C-24 Citizenship Act: Clause-by-Clause Review – June 2

2014/06/03 1 Comment

Following Second Reading of Bill C-24 in the House last week, clause-by-clause review and voting started at Committee Monday. Not surprisingly, the Government was not open to any minor or major amendments, determined to have the Bill adopted as is. The opposition was united in its opposition to most of the provisions covered during the session.

No government amendments were proposed. Opposition amendments included:

  • Removal of the first generation limit to passing on citizenship and replacing it with a second generation limit;
  • Delete the “intent to reside” provision as it either is “meaningless” according to Ministerial testimony or unconstitutional according to a number of witnesses (and officials were less clear than the Minister in previous testimony on its constitutionality);
  • Revert to previous age requirements re language and knowledge testing (i.e., 18-54, rather than proposed 14-65);
  • Counting pre-Permanent Residents time towards citizenship as per current practice, particularly for international students given competition to attract them;
  • Provide credit for time working abroad for a Canadian company towards residency requirements;
  • Reduced discretion for Minister on health and compassion grounds;
  • No amendment tabled but opposition to the increased Ministerial discretion without independent or impartial hearing in cases of revocation for cases of fraud; and,
  • Remove provisions to strip dual citizens of their citizenship in case of convictions for terrorism and treason.

No amendments or debate on Clause 4 (Lost Canadians), 5 (Crown Servants), and 6 (Renunciation)

The most lively exchange took place near the end of the meeting. Stepping back from the individual provisions, both opposition parties expressed their substantive concerns regarding the cumulative effects of C-24 on access to Canadian citizenship. Moreover, the NDP sharply criticized the Government for ignoring any critical views of witnesses (“une très grande majorité opposée) and “shooting down all” amendments. The Liberals challenged the fundamental premise of the Bill that by making citizenship harder to get and easier to lose, this increased its value (“no evidence”). These “multiple barriers” would provide incentives to go elsewhere, particularly for international students.

The Government in turn reiterated its main points that C-24 dealt with the key points to citizenship. All Canadians would expect new citizens to indicate their intent to reside in Canada, and requiring elementary language competency for 14-64 is “not asking too much.” The Government wanted to ensure a “real connection” to Canada. An “extensive list” of witnesses supported these provisions.

Officials were not asked any questions during the session.

The Committee reconvenes Tuesday afternoon to continue clause-by-clause review.

Filed under Birthright Citizenship, C-24, Citizenship

Écoles juives: les hassidim sont prêts à négocier | Le Devoir

2014/06/03 Leave a comment

A reminder of the challenges of fundamentalism and the limits of faith-based education:

Selon lui [Alex Werzberger, le porte-parole de la Coalition d’organisations hassidiques d’Outremont (COHO)], certaines matières obligatoires au programme ne seront jamais enseignées dans les écoles juives, « point final » affirme-t-il, très catégorique. Exit le cours Éthique et culture religieuse ainsi que les cours de biologie et de sciences. « On ne veut pas enseigner la théorie de l’évolution. À un enfant à qui on a dit toute sa vie que c’est Dieu qui avait créé la Terre, on ne va pas soudainement lui dire le contraire. »

Sur d’autres sujets, comme veiller à ce que tous les enseignants embauchés aient des brevets, il admet qu’ils devront « mettre de l’eau dans [leur] vin ». « Ça doit se faire des deux côtés, réitère-t-il. Dans une négociation, il faut qu’il y ait du give and take. On a l’impression que le gouvernement fait juste take, take, take. »

Écoles juives: les hassidim sont prêts à négocier | Le Devoir.

The reminds me of this article by Patrick Martin in The Globe of some of the medium and long-term challenges facing Israel and the growth of Jewish fundamentalists:

First of all, there has been a sharp decline in the length of formal studies taken by Haredi men. More than 47 per cent of Haredi men aged 35-54 (prime working age) have no more than a primary school education. Ten years ago only 31 per cent were limited to a primary education.

The reason for the substantial decline in formal education has been a steady transition to religious studies, the Taub report states, at the expense of secondary school and academic studies. And the trend will only grow.

More than 90 per cent of Haredi men aged 25-34 chose to take religious rather than academic studies. Fifty years ago, only about half of Haredi men forsook academic for religious studies.

All this has had a dramatic economic impact. “Israel’s poverty and income inequality rates are among the highest in the developed world – and considerably higher than they were in Israel several decades ago,” the Taub report concludes.

Why illiteracy may be the greatest threat to Israel’s survival

Filed under Multiculturalism, Religion Tagged with , , , , , ,

How Buddhist fundamentalism became an international threat

2014/06/03 Leave a comment

Interesting piece by Doug Saunders on the rise of Buddhist fundamentalism:

This simultaneous explosion of fundamentalism in three Buddhist nations does not appear to be coincidental: Extremist monks from Myanmar formerly known as Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand have held meetings in recent months to share ideas and form a movement. Mr. Arora notes “a common thread among the three groups: a portrayal of a threat to the majority religion, and linking of Buddhism to the national identity.”

This politicization of Buddhism – and the violence that sometimes accompanies it – appears to contradict traditional Buddhist principles and teachings, which are strenuously apolitical and non-violent. But the same could be said for the rise of Christian fundamentalism in the nineteenth century and the Muslim and Hindu-fundamentalist movements it inspired: religions that are theoretically devoted to peace have, one after another, inspired sometimes violent political movements in the name of their faith.

How Buddhist fundamentalism became an international threat – The Globe and Mail.

Filed under Religion Tagged with , ,

The Two Sides of Stephen Harper: Cold War Warrior and Compassion

2014/06/02 Leave a comment

Starting with the former, a reminder that the PM is not only driven by diaspora politics in relation to Ukraine as he channels his internal Cold War warrior:

“Evil comes in many forms and seems to reinvent itself time and again,” he said.“But whatever it calls itself — Nazism, Marxist-Leninism, today, terrorism — they all have one thing in common: the destruction, the end of human liberty.”

Canadians, the prime minister said, are well aware of that destruction.

“We feel this pain so acutely because nearly one-quarter of all Canadians were either held captive by communism’s chains or are the sons and daughters of those who were.”

Stephen Harper takes aim at Putin.

And yet his softer side can be seen in his support for the recent summit on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and his media interview with Melinda Gates (as well as a rare admission of the values of scientific evidence and experts):

“It’s hard for me not to get very emotional about this because we know, we scientifically know, what vaccinations and immunizations have done for us, personally, in our generation and for generations after us,” he said on the second day of the government’s maternal, newborn and child health summit.

“I frankly don’t understand people who are walking away in our society from something that’s proven to work.”…

Harper then offered his advice to those who “go off on their own theories and not listen to the scientific evidence.”

“Don’t indulge your theories, think of your children and listen to the experts,” he said.

‘If you love your child,’ vaccinate your child: Melinda Gates

 

Filed under Other Tagged with , , , , ,

Toronto man convicted on terrorism charge – Mohamed Hersi Case

2014/06/02 Leave a comment

Update on the Hersi case (see earlier Toronto man told undercover officer it was ‘God’s Will’ for him join terror-group Al-Shabab, trial hears):

A university graduate, Mr. Hersi had been working as a security guard downtown. And that was where the undercover officer went, on the pretext that he was a consultant conducting opinion surveys of security guards….

The officer testified that Mr. Hersi confided much – including that he knew a Toronto man who had previously joined al-Shabab. They also discussed an English-language al-Qaeda propaganda article that was making the rounds at the time: “How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.”

Mr. Hersi relayed that he was planning to join al-Shabab, the officer testified. During testimony, the accused denied this, saying he simply wanted to live in a Muslim country.

Searches of Mr. Hersi’s laptop revealed downloads of The U.S. Navy Seal Sniper Training Syllabus and The Anarchist Cookbook.

He now faces up to 10 years in prison.

In light of the Governments proposed measures on revocation for those convicted of terrorism in C-24 Citizenship Act revisions, this may provide an early case. He was convicted in a Canadian court and is likely a dual national (he was born in Somalia although raised and educated in Canada for most of his life).

So would the Government choose to strip him of his Canadian citizenship and send him to Somalia (where he would likely not have to serve jail time) or have him serve out his term in a Canadian jail?

Ironic situation: being convicted of intending to travel to Somalia to commit terrorism; ending up there following revocation.

Toronto man convicted on terrorism charge – The Globe and Mail.

Filed under Citizenship, Revocation Tagged with , , ,

iBooks Author Is the Most Interesting Apple Software You Aren’t Using | TIME

2014/06/02 Leave a comment

For those interested in self-publishing, the article on iBooks Author captures the ease of use and advantages. I used it for Living with Cancer: A Journey and the formatting and visual possibilities were so much better than writing it on Pages or Word.

But given that it doesn’t have footnote capabilities, I couldn’t use it for Policy Arrogance or Innocent Bias: Resetting Citizenship and Multiculturalism.

Ultimately, the proposition Apple is offering–powerful and elegant free authoring software, plus a way to get the things you create with it in front of vast numbers of people–seems like a reasonable deal to me. The next time I have an idea that feels like it might be a book, I may well decide to turn it into an iBook.

iBooks Author Is the Most Interesting Apple Software You Aren’t Using | TIME.

Filed under Other Tagged with , ,

ICYMI – Debate: Is al-Qaeda a global terror threat or a local military menace? – The Globe and Mail

2014/06/02 Leave a comment

Globe debate on Al-Qaeda and whether its strength today. Arguing for it being weaker is J.M. Berger:

Al-Qaeda has not abandoned terrorism, but it has adopted a default position of encouraging “lone wolf” attacks by non-networked supporters in the West. While this obviously represents an ongoing problem, individual actors do not represent the same magnitude of threat that manifested itself on September 11, nor do they require al-Qaeda to spend its own resources.

Holding territory is an inherently local activity, which has focused the resources of many jihadists on the countries where they dwell, rather than on attacking the U.S. homeland. Even al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — widely held to be the most dangerous al-Qaeda threat to the West — has attempted only a handful of attacks on the U.S. homeland. Each of the plots that have become public knowledge were lightly staffed and funded on a shoestring budget. AQAP’s resources are instead overwhelmingly devoted to battling the government of Yemen, where it is based.

For the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross argues the contrary:

But we should be cautious about repeating past mistakes, and prematurely penning the obituary of al-Qaeda’s senior leadership.

For their own part, al-Qaeda insiders reject the characterization that the group has become decentralized. Abu Sulayman al-Muhajir, an al-Qaeda official currently in Syria with its official affiliate, the Nusra Front, recently spoke at length about al-Qaeda’s bureaucracy. He described system known as aqalim – regionalization — wherein a different leader oversees each of the geographic locations where the group operates, but is subordinate through an oath of bayat (fealty) to al-Qaeda emir Ayman al-Zawahiri. One senior al-Qaeda official, known as the masul aqalim, is responsible for overseeing all the affiliates operating in different regions, coordinating with the regional emirs. Rather than disparate groups connected by little more than “loose ideology,” Abu Sulayman described a group with bureaucratic direction. His account appears more credible than that of The New York Times.

Debate: Is al-Qaeda a global terror threat or a local military menace? – The Globe and Mail.

Filed under Radicalization Tagged with , ,

Newer posts →