earth hour

Today, people around the world at 8 pm in their respective time zones will turn off the lights and use the least amount of electricity as possible to mark earth hour. I understand the symbolic importance of these initiatives, but they still drive my crazy.

I understand that if we can get each individual to change their habits, we can make significant changes. However, I am frustrated on this total focus on individual behaviour when countries and nations are doing nothing to resolve the climate crisis. Why as an individual should we pay, when the majority of the damage has come from large scale polluters. Don't get me wrong, I think individuals needs to do their part, and I recognize that large scale polluters are often making the items that we as individuals demand, but still, the focus is still too much on the individual.

Here's a youtube video that takes on Al Gore along this same idea, poking fun at Al Gore jetting around creating a huge carbon footprint to talk about global warming:

i told you so

Back in January I wrote about Stephane Dion's appointment of a sitting (recently elected) NDP MLA as the Liberal candidate in a northern Saskatchewan riding. The by-election for that riding took place yesterday.

Well to Mr. Dion's and Ms. Beatty's surprise, but not to mine, Ms. Beatty lost. It appears having a candidate dropped in from another party with no open nomination process encourages people to stay home. I suspect, and it has been widely discussed, that a lot of Liberals upset at the process stayed home this election figuring out whoever was elected wasn't going to be around for long.

Here's some of the coverage of the by-election results:

CBC Saskatchewan
Globe and Mail
UPDATED: New Globe and Mail Story

As for Ms. Beatty, it appears she has the right idea. Stick around, fight a nomination battle if she has too, and run again whenever the Liberals finally stand up and vote rather than sit and abstain. There's a good chance that spending the next several months campaigning and showing people that she's willing to make a commitment to running federally may be what it takes to get Liberal supporters back to the polls and her into the House of Commons.

talk about being on message

It seems the US Presidential Candidates are using the same speaking notes, regardless of party:



(with apologies to Mr. Bowie)

message recieved???

Well who ever ended up telling him, Mr. Dion finally appears to have gotten the message that there's some problems with the handling of his recent appointment of a NDP MLA as a Liberal candidate here in Saskatchewan. I provided Mr. Dion with my advice down below. I don't know who else is advising him, but thank god he finally took their advice and came out talking, (although not swinging).

• CBC News: Dion Defends Beatty Appointment

step on over to the other side

I'm a little behind on the Sarah Hampson bashing although her "Merry Ex-mas" piece had me all riled up and throwing around the withering look of disapproval(tm). However, you'll be glad to know the little sister has taken up the challenge and you can read her take on Ms. Hampson's most recent piece here.

However, the withering look of disapproval has been cast at politicians lately. Today, its back to old Stephane Dion. I guess when most people in your own party don't support you, you start looking to supporters in other parties. I've blogged before about the suicide, errr mutual support pact between Dion and Elizabeth May. Mr. Dion, much like Ms. Hampson has gone and done it again.

Mr. Dion appointed a sitting NDP MLA to run in the March 17 by-election for a federal seat here in Saskatchewan. Yes, one of those MLA's who was just re-elected two months' ago. Yes, she's quitting provincial politics two-months later and is aiming for the big show.

According to press reports, it appears Ms. Beatty got used to being in cabinet, and doesn't like the view from the opposition benches in Regina. So she's swapping/shopping for a view from the opposition benches in Ottawa in hopes she'll be back on the government side quicker than the at least four years she'll have to wait here. Hmmm, a guess a promise of a cabinet post was made, however really, who are we kidding, if you're a liberal and elected in the west, you're pretty much guaranteed a cabinet post

You think considering that they started talking about this six months ago (yes before the Sask election) she would have come up with a better message, but I'll give her points for being honest about the reason, although she certainly was not honest with the electorate about her intentions.

As for the Liberals, when will they learn. Yes I understand Stephan Dion has made a commitment to get more women in his caucus, but are there no liberal women? If there are, I certainly can't imagine them sticking around (i.e. Belinda) with Mr. Dion seeming to only find women he likes in other parties. Maybe Lizzie and Joan can sit together once they're both elected (tee hee, that's funny, Elizabeth May elected, tee hee).

Also, once again, knowing this was in the works for months, don't you think the Liberals could have planned their communications a little better? "Stephane Dion has made it a priority to elect more women; Stephane Dion thinks this is a great candidate." Are you thinking Stephane Dion now talks about himself in the third persion? (Glen thinks that would be swell!) Fear not no, Mr. Dion, who was so committed to this candidate and trashing the democratic nomination process, was not available for comment and a liberal senator (and former national campaign chair) was trotted out to do all the talking. It's time to whip out PR101 again.

First off, if Mr. Dion was so committed, make him available. Have him stand up, accept and explain his decisions. Don't trot someone else out to do it for him. The Conservatives are trashing him as a weak leader, and when he makes a "bold" leadership decision, trot him out to show and defend it. Don't send out a senator who use quotes like "bite the bullet" when describing the decision.

If you are committed to this decision, be proud. Don't say you "bit the bullet". Have Stephan Dion say "I made a commitment to change the representation of women in our party, and when required I'll make unpopular decisions to keep that commitment. That's what a leader does."

"Yes, Ms. Beatty is a New Democrat MLA, but she is a smart, talented aboriginal woman whose voice and ideas need to be heard in Parliament. I'm pleased she feels like the Liberal Party is the best party to hear her voice and help address the needs of aboriginal people and all Canadians. Her joining with us reflects her commitment to helping her constituents and reflects the change I have brought to the Liberal Party."

That's just one suggestion of what could be said. I'm sure there's others. But all of them are better than saying "Ow, we bit the bullet." So for that, and just cherry picking generally, Senator David Smith and Stephane Dion get the withering look of disapproval(tm). And Ms. Beatty gets one of her own, for being less than forthright with her constituents.

separating the wheat from the chaff

Well they've only been in power for a couple of weeks now, and the Sask Party is not off to a great start. When they should be focusing on their key campaign promises and the big issues, Saskatchewan's New Government (sound familiar?) decided to turf the province's 30 year old logo, a stylized wheat sheaf.

Now, in their own defence, I wasn't able to write about this quick enough, as the Saskatchewan's New Government has, with tail between their legs, turned around from this position already. Public outrage over changing the logo, their lack of any sense of priority, and the cost of such of a move has made them change their mind. Not only did they change their mind, they announced it twice, releasing two news releases only hours apart changing the wording between the first and the second.

None of the current SaskParty Cabinet members have any experience in government and it is already beginning to show. I know it will take some time for them to get up to speed, but their lack of political savvy is alarming. The SaskParty railed against the NDP's decision to rebrand the Saskatchewan wordmark as Saskatchewan!. They argued it wasn't necessary, it was too much money, government should be spending money on more important things. However, as soon as they are in power they arbitrarily declare the wheat sheaf persona non grata and replace it with the Government crest, announcing they will go through a costly process of developing a new logo.

Speculation is that they are not happy having a logo created by an NDP government, that has been in use during a period dominated by NDP politics. However, there were conservative governments during that period.

Sending out two press releases changing the words in a quote from one to the other is not acceptable. The story as it was in today's local paper was about the retreat and the fact that they sent out two press releases saying two different things.

This is bad public relations skills. You can one shot at trying to explain a mistake or backpedal so you better get it right. Make sure that you can live with every word in your news release. If you can't don't send it out until you get it right. If you get it wrong, own up to it, don't try to pass it off in another news release. The Deputy Premier should have got on the phones and worked new quotes directly with the press rather than try to pass off another news release.

Hopefully the SaskParty is staffing up with some skilled politically savvy people otherwise they could be in for a long and bumpy ride.

this kind of stuff still shouldn't happen

From the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission:

New York, Wednesday December 5, 2007) - The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has learned today that despite an order by the Iranian Chief Justice to nullify his death sentence, Mr. Makvan Mouloodzadeh was executed in Kermanshah Central Prison at 5 a.m. this morning, Iranian time. Neither Mr. Mouloodzadeh's family or his lawyer were told about the execution until after it occurred. IGLHRC is still investigating the facts in this case.

"This is a shameful and outrageous travesty of justice and international human rights law," said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's executive director. "How many more young Iranians have to die before the international community takes action?"

Mr. Mouloodzadeh was a 21-year-old Iranian citizen who was accused of committing anal rape (ighab) with other young boys when he was 13 years old. However, at Mr. Mouloodzadeh's trial, all the witnesses retracted their pre-trial testimonies, claiming to have lied to the authorities under duress. Makvan also told the court that his confession was made under coercion and pleaded not guilty. On June 7, 2007, the Seventh District Criminal Court of Kermanshah in Western Iran found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Despite his lawyer's appeal, the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on August 1, 2007. The case caused an international uproar, and prompted a letter writing campaign by IGLHRC and similar actions by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Outrage! and Everyone Group.

In response to mounting public pressure, and following a detailed petition submitted to the Iranian Chief Justice by Mr. Mouloodzadeh's lawyer, the Iranian Chief Justice, Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, nullified the impending death sentence of Mr. Mouloodzadeh. In his November 10, 2007 opinion (1/86/8607), the Iranian Chief Justice described the death sentence to be in violation of Islamic teachings, the religious decrees of high-ranking Shiite clerics, and the law of the land.

In accordance with Iranian legal procedure, Mr. Mouloodzadeh's case was sent to the Special Supervision Bureau of the Iranian Justice Department, a designated group of judges who are responsible for reviewing and ordering retrials of flawed cases flagged by the Iranian Chief Justice. However, in defiance of the Chief Justice, the judges decided to ratify the original court's ruling and ordered the local authorities to carry out the execution.

Mr. Mouloodzadeh's execution came days after a panel at the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty.

You can read IGLHRC's action alert on our website: http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/section.php?id=5&detail=797

Our Letter to the Iranian authorities is also posted on our website in both English and Persian: http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/section.php?id=5&detail=798

first, a jump to the left, then a step to the right

Well, the election results are in and what was once the great socialist state of Saskatchewan, is now conservative country.

Putting my dramatic introduction aside, the results of the Saskatchewan election probably aren't very surprising or particularly important. Despite fear-mongering and concern over the Sask Party's conservative roots, this was not a major shift in Saskatchewan.

Almost 17 years ago, Saskatchewan took a step to the left, electing an NDP majority and defeating a scandal-ridden conservative government. Recognizing that they could not get past their scandalous past, several conservative MLAs and some Liberals MLAs formed the right-wing Saskatchewan Party. Despite their best efforts, the NDP continued to be elected as government (albeit with small majorities and one minority).

After several defeats, and the election of a new leader roughly four years ago, the Sask Party did what all right-wing parties need to do to get elected; they ran to the centre.

In fact, the result of this election, is simply a small step to the right. Brad Wall, our new Premier will be well served to remember that he ran in the centre and he needs to govern from the centre. A quick return to the party's right-wing conservative roots will simply result in a defeat in four years.

What is interesting in this election, is that the NDP which has governed from the centre for the last several years, were pushed out of the centre by the Sask Party during the campaign. In the first few days of the campaign, the NDP took a bold jump to the left with a universal drug plan promise, that some say cost them the election.

I think it just goes to show you, that despite labels of right and left, the majority of Canadians want a government that sits squarely in the mushy middle.

me and the suffragettes

For the second fall in a row there's an election going on and I don't get to vote. Unfortunately, to most people this wouldn't really be a matter of great concern, but to a political junkie like me it's just wrong.

After months of speculation, and to no one's surprise, the Saskatchewan Premier called a provincial election this week. Coming quick on the heels of Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, this fall has been a robust election year, let alone speculation of a pending federal election ($10 it won't happen this fall).

It kills me not to be able to vote, and the usual response from most people, is "you've been here long enough, you can vote". That's true, but I (and Revenue Canada) don't consider me a resident of Saskatchewan. I like to think I'm here in the prairies for a good time, but not a long time.

If it was just these things, maybe I could vote, but its hard to justify voting here in Saskatchewan next month, when earlier this month I voted in the general election in the Northwest Territories.

It was a tough choice, considering at the moment Saskatchewan probably has more direct control over my life, but I felt it was important to vote in the NWT. In what is the quintessential act of Canadian politics, sometimes it's not as important as who you vote for, as the satisfaction of voting against somebody else.

So while a provincial election rages on around me, I will sit back, relax and have some tea with the other modern day, vote-deprived mobile suffragettes.

is the winged red gopher dead?

I recently got this card in the mail from one of the Saskatoon Uncles and it has now taken on a whole new meaning. Many of you will know that I'm not a big fan of socialism, my views lean more towards conservatism. However, having to live in the great socialist state of Sasktachewan! I thought I would at least receive some benefits living under NDP rule, but no.

It seems like the only thing charging forward with boundless enthusiasm in Saskatchewan is rent.The Uncles were checking my mail and apartment the other day and found a notice saying my rent is going up 12 per cent on October 1. This is the new apartment that I moved in to on April 1 paying the market rate.

How is it that in such a socialist state, there is no rent control. I've looked at the Residential Tenancies Act and there are no limits whatsoever. As long as three months notice is given, rent can be increased. There's not even a limit on the number of times rent can be increased. I am not a fan of rent controls and recognize the problems with them, but there at least should be a limit on how often rent can be increased.

What amazes me is that there appears to be no big outcry. There are stories of people in Saskatoon being forced out of apartments because of rent increases but no outcry. I think the government is so excited that the economy is booming and an election likely this fall, that they are afraid to say and do anything to mess it up.

Now that many former socialist leaders sit on boards of booming Saskactewan resource companies, they are too busy watching their stocks rapidly rise in value to notice that prairie socialism is dying.

lizzie borden

It appears Elizabeth May either didn't receive or chose to ignore my earlier advice for the Green Party of Canada. She's gone and practically yielded an axe to hack away any credibility the Green Party may have had and hitched her horse to what appears to be a one-trick pony in liberal leader Stephan Dion.

This "mutual support pact" really appears to be turning into a mutual destruction agreement. First, Dion is hitching himself to a party that has never won a seat to shore up support for what is supposed to be his strongest issue. Does he really need what little credibility he would receive from this deal? Is his support now so lacklustre that he can't even win votes on his flagship issue.

Second, so much for Elizabeth May and the Green Party doing politcis differently. This so-called fresh approach to politics is nothing more than a long tradition of backroom wheeling and dealing. Should Elizabeth May somehow actually defeat Peter McKay, how soon does she bore of being the lone Green MP, with no support, no caucus and no funding and simply join the LIberals, which she has essentially done.

Green Party, I'm done with free advice.

the international bank of glen

Yes my ever increasing role in international finance has brought me a wealth of new riches and attention. First off, I've received blog visitors form Ghana and Austria through the international bank of glen. I'm expecting loan requests from them soon. I'm still waiting for the visitors from Switzerland or the Cayman Islands to show up and ask me to join their club, but that may still be a way.

So why all the excitement and trumpeting? Remember Natik, the cattle breeder. Well, he has started repaying his loan. This week, I received the first payment on my loan, $4.19 That's almost a 1/5th of the loan paid off, disbursed among the various lenders. With the loan he was able to double the number of cattle he has from three to six.

A full list of stories on my new career as an international financier can be found here.

up to my old tricks again

Some of you may remember this old post about how I wasn't as engaged in student politics here on the prairies as I was the first time at university in Waterloo. Well things have taken quite a turn of events in the short period of time since that post.

This week has seen a rapid rise in my engagement in student politics. For example, last night I spent three hours at the University Student Council meeting speaking out about budget cuts to service centres on campus. This was after sending an email to all council members on the issue. I even ended up speaking at the meeting. I'm also really proud of our brand new law rep to Council, it was his first meeting and he stood up and took people on. I now read the student newspaper regularly to follow the latest antics of our student union.

This week I also met with the Dean of the little law school on the prairie about the environment for LGBT students in the College. I have his support to start an association for LGBT students and supporters at the school. Also this week I contacted the co-chairs of the new law building committee to push for a single-stall gender neutral bathroom in the college and it looks like one will be set-up.

Finally, looks like I'll be going to faculty council next week to push for adoption of the positive space program in the college. All this increased activity, just in time for exams. It appears I'll do anything to procrastinate.

caught on film

My recent attendance at the Green Party event at the little law school on the prairie was caught on film and is on the green party web site. Thankfully it's only a shot from the back, so unless you knew it was me and that I was there you wouldn't know. It's not like I'm going to show up on a brochure. That's me at the bottom of the photo in the whitish-coloured shirt looking like I'm playing "itsy-bitsy spider".

it's not easy bein' green

Elizabeth May, the leader of the federal Green Party of Canada came to the little law school on the prairie today. I went to hear her speak.

Given that she was speaking at the LLSOTP, her talk was mainly about the Kyoto Protocol as an instrument of the law. Ms. May is a lawyer by training, and had some good one-liners about lawyers, and the talk was quite interesting. All of the question period was focused on Kyoto, climate change, and environmental issues.

I think the Green Party may actually have some interesting ideas, but I don't know how they will ever get past being painted as a single-issue party. Yes recent polls have shown that the environment is the new "health care" when it comes to issues, but even if it is the "most important" issue to Canadians, I still don't see a single-issue party being elected in large numbers.

They appear to have a fairly broad program, and I understand that in Europe, the Green Party is seen as more of a conservative focused party, even though here they are seen as left-wing.

Unfortunately, I don't know what they can do to get past the single-issue label. Elizabeth May seems a very smart and capable leader, but given her background with the Sierra Club, people think of her and the environment. As noted earlier, all the questions were on the environment, nothing on the rest of the platform.

I notice on the Green Party web site they are looking for a Director of Communications. In the absence of a communications director, I will offer my advice, based on today's event and from my experience as a communications advisor, in another edition of PR101:

1. Don't always speak about the environment

Yes, dance with the one who brought you, put try to frame your topics in a larger context. Talk about how the environment links to other issues, i.e. health, economy, etc. For example Canada's Green Economy.

2. If asked to speak on the environment, use the question period to introduce other elements of your program.

This is called "bridging". Today, Ms. May was asked what would the Green Party do to meet our Kyoto committments. She talked about a carbon tax. When you raise the carbon tax, use that as a bridge to talk about your economic platform. Ms. May briefly raised the issue of shifting the tax burden, but without much details. A question on GMO foods, bridge to talking about regulation of products, to health to health care. I will give some credit to Ms. May as she did do some bridging but never far enough away from the environment to redirect the conversation.

3. Provide media availability at all presentations.

I watched the news coverage on CBC and there was coverage of her talk but no interview. It's possible there is any number of reasons for this, scheduling, lack of media interest, etc, but this needs to be pushed. The current government does this a lot. Local media is an effective tool, and an interview with a federal leader will create a greater splash in a smaller media environment.

4. Plug, plug, plug.

Never forget to plug your web site. I think Ms. May did this once today, but in snappy short answers you can never cover enough material. Always refer people to your web site for more information once you have given an answer on that topic. People who are really interested will go and look.

5. Short, Snappy Answers

Ms. May's background as a lawyer, policy advisor and activist, and her extensive knowledge of these issues were all obvious today. Her answers were thorough and comprehensive. Unfortunately these answers take up too much time and don't make for good sound bites. Now don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for long answers and explanations, but it works better in smaller groups.

6. Depth, Depth, Depth

Right now the Green Party is seen as a single-issue/one-person party. Talk about the team, the party, that's there's depth to the organization. When doing local presentations, trot out some past or current candidates, riding association officials, even head of the campus club. Show that the party has an organization and depth. Show that a national team is in place. If you're only developing this national team, it's even more important to show this. Also, this provides a local face that people can follow-up with once the leader is gone.

7. Giving votes meaning

Contrary to what many people say, people don't want to throw their votes away. The Green Party needs to give people an idea of what their vote will mean if cast for them. Be realistic, don't expect to convince people you'll form a majority. But what will a vote for the Green Party mean. The NDP and Liberals are saying that a vote for the Green Party is a vote for the conservatives, because it's a vote taken away from these two parties. Don't let your opponents define you. Make clear statements about what Green Party MPs will mean for Canada. For example, how the Green Party can introduce new ideas into debates and committee proceedings; in another minority gov't the Greens could hold the balance of power and influence policy. A vote for the Green party signals a change in Canadian's priorities.

brother can you spare a dime?

It's been a while and I've been keeping my eye out for a new project to fund through kiva. I've decided to support a firewood business in Afghanistan. Information on the project can be found here.

I choose Afghanistan because of the war going there and the Canadian soldiers. I figure the sooner the country can get onto a firmer economic footing, the sooner things will improve. Development, and not anything else is going to solve the problems there. Without economic development, I see Afghanistan, and the Canadian presence there continuing forever.

Now that they are there, I support our forces. We have entered the country, it is our duty to support them and to stay there until the situation is stable. We have a responsibility to fulfill our committments. But if we can help move things along through development, I'm all for it.

after the sunset

On the Globe and Mail web site, there is a story discussing how two provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act will sunset tomorrow as MPs did not vote to continue them.

I find it interesting that the Liberal Party who introduced these provisions while in Government was having a whipped vote against them. I don't know if they are simply trying to differentiate themselves from the Conservatives or they have truly changed their minds.

I understand that they introduced a five-year sunset clause to allow for this exact change, but really the clause was simply to allay the fear of interest groups and not really a principled stand.

One of the reasons I find it interesting is that the Hon. Anne McLellan, the Liberal Minister of Justice and later Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness who introduced the Bill spoke at the little law school on the prairie today. I'd like to give her some credit. I remember her as being quite partisan, but as the vote was taking place in Ottawa, she stood before us here and told us that her party was wrong not to be supporting the provisions.

She also took both the Liberals and Conservatives to task for the rather pathetic show that occurred in the House of Commons last week.

I was impressed with Ms. McLellan today. I have crossed paths with her in two different professional capacities over the past couple of years, when she was Minister of Health, and also when she was Minister of Public Safety, and today as a law professor and guest speaker. Today was the most balanced, interesting presentation I've seen her make. Also, life after politics seems to be treating her well, she looked incredibly well rested, healthy and quite fierce.

free drugs

Now that I have your attention, I would like to encourage you to sign a petition calling on the Government of Canada to change Canada’s law on exporting lower-cost medicines to developing countries so that it stands a greater chance of working.

In 2004 the Parliament of Canada unanimously passed legislation that was supposed to facilitate the compulsory licensing of patented medicines so that lower-cost, generic versions could be manufactured and exported to developing countries in need of more affordable drugs to address public health problems, including HIV/AIDS. However, no drugs have yet been exported, in part because of the cumbersome process the legislation puts in place.

Member organizations of the Global Treatment Access Group (GTAG), including the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, have been advocating on this issue for some time. The federal government has recently completed a period of public consultation about the legislation. All the submissions that were received by the government, including from GTAG and many of its member groups, are now on-line.

I understand that the relevant House of Commons committee will hold 3 days of formal hearings into the legislation in March, where this petition will likely be referenced.

it's like apples and crabapples

This is my newest source of distraction. I actually found cutewithchris.com a few months ago but got wrapped up in writing this blog and hadn't been back in quite some time. In looking for time wasters and distractions, I remembered cute with chris and went back. In minutes, I was in hysterics.

Chris Leavins is a Canadian actor who now appears to be living in LA. He produces this internet show twice a week. The show is mainly focused on cute critters and Chris' comedy. It's absolutely hilarious. Each episode there is a cutedown where people get to vote on which critter is cuter.

The following episode was one of the funniest. It appears Chris recently returned to Canada for a visit, and in this show explains in a cutewithchris.com style, the difference between Canada and the United States. Enjoy.



Chris also has a blog that accompanies the show and a link has been added in the blogs I read section.

now this seems fair...

This is a picture of one of the members of the first all-female United Nations peacekeeper force. The entire unit is made up of female police officers from India. Read the BBC report here.

You may remember my rant about the conditions of the female riot police officers. Look at the difference between the photos. These peace keepers are going into a dangerous situation in Liberia. Good on India, these women have pants, combat boots and guns even. This to me, seems fair.