capricorn

Right around the same time, many many other western countries embraced multiculturalism as a result of declining birth-rates. Even homogeneous European countries. Yet there were no Trudeaus there. Something to think about. Oh, and thanks for acknowledging that the environment is a big issue for the youth. Judging by the posts on this board, I'm glad a non Trudeau supporter can admit that. Yeah, they embraced multiculturalism all right and look at what's going on those countries today, especially in Europe and Britain. Anyone following international news will know what I'm talking about and I need not elaborate. Where in my words did you see that I acknowledged that youth sees the environment as a big issue? I did not say that at all. When you say a non-Trudeau supporter, do you mean senior or junior. As a matter of fact, I voted for PET at the time. You want to know why? I was young, raising a family and I worked in the federal public service. He would grant us 12 to 18 % annual salary increases. There just wasn't anyone around to stop his outrageous spending. We know the negative consequences of his extravaganzas. I've noticed that you tend to interpret the words of posters for your own purpose. Perhaps you should give posts a second read before formulating a rebuttal or a new point. No disrespect intended.

The problem with Justin is that he a Trudeau, plain and simple. If he was your garden variety Liberal nominee, he wouldn't get this level of media coverage. Do Justin's musings merely suggest that the capitalist system needs "tweaking"? Or does he want to replace it with something else? Reporters tried to ask him to expand on his thoughts but he didn't want to talk to them. Personally, I would like him to explain himself in more detail. After all, he may one day the Liberal Party and become Prime Minister. The fact he is from Quebec increases the possibilities. Not everyone in the country is in the 17-30 age group. This demographic may be itching to embrace Justin's views that environmental factors should form the basis for economic decisions. This grandiose idea is sure to meet resistance with those of us who saw his papa in action. Compare this with PET's "tinkering" with Canadian culture. The elder Trudeau determined our Canadian culture left much to be desired. What did he give us to fix these shortcomings? None other than the revered Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and multiculturalism. So forgive us if we of the older generation wince at Prince Justin's visions for the country and our economy. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

SENS won tonight 1 zip against Sabres and lead series 3-0, yes Canuck E Stan, 3-0. Hope I got it right this time. Any chance we'll take it in 4? That would shut up the non-believers. Looks like Canada has a shot at Lord Stanley's Cup.

Army Guy, this is how I see it. Ordinary Afghans are worn out by unending wars. All they want most is peace, the ability to raise families and the opportunity to build a better life, which is exactly what we have here. From what I read, the majority of insurgents come from neighbouring countries. A fresh and steady supply of barbaric fighters is always available to block progress. That’s what cannot be contained. Looks to me that Pakistan and Iran in particular don’t want to impede that flow. In fact, I think most Arab states genuinely want us to fail. We do not have a steady supply of soldiers to match this massive pool of fighters. I don't want the lives of Canadian soldiers wasted trying to plug the hole in the dike. I support the mission but I don’t want it extended beyond our present commitment to NATO, that is, February 2009. After that, Canada and its military can hold their head high for sticking it out. Army Guy and his comrades are following orders. Let’s not forget that ours is a voluntary army and tours of duty to Afghanistan are also voluntary. They may be afraid to go but they have the courage to face and overcome that fear. That’s why I am proud of them and I thank them all.

It appears that Capricorn has turned whistleblower and has given the outcome to the game before it happened! This calls for a parliamentary hearing. Oops. Thanks, Canuck E Stan. Hope I didn't bring a new jinx onto my team. Just got rid of a 16 year old curse, don't want another one so soon.

Permit me to toot Ottawa's horn here. The SENS and their fans felt cursed as the team never won game 2 in any playoffs in its franchise history. Last night, the SENS beat Buffalo in the 2nd game in the second overtime period 4-3 in a nail-biter. The SENS now lead Buffalo 2-1 in the series. Game 3 goes on Monday in Ottawa. Many of us would like to beat Buffalo and challenge Detroit for the top prize. There is history here with Detroit's goalie Dominic Hasek who once was the SENS' goalie. It would be sweet to get past him and his teammates, and bring the Cup to Canada.

Indeed, they do. I am presently involved with Revenue Quebec and service is provided in English at my request.Then why is public education of children of Allophone parents virtually mandated to be in French? ...and somehow or other all that results in the Quebec government communicating with me in English. What this tells me is that there are a fair number of Quebec government workers able to communicate in English. I find that most public servants are usually kind and generous enough, and accommodate the preferred language of citizens. I was pleased by your comment. It shows not all francophones in Quebec live and breathe Bill 101.

Then we would have the socialist NDPs, the leftist Liberals, (we have no centrists because no party seems to know how to get there), the rightists (CPC) and the right/rightists (reborn Reform). I don't think a CPC splinter group would work. It would remain a fringe party just like the many other hangers-on parties that only attract protest voters.

Hi, jdobbin: First a comment on the Globe's article that unleashed the firestorm. As I recall, after the Globe printed its original story on April 23rd it was reported elsewhere that not all of the 30 detainees interviewed by the Globe were in fact transfered to Afghan authorities by Canadian soldiers. In reading that original Globe article, the reader was left with the distinct impression they all were. Did the Globe intentionally attempt to cast a wider shadow on the role of the Canadian military in the transfer of detainees? That certainly would make the story more sensational and help sell more papers. Let me be clear. In no way does this minimize human rights violations of any type in Afghanistan. But in reporting on sensitive issues that can throw our government into chaos, I think the media should strive to be as precise as possible in laying out all the facts. It is even more important when you consider that the Globe's article played a big part in the subsequent accusations of war crimes against Gordon O'Connor and and Rick Hillier. I find it fascinating that Canadians Michael Byers and William Schabas would resort to this action. Here is their submission to the International Criminal Court: http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/04/27/WarCrime/ N.B. Anyone linking to this story, if you see a blank page with The Tyee letterhead, just click on it and you'll access the document. I don't think the fact that Taylor did not interview the original 30 detainees has any relevance to the investigation he set out to undertake. The Afghan authorities face an incredible challenge. Stories of torture at their hands coming out of Canada add to their internal problems. Taylor set out to tour the Kandahar prison. Although he didn't interview detainees, he observed them closely. In personally inspecting the jails and viewing the detainees, I believe he could drawn credible conclusions. No, the media does not have to invent what is a known fact to rational thinking people. We are not there to eradicate brutality in that country simply because we know it cannot be done. It's been a fact of life in that country for thousands of years and will continue after we're all long gone from this earth. Sorry I was so long winded.

Scott Taylor recently visited afghan detainees in Kandahar to check out their claims of torture. I respect journalists who doesn't take everyone else's word and take steps to eyeball the scene for themselves. I particularly believe Taylor's account that there is no evidence of torture. In 2005 he was taken hostage in Iraq for 5 days and tortured by Al-Qaeda operatives. With that experience, I bet he knew what to look for. In his own words, he acknowledges those prisons are not the Club Feds we are so proud of, but hey, these cost money and the Afghans have none. http://www.ottawasun.com/News/2007/05/12/4173858-sun.html This quote from the article is interesting as it presents a different scenario than the one harped on by the opposition that our troops are in increased danger from Taliban attacks for turning over prisoners to Afghan authorities. "The Canadian (soldiers) have a better attitude than some other NATO troops -- including the Americans -- and people will pass along advance warnings to the NDS if they suspect Canadians are being targeted," Karzai explained. "That is why we are angry that the Canadian media did not observe the reality before publishing their negative stories." It's not a stretch to presume that some of these advance warnings of attack may come from Taliban-friendly locals who inadvertently land in detention. Will Taylor's report satisfy the opposition? I don't think so. They still have plenty of mileage to get by inflaming Canadians on the state of affairs in Afghanistan. So, in response to chezfiero, truth remains elusive.

I find it very difficult to believe that he could get a Secret clearance while running an anarchist book store and fronting a band called the Suicide Pilots - which have pictures on their web site of an airplane hitting the peace tower. It might be that he simply came across them because of sloppy work at the office in keeping them secret. Maybe he heard about it while talking to someone in another office, and saw a copy on the guy's desk and snatched it while he was away to photocopy it. I dunno. There are a lot of ways to get at documents in an office if you want to and if the employees are not being particularly careful. And I doubt employees at Environment Canada are ever given much training in measures to secure documents. Perhaps the store and the band were started after he got his security clearance.

Ain't that the truth! Hockey fever has really hit this city. Lots of SENS car flags on the road. I say SENS in 6. Seems a lot of people predict the same. No choking this year. They're going all the way.

I think Monaghan's employee status will be key in any kind of financial remedy he seeks. He was not an indeterminate (permanent) employee. He was a contract employee hired through an employment agency. Employment laws and regulations applicable to these two employee categories are much different. Is the employment agency not his agent? When you work through an agency, they retain a portion of your salary. What role, if any will that agency play in this case? To access secret files, Monaghan would have to possess a "secret" security clearance. If he did not have a secret clearance, how did he have access to this sensitive information. This is where the bureaucracy could get into big trouble for failing to adequately protect classified information. I bet the brass in Environment Canada is conducting an internal investigation right now to determine just that.

I am a 60 year old francophone, born and raised in Ottawa, and still a resident. In the early sixties, the going thing was to get a federal government job. The salary was no hell but job security was a given. You didn't have to have a university degree. Heck even a grade 9 education could get you in if you passed the required written exam. I learned English as a youngster on the street, not in school. I can't remember not being able to speak English. This was the case for the majority of francophones in the area. I totally agree that English is easier to learn than French. This may explain why my anglo friends did not bother to learn the language. I passed the entrance exam and joined the PS in 1964 and worked exclusively in English. Then came the original Official Languages Act in 1969. Managers were asked to designate positions as either "French Only", "English Only" and "Bilingual". This is where the problems started. Managers really did not know or understand what they were doing. Some vindictive managers actually used the process to blackball employees they did not like. But that's another story. Then, I had to be tested to determine my level of "bilingualism". Of course, having worked strictly in English and speaking mainly in English in social circles, my knowledge of proper oral and written French communication was abominable. Since my mother tongue is French, I was tested for my knowledge of English. Lucky for me. If I had been tested for my knowledge of French, I'm certain I would have failed. This was the case for the majority of my francophone co-workers. So, as time went on, the language requirements of federal in Ottawa increasingly required knowledge of a second language. That is why francophones then found themselves more "promotable" than anglophones, all because of the language designation of positions. Is this right? No it is not. But such was the nature of the beast when bilingualism was born. There is absolutely no need to import this type of bilingualism in Ottawa. We don't need it, we don't want it and we certainly don't want to pay for it. Making Ottawa a bilingual community is nothing more than a campaign by over-zealous (French) federal, provincial and municipal politicians to mimic the feds.

Pauline Marois is said to be thinking of returning to politics. She racked up 30.6% of the votes when she lost to Andre Boisclair in the last PQ leadership race. This woman is truly accomplished. Too bad she is a separatist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Marois Given the fact that 50 % of Charest's cabinet are women, it would be a strategic move for the PQ to select a female leader. Then again, if Duceppe is elected PQ leader, she may just surprise all the pundits and run for the BQ leadership. Personally, I hope she sticks to provincial politics because she would be quite effective, especially in QP.

Afghanistan is the albatross around Harper's neck. Whatever the CPC does on this file will not earn them any points anytime soon. Everything else the CPC does, and I mean everything, has to stand up to scrutiny. That includes disclosing ministerial expenses, whatever they may be. Question is: How long will it take them to learn this lesson?

Whistle blowing involves revealing illegal activities. Sometimes illegal activities are inadvertent. They are the result of good old incompetence. There's much of it in our esteemed federal bureaucracy, especially in the higher echelons.