President Barack Obama visits Canada!

Photo: President Obama and Governor General Michaëlle Jean walking just moments after the President arrives in Canada
Photo Credit: Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press


Great visit I think! At least President Obama was great!

Did anyone else notice that President Obama mentioned "human rights" twice during his joint press conference with PM Harper today. PM Harper mentioned "human rights" zero times for the record! Guess who cares more about human rights? Thankfully, at least Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff communicated our concern about Omar Khadr's treatment at Guantanamo Bay.

Additionally, PM Harper still maintains that there is no difference between intensity-based targets and absolute (hard) targets to reduce carbon emissions. Of course there IS a difference! Hard targets will guarantee a reduction in carbon emissions and intensity-based targets will have NO such guarantees!

On a positive note, I do agree with PM Harper that a threat to US security is a threat to Canadian security. And Canada is NO threat to US security. However, this is quite alarming that I am agreeing with Harper. I hope my mental capacity hasn't been diminished in any way. It's very difficult to grapple with thinking like Harper! :)

Peace all.

Omar Khadr

Today, President Obama will meet with both Prime Minister Harper as well as Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff. I hope they discuss an effective environmental policy. In addition, I hope Michael Ignatieff and well as PM Harper request that Omar Khadr be repatriated.

Here is my plea to PM Harper (as well as to all Canadians):

Please do not allow Omar Khadr (a Canadian born, Canadian citizen) to face trial in an unjust court system. I beg PM Harper and all Canadians to please respect the human rights of Omar Khadr as they should respect the human rights of all human beings.

"In 2003, Canadian officials, including agents of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, questioned Khadr at Guantanamo Bay with respect to matters connected to the charges he is now facing, and shared the product of these interviews with U.S. authorities." Canada (Justice) v. Khadr, 2008 SCC 28

This means it isn’t just PM Harper’s inaction that should concern us. PM Chretien (1993-2003) and PM Martin (2003-2006) knew about Khadr's condition (in 2003 at the latest)! Why didn't they act? Omar Khadr is a combatant under the age of 18. Surely, they had a responsibility under international laws to treat him as a child soldier! This is most certainly very disturbing to me!

Former Senator Romeo Dallarie has acted justly. Please follow in his footsteps everyone. Please keep writing to PM Harper to urge him to repatriate Omar Khadr (as I have as well). I don't know what else to do. I feel so helpless living in this society that does NOT respect human rights. If we don't respect human rights then what do we respect? What is the point of protecting a nation if we allow the nation to become one that is NOT worth protecting anymore?

Additionally, after Omar Khadr has been repatriated, I want real justice! I want everyone (Canadian and American) that tortured Omar Khadr, that hid evidence of Omar's innocence or torture, and/or that was complicit in Omar's torture to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of Canadian, US, and international criminal laws! I am outraged most of all at the Canadian government!

So that’s my rant about the injustice Omar Khadr is continuing to face!

Peace everyone.


Further Links:
Radhika Coomaraswamy, the United Nations' Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict
Amnesty International
Former Senator Romeo Dallaire
Canadian government lawyers
Opposition MPs
Lieutenant Commander William Kuebler, Omar Khadr's American military lawyer

Harper to fund parking lots: this is getting ridiculous!

PM Harper is going to give a $500 million boost to GO Transit!

CBC reports, "Some of the money [Editorial Note: $173 million actually] will go toward improving parking at 12 GO stations, from Mississauga to Markham and to Pickering, said McGuinty."

Why Harper and McGuinty, why? Let's stop building parking lots with public funding! What about doing something visionary like expanding/modernizing our rail services? More and better public transit please! Not more places to park cars we should NOT be driving in the first place. Thank you!

Neil deGrasse Tyson

He is an absolutely amazing astrophysicist who has made such a massively positive contribution to the public understanding of science! Neil deGrasse Tyson makes science accessible to those who have not learned the scientific lingo. He has become the public face of astrophysics as the late great Carl Sagan was throughout his life.

Here's a clip of Dr. Tyson speaking about the end of the world or NOT:


Click here for video of the full program given by Neil deGrasse Tyson entitled, "The Pluto Files." So enlightening. Makes astrophysics open to all!

So naturally, as a Canadian, I wondered, "Who is our Neil deGrasse Tyson?" Then I realized we do have Canadian ambassadors of science: Marc Garneau and David Suzuki for course!

Wouldn't it be great if Marc Garneau became the Canadian Minister of Industry, Science, and Technology? One can still dream!

Also, "The Perimeter of Ignorance" is an article by Dr. Tyson worth reading in its entirety.

Science is a continuous pursuit: "As my island of knowledge grows, so does my perimeter of ignorance." I love that quote!

The state of science in Canada

CBC reported on the lack of science funding in the latest Canadian federal budget (announced on January 27, 2009). This also included a lack of new funding to Genome Canada (a not-for-profit). As a result, many of our brightest and best medical researchers will leave us and make their wonderful discoveries elsewhere! We need our best scientists to stay in Canada. And we also need to attract world-wide scientists to come to Canada to part-take in our research industries!

CBC also covered the call of scientists to end the politicization of science. They pointed to many dangerous political decisions made "including the closure of the office of the National Science Adviser, the firing of the head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and what it calls "political appointments" to the board of Assisted Human Reproduction Canada."

When will Harper get it, that funding science is vital to the success of our nation? This should NOT be a partisan issue! Every political party should understand the importance of science!