Feb 13, 2015
Globe and Mail – Ed Broadbent and Roy Romanov
Parliament must reject the anti-terror bill
“The Harper government has been effective in piling up our security anxieties. But actual material and strategic support for pursuing security needs have not been this government’s priority… The Prime Minister should withdraw this bill. If it is not withdrawn, Parliament should vote it down. Possibly, then, a more limited and focused statute would be worth debating.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/parliament-must-reject-the-anti-terror-bill/article22932072/ Related article: Toronto Star – Thomas Walkom Weak-kneed opposition lets Conservative terror bill sail through http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/02/03/weak-kneed-opposition-lets-conservative-terror-bill-sail-through-walkom.html# Related article: National Post – Terry Glavin A whiff of totalitarianism in Bill C-51 http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/11/terry-glavin-a-whiff-of-totalitarianism-in-bill-c-51/
National Newswatch – Tamsyn Burgmann
Overriding high court like ‘nuclear bomb’: MacKay
Justice Minister Peter MacKay has outlined three possible responses to the Supreme Court directive on right-to-die. “The Supreme Court’s ruling specifically strikes the ban against doctors helping mentally sound patients who are experiencing enduring and intolerable suffering to end their lives.” As possible responses, MacKay cites the not-withstanding clause, letting the law lapse entirely or crafting a parliamentary substitute. Complicating the decision for the federal conservatives is the private member’s bill currently before the House sponsored by Winnipeg-area Conservative MP Steven Fletcher, who is quadriplegic. http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2015/02/11/overriding-top-courts-assisted-death-ruling-like-nuclear-bomb-mackay/#.VNzBnC5QRUZ Related article: MacLean’s – Editorial (Feb 11, 2015) http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/what-comes-after-the-supreme-courts-assisted-suicide-ruling/
Globe and Mail
Eleven facts about the gap between First Nations and the rest of Canada
This link is a two minute plus video out lining the stats that illustrate the disparity between the Aboriginal and the average Canadian. The site offers a further analysis of possible responses to the disparity from a variety of leaders. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/news-video/video-rich-country-poor-nations-11-startling-statistics-about-the-disparity-between-indigenous-people-and-the-rest-of-canada/article22852873/ Related article: Globe and Mail Hayden King – Rich Country, Poor Nations – First Nations crisis is about land. We need a new settlement http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/hayden-king-first-nations-crisis-is-about-land-we-need-a-new-settlement/article22887364/ Related article: Globe and Mail – Jane Smylie Rich Country, Poor Nations – Put an end to racism in the ER http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/put-an-end-to-racism-in-the-er/article22902617/
Windsor Star – Trevor Wilhelm
Brutal murder of pregnant woman prompts calls for changes to the law
Cassandra Kaake was at 30 months gestation when she was brutally murdered and mutilated. The case has sparked a movement by Kim Badour, a friend, who is supporting a private member’s bill introduced in 2008 petition to change the Criminal Code. The petition is called Molly Matters: Reconsider and Pass Bill C-484. The Bill received second reading but was then dropped and Badour wants it back. Others, including University of Windsor law professor David Tanovich, think that since such murders are often by domestic partners, the better solution is to address the domestic violence issue rather than adding a second murder charge. http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/brutal-murder-of-pregnant-woman-prompts-calls-for-changes-to-the-law
N. Y. Times – Timothy Williams
Jails Have Become Warehouses for the Poor, Ill and Addicted, a Report Says
They are “too poor to post bail or too ill with mental health or drug problems to adequately care for themselves” says a report by VERA Institute of Justice. In Ferguson, Missouri, a group of citizens have sued the city on the grounds that the city has “created an unconstitutional modern-day debtors’ prison, putting impoverished people behind bars in overcrowded, unlawful and unsanitary conditions.” http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/11/us/jails-have-become-warehouses-for-the-poor-ill-and-addicted-a-report-says.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
Global News
Seniors rule the roost at new concept Saskatchewan care home
Orange Memories Care Home in Rosetown, SK, wants to change the notion of a senior care facility: they want the seniors to make the rules and to be in charge. The Director of Care goes to the senior themselves to find out what they want. What a refreshing idea – to empower the seniors to do what they did for lifetime in making good sensible decisions about themselves! “It’s not an institution, it’s a home and everyone is one big family,” said resident Ross Hayes. http://globalnews.ca/news/1825394/new-concept-care-home-opens-in-rosetown-sask/