The Marxist-Leninist Daily

Continuing his dictatorship's agenda to wreck Canadian manufacturing and to reduce Canada's economy to shipping out raw resources to as many countries as possible, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in India this for a six-day visit, November 4-9. Harper is trying to push through a free trade deal, a foreign-investor protection agreement, and a nuclear co-operation agreement. Canadian cabinet ministers have made more than 20 trips to India since 2006. Harper last visited India in 2009 and free trade deal talks were launched in 2010. During the Conservative Party's 2011 election campaign, Harper promised that he would aim for a Canada-India free-trade deal by 2013, however, this is unlikely to happen. A sixth round of Canada-India trade negotiations takes place later this month in Ottawa.

Neo-liberal foreign-investor protection agreements attack national sovereignty by granting foreign companies the right to sue for compensation if a free trade agreement is "violated." (Treaties may include "exception clauses," e.g., in regard to matters deemed to involve "national security.") India's well-warranted caution on this front may be explained by the fact that in recent years it has been hit by a number of investor-state suits by foreign monopolies who are demanding India give compensation under some of the over 80 bilateral investment treaties that India has signed in recent years. Suits have been launched by British telecom monopoly Vodafone, Russian conglomerate Sistema and Norwegian telecom monopoly Telenor. Industries Australia recently won a partial settlement of $4 million in a case that began in 2002.

But if India is leery, what about Canada? It has frequently lost millions of dollars as a result of NAFTA's Chapter 11 and has very negative experience in this regard. Such clauses in no way serve either the people of India or Canada.

The Canada-India nuclear co-operation agreement that was struck two years ago is also at an impasse because of the Harper government's continuous attempts to dictate to India what it can and cannot do, in this case insist on Canada's right to verify that any nuclear material provided by Canada is used for "peaceful purposes." India opposes that insistence as unacceptable interference in its internal affairs, noting that it already reports its activity to the International Atomic Energy Agency. In an exclusive interview with Postmedia News prior to his departure, Harper hinted at lifting this insistence so as to permit the sale of Canadian nuclear reactors and material. In the interview, Harper said he is "confident" progress will be made on the issue, adding that Canada sees "opportunities" for its nuclear industry in India. Indeed, he said Canada is a producer of "virtually all forms of energy" and should be a prime supplier for India. The nuclear monopolies in Canada are pressing for the deal to go forward as soon as possible. In November 2009, Harper held a meeting with key players in India's nuclear energy sector where he was accompanied by senior executives from Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL),[1] uranium company Cameco Ltd.[2] and Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin, Canada's largest engineering and construction firm.[3]

Harper's Minister of International Trade, Joe Oliver, visited India from October 8-12 with the special aim of pitching the sale of Canada's energy resources to the monopolies which the Indian government champions. According to Oliver, Canada did $5.1-billion worth of trade with India last year, but only $4 million of it was in energy. Oliver's sales pitch emphasized the immensity of Canada's resources such as petroleum, uranium and potash, Canada's "shared values" with India, and how Canada could also supply India with expertise in the development of energy infrastructure. On October 6, Oliver broadly hinted that India was lagging behind in investing in Canada's oilsands which he said would require $650 billion in mostly foreign investment in the next ten years. The same day, a trio of state-run Indian oil companies[4] stated that in July they had bid $5 billion for stakes in undeveloped Alberta oil sands holdings owned by U.S. energy monopoly ConocoPhillips. On October 15, ConocoPhillips announced that the Indian consortium was one of three finalists for the oilsands assets.

During his visit to India, Harper will also speak in Delhi at the opening of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the first time it has met on the Indian subcontinent. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the WEF began as an organization of Western European monopolies but now represents and is funded by the 1,000 largest monopolies in the world. It meets annually in Davos Switzerland where thousands of demonstrators always gather to militantly and justly protest the meetings as against the interests of the world's people. In 2007, the WEC established the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, held annually in China, bringing together 1,500 monopolies from countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). Harper's itinerary makes it clear that the main purpose of his visit is to continue in his role as salesman for the monopolies by opening up new opportunities for the plunder of Canada's resources.

In 2009 the Harper dictatorship launched its so-called Economic Action Plan under the hoax of "fighting the recession." This should be more aptly named the Economic Auction Plan because since 2009, the Harperites have been criss-crossing the globe under the umbrella of "free trade" trying to find as many places as possible to auction off Canada's resources. But this agenda can only lead to economic disaster, especially when combined with the Harper dictatorship's wrecking of Canada's manufacturing base. What is needed is self-reliance in the economic sphere, not dependency. A self-reliant economy is built on a foundation of manufacturing and the guarantee of the well-being of the people under all circumstances. It requires that the Canadian people and First Nations own all natural resources in more than name only. This means that the people must control and make all decisions that affect the social economy and the social and natural environments. The Canadian people, led by the working class, must put an end to the Harper dictatorship's sellout and wrecking of the Canadian economy and build in its place an economy that is based on self-reliance and on trade with other countries for mutual benefit.

What Harper Had to Say

In an exclusive interview with Mark Kennedy from Postmedia News, Harper said that it's time to "turn the page" on the "very challenging and guarded relationship" Canada has had with India. That relationship became difficult "when that country built its first atomic bomb in 1974 using plutonium from a Canadian-made reactor," Postmedia asserts.

"We cannot be stuck in the 1970s," Harper said. "The world is different. This country's needs are different and this country can have a good, positive relationship with India -- and, in my judgment, needs it."

Harper said Canada needs to improve its trade and investment in India as part of a broader economic plan to rely less in future on "traditional export markets" such as the United States. "I think India will be a significant world economic power," Harper said.

And with an Indian diaspora in Canada of one million people, it's important to build on those "social and cultural connections," he said. "I think India will be a significant world economic power," he added. Postmedia writes that GDP growth in India last year was 7.2 per cent and that Harper hopes to triple bilateral trade with India to $15 billion by 2015.

Postmedia says Harper cited a "long-term" reason why strengthened ties are so important.

"I'd call it almost geopolitical global security. You know, India is in many ways a very different country. But in many ways, if you look at the emerging world, the country is very similar to Canada and to the West.

"It's a Commonwealth country. It's a country where English is one of the major languages of business and of interaction. It's a democratic country. It's a country that accepts pluralism."

Indeed, said Harper, "very few" of the world's major developing countries have as many similarities to Canada as India does.

"That's why countries like Canada and the United States and others have been working on solidifying those relationships. We will need, in the future, deeper relationships and allies in that part of the world."

"I think they're a logical partner and ally of western countries they face many of the same security issues that we face. In some ways, more imminently."

India has a population of 1.2 billion people and Postmedia repeats the myth that it is "the world's largest democracy" all the while admitting that its government is wracked with scandal and corruption.

Similarly, Postmedia presents Harper as a real champion of democracy quoting him saying things he clearly does not practice in Canada. Postmedia writes:

"Harper expressed patience with the slow pace of negotiations on a free trade deal and an investor protection agreement.

"He said economic reform often moves slowly in India because of the democratic process.

"It's hard to simply impose solutions and there are often a lot of barriers to getting things done at the governmental level.

"I'm one who happens to believe that democratic institutions, while they may slow things down, actually in the long term produce more robust outcomes with greater social buy-in and more secure long-term economic development."[5]

1. AECL was founded in 1952 as a Canadian public corporation with a mandate to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In 1954 AECL partnered with the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario to build Canada's first nuclear power plant at Rolphton, Ontario, near Chalk River. AECL produced Canada's first nuclear reactor, the CANDU, which was uranium fuelled and heavy-water moderated. The first sale of a CANDU reactor was to India in 1963, followed by another sale in 1966.
2. In the summer of 2011, as part of the Harper dictatorship's privatization schemes, SNC-Lavalin won an international bidding process for the reactor design division of AECL.
3. Cameco was formed in 1988 by the merger of two crown corporations, then privatized from 1991-2002. Cameco controls the world's largest high-grade uranium reserves in northern Saskatchewan.
4. The Indian companies were Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Oil India Ltd, and Indian Oil Corporation. India is the world's fourth biggest oil importer, buying nearly 80% of its oil needs from other countries.
5. For the full interview see, "Canada needs India as security and trade ally, Stephen Harper says in exclusive interview, " Mark Kennedy, Postmedia News, November 2, 2012.

Why Is the U.S. National Guard Training in Canada?

On November 2 the Department of National Defence announced the completion of military exercise "Maple Resolve" in Wainwright, Alberta. The month-long exercise was one of the largest training events in the history of the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre and included some 4,000 soldiers, over 15 Canadian Forces units, and members of the U.S. National Guard.

According to a DND statement, Exercise Maple Resolve provided soldiers "the opportunity to practice conventional war-fighting skills, preparing them for a wide range of operations." Why the U.S. National Guard is training in Canada to practice "war-fighting skills" was not explained in the statement. The placement of U.S. troops in Canada is becoming more and more common. In this case it is the U.S. National Guard. Following the 9/11 attacks the Liberal government signed an agreement with the United States permitting U.S. troops to enter Canada in the case of an "emergency." (It was 50,000 National Guard that were mobilized during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans during the militarized response to that humanitarian disaster.) It appears as if they are now entering Canada to train for an as yet defined "emergency." This should concern all Canadians as the U.S. military is an aggressive force trained to carry out U.S. Imperialist war crimes at home and abroad.

On the occasion of the completion of the exercises, Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay said: "The men and women of our Canadian Forces have yet again shown their professionalism and commitment during this rigorous training. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that military personnel are adequately trained for future operational needs."

"Exercise Maple Resolve is a challenging training event that focuses on readiness," said Lieutenant-General Peter Devlin, Commander of the Canadian Army. "The Canadian Army is committed to creating and sustaining well-trained, well-equipped and well-led units that can meet any challenge in any environment around the world."

"Exercise Maple Resolve was an opportunity to synchronize the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army training for our high-readiness forces," said Major-General Steve Bowes, Commander of Land Force Doctrine and Training System. "Joint training is critical for success in future deployments."

The majority of participating Canadian troops were from Land Force Quebec Area, primarily from five Canadian Mechanized Brigade Groups based in Valcartier, Quebec. Approximately 2,000 of the participating troops now form the new "Task Force 3-12," the high-readiness contingent able to deploy on short notice upon request from the Government of Canada.

Public Outrage over Abuse of Youth by
Corrections Canada and Government Cover-Up

People across Canada and Quebec have been outraged in recent days after viewing horrible videos released by the Ontario Coroner's Office showing the abusive treatment of a young woman prisoner while in the custody of Corrections Service of Canada (CSC). The videos show the inhuman treatment of Ashley Smith shortly before she died in CSC custody. Attempts by the Harper government to block the coroner's investigation of the death have also been widely condemned.

In 2007 Ashley Smith died while in custody at the Grand Valley Institution for Women, after being kept permanently in solitary confinement and being repeatedly drugged against her will. To contravene regulations prohibiting subjecting a prisoner to continuous solitary confinement for more than 60 days, CSC transferred Smith 17 times to federal prisons all across the country during an 11-month period. This subterfuge by CSC made it impossible for Smith to receive the mental health treatment she urgently required.

During the five years since the young woman's death, the Harper government has used the courts to block investigation of the death by the Ontario Coroner's Office. Under the Ontario Coroners Act, the Coroner's Office is required to carry out an inquest whenever a prisoner dies in the custody of a provincial or federal prison. The Harper government has insisted that federal officials have impunity from investigation by provincial authorities no matter how egregious an offence has been committed.

On November 1, even after the videos of Smith being abused by CSC had been publicly released, Stephen Harper and the minister responsible for CSC, Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews, defended the government blocking the coroner's investigation. Harper told Parliament that the abuse of Smith was "unacceptable" but that the government would continue to fight the court case to ensure CSC impunity from investigation by a provincial coroner's office. This position was denounced inside Parliament and across the country.

By the next day, the government was forced to back down. On November 2 , Vic Toews' parliamentary secretary told the House of Commons, "What we've instructed CSC to do is co-operate fully with the coroner's inquest."

The lawyer for Ashley Smith's family also issued a statement to the press which said, "The Smith family and other parties have received the following statement from counsel for the Department of Justice: 'Canada is withdrawing its submissions regarding the scope of the inquest and the issuance of out-of-province summonses.'"

Before they were forced to back down on covering up the circumstances of Ashley Smith's death, Harper and Toews were making a claim for CSC immunity based on prerogative powers granted the federal government by the grandees of the Supreme Court in the 1978 Keable decision.[1] In that shameful decision, the Supreme Court said provincial officials have no authority to investigate federal government officials. Harper was forced to back down on the Ashley Smith case because of the overwhelming public condemnation of his government that the case has aroused. But his government has not and never will renounce any of its prerogatives for claiming impunity when it acts outside the law.

The entire situation around the tragic death of Ashley shows the Harperites' utter disregard of the fact that the youth caught up in the criminal justice system are human beings. This anti-human outlook goes far beyond a single case. Just as the videos showing Ashley being tormented by CSC were released, Harper's Omnibus Crime Bill C-10 was coming into effect. Bill C-10 provides for even harsher treatment of young people by the justice system than is currently the case. It has been denounced across the country by youth and health workers as an abandonment of troubled youth. The UN has also declared C-10 to be a violation of Canada' commitments under the Convention on the Rights of Children because it "is excessively punitive for children and not sufficiently restorative in nature."[2]

Harper's attempt at cover-up Ashley Smith's death with a claim for impunity for CSC officials along with the Harperites' whole youth justice agenda demonstrates the most profoundly arrogant hypocrisy of the "law and order" ideologues -- impunity granted to the powerful and privileged while the crushing force of the law is used against the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

1. The Keable Commission was a Quebec government investigation of terrorist crimes committed by the RCMP throughout Quebec at the time of the FLQ crisis. The Supreme Court blocked the Keable Commission from subpoenaing federal documents which prevented the full extent of the arson, bombings and other terrorist acts carried out by the RCMP from being investigated.
2. For the full report on Canada by the Sixty-first Session of United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child see: http://rightsofchildren.ca/wp- content/uploads/Canada_CRC-Concluding- Observations_61.2012.pdf

Demonstration Against Inhuman Immigration Policies

On November 4 in Toronto hundreds of people demonstrated to oppose an event organized by Israeli Zionists to honour Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Kenney was being honoured by Israel's Haifa University for his work to strengthen the ties between the Harper dictatorship and the Israeli state terrorists. The event was a fundraiser for the "Jason Kenney Holocaust Education Fund" which will be used to distort the history of World War II, to promote Hitlerite anti-communism and to justify the genocide committed by Israeli Zionism and U.S. imperialism against the Palestinian people.

Demonstrators denounced both the inhuman immigration policy of the Harper dictatorship and its support for Israeli crimes against the Palestinians. More than 300 people participated in the action organized by No One Is Illegal, other immigrant rights organizations, student and community organizations and organizations supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people. It began with a rally at Pecaut Square which was followed by a march through the downtown core to the Royal York Hotel where the Harperite-Zionist event was being held. Among those participating was a large delegation of Toronto's Roma Community and health care professionals of Health for All who were protesting against recent changes to the recently passed Bill C-31, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act. This act excludes refugees seeking asylum from persecution in countries Canada is allied with under the hoax that these are "safe countries."

Among the groups this measure is directed against are the Roma people facing persecution in Europe by Canada's NATO and EU allies. Health for All along with other health care professionals across the country are opposing the inhuman measures being implemented under C-31 which excludes refugees from access to health care. They are demanding that the government recognize health care as the fundamental right of every human being, regardless of their immigration status.

Participants in the action included Health for All (left) to oppose cuts to health care for refugees and members of the
Toronto Roma Community (right) to denounce the “safe country” hoax of the Harper government’s Bill C-31.

Need to Oppose Expansion of Canadian Experience Category Immigration

According to Citizen and Immigration Canada (CIC)'s 2012 Annual Report to Parliament tabled by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney on October 31, the immigration quota for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) will be expanded significantly in 2013. Speaking at a press conference in Ottawa on October 31, Minister Kenney stated that the Harper government was "pursuing significant immigration reforms to do a better job of selecting people with the capacity quickly to contribute to our economy." He stated that "the best reform" he has made has been "the Canadian Experience Class, which invites qualified foreign students who have completed two years towards a degree or diploma and have done one year of work in Canada, or higher-skilled foreign nationals who have completed one year of work on a work permit in Canada, to stay permanently and to get permanent residency on a fast-track basis."

Since its introduction in 2008, the CEC program has grown steadily from 2,500 immigrants in 2009 to a projected 10,000 next year.

In his speech, Kenney pointed out that the Harper government is working closely with Canadian colleges and universities to provide more "opportunities" for foreign students with the view of extending to those qualified among them, especially doctoral students, the chance to remain in Canada and become "model immigrants." According to Kenney, such "model immigrants" are those who have a degree or diploma recognized by Canadian employers, have better languages skills in English or French, and for those reasons, would easily find employment or start businesses.

It is also reported in the media that according to Kenney, this reform in immigration would ensure Canada's future prosperity and competitiveness in the global economy by putting the selection of immigrants in the hands of business. It was reported in the Calgary Herald on November 1, that Kenney had previously stated that: "Employers are best positioned to decide who can best fill the open jobs rather than a passive and bureaucratic system...it is not about privatizing the immigration system, it is a more active role of recruitment for people so they have jobs when they show up. I would rather have an engineer working as an engineer than as a cab driver."

Kenney also hinted that in the coming period, the CEC program will continue to be expanded as the main pipeline of Canadian immigration, while traditional paths to immigration to Canada such as the Federal Skilled Worker category, family reunion and the points-based system will be restricted. In the meantime, the government has started to eliminate a backlog of some 280,000 applicants from the pre-2008 period who applied to come to Canada through the Federal Skilled Worker category by refunding them $130 million in processing as announced as part of the Economic Plan 2012, in order to create what Minister Kenney called a more "nimble" immigration policy that is responsive to Canada's economic needs. Many of those affected, who have waited for five years or more to immigrate to Canada have launched a class action suit against the government.

In response to these announcements by Minister Kenney, the Migrant Workers' Alliance for Change -- an umbrella group of unions, migrant worker defence organizations and social justice organizations -- have opposed these arbitrary measures, noting that while Minister Kenney was opening the door to some 10,000 students and temporary workers with the opportunity to become permanent residents, nothing is being done to protect the rights of the remaining 290,000 temporary workers who are brought to Canada every year "to be scammed by recruiters, exploited by bad bosses, separated from their loved ones and then sent back just as they've begun to lay roots." The Alliance noted that the vast majority of Canadian people are opposed to the exploitation and abuse of foreign temporary workers and want a just immigration system in Canada that treats all workers with dignity.

(With files from: CBC, Calgary Herald, Migrant Workers' Alliance for Change, Citizenship and Immigration Canada)

Canada's Hooliganism Knows No Bounds

TML denounces the ruling of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice which last week temporarily froze the Government of Iran's assets in Canada. The ruling was made at the behest of the family of an American, Marla Bennett, who was killed in a Jerusalem bombing 11 years ago that was said to be the work of Hamas. The Bennett family won a default judgment against Iran in a U.S. court for $12.9 million under the hoax that Hamas is financed by Iran. Despite the verdict, the family was unable to collect and it is now trying to enforce the judgement with Iranian assets in Canada.

Even though it is still not clear whether the court will allow the family to seize the properties which belong to the Government of Iran, which includes Iran's embassy in Ottawa, two former cultural centres and a diplomatic residence, it is once again clear that Canada's hooliganism has gone beyond the pale and it must be stopped before it causes even more damage to the rule of law nationally and internationally.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, said Iran held Canada's government responsible for the court order. The Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Mehmanparast as saying "the political motivations behind such a move are not hidden to anybody."

Canada severed diplomatic ties with Iran in September as part of the formation of a warmongering alliance with Israel. This alliance is causing grave dangers which the working class and people of this country are duty-bound to stop.

Prime Minister Leads Team of Salesmen of the Monopolies to India

Prime Minister Leads Team of Salesmen of the Monopolies to India

What Harper Had to Say

Why Is the U.S. National Guard Training in Canada?

Public Outrage over Abuse of Youth by
Corrections Canada and Government Cover-Up

Demonstration Against Inhuman Immigration Policies

Need to Oppose Expansion of Canadian Experience Category Immigration

Canada's Hooliganism Knows No Bounds

Prime Minister Leads Team of Salesmen of the Monopolies to India

Prime Minister Leads Team of Salesmen of the Monopolies to India

What Harper Had to Say

Why Is the U.S. National Guard Training in Canada?

Public Outrage over Abuse of Youth by Corrections Canada and Government Cover-Up

Demonstration Against Inhuman Immigration Policies

Need to Oppose Expansion of Canadian Experience Category Immigration

Canada's Hooliganism Knows No Bounds

Public Outrage over Abuse of Youth by
Corrections Canada and Government Cover-Up