Top 8 Canadian Immigrants of All Time

In honour of the Canadian Immigrant Magazine’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Contest, we have compiled a list of the Canadian immigrants that have contributed the most throughout of all of Canada’s short but illustrious history.

Zsa Zsa McWilliams
HISTORY EDITOR

8. Spanish Flu The only non-human immigrant to ever be awarded this honour, the Spanish Influenza Virus earns an Honorable Mention in this competition. Along with many other Eurasian viruses and diseases, the Spanish flu crossed the Atlantic on ships with the rest of the European colonizers and settlers. And just like the European colonizers and settlers, it explored the land from coast to coast, decimating indigenous popuations as it went.

7. Hans Bernhardt In 1664 Bernhardt came to Canada, earning an honorary place in Canadian history as the first recorded German immigrant. We recognize Bernhardt here not just because he is a special first, but because he illustrates that even though Cartier founded the first French settlement in the Americas only a hundred years before, any person arriving to Canada that was not English or French (sometimes also Scottish and Irish) would be deemed an immigrant, while the English and French (and Scottish and Irish) were simply pioneers. This deeply Canadian practice of snubbing anyone else that attempts to build a life in Canada has been wholeheartedly carried on through Canadian policy, practice and government. One notable partisan is Mr. Jason Kenny, current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

6. Henry Hudson The story of Henry Hudson, an English sea explorer, illustrates the excite-ment felt by Europeans discovering a new world and the glory in their ad-ventures. In the early seventeenth century, Hudson explored the East Coast of North America looking for passage to the East for the Dutch East India Company. The river he explored in that area was eventually named after him. In 1611, after spending the winter in James Bay, Hudson wanted to continue further West, but his crew, rep-resenting the only European explorers (other than the Vikings, see 2) to ever visit a foreign land and simply return, were apparently tired of the famous Canadian winter (I’m assuming they didn’t have toques or Sorels then), so they mutinied, and left Hudson, his young son and a few other crewmembers adrift in what was to become Hudson’s Bay, and they were never seen again. Upon returning to Europe, the mutineers were not convicted and ex-ecuted as most mutineers are, instead they were charged with murder and acquitted, being that they possessed information of the new world that was far more valuable to north American colonizers than was justice, another tradition that has wound its way into the Canadian judiciary and political systems and since remained.

5. Chinese-Canadian railway workers We decided it would be pertinent to apply this honour to a group of people, and we would like to recognize the Chinese workers on the Canadian Pacific Railway for two reasons. The first being that they don’t appear to be formally recognized anywhere else. The second, that they are the first and only immigrant population to be actually requested by the Canadian government, who today prefers illegal and/or temporary workers. BC politicians of the time pushed for an accommodating immigrant program for workers from the British Isles (an obvious preference) after being given a strict time limit to build the railway. But our then Prime Minister, much like our current Prime Minister, recognized the true value and opportunity in cheap foreign labour, and he (John A. Macdonald) can be quoted as saying, “It is simply a question of alternatives: either you must have this labour or you can’t have the railway.” A true testament to early Canadian capitalism, Macdonald’s words illustrate the importance of making money over than domestic development needs.

4. Sir John A. Macdonald Macdonald moved to Canada with his family at the tender age of five. Similar to many immigrant experiences in Canadian history, his family struggled to find financial footing in their new home, and young John was forced to leave school at 15, (he was unable to attend university), to help support his family. With no post secondary education, and no interest in learning a trade, the only option for the man who was to enter politics and eventually become the first Prime Minister of the Dominion of Canada was, apparently, law. Along with being a solid number four on our list and the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald was also the first conservative Prime Minister in Canadian history. A tradition that is yet to expire, but we’ve all got our fingers crossed.

3. William Lyon Mackenzie Mr. Mackenzie’s story is another classic tale of a struggling immigrant rising to make his own in a new and foreign land. Mackenzie left Europe at 25 because he lacked stable employment. When he arrived here he worked on a canal in Lower Canada (present day eastern Quebec), and wrote for various local newspapers. He eventually established his own paper, the Colonial Advocate. His interest in local politics led to him running for office. This quintessential story of a newcomer in Canada peaked in 1834 when Mackenzie was appointed Mayor But Mackenzie only lasted until 1835 bcause he did not address the city’s debt or the need for public works another longstanding tradition.

2. Leif “the Lucky” Ericsson Leif the Lucky was the first European to visit North America, likely responsible for establishing the L’ans aux Meadows settlement in present day Newfoundland. It is not a very well known fact that the first Europeans to visit North America were actually Vikings. This is probably because the Norse explorers did so hundreds of years before anyone else and did not steal, colonize and claim ownership of the land to the same extent of their later counterparts. Some have surmised that their apparent lack of ambition or interest in the land (occasionally misinterpreted as an understanding that the land was previously inhabited and not theirs to take) was what kept them out of the history books. We recognise Ericsson here because after his genial first visit to North America, he came back (after having returned to Norway and converted to Christianity) this time with a priest, kicking off a long and far less friendly tradition of European missionary work (also known as ‘forced conversion of the native heathens’ in some texts) in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific Colonies, to name a few.

1. Christopher ColumbusThe Top Canadian Immigrant Award of all time goes Christopher Columbus, a fifteenth-century Italian sailor. Though Columbus never actually made it to Canada in his lifetime, his extraordinary underestimation of the circumference of our planet lead to one of the most profitable mistakes in history for European colonization of the ‘Americas’. His famous navigational gaffe, landing him in the Bahamas instead of India, was the first of four famous voyages he made across the Atlantic, opening the door to coloniza-tion of North and South America and the decimation of entire indigenous populations. His infamous inability to distinguish between the cultures of North American indigenous peoples and those of India lead to the development of the terms ‘American Indians’, or ‘Native Indians’. His well-lauded racism, rapaciousness and the genocide and land-theft that were born of it are still celebrated in the United States today on Columbus Day, an official holiday.

WikiLeaks leaks shows that Canada is insignificant

CO-CO KENNEY
WIKILEAKS EDITOR

Canadian leaders are scrambling to contain the fallout from another set of WikiLeaks cables from American foreign diplomats.The leaks demonstrate that Canada plays no significant role in global politics and that many believe its representatives to be pathetic and untalented.

Cable 113375, released on March 28, was sent from the London embassy of the United States, actually con-tained the sentence, “I’ve never met a more base, dry or angry human than Canada’s Steve Harper.”

Politicians in Ottawa are scrambling to respond, on both sides of the issue.

“Regardless of what some Ameri-can egg-head thinks of me, they can go to hell,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Harper’s staff were more diplomatic, and shouted through the bathroom door to respond to journalists, as they comforted Harper who had ran into the accessible bathroom stall to cry.

“Our leader is great. Just because the Americans don’t like him doesn’t change how much we love, honour and dedicate ourselves to him and his work,” one staffer said, while sobbing.

The leader of the Official Opposition started to hyperventilate with excitement when he heard the news.

“As Canada’s top egghead, I am in absolute concurrence with my esteemed American colleague and friend,” Ignatieff managed to snort out. His staff were chest bumping and giving each other high fives behind the Liberal leader.

The WikiLeaks cable is an account from an American diplomat after a tense meeting between leaders from Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Ireland. The meeting was called to discuss the use of white phosphorous by Israel against the population of the Gaza Strip during the most recent offensive on the world’s largest open-air prison.

All the leaders were in agreement that a response was necessary, but what approach to take threw the Canadians into a state of hysteria.

“After two hours of discussion, those present agreed to co-sign a letter written to the Prime Minister of Israel lightly requesting that if they have to bomb Palestinians, that they should consider using either a less corrosive gas, or find an American supplier with a different gas name” the cable said.

“The Canadian guy was in the other room watching the World Juniors Hockey Tournament when we called him in for his signature. He read the demands of the letter, dropped to the floor and started screaming, “Why do you all hate Israel so much?” the cable continued.

“The whole incident was really, really sad,” said Sir Humphrey Phillips, the British official who witnessed Harper’s meltdown. “We asked his wife Laureen, who he had asked to be his designated driver, if we could give him some warm milk and valium to calm him down. She didn’t even notice that he was in distress. ‘I’m used to it’ she told us.

”Phillips read the American cable and said that the account accurately reflected how most world leaders view Harper.

“Aside from most of the dictators in the Middle East, Harper is a person non grata in diplomatic circles.

”Hillary Clinton, when asked to comment, forwarded the following response: “Thank-you for your email. I am currently away from my desk. If your concern is immediate, please email hsachin@freedom.gov.

James Smith, an intern with Joe Biden’s secretary, said that he has heard that Canada isn’t really a main player in high-level decisions. “I’m normally asked to book them tickets for our third tier of seating,” he said.

At press time, it was unclear if Harp-er would be OK having heard the con-tents of the leaked cables.

Rye VP seen burning Kerr Hall to ground

Alison Garvey
FIRE EDITOR

Kerr Hall was burned to the ground last night.In a strangely familiar display of fire, yet another building on Ryerson’s campus was burned down. Many have suggested arson.

Julie Flappard said she saw a woman who resembled Ryerson’ newly-minted Vice-President Administration setting the quadrangular high-school reminiscent building a light.

“I recognized her geek-chic senior-administrator power suit, and she was yelling something about wanting to have a new building because Sheldon Levy has like five,” said Flappard.

The Fire Marshall says that the cause of the  re is unknown, but due to how each of the four wings of Kerr Hall were engulfed in flames so quickly, he suspected that it was likely pre-meditated. “The fire was either set at once in four separate places, or someone used a remote control detonator to explode devises placed at each of the corners of the building,” he said.

Jamie D’Souza saw the  ames and ran toward it to throw his textbooks into the fire. “I just can’t believe it. I hate that building so much. To see it in  ames caused me to do whatever I could to ensure that the fire wouldn’t go out.

”Students a liated with the Oakham ACT club also ran toward the  ames and started dancing around it.

Ryerson University’s department of pubic a airs condemned the  re as an act of terrorism committed by fire’s insatiable desire to burn things.

Sheldon Levy expressed great sympathy for the 40 or so engineering students who were found dead in the basement of Kerr Hall North, and fused to their chairs by the intense heat.

Levy said that an investigation would be undertaken as many suspected that it was arson, and that he would head the investigation up himself, with the help of the Digital Media Zone. The police have said that they will be allowing Levy to do this, based purely on his charm.

But Vice-President Administration Ioana Planingsberg was less charming and even appeared angry at Levy’s fire briefing press conference. Planingsberg said nothing to journalists, but after the press conference, she tweeted “MLG, DMZ, Image Arts and Learning Commons? So long KH. I can finally oversee my own mini-empire. And Sheldz can back o …”

Planingsberg refused to explain the tweet when asked later on during the day, but she said that she was tired from cleaning soot out of her clothes, so her tweets may be less coherent.

Staff from nutrition and the miscellaneous science and engineering departments expressed excitement over the possibility of replacing Kerr Hall’s old infrastructure. The Fashion department was less impressed.The Ryerson Students’ Union is setting up a fund for the theater school that lost years and years of sets, miscellaneous props and at least two technicians.

Ryerson Athletics has successfully proposed a referendum on a fee increase of $467 per semester, per student.

Harper says no to Gay-Straight Alliance

Parliamentary gays lose their shit

Andrew Gabon McBratton
OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF

Stephen Harper has refused to allow parliament’s  rst Gay-Straight alliance to exist.Formed through the pink triangle caucus of the Senate, the Gay-Straight Alliance was founded in response to rumors that the Federal government would try to de-fund Pride celebrations and the increase in covert expressions of homophobia in question period.

The queer community at Parliament Hill has erupted in anger.

“Gay Senators to Harper: Bitch, please” read the cheeky headline of the group’s release. Some people speculated whether or not this was a homage to a press released issued by Queers Against Israeli Apartheid upon being banned by Pride Toronto for their overtly human rightsy campaign.

Spokesperson for the Gay-Straight Alliance, Senator Addie Horton’s, said that Stephen Harper’s decision to ban these groups must be overturned im-mediately.

“I was appointed to the Senate by the former Liberal government to be both gay and a thorn in the sides of the Conservative party,” said Hornton’s. The Senator represents both the Province of Ontario and the hockey and doughnut legacy of her uncle. “Harper’s ban on our group was the issue I needed to actually show up to work and attend the daily wines and cheeses that mark Senate life.”

“Harper doesn’t realize who he’s fucking with,” she yelled down the Rotunda as she ran toward a wine and cheese that was being hosted by the Canadian Association of Fertilizer Producers and Users.

While no one was surprised that the Gay-Straight Alliance ban has infuriated the mostly gay New Democratic Party, Senators and Members of Parliament are coming out to voice their opposition to the ban.“Let me make this clear. I am not coming out,” said Member of Parliament John Baird.

Other Conservative politicians were more candid, yet embarrassed to be on the record.“When I got elected, I thought I would come to Ottawa and make a di erence,” said one Member of Parliament who refused to be identi ed because he’s a member of the Conser-vative caucus. “I am ashamed of my own caucus. Which is sad because I’ve always been somewhat ashamed of my caucus,” he added.

When asked directly about this decision, Harper said that he believed that allowing a Senate Gay-Straight Alliance would be similar to allowing parliamentarians to form Nazi organizations.

“I’m not saying that gay people and Nazis are the same thing,” said Harper, “But you have to admit that they share similar, and I’d argue dangerous, notions of style” he said to an obviously confused press core.

Despite the ban, it is clear that the Gay-Straight Alliance will continue to push for recognition. One member even said that they’re willing to bring this to the Queen of England to be overturn.

“If Harper thinks that he can police peoples’ sexuality based on his wacky religious beliefs, he’s in for a shock,” said one anonymous Member of Parliament.“If he refuses to compromise, I’ll just have to take this queen to see the Queen. Lizzy will overturn this decision, she’s basically a gay icon” he said.

Fear and loathing in Toronto

Nora Loreto, Editor-in-Chief

As fear gripped Toronto during the G8/G20 Summits, democracy vanished.

To anyone paying attention, it seemed like the public relations machine that was kicked into gear for the G20 Summit was a never-ending set of announcements meant to elevate concern about the potential dangers of having the world’s most powerful people in Toronto for a weekend.

Early on, the University of Toronto announced that the possibility of danger on the St. George campus was so great that the entire University would be shut down during the Summit. Even student residents would have to be moved as the city would be so unsafe that students should not be allowed on campus.

This set the bar pretty high for what level of danger to expect. Of course, there were some rational heads on campus who challenged this decision by defying the university’s orders and keeping their offices open. They also called the university out when it was revealed that security agents would be taking the temporarily-moved students’ rooms.

These organizations were targeted for their courageous stands. One, the Graduate Students’ Union, was raided and every person inside was detained, likely with the help of Campus Police. What a price to pay for standing up against an administration that conspired with security officials
to detain progressive students.

The message sent by the Integrated Security Unit, the joint-security force comprised of the RCMP, the OPP, Toronto Police, Canadian Forces and private firms, as a result of this raid was clear: don’t challenge the notion that the security measures taken are warranted, or you could be considered an enemy of the state.

The federal government, security agencies and the province all seemed to manipulate information to make everyone fear each other: the protesters were to fear the police, the general public were to fear the protesters and no one should go near the fence. With everyone’s rationality turned off and replaced with fear, the purpose of the summits would continue generally unchallenged, especially by mainstream journalists.

Fear was used to rule the City of Toronto that weekend. Our powerless mayor stepped back as Martial Law was imposed by Police Chief Bill Blair, while the Premier looked the other way. Blair was ordered by someone to allow for his officers to conduct sweeping powers of search and detention that were not contemplated
by the anything passed by government.

As a result of these expanded powers , fear spread among citizens of being searched and detained
without any due process, having hearing damage as a result of being blasted with a sound cannon, or going blind or choking because of tear gas.

I saw fear in the eyes of many, many people I talked to that weekend. I was afraid too. On Sunday night, I was standing with four people at Queen and Soho Streets in awe of seeing busloads of people shipped off to cages. Two officers came up to us and told us to leave immediately. We were told that by standing together in a group we were “violating the riot act” and that we were not legally allowed to “converge.”

When I challenged one of the officers and demanded to know which part of what law he was citing, fear came through his eyes, and anger through his mouth. All he could do is yell, “I have told so many people tonight about this and I’m tired of it.” He threatened to arrest us again, if we asked any more questions, so we dispersed.

Blair was on the front lines of generating fear. He wasted many words whipping people up against the violent protesters, and convinced a cadre of journalists to advance this view. Before long, people uninvolved with the day’s events were decrying vandalism shown over and over on television news stations as if someone had actually been hurt.

Of course, many people had been hurt, but broken windows were the only image used to demonstrate violence. Many people who had been hurt were shipped off to a detention centre away from the city’s core.
We were all under attack. At times, we were all afraid. And despite using the force that they had, the security forces didn’t even unleash their entire arsenal. At each confrontation, this led many of us on the streets to wonder, what will they use next?

When I saw horses charging dense crowds, or people running as if their lives depended on escape, I wondered how instilling this fear among us had anything to do with G20 leaders like Manmohan Singh, Hu Jintao or David Cameron. There wasn’t even a remote possibility of a world leader being hurt, indeed no political leader has ever been murdered in Canada by a protesting mob.

Instilling fear in people only served to disempower us. The move toward a near removal of all freedoms stated in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms happened so fast that only after the Summit has anyone realized that the power on which the ISU was operating didn’t exist. But that didn’t matter. More than 1,000 people were rounded up and dehumanized, regardless of what powers the police did or didn’t have.

It degenerated into seemingly random arrests that were based only on the colour of one’s clothes, the language one spoke, or whether or not a protester came prepared to be tear gassed.

When I was hit over the shoulder and knocked to my knees by a riot officer, my hope of demonstrating against what the G20 stood for dissipated, and I knew that the rest of the weekend
would be pure resistance to the violence perpetuated by the police state.

The police response to us in the streets during the G20 is an important reminder of this: The freedoms we enjoy were hard fought for by generations of activists, and they remain absolutely fragile.

The reaction of the police to peaceful protesters with important and legitimate concerns of the work of the world’s elites is a necessary reminder that the powerful actually fear the power of the citizens when they come together to resist a global agenda that continues to rob and marginalize the world’s poor. They will promote fear, they will detain and they will raid our homes or places of work if the chance is presented to them.

If we know that fear will be used to advance an oppressive agenda, everyone who refuses to buy into that fear must stand up to it. And, in all circumstances, we must challenge those people in positions of power and demand justice for Canada and the world’s oppressed.

Especially now, as we know just how scared the elites are.

A tale of two cities

Danny Viola

The weekend of June 26 and 27 during Toronto’s G20 Summit was a weekend of polar opposites. Scores of peaceful protesters were contrasted with a minority of vandal rioters. Police officers who would offer you information and a helping hand were counter-balanced by officers who would sooner greet you with rubber bullets and the wrong end of a baton. Citizens who say that the intimidation, unlawful arrests and police violence are contrary to our rights and freedoms as Canadian citizens were met with those who say that given the situation, police acted appropriately and that those arrested were detained for proper reasons. However, one aspect can be agreed upon: whether the blame lies on vandals or aggressive police actions, our city disappeared for the weekend. In its place was bastardization; a Toronto in which none of us felt at home.

On June 26, third-year Ryerson Journalism student Roland Campbell joined a peaceful march which left from Queen’s Park and eventually ended outside the Novotel Hotel on Saturday
night. Describing the protest as “spontaneous and organic,” he was a passive observer. Armed with a voice recorder, his plan was to document the protests for an audio segment.

The protest’s purpose was to support the striking labour workers while showing dissent towards the G20 leaders staying at the hotel. While a police presence was noticeable during the entire march, once they arrived outside the Novotel, they were quickly surrounded.

The protest marshals told everyone to sit down. The crowd, which was “peaceful and harmonious,”
was likened to a sit in from the 60’s by Campbell. However, they were threatened with arrest if they did not disperse. The police reportedly did not offer a way out.

“It was at this point where I stuck my recorder in my jacket pocket and kind of dropped being a passive observer,” says Campbell. “I was very much interested in our and my own well being.” Chants of “let us go” were yelled, but quickly it became clear that the only way out was in leg shackles and zip ties.
Police began grabbing people from out of the crowd. “They would come in, and literally rip is the perfect word, rip someone off the ground,” states Campbell. Describing the police as “faceless large men” identified only by their batons, shields, gasmasks and helmets, he says “it’s hard to see them as people at that point.”

Not all hold the belief that the police disregarded rights or acted overly aggressive during the weekend.
Daniel Smullen, 22, is an RCMP recruit and was downtown to meet his girlfriend. Present during the riots
as well as other protests, he says that the police used proper procedure and that the attitude and actions of the protesters led to arrests.

Stating that “the atmosphere was tense, there was certainly an element of chaos and confusion,” during the rioting, he noticed much belligerence on part of the crowd. “The protesters were directly confronting police, not in a violent way, but still imposing themselves in a confrontational situation.”

Saying that many, but certainly not all of the arrests were justified, he argues that even during the peaceful protests there were grounds for detention. “That’s not to say that they were not also protesting peacefully and lawfully at one time, but when they failed to comply with police orders, they would then quickly become in violation of what constitutes lawful protest.”

Campbell was arrested at approximately 11:10 PM on Saturday. He would not be released until 12:15 AM on Monday. His charge of breach of the peace would be dropped.

During his arrest, he says that there was an us-versus-them mentality on the part of both parties.
“When we are cast in different groups, humanism of the situation disappears and we are both each other’s Other.” Saying that characteristics apply to the group whether or not they are accurate, he notes that the protesters saw police as “violent, enforceful and authoritative creatures who were scary and our enemies,” while police viewed them as “capricious protesters who have the capability of violence, whether or not they are acting that way.”

Overall, Campbell believes that most of the cops were pleasant once the visors came off. However, he says their “visage was kindness but their actions and behaviour was indifference.”

There were instances when a detainee asked an officer if he knew that their rights and freedoms
were being violated. The officer simply replied “good.” However, there were officers who genuinely seemed to care and would try and accommodate the detainees.

Demands for phone calls persisted throughout the day, becoming more frustrated as time passed. Campbell’s restraints were off by 7:30 AM. He was finally given a phone call by 8 AM.

“Our basic rights as Canadian citizens weren’t their priority,” he said. “Relative to more authoritative
countries, we were treated well. But given that we are in Canada and this is democratic society with specific rights and generally upheld rights, I thought for the citizens it wasn’t an experience that demonstrated
that.”

Calling into question the decision to hold the summit in Toronto, Smullen says that police could have been more proactive in order to educate people as well as show the public that they are on their side. He notes that the police did well to make sure that no one was seriously injured and that those detained who were innocent were set free quickly.

“There would have been a lot more damage and there would have been a lot more people getting injured, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were people who got killed,” he says. “That’s better than we can say for many of the other G20 Summits that occurred around the world.”

Smullen maintains that public perception of police has to change, as the animosity they face is not justified.

“People seem to be able to respect the authority of ambulance drivers and emergency personnel and firefighters when a building is burning or someone is injured, but yet when the police give a similar order it’s met with protesters, it’s met with cries of ‘police state’ and similar comments.”

Amnesty International stated in a news release on June 27 that the weapons used, unclear police powers, and high levels of surveillance were a “curtailment of civil liberties.”

Campbell says that this experience has shown him that a basic knowledge of rights and freedoms as well as the law is essential for active citizens. He believes that the police will not admit guilt until the judiciary system proves it. He is hoping that he, among many of the other people who were wrongfully detained, will be vindicated through the class action lawsuit.

“You have to push and push and push until you can’t push anymore.”

G20: Tweets from the ground

Nora Loreto, Editor-in-Chief

For many people, both on the ground and away from Downtown Toronto, Twitter was the only medium providing up-to-the-minute and honest coverage of the G8/G20 protests. Editor-in-Chief Nora Loreto Tweeted from the streets what she saw as she wandered, protested and ran through the streets from July 25 to 27.

Below is an unedited collection of what she saw and what she reported on Twitter. For the entire suite of Tweets (some have been removed due to space constraints) or to read what came after, check out Twitter.com/NoLore.

THURSDAY, JUNE 24
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

There’s enough cops at #ryerson to stage a coup d’etat. Just counted 5 minivans of cops drive by the Ram. #wtf #copsoffcampus #G20
June 24, 2010 3:58 PM EDT

Found the buses. 3 #busfullofcops sans cops is living south of Bay and Gerrard. But where are the cops? (Delta Chelsea!) #G20
June 24, 2010 9:57 PM

Ever since I learned about the October Crisis, I yearned to live under Martial Law. #G20 #wtf #copsgohome #newlow
June 24, 2010 10:06 PM EDT
FRIDAY, JUNE 25

A woman just tied her bike up and went into a Rabba. A cop car pull up and inspects the bike and lock. Then pulls off #G20 #worthabil?
June 25, 2010 3:26:36 PM EDT

Just passed a guy right out front of the MTCC with a shirt that said TYRRANY RESPONSE TEAM. RCMP didn’t seem phased. #g20.
June 25, 2010 3:36:17 PM EDT

Only saw 2 protesters on my walk #G20 #g20report
June 25, 2010 4:29:57 PM EDT

Most officers look painfully bored. One said she liked my dress, as if to say “I’m dying to talk to someone” #g20 #g20report
June 25, 2010 4:32:34 PM EDT

First illegal sighting: van just jumped the curb in front of me. A journalist jumped out. #G20
June 25, 2010 4:35:36 PM EDT

Cop to the journalist: “you’ll hafta park somewhere legal” #nokidding #g20 #g20report
June 25, 2010 4:36:31 PM EDT

Aaand just got questioned by rcmp. I’ve been sitting on this bench too long. Yup, that’s me in the orange dress, intelligence. #g20
June 25, 2010 5:27:06 PM EDT

Some G20 officials just got locked out by fence closure. Ppl now running to fence to escape before the chains are locked. #G20
June 25, 2010 6:13:25 PM EDT

Random cyclist who was trapped “does anyone know how I can get out?” #G20 #G20report
June 25, 2010 6:16:02 PM EDT

Older man with me is taking photos of himself and the fence. Another guy with a camera got in his way. #g20 #g20report
June 25, 2010 6:25:30 PM EDT

They’re on lockdown. I am locked in. The riot is coming I’ve been told.
June 25, 2010 6:45:50 PM EDT

Someone’s making small talk with a cop. From Calgary. I wonder if he arrived on a #busfullofcops. #g20
June 25, 2010 6:54:01 PM EDT

The cops have a handsome refreshment stand on a golf cart. #g20.
June 25, 2010 6:58:45 PM EDT

Yes I’m out!! Said one cop: be careful tho, its still martial law on the other side. #g20 #cophumour #g20report
June 25, 2010 7:22:47 PM EDT

The hippocratic oath for journalists says Amy Goodman: “We shall not be silent”
June 25, 2010 8:17:07 PM EDT

“In an age of hyper-individualism, there is nothing more surprising than solidarity-Naomi Klein” #shoutout #g20 #justice
June 25, 2010 10:07:23 PM EDT

We’re past Another World is Possible. We’ve reached Another World is NECESSARY. #G20 #cdnleft #G20report
June 25, 2010 10:35:59 PM EDT

Just blocked by cops to access my own campus. First time in 7 years. #copsoffcampus #G20
June 25, 2010 10:57:33 PM EDT

The #G20 is like the shittiest concert ever. My bags get searched and there isn’t even a sweet band on the other side. #G20report
June 25, 2010 11:07:58 PM EDT

SATURDAY, JUNE 26

@CP24 says that cops have confiscated gas masks from a car near Allan gardens. No word on whether or not urine soaked rags are allowed #G20
June 26, 2010 10:46:33 AM EDT

This rally is MASSIVE. We can’t make it thru the crowd to the stage. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 1:07:41 PM EDT

The rally fills univ ave as far as I can see. Are we at 15k yet? #g20 #g20report.
June 26, 2010 2:01:13 PM EDT

Insane bottleneck forced on crowd to keep ppl well away from the US consulate. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 2:15:46 PM EDT

Lots of people photographing the cops. “How do you sleep at night?” People yell. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 2:17:26 PM EDT

Just heard someone talking about the cops having rubber bullets. #g20.
June 26, 2010 2:19:11 PM EDT

Just realize I have the same uniform on as the blackblock. Uh oh. #g20
June 26, 2010 2:19:58 PM EDT

We broke through. Just saw a broken nose. Riot cops are slamming their shields
June 26, 2010 2:31:04 PM EDT

Just got beat down by a cop while I was huddled in at speakers corner. Thanks to the folks who dragged me out. I’m fully shaken #g20
June 26, 2010 2:35:00 PM EDT

I was trying to take a photo of them hitting another person and a cameraman. #g20 #g20report. June 26, 2010 2:36:46 PM EDT

I’m fine, have a baton sized welt. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 2:43:23 PM EDT

Word is cops will encircle the line south on queen to trap the protesters. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 3:20:17 PM EDT

Zombies just marched by. Figured that was going to happen next. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 4:01:37 PM EDT

People are running like crazy away from the riot cops. “I’ve never been so scared in my life” a young looking guy. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 4:18:39 PM EDT

This is how anger manifests itself when the powerful ignore the powerless #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 4:24:17 PM EDT

This is how anger manifests itself when the powerful ignore the powerless #g20 #g20report http://twitpic.com/207wby
June 26, 2010 4:24:17 PM EDT

Riot cops remain on guard for the american empire. Kinda. Many are stretched out. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:05:26 PM EDT

55 vans and minivans, 2 coach buses parked outside Mars on Univ. If the street’s closed, this is why. Looks like a traffic jam #g20
June 26, 2010 5:17:52 PM EDT

“Who’s protecting Obama?? Who’s protecting the fence?” Yells a woman at the riot cops #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:21:45 PM EDT

The 5 ambulances parked among the vans reportedly carried more riot cops. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:25:00 PM EDT

“What are you trying to protect?” “They’re protecting Godot” #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:36:05 PM EDT

CTV reporter dons his Kandahar protection in front of riot cops #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 5:39:44 PM EDT

Now singing O Canada at the cops. #g20 #g20report. Belted out Glorious and Free. Irony lost on no one
June 26, 2010 5:42:46 PM EDT

Tear gas Shot at crowd. Crowd is doing NOTHING. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:04:43 PM EDT

People are now able to reach the fence cause most cops are at queens park. #g20 #g20report June 26, 2010 6:05:53 PM EDT

Never seen an NBC truck at queens park before. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:08:34 PM EDT

they keep moving in toward the crowd at. QP. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:14:03 PM EDT

From the fence: no cops. WTF are they protecting here, then? #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:27:44 PM EDT

Hoeses are charging the crowsd
June 26, 2010 6:33:01 PM EDT

See that line of riot cops? They’re pushin us somewhere. Closer to QP. Seems counter intuitive #g20
June 26, 2010 6:40:19 PM EDT

Consensus here is that there are now more cops than protesters. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 6:58:35 PM EDT

Hundreds of riot cops are shifting in from college to QP. They really outnumber us now. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 7:04:41 PM EDT

Ah, protester reinforcements have arrived. They could still arrest every one of us and still have enough cops to hold a line #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 7:12:20 PM EDT

People just got hit by bikes south of QP #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 7:21:55 PM EDT

Horses charging the crowd not too. We’re being pushed out. #g20
June 26, 2010 7:26:51 PM EDT

We are literally just being pushed further toward the legislative ass’ly. #wtf #g20
June 26, 2010 7:28:02 PM EDT

Horses circling the park, charging the crowd. #g20 sry the phots not great, I was running away. June 26, 2010 7:31:09 PM EDT

My friend saw someone get run over by a horse. “Took a horseshoe to the fuckin back” he said. #g20
June 26, 2010 7:33:36 PM EDT

It looks like John Tory is in the newstalk 1010 truck. He’s safe and secure. How nice. #g20
June 26, 2010 7:35:54 PM EDT

We are all being pushed onto the tarmac of QP. Yup, way closer to the Leg Ass. #g20 #copssansplans
June 26, 2010 7:40:45 PM EDT

“The whole world is watching” we’re chanting. The riot cops keep charging. #G20
June 26, 2010 8:02:31 PM EDT

Had the cop that hit me had hit a window instead, it would have smashed. #g20 #g20report
June 26, 2010 8:09:52 PM EDT

Cops now closing in from the east of the designated protest zone. No idea where we”re being forced. #g20
June 26, 2010 8:19:52 PM EDT

I keep hearing a loud bang and people ahead of me are running away frantically. #g20
June 26, 2010 8:17:49 PM EDT

Well, they’ve pushed the protest now back into the streets. Motorists, blame the cops.I can’t make sense of this #g20
June 26, 2010 8:21:51 PM EDT

So the cops have succeeded in creating total chaos. Protest is now running to bloor. #g20
June 26, 2010 8:33:56 PM EDT

The protest just took bloor. This doesn’t seem to be a better idea than having us chill in a park. #g20 June 26, 2010 8:37:54 PM EDT

Bill Blair claims that we were black block at QP in press conference, this justifies the violence today. That’s a lie. #g20
June 26, 2010 9:20:30 PM EDT

Blair says no rubber bullets. Global reporter says that he has some bullets. Blair claims that there were no rubber bullets. #g20
June 26, 2010 9:21:34 PM EDT

It seems that the mainstream media is concerned about Starbucks and empty police cars. Our media is broken. #G20
June 26, 2010 11:40:59 PM EDT

“The protesters spraypainted some of the mannequins” -CTV. Can someone tell CTV they only have feelings when their special hats are on? #g20
June 26, 2010 11:43:55 PM EDT

CTV has shown the same b roll of the burning cop car 7 or 9 times. No images of cops beating/charging/trampling people. #ctvwetdream #g20
June 26, 2010 11:51:55 PM EDT

BREAKING: so called black block protesters who smashed Starbucks windows were apparently Tim Horton’s shareholders #g20
June 27, 2010 12:01:56 AM EDT

SATURDAY JULY 27

5 ETF vehicles, a #busfullofcops all stopping traffic on Spad circle, outside of GSU office at UofT. #g20
June 27, 2010 1:19:43 PM EDT

Passed 14 vans full of cops all on Huron, passed 30 bike cops. No terrorist sightings. #g20
June 27, 2010 1:28:55 PM EDT

#G20. #fail. #epicfail.
June 27, 2010 1:39:24 PM EDT

The #G20 critical mass stretches two thirds of Queens Park circle. Absolutely impressive.
June 27, 2010 2:49:07 PM EDT

An empty Queens Park. Hard to believe I witnessed ppl here running in sheer terror yesterday. #g20
June 27, 2010 3:05:11 PM EDT

Just passed 3 cops with giant letter A’s on their backs. No sign of cops C, N and D. #g20 #g20report
June 27, 2010 3:24:10 PM EDT

On Yonge, random guy: “I expected way more than this to be honest.” Maybe cuz media’s reporting hasn’t been fair or accurate? #g20
June 27, 2010 5:17:06 PM EDT

“This is not democracy” said a bystander at King and Bay to a @torontostar reporter. #g20
June 27, 2010 6:08:48 PM EDT

Line of cops walking down spad with media, escorting them away from the protest. About 15 with visible media credentials #g20
June 27, 2010 7:38:27 PM EDT

Ppl should expect arrests with media out, that’s our guess. #g20
June 27, 2010 7:39:30 PM EDT

Worried parents of 2 boys trapped by the cops have joined us. #g20
June 27, 2010 7:47:55 PM EDT

The parents all try to get through the line. They are rejected. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:00:31 PM EDT

Another ambulance left, was definitely with cops inside. Saw one jump in. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:07:53 PM EDT

A person just came by from the intersection. I asked if people were still there. “They’ve arrested everyone” he said to us. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:16:31 PM EDT

An elderly woman just hit a cop. Really. She wasn’t detained. Queen and Peter #g20
June 27, 2010 8:32:42 PM EDT

Was just threatened with arrest for breach of the police for standing with 5 ppl at queen and peter. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:36:29 PM EDT

“We’re arresting ppl for converging” he told us. We dispersed. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:38:37 PM EDT

Found the parents again. Their sons are held on the street and are being arrested. Theyve been told to go home and wait for a call #g20
June 27, 2010 8:40:54 PM EDT

“How would we know they are your sons?” They were asked by the cops. They have their sons’ IDs. #g20
June 27, 2010 8:42:37 PM EDT

If black bloc was used to justify police violence yesterday, how can they justify just as much violence today? Oh..it was all lies. #g20
June 27, 2010 10:57:23 PM EDT

Reproductive rights panel: How to fight back then take to the street

Scaachi Koul

When the vandalism and violence occurred on Saturday’s G20 protests in Toronto, it wasn’t what all the protesters had in mind. At a panel discussion on June 21 organized by the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics, the tone was peaceful and hopeful but determined.

“I think we all are well-aware that Stephen Harper made a political blunder,” said Carolyn Egan of the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics. “It is clear across this country that we should have the right to abortion here, but around the world [as well.]”

The panel, titled “Harper’s Attack on Reproductive Rights - At Home and Abroad,” dealt with how Harper’s government excluded the provision of abortion as a part of the “maternal and child health policy” they pushed at the G20 summit.

Jessica Yee from the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, was one of the more outspoken members of the panel and easily the most incensed. “When Harper all of a sudden starts saying that he cares about vaginas when we know he hates vaginas, that’s insulting,” she said, wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with “Warrior Woman” on the front.

Working closely with Aboriginal women, Yee supports their maternal rights to choose and to raise their children without the unjust interception of social services. She explained how it’s harder for women to get abortions since small communities make for stigma, specifically in Yellowknife. “It’s a small community and you get abortions on Wednesday and Friday. So everyone knows abortion day is Wednesday and Friday.”

Angela Robertson of Women’s College Hospital, explained how Harper’s decision to exclude abortion rights in Canada’s policy links Canadians to women internationally. “This is yet another call where we are tied to women internationally as they defend their rights,” she said. “This is your public institution - hold it accountable.”

The room at 25 Cecil Street was cramped - there were more attendees than seats ready to hear out the six panelists and ask questions. One attendee was a man who grew up in Somalia and witnessed the torment women can face when birth control and abortion is not available. While in Somalia, his sister died in childbirth. “Harper can come out and say he supports mother and child but in a sinister way, doesn’t support the right to choose,” he said. “I don’t agree with that. I’m glad you guys exist,” he said to the panelists.

“This is not a moment where we can be apathetic,” said Robertson. “Many of us have been challenged by the shut-the-f-up comments.

There was a lull because they wore us down.” Robertson explained that the opposition uses stealthy, almost insidious ways of rallying youth to support their side. The pro-choice movement can’t get lazy or sloppy.

“The Canadian government is really choosing to pick a fight with the weakest women,” said Ronda Roffey from Women’s Habitat. “Children have huge implications for women. If we don’t have [abortion rights], we don’t have anything.” For some women, having unplanned children can mean falling into poverty, death, stigma from their communities, humiliation and leaving their previous children neglected or motherless.
Roffey also detailed the techniques the pro-life movement has used in the past 25 years. “First they told us God didn’t like it but none of us really cared. Then they told us abortion is murder. Abortion causes breast cancer, suicide. It’s about as evil as this government has gotten. First it’s our most vulnerable sisters and then it’ll be us.”

Also in attendance at the panel were Ayesha Adhami from the Immigrant Women’s Health Centre and Kelly Holloway who acted as organized opposition to the Genocide Awareness Project, an anti-choice movement.
“It’s reprehensible, it’s irresponsible,” said Adhami about Harper’s maternal health policy. “The right to choose is a right that is globally understood. It’s up to us to support them and the voice for the voiceless.” Adhami moved to Canada at three months, but returned to her native Pakistan at 16 years old. There, she attended a Catholic college but knew that outside of her affluent life, there were women suffering in her country.

“Outside of those well-manicured gardens [was] the reality.”

On June 26, the women of the panel, along with thousands of supporters, led the Queen’s Park protest holding a giant wire coat hanger as a representation of what some women have to resort to when abortion
resources are unavailable. It could have been the statement of the day. But as the city descended into rioting and as the police began arresting individuals haphazardly, the message may have been lost in the chaos.

Three year-old Layla was brought to the panel by her mother and aunt. They listen intently to the speakers while she draws pictures and hands them to strangers. Halfway through, she gets bored, and asks her mother why they need to be there.

“For you,” her mother says. “We’re here for you.”

Rain on the reign

Full coverage of the Canadian government’s shameful oppression attempts, the possible use of agents provocateurs and the aftermath

Raynold Mobedi

Despite massive government propaganda which ranged from fabricating thank-you emails all the way to David Miller’s “the protesters are not from Toronto” comments on CP24, much of the world was capable of seeing the true colours of the Canadian government as it tried to crush dissent and suppress the voice of people.

The question remains: did some authorities decide to take it too far and use riot police as fake protestors, as they did in Quebec, in order to create chaos and undermine the movement of people? This attempt would devastate the legitimacy of the ruling regime.

From the Middle East all the way to North America, when it comes to public protests and gatherings, I have witnessed and studied hundreds of incidents where people decided to challenge a government to voice their opinion of what they believe is right and wrong. Having said that, what I witnessed on the G20 weekend was a very peaceful protest especially when compared to others around the world in the past decade. Yet at the same time, I also witnessed some of the most shameful media coverage. The coverage, provided by Canadian news agencies including CTV and CBC, effectively called the protesters “rioters,” “anarchists,” “criminals” and even “outsiders.” leaving some to believe that they are nothing but biased, government agents.

THE MISSION
THE RIDE – SATURDAY JUNE 26
The plan was simple: get downtown, take photos, report the events live via mobile. My long-time friend John was to stay at home, record my voice/coverage, and at the same time provide me with the live coverage from CTV so that I would know about the clashes and the places they take place. CTV was the only Canadian news agency that reported all the events live.

Nearly midday, when tens of thousands of outraged protesters had already started marching in the streets, I took the subway at Finch. The subway cars were mostly empty, with the exception of a few cops here and there. The announcements were talking about the “normal operations but with major delays due to security concerns.” At Sheppard station, a massive number of people entered the subway, many of whom appeared to be going to join the fellow protesters downtown.

A small and friendly group of student protesters who saw me programming my camera approached me. “School reporter?” said Jennifer an Osgoode Hall student. “Else he’d have a yellow identification card” added Tommy, an aerospace student at U of T. “You got it” I replied smiling. The rest of group included Martin and David – both law students from Osgoode Hall. The group was protesting HST and Harper’s minority government. About twenty minutes later, the subway stopped halfway at Bloor Station – an apparent attempt to stop more protestors from joining the crowd.

“We will crawl to union station if we have to” said Tommy. At this point, most of the crowd seemed even more determined to join the dissent.

THE PROTEST
The Theory of the Watchman argues that people in charge of law enforcement may not have the same ideology or mentality as the people they watch. I think that this theory was applied over the Summit weekend: over 22,000 law enforcement officers were drawn from across Canada. Of the riot police I interviewed, all were either from Alberta or British Columbia. On Saturday, this controversial method proved to be effective as authorities and media called the Toronto Police (non-riot) “incompetent” for not being able to control the crowd. Toronto Police officers were seen in many occasions talking to people, respecting their constitutional right to assemble. They seemed less willing to beat or injure the people that they have to live with everyday for the rest of their lives.

The scenes along my walk from Bloor Street were breathtaking and fascinating: liberals, conservatives, feminists, vegetarians, meat-lovers, environmentalists, business people, lawyers, Christians, Muslims, Jews, immigrants and people with or without status put up a united front. Not a single incident was reported in which people clashed among one another. The protestors’ demands were more varied than the number of attending country leaders in the Summit, but one thing was clear: People were unhappy with the government, its (indirectly elected) Prime Minister, its unelected Senators, and more importantly, unhappy with the ridiculous cost of the Summit.

John was navigating me through the area by phone. Hours after marching around downtown, interviewing individuals and witnessing the peaceful protests I began to stop at a heated showdown. The protesters, who were well away from the “G20 Security Zone,” were hesitant in backing down. “Hey! You! Be careful they only attack people with cameras,” said Melissa. I was reluctant to listen to her, given the fact that the protestors were not advancing or being violent, and that since the riot police were very slowly advancing. At this point, things turned around and all hell broke loose.

The riot police started attacking people like animals. They started advancing very rapidly, alongside another group of riot police–that had just suddenly showed up–beating people from another side. The crowd resisted. Splashes of blood were spilling from a protester’s head. A third group of riot police approached from another direction.

A cop violently grabbed me, ripping off my shirt. The first baton aimed for my camera, effectively breaking it into pieces. That cop’s second move was to smash my camera with his foot. It seemed like a procedure – a very structured, well-thought procedure. I managed to get away. As I ran back I watched people being dragged on their faces against the pavement. As they “arrest” you, at least four to five cops would sit on you, strip you and take off your shoes.

The ground was filled with drops of blood. A cop car was set ablaze. I could not verify whether the action was as a result of police provocation, out of dubious intent, or simply an action that was aimed at distracting the police so the innocent civilians could get away. I heard gunshots at this point. I could see the police rising what is similar to a machine gun against the crowd. Some reports said that the gunshots came from the “rubber and real bullets burning inside the police cruiser” while others reported it was from a special weapon that dispenses gas and is supposed to “shock the protesters.” My camera and my phone were gone. After this point, I was just there to protest against the police crime and brutality. People were violently beaten with clubs, and many were badly hurt – all so that some international guests could have a beer and watch the game in peace.

Further north, people had gathered in a small park. People there were not shouting or advancing – simply just standing and waving signs in attempt to be heard by the government and the world. It was not long before the line of riot police approach quickly behind their shields. From time to time the shields would go away and a few groups of thugs would come out quickly to arrest individuals in the most horrifying manner. When asked about “which people they choose to arrest,” Security Analyst Allen Bell replied: “they look for leaders, and the people that look suspicious.” Apparently young men, women in shorts and tank tops who stand there with tiny cameras or cell-phones translate into “vicious leaders” and “troublemakers” to the “law” enforcement of this nation.

I witnessed hundreds of incidents in which police acted violently, illegally and criminally on that day. In one case, a riot police tried to provoke peaceful protesters yards away by yelling: “SHOW ME what you got, show me the power, pussy!” Thankfully we managed to take his picture and keep it in our possession.

CANADIAN MEDIA AND THEIR “COVERAGE” OF THE EVENTS
Being out on the streets caused many protesters missed was the shameless media “coverage” of the events and the authorities’ response of the crackdown on dissent. David Miller called the protesters “criminals” adding “that’s all I really can think of” during a live interview with CTV. While watching his people being beaten up and dragged against the rough pavement he added “these people are not from Toronto. They are outsiders, coming here to make trouble.” CTV’s security analyst repeated called the civilians “anarchists”
– all tens of thousands of them!

Outrageously, on June 27, CBC News reported “150 arrests” while subtly quoting Integrated Security Unit. The Associated Press reported “over 400 arrests.” Some international reports reported about 500 arrests.

While CBC is a famous player when it comes to criticizing and condemning crackdowns on protests continents away in Iran or Israel, they seem to have their tongues gotten away by the cat when it comes to the violent crackdowns right here on their doorsteps.

Among Canadian news agencies, one thing was common: None of them dared to criticize the violent suppression of people, or to provide an unbiased coverage. They all seemed too focused on a suspicious (yet very, very small) group of people sporting black.

SUNDAY – JUNE 27 POLICE KIDNAPPING AND RAIDS
By Sunday, I had recuperated and was able to get another camera. Before the day had even begun, the Associated Press reported that police had raided a university building and rounded up hundreds of protesters. In addition, AP reported that, “Plainclothes police jumped out of an unmarked van, grabbed a protester off the street and whisked him away in the vehicle.” In early afternoon, before I made it to Bloor and Spadina, the police had violently crushed the crowd that included bicyclists and a group of 16-year-old girls.

POSSIBLE COVERT MISSIONS: DID THE GOVERNMENT USE PROVOCATEURS?
On Monday, June 28, the National Post called the Black Bloc “Stephan Harper’s best political friend today.” AP reported that, “Harper suggested the violence justified the controversial cost. ‘I think it goes a long way to explaining why we have the kind of security costs around these summits that we do.’”

Some may find the idea of police dressed as protesters and insurgents appalling, unbelievable, preposterous or even fictional. However, police provocateurs have been used before and it’s entirely possible that they were among the Black Bloc. In Quebec at Montebello, the riot police dressed as protesters and tried to get other protesters to become violent. In Toronto, the police did come out as plainclothes individuals beating, seizing and arresting people – what would stop them from taking it a step further?

Canadian news agencies seem to have completely blanked out the existence of plainclothes
police, and the amount of violence they exercised. On Sunday, we witnessed a massive number of plain/ordinary cars driven by police officers driving carelessly provoking the drivers and people. In one case one of them almost ran over a mother and her baby in the stroller. And while the police were allowed drive unsafely through the streets, the individuals seemed to be free to loot.

AFTERMATH: STOPPING THE MOMENTUM
Unlike the common belief that the Canadian government is amateur when it comes to power establishment and retention, the Canadian government is an expert in identifying dangers to its kingdom. They are taking all the necessary steps in order to make sure that the Summit protest remains an isolated incident, and that there will never be another act of defiance or another mass dissent – including those aimed at bringing more democracy to Canada.

Unsurprisingly, Barak Obama failed to issue any statement of condemnation regarding the violent crackdown of the protesters in Toronto. The American government is famous for issuing timely condemnations of Middle Eastern nations (in particular Iran) when it comes to protests as small as 150 people, yet they seem to overlook brutal clampdowns in their neighboring nation. Obama showed that while he may be a compassionate friend to the people of his nation, he is no friend of the Canadian people–just friends with the unelected, bureaucratic Canadian government.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair promised that the police will continue the crackdown on the “criminals” and that they “will investigate every crime committed at the Summit and track down and charge all those responsible.” Meanwhile, many voices across Canada are calling the country “a police state.” On Monday June 28, thousands of people gathered outside

Toronto’s police headquarters to protest the unjust police operation and to try to persuade the police to release the political prisoners. Many protestors have accused the police for illegal conduct. “The only violence against humanity …. Was committed exclusively by the police” a protestor said in an online. Thousands of protestors, including many students who were able to escape false imprisonments, are outraged at the bias Canadian media- and are demanding an explanation.

“[The government] took our city to hold a meeting and bullied us out of the core, damaging
the commerce of thousands of merchants and inconveniencing the entire population.” the Star said.

Throughout the protests the overcast sky chose to rain a few times. In the end a heavy and symbolic rain fell upon the city and Harper’s reign – washing the streets and its cover clean. By the time the rain was done, everything was clearer – not just to the Canadians but also to the global community.

Do you have pictures, comments or complains, or launching a class action lawsuit – email me at Raynold.Ryerson@hotmail.com

Toronto activists Speak the Fuck Up on maternal health rights

David Thurton

Activist Judy Rebick pelted cuss after cuss challenging Conservative senator Nancy Ruth who told women’s NGOs to “shut the fuck up,” or they’ll loose more federal funding.

“I’ve never shut the fuck up in my life. And I’m really happy because I can swear a lot tonight. I can say fuck as many times I want,” Rebick said at a June panel discussion on maternal health in the lead up to the G8/ G20 summits entitled “Speak the Fuck up.”

Toronto Star columnist Antonia Zerbisias tossed more obscenities into the Clinton’s Tavern crowd, too, in her contribution to the panel discussion hosted by rabble.ca and This Magazine. Zerbisias said she suspected Prime Minister Stephen Harper was preparing to stifle funding to women’s groups after a January op-ed in the Star by Harper said part of the G8/G20 summit would focus on maternal health care funding in poorer countries.

“I read it and I was like, ‘what the fuck,’” Zerbisias said.

Zerbisias said the 672 word op-ed said nothing about providing contraception and abortion services to women in developing countries. And she said that the article suggested that women were mere baby makers and did not empowere them to be the social and economic change of developing countries.

Following Harper’s article, the government slashed funding to women’s NGOs, the columnist said, and ramped up funding for the Girl Guides of Canada to fight violence against women and to translate the Bible into Indigenous languages.

“Not to knock Indigenous people but I think they can do better with development in their own areas than Bibles in their native tongues,” Zerbisias said.

Oxfam Canada Executive Director Robert Fox condemned Harper’s actions as well. Fox said that approximately every eight minutes one women around the world dies from an unsafe abortion. And 99 per cent of these deaths occurred in the developing world.

Fox said that abortion was going to happen regardless of whether the government liked it or not. But, the question is whether these abortions will take place in alleys, in fields or with medically trained professionals.

Fox said it was obscene that the Canadian government had a global maternal health policy that excluded access to abortions. Particularly where rebels in developing countries raped women as an act of war, when husbands refuse to use condoms and when women mother children after children.

In these realities, Fox said women must have access to counseling, condoms, abortions and outlets to advocate for their health care needs.

Third panelist Josephine Grey of Low-Income Families Together, refocused the discussion to remind the audience that maternal included care during birth right up until children are adults. Nevertheless, Grey said even in this regard the government failed as poverty continues affect many Canadian families in ways that are often unknown.

“I get phone calls from women hiding out living in their cars. And they don’t want anybody to know that they’re poor because in their small town there is a grand intolerance to poverty. So if you have the nerve to admit your poor, you’re going to get shunned, isolated and cut out.”

Grey also questioned the state’s moves, in her experience, to take children out of the hands of their parents and place them in foster care. This breeds delinquency Grey said and benefits the rich.

“They not only make profit from running juvenile jails in this country. We know they’re private prisons in this country. But us mothers have to sit there and realize what they’ve done is created a big cheap labour force because those prisoners become basically slave labour for some corporation,” Grey said.

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