Jagmeet Singh and Roy Moore – A Tale of Two Nations

Take a long hard look at Jagmeet Singh. Who is this man, where was the photo taken, does he frighten you, make you nervous? If seated next to him on a flight, would you ask to change seats, initiate conversation, bury your head in a book? All you have is an image and name –  faith, politics and geography determine whether you see a smile or menacing scowl.

Enough playing around – allow me to introduce Jagmeet Singh, as of October 1, 2017, leader of the federal New Democrat Party. World media qualifies Singh as “Canada’s first non-white politician to lead a national party”, and first “turban wearing Sikh to sit as a legislator in Ontario”. Apparently it never occurred to world media someone should ask  Canadians for perspective. Had anyone bothered, it wouldn’t fall on my shoulders to tell you Canadian tongues aren’t wagging over Singh’s colourful turbans. It makes no difference to us, all we see is a fresh face and youthful enthusiasm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagmeet_Singh

https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/kz7xjn/theres-good-reason-to-be-optimistic-about-jagmeet-singh

Singh’s turban isn’t remarkable, Canada’s Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan sports a tidy turban. We’re not shielding our children’s eyes or spewing right wing hatred of secret religious agendas.

Hargit Sajjan

Time to meet Roy Moore, Alabama Republican gearing up to face Democrat Doug Jones in December election to fill senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions.Moore isn’t one to distinguish between Sikh and Muslim, one look at Singh would send Roy into Biblical orbit. Moore’s record of fundamentalist absurdity reads like an extremist right wing manifesto. Where to begin, do I start with once a Judge Roy suspended twice from the position of Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court – first for refusing to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments outside the Alabama Justice Building, again for instructing probate judges to enforce a state ban on same sex marriages despite a federal ruling that found it unconstitutional. Heck no, that would be regular crazy, Moore”s crazy deserves a shrine of shame. Ponder 9/11 and the Sandy Hook massacre being God’s way of punishing America for lack of religious commitment. He rejects evolution, wants homosexuality to be against the law, opposes homosexuals running for political office, wants to ban Muslims from entering politics, opposes preschool because attendees are “much more likely to learn a liberal social and political philosophy”, doesn’t believe Obama is a U.S. citizen and believes God put Trump in the White House.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore

Jagmeet Singh champions all that Roy Moore abhors. Jagmeet Singh wouldn’t be possible in America, Roy Moore couldn’t exist in Canada. Ponder that as a tale of two nations.

 

Frustration, Assault or Freaking Awesome?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped jaws yesterday. In a display of overt frustration, Trudeau called bat shit on further delays to a vote on bill C-14 – the legalization of physician assisted suicide. Trudeau’s majority Liberal Party halted debate, asking members to vote. The trouble is voting can’t commence until all members are seated. A group of NDP MP’s, including Tom Mulcair surrounded opposition Conservative Party whip Gord Brown. Suddenly Trudeau crosses the floor, assertively taking Brown’s arm to lead him past the cluster of NDP.

Without question, Trudeau’s actions were unexpected. In his determination to eradicate exasperating nonsense, NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau was jostled as Justin turned to exit the throng. Holy crap – polite Canadian politics don’t get better than this! Take a minute to watch the clip –

Trudeau’s behavior might not have been the most appropriate – as realized in his immediate apology and further expression of regret today. But assault, manhandling of MP Brosseau? Come on people – settle down. Suck it up Brosseau, quit whining long enough to realize the genesis of Trudeau’s frustration. Sit down, cast your vote and be done with it.

As far as I’m concerned, it was freaking awesome. Freak points for daring to bend political conformity, awesome status for creating scandal based on honest emotion rather than greed, corruption or blatant lies.

Meet Canada’s New Minister of National Defence

On November 3, 2015 Justin Trudeau was sworn in as Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister. Introduction of his 31 cabinet ministers evaporating any doubt Canada was back on track. True to his word, gender equality and regional representation serve our country, but fall short of capturing the diverse essence of our nation reborn.

Former astronaut Marc Garneau – Minister of Transport, Kent Hehr paralyzed at 19 by  stray bullets in a drive by shooting – Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defense.  Maryam Monsef, the 30 year old rookie MP who fled Afghanistan at age 11 with her widowed mother and sisters. Canada’s first Afghan-Canadian MP – now presiding over Democratic Institutions.

Astronaut, physical disability and young female refugee aside, Harjit Sajjan our newly appointed Minister of National Defence epitomizes Trudeau’s Canada.

Born in India, Harjit’s family immigrated to Canada when he was 5. As a member of the Canadian Armed Forces (now retired lieutenant-colonel Sajjan) participated in four deployments (one to Bosnia, 3 to Afghanistan). The first Sikh to command a Canadian army regiment, he has been awarded thirteen honours for distinguished military service. Harjit also served 11 years with the Vancouver Police Department, selected as Detective with the Gang Crime Unit.

Order of Military Merit
Meritorious Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (Afghanistan)
General Campaign Star (Afghanistan)
Mention in Dispatch
Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
NATO Service Medal (Bosnia)
Golden Jubilee Medal
Diamond Jubilee Medal
Canadian Forces’ Decoration
US Army Commendation Medal
Chief of Defence Staff Commendation
Deputy Minister Award (Department of National Defence)

Linked below, a full list of Liberal cabinet ministers.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-trudeau-cabinet-read-the-full-list-ofministers/article27095965/

Harjit Sajjan

Sworn in as Minister of National Defence

Harjit Sajjan replaces outgoing Conservative Defence Minister Jason Kenney. Born in Ontario, raised in rural Saskatchewan, Kenney studied philosophy at the Jesuit University of San Francisco.  29 year old Kenney became a career politician in 1997 when elected as a Reform Party MP. Under Harper, Kenney served multiple ministerial appointments – Employment and Social Development, Multiculturalism, Citizenship and Immigration – assuming the position of Defence Minister earlier this year.

Highlights of his Defence Minister legacy include – claiming Russian warships confronted the Canadian Navy (stated Russian fighters “buzzed” the HMCS Fredericton at low altitude while it took part in a NATO exercise off Ukraine) A claim NATO politely clarified – Russian ships could be seen on the horizon, nobody got buzzed. He pulled a “George Bush” to secure support for Canadian air strikes in Syria, claiming of the coalition forces, only the U.S. and Canada had planes capable of using precision guided munitions – proved to be utter nonsense, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates were perfectly capable of precision guidance. Unfazed, Kenney tweeted a photograph of Ashura procession (a Shia Muslim observance to commemorate the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Imam Hussain ) as an image of ISIS slaves.

Jason Kenney

If Trudeau’s cabinet is any indication, Canadians have a lot to feel good about. Harper’s pompous shenanigans gather dust, Jason Kenney’s re-election is irrelevant, and our new Minister of National Defence is a turban clad distinguished military veteran born in India. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Better Angels of Our Nature

Last night Canada remembered what it meant to be Canadian. Ours isn’t a nation of hysterical fear. Slick manipulation of truth can’t sway us. Average citizens can change the world – we proved financial might doesn’t make right. Canada demolished conservative values, we recognized those values for what they were – self serving, hypocritical poppycock.

Trudeau’s solid majority exceeded my wildest dreams. Then came his victory speech. Holy crap, this is too good – Trudeau unleashed his inner Abraham Lincoln. From Lincoln’s inauguration speech –

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Justin Trudeau last night –

“You can appeal to the better angels of our nature and you can win while doing that.”

“We beat fear with hope. We beat cynicism with hard work. We beat negative politics,” Trudeau told the cheering crowd. “In Canada, better is always possible.”

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln shared a rough draft of his inaugural speech with Secretary of State William Seward. Seward recommended revisions for Lincoln to consider. including “better angels” from Charles Dickens novel Barnaby Rudge. Seward admired Dickens, Lincoln was moved and adapted “our better angels” into “better angels of our nature” in his inaugural speech.

As an aside – Dickens, simply because it’s worth pondering –

“The thoughts of worldly men are for ever regulated by a moral law of gravitation, which, like the physical one, holds them down to earth. The bright glory of day, and the silent wonders of a starlit night, appeal to their minds in vain. There are no signs in the sun, or in the moon, or in the stars, for their reading. They are like some wise men, who, learning to know each planet by its Latin name, have quite forgotten such small heavenly constellations as Charity, Forbearance, Universal Love, and Mercy, although they shine by night and day so brightly that the blind may see them; and who, looking upward at the spangled sky, see nothing there but the reflection of their own great wisdom and book-learning…

“It is curious to imagine these people of the world, busy in thought, turning their eyes towards the countless spheres that shine above us, and making them reflect the only images their minds contain…So do the shadows of our own desires stand between us and our better angels, and thus their brightness is eclipsed. (italics added)

 

Harper Song – Mr. Harper Goodbye

Dear Stephen Harper,

Tomorrow Canadian voices rejoice in song –

“Bye, bye Mr. Harper goodbye. With your psychopathic ways and your evil eye, if you had your way you’d bleed Canada dry. As a leader you don’t qualify, so Mr. Harper goodbye.”

Secret Little Harper Scandal

Do the names Bruce Carson or the Canada School of Energy and Environment (CSEE) ring a bell? I’m guessing not.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper made convicted fraudster Bruce Carson a top adviser and point person on sensitive files including the oilsands and Afghanistan.

Stephen Harper is well acquainted with Carson, a man the RCMP describe as “one of the Prime Minister’s longest serving advisers”. From 2009 – 2011 Carson, Nigel Wright (Harper’s Chief of Staff who resigned in 2013 over the Mike Duffy Senate scandal) and a cluster of energy industry CEOs ran CSEE at the University of Calgary.

In 2007 the Conservative government budgeted $15 million tax payer dollars to the University of Calgary for creation of a university “think-tank” exploring smart energy research. University president Harvey Weingarten and climate change scientist David Keith had pitched the idea to Harper’s senior policy adviser Bruce Carson. (who happened to be on loan to Environment Canada, mending fences in the wake of Canada’s refusal to honour the Kyoto Protocol on climate change). Fast forward a year – Carson leaves the Prime Minister’s office for his new position at U of C, executive director of CSEE. Never mind his lack of energy or academic credentials, apparently a fruitless international recruitment search deemed Carson the best man for the job.

Immediately apparent was a “centre of excellence for Canada research, policy and advice”, supposedly focused on developing clean energy and protection of the environment, doing nothing of the sort. Carson steered CSEE away from clean energy research, setting the stage  for what ” became a front for industry lobbying and government propaganda at taxpayers expense’. Clean energy research, replaced by flagrant partisan objectives to rid public perceptions of “dirty oil”.

Bruce Carson was known for referring to himself as the”mechanic”, a “political fixer who got things done in the corridors of power”. Stephen Harper wasn’t bothered by Carson’s criminal past, a good mechanic is worth their weight in gold. The Law Society of Upper Canada disbarred Carson in the 80s for defrauding clients of countless dollars. In 1990 Carson pleaded guilty to defrauding a car rental agency and bank out of thousands more dollars. Of note – 9 of the 15 million dollar federal operating grant for CSEE was allocated towards Carson’s salary, travel and operating expenses.

Carson’s latest criminal charge, “influence peddling” has gone to trial and is waiting judgement. Pull up your panties Canada, it’s about to get juicy.

Between 2010/11 Ottawa water filtration company H2O Pros wanted to sell filtration systems to First Nations people. (You know, those aboriginal communities who’ve had to boil drinking water for 17 years). For Carson’s assistance in the matter, a cut of H2O sales would go to Michelle McPherson, Carson’s 22 year old fiancee, a former “escort” worker 44 years younger than Carson. Carson who worked with Indian Affairs and Northern Development and co-chaired a task force on native land claims pleaded not guilty, electing for trial by judge not jury. Below, excerpts of Carson’s statements to RCMP following his arrest –

“There was nothing done here that was in my view untoward at all and to end up being in this situation where the time of a whole lot of people is being taken up because of this, I’m profoundly sorry, I am just sick over the whole thing,” he told two police interrogators in a meeting arranged by his lawyer McCann.

“I never thought when Michele mentioned this to me we would ever be in this kind of a situation,” said Carson, now unemployed. “The whole thing completely threw me.”

Michele McPherson: at age 22 she became Bruce Carson’s live-in girlfriend and business partner selling water filtration systems to First Nations reserves. The business collapsed when RCMP charged Carson with influence peddling.

Obvious doesn’t need to be beaten on the head – stop Stephen Harper. Read the full story written by Andrew Nikiforuk in The Tyee.

http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/10/05/Canada-Biggest-Unheard-Political-Scandal/

VOTE

Canada –

Spare the “I’m not voting because no candidate inspires me” and “I’m going to spoil my ballot in protest”. Stop professing your conscience, or state of apathetic delusion somehow justifies an act of superior fictional morality.

Look at the face of Stephen Harper, ask yourself if all the highfalutin excuses in the world are worth keeping this man in power.

Put aside the asinine notion that “not voting” somehow makes you a folk hero. Grow up Canada, this election determines the future of our once great nation. This man has done everything possible to keep young voters away from the polls, prove him wrong. Vote to stop Stephen Harper.

(This is not an endorsement for the Liberal Party of Canada, their logo just happened to be attached to the image I wanted – vote strategically and make it count. Anything to stop Harper)

Liberals Attacked in Ming Pao

Any who doubt how low the Conservative party of Canada will go – ponder Liberal attack ads placed in Ming Pao. Attack ads claiming a Liberal election victory would unleash legalized prostitution, complete with brothels in every neighborhood.  Drug injection sites and the horror of legal marijuana sold to children.

Ming Pao is a Chinese language publication. According to a 2011 survey, this Hong Kong based “economic and political” publication is read by over 277,000 Vancouver citizens a day.

The fact Justin Trudeau, the Liberal party, nor a single Liberal candidate has ever expressed such nonsense, has apparently been deemed irrelevant with an election to win. Text below from a post by Larissa Cahute –

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/10/13/translating-the-claims-of-a-conservative-ad-in-chinese-language-media/

“Liberals want to legalize marijuana, would allow children easier access”

According to Liberal.ca, the party’s stance on marijuana is that it plans to “legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana,” which it also describes as a way to “ensure that we keep marijuana out of the hands of children.”

The platform goes on to state: “We will remove marijuana consumption and incidental possession from the Criminal Code, and create new, stronger laws to punish more severely those who provide it to minors, those who operate a motor vehicle while under its influence, and those who sell it outside of the new regulatory framework.”

So while the Liberals would like to legalize marijuana, they still plan to regulate and restrict its access, especially to minors.

“Liberals want to install illegal drug injection sites in your neighbourhoods.”

While we couldn’t find anything on Liberal.ca covering the party’s stance on safe injection sites, Justin Trudeau has previously said that, yes, he is in favour of safe injection sites — along with the New Democrats and a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that said Insite saves lives, according to an article published in the Globe and Mail in August 2015.

Located in Vancouver, Insite is the only legal supervised drug injection site in Canada where visitors can inject themselves with heroin, cocaine and morphine.

And according to an article published in The Georgia Straight earlier this year, Trudeau also addressed the topic during a visit to UBC in March:

“I disagree with loosening any of the prohibition on harder drugs,” Trudeau said. “I think that there is much that we can and should be doing around harm reduction. Insite is a great model of that, and I certainly want to see more safe injection sites opened around the country. And I am firm on the fact marijuana needs to be controlled and regulated and that prohibition isn’t working. But I’m not in favour of loosening restrictions on harder drugs.”

So while Trudeau doesn’t appear to have concrete plans to open another safe injection site “in your neighbourhoods,” he does openly support Insite.

The office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper weighed in on the ad Tuesday evening, saying “Justin refuses to acknowledge the damage that drugs do to families and communities. He wants to allow the sale of marijuana in corner stores and increase the number of heroin injection sites, dangerously misguided policies that would only make drugs more accessible to our children.”

“Liberals want to legalize prostitution, have them open brothels in your neighbourhoods.”

An email to The Province from a Tory representative defends this claim by referencing Trudeau’s vote against Bill C-36 (which criminalizes the purchasing of sex) in October 2014. However, we haven’t found anything on Liberal.ca that addresses opening “brothels in your neighbourhoods.”

 ***********************************************************************

Below, English translation at CTV News site –

“Liberal Party wants to make marijuana a legal drug that can be easily accessible for our children,” reads a translation of the ad provided to CTV News. “Liberal Party wants to set up legal drug injection sites around your alley.”

“Liberal Party wants to legalize prostitution and allow it in your community. This message does not match our [Conservative] value.”

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/fact-or-fear-conservative-attack-ad-raising-eyebrows-in-vancouver-1.2610195

My head hurts. Please Canada – stop Stephen Harper.

Renounce Your Heritage

Since June of 2011, Nigerian born Ubaka Ogbogu has been an Assistant professor at University of Alberta in Edmonton. Cross-appointed to the Faculties of Law and Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. A member of the Faculty’s Health Law Institute, his interests center on science and health policy, bioethics and bio-medicine, health law, public health law, legal history of public health and health care in Canada and the law of medical malpractice and health care torts. Currently he’s researching the history of smallpox vaccination policy in nineteenth century Canada. Below – a link to his professional and academic credentials.

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Ubaka-Ogbogu/895104311

Ubaka Ogbogu strikes me as a man we’re fortunate to have. Thoughtful, intelligent, engaged, ethical and forward thinking. Heck, he even has a poetry blog. A family man with two Canadian born children, Ogbogu clearly enriches our nation.

Ponder the knock on his front door a few days ago. Face to face with James Cumming (Conservative candidate in Ogbogu’s riding) a perfect opportunity to question Cumming on Conservative support for Bill C-24. Officially the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, C-24 would allow government to revoke Canadian citizenship from dual-citizens convicted of crimes such as terrorism. Cumming began by “reiterating speaking points”, Ogbogu tossed back a hypothetical “what if I was implicated in a serious crime, would my Canadian born daughters be sent back to Nigeria”. Allegedly, Cumming responded with candid advice,  Ogbogu should “renounce his heritage”.

“Just to make sure I wasn’t crazy, I asked him … and he repeated himself,” Ogbogu said. “It was a moment of real honesty.”

“He then said to me if the law was a concern to me, I should renounce my heritage and I’ll be OK,” he said. “Those were his exact words.

“I was dumbfounded”

Ogbogu said he asked Cumming how long his ancestors had been in Canada. On learning Cumming was a second generation Canadian from Britain, Ogbogu replied, “how are we different?”.

Interviewed by Huffington Post on Wednesday, Cumming denied saying any such thing, issuing the following statement –

“The statements attributed to me are completely false.

I merely explained to the individual that Bill C-24 only allows for revocation of citizenship from individuals convicted of the most serious acts of disloyalty to Canada (terrorism, treason, spying, or taking up arms against Canada), and that unless he was planning on committing those acts, he had absolutely nothing to worry about.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10/07/ubaka-ogbobu-james-cumming-renounce-heritage_n_8258844.html?ir=Canada

Now what? Do we take the word of a door knocking Conservative, the politician whose leader banks on “old stock Canadians”, or the immigrant law professor? Which one is most likely to misinterpret context? What chance is there Cumming knew he was speaking to a Law Professor? Why would Ogbogu ask Cumming to repeat his comment? Did Ogbogu seize an opportunity to falsify facts for personal gain, or did Cumming carelessly spill  back-room party sentiment?

Many questions, only one answer – stop Harper and his army of Conservative dingbats before it’s too late.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/james-cumming-conservative-bill-c-24-1.3260212

 

 

 

 

Barbaric Cultural Practices Hotline

The moment core disgust for Stephen Harper simmered to a dull roar, the Barbaric Cultural Practices Hotline ambushed one of my last nerves.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/02/canada-conservatives-barbaric-cultural-practices-hotline

On November 5, 2014 Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced the tabling of legislation aimed at strengthening Canadian law to ” prevent barbaric cultural practices from happening on Canadian soil.”

The Act would amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code. It would provide more protection and support for vulnerable immigrants—primarily women and girls—including:

• Creating a new inadmissibility under IRPA that would render permanent residents and temporary residents inadmissible if they practise polygamy in Canada;
• Strengthening Canadian marriage laws by amending the Civil Marriage Act to codify the existing legal requirements, at the national level, for “free and enlightened consent” and establishing a new national minimum age for marriage of 16;
• Helping to protect potential victims of early or forced marriages by creating a new specific court-ordered peace bond to be used where there are grounds to fear that a person would commit a forced or early marriage offence, including the mandatory surrendering of a passport to prevent a child from being taken out of the country to facilitate a forced marriage;
• Criminalizing certain conduct related to early and forced marriage ceremonies in the Criminal Code, including the act of removing a child from Canada for the purpose of such marriage;
• Limiting the defence of provocation so that it would not apply in so-called “honour” killings and many spousal homicides; and
• Including consequential amendments to the Prisons and Reformatories Act and the Youth Criminal Justice Act to include the aforementioned peace bond.

These changes build upon existing federal initiatives that are providing vital support, protection and services for newcomers to Canada, specifically women and girls.

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=900399

Fast forward 11 months to Harper’s election strategy. It seems “old stock Canadians” (term used by Harper when asked about his plan to reduce health benefits for immigrants) overwhelmingly support the Conservative ban on niqab at citizenship ceremonies. Be that fact or fiction, a perfect storm of anti-Islamic sentiment was brewing. On October 2, 2015, Harper seized Islamophobia by the horns – an RCMP tip line to report “Barbaric Cultural Practices Against Women and Girls” was official.From the official Conservative website –

• We will establish a new targeted program to prevent child and forced marriage in the world’s conflict zones, particularly among refugee girls who have been displaced by war and who are at risk of forced marriage. The program will cost $12 million over 4 years and the first year of funding will be targeted at preventing child and forced marriage among girls impacted by the conflict in Iraq and Syria.
• An RCMP tip line will be established that citizens and victims can call with information about incidents of barbaric cultural practices in Canada or to notify authorities that a child or woman is at risk of being victimized.
• RCMP integrated units will also be created in Canada’s major cities – including Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver – to enforce the changes made to Canadian laws under the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act and to support victims. This is addition to a new $8 million commitment to establish integrated RCMP anti-human trafficking teams in those same cities[1].
• We will invest $20 million to renew the Human Trafficking Action Plan for an additional 5 years.

“The Conservative Government has been an international leader in bringing attention to the issues of child and forced marriage, and in combating barbaric cultural practices that violate the rights, health and security of girls and women.

Every year, 15 million girls are forced into marriage worldwide. Complications from childbirth are the leading cause of death among these child brides[2]. Physical abuse, sexual slavery, and so-called ‘honour’ killings are also carried out daily against girls and women around the world. A brutal practice carried out in some African and Middle Eastern countries is female genital mutilation, which has impacted more than 125 million girls and women alive today[3].

In the last year, the atrocities committed by ISIS against girls and women have also horrified the world. Girls who fall into the hands of ISIS are regularly raped and sold into sexual slavery.  Media have recounted the harrowing stories of girls who have escaped from ISIS having been ‘sold’ in slave markets.”

http://www.conservative.ca/the-hon-chris-alexander-and-the-hon-kellie-leitch-announce-measures-to-stop-barbaric-cultural-practices-against-women-and-girls-2/

The above website pushed my crock of shit meter into vomit inducing overdrive. Harper doesn’t loose a wink of sleep over the rights of women and children.  Propaganda of fear seals votes, “barbaric culture” is another name for Islam. Remember Jamila Bibi Mr. Harper? The 63 year old Saskatoon woman you deported to Pakistan last year? You rejected her refugee claim, ignored her lawyer and thumbed your nose at an investigation by the UN Committee Against Torture. Bibi had ties to the community and followed the rules – you arrested and deported her five days later to face trumped up adultery charges. Her story linked below –

https://notestoponder.wordpress.com/2014/09/19/shame-on-you-canada/

Where is Harper’s concern for aboriginal women, or women and children of the Bountiful polygamist colony in British Columbia? Exactly what does Immigration Minister Chris Alexander mean by “we need to stand up for our values”? Conservatives don’t value marginalized women in Canada, they don’t value the plight of desperate women and children in Syrian families risking lives to escape tyranny in the Middle East.

The only thing Harper values is steely cold manipulative fear. Securing another term by any means necessary is not a Canadian value. Snap out of it Canada! We aren’t afraid of police officers in turbans, why the niqab? Don’t let Stephen Harper decimate true Canadian values. Remember Canada before Harper, have faith in a nation liberated from Stephen Harper’s racism and fear.