MPs miss chance to embrace YouTube generation

In the spring of 2007, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, the well-known broadcasting advocacy group, began posting videos and podcasts of Parliamentary committee proceedings on the group's website. When officials at the House of Commons caught wind of the activities, they promptly sent a "cease and desist" letter, demanding that the videos and podcasts be removed from the Internet. A lawyer for the House of Commons argued that posting excerpts from committee proceedings could be treated as "contempt of Parliament."

The group responded that members did not want to remove the videos but would be willing to follow a reasonable procedure to obtain the necessary permissions.

That response did not sit well with the chairs of the Finance and Canadian Heritage Standing Committees, who upon learning that the group was offering webcasts and downloads of their proceedings, asked the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (SCPHA) to examine the issue to prevent further infringement.

The notion that videos of committee hearings constitute proprietary content that when used without permission raise the potential for allegations of contempt of Parliament will undoubtedly come as news to many Canadians. Using these excerpts in YouTube videos, webcasts, or podcasts has emerged as an important and powerful tool for business and consumer groups to educate the public on policy issues and legislative proposals.

Yet, House of Commons lawyers maintain that many of these activities violate the law and have sent notice and takedown demands to YouTube seeking the removal of videos that include House of Commons and committee proceedings. These include clips that involve satire and parody, since they are seen to "distort" the video itself.

SCPHA hearings held earlier this year revealed that Canada's elected officials safeguard Parliamentary video with highly restrictive licencing requirements that are typically limited to use in schools or for private study, research, criticism or review. Relying on Crown copyright, the policy states that any other use – including any commercial use – requires the express prior written approval of the Speaker of the House of Commons.

This stands in sharp contrast to the circumstance in the United States, where the default presumption is that such videos are in the public domain and can be freely used without permission. House of Commons lawyers portrayed that approach as representing an extreme position.

To their credit, most of the MPs on the committee recognized that changes to the policies in the YouTube era are needed. However, MPs from the three opposition parties expressed reluctance to mirror the U.S. approach, fearing that some videos taken out of context could be "terrifically damaging." Bloc MP Claude DeBellefeuille raised the possibility of lawsuits to enforce the copyright and noted that "we will have to establish rules so that we have some recourse and that remarks can be withdrawn after they have been broadcast and pointed out."

Conservative MP Scott Reid came closest to recognizing the problems associated with retaining certain restrictions, warning against policies that provide that videos are "usable for certain purposes but not for the purposes that lie at the heart of what this speech is for." Instead, he argued that using video excerpts for either favourable or critical purposes would be appropriate.

The committee adopted a liberalized policy that permits non-commercial reproduction without prior permission. Commercial uses still require prior approval, while distorting a video for parody, satire or political comment may still lead to demands for its removal. The new policy is a modest improvement, but it fails to fully realize the potential of public political participation through online video.

Canadian researchers uncover a vast computer spying operation

A cyber spy network based mainly in China has tapped into classified documents from government and private organizations in 103 countries, including the computers of Tibetan exiles, Canadian researchers said Saturday.

The work of the Information Warfare Monitor initially focused on allegations of Chinese cyber espionage against the Tibetan community in exile, especially the Dalai Lama, who is frequently denounced by Chinese officials.

The research eventually led to a much wider network of compromised machines, the Internet-based research group said.

Information Warfare Monitor is a joint effort of the SecDev Group in Ottawa and the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto.

The group said in a news release Sunday that investigators conducted field research in India, Europe and North America, including in the private office of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government-in-exile and several Tibetan NGOs.

Investigator Greg Walton said: "We uncovered real-time evidence of malware that had penetrated Tibetan computer systems, extracting sensitive documents from the private office of the Dalai Lama."

During the second phase of the investigation, the data led to the discovery of insecure, web-based interfaces to four control servers. The interfaces allow attackers to send instructions to and receive data from compromised computers.

"What we found is not so much unprecedented in scope and sophistication," said Nart Villeneuve, a senior IWM analyst.

"But the relatively small size of the network and concentration of high-value targets is significant. It does not fit the profile for a typical cyber crime network."

Principal investigators Ron Deibert and Rafal Rohozinski said: "This report serves as a wake-up call."

"At the very least, the large percentage of high-value targets compromised by this network demonstrates the relative ease with which a technically unsophisticated approach can quickly be harnessed to create a very effective spynet."

The compromised computers included, among many others, the ministry of foreign affairs of Iran; the embassies of India, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Portugal, Germany and Pakistan; the ASEAN Secretariat; the Asian Development Bank; news organizations and an unclassified computer located at NATO headquarters.

The research group said while its analysis points to China as the main source of the network, it has not conclusively been able to detect the exact identity or motivation of the hackers.

A spokesman for the Chinese Consulate in New York dismissed the idea that China was involved.

The researchers said they have notified international law-enforcement agencies of the spying operation.

The F.B.I. declined comment on the operation.

The full report of the investigation entitled, "Tracking GhostNet: Investigating a Cyber Espionage Network," was released online Sunday.

China detains soldier who spoke out about Tiananmen Square

A soldier who publicly expressed regret for his part in the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy rallies in Beijing's Tiananmen Square has been detained by Chinese police, according to a human rights group.


In an open letter posted on the internet, Zhang Shijun, 40, called on Communist party Leader Hu Jintao to reconsider the condemnation of the student-led rallies the happened almost 20 years ago.

A family member said he was taken from his home early Friday, according to the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, a mainland-based group.

Zhang was reached on his mobile phone Friday afternoon, but said, "it was not convenient to talk," before hanging up.

His wife said Friday she had not seen or heard from him.

Zhang is among only a few soldiers to speak publicly about the incident that sparked international outrage.

It is believed troops stormed into the square killing hundreds, possibly thousands of protesters on orders from top party leaders.

Zhang spoke about his experiences during the crackdown and about serving jail time later for alleged political crimes in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The next day, he was ordered into his local police station and told to shun contact with foreign media, he said.

Flag flap raised in Ontario legislature

A flag flap was flying high in Ontario on Thursday after the opposition parties discovered the legislature has started buying its provincial flags from China.

Veteran New Democrat Peter Kormos said like many members of the legislature, he hands out Ontario flags on a regular basis to groups such as the boy scouts, girl guides and various community organizations.

Members of the legislature each have a $1,000 annual budget for Ontario lapel pins and flags, which they order through the government's procurement office, as they do with most office supplies.

Kormos was fuming after learning the procurement office had stopped buying Ontario flags from a Toronto company and outsourced them to China, a move apparently to save money.

"This is shameful. It's embarrassing. It's pathetic. It's rude," Kormos shouted. "I have no possible way of explaining how frustrating and angry it is for me to discover this."

Kormos said there is no way he will give out Ontario flags bearing a "made in China" label in his Welland riding after so many workers in the province have lost jobs.

"I would have this flag thrown in my face," he said. "It would be an insult for me to give this flag to any community group, and it would be an insult for any other MPP to deliver the same flag."

Speaker Steve Peters said the government chose a new vendor that sells flags made in Canada as well as China.

The flags used at the legislature are Canadian-made, said Peters, who agreed he would raise the issue with the legislative committee that oversees spending.

"I will, on behalf of the legislature, take this back both to the Board of Internal Economy and our senior managers to look at the procurement policies for the legislature." he said.

The Progressive Conservatives said buying Chinese-made flags is a bad move, especially when Ontario faces such dire economic circumstances.

"I think it's another example of a poorly thought-out government program," said Conservative Ted Chudleigh, whose family is famous for its apple pies.

"Of all items, to have a flag that is foreign-made - if you're a Chudleigh it's like buying a foreign apple. It's just not done."

Peters said members of the legislature don't have to use the procurement office for their flags, and both Kormos and Chudleigh vowed to buy the flags they give to constituents from an Ontario manufacturer.

The flags, measuring roughly 90 centimetres by 1.8 metres (three feet by six feet), are a variation on Canada's old Red Ensign, with the Union Jack in the upper left corner and the Ontario coat of arms in a red field. They cost $13 each when bought from the Chinese company, and about $18 when made in the province.

Kormos said the Chinese-made Ontario flags are of lower quality than the ones made by Flying Colours International of Toronto, which the legislature had used for the previous 12 years.

"New Democrats have been crying out for 'buy Ontario' policies, and this is just a perfect example of how jobs are being put at risk here in Ontario by an outright foolish policy," he said.

"It symbolizes an absolute disdain for so many Ontario workers and their families who've been thrust into despair because of their job losses."

Last week, the Liberal government came under fire after the provincially owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. purchased 22 foreign-made Mercedes-Benz cars to give away at casinos.

Deputy Premier George Smitherman admitted the OLG had made a "crappy" decision, especially when the government was looking to give billions of dollars in aid to Ontario's struggling automakers.

Ontario has lost more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the last few years, including tens of thousands this year.

Chrysler threatens to pull out of Canada

Chrysler LLC says it may no longer be able to operate in Canada unless Ottawa loans the company billions of dollars and workers agree to massive wage cuts.

Chrysler president and vice chairman Tom LaSorda told MPs Wednesday the company is seeking US$2.3 billion from the Canadian government -- roughly a quarter of what it's asking from the White House.

He also said Canada's tax agency must agree to not demand more cash or collateral in a tax fight with the company. The Canada Revenue Agency is withholding $300 million in tax rebated and has put a $500-million lien on Chrysler's Brampton plant.

"The current success and long-term viability of Chrysler's manufacturing operations in Canada is very much dependent on (those) three critical factors," he told a committee hearing.

"Chrysler LLC cannot afford to manufacture products in a jurisdiction that in uncompetitive relative to other automotive jurisdictions."

New Democrat MP Joe Coartin, a member of the parliamentary committee that heard LaSorda's comments, dismissed them as little more than posturing.

"The bottom line is that Chrysler does not function in the United States without Canada," he said.

Chrysler Canada and its parent company, Chrysler LLC, have had their sales hammered by the economic downturn. Its sales were down 27 per cent in February compared to last year and it has asked Ottawa for a $1 billion in emergency loans as it works on its restructuring plan.

LaSorda said his company's labour costs are $70 an hour in wages and benefits for both current workers and retirees. He says it needs to be cut by $20 to be competitive.

Just last week, Chrysler announced it would be cutting 1,200 jobs in Windsor, Ont., by eliminating the third shift at its minivan assembly plant.

The Windsor plant produces the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans and has about 4,450 hourly workers. It is the company's only supplier on minivans as two other minivan plants have been shut down in the U.S.

LaSorda said that the company could move the Windsor plant to either of the other sites they previously shut down.

The Dodge Grand Caravan was Canada's No. 3 best selling vehicle in February.

Analysts say Chrysler is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. On top of the most recent job cut announcements, it has slashed about 32,000 jobs to staunch the financial bleeding, and has cut production levels by 30 per cent.

Olympic debt, $40,000 flying banana win government waste awards

Vancouver's Olympic Village was "honoured" Wednesday at a tongue-in-cheek awards ceremony for wasting tax dollars, with other prizes going to the auto industry, an employee spa day in Manitoba and federal arts spending on a giant inflatable banana.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) showed off gold-coloured pig statues the lobby group would like to go to winners who were guilty of government waste last year as it announced four prizes for its 11th annual Teddies Waste Awards.

Taking the municipal Teddy, with the most expensive winning example of waste, was Vancouver City Council for its handling of the Olympic Village project.

"The municipal Teddy goes to the City of Vancouver for waste of Olympic proportions," said Kevin Gaudet, CTF national director.

"The city allowed a firm to build the Olympic athletes' village on city land. The city was to earn $193 million on the deal, but the firm couldn't get the job done and the city now is on the hook for $875 million in debt," he said.

The federal Teddy went to the Canada Council for the Arts for "Best Achievement in Special Effects with Taxpayer Dollars." The federally funded agency spent $15,000 last year to help bring a Belgian art exhibit to Quebec that produces a poop-like substance when fed with food.

The council also spent $40,000 on a project that seeks to fly a giant inflatable banana over Texas.

The provincial award went to the Manitoba Child and Family Services agency, which ran a spa day for staff that included pedicures, makeup lessons and tarot card readings.

The nominees included:

- Federal - Lori Ridgeway, Fisheries and Oceans civil servant for $400,000 in travel expenses.

- Federal - CBC executives for first-class travel expenses.

- Federal - Parks Canada for a $1.8-million solar-powered washroom facility.

- Saskatchewan government - for switching college space into office space then back to college space.

- New Brunswick government - for its government-owned and subsidized lodge on the Restigouche River.

- Alberta government - for the pay hike given to MLAs.

- City of Edmonton - for producing carbon footprint calculators despite the plethora of free ones online.

- City of Winnipeg - for its failing boat tour service.

- City of Toronto - for its $935,000 rainwater toilet.

- City of Oshawa - for buying a dollhouse village for $234,000 then trying and failing to sell it.

The Big Three auto companies were winners of a lifetime achievement award for their continuing reliance on government grants and loans.

The federation's annual spoof awards are named after Ted Weatherill, a former senior public servant who was fired for lavish expense spending a decade ago.

Freed Gitmo prisoner sues U.S. for unlawful detention

Saad Muhammad Iqbal is a finally a free man, After having served more than six years at the U.S. military's detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- without any charge.

Now, Iqbal is suing the U.S. government for unlawful detention.

"I am angry in my heart," Iqbal said in a recent interview. "It's easy for the U.S. government to say, 'There are no charges found and he's free.'

"But who will be responsible for seven years of my life?"

His attorney in Washington, D.C., is suing the U.S. government, on behalf of Iqbal, through the federal court system.

It is not the first lawsuit brought against the U.S. government by a former Guantanamo detainee. But it comes as President Barack Obama takes office, promising to shut down the detention facility, possibly as early as within a year.

That could lead to an increase in the number of lawsuits brought by former detainees who -- like Iqbal -- say they were held for no reason. A former Gitmo detainee talks about his experiences »(Video)

The Pakistani citizen was taken into U.S. custody in January 2002 while visiting family in Indonesia. He was reportedly arrested after allegedly talking about making a shoe bomb, something he denies.

"I never (made) that statement," Iqbal said. "But they have (said) a lot of things, like I went to Afghanistan, but they have no proof."

Iqbal says while in U.S. custody, he was taken to Egypt, then to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. In March 2003, he arrived at Guantanamo's military prison, which became a lightning rod for critics who charged that the Bush administration had used torture on terror detainees.

Iqbal accuses his handlers in Guantanamo of beating him during his six-month hunger strike, and withholding medical treatment until he agreed to cooperate.

"Even when they take me to hospital, I can't even walk but they put me in 4 by 4 (cell), my hands tied with handcuffs and my legs also had leg shackles," he said.

The CIA the Pentagon have repeatedly denied allegations of mistreatment and torture, saying all interrogation was lawfully done. In response to Iqbal's allegations, CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano told the New York Times earlier this month, "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Six months after he was admitted to Guantanamo, Iqbal said he tried to kill himself. While no one watched, Iqbal said he and several prison mates tried to hang themselves with bed sheets.

Four of the prisoners died, according to Iqbal. But his survival continued what he calls "the theft of his freedom" by the U.S. government.

President George W. Bush and other senior officials have repeatedly denied that the U.S. government had used torture to extract intelligence from terror suspects.

Days after assuming office, President Obama plans to issue three executive orders Thursday that will show a clean break from the Bush administration on the war on terror, including one ordering the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within a year, according to a senior administration official and a congressional aide.

A second executive order will formally ban torture by requiring the Army field manual be used as the guide for terror interrogations, essentially ending the Bush administration's CIA program of enhanced interrogation methods.

A third executive order, according to the officials, will order a systematic review of detention policies and procedures and a review of all individual cases.

Iqbal was among nearly 800 inmates who came through Guantanamo Bay, classified by Washington as suspected terrorists. Most were never charged with a crime.

With the help of a U.S.-based lawyer, Iqbal was released in September without ever being charged. He returned to Pakistan, walking with the help of a cane, complaining of back pain, a bad leg, and a torn ear drum -- all the result, he says, of his time in custody.

Not once during those nearly seven years in custody did anyone tell him why he was being held.

All they told him, according to Iqbal, was that they were sent "by the U.S. government (in) Washington, D.C., by (the) CIA, to interrogate you if you have any information about terrorists or terrorism."

Despite his anger and his physical ailments, Iqbal says he "was born again and given a new life from God" after his release. He is demanding justice for what he says was his unlawful detention -- but not through violent means.

"We have to convey that Islam is a peace(ful) religion and we (do) not hate anybody," he said.

What about Canada?

The United States of America has for the first time in its long history, a person of African ancestry in the white house.

No longer is the "top job in the country" a position held exclusively by persons of Caucasian/European ancestry.

But what about Canada? Sure we've "beaten the United States to the punch" with having a female Prime Minister (Kim Campbell June 1993 - December 1993) before the United States having a female President (which may still someday happen).

But what about persons of non Caucasian/European ancestry? Canada has yet to elect our first black Prime Minister.

With immigration being one of our strong points, something Canadians can be most proud of, our extremely diverse society, We have yet to elect a person from a visual minority onto our top posting.

Is it because immigration is "still very new?

Not at all, Many of the visible minorities have been in this country for quiet some time, Many of the families here today, the so called "immigrants" are actually 2nd and even third/fourth generation in Canada.

Immigrants from Far East Asia began settling in Canada as far back as the 1880's.

Immigrants from South Asia began to call Canada there new home in 1908.

Persons from the African continent and the carribean also started to look at Canada as a new home at the beginning of the 1900's.

With such a rich cultural diversity our country has to offer, It's only a matter of time before Canada see's it's first non Caucasian/European Prime Minister.

The election of President Barack Obama to the white house could be just the extra motivation that's needed for a young, energetic up and coming politician of our own here in Canada, to realize that they too can dream that much higher, Aspire for the very top, not just settle for "a seat in the house" or "a spot in the government caucus"

It's only a matter of time before we elect Prime Minister Sing, or Prime Minister Singh....

Can we do it? YES WE CAN!