicted temperatures are most accurate if they include CO2 and solar radiation in their models. If they don't include CO2, their prediction runs are inaccurate.

Global warming is real and it's urgent to take steps immediately to reduce our use of fossil fuels. It's nothing short of insane to listen to those who say it's a natural cycle and we can continue to spew CO2 into the atmosphere.

A final note: 1970's ice age predictions were predominantly media based with the majority of scientific papers (42 to 7) predicting warming (http://tinyurl.com/2vdj8u). We've had the information for years. At this point, there should be no debate, only urgently needed action.
________
Mark Sandilands

Lethbridge

Posts from the previous election

Posts below here are from the 2008 election. Many of the issues are still around, so the posts will remain here for reference.

What great supporters, what great new supporters.

Andy, shown on his bike, is a long time and solid supporter.

But I continue to receive indications of support from surprising places. Many have called to say they're voting NDP for the first time.

The poll just announced on Global is based on polling done on October 4th and 5th. As the pundit said, "A week is forever in politics." This comment

"I think there's probably some great buying opportunities emerging in the stock market as a consequence of all this panic," Harper told reporters as the S&P/TSX fell for the fifth straight day. [Ottawa Citizen, Oct 7]

has resonated throughout Canada, showing how little empathy he shows for those whose life savings have diminished 40% in just a few days.

Questions from some Grade 6 students

I received an email from a local Grade 6 class asking several questions:

During our lessons on democracy, our grade 6 Social Studies class has been learning about the 40th General Election and the political parties involved. The students found it difficult to find answers to their questions while searching the political party websites so together we decided that the best way to find answers to their questions would be to send an email to each candidate in our electoral district.  I have attached a letter to this email with their questions for you.

Hi [Teacher's name],

Thanks for the questions. Here are my answers:

Kailyn – “Has Jack Layton always wanted to be in the political system?” I don't know for sure, but the evidence suggests the answer is yes.

Layton comes from a long line of politicians. His great-granduncle, William Steeves, was a Father of Confederation. His great-grandfather Philip Layton was a blind activist who led a campaign for disability pensions in the 1930s. His grandfather, Gilbert Layton, was a cabinet minister in the Union Nationale government of Maurice Duplessis in Quebec, and resigned due to the provincial government's lack of support for Canadian participation in World War II. His father, Robert Layton, was a Liberal Party activist in the 1960s and 1970s, and served as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) and Cabinet minister in the 1980s.[2]
Layton was born in Montreal and reared in nearby Hudson, Quebec, a comfortable and largely anglophone community.[3] He was elected student council president of his high school, and his yearbook predicted that he would become a politician.[4] He studied political science at McGill University, and in 1969, at age 19, he married his high school sweetheart Sally Halford, with whom he had two children, Sarah and Mike.[5] (Layton and Halford's marriage ultimately ended in 1983 after 14 years.)
In 1970, the family moved to Toronto where Layton went to York University to obtain his Ph.D. in political science. Layton then became a professor at Ryerson University.[6] He also became a prominent activist for a variety of causes. He has written several books, including Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis and, more recently, a book on general public policy, Speaking Out.

At York and Ryerson, Layton developed close links with a number of Toronto figures including John Sewell and David Crombie. He was first elected to Toronto City Council in 1982, in a surprise upset against incumbent Gordon Chong. He quickly became one of the most outspoken members of council, and a leader of the left wing.[7] He was one of the most vocal opponents of the massive SkyDome project,[8] and an early advocate for rights for AIDS patients.[9] In 1984, he was fined for trespassing when he handed out leaflets at the Eaton Centre during a strike by Eaton's staff, but the charge was later thrown out on freedom of speech grounds.[10] Layton was also one of the few opponents to Toronto's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics.[11] In 1985, he moved to the Metro Toronto council, in the first direct elections for members of that body.[12][13] In the 1988 municipal elections, Layton traded places with City Council ally Dale Martin, with Martin going to Metro and Layton returning to Toronto City Council. Layton was easily elected in a contest with former high school teacher Lois MacMillan-Walker. The election was a major victory for Layton as the reformist coalition of which he was the de facto head gained control of City Council, the first time in city history a coalition of New Democrats and independents controlled council.[14]

From <Wikipedia Jack Layton>, accessed on Wednesday, 2008 October 1. Footnote numbers refer to the website:




Natalie – “Does the NDP want to lower taxes?”

Yes and no. One year ago, Stephen Harper and his finance minister, Jim Flaherty (who as finance minister in the Ontario government of Mike Harris ran up a huge deficit), proposed to cut corporate taxes by $50 billion. The NDP proposes to cancel this planned cut and continue to tax corporations at the same rate as they've been paying for a number of years. Is this raising taxes or not?

For individuals, we plan to cut some taxes for lower income individuals as well as providing $400 per child (up to the age of 18) to families. We may raise some taxes for persons making over $188,000 per year.


Natalie – “People have to send their children to daycares because they have to work. How does the NDP plan to help these families?”
See Child Care:

Children and Child Care: Ensuring a Head Start for Kids

In consultation with the provinces and territories, Jack Layton and the New Democrats will:
Enact the New Democrats' Early Learning and Child Care Act – which has already passed Second Reading in Parliament - to establish the program in law for the first time in Canada.
Establish and adequately fund a Canada-wide child care and early learning program. We will make high quality, accessible, affordable, non-profit and licensed child care available to Canadian families, including aboriginal Canadians.
These initiatives will create 150,000 new child care spaces in the first year, growing to 220,000 spaces per year in the fourth year.
Ensure a healthy head start for kids. We will develop a Children's Nutrition Initiative to support and expand provincial and local programs that provide healthy meals to school children.


Dohyun – “How could the NDP help and support the families of Canada?”

Almost our whole platform is directed to helping and supporting the families of Canada since we believe that the kitchen table is more important than the boardroom table. Please see

Protecting Consumers
Here's an excerpt from that page, but there's lots more

Reduce overcharging and hidden fees, and ban ATM fees for institutions regulated under the Bank Act, by requiring more accountability and transparency from the cell phone companies, the banks, airlines and other companies. This will include ending unfair charges on incoming text messages.
Limit outrageous interest rates and fees charged by "fringe banks". We will enforce existing regulations to limit the interest rates and fees that can be charged for services like "payday" loans, tax refund advances and cheque-cashing.
Cap the interest rates on credit cards to a maximum of 5 percentage points over prime by amending the Bank Act.
Help alleviate gouging at the gas pumps through monitoring and regulating fuel prices at the pumps.



Rylan and Nathan D. – “How will the NDP make our land and water cleaner?”

Again, we have lots of ideas. See Fighting pollution and
environment

Here are two excerpts:

We will implement Jack Layton and the New Democrats' comprehensive new Clean Water Act. This will:
Establish enforceable guidelines for drinking water quality, starting with standards for First Nations reserves, and working with provinces and territories to make sure that all Canadians have clean, safe water in their homes and communities.

And

Implement a parks and wilderness plan that reflects Canadians' strong commitment to preserve our natural heritage. We will:
• Complete the National Parks system.
• Establish a nationally representative system of Marine Protected Areas and complete the Integrated Management Plans of our three oceans.
• Ensure that the integrity of parks and protected areas is not compromised by industrial activity or inappropriate development.



Nathan D. – “Why does NDP want justice for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples?”

Canada is one of the 12 wealthiest countries of the world (one ranking has us 11th- ). The past wrongs are many. The grinding poverty among First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples also has a negative effect on all Canadians. Our platform is at this site: First Nations Iniut and Metis

Leaders' Debates, Amnesty International, canvassing, forums

Tonight I missed most of the leaders' debate because I was attending the 60th Anniversary Party of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights! Twenty human rights defenders received volunteer awards from Amnesty International Lethbridge. I am honoured to be one of them. (I will not mention the names of the others to protect their privacy). It's amazing to see how Amnesty International Lethbridge has grown from a group of five in January 2007 meeting at Mary Kosta's home (three attended, plus Mary and her husband), to a group of 30 or 40 tonight at a local church (which supplies space for free). Congratulations, Mary!

The tail end of the leaders' debate was fascinating, but to hear the Keith Boag of CBC give such praise to Jack Layton was gravy. It's not often that CBC is quite so positive to the NDP.

Lastly canvassing is going very well as are the forums. I receive positive feedback about forums. Showing up well in forums is not much related to electoral success--look at the absent Conservative candidates in the Calgary debates--but it helps.