"Bush is a Worm!" Calgary Protest Photos

Yesterday's protest against Bush speaking in Calgary as brought to us by our very own Calgary Chamber of Commerce was a creative success. To raise our voices in collective activism is empowering and initates necessary dialogue. The papers were reporting 200-300 people in attendance but I would estimate much closer to 500 or more. Suited attendees were heckled and shivered in the cold while lined up along the block listening to our sneering and chanting. The media's reporting of the protest as violent (here and here) is not representative of my experience. There were drums and noisemakers, performance artists, children, peaceful shouting and a lot of typical Calgarian politeness. I was pleased to take my lunch hour attending and proud to raise my voice with Calgary's community against Bush's visit. See more photos from the media here and here.

Quit the Click

The Globe and Mail has officially announced it is endorsing Harper. This is the link to the story: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081009.weelection2008/BNStory/politics/
BUT I'm not going to hyperlink as I'm done giving money to the right wing rag by clicking all over its website and sending money to the advertisers. I'll watch the stocks from The Star or CBC and try to be limited in posting links of Globe stories and articles that Lilith Attack responds to.

The media MUST to be non-partisan and it's sick that one of our leading national papers has declared itself to be pro-conservative. It's obvious that the Globe supports conservative policies as it is with its biased articles and slanted editorials. Responsible news reporting should never have a partisan edge. I consider my own political position in the industry I work in and have heard the senior partner give a verbal high five to "our Mr. Bush" (those Dixie Chicks - oh how they bullied our neighbour's supreme leader); and received an email from said senior partner urging all staff to contact our MLAs to oppose the Royalty Rate hike last fall - being in opposition to the senior partner(s)' politics makes me feel somewhat at risk and marginalized. Of course my political views have never been challenged by he who pays my salary nor was I questioned on my voting tendencies in my interview; but I can't help but feel under a Tory thumb at my desk should and when the revolution commence. Do I really have the freedom to express my opinions at the kitchen water cooler when Mr. C is reading the Globe and Mail at the table behind me? Do staff writers really have the freedom to write and report responsibly with a Harper endorsement? "Leave your anti-corporation sentiments at the door, Ms. Smith," this building is blue. I am in the middle of quarterly and annual reporting and I need to speculate on the economy. Because I am representing a right wing partner, my presented speculations shall be skewed from my personal speculations. In that sense my own reporting may not be responsible but I am merely passing on words to the desk of a CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation that is delighted with tax cuts from Harper's team and sees no doom and gloom; no social disparity and ignores the glaring dissonance of the Prime Minister's tongue.

Chalk Talk

I'm diggin' JL's recent campaign ads:

Jennifer Wells notes:

Stylistically, the trio of "Chalk Talk" ads released this week by the New Democratic Party are a huge departure from the rum-ta-tum-tum drumming beat of the party's early creative. This is a first outing for Zig, in that the ad agency - rooted in Toronto and with a growing presence in Chicago - hasn't taken on political campaign work before. The strategy thus far has been to go negative out of the gate, build the Jack Layton brand, and now more softly attempt to convince Canadians that the NDP is a safe place to invest. About the time the writ was dropped, I was tipped to the news that Zig, after an energetic pitch, had been chosen. The party loved Zig's fresh perspective. The NDP's Brian Topp called it "arresting and different." We wanted, he said, to be seen as the "NEW democrats." (Via Adhocracy)

Goodbye Marion Dewar

Dewar: A true city activist

"Today we have lost one of our heroes," said former federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent. "Marion Dewar was a champion of what was just and right."

Often reformers become negative and embittered in their fight for social justice, Mr. Broadbent said, but that was not the case for Marion Dewar.

"She was a happy warrior. She had an ongoing desire to do good, to do the public good," said Mr. Broadbent. "She was a joyful soul."

"This is a very sad day for our city. She was one of the strongest mayors this city has had," said Councillor Diane Deans.

"I'm really in shock. This is a real loss," said Councillor Peggy Feltmate. "Our community has really lost a great asset, a woman who was a conscience for the community."

Equal Voice, Equal Choice?

This article was forwarded to me yesterday by Equal Voice, and it's a good read. An excerpt:

So it shouldn't be a shocker that even though women make up more than half the population, we hold only 20 per cent of seats in the House.

Of the 20 major-party candidates in the five Ottawa ridings, only four are women, and not one is a Conservative. Three -- an NDP candidate and two Greens -- hardly stand a chance. That leaves Collenette fighting a tight race in Ottawa Centre with NDP incumbent Paul Dewar and well-known Tory businessman Brian McGarry.

Consider this: Canada has no female premiers, no female major-city mayors. We have fewer women in parliament than most countries in Europe, not to mention Mauritania, Uganda, Rwanda, Afghanistan and Iraq.

These are statistics that Equal Voice is trying to change. A non-partisan, non-profit organization made up of women and men, Equal Voice is launching a cheeky ad campaign, urging voters to support female candidates and, perhaps more important, to consider factors other than how they look.

I've been to some Equal Voice events and appreciate their good work. I understand the importance of being non-partisan, but I don't agree with the rational to vote for a woman just because she's a woman. I wouldn't vote for a woman who wouldn't represent the interests I value. I would vote for the party that has a representative that I feel could be competent and speak on behalf of the community's best social values and justice. But the fact remains that there aren't enough women representing the parties for all the reasons outlined in the Citizen's article. I recently did a little investigating the candidate I would normally vote for, representing the NDP party, which I support. This person has no educational background in politics, isn't an outspoken advocate hasn't blogged or made public comments with reaction to the campaign, current issues and events, or voter apathy. This is the first election where I'm completely disgusted with the representative; as the campaign manager replied, "s/he's good at ----" (insert any unrelated hobby). Good at -hobby-? That's all they could say about this candidate when the credentials were questioned? Unbelievable. There must be a more appropriate individual who could be the party representative. I'm stuck, now, because I'm not confident how to vote. The NDP party would receive $1.75 from me if I did vote for the incompetent. On the other hand, I don't want to waste my vote if my riding is actually a close competition between the Cs and the Ls. My liberal rep is a woman but I need to make damn sure she's pro-choice, anti war, anti-privatization, pro-arts, etc; I won't simply cast a Venus symbol ballot without understanding her platform (and I've been having a hard time finding this out). Calgary's conservative saturation seems to be quieting all candidates that aren't Tory! Why do they not have more to say!? Why are the candidates becoming as apathetic as the voters!!??

Felection - Fixing the Date

Democracy Watch outlines some of the reasons why Harper's Election call is bad for democracy:

. . . delaying the election until at least spring 2009 would give time to pass key bills, as well as complete various investigations and court cases, on key good government issues, as follows:

-a proposed law that bans loans to election candidates (except by banks and other financial institutions) is still under review by the Senate, and until it passes the loans loophole will allow anyone to buy off a candidate in violation of the spirit of donation limits that came into effect a few years ago;
-the investigation and court case concerning limits on spending on advertising by local candidates is not completed, and holding an election when limits are not clearly defined will likely lead to abuse in election spending;
-a court case filed by Democracy Watch has not been completed, and as a result it is unclear exactly what lobbyists can do to help candidates and parties during elections;
-another court case filed by Democracy Watch has not been completed, and as a result it is unclear whether Prime Minister Harper and his Cabinet violated the federal Conflict of Interest Act by making decisions concerning the Mulroney-Schreiber affair;
-the federal Ethics Commissioner has still not ruled on whether Finance Minister Jim Flaherty violated the Conflict of Interest Act when he handed out a contract to a friend, and;
-last but certainly not least, there are 90 loopholes in the federal government’s accountability and decision-making system that need to be closed, including loopholes that allow party leaders to lie to voters when making election promises, that allow secret donations to nomination race candidates, and that allow party leaders to dictate who will be the candidate in any riding.

Via Rabble.

Endorsing Anne Lagacé Dowson

This is the first I've read about Anne Lagacé Dowson (bio), but BoingBoing writer Cory Doctorow extols her virtues and offers his support. One to watch!

Smudget Shmoooes.

As usual, the conservatives turn their back on working-class, low income families and high five the rich corporations:

All indications in the run-up to budget day pointed to the NDP and Bloc Québécois opposing the budget, and the party leaders did little to dispel that Tuesday.

"This is a budget that clearly fails the working families of Canada," NDP Leader Jack Layton said.

"You simply have to note that the large corporations are getting six times as much of a tax subsidy as we see in spending for programs and for the needs of Canadians.

"In fact, individual taxpayers are going to have to pay 12 per cent more of the cost of government, while corporations will pay 14 per cent less."

Mr. Layton called the Conservative budget approach to setting funding priorities "completely unfair."

"There is nothing here to train the doctors that families need," Mr. Layton said.

"There is nothing to help deal with prescription drug costs that are really tough on families now. There's nothing for affordable housing. It is not a budget that New Democrats can support."

Battle Cry - URGENT ACTION NEEDED

Baby Steps to attempt the Re-Criminilization of Abortion in Canada Taking Place on February 29, 2008From the BreadnRoses Forum:

Now, hard on the heels of that [the 20th Anniversary of the Morgentaler decision], we've got to roll up our sleeves again. But this time is no celebration. This is dead serious.

Birth Pangs covered the 'Unborn Victims of Violence' bill here and here.

This is a private member's bill that has already had some debate and is scheduled for more on February 29, Sadie Hawkins Day, the day women are allowed to ask men to marry them, dance with them, and/or respect their human rights. A vote on it is expected on March 5.

While pretending to 'protect' pregnant women, what this bill really is is a backdoor attempt to create 'personhood' rights for fetuses -- a necessary first step in re-criminalizing abortion.

Private member's bill, you say? Pish. They never go anywhere.

Think again. The Bloc and the NDP intend to whip their members to vote against it. The Cons, well, they're hopeless. But the Libs do NOT intend to whip their members. And we know how very squishy some Libs are when it comes to women's rights.

In other words, fans of freedom, this stinking piece of fetus-fetishist crap may well pass.

PLEASE SEND A MESSAGE TO DION.

Unions Stepping up to the Plate that Harper Hopped Off

There is hope.

Ottawa—Several major unions are stepping forward to give financial support to women’s organizations that have been punished under the Conservative government’s anti-equality agenda. Their announcement coincides with the 26th anniversary of Canada’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women.
“This government’s decision to stop funding research and advocacy by women’s organizations was short sighted, and our unions will continue to push for its reversal,” says John Gordon, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) National President. “In the meantime, it’s imperative these groups stay alive.”

Via Rabble.

Yes it is. And shame on Harper and his attack on women's groups. We will rise... we have to.

On Antichoice "Puck Bunnies" and Tax Dollars

A few weeks ago the Ottawa Senators' wives and girlfriends (The Better Halves hosted a massive Christmas Tree Raffle. Problem is, investigates Heather Mallick, "The Better Halves are giving a third of the proceeds of this year's $50,000 Christmas Tree raffle to First Place Pregnancy Centre, an Ottawa anti-abortion group run by Pentecostal Christians."

Read this Rabble Article by Heather Mallick to find out more about these anti-choicers.

Chopping Women's Programs and Corporate Taxes

Last week Antigone Magazine had a post about Canada's Tom Flanagan, Steve Harper's closest advisor, via Rabble, about the Conservative Government's agenda for funding to women's programs. Flanagan said:

Flanagan calls funding cuts to Status of Women Canada and the elimination of the
Court challenges Program a “nice step,” asserting without equivocation that
Conservatives will "defund” all equality-seeking groups – with feminists at the
top of the list. He goes further, clarifying that Conservatives also plan to
choke-off these groups’ supposedly privileged access to government by, for
example, denying “meetings with ministers.” But for strategic reasons, Flanagan
notes, this will all happen incrementally. To avoid the perception of
mean-spirited retribution, he says, “incrementalism is the way to go.”

I guess the same strategy is used in reverse when it comes to corporate taxes. Yesterday the Conservative Government unveiled its plan to increase personal tax rate on the lowest income bracket to 15.5%. This comes after it was (applause) decreased by a percentage point from 16% in 2005. The lowest income families in Canada will pay more and the rich will pay less. GST will be lowered t 5% (bad idea). Corporate taxes are being cut by $14.1 billion creating a "a very attractive tax environment to retain and attract business investment" [source]. Business business business. Yesterday's announcement will certainly offset the pathetic oil royalty increase that that sector is whining about. Once again, our government favours the rich and powerful and takes a shit on the working class, infrastrucutre, health care, and public social services.

CODEPINK Denied Access to Canada

From CODEPINK this week:

Canada used to be a haven for peace activists during the Vietnam era, a place where Americans could go to escape the madness of war. No longer.

On October 4, 2007, CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin and Retired Colonel/ diplomat Ann Wright were denied entry to Canada because they have engaged in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against the war in Iraq. The Canadian border officials said the women's names appeared on the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, and anyone convicted of a criminal offense, including a minor misdemeanor for peace and social justice, was "inadmissible." This, to us, is unacceptable. We can't sit back and watch our civil liberties erode, one by one. We can't sit back and let peace activists be treated like dangerous criminals.

We have crafted a petition urging the FBI to stop including minor non-violent offenses on a database meant for serious crimes, and the Canadian government to reverse its policy and extend a warm welcome to U.S. peacemakers and other social activists who use the time-honored tradition of engaging in civil disobedience as a way to change unjust policies.

Please join Alice Walker, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky and 100 US and Canadian leaders by signing our petition here and sending the link to your friends and family. We will deliver all of your signatures directly to the Canadian Parliament; where Medea and Ann have been invited to speak--if they can get into the country!

To find out more about the situation, as well as the press it has received, please click here.

Thank you for helping us open these gates.

With dedication to peace without borders,
Dana, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Liz, Medea, Nancy, Patricia, Rae, Samantha, and Sarah

Within These Walls

Antonia Zerbisias of the Toronto Star gets it right in her column today about the legal rights of fetuses, reacting to the recent murder of Aysun Sesen, 7 months pregnant who's fetus could not be saved after several knife wounds to the abdomen. Ms. Zerbisias acknowledges that the recent law signed by Mr. Bush in 2004, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, excludes "the prosecution of any provider of consensual abortion, those attempting to treat a pregnant woman, and the woman herself." The debate did drag on for months and indeed, regardless of the exclusion, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act is a paving of the way to make abortion in the USA illegal with the simple strike-through tool of an amendment. Dialogue in Canada about the rights of fetuses is opened in cases like Sesen's, and I appreciate that Zerbisias doubts that giving a fetus legal status won't make a difference in the appalling death rate of pregnant women. I appreciate her criticism of pregnant women being objectified as vessels, frightened with media scares like toxoplasmosis.

To take Ms. Zerbisias's position just a little further, I ask the question, "Who benefits from giving the unborn legal status?" A murdered woman? A dead fetus? Not so. Groups that would like to see abortion criminalized in Canada? Ah... yes. You see, writing a law - words on paper - protect and prevent nothing. Women are being murdered. It's illegal, but it's happening. Pregannt women are being murdered. In Canada a woman is raped every 17 minutes. The violence is a problem that is not solved by simply making a law. But the dialogue that surrounds these laws can be significantly positive or become problematic like giving a fetus legal rights. My sympathies to the family and friends of Aysun Sesen, who no longer will hear their sister/daughter/niece/auntie laughing. May we remember Aysun Sesen as a woman with a life, a face, and may we raises our voices against violence against us. The violence of poverty, of inequality, of our sexuality and the violence against our wombs.

On the Frontlines - NDP Offers Women's Equality Challenge

From the NDP Website Yesterday:
"OTTAWA – The NDP issued an “equality challenge” to political leaders today in Ottawa. Recently, women have been losing ground in their fight for equality as the Harper Conservatives and Liberals in Ottawa have dramatically cut programs and moved backwards on women’s issues."

The Action Plan outlines the following:

Fairness for women - Action plan of the NDP federal caucus
1. Fairness for women at work
2. A better work-family balance
3. An end to violence against women
4. Making sure women are heard – in public, in politics
5. Fairness for marginalized women
6. Equality for women around the globe

I encourage you to read the rest of the plan on the website!