Canada Out of Afghanistan?

Jack Layton, at the 2006 convention in Quebéc City, said, (full text)

Friends, Canadians believe in peace. That doesn't mean we think Canada is an island. There is a time and a place for answering the call. Canadians are prepared to fight wars that are right for our country. We've done so proudly. That's why we're so proud of our veterans.

But on this mission, Stephen Harper is out of touch with ordinary Canadians.

Canadians are not warmongers. Canada does not commit its soldiers to war just because that will get our prime minister in good with an administration of a certain sort in Washington. Canada doesn't commit soldiers to war without clear goals. Canada doesn't commit our soldiers without a plan. Canada doesn't commit our soldiers without a fraction of the numbers or resources needed to make a difference. Canada doesn't commit our soldiers without knowing what victory is.

And Canada doesn't commit our soldiers without the certainty that their efforts are part of a carefully constructed and balanced mission that holds real prospects of making the world a safer place. Canada doesn't do those things.

But Paul Martin and Stephen Harper did in Afghanistan. Paul Martin and the Liberals are gone. My friends....the time is coming for Stephen Harper to go too.

The first Canadian troops arrived in November 2001, making it an even 10 years + a little bit. Finally, the Harper government listened. The Globe & Mail is reporting that Dec. 12th all troops have left ("aside from a few cleanup details").

Oh, wait a minute. Farther down in the same article:

Canada still has roughly 950 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of a NATO-led mission to train the Afghan army. They are stationed at bases in Kabul and at satellite locations in the country’s north and west.

The Harper government abruptly agreed to take part in the training mission in the fall of 2010, after years of insisting that the military would leave Afghanistan entirely this year.

(still think your vote doesn't count?)

Megan Leslie, NDP environment critic, on climate change & Kyoto

A local member received  this email in response to her question about the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. I have reprinted it here as it provides clarity on the NDPs position on climate change.

+++++++++++++

From: <megan.leslie@parl.gc.ca>
Date: December 15, 2011 1:52:21 PM PST
To:
Subject: RE: United Nations Conference on Climate Change - urgent action needed
Anne,

Thank you for sharing your concerns about climate change with me. New Democrats have been very clear in the House of Commons that the government should live up to its commitments under existing climate change agreements, and that they should play a constructive leadership role in the establishment of the next international climate change agreement. 

New Democrats support the following key priorities for the next international climate change protocol:

       a fair, ambitious and binding agreement;

       adequate financing for the Green Climate Fund to assist developing countries with adaptation and mitigation of climate change;

       closing the “gigatonne gap” between the world’s promised emissions cuts and actual action; and

       ensuring that there is no gap in legally binding commitments when Kyoto runs out in 2012.

This Parliament, New Democrats have tabled for the third time the Climate Change Accountability Act, a legislative framework with the firm, science-based emissions reduction targets required for Canada to meet its international obligations. This bill, which was first introduced by Jack Layton and passed by the House of Commons on two occasions, was unjustifiably obstructed by the government and eventually voted down by the unelected Senate.

The government’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto protocol is irresponsible and misguided. It will further damage Canada’s international reputation and compromise Canada’s voice in future international climate change negotiations. By withdrawing they are letting the big polluters off the hook and attempting to hide six years of total inaction on the environment by avoiding the emission reduction audits that are an important part of the Kyoto protocol. 

The reality is that Conservative’s domestic climate change plan is failing. The latest report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development shows that Canada is on track to achieve only 46% of its own weakened greenhouse gas reduction targets, which have been reduced by 90% since 2007, even when taking into account both federal and provincial reduction initiatives.

Climate change will not respect borders. It is estimated that the effects of climate change will cost Canadians over $5 billion annually by 2020, significantly affecting our health, economic well-being and national security. This is why climate leadership from our government is so important, both domestically and internationally.

It is still possible for Canada to return to a leadership position on climate change, by starting at home and adhering to our climate change commitments, choosing green energy over fossil fuels, and ensuring our communities can cope with a changing climate. We need to support the key priorities for a new climate change protocol, and make significant domestic green energy investments that work jointly with ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets.

A healthy, biologically diverse environment is the greatest gift we can leave future generations, and the global transition to a green economy offers Canada the opportunity to improve both our environment and our economy.

 By making smart investments that support our local economies, we can also establish a green technologies sector that will put Canada at the leading edge of international green trade.

Conservative inaction means that the rest of the world is moving forward in building the new energy economy.  Canada is being left behind, which is going to cost us jobs and trade opportunities.

The time for action is now. New Democrats will continue to pressure the government to improve its environmental record, and to take a leadership role in the fight to combat climate change.

Sincerely,

Megan

 
Megan Leslie 

Member of Parliament for Halifax
NDP Environment Critic
774 Confederation Building, House of Commons
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A6
Ph: (613) 995-7614 / E-mail: megan.leslie@parl.gc.ca
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MeganLeslieMP
Website: www.meganleslie.ca

Okanagan Shuswap NDP AGM January 22, 2012

One federal leadership candidate has expressed enough interest that we have scheduled our next AGM for Jan. 22 at the Odd Fellows Hall in Armstrong. More info as we know more.

Happy holidays and best wishes for 2012.

First NDP Leadership debate

Missed the 1st NDP leadership debate? (Sunday 11am PST was difficult for me, too). Here's a link to CPAC's recording.
http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=vod&hl=e&clipID=6340

Canadian Wheat Board Collapse, submitted by Richard Smiley

Legislation will be introduced by the Conservative government to abolish one desk selling of wheat and barley by the Canadian Wheat Board.

Every time CBC radio covers the ongoing saga of the Wheat Board, and its overwhelming support by growers, it always manages to give equal time to the "other side": solitary large farmers who "know" that they will be able to cherry pick the market, timing their buying and selling to achieve the best price for themselves, who cannot wait until the board's monopoly on sales will end.

The Conservatives, of course, are in favour of "free markets",  which generally means that the large traders are "free" to make as much profit as possible at the expense of the public.  They have in all likelihood received large campaign contributions from such as the commodity traders who stand to benefit from a new influx of chum into the shark pool.  This is not to say that no small trader ever makes a profit, but to acknowledge that while they may on occasion luck out or very rarely become professional traders, most of them end up leaving with rather less wealth that they had when they started.

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.  Proverbs, XVI, 18

Whatever the case, there seems to be a singular inability to ask the tough questions of these individuals. 

Such as "How much have you made in the last twelve years in the stock market?"

Or: "Have you successfully traded commodities, and if so, how much profit did you declare on your income tax in the last year, the last five years, and the last ten years?" 

Or even: "If you are so good trading, why don't you just hedge your production with a private commodities account and let the rest of the farmers have their Wheat Board?"

Let alone: "If you are so so good at trading, why are you wasting your time farming?"

Or, Heaven forfend: "Why are you farming at all?"

There are three sure ways to lose money: Gambling, Women, and farming.  Of these, Gambling is the quickest, Women the most interesting, and farming the most certain".  - Moshe Dayan

How do you make a small fortune at farming/ a vineyard/ cattle/ fill in the blank?  Start with a large fortune!  - an anonymous farmer

I raise these matters because as an agronomist with practical and well as academic credentials who is waiting for the property market to crash so that he can (blush) ... buy a farm... and no small past in commodities markets, I see no evidence that any of these interviewees have done anything except farm.  

Note: (I started out wildly lucky, and when I got out, my winnings had all bled back into the market - and we are talking about perhaps one of the greatest bull markets the world has ever seen: that of gold and silver over the last eleven years. Still, it was an education.  I was subsequently able to see the truth behind all manner of scams and businesses that tried to sign me up for research or services or margin accounts so that I could successfully trade whatever.  Some people never learn - not even from their own experience.  By comparison, the stock market was like taking candy from a baby)

The only farmers I know of who make money are those who have quota; i.e they are able to market under the aegis of a government board which prevents free competition by anybody who, seeing his neighbour's prosperity, decides to get some of that for himself.  The Conservatives, as mentioned above, are hell bent on ending this - and not just with the wheat board.

I've met a lot of farmers who can't read, and a lot who can't write, but I never met a farmer who couldn't figure.  If there was money to be made in it, some farmer would already be doing it.

- John Kenneth Galbraith, economist.

I almost never go to rural garage and yard sales.  I find the absolute poverty of these my neighbours that I see there to be embarrassing at best, and a cause for anger at the very least, considering that the rest of humanity owes its very survival to six inches of topsoil and the tillers thereof.  During the depression, my grandfather, who homesteaded northwest of Edmonton, declared "rather than sell eggs to the store for five cents a dozen and see them resold for ten cents, I will feed them to the pigs."  And he did.  The pigs didn't complain.

Hubris (definition): exaggerated pride or self-confidence often resulting in divine retribution

So who are these individuals who know that they are certain to get the best results by selling the products of their fields to the US multinationals?  What odds would I give that they will succeed? 

Well, I'm not saying that I'm smarter than everyone else, but I'm certainly no stupider.  I'm convinced that had others spent the amount of time I did in the last fifteen years learning about the markets and investing full time, some would have done better, and some worse - after all, the markets are really just a crap shoot.  What I am saying is that it is a bit of a stretch to go from there to the oft held assumption by non-players that they can, between periods of the Stanley Cup playoffs, reach into their shorts and scratch up a paradigm that better explains how the markets function than what I have learned from often bitter experience.

Prognosis not good.

Richard Smiley, ripponfalls@yahoo.com

Happy Tommy Douglas Day

October 20th every year Saskatchewan celebrates the birth of Tommy Douglas. Here's to ya, Tommy!

Proclamation (pdf)

Tommy's life story

Get to know the NDP leadership candidates

Here are some links to potential leadership candidate's interviews on Beyond Politics with Catherine Clark. The interviews focus more on the personal side of their lives than the political.
Bonus interview with Jack Layton included.

Thomas Mulcair
Meagan Leslie
Peter Julian
Paul Dewar
Charlie Angus
Nathan Cullen
For Romeo Saganash, have a listen to his speech to the June 2011 convention in Vancouver. Skip to the 8 minute point to miss the intro & and an interview with Thomas Mulcair.
Jack from 2008

Jack Layton radio interview 2003

This radio interview with Jack Layton shortly after his election as leader of the NDP is insightful. The intro is misleading - bear with it for 30 seconds to get to the original interview. Rabble Radio

Jack Layton's last visit to Ottawa

A local member was in Ottawa on Wednesday, and took the time to pay his respects. He sent these photos which tell the story of his day.

Photo 1 was taken at the NDP Convention in June 2011. Not very long ago.

Jack Layton service Schubert Centre 10.30am Sat Aug 27

The news of Jack Layton's death on Monday morning has brought into sharp focus his extraordinary accomplishments during a life time of public service. We members and supporters knew how important he was to Canada, and now it seems that the rest others are discovering him—perhaps for the first time.

Please consider joining us for our local Jack Layton service. We will have a book of condolences and will forward any cards and letters that people would like to drop off.

(No fund raising, no membership drive). Refreshments provided.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who: Canadians who wish to join us in paying our respects to Jack Layton.

What: Televised broadcast of Jack Layton's funeral

When: 10.30am - 3pm Saturday, August 27th

Where: Schubert Centre, 3505 30 Ave, Vernon, BC Map

Why: To give honour and respect to a great Canadian

Priscilla Judd's song dedicated to Jack Layton

Artists have a way of saying a lot in a short space. Have a listen. O-Canada

Spirit of Jack Layton R.I.P.

How to capture the spirit of a man's life?
Link to letter written on Saturday

Gateway Lakeview Resort development threatens salmon habitat

Concerns over Proposed Resort Presented to CSRD

By Jim Cooperman and Veronica Bene

On July 20th, the Lee Creek Ratepayer’s Association directors made a presentation to the CSRD that provided concerns regarding the proposed expansion of Gateway Lakeview Resort.

The Gateway expansion proposal has the potential to triple the population of our quiet rural residential community and, if approved, it would profoundly alter the North Shuswap Official Community Plan (OCP). The proposed bylaw currently before the CSRD Board recommends revising the OCP to allow for a Major Destination Resort to be located in Lee Creek. Currently, the OCP only allows these resorts to be located in primary or secondary settlement areas and disallows such resorts in Lee Creek.

The OCP states: “Lee Creek was not designated as a Settlement Area for two reasons: proximity to salmon spawning grounds on the lower reaches of the Adams River and its confluence with Shuswap Lake; and proximity to Scotch Creek.” (Section 10-1) and “Furthermore: “In light of the environmentally sensitive conditions associated with the foreshore of Lee Creek and the mouth of the Adams River, a Major Destination Resort is inappropriate in this area.” (Section 10-5-7)

The Gateway proposal alters these restrictions to accommodate a major destination resort in Lee Creek.

The presentation included a list of current impacts from the existing RV and cabin development; including destabilizing of neighbouring land from site terracing, illegal boat launching, increased risks to salmon nursery from fuel spills and boat activity, and sewage effluent deep lake outfall.

Potential impacts include insufficient beachfront for a resort and dock space for the potential 1000-1800 Gateway residents, increased effluent into the lake, increased fire safety concerns, the effect that the proposed 7,000 sq. foot retail space could have on Scotch Creek businesses that depend on summer residents and visitors, and increased demand for parking at the McKay Bay public swim area. As well, increased foot traffic between the resort and the beach that is across the highway could create a traffic safety problem.

Quaaout Lodge, a beautiful destination resort, has a hotel, golf course and an extensive beach and grounds. Whereas, the Gateway proposal calls for a mix of rental units, stores, RVs, cabins, homes, duplexes, a community centre, a swimming pool, and a small area of beach adjacent to sensitive fish habitat.

The presentation acknowledged how the CSRD directors will be faced with a planning dilemma. They will have to decide between making major changes to a community plan or respecting the vision of the community and protecting the sensitive salmon habitat, which would risk court action.

The bylaw has now passed first and second reading to allow for the public hearing to be held at the end of August. Hopefully, everyone who cares about the future of the North Shuswap will attend.
========================
Jim Cooperman, President,
Shuswap Environmental Action Society
1497 Lee Creek Drive
Lee Creek, B.C., V0E 1M4
250-679-3693, cell 319-4197
jcoop@ribaa.ca, www.seas.ca
www.shuswapwatershed.ca
========================

2011 local election results - poll by poll

Election results by polling station (which represent distinct geographical neighbourhoods) are available on the Elections Canada web site. Comparing the election in 2008 to 2011 provides some interesting numbers (polling station maps remained more or less the same for the two elections).

NDP Wins	2008	2011
# of Polls	2	10

2008 – both polls were in Vernon

2011 – 6 in Vernon, Enderby/Salmon River, Six Mile Creek,
Tappen, Salmon Arm

---

More Green Votes Than NDP	2008	2011
# of Polls	94	8

NDP votes	# of polls in 2008	# of polls in 2011
More than 40%	0	11
36 % - 40 %	3	22
30 % - 35 %	9	48

Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline starting to fade

Talk of the Enbridge Pipeline(s) from Alberta to Kitimat has died down but we have to assume that work is being done in the background to move the project along. The proposal is for 225 supertankers per year to travel from Kitimat to the open ocean through Douglas Channel.


View Larger Map

Two events might have taken the wind out of the 'jobs/economy' side of the argument. In 2010 two BC organizations passed motions opposing the project. In March, the Union of BC Chiefs Council announced that they were opposed. This is significant because of the requirement to consult with all the First Nations whose traditional territory would be affected. Wayne Christian, chief of the Splats’in First Nation seconded the motion. Fabian Alexis, of the Okanagan Indian Band, abstained.

The second convention to oppose the pipeline(s) in 2010 was the Union of BC Municipalities. Its members are mayors and councilors from BC communities that at least in this area lean towards the 'development is always good' side of the political spectrum. This vote should give the Conservative/Liberal coalition pause to consider their chances of re-election without local government support. Mayors and councilors are the people who get to spend most of the 'stimulus' dollars on roads, etc. and are usually reluctant to speak against senior governments.

Unsurprisingly, the 2011 federal NDP convention also passed a motion (2-05-11 Resolution on a Tanker Ban) opposing the pipeline(s).

Nathan Cullen, MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley has been the most vocal critic in the House of Commons to date. He has turned over the task to Fin Donnelly, the MP who swam the length of the Fraser (twice) to show his support for salmon.

Fin Donnelly, the new opposition critic for Fisheries, has already reintroduced two private members bills for the new Parliament to consider:

1. C-211, a legislated ban on oil supertanker traffic on BC's North and Central Coast. 
2. C-225, the Wild Salmon Protection Act, calls for open net pen salmon farms to be transitioned to land-based closed-containment technology.

There's a lot of powerful forces aligned on the 'opposed' side, and they represent the views of the majority of BC citizens. 75% opposed west coast tanker traffic in an Ipsos-Reid poll from May 2006. In April 2010 that went up to 79%, including 65% of Conservative voters.

It is hard to get 79% of BC to agree that the sun comes up in the east. I am feeling a lot better about this particular battle, but know that Enbridge hasn't given up yet.

Vancon2011 convention notes

Random notes taken while watching the convention unfold. Almost all motions passed without serious debate. A common "No" microphone starting point was, "While I support the intent of this motion, I am speaking against it because it doesn't go far enough!" However,  there were several motions that were contentious and difficult to resolve. (All links are to YouTube videos taken at the convention).

1. What political manoeuvrings it took to eventually get almost unanimous support for the 'Insite' motion! It took Friday to add a clause about the benefits of a harm reduction approach. Then on Saturday afternoon a notice of motion to amend Sunday's agenda. On Sunday, the chair tried to kill the amendment by defining a day as 24 hours. His decision was overruled by a challenge to the chair, and then finally a passionate speech from Libby Davies. There was no dissent to the motion, and therefore one was left wondering why the party felt the need to block it at every turn.

2. Stephen Lewis's inspirational speech opening the section on human rights and Canada's place in the world was everything I expected. Sensible, passionate, global, focused on larger issues than the petty problems facing our wealthy country.

3. A motion to support the Canada-to-Gaza ship was squashed by the party bureaucracy according to another local delegate. No explanation, so we delegates were left wondering why it is such a threat to the party. The motion did not rise high enough to make it to the convention floor and so was not debated or voted on.

4. A motion to (pro) change the preamble to the party's constitution, with the (con) removal of reference to 'socialist', received the most media attention. This wasn't just the changing of one word, but a complete rewrite of the purposes of the party. Not enough work had been put into circulating the proposal to the membership prior to the convention. Brian Topp's compromise motion to table it and have it reworked for the next convention with a reference to arts & culture added, and even reviewed by writers and poets to improve the language was a reasonable defusement of a divisive proposal.

5. The defeat of a motion to not allow the party to discuss a possible merger with the Liberal Party also received media attention. If the proponents of the motion had not taken advantage of the opportunity to take mean-spirited shots at the Liberals (and Stephane Dion, who was present as an observer) this might have passed.

6. Not a motion but a comment from Andrew Cash MP for Davenport, ON of the benefits of having a children's play area at the front of his campaign office made a lot of sense. Our Vernon office with its main street windows would have looked more inviting with some toys. (He also talked about door-knocking for 18 months prior to the election).

The highlight of the convention was the moment when all 103 NDP MPs were on the stage at the same time. Unbelievable celebration!

 

Welcome!

Okanagan Shuswap is a big riding.   Google Map shows it would take 4 hours and 45 minutes to drive from Cherryville to Chase, and then onto Seymour Arm, without visiting Falkland or Malakwa. Communication is a significant barrier within this largely rural riding.

We can use this blog to keep each other up-to-date on events and activities of interest to activists throughout the riding.

Any and all suggestions and comments will be considered.