"How'd They Vote?" (http://www.howdtheyvote.ca/) is a non-partisan website which provides a variety of in-depth information on the operations of the Canadian Parliament, specifically, how our politicians vote and what they've said.
It was launched in May 2005 by Cory Horner.
Reposted from: http://coat.ncf.ca/ARMX/cansec/CANSEC_campaign.htm
In 1989, during a high-profile COAT campaign, Ottawa's City Council passed a near-unanimous Motion banning all future arms exhibitions from municipal property. As a result, no such shows have been held at Lansdowne Park, or any other City facility, since ARMX '89. (ARMX, Canada's biggest ever weapons extravaganza, is now defunct but it has been replaced by CANSEC.) Many veteran peace activists will remember the late-May 1989, COAT rally led by Marion Dewar when thousands took to Ottawa's streets to peaceful protest against ARMX and Canada's role in the international arms trade.
City Staff now maintain that the 1989 ban no longer applies to Lansdowne! They claim that due to a legal technicality arising from the 1999 transfer of Lansdowne to the RMOC, the ban applies to all City facilities except this one.
Let's Do Something! Visit: http://coat.ncf.ca/ARMX/cansec/CANSEC_campaign.htm
Lansdowne Park is Ottawa's biggest municipal facility. It resides in a peaceful downtown residential neighbourhood. It will host this country's largest war show despite the 20-year ban that was passed 11 to 1 by City Councillors in 1989. Peace activists intend to stop this from ever happening again. Anti-war activists do not want CANSEC held anywhere. The first step is to remove CANSEC from publicly-funded facilities. Your help is needed to ban Ottawa's arms shows, for good!
Attend the committee meeting to argue in favour of a resolution to ban all Arms Trade Shows from Lansdowne Park.
Here are some tips, courtesy of of http://coat.ncf.ca/ :
Be sure to practice your presentation to be sure it stays within the 5 minute limit. You can use powerpoint if you wish, but it is not necessary. You can make your points forcefully, but do not rant. And do not verbally attack the committee members.
This is a vital component of our effort to get a new resolution. We appreciate everyone who comes forward to speak. It can seem scary if you have not done this before, but it is the best exercise in participatory democracy that we get at city hall. With a good set of arguments and high level of participation, citizen views can make a difference.
- Inquest for Villaneuva indefinitely suspended
- Sri Lankan refugees may spend up to 2 years in refugee camps
- Majority of Canadians want Canada out of Afghanistan
- Activist arrested for protecting Secwepemc land
- Draft law passed in Israel would make public commoration of Nakba illegal
- Community up in arms over weapons show in Landsdowne
- Alberta Premier formalizes relationship with OPEC facilitating investment in Alberta Tar Sands
Vancouver Island Heritage Foodservice Co-op was launched at the founding members meeting on February 17, 2008. The co-op was incorporated in November 2007 as a multi-stakeholder co-op. The purpose of the co-op is to mobilize partners to rebuild local food systems in the Island Coastal region. The co-op’s business plan includes providing distribution, warehousing, co-packing services aimed at the ‘foodservice’ market channel: institutions, restaurants, etc. The co-op brings together non –profit organizations concerned with health, food security, community economic development and climate change with farmers, alternative distributors, workers and co-packing kitchens in the Island Coastal region. The co-op mobilized 35 members in its first month of operation. Nanaimo Foodshare, as an incorporating member is sponsoring a community based research project in partnership with publicly funded food purchasers on the Island as well as developing a seasonal box program in the Nanaimo Region as a pilot project. Nanaimo Association for Community Living, another founding member of the co-op is leading a workforce development strategy to introduce potential workers to farming, food processing and greenhouse work opportunities.
The co-op is open to membership from individuals and organizations that wish to support farmers to be able to increase their production by offering them premium prices and facilitating value-adding product development. The co-op will incorporate values of sustainable production, fairness for workers, stewardship of the land and ensuring wealth generated is maintained in the community.
The famous Mouseland speech by Tommy Douglas (and introduction by grandson, Kiefer Sutherland), presented by UFCW and the New Democrats and posted online by http://www.youtube.com/user/intrakota
Acclaimed Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano is the author of The Open Veins of Latin America, which Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave to President Obama at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad. His latest in English translation by Mark Fried is Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone.
Ottawa Arms Show will face Show of Peace, on Wed. May 27
CANSEC 2009, Canada's largest military trade show, is not going unnoticed or unchallenged. Next Wednesday, May 27, when two hundred of Canada's top military exporters descend upon Ottawa's fair grounds for their big war show, they will face a formidable show of peace.
All-day VIGIL
There will be a continuous, day-long VIGIL with banners and signs near CANSEC's Bank St. entrance to Ottawa's Lansdowne Park. Between 4:30-6:30 pm (while international arms dealers, war fighters, government bureaucrats and foreign military attach? gather for a gala black tie celebration), there will be speakers, poetry and music outside the gates.
Interfaith Peace RALLY (followed by Candlelight Procession)
There will then be a large interfaith Peace Rally at 7 pm on May 27, just across the Bank St. bridge from CANSEC, at Southminster United Church (15 Aylmer Ave). The program includes music, poetry and speakers from various faiths: Buddhist, Christian (Catholic, Quaker, United Church), Jewish, Moslem and Unitarian Universalist. Following this large indoor peace rally there will be a Candlelight Procession across the Bank St. bridge to Lansdowne Park.
(a women-only event supporting each other and Avalon Centre)
7 pm performances/open mike; 9 pm dance party
Celebration in story, song and dance for Sexual Assault Awareness Month
no charge
performance: Pascale Roger, Katie Sullivan, Holly Taylor
special guest: violinist Lee Park
and very friendly open mike for survivors, artists, and everyone else
Hosts: Pam Rubin and Jackie Thornhill 463-0944 rubinmcl@accesswave.ca
Carlos Amador, member of the Siria Valley Environmental Defense Committee in Honduras, will arrive in Vancouver this week to tell investors in Goldcorp that “all the benefits for Goldcorp’s shareholders in 2009 are being made from the human suffering of communities living close to the San Martin mineâ€.
It is not Carlos’ first time in Vancouver. He came in 2007 to protest the AGM of Goldcorp, the world’s second largest gold mining company. He’ll be joined by two Guatemalans of Mayan descent, whose territories are threatened by Goldcorp’s operations.
The failure to properly consult indigenous communities as required by international law prior to commencing operations sets the backdrop of the controversial mining operation in Guatemala, that of Montana Exploradora de Guatemala, S.A. (subsidiary of Goldcorp Inc.). The Marlin Mine is an open pit, cyanide-leaching gold operation located in the municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacán in the department of San Marcos.
Friday May 22nd, Goldcorp will hold its AGM at the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver. Activists and concerned people from across Canada and the US plan to bring attention to Goldcorp’s overseas activities outside of the meeting, indigenous representatives from mine affected communities in Guatemala and Honduras hope to present their concerns to shareholders inside the meeting.
Raising objections about excessive water use and contamination resulting from the cyanide leaching process, the consequent poisoning of community members and livestock, and the social conflict that mining activities have brought to mining regions, indigenous communities across Guatemala have (as well as in other parts of Latin America) have been solidly rejecting mining in their communities.
