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Yves Engler

Yves Engler

Yves Engler is a Montreal writer and political activist. He has published two books, and is currently on a five year suspension from Concordia University, where he acted as a student union councillor. Dr. Frederick Lowy, Concordia's rector, issued the suspension after Engler broke the terms of two previous suspensions by entering Concordia's downtown premises while suspended. The previous suspensions were related to Engler's involvement in the rally that blocked former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from speaking at Concordia on September 9, 2002 and him breaching a moratorium on postering and info tables after Netanyahu's failed speech. Engler attempted to challenge his suspension in municipal court, but the court refused to overturn Concordia's suspension. Engler then took the matter to Canada's Supreme Court, which ultimately refused to hear the case. Most of Engler's writings have appeared in the alternative press, but on occasion he has written articles for mainstream publications such as The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail.]] In June 2005 Engler made national headlines when he interrupted a press conference being held by the Canadian minister of foreign affairs, Pierre Pettigrew. Engler ran up to the stage and poured a bucket of red paint on Pettigrew's arms, then shouted, "Pettigrew lies, Haitians die." Engler claimed that the red paint was meant to symbolize the blood on the hands of the Canadian state due to Canada's involvement in the planning of the coup (see: The Ottawa initiative) which ousted Jean Bertrand Aristide, the democratically elected president of Haiti, from office and into exile. Also angering Engler was Canada's subsequent participation in the U.N. occupation of Haiti and the training of the Haitian national police by the RCMP, which has resulted in an ongoing campaign of murder, imprisonment, and political repression targeted against supporters of the Lavalas party and opponents of the un-elected interim government headed by Florida native Gerard Latortue.(see: The Griffin report) Pettigrew initially stated that he wanted full charges pressed against Engler, however, within a matter of days Pettigrew changed his mind and decided to drop charges. Engler was arrested on December 1, 2005, after heckling Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in Montreal, yelling again, "Paul Martin lies, Haitians die" and remains in jail as of this writing.

List of Published Works

- Playing Left Wing: From Rink Rat to Student Activist (Fernwood Publishing, 2005)
- Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority (Fernwood Publishing, 2005)

External links

- [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/06/18/pettigrew-painter050618.html CBC Story on the painting of Pettigrew's hands]
- [http://www.haitiaction.net/News/YE/6_17_5.html Pettigrew's Painter speaks about Haitian Blood on the hands of the Canadian Government]
- [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030729/COPROTEST/TPComment/TopStories Globe & Mail article by Engler on WTO demonstrations] Engler, Yves

Writer

The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. Skilled writers demonstrate skills in using language to portray ideas and images, whether producing fiction or non-fiction. A writer may compose in many different forms, including (but not limited to): poetry, prose, music. Accordingly, a writer in specialist mode may rank as a poet, novelist, composer, lyricist, playwright, mythographer, journalist, film scriptwriter, etc. (See also: creative writing, technical writing and academic papers). Writers' output frequently contributes to the cultural content of a society, and that society may value its writerly corpus -- or literature -- as an art much like the visual arts (see painting, sculpture, photography), music, craft and performance art (see: drama, theatre, opera, musical).

Alternative uses of "writer"

Practitioners within some specialized fields also use the term "writer" to describe their arts. For instance, advertising creatives, gag-writers and graffiti artists also refer to themselves as "writers." In these contexts, "writer" may be considered an alternative use of the term, rather than describing a so-called "literary" or "serious" writer as discussed above. A "writer" can also be mechanic. For example, court reporters often refer to their stenotype machine as a writer. Similarly, some word processors are called "writer", such as OpenOffice.org Writer and Nisus Writer.

External links

- [http://www.wga.org Writers Guild of America, west]
- [http://www.wgae.org Writers Guild of America, east]
- [http://www.writersguild.org.uk Writers' Guild of Great Britain]
- [http://www.writersguildofcanada.com/ Writers' Guild of Canada]
- [http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/ International PEN]
- [http://www.authorssociety.org/ Authors Society.org]
- [http://www.Writing.Com/ Writers] Category:Media occupations Category:Literature ja:著作家 ko:작가 th:นักเขียน

Concordia University

Motto Real education for the real world

Founded 1974, with the merger of two institutions, Loyola College (1896) and Sir George Williams University (1926)

School type Public University

President Claude Lajeunesse

Location Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Enrollment 25,417 undergrad, 4,444 grad
Faculty 900 (approximately)
Campus Urban, 40 acres (160,000 m²) Loyola Campus
Sports teams Stingers
Mascot Buzz50px
Website [http://www.concordia.ca/ Concordia.ca]

Image:Conulogo.jpg

This article is about Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. For other universities named Concordia, see Concordia. Concordia University is a large urban university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university has two campuses, set approximately 7 km apart: Sir George Williams Campus is in the downtown core of Montreal (at Guy-Concordia metro station), and Loyola Campus is in the residential west-end district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. They are connected by free shuttle-bus service for students, faculty and staff. Concordia is one of Montreal's two universities that teach in English (the other being McGill University).

History

The university traces its academic roots back to the early 20th century, with the development of the Jesuit-run Loyola College and the YMCA-based Sir George Williams University.

Sir George Williams University

The Montreal YMCA was established in 1851. From its early years, it offered evening classes to allow working people in the English-speaking community to pursue their education while working during the day. Concordia has continued this tradition by offering many night classes during the traditional fall and winter semesters, as well as the summer sessions. In 1926, the education program was organized as Sir George Williams College, named after George Williams, founder of the YMCA. It received a university charter from the provincial government in 1948. The first SGWU building was built in 1956, although the university continued to hold classes in the YMCA building until the construction of the Hall Building in 1966. The university gained international attention in 1969, when a group of students occupied the computer lab (see Sir George Williams Computer Riot). Sir George Williams Computer Riot

Loyola College

Loyola College was founded in 1896 as an English-language program of the Jesuit Collège Sainte-Marie (since merged into UQAM). It was originally located at the Sacred Heart Convent in downtown Montreal. The college moved into the present west-end campus in 1916. Although founded as a collège classique (the forerunners of Quebec's CEGEPs), Loyola began granting university degrees through Laval University as early as 1906. By 1940, collège classique programs were gone and Loyola became a four-year university, although it never obtained its own charter, granting its degrees through Laval or, after 1920, the Université de Montréal.

Concordia University

The merger of Loyola and SGWU was recommended in 1969 by a Royal Commission, as part of the secularisation of Quebec's educational system (see Quiet Revolution). The two schools were merged in 1974 under the name of Concordia University, taking the name from the motto of the city of Montreal, Concordia salus (meaning 'well-being through harmony'). [http://archives3.concordia.ca/timeline/histories/naming_b.html]

New Buildings

Concordia has embarked on a mission to develop and expand the quality of their downtown campus, and to revive the west end in Montreal. The development is set to conclude in about 5-7 years. The university has also acquired the historic Grey Nuns property for $18 million. Built in 1879, it would alone double the size of the current downtown campus. Starting in 2007 and to no later than the year 2022, the school will move in 4 separate phases. The large property will house the faculty of Fine Arts and possibly the Concordia School of Cinema, and other departments. The school has recently completed and opened in 2005, the new Integrated Engineering, Computer Science, and Visual Arts Complex on Ste. Catherine Street between Guy and Mackay. Concordia has also received an exceptional gift of the over 100 year old historical TD Canada Trust bank building, which stands at the corner of Guy and St. Catherine streets. The Toronto-Dominion Bank, has operated as a branch at the site since 1903. Building renovations are planned to start in 2005, and to begin using the new space in 2006. Construction has started on the new John Molson School of Business (JMSB) Building that will be located on the corner of Guy and de Maisonneuve streets. The cost of construction on the structure alone is $60 million. The building is expected to be finished in 2008.

Programs

Concordia has more than 180 undergraduate programs, divided into four Faculties: Arts and Science, Engineering and Computer Science, Fine Arts, and the John Molson School of Business. Students are enrolled in one of these Faculties, but they may take courses from any of the others as part of their studies. Many programs also offer a 'co-operative' component, whereby students get work experience while they study. In addition, the School of Graduate Studies offers more than 70 programs leading to Master's and doctoral degrees, as well as a variety of graduate diplomas and certificates for professionals seeking to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Students enter the university in September, or, in some cases, in January or May. An undergraduate degree normally takes three or four years to complete, a Master's takes from a year and a half (three semesters) to three, and a Ph.D. is at least four years long. Certificates and diplomas usually take no longer than a year and a half to complete. The student body is extremely varied and represents an ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural cross section that could be said to be even more pluralistic than the country or even the city itself.

Fabrikant Affair

On August 24, 1992, Valery Fabrikant, a Mechanical Engineering professor, shot five colleagues on the ninth floor of the Hall Building. Civil Engineering professor Matthew McCartney Douglass, Chemistry professor Michael Gorden Hogben and Mechanical Engineering Professor Aaron Jaan Saber died that day while Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair Phoivos Ziogas passed on a month later. Mechanical Engineering secretary Elizabeth Horwood recovered from her injuries. Fabrikant was convicted for the murders. A memorial to the slain professors (four granite tables) was erected in the Hall Building lobby.

Student Activism

Although student activism could be said to be a natural part of campus life, Concordia has been known to be home to some very politically active students, several of whom are known both in local and national media. While protesting and fiery debate are considered a staple of college life, heavy politicization of the Arab-Israeli conflict on campus has caused certain student groups to step up their political militancy. Tensions are exacerbated by the large representation of students from Middle Eastern countries and of Jewish origin as well as the presence for many years of a radical left wing activist student union. The Hall building (the main building of Sir George Williams campus) was shut down on September 9th, 2002 in response to a protest by pro-Palestinian students. They were opposed to the visit by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; who they felt was a war criminal. The protestors were especially concerned since they said that they were not given adequate opportunity to attend the meeting themselves. While the tickets were freely available, the protesters said that the organizing group had largely confined their publicity to the Montreal Jewish community. There were indications prior to September 9th that the speech would face opposition. The organizers were warned by campus security against allowing the talk to proceed because of the politically charge climate at the university. However, it was decided to proceed despite the possible intimidation because of freedom of speech concerns. The protest itself lasted several hours, and some protesters broke several windows of the main building and physically harrassed people attempting to attend the talk. The immediate result of the protest was the cancellation of the talk. The protestors were ecstatic at having prevented Netanyahu from speaking. Hillel, on the other hand, decried what they perceived as an attack on freedom of speech. In 2003, a slate of moderates won control of the Concordia Student Union from the left-wing activist slate that previously controlled the union and was actively involved in the anti-Israel protests.

Varsity Athletics

Concordia University's athletic teams are called the Concordia Stingers. They compete with other schools in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, and, more specifically, in the Quebec Student Sport Federation and the Quebec Interuniversity Football Conference. The university has ten varsity teams. In the fall, teams compete in American football, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's rugby football and sport wrestling. There are female and male wrestlers on the team from year to year, however they compete as one team. In the winter, teams compete in men's and women's ice hockey and men's and women's basketball. The school last won a national championship in 1999, when the women's hockey team beat the University of Alberta in the final game of the season.

Club Athletics

:listed are clubs that have CIS accreditation, otherwise see Student Clubs and Societies There is also a baseball team, which competes at the club level against other schools in Quebec, but the baseball team receives no money from the University. Furthermore, a new cross-country running team was established in 2004.

Noted alumni

Sir George Williams
- Rosie Douglas - former Prime Minister of Dominica
- E. Annie Proulx - author
- Mordecai Richler - author
- Alfie Roberts - political activist, professional cricketer, and Montreal community worker Loyola
- Don Ferguson - Actor/Comedian
- Hana Gartner - journalist
- John C. Major - justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
- Georges Vanier - former Governor General of Canada Concordia
- Melissa Auf der Maur - rock musician
- Nicholas Thorburn - rock musician
- Pascale Bussières - Quebecois actress
- Steven Cojocaru - fashion maven
- Mario Dumont - leader of the provincial ADQ party
- Clark Johnson - American actor
- Michelle Latimer - Actress on Paradise Falls (Showcase)
- Glen Murray - former mayor of Winnipeg
- Raymond Alfred Brown - college admissions guru; Dean of Admission Texas Christian University
- Josey Vogels - syndicated sex columnist

Awards

- Loyola Medal

External link

- [http://www.concordia.ca Concordia University] Category:Education in Montreal Category:Universities in Quebec Category:Concordia University

Frederick Lowy

Frederick Hans Lowy is a respected Canadian medical educator and former President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. Born in Großpetersdorf, Austria in 1933, Lowy moved to downtown Montreal at age 13. Lowy studied medicine at McGill University, graduating in 1959. He was a psychiatric consultant at the Royal Victoria Hospital and Neurological Institute in the late 1960s. Dr. Lowy moved to Toronto in 1974 to become Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Director of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and professor at, and chair of, the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry. He became Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (1980 to 1987). He was the founder and first Director of the University's Centre for Bioethics (now University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics). In 1995 he returned to Montreal to become the 4th Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. (In 2004 the English title of the position was changed to "President and Vice-Chancelllor"). He held this post until August 1, 2005. Dr. Lowy was the first Chair of Canada's Tri-Council (Medical Research Council, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) Working Group on Ethics of Research on Human subjects (1994-1995) and Vice-Chair, Hospital Restructuring Committee, Metro Toronto District Health Council (1994-1995). He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, a Life Member of the Canadian and American Psychiatric Associations and the American College of Psychiatrists. He is also a member of the Canadian Medical Association and the International Psychoanalytical Association. Dr. Lowy's previous medical appointments include positions at the Cincinnati General Hospital, the Ottawa Civic Hospital and the Toronto Hospital. He also served for many years as a consultant to numerous research foundations and hospitals. Dr. Lowy has lectured and published widely. His most recent publications grapple with new ethical issues that face modern physicians and health science researchers. Dr. Lowy was a member of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Board of Trade and of Centraide (Montreal); Vice-President of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec; and a former board member of the National Ballet of Canada. Dr. Lowy has been a trustee at Ontario's Sunnybrook Medical Centre, the Mount Sinai, St. Michael's, and Toronto Hospitals, and the Ontario Cancer Institute. He chaired an Ontario Government inquiry into the pharmaceutical industry (1988-1990) and held numerous professional editorial posts, including Editor of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Dr. Lowy sits on the Board of Directors of two Canadian public companies, and Montreal's Jewish General Hospital. In 2000 he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. He has received honorary degrees from The University of Toronto (1998) and McGill University (2001). Dr. Lowy is married to Mary Kay Lowy (Dr. M.K. O'Neil). He has four children, David, Eric, Adam, and Sarah, and four granddaughters. Lowy, Frederick Lowy, Frederick Lowy, Frederick Lowy, Frederick Lowy Lowy, Frederick

Benjamin Netanyahu

(Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין נְתַנְיָהוּ (without niqqudot: בנימין נתניהו), transliteration: Binyamin Netanyahu, nicknamed Bibi) (born October 21, 1949, Tel Aviv) was the 9th Prime Minister of Israel. A member of the conservative Likud party, he was Prime Minister from June 1996 to July 1999. He is the first (and to date only) Prime Minister of Israel to be born after the creation of the state. He was Finance Minister of Israel until August 9, 2005, when his resignation letter came into force. He resigned in protest of the Gaza Disengagement Plan advocated by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Netanyahu is one of a few candidates vying to replace Sharon as leader of the Likud sometime early 2006, following Sharon's decision to leave the Likud and form the Kadima party.

Family and personal background

Benjamin was born to Zila and Ben-Zion Netanyahu. His father, Ben-Zion, is a professor of Jewish history and a former editor of the Hebrew Encyclopedia. His elder brother Yonatan, who was killed during Operation Entebbe in 1976, is considered an Israeli war hero. His younger brother Iddo is a radiologist and writer. All three brothers served in the Sayeret Matkal. When he was 14 years old, his family moved to the United States and settled in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb, where he graduated High School. He holds a BS in Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MS in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and has studied political science at Harvard and MIT. After graduate school, Netanyahu emigrated back to Israel. Netanyahu was married twice before, and has a daughter, Noa, from his first marriage. He is married to his third wife, Sarah, and has two children. After a brief career in business Netanyahu was appointed Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 1982. Subsequently, he became Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, serving from 1984-1988. He was elected to the Knesset in 1988 and served as a Deputy Minister in the governments led by Yitzhak Shamir from 1988-1992. Shamir retired from politics shortly after Likud's defeat in the 1992 elections. In 1993 for the first time the party held a primary to select its leader and Netanyahu was victorious, defeating Ze'ev "Benny" Begin, son of the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and veteran politician David Levy. (Ariel Sharon initially sought the Likud leadership as well, but quickly withdrew when it was evident that he was attracting minimal support.)

Prime minister (1996-1999)

In 1996 for the first time Israelis chose their Prime Minister directly. Netanyahu was elected in 1996 after a wave of Palestinian suicide attacks on Israeli civilians. Shimon Peres, who had succeeded the assassinated Labor Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was initially favored in the polls, but could not stop the terror attacks and public faith in him decreased rapidly. On March 3 and 4 1996, Palestinian militants carried out two lethal suicide bombings in which 32 Israeli citizens were killed. Those two attacks were the main catalyst in the downfall of Peres, who eventually lost the election due to his inability to stop attacks against Israelis. Unlike Peres, Netanyahu did not trust Yasser Arafat's good will and conditioned any progress at the peace process on the Palestinian Authority fulfilling their obligations - mainly fighting terrorism. His campaign slogan was "Netanyahu - making a safe Peace". Perhaps due to his American education, Netanyahu hired American right-wing politican operative Arthur Finkelstein to run his campaign. Although the American style of soundbites and sharp attacks elicited harsh criticism from inside Israel, it proved effective and Netanyahu's Likud Party took control. In 1999 Ehud Barak would choose a similar style to challenge Netanyahu by bringing in Bill Clinton's former campaign manager, James Carville, as well as American consultant Bob Shrum and pollster Stanley Greenberg. As Prime Minister he negotiated with Yasser Arafat in the form of the Wye River Accords (1998), but many claimed he tried to stall any progress. Netanyahu's approach to the peace negotiations was popular: :"If they'll give - they'll get. If they won't give - they won't get". :"יתנו - יקבלו. לא יתנו - לא יקבלו" This approach seemed to work; unlike the rule of his predecessors and successors, Netanyahu's rule was quieter with relatively few Palestinian suicide bombings within Israel. In 1996, Netanyahu and Jerusalem's mayor Ehud Olmert decided to open an exit for the Western Wall tunnel. This sparked three days of riots by Palestinians, resulting in about a dozen Israelis and a hundred Palestinians being killed. Despite the relatively low level of terrorism during his Premiership, Netanyahu was opposed by the left-wing in Israel and also lost support from the far right because of his concessions to the Palestinians in Hebron and elsewhere and due to his negotiations with Arafat generally. After a long chain of scandals (including gossip over his wife) and an investigation opened against him on charges of corruption, Netanyahu lost favor with the Israeli public. After being defeated by Ehud Barak in the 1999 Israeli general elections, Netanyahu temporarily retired from politics.

Political activity after 2000

1999 In 2002, after the Israeli Labor party left power and vacated the position of foreign minister, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appointed Netanyahu as Foreign Minister. Netanyahu challenged Sharon for the leadership of the Likud party but failed to oust Sharon. After the 2003 elections, Netanyahu accepted the post of Finance Minister in a newly formed Sharon coalition. Netanyahu does not currently support the concept of a future Palestinian state, though on two occasions in 2001, he indicated willingness to consider the idea [http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=162720&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 "Likud Central Committee Rejects Palestinian State"]. As a Finance Minister, Netanyahu undertook an economic plan in order to restore Israel's economy from its low during the al-Aqsa Intifada. The plan involved a move towards more liberalised markets, although it has been seen by many opponents as controversial. Netanyahu succeeded to pass several long due reforms, including an important reform in the banking system, which increased GDP growth rate significantly. Netanyahu threatened to resign in 2004 unless the Gaza pullout plan was put to a referendum, but later lifted the ultimatum. He submitted his resignation letter on 7th August 2005, shortly before the Israeli cabinet voted by 17 to 5 to approve the initial phase of withdrawals of the Gaza Disengagement Plan. The resignation letter that Netanyahu submitted on 7th August 2005 officially came into force two days later. Netanyahu is currently in the running to become leader of the Likud party once more, following the withdrawal of Ariel Sharon from the Likud. His most recent previous effort to do so was in his attempt (Sept. 2005) to schedule early primaries for the position of the head of the Likud party, while the party is still holding the office of Prime Minister- thus effectively pushing Ariel Sharon out of office. The party rejected this initiative.

Books and articles

Books:
- A Durable Peace: Israel and Its Place Among the Nations (Warner Books, 2000) ISBN 0446523062
- Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic And International Terrorism (Diane Pub Co, 1995) ISBN 0788155148
- A Place Among the Nations (Bantam, 1993) ISBN 0553089749
- Terrorism: How the West Can Win (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1986) ISBN 0374273421 Articles:
- [http://www.netanyahu.org/statofforisp.html "On Terrorism"]

References

- Clinton, Bill (2005). My Life. Vintage. ISBN 140003003X.

External links

- [http://www.zionism-israel.com/bio/Benjamin_Nethanyahu.htm Biography of Benjamin Netanyahu] at [http://www.zionism-israel.com/zionist_biographies.htm Zionism and Israel Information Center Biography Section]
- Website of supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu: [http://www.netanyahu.org/index.html Hebrew] [http://dinafisher.com/netanyahu/ English]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1630000/video/_1631740_mideast_netanyahu06_vi.ram Benjamin Netanyahu on the definition of terror] (BBC)(5 min.)
- [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1123208391474&p=1006953079845 Netanyahu: Pullout will worsen Israel's security] The Jerusalem Post, August 5, 2005 Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin ja:ベンヤミン・ネタニヤフ

Supreme Court of Canada

] The Supreme Court of Canada (French: Cour suprême du Canada) is Canada's highest court and is located in the capital city of Ottawa. It is now the final court of appeal, the last judicial resort for all litigants, whether individual or governmental. Its jurisdiction embraces both the civil law of the province of Quebec and the common law of the other provinces and territories. When handling Quebec civil law cases the court is careful to have them reviewed by the three civil law judges that are always on the court, although judges from the common law provinces have written judgments in Quebec cases, and judges from Quebec often write judgment in cases from the common law provinces. The court is composed of nine justices, formally appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The court is housed in a massive Art Deco building designed by Ernest Cormier.

History

The creation of the Court was authorized by the Constitution Act 1867 (formerly called the British North America Act 1867). The first bills for its creation, introduced in the Parliament of Canada in 1869 and in 1870, were withdrawn. On April 8, 1875, however, a new bill was finally passed. The statesmen most prominent in establishing the Supreme Court were Sir John A. Macdonald, Télesphore Fournier, Alexander Mackenzie, and Edward Blake. Edward Blake In the early days the Supreme Court was not the court of last resort for cases: all cases could be appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. As well, cases could bypass the Court and go directly to London from the provincial courts of appeal. As time went on, the Privy Council became increasingly unpopular. The British Judges (Canadian judges sat occasionally) tended to side with the provinces at the expense of the federal government (the provinces argued their powers over property and civil rights entitled them to this interpretation, and the JCPC agreed). During the great depression the Privy Council ruled that a number of the reforms proposed by both the Conservative Government of R. B. Bennett and the following Liberal government of MacKenzie King were unconstitutional, despite public support. Most provincial governments began to demand the federal government press the UK for judicial independence. The Supreme Court of Canada formally became the court of last resort for criminal appeals in 1933 and for all other appeals in 1949.

Building

The Supreme Court of Canada Building is home to the Supreme Court of Canada, Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal. Construction began in 1939, with the cornerstone laid by Queen Elizabeth, consort to King George VI and later Queen Mother. It was built by Ernest Cormier, architect of the Quebec Court of Appeals Building, the Government Printing Office in Gatineau, Quebec and the Université de Montréal. Outside the building are several statues:
- Prime Minister Louis S. St-Laurent 1976
- Statue Veritas (Truth) - by Walter S. Allward
- Statue Justitia (Justice)- by Walter S. Allward Previous homes of Canada's top courts include:
- Railway Committee Room in the House of Commons 1876-1889
- Old Supreme Court (Canada) on Bank Street 1889-1945

Appointments

Under Canadian law, the Governor General appoints all justices of the court on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. This is in accordance with an Order in Council dating to 1936, which delegated the Cabinet's jurisdiction to the Prime Minister, who nonetheless is expected to consult with the Minister of Justice, and others, before making a decicison. The provinces and Parliament have no direct say in such appointments, a point of ongoing contention. The Supreme Court Act limits eligibility for appointment to persons who have been judges of a superior court, or members of the bar for ten or more years. Members of the bar or superior judiciary of Quebec, by law, must hold three of the nine positions on the Supreme Court of Canada. This is justified on the basis that Quebec uses civil law, rather than common law, as in the rest of the country, and persists even though Quebec makes up only about 20 percent of the population. By convention, the remaining six positions are divided in the following manner: three from Ontario, two from the western provinces and one from the Atlantic provinces. The term for a Supreme Court justice is until he or she retires or, at latest, attains the age of 75 years. This is unlike the situation in the United States where justices of the U.S. Supreme Court sit for life.

Changes to the appointment process

The appointment process has been the source of some controversy in recent years, as appointments occur with no scrutiny by parliament or opposition political parties. Critics have alleged that this process has allowed the Prime Minister to effectively "stack" the court with ideologically like-minded individuals who will support his government and legislation. Conservative critics have argued this leads to the rise of partisan, activist judges instead of neutral ones. Supporters have justified the process of appointment on the grounds that "quiet" appointments made as a result of the Prime Minister's consultation with experts result in better choices than ones that would be made if opposition politicians were allowed to openly interrogate and veto his or her choices. In response to the critics, Prime Minister Paul Martin changed the appointment process slightly in 2004. Now, before an appointment is made a special parliamentary committee is formed to screen the new nominees and report to Parliament on their findings, though neither this committee nor the parliament has the power to block appointments. Similarly, the committee does not have the ability to directly interview the nominee. In 2004 when this process was practiced for the first time, committee members from the Conservative Party of Canada refused to sign their committee's final report, calling the entire process "insufficient". In April 2005, the Liberal government annouced another change to the selection process. The advisory committee (which includes many federal nominees) would see a list of seven names given to them by the Minister of Justice and would be required to cut the list to three. The Prime Minister would choose from the list of the three remaining candidates. The advisory committee includes a Member of Parliament from each recognized party, a retired judge and, from the region where the vacancy arises, a nominee of the provincial Attorneys General, a nominee of the law societies and two prominent Canadians who are neither lawyers nor judges. A new Advisory Committee will be formed each time a Supreme Court vacancy occurs. The retirement of Justice Major creates a vacancy from the Prairie Region on December 25, 2005.

The role of the Supreme Court in the Canadian court system

The Canadian court system may be seen as a pyramid, with a broad base formed by the various provincial and territorial courts whose judges are appointed by the provincial or territorial governments. At the next level are the provinces' and territories' superior courts whose judges are appointed by the federal government. Judgments from the superior courts may be appealed to the next level, the provincial or territorial courts of appeal. There are also federal courts: the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada. Unlike the provincial superior courts, which exercise inherent or general jurisdiction, the federal courts' jurisdiction is limited by statute. In all there are over 1000 federally-appointed judges at various levels across Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada hears appeals from the provincial courts of last resort, usually the provincial or territorial courts of appeal, and the Federal Court of Appeal (although in some matters appeals come straight from the trial courts, as in the case of publication bans and other orders that are otherwise not appealable). In most cases, permission to appeal must first be obtained from a panel of three judges of the court. By convention, this panel never explains why it gives leave to appeal or not. Cases for which leave to appeal is not required are primarily criminal cases and appeals from provincial references. A final source of cases is the referral power of the federal government. In such cases, the Supreme Court is required to give an opinion on questions referred to it by the Governor-in-Council (cabinet). In many cases, however, including the most recent Same-Sex Reference, the Court has declined to answer a question from the Cabinet. In that case, the Court said it would not decide if same-sex marriages were required by the Charter of Rights, because the government had announced it would change the law regardless of its opinion, and subsequently did. cabinet The Supreme Court thus performs a unique function. It can be asked by the Governor-in-Council to hear references considering important questions of law. Such referals may concern the constitutionality or interpretation of federal or provincial legislation, or the division of powers between federal and provincial levels of government. Any point of law may be referred in this manner. However, the court is not often called upon to hear references. When it is, the opinion on the question referred is often of national importance; one current example concerns Same-sex marriage. References have been used to re-examine crimial convictions that have concerned the country as in the cases of David Milgaard and Stephen Truscott. Constitutional questions may, of course, also be raised in the normal case of appeals involving individual litigants, governments, government agencies or crown corporations. In such cases the federal and provincial governments must be notified of any constitutional questions and may intervene to submit a brief and attend oral argument at the court. Usually the other governments are given the right to argue their case in the Court, although on rare occasions this has been curtailed and prevented by order of one of the Court's judges.

Sessions of the court

The court sits only in Ottawa, although litigants can present oral arguments from remote locations by means of a videoconference system. The court's hearings are open to the public. Most hearings are taped for delayed telecast in both of Canada's official languages. When in session, the court sits Monday to Friday, hearing two appeals a day. A quorum consists of five members for appeals. A panel of nine justices hears most cases. On the bench, the Chief Justice of Canada, or, in her absence, the senior puisne justice, presides from the centre chair with the other justices seated to her right and left by order of seniority of appointment. At sittings of the Court, the justices usually appear in black silk robes but they wear their ceremonial robes of bright scarlet trimmed with Canadian white mink in court on special occasions and in the Senate at the opening of each new session of Parliament. The decision of the court is sometimes rendered at the conclusion of the hearing. More often, judgement is reserved to enable the justices to write considered reasons. Decisions of the court need not be unanimous; a majority may decide, with dissenting reasons given by the minority. Each justice may write reasons in any case if he or she chooses to do so. The Supreme Court has the ultimate power of judicial review over Canadian federal and provincial laws' constitutional validity. However, the federal Parliament or the provincial legislatures may make a particular law temporarily immune from review against certain sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is done by including a reference in the law to the notwithstanding clause, also known as the "override power." In one case, the Quebec National Assembly invoked this power to override a Supreme Court decision (Ford v. Quebec (A.G.)) that held that one of Quebec's language laws banning the display of English commercial signs was inconsistent with the charter. Saskatchewan used it to uphold labour laws struck down by the Court. A puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada is referred to as " The Honourable Mr/Madam Justice" and the chief justice as "Right Honourable." Judges used to be called "My Lord/Lady" during sessions of the court, but this style of address has now been phased out in favor of the simpler "Your Honor" or "Justice."

The nine current justices

- The Right Honourable Madam Justice Beverley McLachlin, P.C., B.A., M.A., LL.B. - Chief Justice of Canada -- appointed 1989 to the court by Brian Mulroney, appointed chief justice on January 7, 2000 by Jean Chrétien
- The Honourable Mr. Justice John C. Major -- appointed 1992 by Brian Mulroney
- The Honourable Mr. Justice Michel Bastarache -- appointed 1995 by Jean Chrétien
- The Honourable Mr. Justice William Ian Corneil Binnie -- appointed 1998 by Jean Chrétien
- The Honourable Mr. Justice Louis LeBel -- appointed 2000 by Jean Chrétien
- The Honourable Madam Justice Marie Deschamps -- appointed 2002 by Jean Chrétien
- The Honourable Mr. Justice Morris Fish -- appointed 2003 by Jean Chrétien
- The Honourable Madam Justice Rosalie Abella -- appointed 2004 by Paul Martin
- The Honourable Madam Justice Louise Charron -- appointed 2004 by Paul Martin On August 24, 2004, Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler nominated Justices Charron and Abella to replace Frank Iacobucci who retired in the spring of 2004 and Louise Arbour who stepped down in early 2004 to accept an appointment as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Cotler also announced a new process which will allow a parliamentary committee to review Supreme Court nominations, although the committee would not have veto power over the nominations. On August 30, after a week of committee hearings, Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin officially recommended Abella and Charron for appointment to the Court. Two Conservative members of the committee, Peter MacKay and Vic Toews, refused to sign the committee's endorsement of the nominees, stating that the new process did not provide the committee with sufficient information about the nominees. With the new appointments, four out of the nine justices are women (McLachlin, Deschamps, Abella & Charron), making the Supreme Court of Canada the world's most gender-balanced national high court.

Mandatory retirement dates

- Beverley McLachlin — September 7, 2018
- John C. Major — February 20, 2006
- Michel Bastarache — June 10, 2022
- Ian Binnie — April 14, 2014
- Louis LeBel — November 30, 2014
- Marie Deschamps — October 2, 2027
- Morris Fish — November 16, 2013
- Rosalie Abella — July 1, 2021
- Louise Charron — March 2, 2026

Other functions

If the Governor General dies or leaves the country for more than one month, the Chief Justice of Canada (or, if that position is vacant, the senior Puisne Justice) serves as Administrator of Canada, and exercises all powers of the Governor General. The only individuals to serve as Administrators due to the deaths of Governors General were Chief Justice Sir Lyman Poore Duff (1940) and Chief Justice Robert Taschereau (1967). The current Chief Justice, Beverley McLachlin, served briefly as Administrator on 8 July 2005, when Governor General Adrienne Clarkson was hospitalized for pacemaker surgery. The Chief Justice also sits on the advisory council of Canada highest national decoration the Order of Canada. In practice however, the Chief Justice abstains from voting on a candidate's Removal from the Order of Canada presumably because this process has so far only applied to individuals convicted in a lower court of a criminal offence and if that individual apealed their conviction all the way to the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice could be put in a conflict of interest. Today, members of the Supreme Court occasionally grant royal assent to legislation passed by the Canadian House of Commons and Senate, in their capacity as acting representatives of Crown power. This used to be quite frequent, but new legislation allows Royal Assent to be given privately by the Governor General which is now the normal practice.

Notes

see, for example, Privy Council decisions between 1888 and 1930 regarding peace, order and good government.

External links

- [http://www2.marianopolis.edu/quebechistory/federal/scc.htm Supreme Court of Canada]
- [http://www2.marianopolis.edu/quebechistory/federal/parl.htm The Supremacy of Parliament and the Canadian Charter of Rights]
- [http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/AboutCourt/building/index_e.asp SCC building]
- [http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/CA/ON/OttawaSupCo.html SCC Building]

Sources

- [http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca Supreme Court of Canada website] See also:
- List of Supreme Court of Canada cases
- List of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada
- List of Puisne Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada Supreme Court of Canada Category:Canadian court system Canada Category:Federal government buildings in Ottawa Category:Art Deco

Alternative media

Alternative media are defined most broadly as those media practices falling outside the mainstreams of corporate communication.. Proponents of alternative media often argue that the mainstream media is heavily biased. Causes of this bias include the political interests of the owners, government influence or the profit motive. While sources of alternative media are also frequently highly (and sometimes proudly) biased, the bias tend to be different, hence 'alternative'. Alternative media outlets often engage in advocacy journalism and frequently promotes specific political views, often dissident views. Authors such as Louis Althusser and Noam Chomsky have written in detail about the problems of the mainstream press, and their writings have inspired the creation of many alternative press efforts. Many current alternative press sources share values on copyright with the open source movement. Examples of alternative media include both print and electronic forms: Z Magazine, Traditions Magazine, Indymedia, Counterpunch, Altermedia, Commondreams, The Raw Story,Whatreallyhappened, and BradBlog.

External links

- [http://www.activistmagazine.com ACTivist Magazine]
- [http://www.altermedia.info Altermedia]
- [http://www.commondreams.org Commondreams]
- [http://www.counterpunch.org CounterPunch]
- [http://coanews.org Currents of Awareness]
- [http://www.dissidentvoice.org Dissident Voice]
- [http://www.indymedia.org Indymedia]
- [http://independentmedia.ca MANA - the Media Alliance for New Activism]
- [http://konscious.com Konscious TV]
- [http://www.media-hijack.com Media Activism]
- [http://newstandardnews.net The News Standard]
- [http://www.rabble.ca/ Rabble]
- [http://www.radicalmiddle.com Radical Middle]
- [http://www.rinf.com RINF: Alternative Media & News]
- [http://www.schnews.org.uk SchNEWS]
- [http://www.ukwatch.net UKWatch]
- [http://www.undergroundactionalliance.org Underground Action Alliance]
- [http://www.zmag.org Zmag] Category:Mass media Category:Alternative journalism Category:Newspapering Category:Alternative weekly newspapers

The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail is a large Canadian English language national newspaper based in Toronto. The paper was founded as The Globe in 1844 by George Brown, who was later a Father of Confederation. Brown selected as the motto for the editorial page a quotation from Junius, "The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures." The quotation is carried on the editorial page daily to this day. In 1936, after a merger with The Mail and Empire (ironically, the Mail was the paper of Brown's arch-rival, Sir John A. Macdonald), the Globe became The Globe and Mail. In 1962, the paper added its popular Report on Business section. Report on Business Magazine, published by and carried in the newspaper, would follow, as would the specialty channel Report on Business Television. Through the late 19th and early 20th centuries the newspaper was strictly a Toronto-oriented daily, competing with The Toronto Star in a heated newspaper war. As The Globe and Mail lost ground to the Star locally, the newspaper began to circulate nationally in search of subscribers, adopting the masthead slogan "Canada's National Newspaper" in the process. Long owned by Kenneth Thomson and his family, in 2001 control of the paper was sold to a BCE Inc., also owners of the CTV network. The network and paper are now owned by Bell Globemedia, owned 20% by Bell Canada Enterprises and 40% by the Thomson family and 20% by Torstar(Parent company of the Toronto Star). Editorially, The Globe and Mail has historically been seen as a conservative and business-oriented paper. Since the 1998 launch of rival conservative paper The National Post, the Globe has been seen as increasingly centrist or even liberal; however, no media studies have yet examined whether the editorial thrust of the paper has actually changed (as opposed to the zeitgeist changing around it) and recent anecdotal observations are typically made in comparison to the Post. Following the tenure of chief editor Edward Greenspon in 2002, The Globe and Mail has been criticized for returning to its conservative tradition; its editorial cartoonist Brian Gable has mocked it as sensationalistic, and its columnist Lawrence Martin has called for the creation of a new national newspaper [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050303/COMARTIN03/TPComment/?query=lawrence+martin] (paid subscription required). Possibly due to this competition the paper has made other changes such as the introduction of colour photographs and the creation of the "Review" section on arts, entertainment and culture. Though promoted as a national paper and sold throughout Canada, The Globe and Mail also serves as a Toronto metropolitan paper, publishing several special sections in its Toronto edition which are not included in the national edition. As such it is sometimes popularly ridiculed as being too focused on the GTA, which could be seen as part of a wider humourous notion of Torontonians sometimes being blind to the wider concerns of the nation. (A similar criticism is sometimes applied to The New York Times). For this reason, critics sometimes refer to the paper as the Toronto Globe and Mail or as Toronto's National Newspaper. Other satirical nicknames for the paper include Mop and Pail or Grope and Flail, both of which were coined by longtime Globe and Mail humour columnist Richard J. Needham. The Globe and Mail outsold the National Post throughout the so-called "national newspaper war" and has begun to regain some of the lost ground as the Posts new owner, CanWest, has been reluctant to invest in expansion.
Regular contributors

- Christie Blatchford
- John Barber
- Scott Colbourne
- John Doyle
- Marcus Gee
- John Ibbitson
- Lawrence Martin
- Heather Mallick
- Leah McLaren
- Rex Murphy
- Eric Reguly
- Lorne Rubenstein
- Rick Salutin
- Jeffrey Simpson
- Russell Smith
- Norman Spector
- William Thorsell
- Bob Weeks
- Margaret Wente
- Hugh Winsor
- Jan Wong
- Ken Wiwa
See also

- Media in Canada
External links

- [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/ Official website]
- [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/services/site/history.html Official history]
- [http://www.cna-acj.ca/client/cna/cna.nsf/web/FactsReadership The Canadian Newspaper Association: Readership Facts]. Globe and Mail, The Globe and Mail, The

RCMP

right The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP or Mounties; French, Gendarmerie royale du Canada, GRC) is both the federal police force and the national police of Canada. The RCMP acts as the federal (national) police for all of Canada, enforcing certain federal laws. It also has contracts with Canada's three territories and eight of its provinces to serve as their provincial/territorial police force. Most of Canada's provinces, while constitutionally responsible for law and order, prefer to sub-contract policing to this professional national force that consequently operates under their direction in regard to provincial and municipal law enforcement. The exceptions are Ontario, Quebec, and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, which have their own provincial police forces. Additionally, many towns and cities throughout Canada also contract the RCMP to serve as their municipal police force. The RCMP is the largest police force in Canada; as of April 2005, the RCMP had an on-strength establishment of 22,557 personnel. The RCMP was created as the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873, given the "Royal" title in 1904, becoming the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP), and renamed to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Force in 1920 when the RNWMP was merged with the Dominion Police. Among themselves, the Mounties universally refer to their organization as "The Force" and members of the force are referred to as "Members." It has been theorized that the international popularity of the force lies in it being representative of a symbol of the balance of civilization and the frontier. That is, the RCMP is a police force that operates in the seemingly wild frontier, but operates under the behest of a central, if somewhat removed, bureaucratic authority back in the settled regions. In addition, the existence of the RCMP in Canada and the complete lack of any analogous organization in the Western United States during the frontier period has often been cited as both a cause and effect of cultural differences between Canada and the United States.

History

United States The RCMP was created as the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) on May 23, 1873 by Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, with the intent of bringing law and order to (and asserting Canadian sovereignty over) the North-West Territories (which then included modern day Alberta, Nunavut and Saskatchewan). This need was particularly urgent with reports of American whisky traders, in particular those of Fort Whoop-Up, causing trouble in the region, culminating in the Cypress Hills Massacre. The force was initially to be called the North West Mounted Rifles, but that was rejected as too military in nature, Macdonald fearing that this could antagonize both the First Nations and the Americans. Acting on a suggestion in his cabinet, Macdonald had the force wear red uniforms. The force was organized like a British cavalry regiment and still maintains some of the traditions of those units, like the well known, Canadian Musical Ride, to this day.

Initial Activities

The initial force, commanded by Colonel George Arthur French, set out from Fort Dufferin Manitoba on July 8th 1874 on a march to what is now Alberta. The group comprised of 22 officers, 287 men-called Constables and Sub-Constables - 310 horses, 67 wagons, 114 ox-carts, 18 yoke of oxen, 50 cows and 40 calves. An account of the journey was recorded in diary of Henri Julien, an artist from the Canadian Illustrated News, who accompanied the expedition . Modern historians have theorized that the failure of the 1874 "March West" would not have ended the Canadian federal government's vision of settling the country's western plains, but would have delayed it for many years. In particular, a failure would have encouraged the Canadian Pacific Railway to seek a route for its transcontinental railway that went through the well-mapped and partially settled valley of the North Saskatchewan River, touching on Prince Albert, Battleford and Edmonton. There would have been no economic reason for the creation of cities like Brandon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Medicine Hat and Calgary. That, in turn, would have tempted American expansionists to make a play for the Canadian prairies' flat, empty southern regions. In effect, the history of Canada would have been radically different had French and his men failed. The NWMP's early activities included containing the whisky trade and enforcing agreements with the First Nations peoples. To that end, the commanding officer of the force arranged to be sworn in as a justice of the peace, which allowed for magisterial authority in the Mounties' jurisdiction. In the early years, the force's dedication to enforcing the law on the First Nations peoples' behalf impressed them enough to encourage good relations. In the Summer of 1876 Sitting Bull and thousands of Sioux were fleeing the US Military to southern Saskatchewan, and James Morrow Walsh of the NWMP was charged with maintaining control in the large Sioux settlement at Wood Mountain. Walsh and Sitting Bull became good friends, and the peace at Wood Mountain was maintained. In 1885, the NWMP helped to quell the North-West Rebellion led by Louis Riel.

Klondike Gold Rush and after

Louis Riel In 1894, concerned about the influx of American miners and the liquor trade, the Canadian government sent inspector Charles Constantine to report on conditions in the Yukon. Constantine correctly forecast a coming gold rush and urgently recommended sending of a force to enforce Canadian sovereignty and collect customs duties. He returned the following year with a force of 20 men. The force distinguished itself during the Klondike gold rush (started in 1896) under the command of Constantine and his successor in 1898, the more famous Sam Steele. The NWMP made the Klondike gold rush one of the most peaceful and orderly such affairs in history. The NWMP not only enforced criminal law, but also collected customs duties, established a number of rules such as the "ton of goods" requirement for prospectors to enter the Yukon to avoid another famine, mandatory boat inspections for those wanting to travel the Yukon River, and created the "Blue ticket" used to expel undesirables from the Klondike. The Mounties did tolerate certain illegal activities such as gambling and prostitution, which they would have been unable to control in any case. Also, the force did not succeed in its attempt to establish order and Canadian sovereignty in Skagway, Alaska at the head of the Lynn Canal, and instead created the customs post at the summit of the Chilkoot Pass. Ironically, the force's dissolution was being discussed around that time in Parliament, but the Mounties' conduct so impressed the prospectors during the gold rush that the force became famous around the world and its survival was ensured. In 1903 jurisdiction was extended to the Arctic coast, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905, and in 1912 to northern Manitoba. During the Boer War, the force raised the Canadian Mounted Rifles, mostly from NWMP members, for service in South Africa. For the CMR's distinguished service there, Edward VII honoured the NWMP by changing the name to the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) on June 24, 1904. In 1919 the RNWMP was used to repress the Winnipeg General Strike, when officers fired into a crowd of strikers, killing two and causing injuries to thirty others.

Creation of the RCMP

Winnipeg General Strike On February 1, 1920 the RNWMP was merged with the Dominion Police and was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with responsibility for federal law enforcement in all provinces and territories. In 1935 the RCMP, collaborating with the Regina city police, crushed the On-to-Ottawa Trek, which had been organized to call attention to the need for decent treatment of the unemployed men in the relief camps.

Evolving responsibilities

In the 1920s, the RCMP assumed responsibility for national counter-intelligence, which they retained for decades. However, by the late 1970s, it was discovered the force had in the course of their intelligence duties engaged in crimes such as burning a barn and stealing documents from the separatist Parti Québécois, among other abuses. This led to the [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004009 McDonald Commission - Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP], better known as the "McDonald Commission", named after the presiding judge, Mr Justice David Cargill McDonald (died 1996). The Commission recommended that the force's intelligences duties be removed in favour of the creation of a separate intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). In 1932 men and vessels of the Preventive Service, National Revenue, are absorbed , creating the RCMP Marine Section The acquisition of the RCMP schooner St. Roch facilitated the first effective patrol of Canada's Arctic territory. It was the first vessel to navigate the Northwest Passage from west to east (1940-1942), the first to navigate the Passage in one season (1944), and the first to circumnavigate North America (1950). In 1993 the RCMP's counter-terrorism duties, performed by the Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), were transferred to the Canadian Armed Forces, creating a new unit called Joint Task Force Two (JTF2). JTF2 inherited some equipment and SERT's former training base near Ottawa.

Modern Era

Ottawa Ottawa On March 3, 2005, four RCMP officers were shot dead during an operation to recover stolen property and investigate a possible marijuana grow-op in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta. Shooter Jim Roszko, 46, then shot and killed himself. It was the single worst multiple killing of RCMP officers since the Northwest Rebellion. One of the four Mounties killed had been on the job for only seventeen days. The victims were:
- Const. Lionide (Leo) Nicholas Johnston, 34 - Mayerthorpe Detachment
- Const. Anthony Fitzgerald Orion Gordon, 28 - Whitecourt Town Detachment General Policing and Highway Patrol
- Const. Brock Warren Myrol, 29 - Mayerthorpe Detachment
- Const. Peter Christopher Schiemann, 25 - Mayerthorpe Detachment General Policing and Highway Patrol See [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/03/04/myrol-rcmp050304.html CBC].

The RCMP in wartime

The Boer War

During the Boer War, members of the North West Mounted Police were given leaves of absence to fight with the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles and the Lord Strathcona's Horse.

World War I

During the First World War the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) conducted border patrols, surveillance of enemy aliens, and enforcement of national security regulations within Canada. However, RNWMP officers also served overseas. On 6 August, 1914, a squadron of volunteers from the RNWMP was formed to serve with the Canadian Light Horse in France. In 1918, two more squadrons were raised, A Squadron for service in France and Flanders and B Squadron for service in Siberia

World War II

In 1939, No. 1 Provost Company (RCMP), Canadian Provost Corps, was raised for service in Europe. The unit served with distinction throughout the Second World War.

Honours

Second World War Although it is a police force, the RCMP has the status of a regiment of dragoons, and as such is entitled to wear battle honours for its war service as well as carry a guidon. It was awarded this status in 1921, with its first guidon presented in 1935. As a regiment, the RCMP mounted the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards Parade in 1937 leading up to the coronation of King George VI.
- Battle Honours
- Early Honours: Northwest Canada 1885, South Africa 1900-02
- The Great War: France and Flanders 1918, Siberia 1918-19
- The Second World War: Europe, 1939-45
- Honorary Distinction
- The badge of the Canadian Provost Corps¹ 1. Presented 21 Sep. 1957 at a Parliament Hill ceremony for contributions to the Corps during the Second World War.

History of the Uniform

The RCMP are famous for their distinctive Red Serge, a scarlet ceremonial uniform with a stetson hat with a wide flat brim which is worn on special occasions, and the Musical Ride (a ceremony in which officers showcase their horse riding skills and uniform in the execution of a variety of intricate figures and cavalry drills with music). On normal duties, the RCMP uses standard police methods, equipment, and uniforms. Horses are no longer used operationally by any unit. drill The Red Serge tunic that identified initially the NWMP, and later the RNWMP and RCMP, is of the standard British military pattern. The NWMP was originally kitted out from militia stores, resulting initially in several different styles of tunic, although the style later became standardized. This style was used to both to emphasize the British nature of the force and to differentiate it from the blue American military uniforms. The blue shoulder epaulets were added in the 1920's after it was granted its "Royal" status from the British Soverign for its service in World War I, replacing gold-trimmed scarlet straps from the earlier uniforms. Currently, RCMP personnel under the rank of Inspector wear blue "gorget" patches on the collar, while officers from Inspector to Commissioner have solid blue collars, along with blue pointed sleeve cuffs. Initially the NWMP wore buff trousers. Later dark blue trousers with yellow-gold strapping (stripes) were adopted. Members of the NWMP were known to exchange kit with US cavalry units along the border and it is suggested that this was the initial source for the trousers; however, blue trousers were considered early on, although with a white strap. Dark blue with yellow-gold strapping is another British cavalry tradition, and Canadian city police forces frequently wear dark blue trousers with a narrow red strap of infantry tradition. The wide flat brim stetson hat was not adopted officially until about 1904. Although the NWMP contingent at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee wore the stetson, it was an unofficial item of dress. The primary official head dress at the time was the white British foreign service helmet, also known as a pith helmet. This was not particularly practical as headdress in the Canadian west, and members wore a stetson type hat on patrol and around camp. Sam Steele is often credited with introducing the stetson-type hat, and when he left the force to command Lord Strathcona's Horse and took the regiment to South Africa he also adopted the stetson for this unit. Black riding boots were later changed to the modern brown style. The original crossbelts were later changed to the brown Sam Browne type currently worn. The brown colour of the boots and belt worn with the Red Serge come from the individual member applying numerous coats of polish, often during their time in training at Depot Division. Sidearms are standard now, but were often not worn in the early years. The everyday uniform consists of a grey shirt with dark blue tie, dark blue trousers with gold strapping, regular patrol boots called "ankle boots", regular duty equipment, and a regular policeman's style cap. A blue "Gore-Tex" open-collar jacket is worn by Constables, Corporals, Sergeants, and Staff Sergeants while a dark blue jacket, with a white shirt in place of the grey shirt, is worn by Sergeants Major, certain Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) usually involved in aspects of recruit training or media relations, and all officers from Inspector to Commissioner. Short sleeved shirts are worn in the summer by all members with Constables and NCOs not wearing the tie, and Officers wearing the tie year round. Winter dress consists of a long-sleeved shirt and tie for all members and, depending on the climate of the detachment area, heavier boots, jackets and a fur cap are worn.

Organization

The RCMP divides the country into divisions for command purposes. In general, each division is coterminous with a province (e.g. C Division is Quebec). The province of Ontario, however, is divided into two divisions, A Division (Ottawa) and O Division (rest of the province). There is one additional division - Depot Division, which is the RCMP Training Academy. The RCMP headquarters are located in Ottawa, Ontario. During 1960s and 1970s, the RCMP had Special Constables in its ranks. Unlike regular members, their duties were to police the airports and, in certain Canadian provinces, the court houses. This program was abolished in the 1980s or 1990s. In the early years of policing in Northern Canada, and well into the 1950's, local native people were hired by the RCMP as Special Constables and were employed as guides and to source and care for sled dog teams. Many of these former Special Constables still reside in the North to this day and were are still involved in regimental funtions of the RCMP, especially with Canada's declaration that 2005 be recognized as the "Year of the Veteran".

Ranks

The rank system of the RCMP illustrates their origin as a paramilitary force. The insigina was based upon the Canadian army of the time, which is almost identical to that of the current British Army. Higher ranks have been increased over the years since the formation of the force, whereas the rank of inspector, which was initally a subaltern, is now a field officer level, the lower officer ranks having been dropped. With the military introducing the warrant officer, the RCMP non-commissioned officers were maintained using the older military style. The ranks of the RCMP, in English and French with their insignia, are:

Name of rank in English / French	Insignia
Commissioner / commissaire (1)	Image:Rcmp-commissioner.jpg
Deputy Commissioner / sous-commissaire (7)	Image:Rcmp-depcommissioner.jpg
Assistant Commissioner / commissaire adjoint (24)	Image:Rcmp-asstcommissioner.jpg
Chief Superintendent / surintendant principal (52)	Image:Rcmp-chiefsuperintendent.jpg
Superintendent / surintendant (143)	Image:Rcmp-superintendent.jpg
Inspector / inspecteur (346)	Image:Rcmp-inspector.jpg
Corps Sergeant-Major / sergent-major du corps (1)	Image:Rcmp-corpssergeantmajor.jpg
Sergeant-Major / sergent-major (6)	Image:Rcmp-sergeantmajor.jpg
Staff Sergeant-Major / sergent-major d'état major (1)	Image:Rcmp-staffsergeantmajor.jpg
Staff Sergeant / sergent d'état-major (742)	Image:Rcmp-staffsergeant.jpg
Sergeant / sergent (1,616)	Image:Rcmp-sergeant.jpg
Corporal / caporal (2,928)	Image:Rcmp-corporal.jpg
Constable / gendarme (10,136)

The ranks of Inspector and higher are commissioned ranks and are appointed by the House of Commons. Depending on the dress, badges are worn on the shoulder as slip-ons, on shoulder boards, or directly on the epaulettes. The lower ranks are non-commissioned officers and the insignia continues to be based on British army patterns. Since 1990, the non-commissioned officers’ rank insignia has been embroidered on the epaulette slip-ons. Non-commissioned rank badges are worn on the right sleeve of the scarlet/blue tunic and blue jacket. The Constables wear no rank insignia. There are also Special Constables, Auxiliary Constables, and Students who wear identifying insignia. The current number in each rank is identified in brackets. Several provinces have indicated increasing the numbers. Number of others are listed below:
- Special Constables 82
- Civilian Members 2,605
- Public Servants 3,867
- Total 22,557

The RCMP in popular culture

1990, Canada Day 1999.]] The Mounties have been immortalized as symbols of Canadian culture in numerous Hollywood movies, which often feature the image of the Mountie as square-jawed, stoic, and polite, and with the motto that the Mountie "always gets his man." (In actual fact, the RCMP's motto is Maintiens le droit, French for "Maintain the Right". The Hollywood motto dervies from a comment by the Montana newspaper, the Fort Benton Record: "They fetch their man every time." .) A famous example is the radio and television series, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Dudley Do-Right (of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show) is a 1960s example of the comic aspect of the Mountie myth. The Broadway musical and Hollywood movie Rose Marie is a 1930s example of its romantic side. Canadians also poke fun at the RCMP with Sergeant Renfrew and his faithful dog Cuddles in various sketches produced by the Royal Canadian Air Farce comedy troupe. The British have also exploited the myth: the BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a group of mounties singing the chorus in The Lumberjack Song in the famous lumberjack sketch. Ren and Stimpy also parodied the Mounties in the episode Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen. More recently, the 1994-98 TV series Due South paired a Mountie with a streetwise American detective cleaning up the streets of Chicago, Illinois, mainly deriving its entertainment from the perceived differences in attitude between these two countries' police forces.

External links

- [http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca The official website of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police]
- [http://www.rcmpmuseum.com RCMP Museum]

References

- [http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/html/organi_e.htm Organization of the RCMP]
- [http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/history/marchwest_e.htm Diary of Commissioner George Arthur French] August 20, 2005
- [http://www.ourheritage.net/julien_pages/Julien1.html The Diary of Henri Julien]
- [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1109976610322&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX The Toronto Star] March 5, 2005 "Force's legacy endures". Category:Law enforcement agencies of Canada Category:Canadian intelligence agencies Category:Cavalry
- Category:Canadian federal departments and agencies Category:Canadian regiments Category:History of Canada ja:王立カナダ騎馬警察

Lavalas

Fanmi Lavalas is a political party in Haiti. The former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is a member, and it also dominates parliament, with 73 out of 83 deputies, and 26 out of 27 senators. It was formed in 1996 as a split by Aristide from the Lavalas Political Organization, the rump of which is now known as the Struggling People's Party. Two main reasons for the creation of Fanmi Lavalas are known: a) to allow the Lavalas movement to remain inclusive; b) to prevent OPL's opportunistic figures from taking over the movement's leadership from Aristide. "Fanmi Lavalas" is awkwardly translated as "Avalanche Family" (referring to floods) but the name is almost never completely translated from Haitian Creole, although it is sometimes given as "Lavalas Family".

External links

[http://www.hayti.net/tribune/ Official Site of the Fanmi Lavalas Commission of Communication] [http://www.lavalas.org/ Lavalas.Org] Category:Political parties in Haiti

December 1

December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 30 days remaining.

Events

- 1135 - Henry I of England dies at St. Denis le Fermont in Normandy of food poisoning from a surfeit of lampreys.
- 1640 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king.
- 1822 - Peter I is crowned as Emperor of Brazil.
- 1824 - U.S. presidential election, 1824: Since no candidate received a majority of the total electoral college votes in the election, the United States House of Representatives is given the task of deciding the winner (as stipulated by the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution).
- 1835 - Hans Christian Andersen publishes his first book of fairy tales
- 1884 - American Old West - Near Frisco (now Reserve), New Me