Task Force on the Future of Canada

The Deep Integration Agenda Continues

A friend said:

"I knew this last year. If you look at the FTAA negotiations
and also about the secret table John Manley sits at regarding
the harmonization of the military and the police, you know
what they are up to, to put it bluntly, Paul Martin slops at
the same trough as all the other globalists. He may cry
crocodile tears when looking at devastation, but he would
have to go a hell of a long ways to convince me that he isn't
a duck...."
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Council of Canadians
News [14-Feb-05]

Confidential task force document reveals
true business agenda for Canada

OTTAWA - A confidential document from the
Task Force on the Future of North America
confirms the Council of Canadians' worst fears:
Canada's business elite are planning to push the
country toward deeper integration with the United
States, including abandoning protections for culture
and fresh water.

The task force is a joint project of the Council of
Foreign Relations (CFR) in the U.S., the Mexican
Council of Foreign Relations (MCFR), and the Canadian
Council of Chief Executives (CCCE). It is co-chaired by
former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley and
Tom d'Aquino, Chief Executive of the CCCE. The
document, reported in today's Toronto Star, is a
summary of the task force's first meeting, which
took place in Toronto in October 2004.

"The agenda is a virtual carbon copy of the CCCE's
North American Security and Prosperity Initiative,
which Tom d'Aquino has been selling since 9/11.
If you think this is just an external task force with
little influence, think again. One recommendation,
an annual Summit of the three countries' leaders,
has already been implemented," says Maude Barlow,
National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians.
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Analysis from a friend:

Among the "contentious" issues discussed
in the document are:

* Eliminating current NAFTA exemptions for
culture and certain sectors of agriculture.
* "Crafting a North American 'resource pact'
that would allow for greater intra-regional trade
and investment in certain non-renewable natural
resources, such as oil, gas, and fresh water."
* Creating an integrated North American electrical
grid.....[..]
* A "North American brand name" - one suggestion
is to portray North America as a sort of "club of
privileged members." The North American identity
is also to be reinforced through the education system.
* A "North American security perimeter," .....[..]
* "Common exclusion lists for people from third
countries."
* A "North American passport." ...[..]
* "Increased consultation on monetary policy,
with the understanding that some form of North
American currency union could become feasible in
the future."
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"It's clear that what this task force has in
mind is a North American common market..."

Maude Barlow, National Chairperson Council of Canadians.
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Bush's Canadian Fans Get Big Idea on Oil

Braun Mcash, (25-Nov-2004).

Provincial Budget - Fact or Fiction

Campbell's BC Government Budget

An exercept:

February 15, 2005 - BALANCED BUDGET 2005

VICTORIA — A strong economy and sound fiscal management paved the way for tax reductions benefiting lower and modest income British Columbians, increased funding for health, education and other key programs, and a record $1.7 billion debt reduction, Finance Minister Colin Hansen said today as he tabled Balanced Budget 2005.

Finance Minister’s speech and more about details on this year’s budget.

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Political Connections - By Bill Tieleman 

Curmudgeon Explains the Throne Speech

Publish Date: 17-Feb-2005

"Andy Rooney" laughs at Liberal "jokesters".

Did you ever hear one of these corny, positive messages on someone's answering machine? "Hi, it's a great day and I'm out enjoying it right now. I hope you are too. The thought for the day is: 'Share the love.'

Beep. "Uh, yeah...this is the VD clinic calling... Speaking of being positive, your test results are back. Stop sharing the love." -- Andy Rooney

Political Connections columnist Bill Tieleman was so confused by the B.C. Liberal government's throne speech last week that he begged his curmudgeon friend Andy Rooney of CBS's 60 Minutes to explain its positive message to readers.
===================================================
Count-Me-In Campaign Notebook -
BC Federation of Labour

February 16, 2005: Issue 7

PROVINCIAL BUDGET

Analysis of BC's good news election budget was mixed
today, with most commentators agreeing that the Liberals'
plan to inject more than $236 million into social and
economic projects is little more than an election slush fund.

"After slashing services in rural BC, it appears Premier
Campbell is going on a buying spree," noted B.C. Federation
of Labour President Jim Sinclair.

For in-depth analysis of the BC Budget, please visit
the following pages:

http://www.strategicthoughts.com/

http://www.policyalternatives.ca

Speaker restricts NDP questions

Speaker restricts NDP questions

Last Updated Feb 10 2005 05:07 PM PST CBC News

VICTORIA – New Democrats say they're disappointed and stunned by new limits imposed on question period in the B.C. legislature by Speaker Claude Richmond. Richmond told the house on Thursday that MLAs must follow strict time lines in posing questions, so more than three people can ask questions during the 15-minute question period. He said members must take no longer than a minute to pose their first question, 30 seconds for the supplementary and 20 seconds for the second supplementary question. The Speaker noted that with an election in May, "emotions and adrenaline are running high." And he cited Wednesday 's raucous question period as an example of what he wants to avoid. It was the first question period of the new session. And with the government admitting it wouldn't be able to keep its promise to create 5,000 new long-term care beds by next years, the NDP had lots of ammunition. A day later, the new limits were imposed. FROM FEB. 9, 2005: Liberals fall short of promise to seniors NDP house leader Joy MacPhail says she wonders just who's afraid of her three-member caucus – adding it will now be more difficult to hold the government to account. "All of a sudden there are brand new rules that never existed for question period before, no notice, no heads up, no consultation from the Speaker's office, and I need to know why," she says. At 15 minutes, the question period in the B.C. legislature is already the shortest in the Commonwealth.

Health Canada withdraws ADHD drug

Health Canada withdraws ADHD drug
Last Updated Thu, 10 Feb 2005 23:45:40 EST

OTTAWA - A drug to treat attention deficit disorder
is being pulled off the market by Canadian regulators,
who are reviewing the safety of similar drugs such as Ritalin.

The drug, called Adderall XR, has been linked to 20 sudden
deaths, including 14 among children, as well as a dozen strokes,
Health Canada said. Children suffered two of the strokes.

None of the deaths happened in Canada, and none were the
result of abuse, misuse or overdose of the amphetamine.

<>FROM MAY 26, 2003: Generic drugs can look like original:
Philadelphia court
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Can’t choose your neighbours
Feb, 10 2005 - 1:00 PM
VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) – Residents of a small
community south of Duncan say a judge has rejected
an attempt to keep a young killer out of a group home
in the neighbourhood in Sahtlam.

As a young offender the offender killed a relative.

Security on the home has been increased and neighbours
have heard the man will be under round the clock guard
but privacy regulations are preventing them from getting
more information.
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Why do people think young people turn to such drastic
and aggressive behaviour? In many ways, their families
and community failed them long ago, failed to protect
them, include them, respect and take care of them.
Young people deserve the chance for re-habilitation
and re-integration into community. If it is denied, they
will make the only choice available and live outside of
society's rules, morals, values and laws. And they will
continue to leave a path of destruction and pain in
their wake. As a society and a community, we must
choose to offer all youth positive opportunities, human
rights and inclusion.

Pivot & Child Care & BC Govt. Computer Security

Pivot Legal Society

Located in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Pivot is a non-profit legal advocacy organization that focuses its efforts strategically to address the legal and human rights challenges commonly faced by those on the fringes of society, such as sex workers, illegal drug addicts, and the homeless.

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Child care advocates make feelings known to minister
Feb, 10 2005 - 4:00 PM

VANCOUVER (CKNW/AM980)-- The federal Minister of Social Development meets with his provincial counterparts tomorrow to work out the details of a new child care agreement, and today, child care advocates asked Ken Dryden to make sure that all of the funding promised for that program stays in child care.

They say B.C. has received nearly a quarter billion dollars for early childhood development over the past four years, but the provincial government keeps slashing its own child care budget.

Debra Mayer with the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada says politicians have been promising a national childcare program for more than two decades, and now it's time to ante up.

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BC Government to increase computer security
Feb, 10 2005 - 10:00 AM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) – The B-C government is spending an extra eight million dollars over the next two years to increase the security of its computer systems.

Management Services Minister Joyce Murray says that’s a 75 percent boost in I-T security spending, made necessary by the rising tide of computer viruses and spam.

Murray says there were 8-million attempts to infect government computers with viruses and worms.

The state's obligation to children

As Prilleltensky (2001) wrote in Chapter 3 "...the state also has an obligation to attend to children, not only in the form of protection from harm, but in securing sufficeint material resources as well. For children to get their fair share they require strong-willed advocates."

Prilleltensky, Nelson, & Peirson (2001). Promoting Family Wellness and Preventing Child Maltreatment. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.

The Beginning of a New Idea

From my perspective, it seems that systems should be more flexible, some families need some support, easy to access community resources, including universal daycare. Some families do well with brief, intensive solution-focused work. There are other families that need longer term intervention in a variety of ways. I really found Chapter 5 in Prilleltensky(2001) very informative in thinking about how to move away from more reactive services and create more responsive, proactive programs that promote family wellness and reduce child harm.

Goddess Kali, Creator & Destroyer 

Welcome to Kali Advocacy Project

Well, here I am, my first blog. And I started it at 1:20am, when I should be sleeping. Work is affecting my brain too much tonight, so I had to get up and this is where I found myself. It's been a while in coming though. I have been trying out different web formats for this project, but hadn't settled on one, nothing really fit. Maybe this is it. I will have to put some thought into this & learn how things work. Will post more about the project later, when I am procrastinating from writing papers or something, I seem to be my most creative and motivated then. Goodnight.