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Canada’s New Minister of Defense

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Harjit Sajjan
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Canada is excited about the nation’s newly appointed defense minister, Harjit Sajjan, called “the breakout celebrity of Prime Minister Trudeau’s new cabinet.”

The former Vancouver gang unit officer said that he took a different route from many of the Indo-Canadian youths who became gang members while he transferred schools and later joined the police force. He still reflects back with wonder that he made that choice, and attributes a large part of it to having had a strong mentor early in life.

“I had a good mentor that inspired me that I could do more,” Sajjan said. It was his grade 9 social studies teacher, a navy veteran, who encouraged him step by step and helped him to stop making excuses for what he wanted to do but was not pursuing.

After the police force, Sajjan joined the military as a trooper and moved up the ranks to become an officer — Canada’s first Sikh-Canadian to command an army reserve regiment.

Described by those who worked with him as a genuine and honest person, Sajjan also attributes his success in places such as Bosnia to being genuine and building rapport.

Sajjan was sworn in one day before the terrorist attacks on Paris’ Bataclan Theater.

When asked about ISIS and Canada’s withdrawal of military forces, Sajjan said ISIS was nothing new in the world — certainly not for himself, who served in Afghanistan. “It’s just more public now,” he said.

“When you deal with threats, we have to fight smart,” said the defense minister, commenting on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to suspend air strikes. “We will be contributing in a meaningful way to be part of that fight against ISIS.”

Sajjan, a Liberal politician elected in this year, represents the South Vancouver riding.

CTV News, who interviewed Sajjan after his appointment, called Sajjan “the breakout celebrity of Prime Minister Trudeau’s new cabinet.” Nationwide, he is being referred to as a “badass” minister.

Sajjan has experienced trials and tribulations associated with his minority status while progressing in his career. He maintained his right to wear his cultural headdress in the police force and military, but expressed determination and resolve in working for Canadians as a Canadian.

“You may not like me, but I have a job to do and I’m going to preform.”

By Andy Stern

25% Of BC’s HIV-Positive Do Not Know They Are Infected

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25% Of BC's HIV-Positive Do Not Know They Are Infected
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HARRISON HOT SPRINGS, British Columbia — The province’s public health authorities are calling for universal testing for HIV for all citizens. One-fourth of British Columbians carrying the life-threatening disease do not know they are infected, according to B.C.’s Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, who spoke on the need for testing Monday.

“They do not know that they are infected, and they do not even expect that they are infected,” said Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the Centre for Excellence.

“It is critical that we find that 2,000 people who are affected.”

The public health officer called for universal testing, which means that every person in the province would be tested for HIV.

Montaner said it was necessary to find the thousands of British Columbians in order to offer them treatment, and more importantly, he said, prevent further HIV transmission.

The province should be motivated not just because of humanitarian issues, said Montaner. Treating and preventing diseases like HIV is also about saving money.

“This is exponentially a lifesaver and a money-saver in the world,” said Montaner, referring to the higher costs involved in treating already-affected disease sufferers once their condition worsens as well as the costs involved in treating the higher numbers of HIV-infected that will result from not finding those currently infected.

There is no real model for B.C. to follow in fighting HIV, Montaner said, because the province is already at the forefront of fighting HIV globally. It will have to pioneer the path.

“We don’t just recommend stuff. We recommend it and we implement it,” he said.

Montaner also asserted positively that HIV could be wiped out if proper measures were implemented.

“Yes we can,” said Montaner. “We have demonstrated that by treating patients, we can make them virtually non-infective.”

The health authority is aiming for 90-90-90 by 2020. The plan holds that if 90 percent of those infected with HIV know their status and 90 percent receive treatment — full viral suppression with anti-viral therapy — we will see a 90 percent reduction in AIDS and AIDS deaths.

“No Chain” Protest To Face Chinese Embassy

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Another protest organized by No Chain will take place in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., Tuesday Nov. 24, between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., the NGO announced Monday.

The Tuesday protest will “continue to highlight and bring attention to the nine North Korean refugees recently arrested by Vietnam and handed over to the Chinese authorities, and who are believed to be held in a detention facility in Tumen, China,” according to No Chain’s North American director, Henry Song.

A letter urging the Chinese government to not repatriate the “Vietnam 9” will also be delivered to the PRC Embassy in Washington, Song stated.

Nine North Korean refugees who crossed the China-Vietnam border into Vietnam were arrested by Vietnamese authorities and handed over to Chinese police authorities in late October.  According to the latest media reports, the 9 are being held in a detention facility in Tumen, Jilin Province, awaiting repatriation to North Korea.

“It is absolutely reprehensible that the Vietnamese authorities arrested and handed over the North Korean refugees to the Chinese police,” said Song, “and now all eyes are on the Chinese authorities if they will continue their illegal and immoral act of forcibly repatriating the 9 North Korean refugees back to North Korea, in violation of their own responsibilities as a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.  Citizens, activists, and North Korean defectors will come out and show their concern and support for the refugees, and urge the Chinese government to not repatriate them but allow them to go to South Korea.”

This article is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to TheSpeaker.co and No Chain.

Alberta To Introduce Economy-Wide Carbon Tax Of $20/Ton

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Rachel Notley
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Alberta will begin to phase out it’s cheapest energy source at the cost of an extra $320 per household in 2017 and $500 per household in 2018, setting its sights on 30 percent renewable energy by 2030.

The plan was announced by the provinces first non-Conservative party in 44 years. Premier Rachel Notley of Canada’s New Democratic Party assumed the role of premier last month.

The plan is expected to reduce carbon emissions in the province, despite an expected increase in population and industry, and at a cost born by all Albertans.

Currently, the cheapest form of electricity in Alberta is coal-fired power. Coal-fired power is to be phased out under the new plan, and coal-fired electricity generators are expected to cease business, according to energy authorities.

“I think the expectation would be that they would be ceasing their operations,” Gerard McInnis, Ernst & Young’s Canadian sector leader for power and utilities, commented.

The price of consuming carbon will begin at $20 per ton on Jan. 1, 2017, and rise to $30 per ton in 2018, and everyone will pay it. Currently, only the largest carbon producers — those who emit 100 megatons per year — pay such a levy.

For most Albertans, the price will be felt at the pump and when opening home electricity bills. Gas prices will rise 5 cents per liter next year — 7 cents per liter by 2018. Natural gas-fired furnaces will be more expensive to run — rising over a dollar per gigajoule next year and up to an additional $1.62 in 2018.

The levy may continue to increase indefinitely. An NDP-formed panel published a “Climate Leadership” report this week which contains proposed increases to the levy every year to 2030. The report recommends an increase from 2017’s $20 per ton to $100 per ton in 2030.

The plan includes a goal that 30 percent of Alberta’s electricity will come from renewable sources in 2030. Currently, 9 percent of the province’s electricity generation comes from sun and wind.

The money paid by Albertans for carbon-emitting power is expected to generate $3 billion annually for the government. Alberta has faced a deficit since oil prices began to collapse in 2014 — the current deficit is $6.1 billion.

Also part of the new plan, oil sands emissions will be capped out, but above current levels of 70 million tons. The limit will be 100 million tons, allowing the industry to continue to grow.

By James Haleavy

World Terrorist Group Kill Numbers Ranked

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According to the 2015 Global Terrorism Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace, five Islamic groups topped the list of the deadliest forces on earth deemed “terrorist.”

Islamic group Boko Haram, which operates mainly in Nigeria, but also in Cameroon and Chad, killed the most people in 2014: 7,512 — up 300 percent from 2013.

Islamic group Islamic State killed slightly less — 6,073 — in its Middle East conquests in 2014.

Islamic group Taliban took 3,477 lives the same year in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Islamic group Fulani Militants killed 1,229 in the Central African Republic, up from less than one hundred in 2013.

Islamic group Al-Shabaab — a group affiliated with al-Qa’ida — killed 1,021 people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in 2014.

The Institute for Economics and Peace noted a rise in militant attacks globally — up 80 percent in one year and up 900 percent since 2000. In 2014 there were a total 32,658 deaths due to militancy, compared with 2000’s 3,329.

Terrorist attacks were up everywhere last year. While 80 percent of deaths took place in five countries — Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria — countries in which over 500 terrorist attacks took place within the year rose 120 percent. Sixty-seven countries experienced at least one terrorist attack resulting in death in 2014.

Many Western countries experienced terrorist attacks in 2014, including Canada, France, Austria, Australia and Belgium, but most of these killings were ascribed in the report to “lone wolf” attacks — contrasted against “Islamic fundamentalism.” The group cited right wing extremism, nationalism, anti-government elements, and other types of of political extremism and supremacism for these attacks. However, attacks numbers were relatively low in Western countries and all countries without an ongoing armed conflict.

Thai Human Trafficking Head Fleeing

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Thai Human Trafficking Head Fleeing
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After half a year pursuing human traffickers in Thailand’s southern border provinces, Maj. Gen. Paween Pongsiri is reported to be leaving not only the national police force, but also the country.

Paween went public with fears the associates of criminals he had arrested during his shelved investigation would come after him. 

Unverifiable accounts also rumored that Paween had implicated a top military official in illegal activity, despite having received warnings about doing so, and had been removed from his post for this reason.

Police Chief Chakthip Chaijinda has accepted Paween’s resignation. The chief said he believed the officer had weighed his decision.

Police officials did not confirm whether Paween was fleeing Thailand, saying that even if he was taking his family elsewhere, it may only be for a vacation.

By James Haleavy

CNA Makes Recommendations For US Asia-Pacific Rebalance

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The Center for Climate and Security, in partnership with the Carnegie Mellon University Civil and Environmental Engineering Program, the Center for New American Security, and the University of Oxford released the report, “The U.S. Asia-Pacific Rebalance, National Security, and Climate Change,” Tuesday.

Dr. Leo Goff, program manager of the CNA Military Advisory Board, and Nilanthi Samaranayake, research analyst at CNA, coauthored the chapter, “Climate Change, Migration, and a Security Framework for the U.S. Asia-Pacific Rebalance.”

The authors concluded, “Working both bilaterally and through multinational organizations, the U.S. must apply sound migration principles, employ a migration security framework, and adopt best practices to find acceptable and perhaps even beneficial solutions to make migration a successful adaption rather than a source of conflict and strife.”

“While migration can be an acceptable and often beneficial response to a changing environment, security experts warn that mass migration has serious security risks,” the report had it.

“Mass migration can overrun existing social systems; result in exploitation of migrants; and in the extreme, result in conflict as cultures clash or nations take actions to forcibly prevent entry or settlement of refugees. As part of its rebalance and establishing a new security posture in Asia, the United States must work closely with partner nations and take a proactive approach to finding acceptable solutions to inevitable climate change induced migration.”

Following that logic, the report recommended a focus on South and Southeast Asia for migrants — the diverse region between India and the Maldives. The area was selected because of its climate change vulnerabilities and increasing ties to the U.S, as well as security and military considerations.

The report stressed planning ahead: “[F]ailure to plan or adapt … could lead to sudden onslaught of mass migration, which carries the greatest risk, not only for governments, but for migrants.”

By Whitney Doll

Evidence Of Chinese Torture Presented To UN

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“They would pour boiling hot water on us” — Free Tibet submits torture evidence as China reviewed at UN Director meets Committee Against Torture

Campaign group Free Tibet and its research partner Tibet Watch provided oral evidence to the United Nations’ Committee Against Torture Monday, following up their written submission detailing the continued use of torture across Tibet. The groups’ report “Torture in Tibet” contains graphic testimonies from torture survivors, records deaths in custody as a result of torture and details how Tibetan prisoners continue to face degradation, abuse and mental and physical torture.

The submission and presentation form part of the Committee Against Torture’s (CAT) review of China’s compliance with the International Convention Against Torture which the PRC ratified in 1988. China was last reviewed by the committee in 2008, when it found torture across China and Tibet to be “widespread” and “routine” and expressed “great concern” about reported torture and state violence in Tibet.

“Torture in Tibet” (co-authored with Tibetan political prisoner association Gu Chu Sum) records the testimony of Gonpo Thinley, jailed following the 2008 Uprising in Tibet:

“They tortured us using electric batons, metallic water pipes and handcuffs. If our answers didn’t satisfy the interrogator, they would pour boiling hot water on us. They also tied both hands up on the ceiling and beat us on our feet with batons. We were hanging above the ground. Sometimes they also used electric batons in our mouth, which caused us to lose consciousness. During cold days or winter, we were put in cold water.”

A monk who wished to remain anonymous reported:

“They made us stand up in the sun for hours, even for the whole day following every interrogation, because we didn’t say anything. One of my friends was tied to the flagpole in the centre of the government campus for two days and two nights without food and water. They shoved me down over pieces of broken glass spread on the ground and beat me a lot with batons after I’d refused to confess. They said we were like animals because we said nothing in between beatings.”

In February, the three Tibet organisations submitted an initial joint report to CAT, providing case studies of tortured prisoners and those at risk of torture and detailing breaches of the Convention’s requirements. The committee subsequently raised these issues and cases with China as part of the preliminaries to the review. China’s delegation will be questioned by the committee on Tuesday and CAT’s final report will be issued early in 2016.

Free Tibet and Tibet Watch director Eleanor Byrne-Rosengren said:

“In their responses so far, China would have us believe that there is no torture in Tibet and our evidence is false. Today we will be urging the Committee Against Torture to press for answers on the questions China would rather avoid. If the Committee’s past performance is anything to go by then tomorrow we’ll see China squirm under international scrutiny and be asked to account for the Tibetans who have been convicted on the basis of confessions extracted by supposedly illegal torture and those who have left Chinese prisons either dead or permanently injured by years of torture and abuse.”

By Alistair Currie

Paris Attacked At Bataclan And Other Locations

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Coordinated attacks struck Paris Friday night, leaving over 150 dead from gunshots and explosions. After a hostage situation began at the Bataclan Theatre, French police and military laid siege, killing at least three terrorists. Others died by bombs strapped to their bodies.

French President Francois Hollande ordered a national state of emergency, including the closure of the countries borders (not yet fully implemented at time of this report). Paris offices, schools, museums, libraries, sports halls, swimming pools and markets will be closed, but airports, flights and trains will continue service.

Before the attacks began, it was just another Friday night in the European city.

Shooting erupted in at least four locations. Within minutes, dozens were confirmed dead, and a group of terrorists took hostages at the Bataclan Theatre. Police and military raided this group, neutralizing them. Several terrorists were killed at this location after killing 100 others. Eye-witnesses reported one attacker shouted “Allah Akbar” before opening fire, while another spoke of French military action in Syria before escaping through a fire exit. The attackers were not disguised in ski masks, reportedly.

Paris was left in confusion and turmoil as the first curfew was enacted since the German occupation last century.

1,500 additional French soldiers were mobilized in the city.

The death count currently sits at over 150, making it the largest attack in France since WWII. France was already on heightened security after the attack on Charlie Hebdo in January which killed 12 and injured 11.  Since that time, France has reported neutralizing at least five Islamist terrorist attacks, and it is widely reported that French citizens were expecting this attack.

Hollande traveled to the Bataclan within hours of the attacks, and an announcement was made that he would remain in France rather than attend the upcoming G20 meeting in Turkey.

“We wanted to be here, among all those who saw these atrocious things, to say that we will lead the fight and it will be merciless,” the French president told the nation from the location of the night’s deadliest scene.

Ombudsman Answers Breivik’s Charges Of “Inhumane” Prison Treatment

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Norway’s parliamentary ombudsman has visited the prison in which political mass killer Anders Breivik has been locked up since 2012, and reported Wednesday that the conditions of the prison could represent inhumane treatment as alleged by Breivik in his lawsuit against the Norwegian State.

Breivik has brought suit against his country for what he says are violations of his human rights as guaranteed under the European Convention of Human Rights — specifically the articles dealing with torture, infringements of private and family life, correspondence, and the right to marry.

Ombudsman Aage Thor Falkanger presented his report of the prison:

“The regimen in the very high security unit imposes very strict conditions on inmates’ freedom of movement and their possibility to have contact with other people.

“This, and the fact that in reality there is an extremely limited number of inmates in the very high security unit, means that this regimen represents an elevated risk of inhumane treatment,” Falkanger reported.

The ombudsman made several recommendations to reduce the risks of inhumane treatment, including more interaction with guards and inmates and a review of handcuff use.

In 2012, Breivik was convicted in the 2011 killings of 77 people — mostly family members of a political party with which Breivik was aggrieved due to their immigration policies. Breivik prepared for his attack far in advance and wrote a 1,518 manifesto detailing his history and beliefs, as well as his motivation.

The Real Reason For China’s Slowdown

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Central Banks manipulate the price of money using several different tactics for controlling interest rates. One of those mechanisms is buying assets like bonds. The last easing program that the Federal Reserve conducted ended in Oct. of 2014. Even though interest rates are still at a record low in the United States, the effects of ending Quantitative Easing have been felt across the globe. Namely with our largest trading partners. Europe, Canada and China have all faced slowing economies since the end of the program. In Europe, the ECB is combating the problem with a record asset buying program. And so far it has kept Europe afloat.

The largest effect of this asset buying program, has been the devaluation of the Euro, to close to parity with the US dollar. The idea behind this is easing is to strengthen exports and create inflation with the intention of spurring growth.  When central bankers devalue their currencies, each major bank gets to ease its currency when its economy is most in need. After QE3, the Japanese and European economies were slowing at a rapid pace. The burden of US easing could no longer be put on their shoulders, and the ECB soon began to cheapen its currency. As an effect of this, the US dollar index started to rise precipitously in July of 2014. The index’s rise was further strengthened with the possibility of a US Interest Rate hike being brought into focus by Chair Yellen. As a result the US economy began to face more economic pressure, and it started to show in the data.

One may ask how any of the above is critical to understanding why China’s economy is slowing, or why the People’s Bank of China devalued the Yuan by 2%, but it is the key foundation for accurate analysis.

The Yuan is directly pegged to the Dollar. If the dollar becomes more valuable then the yuan does likewise. This may seem trivial but it is absolutely essential to realize. US Central Bank policy that effects the value of the dollar, will also heavily effect the Yuan. Since the dollar has been rising in value against the Euro and the Yen, so has the Yuan.

One of the largest effects of a strong currency is stong cheap imports and weak expensive exports. This explains part of the large inventory buildup seen in the US. China is heavily dependent on its exports. The lower demand for higher priced Chinese exports dragged on the sector and has contributed to their slowing economy.

Rather than breaking their peg with the US Dollar the PBOC decided to directly devalue their currency against the dollar to provide stimulus for their economy and relief to their export industries.  Despite this small devaluation China will continue to face pressure as long as the dollar remains strong, and Central Banks continue their manipulation of interest rates.

The amount of malinvestment in China and economies around the world will continue to make global markets unstable in the years to come. But instead of blaming the Chinese for their slowdown, one must really look at the underlying reasons why systemically that slowdown is inevitable. In the meantime we will continue to hear the word “China” blasted three hundred times per day from every news network, financial channel, and every Donald Trump interview.

By Andrew Gehrig

Will Italy Bomb Iraq?

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Italy is ready to air strike regions of Iraq that are critical to the fight on terrorism, Corriere della Sera reported on the 6th of October.

The Italian newspaper claimed that the possibility of engaging in bombardment was taken into consideration by the central government in Rome after receiving a formal request sent by the Iraqi. The air strike, according to official sources, has not yet taken place.

The announcement created a wave of protests across all Italy’s political parties. Despite several requests for explanation inside and outside the Italian parliament expressed over the course of the past month, the situation remains unclear.

Italy joined the coalition against terrorism in the Middle East leaded by the U.S. but never took part in any military action. Italian forces contributed with recon missions and logistics. After the formal request, Italy prepared and deployed four jet fighters and one air-refueling aircraft to Kuwait ready to strike.

The president of the Defence Commission of the Senate, Nicola Latorre, declared that the request had formally been made by the official government in Iraq, but no decision was taken yet.

The opposition to the center-left government expressed its dissent calling for a parliamentary interrogation on the matter, claiming that considering an act of war without the consent of the nation would be considered a lack of respect of popular sovereignty.

The Five Star Movement (Movimento Cinque Stelle) declared that it was unacceptable to apprehend from the press that Italy in considering to change the rules of engagement in Iraq. They also restated that dropping bombs on so-called “terrorists” won’t actually solve the problem, but it will create even more resentment toward the West and will eventually be the cause of even more violence.

Many commentators on the political scene observed that it is important for Italy to engage in such war actions against terrorism so it can eventually have a say on issues which directly concern the nation. The stability of the region of North Africa has a direct impact on the mass-migration fluxes that have directly effected Italy over the past four years.

By Cesare Baccheschi