Canadian Conservatives Keep Oil Torches Burning For Pollution and Apartheid.
Joseph Raglione
March 01, 2010
Gentle readers within this American Chronicle, for years now I have been including the names and email addresses of U.S. government members. Today, I am giving you the government Urls and emails of every Canadian minister in Ottawa with the hope that you will send them a message thanking them for a great Winter Olympics. And while you are at it, why not ask them when the dangerous and polluting Tar Sands project will be closed forever? That project makes Canada the number one largest polluter on the planet, with the U.S. Coal and Oil industries a close second. Just for good measure, you can also ask the Canadian ministers not to limit free speech in Canada, especially when it comes to divisive issues such as the Israel/Palestine question. The word Apartheid is now back in the headlines...>
Please forward widely.*
Defend free speech on Palestine!
Tell your MPs: Oppose Conservative motion attacking free speech on
Israel/Palestine!*
Conservative Member of Parliament Tim Uppal (Edmonton - Sherwood
Park) has announced that he will introduce a motion in the House of
Commons next week that condemns Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), a
series of campus-based educational events that takes place at
universities and colleges all over the world (see below the text of
Uppal's motion). Uppal's motion also condemns the use of the term
"apartheid" in any discussion or debate about Israel.
If Uppal's motion passes, it will represent an unprecedented attack
on free speech in Canada. That it has even been proposed, however,
is also a clear sign of the strength and exponential growth of the
Palestinian-led solidarity campaign grounded in the 2005 call for
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel.
What is unfortunate about this motion, in addition to its blatant
attack on freedom of expression, is that it shows a lack of
understanding of the concept of Apartheid and of the realities of
life in Israel/Palestine. No one knows better what Apartheid looks
like than the people of South Africa. In South Africa this month,
Israeli Apartheid Week is taking place in at least three cities,
under the banner of "Apartheid for One is Apartheid for All". It is
being co-organized by the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(COSATU), one of the main bodies that significantly contributed to
the demise of Apartheid in South Africa.
A similar motion in the Ontario Legislature on February 25 prompted
immediate widespread public protest aimed at MPPs' offices. In
response, the leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party
(ONDP) Andrea Horwath rightly acknowledged the motion as "divisive"
and noted that "shutting down debate, on this or any other matter,
is not constructive and is entirely unhelpful". The federal NDP, and
all other federal parties, should be urged to follow Horwath's
leadership on this issue.
Please follow the steps below to let your MPs know that you oppose
this attack on free speech and on the Palestine solidarity movement.
E-mailing is the fastest and easiest way to contact MPs. Just follow
these steps:
Step 1:
Cut and paste the e-mail addresses of your local Members of
Parliament into the "To" line of your e-mail. Include e-mail
addresses for both your MPs' Parliament Hill and constituency
offices. You can find e-mail addresses for Members of Parliament here:*
http://bit.ly/MPsEmail
Step 2:
Cut and paste the e-mail addresses of key government and opposition
leaders (from all parties) into your "CC" line. If your e-mail
account can't e-mail this many addresses at once, try sending your
e-mail to a smaller block of addresses one at a time. You may have
to send several e-mails in order to reach everyone.*
Uppal.T@parl.gc.ca
;
Harper.S@parl.gc.ca
;
HarpeS@parl.gc.ca
;
HillJ@parl.gc.ca
;
HillJ1@parl.gc.ca
;
lebrem@sen.parl.gc.ca
;
Reid.S@parl.gc.ca
;
mp@scottreid.ca
;
KenneJ@parl.gc.ca
;
KenneJ7@parl.gc.ca
;
Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca
;
ignatm@parl.gc.ca
;
Goodale.R@parl.gc.ca
;
GoodaR@parl.gc.ca
;
cowanj@sen.parl.gc.ca
;
Silva.M@parl.gc.ca
;
SilvaM@parl.gc.ca
;
Cotler.I@parl.gc.ca
;
CotleI@parl.gc.ca
;
layton.j@parl.gc.ca
;
laytoj@parl.gc.ca
;
Davies.L@parl.gc.ca
;
Daviel@parl.gc.ca
;
Mulcair.T@parl.gc.ca
;
Mulcat@parl.gc.ca
;
Wasylycia-Leis.J@parl.gc.ca
;
wasylj@parl.gc.ca
;
martin.pat@parl.gc.ca
;
MartiPD@parl.gc.ca
;
Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca
;
ducepg1@parl.gc.ca
;
Paquette.P@parl.gc.ca
;
joliette@pierrepaquette.qc.ca
;
Gagnon.C@parl.gc.ca
;
gagnoc1@parl.gc.ca
;
Desnoyers.L@parl.gc.ca
;
DesnoL@parl.gc.ca
;
ThilaE@parl.gc.ca
;
ThilaE1@parl.gc.ca
;
info@cpcca.ca
;
NOTE: In addition to e-mail messages, it is important for MPs to
receive phone calls and office visits in the coming days; please
voice your opposition in all possible ways.
Step 3:
Don't forget to fill out your subject line:*
I support free speech. Oppose the Conservative motion attacking free
speech on Israel/Palestine.
Step 4:
Cut and paste the message below. Feel free to personalize it with
your own words. And don't forget to include your name (and address)
at the bottom. If you know the name of your Members of Parliament,
please make sure you address your message to them.*
Dear Members of Parliament:
I am writing to urge you to oppose the Conservative motion attacking
free speech on Israel/Palestine. Conservative Member of Parliament
Tim Uppal (Edmonton - Sherwood Park) has announced that he will
introduce a motion in the House of Commons next week that condemns
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), a series of campus-based educational
events that takes place at universities and colleges all over the
world. Uppal's motion also condemns the use of the term "apartheid"
in any discussion or debate about Israel.
This motion, if passed, will represent an unprecedented attack on
free speech in Canada. I urge you to defend free speech in Canada,
and to oppose Uppal's motion.
IAW has grown in size and scope since it was first launched on
campuses in Toronto in 2005, and now includes dozens of events in
over 50 cities worldwide, including three cities in South Africa.
IAW is marked by its inclusive and diverse nature, its respect for
discussion and debate, and its call for peaceful solutions to the
Israel-Palestine conflict. IAW has been endorsed and supported by
dozens of organizations including student unions, trade unions,
faith groups, and Jewish solidarity organizations.
The term "apartheid" is not a hateful one, nor is it on the
"margins" of mainstream debate. South African anti-apartheid
campaigners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond
Tutu and President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(COSATU) Willie Madisha, regularly use the term "apartheid" to
describe the conditions in which Palestinians live, both inside
Israel and in the Occupied Territories. Former U.S. President Jimmy
Carter uses the term in his best-selling book /Palestine: Peace, Not
Apartheid/. The term is also used widely inside Israel itself:
former Israeli Prime Minister and current Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak recently used the term in a speech about the consequences
of stalled peace talks.
The conditions in which Palestinians live clearly meet the
definition of "apartheid" as described by the United Nations. The
increasingly differential system of roads, housing, laws, access to
resources, basic rights, living conditions, and quality of life
between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians all point to a system of
apartheid. Palestinians have the right to describe these conditions
in the way they experience them - without being condemned by the
Parliament of Canada.
You may disagree with such an analysis, but you have no right to
limit or restrict Palestinians and their supporters from expressing
a completely legitimate perspective. Uppal's motion to condemn IAW
represents a serious threat to free speech in Canada, and should be
opposed. The House of Commons should not be in the business of
censorship.
Once again, I strongly urge you to oppose the Conservative motion
and to demonstrate support for free speech in Canada – including for
those political perspectives with which you might disagree.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Step 5:
Press send!*
Please BCC e-mails to freespeechiaw2010@gmail.com
so we can keep track of how many e-mails are being sent. Please also
forward us any responses you get from MPs.
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW)* lasts from March 1 to 7 at dozens of
venues in 16 cities across Canada. For local city schedules, please
visit: www.apartheidweek.org .
Conservative MP Tim Uppal's (tentative) motion:*
"That this House considers itself to be a friend of the State of
Israel; that this House is concerned about expressions of
anti-Semitism under the guise of "Israeli Apartheid Week"; and that
this House explicitly condemns any action in Canada as well as
internationally that would equate the State of Israel with the
rejected and racist policy of apartheid."
Please forward widely.*
Defend free speech on Palestine!
Tell your MPs: Oppose Conservative motion attacking free speech on
Israel/Palestine!*
Conservative Member of Parliament Tim Uppal (Edmonton - Sherwood
Park) has announced that he will introduce a motion in the House of
Commons next week that condemns Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), a
series of campus-based educational events that takes place at
universities and colleges all over the world (see below the text of
Uppal's motion). Uppal's motion also condemns the use of the term
"apartheid" in any discussion or debate about Israel.
If Uppal's motion passes, it will represent an unprecedented attack
on free speech in Canada. That it has even been proposed, however,
is also a clear sign of the strength and exponential growth of the
Palestinian-led solidarity campaign grounded in the 2005 call for
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel.
What is unfortunate about this motion, in addition to its blatant
attack on freedom of expression, is that it shows a lack of
understanding of the concept of Apartheid and of the realities of
life in Israel/Palestine. No one knows better what Apartheid looks
like than the people of South Africa. In South Africa this month,
Israeli Apartheid Week is taking place in at least three cities,
under the banner of "Apartheid for One is Apartheid for All". It is
being co-organized by the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(COSATU), one of the main bodies that significantly contributed to
the demise of Apartheid in South Africa.
A similar motion in the Ontario Legislature on February 25 prompted
immediate widespread public protest aimed at MPPs' offices. In
response, the leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party
(ONDP) Andrea Horwath rightly acknowledged the motion as "divisive"
and noted that "shutting down debate, on this or any other matter,
is not constructive and is entirely unhelpful". The federal NDP, and
all other federal parties, should be urged to follow Horwath's
leadership on this issue.
Please follow the steps below to let your MPs know that you oppose
this attack on free speech and on the Palestine solidarity movement.
E-mailing is the fastest and easiest way to contact MPs. Just follow
these steps:
Step 1:
Cut and paste the e-mail addresses of your local Members of
Parliament into the "To" line of your e-mail. Include e-mail
addresses for both your MPs' Parliament Hill and constituency
offices. You can find e-mail addresses for Members of Parliament here:*
http://bit.ly/MPsEmail
Step 2:
Cut and paste the e-mail addresses of key government and opposition
leaders (from all parties) into your "CC" line. If your e-mail
account can't e-mail this many addresses at once, try sending your
e-mail to a smaller block of addresses one at a time. You may have
to send several e-mails in order to reach everyone.*
Uppal.T@parl.gc.ca
;
Harper.S@parl.gc.ca
;
HarpeS@parl.gc.ca
;
HillJ@parl.gc.ca
;
HillJ1@parl.gc.ca
;
lebrem@sen.parl.gc.ca
;
Reid.S@parl.gc.ca
;
mp@scottreid.ca
;
KenneJ@parl.gc.ca
;
KenneJ7@parl.gc.ca
;
Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca
;
ignatm@parl.gc.ca
;
Goodale.R@parl.gc.ca
;
GoodaR@parl.gc.ca
;
cowanj@sen.parl.gc.ca
;
Silva.M@parl.gc.ca
;
SilvaM@parl.gc.ca
;
Cotler.I@parl.gc.ca
;
CotleI@parl.gc.ca
;
layton.j@parl.gc.ca
;
laytoj@parl.gc.ca
;
Davies.L@parl.gc.ca
;
Daviel@parl.gc.ca
;
Mulcair.T@parl.gc.ca
;
Mulcat@parl.gc.ca
;
Wasylycia-Leis.J@parl.gc.ca
;
wasylj@parl.gc.ca
;
martin.pat@parl.gc.ca
;
MartiPD@parl.gc.ca
;
Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca
;
ducepg1@parl.gc.ca
;
Paquette.P@parl.gc.ca
;
joliette@pierrepaquette.qc.ca
;
Gagnon.C@parl.gc.ca
;
gagnoc1@parl.gc.ca
;
Desnoyers.L@parl.gc.ca
;
DesnoL@parl.gc.ca
;
ThilaE@parl.gc.ca
;
ThilaE1@parl.gc.ca
;
info@cpcca.ca
;
NOTE: In addition to e-mail messages, it is important for MPs to
receive phone calls and office visits in the coming days; please
voice your opposition in all possible ways.
Step 3:
Don't forget to fill out your subject line:*
I support free speech. Oppose the Conservative motion attacking free
speech on Israel/Palestine.
Step 4:
Cut and paste the message below. Feel free to personalize it with
your own words. And don't forget to include your name (and address)
at the bottom. If you know the name of your Members of Parliament,
please make sure you address your message to them.*
Dear Members of Parliament:
I am writing to urge you to oppose the Conservative motion attacking
free speech on Israel/Palestine. Conservative Member of Parliament
Tim Uppal (Edmonton - Sherwood Park) has announced that he will
introduce a motion in the House of Commons next week that condemns
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), a series of campus-based educational
events that takes place at universities and colleges all over the
world. Uppal's motion also condemns the use of the term "apartheid"
in any discussion or debate about Israel.
This motion, if passed, will represent an unprecedented attack on
free speech in Canada. I urge you to defend free speech in Canada,
and to oppose Uppal's motion.
IAW has grown in size and scope since it was first launched on
campuses in Toronto in 2005, and now includes dozens of events in
over 50 cities worldwide, including three cities in South Africa.
IAW is marked by its inclusive and diverse nature, its respect for
discussion and debate, and its call for peaceful solutions to the
Israel-Palestine conflict. IAW has been endorsed and supported by
dozens of organizations including student unions, trade unions,
faith groups, and Jewish solidarity organizations.
The term "apartheid" is not a hateful one, nor is it on the
"margins" of mainstream debate. South African anti-apartheid
campaigners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond
Tutu and President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(COSATU) Willie Madisha, regularly use the term "apartheid" to
describe the conditions in which Palestinians live, both inside
Israel and in the Occupied Territories. Former U.S. President Jimmy
Carter uses the term in his best-selling book /Palestine: Peace, Not
Apartheid/. The term is also used widely inside Israel itself:
former Israeli Prime Minister and current Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak recently used the term in a speech about the consequences
of stalled peace talks.
The conditions in which Palestinians live clearly meet the
definition of "apartheid" as described by the United Nations. The
increasingly differential system of roads, housing, laws, access to
resources, basic rights, living conditions, and quality of life
between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians all point to a system of
apartheid. Palestinians have the right to describe these conditions
in the way they experience them - without being condemned by the
Parliament of Canada.
You may disagree with such an analysis, but you have no right to
limit or restrict Palestinians and their supporters from expressing
a completely legitimate perspective. Uppal's motion to condemn IAW
represents a serious threat to free speech in Canada, and should be
opposed. The House of Commons should not be in the business of
censorship.
Once again, I strongly urge you to oppose the Conservative motion
and to demonstrate support for free speech in Canada – including for
those political perspectives with which you might disagree.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Step 5:
Press send!*
Please BCC e-mails to freespeechiaw2010@gmail.com
so we can keep track of how many e-mails are being sent. Please also
forward us any responses you get from MPs.
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW)* lasts from March 1 to 7 at dozens of
venues in 16 cities across Canada. For local city schedules, please
visit: www.apartheidweek.org .
Conservative MP Tim Uppal's (tentative) motion:*
"That this House considers itself to be a friend of the State of
Israel; that this House is concerned about expressions of
anti-Semitism under the guise of "Israeli Apartheid Week"; and that
this House explicitly condemns any action in Canada as well as
internationally that would equate the State of Israel with the
rejected and racist policy of apartheid."