Here is the text of the Bill C-30, tabled this morning in the House of Commons. Among its provisions, it would allow police to obtain customer data and other information from your Internet service provider (ISP) and other telecom provider without first obtaining a warrant from a judge. NDP MP Charlie Angus calls this “an unprecedented bill that undermines the privacy rights of Canadians.” Continue reading Text of C-30: The bill that would allow warrant-less Internet wiretaps
Author: admin
The Topp campaign responds to the Dewar poll
Earlier today, the Paul Dewar campaign released an internal poll of NDP supporters which purported to show that, on the first ballot of the NDP Leadership campaign, Thomas Mulcair would come in first with about one in four voters. Brian Topp would finish fifth.
The Topp campaign released this e-mail which campaign manager Raymond Guardia sent around in the wake of the Dewar campaign release (This if formatted as I received it): Continue reading The Topp campaign responds to the Dewar poll
Dewar campaign release: Mulcair leads in the NDP Leadership Race
It may seem odd for one candidate to release a poll that shows that candidate to be trailing in a particular political race. But I think the Paul Dewar Campaign wanted to show a couple of things by releasing poll data which shows Dewar to be in third spot when it comes first-place spot on the preferential ballots of NDP voters though he is in first spot when it comes to second-choice on that preferential ballot. Continue reading Dewar campaign release: Mulcair leads in the NDP Leadership Race
Cotler will represent Saudi journalist who faces death sentence over tweets
Hamza Kashgari is a Saudi journalist.
On the occasion of the Muslim prophet’s birthday last week, 23-year-old Mr Kashgari tweeted: “I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don’t understand about you.”
“I will not pray for you,” he added. ( Hamza Kashgari faces criminal charges over Twitter remarks )
Now he faces the death sentence in Saudi Arabia for those tweets. Continue reading Cotler will represent Saudi journalist who faces death sentence over tweets
Reaction to my "Don't mind us Canucks: We're just here for pipelines and pandas" column
As we arrived in China last week covering Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit there, this column of mine was published in our newspaper chain. It concluded:
The Chinese are sensitive about [human rights issues]. They do not like to be called out on their lousy human rights record. The Chinese need not worry. The Canadians this week are here for pipelines and pandas.
After reading that column, someone named Will Wei on my Facebook page accuses me of “hate speech” Continue reading Reaction to my "Don't mind us Canucks: We're just here for pipelines and pandas" column
NYT: Obama's High-Tech War on Leaks to Journalists
Adam Liptak, the New York Times correspondent at the Supreme Court writes:
… the Obama administration, … has brought more prosecutions against current or former government officials for providing classified information to the media than every previous administration combined. Continue reading NYT: Obama's High-Tech War on Leaks to Journalists
Canada and human rights in China: Are we making a difference?
Here’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaking in Shanghai at a dinner organized by the Canada-China Business Council. It is Dec. 4, 2009. After spending most of his speech talking about the importance of boosting the trading relationship between the two countries, there is this bit:
But ladies and gentlemen, just as trade is a two-way street, so too is dialogue. Our government believes, and has always believed, that a mutually beneficial economic relationship is not incompatible with a good and frank dialogue on fundamental values like freedom, human rights and the rule of law. Continue reading Canada and human rights in China: Are we making a difference?
In China, here's the roster for corporate Canada's dream team
Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in Beijing leading a corporate Canada dream team. The Chinese have definitely noticed. Press reports here have consistently noted that Harper is leading “a strong delegation.”
On Wednesday here, Harper led a “business roundtable” with the following Canadian executives: Continue reading In China, here's the roster for corporate Canada's dream team
Free trade and a praying PM: Canada is front page news in China
I’ve travelled to a lot of spots around the world covering Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s international travels and I cannot recall him ever generating the kind of positive press he’s getting in this morning’s China Daily, the English-language state-run daily newspaper here. Continue reading Free trade and a praying PM: Canada is front page news in China
China Daily's lead editorial on Harper visit
Good Wednesday morning from Beijing where the lead editorial in the
China Daily — the government-owned main English language newspaper
here — features a lead editorial about Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s
visit.
The editorial notes: “The fact that he is accompanied by five
ministers, six members of parliament and 40 business executives indicates
his government is looking to garner lucrative business deals with China.”
There is no mention in the editorial that the Harper plans to raise
any human rights or democratic reform issues while he is here. But, reading
between the lines, the China Daily editorialists seem to brush off any
official Canadian concerns on this front.
Differences aside, there is no conflict of fundamental interests between
China and Canada. The growth in Sino-Canadian ties has brought concrete
benefits to both nations and at the same time promotoed peace, stability and
prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world.For the smooth and healthy development of bilateral ties, both sides
should treat each other with respect, accommodate each other’s core
interests and major concerns, and appropriately handle sensitive issues. It
is hoped the two countries can make their relationship a model for relations
between two countries of different social systems and modes of
development.