What a Surprise!

This September, the Federal NDP will meet in Quebec for their national chinwag and policy debate.

Big union boss Buzz Hargrove is set on pulling traditional labour support out from under their feet and now another scandal is brewing.

The Trinity Spadina riding association of Olivia Chow has put forward a resolution calling for the restoration of funding for Hamas in Palestine and condemnation of Israel.

This ill-conceived claptrap coming from the wife of the NDP leader makes me wonder if Buzz Hargrove has it right.

It isn’t the first time the NDP have ended up cheering the terrorist side of the Middle East conflict, but if their convention passes the resolution, Canada could end up paying for the suicide attacks killing Israeli women and children.

That’s right – your tax dollars at work buying bomb belts and funding jihadist websites.

Hamas believes that there are no “innocent” Israelis – that they are all military targets to be destroyed along with their state. Hamas spokespeople defended Monday’s attack of a Tel Aviv café as “a natural reaction”.

There was a time when the NDP was the primary bastion of anti-corporate, pro-regulatory and big labour activists. It always painted itself as standing up for the little guy against “The Man”.

But somewhere along the way, it has lost that focus and has now meandered into radical international policy.

The best interests of unionists and the working poor are not served waging a proxy battle against the U.S. by paying for attacks on Israel.

The resolution calls for “a halt to military aid and economic trade with Israel until all the above demands are met, and that the NDP campaign for an end to the rule of apartheid laws that make Palestinians and Israeli Arabs second and third class citizens under occupation".

The biggest irony of this idiotic resolution is that the NDP seems bent on destroying the only fully-functioning democracy in the region.

Israel is a beacon in the Middle East for those who embrace freedom.

Women have rights in Israel. Labour unions aren’t outlawed. Gays are not censured or murdered. Muslims and Christians and Jews live and work side-by-side. The social safety net isn’t run by terrorists giving infant formula with one hand and lobbing rockets with the other, like Hezzbolah in Lebanon. Elected officials have to face fair and free elections.

Israel is much like B.C. would be if it were faced with constant threat from Washington State militia who still hadn’t got over the fact that they don’t own our province.

For whatever reason, Olivia Chow has decided to champion this immoral cause. Perhaps it will be the final reason Buzz will need to turn his back on his souring former party.

I will be guest hosting on CKNW over the Labour Day weekend on Saturday from 4-6pm and Sunday from 3-6pm.

As seen today in 24 Hours Daily.

Sell-Out This, Layton

Many said that a softwood deal couldn’t be crafted by the Federal government. Many said the provinces would never support one if they did. Many said that industry would never come onside.

Who are these “many”? The members of the BC Federal NDP caucus, of course.

Now we know that their concerns are completely altruistic. They are not concerned with minor matters like winning more seats. Oh no, they care deeply about the sector.

They care so deeply they are willing to sink the government and go against the wishes of a majority of the industry in order to prove their point.

The new softwood package isn’t the perfect deal.

The industry is only able to claim back 80%of the illegal duties paid, not the entire amount. There are concerns around the export tax and the new duty structure.
But let’s remember that until two weeks ago it looked the deal might collapse altogether before some fancy footwork by the Federal government gained additional concessions from the Americans on termination clauses and the “anti-circumvention” rules.

Industry has gradually come around, motivated as much by the relief of getting the never-ending saga behind them, as by the fear that if they didn’t take this deal, the Feds might hand over the file and walk away.

Various company spokespeople have said, while it doesn’t provide the ideal solution, the agreement at last provides some certainty to the troubled industry.

In an interview yesterday, Seth Kursman from Abitibi-Consolidated said: "In a negotiation, it is about getting enough of what you want and need. And we believe that's the case here. It is time to bring peace to this contentious issue."
That sentiment seems to have permeated the companies involved in the dispute – it is time for peace.

The battle was costly for the sector. It sucked time, money and management focus away from their core business. It cost thousands of forestry workers their jobs, including up to 15,000 here in BC.

It also carved deep divides through the forestry sector, between those who wanted to fight to the death and those who wanted to negotiate a settlement as quickly as possible.

Everyone has come to the table, talked it through, argued their points and accepted some compromise.

And now the NDP are screaming “sell-out”.

Thanks, Jack Layton. That is really, really productive.

If the industry hadn’t agreed to support the deal, then the NDP might have had grounds for squawking.

But if they would prefer some other magical deal, let’s see it. I’m sure out-of-work forestry workers would love to keep sitting on their butts for the next twenty years.

(As seen today in 24 Hours Daily)

True, NORTH, Strong...

During the 2005-2006 federal election campaign, US Ambassador David Wilkins stated the United States doesn’t think Canada owns the north: “We don't recognize Canada's claims to those waters... Most other countries do not recognize their claim."

Pardon me?

Last I checked there is a perfectly good map showing Canada’s boundaries extend up through the Artic and run smack dab into Russia up there in the land of eternal winter.

In military circles it is well known that other countries do submarine reconnaissance through our (yes, our) northern waters without our permission.

If you buy there is some kind of global warming underway, and most of us do, the potential for an open waterway and easy access to rich resources, including oil and diamonds, is a siren call for other nations. Some suggest the waters could be fully open by 2015, 170 years too late for Franklin’s ill-fated expeditions but just in time for the rest of us.

Other nations have been perfectly happy to let Canada steward the region when it wasn’t accessible, but now that our north is becoming steadily more valuable, the Americans and Danes are sniffing around like dogs in heat.

Up until recently, the most we’ve done to protect our northern border was the odd research mission and the frequent flying of supplies into isolated Inuit communities. Canada also placed radar stations across the north, mainly to measure electrical fields and currents.

Beyond that, it didn’t really seem all that important for generations of Canadian politicians. The three northern territories have a combined population of 140,000 – about the same as Kelowna or Abbotsford – they are hardly a political epicentre.

Last weekend, Prime Minister journeyed to the North to launch a 12 day military operation to fulfill a campaign promise that his government will not tolerate other countries messing around on our real estate.

Because the Northwest Passage is 7,000 kilometres shorter than the route through Panama, the US and European countries would like to see it declared international waters. Canada maintains that international waters start 200 kilometres outside our borders.

By asserting our sovereignty, Harper is ensuring that Canada won’t just roll over and capitulate to international pressure when it starts to ramp up over the next decade.

Beyond the economic concerns about handing away the Passage, come grave environmental worries.

The government has recently introduced tough new marine regulations governing the shipping industry. After this week’s oil spill near the Philippines, controlling shipping through this sensitive area becomes as important as ownership.

Canada needs to be vocal and strong about our boundaries or they will gradually be eroded, even by our friends.

The Slippery Slope to Protecting Life

In Canada, you cannot be charged for the murder of a baby still in his or her mother’s womb.

In other words, you could stab a pregnant woman in the abdomen, killing the child and if the mother didn’t die, the worse you could be charged with would be assault.

In the last year, at least two Canadian women have been murdered, along with their unborn children.

But in the deaths of Liana White and Olivia Talbot, their killers were not held to account for the deaths of their babies.

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that babies, unborn, are not persons.

I appreciate that there are some in our nation who fear if we convict murderers for killing unborn babies, abortions are next on the chopping block.

Their argument goes like this: if it is murder to kill an unborn child, then are doctors who perform abortions murderers? Are mothers who seek abortions open to charges of murder – like those who set up a contract killing?

Our understanding of the growth and development of unborn children has changed radically over time.

Given that babies are surviving premature births as early as 23 weeks (approximately six months), it is ridiculous to assert that a “fetus” is not a person one day and the next day her or she is.

Of course, in Canada, there are no restrictions on abortions at any time during pregnancy. The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada maintains that only 0.5% of abortions occur after 20 weeks gestation. 105,154 abortions were performed in Canada in 2002, according to Statistics Canada. This means over 500 babies were aborted very close to viability. (Please note there was a typo in this section in the published version.)

Given these numbers, you can understand the hesitation in passing legislation that would begin to draw lines in the sand – something the pro-choice movement has fought against for years.

The issue came to a head this week because more information was released about a Private Members Bill brought forward in May by Leon Benoit, a Conservative MP. The Justice Minister, Vic Toews, was told at that time by his department advisors that allowing Benoit’s legislation to move forward “could have the effect of criminalizing abortion.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made it very clear that changes to abortion access are not on the table for his government – and so Bill C-291 died a quick and quiet death.

The Conservatives have bowed to public sentiment on abortion, something that the rabid pro-choice crowd said they would never do. Voters who want status quo in Canada obviously have nothing to fear.

But it leaves many of us sad that, in this round of the battle for “women’s right to choose”, killers of wanted and beloved unborn children are let off the hook for their crimes.

(As seen today in 24 Hours Daily)

Remarks From University of Haifa President at Commencement Last Week

Prof. Ben-Ze'ev also addressed the war's complexity from a moral perspective. "Today the criticism is leveled at Israel that our response lacks proportion. This claim may appear true if we make a superficial comparison between the number of fatalities that the Hezbollah has caused us and the number of fatalities that have been caused to the organization by our actions. However, this comparison is patently immoral because morality cannot accept as a given that it is permitted to kill and thus it is permitted to kill to the same extent for revenge. The comparison must be far more complex and touch upon the roots of the problem and that is – fundamentally, what is the intention that Hezbollah's murderousness is spawning all the time? The answer is the resolve to annihilate Israel. In this case, Israel's response must be assessed against this intention to annihilate and not against the number of people that they have murdered at this opportunity or another. In light of this consideration, there is no doubt that Israel's response is reasonable and appropriate for the size of the threat," he said.

Prof. Ben-Ze'ev summed up by saying that we must continue to wish for peace. "Although we speak at the moment of a distant dream, it is forbidden to us to stop dreaming even for a moment. The capacity to dream and to sustain hope are hallmarks of human conduct. I am certain that even in these dark and trying hours, already it is possible to discern tomorrow's light."

Teaching Empathy

Is it possible to teach our children to be caring and compassionate, or is empathy innate – you either have it or you don’t?

Mary Gordon, a recent Order of Canada recipient believes that babies are the key to introducing and reinforcing the ideas of compassion.

As the founder of Roots of Empathy, an innovative program that puts babies in classrooms, Mary Gordon believes that seeing helpless children build bonds with a loving parent over the course of a school year, lessens incidences of bullying.

With rashes of teenage “swarmings” near Skytrain stations and other suburban locations, and the beating death of Reena Virk still fresh in our minds, the newest generation of young adults seems slightly lost.

Of course, there are many teenagers and children who are caring, contributing members of society, but it only takes one or two anti-social ones to wreck havoc on a community.

Roots of Empathy is a simple concept. At the beginning of the school year, a mother (or father) brings a newborn baby to visit a classroom. The visits are repeated once a month until June. In between encounters with the baby, a trained instructor uses the baby’s interaction with his parent and the children as a springboard for discussions about caring, compassionate, kindness and other empathy-related topics.

In previous generations, children would have been far more likely to observe their mother or father with one of their ten younger brothers and sisters, but because of smaller families with two working parents, children can grow up without having even held another baby.

Kid #1 had “Bremmen” and his mom visit her classroom in grade two. As she related to me: “I learned that babies need a lot of help and they change fast.” What she probably wasn’t able to verbalize was the changes in behaviour that post-program research has revealed.

Dr. Kim Schonert-Reichl, an associate professor at UBC’s Department of Education, has been studying the results of Roots of Empathy, both here in Canada, as well as in New Zealand and, more recently, Taiwan.

Universally, children who go through the program emerge far less likely to bully and more likely to intervene if they observe the victimization of the fellow classmate, rather than passively observing.

Over 68,000 Canadian children in eight Canadian provinces have participated in a Roots of Empathy program. It is funded by private foundations, private corporations and the public education systems.

It isn’t the only solution to raising an emotionally healthy caring generation, but Roots of Empathy type programs are an excellent addition.

Mary Gordon and Kim Schonert-Reichl are both participating in the Dalai Lama’s Educating the Heart Dialogue in early September, when the Dalai Lama returns to open his new centre in Vancouver. More information can be found at www.dalailamacentre.com

Erin Airton is guest hosting for Sean Leslie on CKNW Saturday and Sunday 4-6pm.

As published August 3, 2006 in 24 Hours.