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Archive for June 10th, 2009

PM calls on Parliament to pass Colombia free-trade pact

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Sigh.. again, this has nothing to do with free trade, nothing to do with capitalism. That’s the big bait and switch. It’s called theft, through the legal auspices of various international banks. For a breakdown of indigenous resistance to the handover of tribal land, see this article: Don’t Sew that Flag on your Backpack if you’re Heading Down to Columbia.

Flashback: Harper Pledges to Double Funding to International Bank at Americas Summit | G20 Summit: Harper urges more global economic intervention, stages photo-op, visits Canada’s monarch | Harper vows Canada will remain open to international trade | Montreal, June 9 to 12, 2008 – Henri Kissinger to followup Bilderberg Conference with keynote address at International Economic Forum of the Americas | Canada, Colombia reach free-trade agreement | South American union is created

CBC News
June 10, 2009

Prime Minister Stephen Harper called on Parliament to pass Canada’s free-trade agreement with Colombia, saying Wednesday it would “send a clear message” to Washington and around the world about the risks of protectionism.

Harper said statements by G-20 leaders have been encouraging, but Canada “will not be complacent” in the face of what he called “backsliding” by some G20 nations on free trade, including the United States.

(more…)

Incoming CSIS chief to seek biometric data at border

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Good thing there’s a government-appointed Privacy Commissioner in place, with the power to write polite yet challenging letters to protect our freedoms. Look – the new CSIS boss is announcing the de facto global ID card system right there in this article, in black and white. But wait, it gets better – there’ll be face scanning, too. This journal wonders when we’ll all be fitted for white jumpsuits – we’re putting in everything else you’d expect of a science fiction dystopia. Perhaps we’ll get a secret police corps, next, like they’ve announced in the UK. The reaction? A collective yawn from the Canadian public. And Fadden is a card-carrying globalist, to top it all off… look at the company he kept while Deputy Minister of National Resources. Before that, he was singing the praises of the Codex Alimentarius, global food law, in front of the FAO. And he was president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at the time, which you may recall for their performance during the great tainted coldcut scandal of 2008. (Fadden was not in that office at the time, however – a bio is here). The guy’s travel expenses are astronomical, as you can imagine, off to the North American Forum one week, some executive retreat the next. And now he’s top spook. Does anybody see a problem here? We’re basically already under global government, and it’s got all these interlocking intelligence agencies and high technology tracking devices all set up for you.

Flashback: Homeland Security to scan fingerprints of travellers exiting the US | UK: New biometric security checks could include brain scans, heart rhythm fingerprinting | Parents, children to be fingerprinted at initial 250+ nursery schools in UK | Police will use new device to take fingerprints in street, vendors say face scanning next | Interpol wants facial recognition database to catch suspects | Scots schoolchildren to be fingerprinted in controversial ID scheme | Eye scans, fingerprints to control NZ borders | American Border Officers Want to Fingerprint Canadians at SPP Bridge | UNBC students give thumbs down to fingerprint scanners | Canadians who trust our secret police should think again | Give public biometrics the finger

Bill Curry, The Globe and Mail
June 10, 2009

No nation would be exempt from plan, says incoming CSIS boss

The incoming head of Canada’s spy agency says new rules requiring digital fingerprints and photos at foreign visa offices will be extended to every visitor from any country in the world – including close European allies such as France and Britain.

Speaking in his current position as deputy minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Richard Fadden said the use of such biometric data will be phased in over time, starting with countries considered to pose higher security risks.

(more…)

Secret juror screening spreads to Windsor

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Flashback: Prosecutors, police caught checking potential juror’s backgrounds

Peter Small, Toronto Star
Jun 10, 2009

Lawyers demand action as mistrial shows practice isn’t unique to Barrie

WINDSOR – A judge here has declared a mistrial in a murder case because the Crown had police do secret background checks on jurors – a development that has lawyers predicting a flood of defence challenges.

The ruling shows that the secret screening of potential jurors isn’t confined to Barrie, which saw a recent mistrial and the dismissal of two jury panels last week.

Attorney General Chris Bentley said yesterday he still does not believe the practice is widespread.

(more…)

Man with Toronto 18 ties convicted in the U.S.

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Flashback: Would-be U.S. jihadist met with ‘Toronto 18′ members: prosecutors

Associated Press
June 10, 2009

ATLANTA – An Atlanta man with ties to members of the so-called Toronto 18 terror cell has been convicted of plotting to aid a terrorist group by videotaping landmarks around Washington, D.C.

U.S. District Judge Bill Duffey found Syed Haris Ahmed, 24, guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in the U.S. and abroad.

Ahmed faces up to 15 years in prison. The judge delayed sentencing until co-defendant Ehsanul Islam Sadequee’s trial begins in August.

(more…)

Mulroney story full of ‘half-truths,’ Schreiber’s lawyer says in final argument

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Flashback: Former aide challenges Mulroney claim he cancelled arms plant | Claim of Swiss account ‘preposterous,’ Mulroney says | Airbus funds likely source of Schreiber’s ‘Britan’ account: witness | Former Mulroney aide says he can’t recall writing letters about Airbus | Mulroney wanted Schreiber deal kept quiet, inquiry told | Mulroney, Kohl may have discussed Airbus: inquiry document | Schreiber says he paid Mulroney because he’d need him ‘sooner or later’ | Moores linked to Airbus before Mulroney came to power, memo reveals | Schreiber Inquiry: Premier’s wife testifies bank account was to be hers, not Mulroney’s | Mulroney-Schreiber inquiry steers clear of ‘Airbus affair’ on first day | Mulroney-Schreiber probe has no jurisdiction to find liability | Mulroney confidant knew about Airbus commissions: CBC News investigation | The Mulroney Affair: Why politicians seek out the rich | Twenty years ago today, the clock clicked down on free trade | The Fifth Estate: Money, Truth, and Spin

CBC News
June 10, 2009

Don’t judge Mulroney too harshly his lawyer urges inquiry head

Brian Mulroney’s lawyer appealed to the head of the inquiry looking into his dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber not to judge the former prime minister too harshly, arguing in his final submissions Wednesday that Mulroney has already “paid dearly” for his association with the German-Canadian businessman.

“If my reputation were on trial, would I not like everybody to pause for one minute to ensure I am being judged objectively?” Guy Pratte said to commissioner Judge Jeffrey Oliphant.

Pratte argued it was unreasonable that Mulroney’s “error in judgment” in private life after leaving office “will not be forgiven for what it is, not a crime, but a lapse of judgment, whose shadow should not eclipse a career.”

(more…)

Fiat closes Chrysler deal

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

So… GM was nationalized, and Chrysler was handed to Fiat along with a tidy sum of taxpayer money. Who’s next?

Flashback: U.S. top court delays Chrysler sale | Harper ‘not counting on’ recouping billions loaned to GM | ‘New GM’ to emerge from bankruptcy | Auto bailout costs soar, contribute to $50B deficit | Fiat aims to be global powerhouse by acquiring Chrysler, Opel

CBC News
June 10, 2009

DETROIT – Italy’s Fiat is the new owner of the bulk of Chrysler’s assets, closing a deal Wednesday that saves the troubled U.S. automaker from liquidation and places a new company in the hands of Fiat’s CEO.

The deal clears the way for a new, leaner Chrysler Group LLC to emerge from bankruptcy protection minus billions in debt, 789 underperforming dealerships and burdensome labour costs that nearly sank the storied automaker.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne immediately was named CEO of the new company, which said in a statement that it would soon reopen Chrysler factories that were idled during the bankruptcy process, costing the automaker $100 million per day.

The new company will focus on smaller vehicles, areas in which Chrysler was weak.

(more…)