Two prominent US Republicans, Newt Gingrich (former Speaker of the House) and Pat Nolan, (former Republican Leader of the California State Assembly) are saying that the American style “tough on crime” approach is not working.
They, along with other US Conservative leaders are spearheading the Right on Crime Campaign, a national movement urging states to [...]
Over the past few months I have talked to people who have experienced difficulties at the US border. Often this involves having to leave ones vehicle and being subjected to intense interrogation. What has in the past been a routine “friendly” crossing has turned into a “negative” interrogation by abusive American border guards.
There [...]
I have long been convinced that big biotech companies such as Monsanto have been running a scam in regards to their genetically engineered (GE) crops. Despite fifteen years of failed promises to feed the world’s hungry and more recently to save mankind from climate change, the Canadian and US governments inexplicably continue to write [...]
This past year, my staff and I had the privilege of assisting constituents faced with federal bureaucratic problems – unfair treatment, misinterpretations or just plain despair at not seeing any hope in their particular plight.
For the most part, I find the federal public service is exceptionally professional, knowledgeable and helpful, and should not be held [...]
The past year has been an eventful one.
In January the Haiti earthquake hit. My staff and I worked for days with Foreign Affairs, a School District and Mt. Sentinel School of South Slocan to safely locate, press for transportation assistance, and rescue a class of high school students caught in Haiti.
In February, after much [...]
CASTLEGAR/OLIVER/OSOYOOS – The Osoyoos Baptist Church and the Desert Sun Counselling and Resource Centre are partnering with MP Alex Atamanenko (BC Southern Interior) to host two public showings of the acclaimed film Poor No More, featuring Canadian actress and comedian Mary Walsh.
The film will show on Thursday, January 13th at 7:00 PM at the Oliver [...]
In the previous op-ed I talked primarily about Canada`s role in Afghanistan and how we have shifted our foreign policy away from the middle ground peace-keeping focus to active combat.
Another disturbing trend in our policy is our shift in Middle East thinking. For decades Canada has attempted to promote a balanced approach to the long-lasting [...]
One of the hallmarks of a democratic state is its commitment to free, public and political expression.
Indeed, no society can call itself truly democratic if it does not guarantee its citizens the inalienable rights to gather, communicate their opinion and demonstrate their support for or against any political position they wish.
If these assertions are [...]
Food Banks Canada released its HungerCount 2010 survey in November. The report paints a grim picture of poverty in Canada and the continued growth in the need for services like food banks and other charitable food providers in our communities. This snapshot from thousands of hungry Canadians and from hundreds of food banks across [...]
Foreign policy
My impression is that the last decade can be characterized as a “shift” in the way Canada reacts to the world. This change has not been sudden but has slowly evolved as a result of what I would call an “anti-Canadian” outlook by our government regarding our place in the world.
We used to be [...]