Historic Day for Trans People - Bill C-389 (Gender Identity) Passes 3rd Reading!

From Queer Ontario

It was a historic day for Trans people in Canada today as Bill C-389 passed 3rd reading in Federal Parliament by a narrow margin of 143 to 135. The private member’s bill on adding “Gender Identity” and “Expression” to the Canadian Human Rights Act brought forward by N.D.P. M.P. Bill Siksay, now moves on to the Senate.   Susan Gapka, Chair of the Trans Health Lobby Group had “Tears of Joy” upon learning of Bill C-389 passing.   Davina Hader also of the Trans Health Lobby Group who was there to witness the vote in Ottawa, said she was “Very emotional, and it was a moving experience”.   Martine Stonehouse, C.U.P.E. National – Pink Triangle Committee – Trans Rep., and Vice Chair of the Trans Health Lobby Group stated “This is a historic day for Trans people all across Canada; it brings us one step closer to achieving visibility, credibility, and recognition as equal persons in Canada”.   Bill C-389 now moves to debate by the Senate, and if passes this hurdle, it will then go for final reading in Parliament before being passed into law.   The possibility of an early election call could still kill Bill C-389, but hopefully it can be fast tracked through the Senate before that happens.   Let us keep our fingers crossed on this one! Martine said.

Queers in Canada's Military for 18 years!

This Friday, August, 6th marks the 18th year since Canada rescinded it's ban on LGBT in the military. The decision was made after a court case decided that the armed forces could no longer prevent homosexuals from serving in the military. The actual date of implementation was October 27, 1992, three and a half months after the Military accepted the court decision. see more at slap upside the head.

Currently 36 countries allow gays, lesbians and bisexuals to serve and 22 of the of 26 NATO countries permit them to serve. The United States as most of you know, allows gays, lesbians and bisexuals to serve as long as they keep it secret and are celibate. Countries that ban open service for gays, lesbians and bisexuals include the USA, Cuba, China, Iran and North Korea. See more on Wiki here.

A study on the acceptance of LGBT members in the Canadian Military was published in April 2000 by Aaron Belkin and Jason McNichol. Belkin was the Director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California, Santa Barbara. McNichol was Doctoral Candidate in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley and Director of ELM Research Associates, a non-partisan research firm in Berkeley when it was published.

The study found

* Lifting of restrictions on gay and lesbian service in the Canadian Forces has not led to any change in military performance, unit cohesion, or discipline.
* Self-identified gay, lesbian, and transsexual members of the Canadian Forces contacted for the study describe good working relationships with peers.
* The percent of military women who experienced sexual harassment dropped 46% after the ban was lifted. While there were several reasons why harassment declined, one factor was that after the ban was lifted women were free to report assaults without fear that they would be accused of being a lesbian.
* Before Canada lifted its gay ban, a 1985 survey of 6,500 male soldiers found that 62% said that they would refuse to share showers, undress or sleep in the same room as a gay soldier. After the ban was lifted, follow-up studies found no increase in disciplinary, performance, recruitment, sexual misconduct, or resignation problems.
* None of the 905 assault cases in the Canadian Forces from November, 1992 (when the ban was lifted) until August, 1995 involved gay bashing or could be attributed to the sexual orientation of one of the parties. Link to study results here

The reports conclusion is that allowing LGBT folks to openly serve did not undermine Canada's military or cohesion.

Given that the USA and Canada work so closely exchanging officers to facilitate understanding and working relationships, I wonder if an open queer Canadian was ever put in charge of and American military unit...

update: from National Defense Research Institute (U.S.), United States this report from 1993 - Sexual orientation and U.S. military personnel policy: options and assessment

page 77 deals with the Canadian experience shortly after discrimination was ended against queers.

Laraque - Cause I like the colour Green?

 I can't add much more to this...

Q Can you name three of your favourite Green party policies?
A I just got a big book about all the policies. If you ask me in a month, I’ll be able to tell you. So far, the biggest policy is about promoting the environment. In the coming weeks, I will be studying and meeting and reading with Elizabeth [May] a lot more on those environmental policies to be more informed on the specific policies that they have.

Read more: National Post: georges laraque from hockey heavyweight to green party draft pick/

Billions of tax dollars for Harper re-election fraud!

Now we know why the Conservatives want to make StatsCan look stupid. Stockwell Day has decided that the government must go ahead and build more prisons because the stats showing reduced crime rates are wrong. That's correct Mr. Day lets not let the facts get in the way of a good ole law 'n order re-election campaign.

The next Conservative campaign will highlight the opposition parties as being weak on crime and you guessed it, only the Conservitives are between you and the bad dude(s).

See CBC story here; Crime statistics not accurate, Day suggests

In an effort to build public acceptance for the billions in cost for new prisons, the Conservatives are trying to create a public impression the crime rates are in fact rising when all the stats suggest otherwise.

See CTV story here: Crime rate, violent crimes drop in 2009: StatsCan

The crime rates have been falling for several years now in Canada, yet the Harper led Conservatives continue their rant, playing to their base vote and hoping to scare the lights out of the soccer moms and blue collar white men. Lets hope people see this for what it is, a multi billion dollar taxpayer paid re-election gimmick.

update: See other blogs
Stageleft:: I Admit To Confusion
thewfds.blogspot.com jail-jail-jail.html

Okay, show me an LPCer

...that still wants an election

Support for the Harper Conservatives is flirting with majority government levels after weeks of parliamentary wrangling that saw the Liberals try and fail to topple the Tory minority amid a recession.

A Strategic Counsel poll conducted for The Globe and Mail and CTV says Conservative support has risen to 41 per cent nationally – a six-point jump from a month ago. - The globe and mail

Kiss up with Jack and be nice

Ephebophilia

Ephebophilia!

a sexual orientation or preference in which an adult's primary sexual attraction is towards pubescent or postpubescent adolescents

Thanks to Bruce over at Canuck Attitude, I learned a new word. Ephebophilia is apparently what Catholic priests practice, but not only Catholics do this, it is apparently just as common in other denominations... according to the Holy See.

I think there is value in being a Catholic, I mean you get to say sorry every time you do something you shouldn't...

Bruce has a good piece on this, go have a look.

New Democrats and LPCers need to look deep

Update - 5:30 pm Sep 30/09: Olivia Chow has not said she would be thinking she would run for the Mayor's job in Toronto. In fact she will be staying in Parliament! I stand corrected and very happy!
---------------------------

Politics creates some odd realities. The Liberals fed up with taking the brunt for supporting the Harper minority decided it was time someone else picked up that dirty job and the New Democrats have obliged. Jeff over at his "I'm an Ontarian after being a BCer" blog has a good analysis of the situation, albeit from an LPCer point of view. He takes few little shots at the New Democrats.

The truth of the stranger than reality show in Ottawa is that the New Democrats and Liberals do not want an election now. The New Democrats are taking the hit in the media and from Iggy for "propping up" the Harperites. Funny thing is, its truly to Iggy's short term benefit that we don't have an election, especially with Bob Rae breathing down his back. An election now would likely see the NDP lose some seats and the LPC gain a few and Harper gaining some, maybe enough for a majority.

With a another dismal LPC performance, Iggy will have to leave and Bob Rae will step in, bringing with him all of Jean's buddies. The demon of Paul Martin will be washed away and the LPC will actually stand some chance of regaining government.

The New Democrats future looks about the same or worse. I wish I could suggest it would be otherwise. Instead of being acknowledged by the media for preventing an election and trying to make Parliament work at least until spring, they are being characterised as having to hold their noses while voting with Harper.

I haven't met any Canadian other than a few party hacks that want an election or think we need one. With that public thought pervading the land, the New Democrats should get some credit for doing the dirty work. But this is politics and the New Democrats are being roasted as hypocrites (79 Liberal votes).

Further disconcerting is the lack of imagination in any of the political parties. We Can Do Better and Standing up for Average Working Families are lame and bereft of content. Where is the grand vision. All we get is, "they are wrong and we are right."

The New Democrats must do better this time out or Jack is finished. With rumours that Olivia Chow may leave one of only two New Democrat seats in Toronto to seek the Mayor's job, the New Democrats fortunes look bleak for making any advances in Canada's biggest city. If Chow runs for Mayor then I expect the left and centre vote will split and John Tory will become Mayor, thats a lovely thought to contemplate.

The LPC and the New Democrats have a big job to do this winter. Polling does not build grand visions, polls do not inspire people to support this idea or that one. They both need to be out there listening and talking with Canadians.

I have seen many of the ideas the New Democrats have proposed and I support them whole heartedly. What they have failed to do is capture the attention of voters and would be voters. Instead of being seen as a party that supports working families, they are seen as the party that hates business. The LPC on the other hand is seen as having destroyed its foundation.

If we want to stop a Conservative majority we New Democrats and LPCers must take a good look at what our respective parties are offering Canadians and will Canadians like it enough to support it.

Put your Right foot in

Yes I know there has been lots of posts about Iggy doing the two step. You know, step over here, say this, step over there, say the opposite.

Its tough being the AIR Apparent. You have to say so many things to get elected. Its does however appear that the Liberal leader will keep the commitment made by the Tories in Ottawa and The LIBcons in Queens Park to harmonize the sales taxes. Its really not fair for Iggy to call it Harper's Sales tax in BC anymore. That is what he has been doing as the TAX is not going over well out there.

Here in Ontario, it different, people here have rolled over. So Iggy went to meet some business folks the other day and decided there are more votes here than in BC so he won't change the HST. That is going to cost him in BC.

As for Ontario, the longer we wait for an election the worse it looks for the Liberals. To add insult to more red faced LPCers, they may have handed the NDP a big repeat victory in Quebec with the Pontifical one himself, (that's Iggy) declaring he will anoint a woman to run in Outremont. I can hardly wait.

Till then try out this tune (note its always a "right foot")

You put your right foot in,
You put your right foot out,
You put your right foot in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Iggy shuffle
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

- Kelly McParland: Liberals do the Iggy Shuffle on sales tax

Harper wants to re:shape the Supreme Court

Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently delivered a speech behind closed doors in Northern Ontario. The speech was very much an election speech, rallying the troops to do the work needed to elect more Conservative MP's.



The CBC obtained the video of the secret speech from the Liberal party who said they got it from someone that secretly videotaped it.

Most of the speech is not a surprise. Most of us know what a majority Conservative government would look like and its not going to be progressive on any front.

I found the most interesting comments were about the Supreme Court and gun registry...

See the speech here on CBC.

Harper on the gun registry...

(4:00 minutes) We are still, you know we believe that you go after the people that use guns to commit crimes, we are still trying to get rid of that registry, we have the NDP, the Liberals and the BLOC stopping us from even having a vote on that issue in the House of Commons. We need to get a mandate so we get that passed.(4:27 minutes)

Harper continuously railed against the appointments to the Supreme Court before he was elected to anything and as opposition leader, here he goes on to imply that there are too many "left wing ideologues" in government the courts and agencies and if you re-elect his party to a majority, he will change this...

(5:31 minutes)...Just ask you to imagine how different things would be if the Liberals were still in power, imagine the bloated bureaucracy their national day care program would have been created and problaby not have delivered a single child care space, imagine how many left wing ideologues they would be putting in the courts, federal institutions, agencies, the Senate, I should say how many more they would be putting in...(5:49 minutes)

We have come along way to providing a decent caring and fair country, only to see the likes of Stephen Harper win a majority government and impose his views of what this country should look like. The Supreme Court will look like the right wing US Supreme Court. Judges throughout the system from the bottom up will have to pass a political leaning test, something we did away with some 40 years ago.

A couple elections ago, Harper said we shouldn't be scared of him because the Supreme Court and the bureaucracy would keep him in check. If Harper gets a majority, who will be there to check his government? No one, no thing, no law, nothing.

We will see neighbourhoods fighting to keep new prisons from being built. The new prisons will be run and operated by private companies just as in the United States. They will have quotas. That is, the Government of Canada will guarantee these private prisons so many new inmates each year. The number of prisoners will have to be increased each year so the private prisons can see growth in its profits year after year.

Health care will be under new restrictions with many services now provided by government handed over to the private sector. Those that can afford it will be able to purchase private services and thus go to the head of the line, just as happens in the US today.

This is only the beginnings of Harper's plan to reshape Canada into what I would call, The Alabama Project. Want to know what that looks like? Take a look at the state of Alabama. Its not pretty.

See CBC story here,
Northwestern Lad's blog post here
and in Montreal Simon Says

ThunderBay homophobia attack

Doubtless you have seen this story already. It is horrific.

Jake Raynard was attacked in Port Arthur, part of what is now Thunder Bay Ontario. The initial reaction is that this attack was motivated by hate, homophobia in this case.

Thunder Bay, ON -- On Friday night, a violent attack in the Port Arthur downtown core put a man in hospital with serious injuries. Jake Raynard states, "So the facts. I was assaulted by a gang outside the pier. I managed to get some other people to safety, but not myself. I had bricks thrown at my head, shattering my cheek, eyesocket, and resulting in a broken jaw".

Montreal Simon has been on this story as has been Queer Liberal. Xtra is on it too.

Im more than a little ticked at this right now...

Harper will give Peter an OKS

Conservative cabinet minister, Peter MacKay wants us to believe he forgot he was on the boards of directors for two companies. That's just too bizarre to accept. I bet Mr. Harper is giving Peter a good ole fashion OKS (Over the Knee Spanking)

I mean I can see him preparing to run for office years ago. "Daddy can you make me a Director of your companies?"

"Why sure son, you have never ever been remotely interested before, why now?"

"It could help me look like I know about business."

"It will happen tomorrow Peter, don't worry your silly little head about it, oh by the way, you won't have to come to meeting or make any decisions, I will have your name added to the registry." And that was the last of it for Peter, it slipped out of his head. Perhaps that's why Belinda left....

from the Chronicle Herald...

“My mistake, if anything, was not to have twigged to the fact that I should remove my name,” he said. “I guess it sounds hard to believe but I completely forgot because I didn’t have any involvement with it.”

Halifax MP Megan Leslie said she finds it tough to understand Mr. MacKay’s oversight because MPs and cabinet ministers have to go through a rigorous disclosure process.

“It must be quite the life to forget that you’re the director of certain companies,” the New Democrat said. “I forget how many student loans I have, but we have different lives, Peter and I.” - Chronicle Herald, Halifax, Thursday Sept 3, 2009

Under the L - 80

CBC

Harper's 'time is up,' Ignatieff tells Liberals

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff told a Liberal audience in Sudbury, Ont., Tuesday that the party will oppose Stephen Harper's minority government when Parliament resumes in two weeks. "Mr. Harper, your time is up," he said. "We cannot support this government any further."

By the time it happens, likely in the next few weeks, the LPC will vote against Harper and hope to bring him down. Its about time is some ways. They have had at least 79 chances to do this since Harper was elected.

Now the question will be, what is Harper willing to do to stay in government? I have a few ideas for him...

How do I get off this horse?

EI reform isn't coming anytime soon to workers exhausting their benefits. As unemployment continues to rise, banks make huge profits and the prospect of an election dimming, we can expect little help.

Ignatieff managed to avoid a spring election by having Harper agree to a panel of LPCers and Conservatives, discuss over the summer, possible changes to EI. They met over the summer and so far agreed to disagree. That's not a surprise really. Harper has been stating for months that such action when demanded by the NDP was not needed. Now Iggy is back peddling. How do I get off this horse?

Where are the roots to today's EI problems? Go back to 1994 and Paul Martin, then finance Minister in the Liberal government. He cut back the entitlements, building of Brian Mulroney's cut backs to make it even harder to qualify for EI. They expanded the number of regions and extended hours needed to qualify, cut weeks of benefit and unless your boss went belly up, you couldn't hope to get EI.

Today we see record numbers of people on EI. Those people will see their benefits run out in a few months. What then, there are few new jobs, heck more people than ever are losing jobs.

Back to Paul Martin. As finance minister he stole funds from EI to balance the governments budget. So while collecting ever larger amounts of premiums from employers and employees, they used the excess. They cut EI benefits to allow even more of the EI premiums money to go to balancing the general budget.

Now we have Harper who wants EI to cover the self employed. Not a bad idea, but one that is fraught with difficulties. It looks like his plan would see current workers subsidize the plan. It looks like workers in Canada are caught between a rock and a hard place, between Conservative and LPC boulders.

Why is it so hard to get either of these leaders to stand up for workers in this country? Why do they continue to block EI changes that would allow people more time to find work, to pay their mortgage and bills and get by. Just a couple of days ago the big banks announced that 16000 Canadian households are three or more months behind in payments. That's a record. Its still a small number but an ugly looking trend.

The prospect of a fall election looks dimmer. Harper managed to hide his nine appointed senators behind Gary Doer, Canada's new chief lobbyist in Washington. He is managing to look moderate in the media and the public.

Well then, imagine Stephen Harper with a majority. It won't be a pretty sight. The LPCers will have only themselves to blame. They will blame the NDP for failing to fall into line and support the so called centre left. There is nothing left about the LPC save CB in Toronto and soon there will be nothing.

How do I get off this horse? That's the question Iggy should have looked after before he forced Dion out. The LPC choose this horse and now I must admit, I am mildly amused watching them vote against still another non-confidence motion. Seems they prefer the opposition benches as they are, no need to spend money they don't have to run in an election that Harper just might win again.

Better talk to Jack and the NDP. He was supportive of working together a while ago. But remember, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Jack may want a little more than a token cabinet seat or two when you come calling again.

The Real Medicare in Canada

Just for my American readers, the real Canadian medicare program...






Ok, some Canadians should see this too..

Harper's insidious contempt of democracy

Harper's insidious contempt of democracy

Over at blogging a dead horse Stephen Harper's insidious contempt of democracy is laid out plain as day. It's very rare you see a government try to pull these kinds of shenanigans so openly. Just how low can they go? Check it out.

"Friday’s post about Stephen Harper’s plan to appoint undemocratic “official liaisons to the federal government” as a way to supplant democratically elected NDP MPs has gotten loads of blog attention, but very little in the mainstream press outside of northern BC, where NDP MP Nathan Cullen has been targeted." - Attack of the Conservative Pod People, Part II

Now if there is an example for others as to how to be a good MP, Nathan Cullen would be on most people's list. The Harper Conservative Government has set a new low water mark with this.

Quoted in the Terrace Daily, Conservative MP Dick Harris says...

"I and other BC Conservative MPs will work closely with Sharon Smith as she represents constituents of her riding to the government members. It will be a bonus for people of Skeena-Bulkley Valley to have direct representation to the government on so many issues,” continued Harris..."

Sharon Smith is a Conservative candidate in the next election. running against you guessed it, Nathan Cullen.

Check out Attack of the Conservative Pod People, Part II and Barbara Yaffe's column in today's Vancouver Sun

Happy Birthday to Canada's ROZEMA

Happy Birthday to Canada's ROZEMA

Happy Birthday to Canadian film director PATRICIA ROZEMA. Patricia turns 51 today and one of Canada's best kept secrets.

She is not a secret in the Film industry but I hazard to guess that many Canadians don't know her. I am betting we know her work though.

In case you didn't know, Patricia plays on the all girls team! At Queerthoughts, we wish her a BIG Happy Day! Patricia lives with her equally talented partner, Canadian composer Lesley Barber and their two children.

Her films include I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987), White Room (1990), When Night is Falling (1995), the Jane Austen adapation Mansfield Park (1999) and the film version of Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time.



Her most recent work includes direction of the Kit Kittredge: An American Girl movie and her co-writing the lauded HBO film version of Grey Gardens (starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore) which was released earlier this year.

Why not pick up one of her flicks this weekend and make it a Girls Night in. That goes for all you "boys" too! I think I will be getting

Canada is changing

Canada is changing

Good news for progressive folks...

A new poll shows youth will bring positive change in the years ahead, especially if they vote...

The teenagers of Metro Vancouver are a remarkably international and inter-cultural bunch. Metro Vancouver teens are by far the most likely in Canada to have inter-racial friendships. And the extensive foreign connections of B.C. teenagers affect their values -- how they see everything from war to homosexuality, global warming to God. According to ground-breaking new polling by Canadian sociologist Reginald Bibby, only 24 per cent of Metro Vancouver teenagers, or one in four, have parents born in Canada. Thirty-seven per cent of teens in Metro Vancouver were actually born outside the country, typically in Asia. - Vancouver Sun Douglas Todd

Just as gay marriage is gaining public support in the USA, Canada is seeing a growing change from the bottom up. Younger people are more likely to be supportive of the environment, human rights, gay marriage and being good worldly citizens.

DR. REGINALD W. BIBBY website

Harper and Raitt ISOlate Isotope solution

Harper and Raitt ISOlate Isotope solution

From Impolitical...

McMaster University offers for the umpteenth time to help produce isotopes

McMaster wants to be a part of the Canadian solution; it's willing and certainly able. Ramping up the McMaster Nuclear Reactor to produce moly-99 would utilize a facility with proven technology. It would require a modest investment and relatively little startup time. It would reassert Canada's position as a leader in nuclear research and nuclear medicine. And it would save lives and bring peace of mind to countless numbers of cancer and heart patients in Canada and around the world.

see Impolitical for much more and Conservative Ideology Led To Medical Isotope Mess In Canada at Buckdog.

The Pot is trying to call the Kettle black.

The Pot is trying to call the Kettle black.

Its pertty funny if you think about it. The NDP kick someone out of convention because he offered to pay people to come to that convention. Now that maybe okay in the LPC Party, but most folks would call that vote buying. The NDP have means of helping those come to convention that can not afford too otherwise. That's because they believe all elected delegates should be able to attend.

Now we have Liberals all over the place screaming that the NDP is intolerant, doesn't support change to POT laws. How silly is that. For as long as I can remember, the NDP has supported changes to Canada's POT laws. Even the LPC talked about it. Heck, don't take my word, ask your neighbour which party is most "POT" friendly.

In the end as with every controversial position, the Liberals let the POT issue die on the order paper. Just as they let the Child Care plan die and the First Nations Kelowna Accord die.

In each instance the Paul Martin government could have introduced these changes. They would have had NDP support to do them. The LPC Party failed to bring these issues to a vote or into a budget. Instead, the LPC decided they needed some carrots to hold in front of voters so we could vote for them instead of the Conservatives.

Its did not work. Canadians have become wise to this old trick. For any LPC member or blogger to attack the NDP because they sent a POT activist that tried to buy votes packing is hypocritical.

To conclude... Dana Larson made a mistake. I support legalization of Pot. Larsen made it easy to send him packing. Larsen commented on a LPC Blog, A BCer in Toronto thus...

Dana said...

I am hardly "pleased as punch." I don't want to be the guy outside the convention with a sign, I wanted to be the guy inside lobbying for drug policy reform.

But I cannot stand down when I am falsely accused of bribing delegates and buying votes. I have been to a dozen NDP conventions and this one was the first time that our End Prohibition ad was rejected from the convention guide, and trying to book a table included 3 months of no replies before we finally got a table on the same day I was bounced as a delegate!

I love the NDP, and my fellow New Democrats generally seem to support my work. But clearly Brad Lavigne doesn't like pot smokers and has a hate-on for me personally.

Thanks for the coverage!

4:07 PM, August 14, 20

09

The Pot is calling the Kettle black because the Kettle is working up a good head of steam heading into the next election...

That funny Skinny Dipper

That funny Skinny Dipper

has a fun post ...

If Political Parties were stores what would they be?

Canadian Tire - Conservatives
Zellers - Liberals
Home Hardware and The Source - NDP
Mountain Equipment Co-op - Green