[sunnykerr]

New Amendments Boost 'Currency' of Cdn. Citizenship Changes that take effect today will strengthen the "currency" of Canadian citizenship and make it harder for people who live abroad and have no connection to the country to hold a passport. The amendments to the Citizenship Act were made last year, and become law as of today, said Citizenship Minister Jason Kenney. The changes also open the door for several thousand "lost Canadians" who were denied automatic citizenship, to become Canadians. "Several decades ago, there were some changes to the law which basically meant a number of Canadians who should have been Canadian citizens lost their Canadian citizenship or never got it," Kenney told CTV's Canada AM. "If they left the country without notifying us, for instance, as kids of Canadians born abroad, they didn't automatically become citizens." The changes will ensure that an estimated 95 per cent of those people will now receive citizenship. "This will give back citizenship to thousands of Canadians who lost it through no fault of their own," Kenney said. "We'll make exceptional grants of citizenship for those, the balance who fall through the cracks, and are deserving." But the changes also strengthen citizenship requirements for others through a so-called "two-generation rule" that also came into effect Friday. "If both the mom and the dad were born outside of Canada, and they go outside of Canada to have kids, they don't automatically become citizens," Kenney explained. He said the government has wanted to enact such laws for some time, but the issue didn't come to light until the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon. The conflict revealed that thousands of people holding Canadian citizenship were living in Lebanon permanently, many with little or no connection to Canada. Ottawa spent $90 million to evacuate many of them to safety in Canada. Kenney said that wasn't necessarily the impetus for the change, but it raised awareness that many people live abroad permanently with no connection to Canada, but maintain citizenship. "We believe citizenship has to have some real currency," Kenney said. "You should have an ongoing connection and commitment to Canada. We don't want the great-grandchildren of people who are living permanently abroad, that have no connection to Canada, to maintain citizenship when they don't act have any connection to Canada." Kenney made it clear that the children of Canadians born abroad, who are themselves born abroad, still have the option to become Canadian citizens should they choose to. They would have to move to Canada and spend three years in the country, then write a citizenship test, in order to qualify. "We don't want to debase the currency of citizenship. It's such a powerful symbol of belonging to this country, we want to make sure it stays special in that way." Nick Noorani, of Canadian Immigrant Magazine, congratulated the government on a job well done, "albeit, a little late." He said thousands of "lost Canadians" woke up Friday with the possibility of becoming Canadians, and said that is a good thing for the country.

CTV.ca | New amendments boost 'currency' of Cdn. citizenship

I really like this new law.

I suppose the proof will be in the pudding, but it makes a lot of sense to me to facilitate citizenship for people who clearly ought to qualify while also letting go of people who have clearly put a good distance with the country.

[sunnykerr]

Hours until polls close in 2009 B.C. election The polls are open in British Columbia's 2009 provincial election, as the NDP tries to prevent Gordon Campbell's Liberal government from securing a third mandate. New Democratic Party Leader Carole James voted just before 10:00 a.m. at the James Bay Community School, where she attended as a child, in her constituency in Victoria-Beacon Hill on Vancouver Island. "Today is about the voters. They need to come out and I'll respect their vote tonight," she told reporters outside the school. James said she planned to visit campaign workers, phone constituents and "take a quick walk" before the election results come out. She said she hadn't thought about the future if her party is unsuccessful. "I haven't got past May 12. I've really been focused about today," she said. Alongside his wife, children and grandchildren, BC Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell cast his vote at the University of British Columbia in his riding of Vancouver-Point Grey, also around 10:00 a.m. "I voted for the best person in this riding. I voted for myself -- I have to admit I voted for myself," Campbell said. The Liberal leader, hoping for a three-peat as premier, discussed the importance of voting in what has turned out to be a very close race. "The boys always vote and I'm going to make sure my grandsons always know how important it is to vote," Campbell said. "You can't take anything for granted. You can't let complacency get you down. Everyone's got to vote." Jane Sterk, the BC Green Party Leader, voted at 11:30 a.m. in her home riding of Esquimalt-Royal Roads on Vancouver Island. Pushing for Change Party leaders have spent much of the last 28 days slamming each other's campaign promises. Gordon Campbell says the NDP would bring in $1 billion in additional taxes and a multi-billion dollar deficit if they won office. He says the New Democrats have no plan to balance the budget and would cost both jobs and economic opportunity. The Liberal platform has centred strongly on the state of the B.C. economy, saying its "proven record of success" means they are the right party to lead the province through uncertain economic times. Carole James has confidence in the party's economic plan -- but says she has no confidence in the Liberals, often repeating the slogan "eight years is enough." For the last two terms, James says, Campbell's government has cut seniors' programs, ignored the forest industry and given away provincial resources. The NDP platform centres on raising the minimum wage from $8 to $10 in B.C., axing the carbon tax in favour of a cap-and-trade system and making life easier for the aging segment of the population. At dissolution there were 34 New Democrats and 45 Liberals in the B.C. Legislature. Before the 2005 election, the Liberals held a stronghold in the Legislature, with 72 of the 79 seats. The NDP only held three. Advanced polling before the May 12 election is up 45 per cent from 2005. Kenn Faris, a spokesperson for Elections B.C., said the increase could be attributed to expanded hours at polling stations -- most were open for an extra 12 hours over four days. By the Polls An Angus Reid Strategies poll commissioned by CTV and The Globe and Mail indicate the election is a two-horse race, with the Liberals only holding a two point lead over the New Democrats, with 44 per cent of decided voters to 42, respectively. The Green party has held a constant third place since the campaign began, with 13 per cent of decided voters. The poll revealed several positive trends for Carole James. Almost a quarter of respondents said their opinion of James improved since the election campaign began. In contrast, Gordon Campbell lost 29 points, with more than a third of those polled saying their views on him had worsened. James still falls behind when it comes to the economy, the issue seen as most important by B.C. voters. Gordon Campbell is seen as being the best candidate to deal with the economy -- his 48 per cent support tripled that of New Democrat Leader Carole James (16 per cent). Voting for Change The electorate will also be voting on a referendum on the single transferable vote -- or STV -- which would change the way future B.C. governments are selected. The referendum requires 60 per cent support to pass and it was narrowly rejected in 2005, prompting the repeat vote, this year. The polls remain close at 8:00 p.m. local time.

CTV British Columbia- Hours until polls close in 2009 B.C. election - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television

Anyone from B.C.? What are you all hoping for? What will you think of the results?

[sunnykerr]

Remains Could Belong to Tori Stafford, say OPP The family of missing child Victoria Stafford believe that human remains found over the weekend are indeed those of the eight-year-old girl, who disappeared more than three months ago from her school in Woodstock, Ont. Father Rodney Stafford said at a news conference Monday that police alerted the family Sunday night that they had found human remains in Mount Forest, about two hours drive northwest of Toronto. Police have also confirmed to the family that the remains are those of a young child. However, officers have not confirmed that the remains are in fact Victoria's. Rodney Stafford said although it is not the ending his family was hoping for, their thoughts can now be put to rest. "No one wants to believe their child has been murdered," he said. "If it is her, at least I don't have to continue being out and about looking. Up until last night I was still doing it," he said. "You can't help but think, 'is that her just up ahead? Is that her voice in the background ?' You can't help it." The remains were transported to a Toronto forensics centre Monday afternoon. The body was found beside a large rock pile in a wooded, isolated rural area on Sunday afternoon by an investigator who is part of a team looking into the child's murder. Interim Oxford Community Police Chief Rod said the remains have been exposed to the environment for "quite some time." "We still have to determine, through examination, the sex of the remains, but we're missing Victoria and want to bring her home," he said. He said Ontario's chief coroner should be able to confirm the child's identity through dental records by Tuesday or Wednesday. Suspect's tip Victoria, known as "Tori" by family and friends, was last seen alive on April 8 in Woodstock. A surveillance camera close to her school captured the girl walking with a woman. On May 20, police arrested two people -- a male and a female. Investigators began searching the area around Fergus for Victoria's body after receiving a tip from the female suspect, but police didn't find the remains at that point. The suspect had told officers of landmarks that may have been near the spot where Victoria's body was left. "When you're dealing with a geography that's so vast and wide, it takes time to search it properly," Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Rektor said at the crime scene Monday. The area where the remains were found is located about 15 minutes north of where police were initially searching. Rektor said he's not sure who owns the property. A detective who is part of the Stafford homicide investigative team was following up on a tip when he noticed landmarks familiar to what the suspect described and decided to take a closer look at the site. He found the remains soon after driving up a dirt side road. A black funeral hearse and a forensics truck were seen driving past the police blockade and onto the dirt road where the remains were found. OPP Det. Sgt. Anthony Renton told reporters that investigators are "cautiously optimisitic" that they have found Victoria. "If it is (Victoria) then that's a great thing because we can bring her home but there's a lot of work that opens up at that point," he said. "Hopefully it will give us more information to make this case even better." He said police are still trying to find the backseat of a car they believe was used to transport Victoria to the scene. In the meantime, Rodney Stafford said he and his estranged wife, Victoria's mother Tara McDonald, will be making funeral preparations in the event their child has been found. He said it will be a private affair for Victoria's family and will not be open to the public. Stafford said he is also planning a bike ride across Canada to raise money for Child Find Ontario this August. "I will say my goodbye to Victoria when I get to the top of the mountain after my bike ride," he said. Michael Rafferty, 28, and Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, have both been charged with first-degree murder and abduction. They remain in police custody.

CTV Toronto - Remains could belong to Tori Stafford, say OPP - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television

How tremendously brave of the family to frame what seems likely to be a horrible discovery for them as something resembling a positive. My hat's off to them.

In a sense, I hope it is Tory. The family deserves a resolution.

[sunnykerr]

Fire Crews Continue To Battle 3 West Kelowna Blazes A massive B.C. wildfire burning dangerously close to homes near West Kelowna is now about 40 per cent contained, but two other fires in the region remain out of control, fire officials said Monday. The containment efforts come as crews continue to make "aggressive" attacks on the Glenrosa fire, which has so far destroyed at least three homes and forced 10,000 residents to evacuate since erupting on Saturday, according to Rob Moore from the BC Forest Service. Ground crews have been "hammering" on the blaze's northwest, south and southwest flanks in order to stop the flames from spreading to populated areas, he added. "Our containment is estimated at 40 per cent," he said. "We're hoping by the end of the day we'll have more than that." The fire is burning on about 400 hectares of arid land -- an area equivalent to the size of Vancouver's Stanley Park. So far, fire crews have managed to build an access around the fire's eastern edge, which allowed them to move water trucks into the region, Jenelle Turpin of the West Kelowna emergency operations centre told CTV News Channel. However, the second fire, which is burning in the Rose Valley Dam, is not at all contained and covers about 150 hectares. It has forced 1,200 people from their homes. Officials said steep terrain in the area has hampered fire crews, but it appears that its spread has been stopped. "It's only being attacked right now by water bombing activity," Turpin said. "So that is the big focus there. At least with Glenrosa they're able to get ground crews in. But it still is difficult terrain." A third fire, in the Terrace Mountain region, has now grown to 850 hectares, due to high temperatures and dry conditions. This fire does not affect any structures. Officials plan on briefing evacuated families on the status of their homes Monday, according to West Kelowna Fire Rescue's Wayne Schnitzler. Cause Still Under Investigation According to Moore, human activity is likely to blame for the fires. "It could have been accidental," he told The Canadian Press. "We have no reason to believe they were deliberately set. Given the weather conditions and the fire weather indices, the dryness of the fuels, the ease of ignition there's a number of human-related fire causes." CTV B.C.'s Kent Molgat said that crews are battling the flames in an attempt to "steer" them away from surrounding communities like Peachland. "These fires are not only out of control, they are enormous and they are on the doorstep of where a lot of people call home," Molgat told CTV News Channel from Kelowna. Temperatures in the region are expected to be high on Monday, but it is the wind that is of most concern to fire crews. Kelowna Fire Chief Rene Blanleil said winds were calm overnight. However, the forecast calls for temperatures to reach 35 Celsius on Monday and winds to gust up to 35 kilometres per hour, he said. So far, 11,000 people have been told to leave their homes, while another 6,000 are on evacuation alert. Some are staying at a local community centre or in hotels, while others are bunking with friends and family. Local resident and evacuee Chris LaFace spent Sunday night in a Holiday Inn. "There are a lot of rumours circling amongst the chaos, but it seems that my house might have been saved due to the work of all the volunteers and everybody fighting the fires," LaFace told Canada AM on Monday. Officials don't know when residents will be allowed to return home. The cause of the fires is still under investigation.

CTV.ca | Fire crews continue to battle 3 West Kelowna blazes

Well, I hope everyone we know and everyone they know are alright.

At least, they don't seem to be talking about a human toll as of yet. That's reassuring.

[sunnykerr]

Harper defiant in face of renewed detainee attacks Collegiality ruled in the House of Commons for about a nanosecond today as MPs returned for their first Question Period session in nearly three months. NDP Leader Jack Layton was given a standing ovation from his colleagues, a show of support as he undergoes treatment for prostate cancer. Prime Minister Stephen Harper even offered some kinds words, saying he was “happy” to see the NDP Leader in fine form. In return, Mr. Layton offered some advice: “All the guys out there make sure you get tested.” And then the NDP Leader returned to form, hammering Mr. Harper over his decision to shut down Parliament until after the Olympics. “Will the Prime Minister admit prorogation was a useless mistake?” Mr. Layton asked. No, the Prime Minister would not admit that. Mr. Harper said the No. 1 priority for Canadians is economic growth and he believes the program his government put forward in yesterday’s Throne Speech will help with that. The NDP Leader went at him again, noting that there wasn’t much new in the Throne Speech. “Wasn’t the real reason that the Prime Minister prorogued was to escape the tough questions about torture?” he asked, referring to the allegations of torture of Afghan prisoners. No. The Prime Minister said his government spent the time consulting Canadians whose No. 1 priority is the economy. Although MPs were waiting for the delivery of the fifth Conservative budget later in the afternoon, Question Period focused on the Prime Minister’s controversial decision to prorogue and the allegations of torture and abuse of Afghan detainees. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff led off the session, referring too to prorogation. “As we were saying before we were so rudely interrupted – the Prime Minister shut down Parliament – Canadians were rightly angered,” he said. “Canadians want this House to reassert its just authority. They want democracy strengthened not weakened.” Mr. Ignatieff asked the Prime Minister to support creating a special committee of the House of Commons to study prorogation to prevent future abuse. Mr. Harper didn’t bite. Rather, he defended his use of prorogation. Both the NDP and Liberals alleged Mr. Harper shut down the House to avoid the light shining on the Afghan detainee controversy. “He shut it down to avoid legitimate questions about the Afghan detainee scandal,” Mr. Ignatieff charged as he asked that the Prime Minister release non-redacted documents the opposition says are essential to the story. No. The Prime Minister said thousands of documents have already been released and show the Canadian Forces have conducted themselves honourably. They’re back…

Harper defiant in face of renewed detainee attacks - The Globe and Mail

Prorogation was a fricking joke. Harper said they needed the extra time to massage the budget and fine-tune it and then he turns around and serves the same budget from last year.

Does he not realize we all saw him at the Olympics?

Not to mention that it's SO obvious that he did it just to skip out on having to answer questions on detainee torture in Afghanistan.

Canada is losing its reputation around the world and all on account on this pathetic little man who thinks he can turn us into some sort of corporation, who has no concept of human rights or environmental issue and who seems to believe that the only good economy one can have is one where the wealthy get tax breaks while the poor suffer as their benefits are reduced and cut down.

I sincerely hope this is the wakeup call Canada needed and that, come next elections, enough people show up to the polls to throw this pathetic excuse for leadership out of office.

[sunnykerr]

Harper government: No changes for Canadian anthem It appears the feds heard you loud and clear. The Prime Minister's Office has confirmed the government will not proceed with any changes to the national anthem. The feds were looking at making it gender neutral by replacing the line "in all thy sons command," with the original wording of "thou dost is us command." The possibility was raised in Wednesday's Speech from the Throne but hundreds of callers to the News1130 Listener Line and millions across the country told the Tories to leave the anthem alone. News1130 hit the streets to see what people think and most said it was silly to change the anthem after so many years, others said some Canadians probably didn't know the word "sons" was in there. One man we spoke with added, "If people are focusing so much on that anthem, there are bigger problems in the world to solve than that." So, after a two day national debate the Harper government is standing on guard for the anthem.

Harper government: No changes for Canadian anthem - News1130

Our tax dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen, fellow Canucks.

They prorogue the parliament for weeks on end and this is the big debate they need to come back to?

Makes me grateful that the only version I know is what I lovingly call the "hockey version" 'cause it's the version they play at the Habs games and that part of the text is in French.

Still... Don't we have bigger fish to fry?

[sunnykerr]

Perjury trial for Air India witness to start Monday Twenty-five years after Air India Flight 182 fell from the sky off the coast of Ireland, the legal saga stemming from Canada's worst mass murder continues this week as a key witness in the trial of two men acquitted in the bombing is tried for perjury. Inderjit Singh Reyat is charged with lying in 2003 during the trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri. Malik and Bagri were acquitted of all charges connected with the 1985 bombing of the Air India plane and another explosion at a Tokyo airport. Reyat was called as a Crown witness at the trial, but the indictment for his perjury charge lists 27 instances in which he is alleged to have lied under oath, mostly dealing with his insistence that he didn't remember details of the bombing plot or the name of one of the men involved. Reyat, an electrician from Duncan, B.C., was charged with perjury in February 2006, nearly a year after the acquittals. His trial has been delayed several times as lawyers prepared for the case, but jury selection last week set the stage for hearings to begin in a Vancouver courtroom on Monday. The Crown's theory during the trial for Malik and Bagri was that Sikh extremists in British Columbia, angered by the Indian government's June 1984 attack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Sikhism's holiest shrine, plotted to bring down Air India planes. A bomb planted in a suitcase blew up Flight 182, killing 329 passengers and crew, and another killed two baggage handlers in Japan. The alleged mastermind behind the attacks, Talwinder Singh Parmar, was killed by police in India in 1992. Parmar was the leader of Babbar Khalsa, which the Canadian government considers a terrorist organization. Reyat's perjury indictment, which was read to all prospective jurors last week, outlines the specific occasions when prosecutors allege the man lied during testimony in September 2003. Among them: * Reyat said he did not know if Parmar was the leader or played any role in Babbar Khalsa, and did not know the purpose of the organization. * He testified that when Parmar asked him to make an explosive device, Parmar did not describe "in detail" what the device would be used for. * Reyat said he did not know the identify of one of Parmar's associates, known only as Mr. X, despite meeting the man on several occasions and allowing the mystery man to stay at his home. * He told the trial that he never asked Parmar or Mr. X whether the explosive device he helped with had ever been built or how it may have been used. * Reyat testified he told either Parmar or Mr. X he did not want to build a device if people would get hurt and they assured him that wouldn't happen. But when "it became clear his components had been used to kill people," Reyat testified that he never asked Parmar or Mr. X about it. The perjury trial, which is expected to last as long as two weeks, will be heard by a jury of eight women and four men. None of the allegations against Reyat have been proven in court. Neither the Crown attorney prosecuting the case nor Reyat's lawyer could be reached for comment. Vancouver criminal lawyer Greg DelBigio, speaking in general terms about the offence of perjury, said the Crown must prove three things to obtain a conviction. "There has to be (evidence) that somebody said something that was in fact false, that the person who said it knew it was false, and that there's an intent to mislead," said DelBigio, noting that perjury cases are rare. "For example, a mistake is not good enough, an unintentional error is not good enough. The other thing is that a person can genuinely believe something to be true when it is, in fact, false, so that's not good enough, either." He said in some cases, proving all of those things can be a challenge. "I guess one difficulty is, how do you prove that someone said something that he or she knew to be false?" he said. "It might be easy enough to prove that somebody made a mistake by simply showing that the fact testified to is wrong, but how do you prove that the person knew the truth and intended to testify falsely?" Perjury carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, although maximum sentences are rarely imposed.

Perjury trial for Air India witness to start Monday - CTV News

Twenty-five years and this stain in still on our hands. Out, out damn spots.

[sunnykerr]

Student again expelled over refusal to remove niqab A 29-year-old Muslim woman has once again been expelled from a government-sponsored French course for refusing to remove her niqab. The woman, an Egyptian immigrant referred to only as Naema, dropped a French course at Cegep St-Laurent last fall after she was told to remove the veil, which covers her face. She then enrolled in a different government-sponsored French course for immigrants and continued to wear her niqab, but acting on complaints from teachers, immigration officials again expelled her. "There is no ambiguity on this question. If you want to (participate) in our classes, if you want to integrate into Quebec society here, our values are we want to see your face," said Immigration Minister Yolande James. Naema told TVA reporters she is trying to fit in and hoped to use her language instruction to find work as a pharmacist, but feels she was humiliated. The woman filed a complaint with Quebec's human rights commission, citing a violation of her freedom of religion. "Our society should not be afraid of a woman wearing a niqab or a woman practicing her religion," said Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal. Naema also needs to accommodate by adjusting to her adopted culture the interest of harmony, said Elmenyawi.

CTV Montreal - Student again expelled over refusal to remove niqab - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television

This has been in the news a lot over here. It's kinda funny because I consider myself a fairly broad-minded person, but I simply cannot get behind this woman's claim of racism.

You can't change the rules to a classroom. If you don't like them going in, then don't go in. And I'd be very surprised to find out where she expects to find a job in which showing her face will not be required.

[Callace]

Claiming that it is part of your religion should not entitle you to anything. Back when I went to school, there was this rule that every student who came in had to take their caps off. If she wants to wear a niqab, that covers her whole face, I see no reason why the teachers should have to be more tolerant about that.

[sunnykerr]

Exactly.

Schools have dress codes. If the whole point of the program is to help facilitate assimilation to Quebec society... you kinda have to follow the Quebec school dress code. And notice how no one had an issue with her wearing the niqab till she made one, by running against an assignment that specifically asked for face-to-face communication.

That assignment aside, she would have been free and clear. Which is probably why she's pissed, but I also think it proves that the school wasn't discriminating against her right to wear the thing.

[Callace]

I dont think assimilation is a goal. She should have the right to be who she is, with the culture and religion that she is comfortable with. But integration into society certainly is a goal. And to achieve that, she has to go by society's rules as much as everyone else. She should just be happy that her school hasnt introduced full on school uniform policy

[sunnykerr]

See, now it's my turn to respecify what I was trying to say.

I didn't mean assimilation in the sense that she should give up whatever cultural values she may have had coming to Canada. But, as you pointed out, I meant that integration into a society means you learn to play by the local rules. And, in Quebec, schools have dress codes. Especially if the class has a face-to-face conversation requirement.

It's not like there's just one school in the whole region for her to attend. And, if it all comes up to about the same thing in the end, then she should probably understand that there's a good reason for that.

I mean, when even the Muslim Women Association says she's going overboard with her demands... I think you can see there's a problem.

[Callace]

yeah, obviously I get the impression she is making drama nearly merely for the sake of it really. To stake a claim. She shouldnt do that, and shouldnt expect that she is gonna be better treated than others just bc she is making a fuss.

[sunnykerr]

Well, right now there's a situation where the provincial government is examining the situation with immigrants and making "reasonable accommodations" with regards to cultural things.

So there's a window. And perhaps some people are trying to take advantage of the situation.

[Callace]

So then maybe it is just a good thing that she is there to push it too far? So that they get a chance to mark where the line must go.