"I Love CBC" Petition - Let's Keep Our Public Broadcaster Public (Please Sign Below)

On November 23, 2010, Dean Del Mastro, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, publicly mused about cutting all funding to the CBC. His exact words were: "Maybe it's time we get out of the broadcasting business ... The $1.1 billion, plus a whole bunch of other stuff that we're investing into the public broadcaster, should we look at reorganizing that in some fashion?"

Friends of Canadian Broadcasting provides this petition with help from The Walrus, Canada's pre-eminent magazine.

Thank you for your attention.

The Case Against Canada: Easier Said Than Done (2010)

Easier Said Than Done (2010) is the latest Report on Canada (and 11 other Commonwealth countries) concerning commitments and performances at the United Nations Human Rights Council.  The other Commonwealth countries at the Council are: Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Malasia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zambia.

This the 3rd such Report in the Easier Said Than Done series as conducted by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. Here is the verbatim overall assessment regarding Canada in italics. Emphasis is marked by underscoring.

The report compares pre-election pledges made to the United Nations Human Rights Council by Canada and eleven other Commonwealth countries, with each country’s performance at the domestic and UN levels.

According to the report, from mid-2008 until mid-2010, Canada did not measure up to the high standard of human rights promotion and protection to which it committed itself in its pre-election pledge to the Council in 2006.

At the domestic level:

In its pledge, for example, Canada committed to actively pursue the implementation of human rights domestically, including with respect to indigenous peoples, and noted that the promotion and protection of human rights was an integral part of its foreign policy. Despite these pledges, the report’s findings indicate that aspects of Canada’s foreign policy seemed to be void of human rights considerations, and that the human rights situation of indigenous peoples in Canada remained poor.

At the UN level:

Canada further pledged to strengthen and support UNHRC mechanisms, including the special procedures. Despite generally adhering to this pledge, the report’s findings show that on a couple of occasions Canada attempted to limit the scope of certain special procedures. Canada’s pledge to submit its future treaty bodies on time was not fulfilled.

Easier Said Than Done (2010) calls on Canada to adhere to the voluntary pledges it made prior to Council elections and to promote the fundamental values of the Commonwealth by taking positive stances at international human rights fora, such as the Council.

For the chapter on Canada, click here:
www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/hradvocacy/ESTD_2010/Canada_Chapter.pdf

For the full report, click here:
www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/hradvocacy/ESTD_2010/Full_report_without_Annexure_III.pdf

For a table which summarizes the voting records of the Commonwealth countries at the UN Human Rights Council, click here:
www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/hradvocacy/ESTD/Annexure_II_Voting_table.pdf

To view pre-election pledges made by the 12 countries, click here:
www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/hradvocacy/ESTD_2010/Annexure_III_Pledges_made.pdf

To view the 2007 report, click here:
www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/hradvocacy/easier_said_tha_done.pdf

To view the 2008 report, click here:
www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/hradvocacy/easier_said_than_done_2008.pdf

For information on the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and its work at the United Nations Human Rights Council, please visit:
http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/

The Harare Principles and the "Harper Government"

The Harare Principles were signed on 20 October 1991 in Harare, Zimbabwe, when Brian Mulroney was Canada’s Prime Minister and Joe Clark our Minister of Foreign Affairs. They were written in the light of the collapse of Communism in the West, after significant decolonization, and following the end of Apartheid in South Africa. They were signed by all Commonwealth Heads of Government. The Declaration provides a constructive guide to proper governance, and when a country violates these principles they are suspended from membership in the Commonwealth. There are currently 54 Commonwealth countries.

The following is a selection from the Harare Principles, and below them is a list of how these principles have been violated in Canada.

Article 4.

- We believe in the liberty of the individual under the law. (Except in the case of G20 police violence in Toronto, when over 1000 individuals were incarcerated over two nights.)

- ... equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender, race, colour, creed or political belief. (Unless you are Minister of Immigration, Jason Kenney, charged with bringing in the ethnic vote.)

- ... individual’s right to participate by means of free and democratic processes. (If you can forget about two prorogued Parliaments.)

Article 6.

Totalitarianism is giving way to democracy and justice in many parts of the world. (Except in Canada, where “Government of Canada” nomenclature is now known as the “Harper Government,” never mind the rest of us. I kid you not. Canadians now abide by the cult of personality, officially. Canadian taxes are paying for Harper's own advertising, let alone that of the so-called Conservative Party.)

Article 8.

Development facilitates the task of tackling a range of problems which [sic] affect the whole global community such as environmental degradation, the problems of migrants and refugees, the fight against communicable diseases, and drug production and trafficking. (Except for our “Ethical Oil” and 500 Tamil boat refugees greeted with detention - Sri Lanka being a member of the Commonwealth, as well as Harper’s compassionate stand on AIDS.)

Article 9.

Having reaffirmed the principles to which the Commonwealth is committed ... concentrating especially in the following areas ...

- Democracy, democratic processes and institutions which reflect national circumstances, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, just and honest government. (Except for two prorogued Parliaments, three contempt of Parliament rulings by the Speaker of the House  - two of which are presently prima fascie -  including one Minister of International Co-operation Minister, Bev Oda, who does not speak when questioned in Parliament.)

- Fundamental human rights, including equal rights for all citizens regardless of race, colour, creed or political belief. (Except for G20 police violence and Jason Kenney.)

- Support of the United Nations and other international institutions in the world’s search for peace, disarmament and effective arms control; and in the promotion of international consensus on major political, economic and social issues. (Ever wonder why Canada lost its bid – to Portugal – for a seat at the UN Security Council?)

Article 10.

To give weight and effectiveness to our commitments we intend to focus and improve Commonwealth co-operation in these areas. This would include strengthening the capacity of the Commonwealth to requests from members for assistance in entrenching the practices of democracy, accountable administration and the rule of law.  (In Canada, 4 Conservative party figures (two of them Senators) have been charged with the illegal “in and out” election financing scheme that brought them to power. Our Senators have not stepped aside. Upheld by the Federal Court of Appeal, Elections Canada charges the Conservative Party with not playing with a level field in the 2006 elections.

Moreover, during that same 2006 election, former RCMP Commissioner  Guiliano Zaccardeli initiated a criminal probe into alleged insider-trading by Ralph Goodale, Liberal Finance Minister at the time.  Although Goodale was eventually cleared, the public's perception of Harper's Party was elevated on misled grounds (by functionaries of the state), and in fact it was the RCMP who had interfered with the election, willingly or not.  In other words, the election can on two counts be considered illegitimate. 

Fiji is currently suspended from the Commonwealth for not having "free and fair" elections.  Should Canada be suspended from the Commonwealth – just like Fiji?)