Buckdog

Changes by the former Bush Administration come into effect tomorrow as the 'world's largest undefended border' between Canada and the United States of America comes to an end.

Earlier this week, George Bush was unaware that the policies of his administration have morphed into the new rules which require a passport by citizens on either side of the border to cross into their neighbour's territory. Nothing was done by the incoming Obama administration to change it. We shouldn't be surprised when even one of Obama's top officials was falsely under the impression that the 911 terrorists entered the US from Canada.

Well it's too late now. I think of what my old great aunts (who used to drive regularly from Minot to Regina for visits) would have to say about this. One of my grandfathers was born in Minnesota but lived his adult life in Saskatchewan. Crossing over to North Dakota was a regular family affair for us in better bygone days.

I guess in some way you can say that all ends tomorrow. Just one more way that George Bush screwed things up and Obama did nothing to correct it.

For anyone who has been following singer, Susan Boyle in the 'Britain's Got Talent' Show, here is her performance in the show's final, held earlier today in the UK. Now, she did not win ... but she will do very well, I think, because of her new found fame!

Britain's Got Talent Final

The desperate Nova Scotia Liberals have now completely lost any concept of a central message or a central campaign in the final days of the election. Without a central message or central direction, individual Liberal candidates are desperately maneuvering in all directions trying to salvage what vote they can.

In one example, Michel Samson, the Liberal candidate for Richmond constituency is lashing out at organized labour, insisting that a Nova Scotia government led by the New Democrats will be receiving its 'marching orders' from 'unions'. In another example (I posted yesterday)) a Liberal candidate has called on his Conservative and New Democrat opponents to take down their signs so as not to disturb 'tourists'.

The lack of a central campaign message and direction means the Nova Scotia Liberals are imploding in the final days of the campaign. Their only hope lies in speculation that they may pick up the votes of a number of disgruntled Conservative supporters - - once again proving the old saying ("Liberal / Tory, same old story")!

Canadian Press

Pity the Nova Scotia Liberals! No one wants to put up a lawn sign for their candidates. What to do? I know! Demand that ALL candidates take down their election signage and say that it's an 'environmental concern'! LOL!

Liberal candidate wants all election campaign signs down


Photo courtesy Tyler Kinch

In Nova Scotia politics, the Conservative Party has long had its base of support amongst farmers and rural voters in the Annapolis Valley. That is perhaps about to change in the upcoming election. The reason is simple. While in power, the Conservative government has turned a deaf ear to the plight of farmers who have seen input costs rise dramatically over the last couple of years.

Change is coming to Nova Scotia very soon. When it happens, many people who previously voted Conservative will not be surprised.

Chronicle Herald

"WITH VOTING day now in sight, the big story of the 2009 campaign has to be the affirmation of Darrell Dexter and the NDP as front-runners. They may be just barely ahead in an election where many votes will be split three ways, but they are clearly ahead.

They are running a quiet campaign without a lot of noise, typical of front-runners. The Conservatives are attacking every day. They know they’re behind.

There’s only been one public survey, but it seems to confirm a trend in place for more than a year. The poll suggests that almost four in 10 Nova Scotians will vote for the NDP. That’s enough for a minority government.

The poll also suggests that fewer people are satisfied and more people are unsatisfied with the Tories and Rodney MacDonald. That’s not good news for them."
The Chronicle Herald

-Nova Scotia New Democrats explain the problem with a Conservative government ....

-Reality Check proves truth in the old saying ... Liberal / Tory ... same old story for Nova Scotia!

BBC World News

Anyone who has ever stood in Times Square in New York City will recognize what a massive change it is to ban vehicle traffic from the famous crossroads. I think I like the idea.

".... when Quebecers look at Harper these days, it seems all they see is his ideology."
The Star

"Tory bridge to nowhere?
Local Conservatives insist a resurgence is under way for the party in Quebec and that voters here will come around to appreciate Harper for all he's done for them. All the signs, though, suggest otherwise!"
Montreal Gazette

"NDP ahead of Tories in Quebec"
Le Devoir

"Conservatives could lose next election, Cabinet staffers scouting for new jobs"
The Hill Times

Had lots of fun at Regina's Cathedral Village Arts Festival today!

-'Before The Festivities' - Regina Leader-Post
-'From the Granola Belt - Regina Leader-Post



Photo courtesey CVAFPHOTOS

"A killer who led a marauding gang of Hutu murderers and rapists in the Rwandan genocide became Canada's first convicted war criminal this morning. In a landmark decision, Désiré Munyaneza was convicted on two counts of genocide, two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes for his part in the 1994 mass slaughter."
Globe & Mail

Now that Canada's war crimes laws have stood the test by bringing about a conviction in the Rwanda genocide, perhaps we may see a day when other individuals are asked to answer for their actions.

On May 21, 2006, 125 persons were present when Misha Pavelick of Regina was fatally stabbed. To date, the police have not been able to arrest anyone for the murder. This in spite of the fact that so many young people were present as the murder occurred.

On the third anniversary of the death of his son, Lorne Pavelick implored whoever killed Misha to 'do the right thing and step up'.

For the grads who were there that night, highschool is over and adolescent 'peer pressure' not to 'rat' on anyone is pretty stale now. We continue to wait for someone who knows exactly what happened that night to speak up. Someone knows. Someone saw.

You can remain anonymous .. do the right thing ... call 780-5882 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or *8477 from a cellphone.

Anonymous tips can also be texted to "Crimes'' (274637) or submitted online at the website, www.cstips.ca.

-Father pleads for killer to do the right thing

-Investigation into death continues three years later


Photo courtesy Roy Antal, Regina Leader-Post

"With support for the PC Party in decline and support for the NDP at its current level, a change in government is highly likely, according to the most recent survey conducted by Corporate Research Associates Inc. Currently, just under four in ten decided and leaning voters prefer the NDP (37%), while support for the PC Party lags (28%). Support for the Liberal Party rests at 31 percent, while three percent prefer the Green Party. The number of Nova Scotia residents who are currently undecided (17%), do not plan to vote (7%), or refuse to state a preference (6%) stands at 30 percent."
-Nova Scotia NDP on course to form government: poll - Halifax Weekly News


"If Darrell Dexter ends up in the premier's office after this election, he says he'll make sure all emergency rooms in the province stay open around the clock."
-NDP: No more ER closures - The Chronicle Herald


"The economy of Nova Scotia dominated the election campaign's first face-to-face debate among the province's three party leaders. The three leaders squared off during an hour-long televised debate at the CBC television studio in Halifax on Tuesday evening. Progressive Conservative Leader Rodney MacDonald felt the pressure going into the debate, with the province already $12 billion in debt and a poll released earlier in the day suggesting voters were ready for a different party to form the next government."
-Economy dominates televised leaders' debate - CBC News

When the Federal Liberal government abandoned its Department of the Environment station in Mould Bay, NWT, back in 1997, they left a toxic mess which could cost millions to clean up.

Those few Green Party supporters who are buddies with some federal Liberals ... may want to ask them about this environmental disgrace.

Canada.com


Photo courtesy Roy Coulthard, Canwest News Service

No this is not a post about Elizabeth May. It's about the 3-day weekend that Canadians are enjoying right now.

When I was growing up, it was called 'The Victoria Day Weekend' in honour of Queen Victoria who ruled Britain from 1837 to 1901. A few decades later, almost no one (thankfully) calls it the 'Victoria Day weekend' any longer. Why should Canadians want to celebrate the reign of an ultra prudish English Queen who died 108 years ago?

To fill the void of relevance, a new generation of Canadians has labeled this weekend as 'May Long.' Oh yeah! There's a name that inspires a mood of celebration and festivity throughout the nation!

I have been critical of Canada's ongoing constitutional attachment to Elizabeth II, the current English Queen that we simply can't seem to ditch. Surely, Lizzy's great great grandmother Victoria inspires us even less.

So in all fairness to Canadians, and ignoring the bleating of dinosauric Canadian monarchist voices ... the 3-day weekend in May needs a new, updated and more relevant designation.

I guess 'May Long' will have to do for now, but I like it about as much as I liked it when it was called 'The Victoria Day weekend'.

Have a nice weekend!


tag: Queen Victoria - not dead enough!

ARE you ready for the Winnipeg Coyotes?

"NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told officials with Phoenix Coyotes that the NHL would consider moving the team to Winnipeg but not Hamilton, court filings show."
Globe & Mail

"The NHL insists it effectively took control of the Coyotes in November, when Moyes was unable or unwilling to contribute more to the team. The franchise has lost an estimated $73 million in the past three seasons and an estimated $400 million since moving from Winnipeg in 1996 ..."
Ottawa Citizen

...bit of background...

--Arsenisms has more!--

UPDATE - May 19th (late afternoon)
Judge says he'll delay ruling in Coyotes trial
A U.S. bankruptcy judge has decided to delay his ruling in a trial that pits the NHL against the majority owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, with billionaire Jim Balsillie's bid for the team hanging in the balance. Judge Redfield Baum told lawyers in a Phoenix, Ariz., courtroom that he needs more time to sift through hundreds of documents filed late last night.
CTV News

Robert Hale, a Saskatchewan lawyer was commissioned by the provincial New Democratic Party to conduct a review into the specifics of how 1100 potential memberships requests came about. The Provincial Office of the party has issued the following news release:

"Stricter oversight by both the Dwain Lingenfelter campaign and the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party might have prevented the invalid sale of NDP memberships in the Meadow Lake constituency from going as far as it did, Robert Hale said today.

But Hale, a Swift Current lawyer who investigated the membership affair on behalf of the party, said the safeguards in place for the process caught the irregularities in a number of areas, and voting process for the June 6 Party Leadership was not put at risk.

“The (Dwain) Lingenfelter campaign did not direct, authorize or condone this activity,” Hale said. “However, their policies did allow this to proceed further than it should have. If they had taken more time to speak with (the local DLC volunteer) and perhaps to members of the Band offices prior to spending $10,000, this could have been stopped sooner.”

However, sufficient concerns about the amount and quality of the membership applications were raised by the Lingenfelter campaign, the Provincial Office staff, the Meadow Lake constituency, the Chief of one of the Bands involved, and the other three Leadership candidates, that the problem was resolved early enough to prevent any negative consequences.

Hale concluded that (the local DLC volunteer) acted alone, without the authority or approval of the Lingenfelter campaign. However, he said that even if the intent had been to control the election with these improper ballots, it would not have worked.

“For those who might claim that this was an attempt at some type of voting fraud, it is important to note that the address was the Band office,” Hale said. “While we do have enough information to question the integrity of the individual who presented these applications, it would be entirely inappropriate to question the integrity of the officials at the Bands.

“Band officials would have arranged for members to receive their mail. The most likely outcome is that many ballots would have gone in the trash because people were not expecting them or they would have been returned to sender because the address was incorrect.”

He rejected out-of-hand (the local DLC volunteer) explanation to the Lingenfelter campaign of why he acted as he did because such actions are acceptable in Aboriginal communities. He said his consultation with past candidates, volunteers, canvassers, local executives and other volunteers clearly indicated this was not the case.

Hale accepted and supported the philosophy which allows Party members to pay for the membership of others, but said this case indicates the Party needs to put in place tighterregulations on this practice.

Saskatchewan NDP Provincial Secretary Deb McDonald said the Party now considers the matter closed.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
“We are satisfied with the report and in due course will consider Mr. Hale’s recommendations about how this incident could be avoided in the future,” McDonald said. “At this time, however, the Party believes it is now time to move forward with letting the members decide who the next leader of the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan will be.”

In addition, the $11,000 that was paid for the rejected memberships has been confiscated by the New Democratic Party and will be used to defray the costs of the Hale inquiry. Should the $11,000 not cover the full cost of the review, the Lingenfelter campaign must pay for the difference.

When the Hale Report news conference concluded, Dwain Lingenfelter was scrumed by the local media. One question, in particular, caught my attention:

-Reporter: Do you feel vindicated by the review?
-Lingenfelter: I felt vindicated when I wrote to the Party asking them to review me and my campaign.

UPDATE:
I am monitoring the websites for all 4 candidates to see if there are any further statements on the Hale Report. I will post them as they appear:
-Statememt by Dwain Lingenfelter
-Statement by Ryan Meili

Although political attention is more focused on the British Columbia election today, many of us are also watching the campaign unfold in Nova Scotia where Darrell Dexter's New Democrats are poised to make histoy.

Nova Scotia's minority Conservative government is on the verge of being turfed out for their lame performance and they're also in turmoil internally.

Steady as she goes ....

-NDP takes it slow and steady in N.S. election - National Post

... the RCMP have issued a full apology for the death of Robert Dziekanski who died 24 seconds after they came in contact with him.

The tasering of Robert Dziekanski

There have been a lot of 'Papal visits' around the globe over the last few decades. The trickiest one of all is about to happen.

ISRAEL: .. "THE Pope will be given unprecedented security when he arrives in Israel tomorrow because of fears that his brief enrolment in the Hitler Youth as a boy of 14 could trigger an assassination attempt by Jewish zealots. [...]

The Vatican insists that Joseph Ratzinger joined the Hitler Youth only because it was compulsory and did not attend its meetings. He was drafted into an antiaircraft corps in 1943 and trained in the infantry, but deserted in the last months of the war.

“The fact that he was a member of the Hitler Youth and later served in the German army is more than enough for a lone gunman to try to kill him,” said a security source.

Security chiefs are concerned that a group of fanatical Israelis, such as those behind the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, the prime minister, in 1995, could be planning an attack. “To penetrate this group of messianic Jews is more difficult than infiltrating Hamas,” said a Shin Bet source.

The arrest of some zealots as a preventive measure is being considered. About 60,000 policemen and 20,000 secret service agents will make up the visible security, codename Operation White Cloak.
Times Online

Absolutely no one is providing better coverage of the Saskatchewan New Democratic leadership race than the Jurist at Accidental Deliberations. If you have not yet bookmarked his site, you are missing out on some of the better online commentary available as the Sask. provincial NDP get ready for the leadership convention on June 6th.

The Jurist has recently posted four separate items that carry the candidates virtual brochure. Some excellent thought and vision has gone into the results from all four camps:


Cross posted at Sask NDP Leadership

"The federal government wants Canadian Olympians to wear a seal product -- most likely skin -- during the 2010 Winter Games to help protest a European Union ban on Canada's seal hunt.

Members of Parliament from all parties voted unanimously Wednesday in favour of a Bloc Quebecois motion calling on the government to come up with a way to integrate seal pelts into the athletes' uniforms.

"With the upcoming Winter Olympics that will be in Vancouver in 2010, the government has a chance to offer some concrete action to promote seal products," Bloc Quebec MP Raynald Blais said.

"Today we are tabling a motion aimed at studying the possibility to integrate [seal products] into the Canadian athletes' uniforms. Is the government ready to act to save an industry?"

Canadian Olympic Committee president Mike Chambers said adding seal products to Olympians' gear would not only mar athletes' performance, but politicize the Games."
Vancouver Sun

-Olympic team says no to seal protest

-AND ... in the Olympic Cafeteria! ... YUMmmmmmm!!!

-AND WHILE I'M AT IT ... for all of those phony Europeans who point their fingers at CANADA ... maybe they should take a look at their own MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR EUROPEAN FUR FARMING INDUSTRY AS WELL!

“If the president does it, it's not illegal.”
President Richard Nixon

"By definition, if it was authorized by the President, it did not violate our obligations under the Convention against Torture."
Condoleezza Rice (6:20 mark on video above)

-Demanding Accountability from Condi

Breaking:
The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party has tossed out 1100 membership applications that came under question as the deadline closed for eligibility to vote in the June leadership campaign.

Provincial Secretary, Deb McDonald said this morning that too many questions have surfaced concerning the membership applications and a decision was made to make them all ineligible. McDonald says that the Party continues to investigate the circumstances.

Some of the candidates are now commenting on the matter;
-Lingengelter campaign takes responsibility
-Dwain Lingenfelter's news conference ...
-Ryan Meili's thoughts ...

For ongoing coverage of the Saskatchewan NDP Leadership Race ... go HERE!

"Nova Scotia's opposition MLAs voted down a finance bill Monday, prompting the fall of the minority Progressive Conservative government and setting the stage for an election. Premier Rodney MacDonald said he plans to meet with Lt.-Gov. Mayann Francis on Tuesday to ask her to dissolve the legislature. Tradition dictates she will grant his request to head to the polls on June 9. The last provincial election was in June 2006."
CBC

Pssst... you heard it here first .... The Conservatives are done in Nova Soctia, the Liberals are weak ... and Darrell Dexter is going to be the next Premier of Nova Scotia!

The Seat count in the Nova Scotia Legislature at the moment is:
-21 Conservatives
-20 New Democrats -
-9 Liberals
-1 Independent
-1 Vacant

UPDATE: (May 5th)
The York Region District School Board has reversed the decision of suspension in this case. The student/victim of the violent racial attack has been fully reinstated. However, charges against him for assault are still pending.

(Original Post)
Someone may wish to tell Keswick High School principal, Catherine McGinley, that her heavy handed suspension of the student who stood up to racial bullying and violence in the school, appears to be as offensive as the racial attack itself. (Principal McGinley was ALSO recommending that the victim be expelled by the School Board at their May 13th meeting!)

Someone may also wish to tell Ontario's Attorney General that these charges against the student are as offensive as the racial attack itself.
Globe & Mail

By the way .. here is Keswick High's 'Anti-bullying' policy!!
Anti-Bullying Policy
Bullying can take the form of physical, verbal, or emotional abuse directly or over communication networks (cyber bullying). At Keswick High School, there is a zero-tolerance policy on bullying which is supported by the York Region District School Board, and the Ministry of Education of Ontario.

You can contact principal McGinley (be polite) at:
Keswick High School
100 Biscayne Blvd.
Keswick, Ontario
L4P 3L5

keswick.hs@yrdsb.edu.on.ca

Main Office
905-476-0933

... Dr. Dawg has more!


Photo courtesy Michael Owen

Canada's Liberals are meeting in Vancouver this weekend for their convention. You can be sure that a few beer will be consumed. For those who remember the old sitcom, Cheers, you may recall the character Cliff Clavin giving advice on the benefits of beer drinking:

"Well you see, Norm, it's like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.'

(So, to my fellow bloggers ((of Liberal persuasion)) Have fun ... be safe!