Iraq had an election. What you may not know is that 25% of the seats in the Iraqi legislature is ministerially for women, and in the Indian Parliament a new bill has passed now reserving 33% of the legislature for women. I think this now puts an entirely new ethical question on not only affirmative action for regular jobs but a question whether it should should be in Parliament too. I do not believe in affirmative action an both cases, because I feel we will undermine women saying that the only reason that they are a MP or a Teacher is because they are women, and because they have too. I do not think this is what we need to do to create equality. I do think we should give women and other races, origin and religion  a better opportunity's like equal pay and lowering the vi...

...

A Winnipeg man who has struggled with alcoholism for decades says he has filed a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission over the lack of a treatment program that’s free of religious or spiritual elements. Rob Johnstone said he has battled alcoholism for 40 years and can’t find a treatment program that doesn’t rely on religion or spirituality as part of the recovery process. …Johnstone said his faith-neutral stance to his own treatment prompted him to be dismissed from an intense residential 12-step program at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM), a provincially-run rehabilitation initiative. Manitoba Health runs 12 programs, costing about 22 million a year. CBC

One legend will portray another.

Robert De Niro is going to be playing Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay coach who saved the franchise and helped propel the NFL from being a minor league to the league in the 1960s.

The movie,

From "I think there are probably a lot of Canadians who are looking at this story right now and wondering how is it that these charges could be swept aside...

The Liberal government had less than two months to respond to the possibility that torture would occur as a result of the then new Afghan detainee transfer agreement with the Afghan military.

In light of recent news by the CBC that a chief diplomat had brought up concerns to Paul Martin's government over the Afghan detainee transfer agreement it would appear that the Liberals should not be so eager for an open inquiry, however when one considers that such concerns were brought up a mere two months prior to the January 23 2006 election it is understandable why Liberals beleive they have nothing to hide.

From Canada's participation in the Afghanistan War in 2002 to November 2005 the policy of the Canadian government was to transfer detainees over to the American army....

Mr. Jaffer's sentence cer...

Cut and paste from a Frances Russell piece in the cause of rising deficits an...

Michael Vick, the former superstar quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons who flamed out, was convicted of being very, very, very bad to dogs under his control and did some time in jail for that malfeasance, said that he is "...very humbled..." The reason for his humility is that Mr. Vick is one of 32 NFL players, one from each team, to receive The Ed Block Courage Award.

He was honoured last night at an awards ceremony in Baltimore. The award, named after longtime Baltimore Colts trainer Ed Block, was first presented in 1978. It is voted on by players on each team and is awarded to their teammate who exemplifies the most courage on the squad. Typically it goes to a player coming back from a bad injury like award winners New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, San Diego Charge...

During Question Period today, I demanded that Premier Stelmach stop hurting Calgary and Edmonton by forcing school boards to close schools in urban cores. Municipal governments in Edmonton and Calgary are trying to revitalize their downtown cores but school closures make it impossible to attract families. Up to 70 schools in Edmonton alone could [...]

Living and campaigning on the Prairies for most of my adult life I'm quite familiar with the types of epithets used by hardcore Reformers/supporters when being asked about treaty rights on the doorstep (usually the opinion was forthcoming without any question)... This is why the recent announcement about treaty rights being extended makes me so overjoyed. Besides the obvious pandering, it is a delicious slap in the face of every xenophobic Reform-a-Tory in the land... And they STILL won't get the votes!

Positively delish!


-- Post From My iPhone

...

Everyone by now across the land knows about the Rahim Jaffer case. I’m not going to get into outrage mode over the seemingly light sentence; there’s plenty of others doing that. What amuses me is the Conservative outrage at the opposition parties for sticking them about that decision in the House during Members Statements and Question Period. Quite frankly, their anger is all sound and fury; they’re the ones who’ve been trying to portray themselves as the “law and order party”; yet when a former fellow MP of theirs gets off with a light sentence, they act all insulted that they’re getting taken to task for their muted reaction. If Jaffer is an ex-Liberal MP, you can almost be assured this bunch in power would be jumping up and down – not only...

BCL has an item today on some prominent Conservative bloggers presently in Israel on a trip sponsored by the CIC . I see a bit of glee in some reaction to this trip, of the wow, good for you variety. What you might think you'd see, however, would be some consideration of what it would mean to accept a trip like that, as expensive as it would be, for a blogger and how it might impact the credibility of what they might write in the future. Can anyone read their blogs without the knowledge from here on in that they have received this all expenses paid trip? No, and irrespective of the positio...

Kory Teneycke, a former spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said Jaffer is the one who owes the public an explanation and an apology.

"I think there are probably a lot of Canadians who are looking at this story right now and wondering how is it that these charges could be swept aside in such a manner," Teneycke told CTV. "It makes one wonder sometimes if there isn't two levels of justice, one for high-profile people and another for everybody else."

Ralph Goodale's Weekly Report...

Canadians don't want another election right n...

We liked this story by Sen. Mitchell so much, that we had to repost it...

It really bears repeating, over and over and over again, particularly when the bent logic of the Reform-a-Tory movement tries to skew the views of the populace...

...

Feds spend $6 billion to maintain 320 buildings- Politics - Canoe.ca

A horrible story that details massive waste. No oversight means bad spending decisions.

During the prorogation, I had the opportunity to spend some time with junior high and high school students in schools in and around Edmonton. At one school, a very successful Christian high school, the subject of constituency representation came up. The young man who raised it is clearly intelligent and very interested in politics. In response to something I said, he reacted with absolute surprise and said something like "You mean that a MP should not have to always do what constituents tell him (or her) to do?" Well, in fact, that is what I meant.

From the Star:

"Toews said their references to the judge's past Conservative connections had nothing to do with the Jaffer matter, and that he had told reporters that any decisions were up to the provincial prosecutors' office."

This time on this point Vic Toews is completely right.

First, no Canadian judge would make a decision based on an expressly political basis -- that just doesn't happen here.

Second, and just as telling, the judge in this case had no legal authority to do anything other than accept the Crown's withdrawing the criminal charges.

To be clear, the judge behaved exactly properly and any suggestion of inappropriate conduct is unwarranted and quite unfair.

The Crown has the full auth...

Okay... Not sure if I got this correct... All the facts, so to speak... Please correct me if I'm wrong:

- Jaffer stopped for apparently driving intoxicated, speeding (very much above posted speed), and what was indicated as possession of Cocaine...

- It was in the riding of his wife - Helen of Tory...

- The judge publicly admits, with a smile, "you got off easy"...

- Judge was supposedly appointed by Federal Conservative Justice Minister, when he was Provincial Conservative Attorney General...

- People of the same "political feather" tend to flock together, and in a small rural riding there is sure to be some "flocking" going on...

Curious... Flocking curious if you ask me... Coin-ki-dink city...

I'm assuming the Federal Conservatives are full o...

Small Dead Animals blogger Cyber Junk wonders if we shouldn’t be more concerned about plants than humans. Geraniums and Rhododendrons Launch Protest … for a greater carbon footprint: Plant growth shuts down at 150 ppm, so the Earth was within 30 ppm of disaster. Terrestrial life came close to being wiped out by a lack of CO2 in the atmosphere. If plants were doing climate science instead of us humans, they would have a different opinion about what is a dangerous carbon dioxide level. Update: The Geraniums bring in a heavy-hitter. Posted by Cjunk at 2:04 PM| Comments (14) (http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/013530.html) Wait for him to announce how to join PETP (People for Ethical Treatment of Plants). They’re just as crazy as PETA, and they hate humans even more....

Vic Family Values Toews has rushed to the defence of Rahim Jaffer. No doubt, just what Jaffer was hoping for. Maybe.
On the other hand the diatribe circulating from the pen of the 'Peg Family Man just might inflame Jaffer's smoldering political career further. Not to mention the Harper party reputation as defenders of all things family-related.
Kady O'Malley thinks Toews doth protest too much in his slagging of Mia Rabson, the Winnipeg Free Press, and David Akin. Setting aside that Kady has the "methinks" at the wrong end of the actual quote , and setting aside the pity that we cannot use...

A TTC guy at the Eglinton station just wished me a great day and complemented my tie. Some folks may be experiencing bad TTC service, but not me.

We are sexually active longer than women.

Don't take my word for it sports fans; I got this out of today's

There is a sad truth in this statement. I had lunch today with someone who discussed his days in Africa and we agreed that Robert Mugabe was a brutal tyrant who destroyed Zimbabwe.

We spoke openly and without fear -- because the tyrant is far far away.

Remember the old joke?

"Rabbi, is there a blessing for the Czar?

A blessing for the Czar? You want a blessing for the Czar?

Yes Rabbi, I do.

In that case, "may G-d bless and keep the Czar ... far away from us".
James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4

416 225 2777

www.jmortonmusings.blogspot.com...

The passenger was charged.

darl...

James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4

416 225 2777

www.jmortonmusings.blogspot.com

In The controversy surrounding Dr. Heartwell began when a former patient, Laurie Johnston, went public with her story of how she had a mastectomy at the hands of the skilled surgeon in 2009, only to find out two wee...

The headline in the The biggest bump for Team Blue was in British Columbia. But Allan...

Curiously,. Manitoba Hydro has been following the whistleblower's recommendations very precisely, even while discrediting her.

An email, now available from the Whistleblower to the CEO of Manitoba Hydro on September 8, 2008 lays out precisely her recommendations for the operation of Lake Winnipeg as a reservoir for Manitoba Hydro. In her email, she shows with her model the critical importance of having levels at or very close to 713.7 feet for Lake Winnipeg in March before the spring run off. The email is available at http://www.hydro.mb.ca/corporate/related_exhibits/48a.pdf

In the two years since Manitoba Hydro, even while publicly discrediting the whistleblower, has operated on Lake Winnipeg pre...

It's It is kind of odd that a 36...

...

Those dastardly Libs! I bet they would never agree to an investigation of their time in office... Inquiry Motion
Oh, so they voted for an inquiry on detainee issue for period from 2001-present? Well, that's just posturing, they'd never be serious to confront Govt if refused to call Inquiry... Order of Parliament
Oh, they were the ones that moved the Order of Parliament, to get uncensored documents to committee? Though to be fair, committee had already ordered the...

Well forget the fact that the judge used to be the Chief of Staff to the former Progressive Conservative Member of Parliam...

Literally...the Harper regime has taken their own sponsorship program down into the weeds...

...

S. 229(c) of the Criminal Code provides that culpable homicide is murder:

where a person, for an unlawful object, does anything that he knows or ought to know is likely to cause death, and thereby causes death to a human being, notwithstanding that he desires to effect his object without causing death or bodily harm to any human being.

This section has been challenged in  R. v. Roks, 2010 ONCA 182 on the basis that the section violates s. 7 of the Charter and cannot be saved by s. 1 because it allows for a murder conviction in the absence of an intent to cause death or grievous bodily harm. 

The issue is an important one and, if the section is found unconstitutional a number of murder changes currently outstanding would be reduced to mansl...

But the Habs are only 7 points out of first place in their division. Sure they only have 14 games left but they were able to do it back in 07-08...not that I'm comparing this team to that one.However pessimistic I've been about this team this season, I'm seeing a glimmer of hope here. The team is clicking right now. The best players are playing like best players. Pleks, Pouliot, Gomez, Gionta,

Here’s a link to Tim and I on Canada AM this morning. I think a lot of people are going to have a lot of explaining on this disgrace, as Tim himself appropriately pointed out:

Rahim Jaffer with his wife Helena "it's my fucking birthday" Guergis I don’t think I am going to be as tough on the Conservatives as a few other people have been, but there is definitely a point to be made. Although this was clearly a huge slap on the wrist I am not going to say I want the Conservative government to appeal the verdict. Nor am I going to imply that there was any sort of influencing on the judge or prosecutor – that is highly unlikely. All I want is one thing – an admission from our “tough on crime” government. An admission that this is the sort of thin...

Here's something new -- a guest post on US healthcare.

Would Health Care Reform Help You?

Many obstacles and stumbling blocks remain in the way of health care reform. The House and Senate bills will have to be merged, and then the House and Senate both will vote on the final bill. We don't yet know what will be in the final bill, or if the final bill will be passed into law. Passage will be especially difficult in the Senate, where it will need 60 votes to pass. It is still possible that after all this angst, just one grandstanding senator could kill the whole thing.

But just for fun, let's look at what conventional wisdom says will be in the final bill and see if there is anything in it that will be an immediate benefit to people with mesothelioma an...

This is why you don’t play with guns, or look down the barrel even in jest. == If only the Conservatives were as able to listen to public opinion when it comes to copyright law. I guess it really does make a difference when there are high paid lobbyists for large corporations arguing for a change in law and tradition, opposed to O Canada which has few special interests concerned with its content. Moreover, they would move Canada toward a three-strikes and you’re out approach that requires Internet providers to cut off subscriber access on three allegations of infringement. Canada’s successful “notice and notice” approach to addressing infringing content hosted by Internet providers – adopted by both Conservative and Liberal copyright bills – would...

...

So I don't usually delve into the world of celebrities but had to comment on the epic lack of foresight recently displayed by Lindsay Lohan and her lawyers. Yesterday my friend John M. pointed me to hilarious this story, which describes how Lindsay Lohan is suing E*Trade for $100M (yes you read that right) because, her lawyers claim, the advertisement posted below: violated Lohan's rights under New York state civil-rights law and used her "name and characterization" in business without paying her or getting her approval. So first, yes the add is hilarious. Second, I'm not really sure it has anything to do with Lohan. But lastly and most oddly: why is it that Lindsay thinks the ad is modeled after her? Because of the term milkaholic (as in a baby version of "alcoholic"...) I'm not s...

The Canadian Israel Committee (CIC) has, in its wisdom, chosen to send Kathy Shaidle (Five Foot), husband Arnie , and Kate from SDA off to Israel to...I don't know quite what--wander around and be terribly zealous, I suppose. Arnie describes their arrival:

We arrived in Tel Aviv at 6pm after a 12 hour direct flight & met up with our guide Uri and our Mossad controller, from there we drove straight to Jerusalem, checked in to the hote...

Maybe I misread it but his announcement is relying on the Province doing what it says it won't -- no strings attached payments for transit.

Hebert's column today highlights a sentiment that needs to be exploited by the Liberals. I think Ignatieff was wise to gently enter the debate surrounding Bouchard's recent comments on sovereignty. However, we really haven't seen any followup, nor is the Liberal strategy in Quebec apparent, or denoting any urgency. In reality, since the Coderre dustup, the Liberals have been pretty much dormant in Quebec, no overtures or concerted campaigns.

I believe the Montreal Conference could be an interesting springboard, but beyond that, the ground is fertile for the Liberals to seize the initiative, position themselves as the federalist alternative, and in so...

Even before this story about the Martin government being complacent broke, Conservative commentators...

If David Miller announces he has changed his mind and will run for mayor of Toronto , Rocco Rossi should withdraw and endorse George Smitherman.

Stephen Harper has been a huge proponent of increasing Canada's presence in the Americas. In fact, he's been criticized for making a priority of the Americas over everything else. Well, here's Harper's opportunity to actually do something to strengthen Canada's relationship with the continent's other superpower, Brazil. See, there's a trade war a-brewing between the US and Brazil over US cotton subsidies. The US is unlikely to budge because, well, have you watched the US Senate lately? Brazil probably sees this as an opportunity to ween itself from America's influence and has a vested (all puns intended) interested in protecting its own cotton industry. The great news is Canada doesn't produce a whole lot of cotton and has n...

So I don't usually delve into the world of celebrities but had to comment on the epic lack of foresight recently displayed by Lindsay Lohan and her lawyers. Yesterday my friend John M. pointed me to hilarious this story, which describes how Lindsay Lohan is suing E*Trade for $100M (yes you read that right) because, her lawyers claim, the advertisement posted below: violated Lohan's rights under New York state civil-rights law and used her "name and characterization" in business without paying her or getting her approval. So first, yes the add is hilarious. Second, I'm not really sure it has anything to do with Lohan. But lastly and most oddly: why is it that Lindsay thinks the ad is modeled after her? Because of the term milkaholic (as in a baby version of "alcoholic"...) I'm not s...

Some interesting tidbits have popped up and (much below) a non-partisan discussion is threatening to break out on justice matters.
First...Criticisms of the Great Tactician himself and his recent Drone Speech have appeared. A speech that was needlessly long and for no apparent reason singled out Oh Canada for special mention.
Nonsense! says L. Ian MacDonald (not a usual critic of the Harper regime) . Today he outlines the "National Anthem" fiasco. In a fell swoop of rhetorical question and answer he lays bare Harper's ownership of the bad decision and the control freak process that is the hallmark of the Harper style:

In the ann...

Responding to accusations that maybe Jim Flaherty shouldn't have spent $3,000 for a double-double hours after talking about belt tightening, John Baird shot back :

You know, this...

Mark Griffin , former traitor , spouts the new government policy for rural development which is, to be sure exactly the same policy as other every other government before (save one) that didn't have any idea what to do to develop the economy successfully either:  shift public service jobs into town and create new public service ones.

Send us a prison says lawyer Mark and quickly too before all that "political capital" is burned up.

Mark.

Bubbie.

We are in a pre-election period.

It could be we are in a pre-leadership period on top of that.

Over the next two years the...

Mayor David Miller was to make an "important announcement" at 9:30 Wednesday morning, fuelling speculation that ranged from him leaving office early, all the way to a shock bid for re-election.

Stay tuned!!!!!

As I write this, I’m in the CTV Agincourt parking lot – about to do Canada AM on the disgrace that is the Rahim Jaffer “sentence.” And I’m doing radio hits on David Miller’s big announcement this morning. What do the two cases have in common? Nothing – other than we are well to be rid of both Messrs. Jaffer and Miller in our politics, I think.

The Harper justice agenda is under fire this week due to recent court actions in Ontario. Many questions are being raised about just why the regime is intent upon pursuing its "build more prisons and we'll fill 'em" that approach to justice.

"It'...