Lifted directly from the Green Party of Ontario website, an issue that’s really important to me:

On 15 February 2008, former chief Robert Lovelace began serving 6 months in jail for refusing to comply with a court injunction, while following Algonquin law to protect the land.

Robert Lovelace is a Political Prisoner

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Prime Minister Harper is intervening on behalf of Canadian Mohamed Kohail, sentenced to beheading in Saudi Arabia.  Obviously, this is a good thing.  We don’t support capital punishment in Canada, and there are questions about the way trials are conducted in Saudi Arabia.

What’s upsetting is that Harper is not intervening in other cases.  Three months ago, he announced that Canada would not intervene in death penalty cases in democratic countries.  He thus overturned decades of precedent in Canadian diplomacy and incurred the wrath of many human rights organizations and the Anglican Church of Canada.  As a result, at least one Canadian, Ronald Smith, is likely to be executed in the United States.

Press release from the Green Party of Canada on International Women’s Day:

OTTAWA – The Green Party is celebrating International Women’s Day and calling for a renewed focus on achieving equality for women in Canada.

“The situation for women has improved immensely over the past century, but there is much work to be done. Women still earn only about 70 percent of what men take home,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “Unfortunately, the situation has been made worse by the regressive actions of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has done more damage to issues important to women in two years than many of us thought possible. Last year, Canada slipped from 14th to 18th place in terms of women’s equality.”     Read more »

Well, we’re back to sending detainees into Afghan custody.  But this time, we’re convinced they won’t be torturing anyone.  Of course, we were convinced of that before.  When human rights organizations think there’s a problem, we should be concerned.

Prime Minister Harper is overturning a long-standing Canadian tradition of seeking clemency for Canadians sentenced to death in the United States.  Human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced this development.  All three opposition parties have espressed their opposition to the change in policy.  Amnesty International further decried Canada’s unwillingness to co-sponsor a United Nations resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty.  Once again, Prime Minister Harper finds himself at odds with the values of most Canadians, all 3 opposition parties, Canadian traditions, world opinion and human rights promoters.

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness Amnesty International

Cities for Life Toronto Celebration
Friday, 2007 November 30, 6 pm
Peace Garden, Nathan Phillips Square
lighting ceremony at 8 pm, St. James Cathedral
free     Read more »