The
reasoning behind support for the not-mandatory status of the census long
form
is complex. It rests on the recognition that CHANGE is reality. We
do not dwell in the same Canada as we inhabited 40 years ago. Children
live in a constructed myth of what Canada is. If I make decisions based
on a false reality (Canada today is the same as Canada in the 1970’s), I
will get myself into trouble.
Unfortunately, our
brains are
wired to prefer simplicity and more than that, to keep things the same.
We
don’t like to re-arrange our thought patterns. We prefer to reinforce
existing beliefs (neural pathways). Unfortunately, the situation
confronting
us is not simple, and the CONTEXT for the Canadian census has changed
from what
it once was.
I use the chronology
below to
make it clear that the world has changed (and so my understanding,
therefore my
actions –- will be different). I have been labeled
“libertarian” because of my defence of the Charter Right to Privacy
of personal information, at the expense of accurate statistics to serve
Canadian society.
Lockheed Martin
Corporation’s involvement in the Canadian census makes things complex.
They are part of the American military-industrial-congressional
machinery. It
is not a fact to be taken lightly. But we’d prefer not to deal with
it:
just keep things simple.
If I now start to
discuss
critical water shortages in the western U.S. many people will stop
listening;
it is not related to the census long form. I ask you to consider the
chronology below. You will find that resource depletion in the U.S. is
very
much related to the census contracts for Lockheed Martin Corporation.
You may
come to a different conclusion than I have, but I ask you to at least
read the
chronology. The evidence is there.
I was recently
labeled
“peace activist”. I am above all a
“survivalist”. The future is threatened because of our
failure to recognize that we (and the Americans) are dependent upon,
things as
basic as water. Our (North American) economic indicators do not
recognize
resource depletion. They are horribly misleading to the point of being a
great disservice. . . . We have “growth”, the Americans have
“growth”, we are told that we want EVER MORE growth. But we use
false measurements that conveniently omit measurements of the most
essential:
where will the water come from?
The answer for
American-Canadian corporate (profit) interests is that the water will
come from
Canada, to be sold to the U.S. (again, see the chronology). But
Canadians
have been successfully resisting the privatization of their water.
The international
perspective
for some time has been that there are going to be more and more wars
fought
over water. Put in plain language: if corporate interests are going
to
appropriate or control depleting resources (like water), the resistance
in
Canada needs to be controlled. It is not surprising that the growing
militarization in Canada comes from the U.S. That is the context
within which
the census contracts for Lockheed Martin exist.
It is no time for
forgetting
the lessons of history (abuse of data files on citizens) and for being
ignorant
of WHY we have a charter right to privacy.
OMIT MORALITY IN THE
DECISION-MAKING?
Perhaps most
importantly, we
need to understand what it is that gets us into trouble. Making
decisions that
entirely omit moral considerations, losing sight of everything except
the
utilitarian, leads to a bad end. WHY do we do that? Utilitarian is
simple
and easy (not complex) - - you don’t have to THINK about it. Just get
it
done. Don’t think about the fact that the census contracts reward
Lockheed
Martin Corporation, that we are thereby complicit in illegal and immoral
behavior. Don’t think about the fact (documented in the chronology if
you doubt) that the relationship with Lockheed Martin means that the
Canadian
economy is becoming more and more dependent on making money from war.
Leave
morality at the door. . . . But it belongs in the centre.
- - - - - - -
- - - -
- - -
Under the Charter of
Rights
and Freedoms (a citizen’s right to Privacy, the case law around Section
8) the long form WAS NEVER MANDATORY BY LAW. Under the Statistics
Act, it is also not mandatory: citizens must fill in a census form
unless
they have “just cause” not to do so. They have a Charter
Right to Privacy as just cause (and for good reason if you know
history).
In addition, charter rights override legislation like the Statistics
Act.
People who are
calling on the
Government to make the census long form mandatory don’t understand that
the law forbids this, and do not understand the importance of Charter
Rights.
Nor do they have the
information about Lockheed Martin’s role in the census.
But
what’s going on? the long form has never been mandatory and the
Government is announcing that (news!) it is making the long form “no
longer mandatory”. ..??
It
seems reasonable to think that StatsCan is following my trial for
failure to
fill in the 2006 census form. Anil Arora was their top man on the
census
operation. He was sent as the chief prosecution witness at my trial
dates
in January, 2010. (Arora has since been moved to Natural Resources
Canada.)
It
seems reasonable, because a lot is at stake for StatsCan in the trial,
that
they have been getting the transcripts of the proceedings. For one
thing,
the prosecutor represents them (that is the way the system works). The
Judge
ordered transcripts, so transcripts are available. The Government had
time to review the transcript of the March 16th proceedings
(my most
recent appearance in court). It seems reasonable that they realized
that their bluff is called and they are in serious trouble with the Law
of the
Land (constitutional law). They made an action plan (June 29 - announce
that the long form is voluntary –– which it already was, but the
public is ill-informed so what matter?). At least two things would have
come out of the transcript from March 16th:
1.
My trepidations were aggravated by the fact that Arora, the Government’s
spokesperson, placed at the head of the census operation, lied, twisted
and
evaded under oath, full in the face of contradictory evidence. I
finally said in exasperation to the Judge at one point, “Your Honour,
the
witness is not credible.”
2.
I think it was obvious that the Crown (the Government) cannot win the
case,
which is a serious situation for them to be in. They are using fairly
extreme coercion (the threat of jail and a fine) to force people to hand
over
the “biographical core of personal information”. This is in
contravention of a constitutional right to privacy.
Further,
the privacy issue was brought up with StatsCan by many people in 2004.
StatsCan said they had consulted an expert group, reassurances were
given that
there is no problem. Mind you, the privacy concerns were in relation to
Lockheed Martin’s census contracts, given that the Patriot Act in the
U.S. has precedence over every law there is in Canada (if requested,
Lockheed
and its subsidiaries are required to hand over the information in data
bases to
the American Government (the Pentagon) without notification to the
owners of
the data (Canada)). But never mind, any experts in privacy should have
known the protection of the Charter right, Lockheed Martin or no
Lockheed
Martin.
In
addition, and equally damning, I (and others) received more than one
letter
that threatened jail and a fine if I didn’t comply by such-and-such a
date: the last one was from a lawyer in the Justice Department (David
Bolger). Again – he would have absolutely no excuse for not knowing
the Charter Right to privacy.
The Government
(StatsCan and the Justice
Department) use
the threat of the justice system to obtain compliance, just like
Monsanto
coerces farmers by using the threat of court action. You’re liable
to 3 months in jail and a $500
fine (Section
31 of the Statistics Act taken out of context, without mention of
Charter
Rights and other conditions in the Statistics Act.)
Most people
cannot afford the time and cost of defending themselves against the
Government,
nor the possible cost of going without income while they sit in jail.
At least two people charged for non-compliance with the 2006 census,
Todd
Stelmach and Darek Czernewcan, were found guilty because they did not
have the
resources to defend themselves. Most people knuckle under before they
see
the court doors.
Perhaps
StatsCan, through the Crown Prosecutor, knew after the March 16th day in
court
that they are in deep trouble with the law. It was all on the
transcript. I had a lawyer representing me on that day, which made a
huge
difference in the likely outcome of the trial. Steve has a passion
for privacy law. He specialized in it when he was working in
Ontario. He knows what he is doing in court, unlike me.
I
had represented myself in Court up until then, and would have lost the
case. But just in time I realized that the Crown was heading for an
override of the Constitutional right to Privacy. Fortunately there was
time to call in a lawyer who knows that the Government can’t meet the
test requirements for an override of the charter right. Had I not been
able to call in a lawyer, I believe the Court would have found me guilty
(same
as the trial outcomes for Todd Stelmach and Darek Czernewcan) because I
had no
idea of how to defend against an override of my Charter Right.
The
Government would not have flinched if I am found guilty. Unexpectedly
they came up against the lawyer, Steven, who knew the law; they found
themselves in need of an exit route. The way out for them was to
announce
that the census long form is no longer mandatory, except that it never
was
mandatory under the law.
All
that was needed was someone who they selected to bring charges against
(me),
who simultaneously through whatever quirks of fate, had the support to
stand up
to them in court. Otherwise they would have continued to be
disrespectful of the charter rights of citizens and gotten away with
running
roughshod over them.
The
Government has counted on the ignorance of the population. It is
apparent
from the media on the “no longer mandatory” nature of the census
long form that Canadians don’t know the law. Worse, they have
little comprehension of the reason why we have a Charter right to
privacy. I say this of “educated” people.
A
Governments takes away a charter right. If citizens do not:
-
know
WHY they have the charter right, and
-
stand
up and fight to keep the right when it is taken away
then
the simple outcome is that they, through ignorance, no longer have the
right. With a growing military presence in Canada, that is dangerous
ground to give up.
More
information on Lockheed Martin Corporation’s role in the census, the
Government’s actions, and complicity is appended. Lockheed Martin serves
no beneficial function in Canada, as you will see by the information.
I am hopeful that
“information” will lead to public awareness and to sound decisions
by all concerned.
Should that happen,
we
won’t need to spend a billion-dollars on police and security the next
time there is a “summit”.
= = = = = = = = = =
IMMORALITY (and
illegality)
The original census
contracts
were awarded to Lockheed Martin Corporation at about the same time as
the Bush
Administration was dropping bombs on Iraq in an illegal war of
aggression
(2003). Which of course was hugely profitable for Lockheed
Martin. Then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien kept Canada out of the
Iraq War.
Lockheed was in a
position to
influence, and did influence the decision that led to the destruction of
Iraqi
schools, hospitals, museums, water infrastructure - - everything. It is
a
war that is on-going seven years later with many more than a million
Iraqis
dead, I don’t know how many permanently injured. Millions of other
Iraqis
are either refugees or they are homeless. “Refugees International
has observed extreme vulnerabilities among the hundreds of thousands of
Iraqi
refugees living in Syria, Jordan, and other parts of the region, as well
as the
millions of internally displaced persons within Iraq. ... "
It has cost the
American
public more than 733 billion dollars to wage the Iraq War (not counting
Afghanistan) http://costofwar.com/,
money
they have needed for their own country. They sink further into
mountains
of debt, tax-payers harnessed for generations to paying principle with
interest
(to the banks) – there is no money for social programmes that can
stabilize the country. The international community is asked to step in
to
provide humanitarian aid to Iraq after the American
military-industrial-congressional complex (#1 player, Lockheed Martin)
has
dropped the bombs; the devastation inflicted by the war is total.
The hatred and the
terrorists
that have been created by that illegal war are incalculable. Lockheed
Martin’s profits and its share price go up.
All the good work
done by
hundreds of thousands of aid workers, religious groups, and others
around the
world are undone a thousand times over by Lockheed Martin.
. . . What if
those bombs had been dropped on us, from the unmanned aerial vehicles
(“UAV’s”, drones, airplanes) that are Lockheed
Martin’s more recent gift to humanity, following after land mines and
cluster munitions which are both illegal under Canadian and
International
Law. (Lockheed’s unmanned drone programme is now moving to Saskatoon;
we sink deeper into the writhings of hell.)
There are a number
of issues
regarding Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the Canadian census:
large legal and moral issues, and as a significant step of the American
military into Canada. The chronology below provides the context which
makes the growing military intrusion apparent. There are serial acts of
treason by Canadian officials.
The chronology shows
the
seriousness of the situation, for anyone with doubts or in denial.
The Government’s
announcement of “no longer mandatory” may have brought its actions
within the boundaries permitted by Constitutional law, so the legal
issue MAY
have been addressed regarding the census long form (I haven’t looked at
the
short form); the MORAL ISSUE has definitely not been addressed.
Nor has the question
of the
legality or appropriateness of the Government providing more than a
billion
dollars to Lockheed Martin Corporation that is well-known for a lengthy
record
of court convictions and fines, procurement fraud, the manufacturing of
weapons
that are in contravention of Canadian and International Law, and its
specialization in international surveillance. Bribery. On top of
all this, they sell their illegal weapons to anyone with money.
According
to POGO (the Project on Government Oversight in the U.S.) in 2000 alone,
“Lockheed Martin was charged with 30 violations of the Arms Export
Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The
violations were regarding the transfer of space launch assistance
technologies
to China. Lockheed Martin paid a civil penalty of $13
million.” There’s more below, including the money it spends
to purchase Government officials.
As long as Lockheed
Martin
Corporation is involved in the Canadian census I will not be filling in a
census form, whether short or long - - complicit compliant
collaborator,
not me, thanks.
The chronology shows
some of
•
the military developments in Canada
•
the growing “normalization” of military police presence in Canada
•
Lockheed Martin’s role
•
mixed in with the resistance in Canada.
Many of you will
have
additions to the chronology. It is lengthy (sorry), but far from
complete.
The iron irony (as
mentioned):
•
Lockheed Martin has moved into Saskatoon (my home) with its unmanned
drone
agenda.
As long as these
psychopaths
continue to make their billion-dollar profits from the production of
machinery
for war, the security of the world is in jeopardy. (Democracy is
badly corrupted by them, too.) How anyone can think that security will
increase by dropping bombs on other people from unmanned aerial vehicles
is a
new stretch of “rational”. But it is utilitarian - - a
good way for investors to make money. Just remember that Lockheed
Martin
feeds at the public trough; there wouldn’t be all the war if American
tax-payers weren’t willing to go in hock up to their eyeballs on behalf
of Lockheed Martin - - another good way to push money uphill from
tax-payers to
the already-wealthy investors in Lockheed Martin.
For those who think
we should
cooperate with the Census because of the value of the data for research,
I
think it is a question of priorities. Which do you prefer ?
-
an American corporate police-state (puppet Government in Canada)(see
the
chronology below) or
-
research data to confirm that the rich are getting richer while the
middle-class and the poor are both getting poorer
while democratic
functioning
is giving way to corporatocracy.
For those who say
“They
can have my personal data. I don’t have anything to hide.
They’re not going to do anything bad with it.”, I respond
“you are white”. Put yourself in the shoes of other people:
-
As I said to the Judge in my trial: if I was a Muslim or an Arab in
today’s world, there is no way I would want to disclose that information
to the Government. I know what happened to the Polish people in World
War
Two, and to the Jews, all enabled by mechanical census data bases.
Comprehensive files on individual citizens is a characteristic of police
states.
The CONTEXT for the
census
has CHANGED. Individual names are now part of the individual census
record. Another detail I pointed out to the Judge in my
trial: the information is not just “aggregate” as claimed by
the Statistics Canada witness, Anil Arora. I am forced to tell the NAME
of my employer for example.
I make the point in
the
chronology that with offset agreements in Lockheed Martin contracts, the
Government is transitioning to an economy that makes money on war. Many
years ago I read that 45% of the American economy is dependent upon the
waging
of war. The “Canada First Defence Strategy” enacted in June
2008 is very clearly about transforming the Canadian economy into a war
economy. Is that what we want? Because that’s what you get
with Lockheed Martin.
What is the
motivation behind
the transformation of Canada into a puppet-state of U.S. corporate
interests? We have circulated a lot of information on the situation in
the U.S.. They are running out of resources (e.g. water, oil and
electricity) and so they appropriate what does not belong to them.
It is like the German Nazis: their war machine ran them out of iron
ore,
hence the “Quisling” Government in Norway that allowed them a short
run from the iron mines in northern Sweden across a narrow corridor that
is
Norway, to the sea for ocean transport down the Norwegian coast to
German
weapons factories.
The American
Government
dropped bombs on Iraq to secure oil. It’s a little hard for them to
do that to Canada. The alternative and often-used weapon in the arsenal
of the military-industrial-congressional complex in the U.S. is to set
up
puppet governments (petro-states), take what you want, destroy the local
environment, poison the people and leave when you’re
finished.
We are the creators
of our
own misfortunes, or not. If we are ignorant, we will most certainly be.
If you have any
questions,
please get back to me. Thanks!
Sandra
- - - - - - -- -- -
- -
- - -- - - - - - - - -
WHERE SHOULD THE
CHRONOLOGY
BEGIN?
The Americans have
had their
eye on Canadian resources, water in particular, for 50 to 60 years.
Maude Barlow and the
Council
of Canadians have done a great and exemplary service in educating
Canadians
about the national and international situation with water. Efforts to
privatize water have been thwarted many times over, thanks to the
Council. And Maude’s relentless and tireless work.
If space and time
were
unlimited I would start the chronology with:
-
1972: map which shows the water diversions from western Canada to the
U.S. In Saskatchewan, the plan is to divert water out of the eastern
end
of Lake Athabasca in the Far North, south through a series of dams that
includes the Gardiner and Rafferty-Alameda already in place, to the
U.S.
. . . No!
I’d start earlier than the 1972 map:
-
1950’s: NAWAPA (North American Water and Power
Alliance) The plan is to divert water to the U.S. while
simultaneously using the infrastructure (the dams) to produce
electricity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Water_and_Power_Alliance
The North
American Water
and Power Alliance was conceived in the 1950s by the US Army Corps of
Engineers
as a 'Great Project' to develop more water sources for the United
States. The
planners envisioned diverting water from some rivers in Alaska south
through
Canada via the Rocky Mountain Trench and other routes to the US. . .
. The project was opposed by public sentiment in Canada on the rare
occasions it surfaced in print, though Canadian financier Simon Reisman,
who
negotiated the Free Trade Agreement, the precursor to the North American
Free
Trade Agreement, was one of its backers and main promoters.
So repeat, where did
Simon
Reisman end up? … Canada’s chief negotiator for the
Free Trade Agreement.
In the chronology I
would
include the Government’s reassurances during the Free Trade negotiations
(mid-80’s) that water would be excluded, indeed the exclusion was in the
text. When the finalized text became available to Canadians, the
exclusion for water was gone. The reason offered by the Government of
Brian Mulroney: oh dear, at the 11th hour we (i.e. Simon Reisman and
Brian Mulroney) had to let it go, in order to get an Agreement.
“To the Last
Drop”, published in 1986, author Michael Keating: Simon Reisman,
Canada's
chief Free Trade negotiator for the Brian Mulroney Conservative
Government,
with a link to the Grand Canal Company, is quoted in the book. He
addressed a group of business people and explained that the Americans
are
desperate for water, all Canada has to do is to move ahead with
projects
like the Grand Canal (water diversion from James Bay south through the
Great
Lakes, down into the U.S.) - with no need to worry about capital costs
because
the Americans are so desperate for water they will supply the money.
A consortium of four
of the
largest engineering companies in the world (including UMA and Bechtel)
was
formed because the work will be too much for one company.
All Canada has to do
is to
sit by and collect the royalties and dividends (the same as with oil and
gas)
while the water resource flows south. Economic power on the North
American continent will reverse: Canada will be the powerhouse because
of the
money to be made by selling our water resources. ... Reisman's
statements
are on the public record.
The change today is
that
through corporate control and ownership, as with oil and gas, it isn’t
“Canada” that benefits or becomes “the powerhouse” but
rather the corporate owners. And those who have large amounts of money
to
invest. The scheme is dependent upon the privatization of water and
water
infrastructure, step-by-step. The Council of Canadians and local
people,
as mentioned, have been vigilant against the privatization efforts,
thankfully.
And the Harper Government, a la Mulroney, continues to resist a
“National
Water Policy”.
1987: Conservative
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Free Trade Agreement is signed. Canada
largely eliminates its restrictions on US takeovers of Canadian
companies,
US-owned companies now have to be treated in the same way as
Canadian-owned
companies. On energy, Canada shares oil and gas shortages with the US,
and does
not use its energy, including electricity, to create an advantage for
Canadian
industry or Canadian consumers through lower prices. As mentioned,
water
is not exempt from the Free Trade Agreement as it was supposed to have
been.
You get the picture
and you
see the serial acts of treason.
Jumping ahead from
1987 and
more directly to Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the Canadian census:
CHRONOLOGY
•
2001 December: The Smart Border Plan. “John Manley as Deputy
Prime Minister of Canada and Tom Ridge, the U.S. Homeland Security
Director
sign the SBP which requires the sharing of citizen data, meaning the US
Homeland Security gets what it wants to know about Canadians. The terms
of this
agreement are being implemented incrementally but quickly without the
knowledge
or consent of Canadians.” (see below: 2006, April, article by Connie
Fogal.)
•
2003 March 20: The Iraq War, also known as the Occupation of Iraq, The
Second Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn is
launched by
the United States and the United Kingdom. This is an illegal war of
aggression sold to Americans with lies and propaganda. Prime
Minister Jean Chretien kept Canada out of the Iraq War. See 2008
June. A Canadian prime minister would be hard-pressed to repeat
Chretien’s action. We now have “compatible doctrine”
with the Americans, a complete loss of sovereignty.
•
2003 Spring: Omar Khadr. This is what happened, at the hands of the
American and Canadian military/police to a 15-year old boy. It serves
as
a reminder of what we get when quislings sell our sovereignty.
"In the early spring
of
2003, Khadr was told "Your life is in my hands" by a military
interrogator, who spat on him, tore out some of his hair and threatened
to send
him to a country that would torture him more thoroughly, making specific
reference
to an Egyptian Askri raqm tisa ("Soldier Number Nine") who enjoyed
raping prisoners. The interrogation ended with Khadr being told he would
spend
the rest of his life in Guantanamo.[6] A few weeks later, an
interrogator
giving his name as Izmarai spoke to Khadr in Pashto, threatening to send
him to
a "new prison" at Bagram Airbase where "they like small
boys".[6] At the end of March, Omar was upgraded to "Level Four"
security, transferred to solitary confinement in a windowless and empty
cell
for the month of April.[6]
"The only Western
citizen remaining in Guantanamo, Khadr is unique in that Canada has
refused to
seek extradition or repatriation. ...
•
2003 fall: it becomes known that Public Works Canada and Statistics
Canada out-sourced census work to Lockheed Martin of the American
military-industrial-congressional complex. Lockheed Martin is a key
player and profiteer from American and other wars. http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=9
“Lockheed has
also
been able to exercise its influence in a larger way – in support of the
invasion of Iraq. The company’s former vice-president Bruce Jackson
chaired the Coalition for the Liberation of Iraq, a bipartisan group
formed to
promote Bush’s plan for war in Iraq. Bruce Jackson was also involved in
corralling the support for the war from Eastern European countries,
going so
far as helping to write their letter of endorsement for military
intervention.
Not surprisingly, Lockheed also has business relations with these
countries. In
2003 Poland shelled out $3.5 billion for 48 F-16 fighter planes, which
it was
able to buy with a $3.8 billion loan from the US.”
•
2004 - health records of the Canadian military are contracted out to
Lockheed
Martin Corp. Now there’s a nice conflict-of-interest! I think
of the American Iraqi war veterans whose health and reproductive
capacity has
been seriously harmed by weapons that use depleted uranium. And the Viet
Nam
war veterans whose lives were ruined by exposure to the chemical weapon
called
Agent Orange. They have been decades in the battle for compensation
while
the military hospitals deny, deny, deny. . . . You’re giving the
health records of Canadian military personnel over to Lockheed Martin
that
makes the weapons?
•
2004 April-May: we participated in the huge backlash by Canadians
against
Government plans to contract 2006 census work out to Lockheed-Martin,
American
"company with a military orientation". StatsCan received
thousands of letters of protest. The Quaker Society in N.S. wrote a
particularly good letter.
•
StatsCan responds with reassurances that Lockheed Martin will not have
access
to the census data base.
•
2004 November 28: New York Times, Lockheed and the Future of Warfare
LOCKHEED MARTIN
doesn't
run the United States. But it does help run a breathtakingly big part of
it.
' . . . 'It's
impossible to tell where the government ends and Lockheed begins,'' said
Danielle Brian of the Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit group
in
Washington that monitors government contracts. ''The fox isn't guarding
the
henhouse. He lives there.''
No contractor is
in a
better position than Lockheed to do business in Washington. Nearly 80
percent
of its revenue comes from the United States government. Most of the rest
comes
from foreign military sales, many financed with tax dollars. And former
Lockheed executives, lobbyists and lawyers hold crucial posts at the
White
House and the Pentagon, picking weapons and setting policies.
Obviously, war
and crisis
have been good for business. The Pentagon's budget for buying new
weapons rose
by about a third over the last three years, . . . “
•
2005 March: The SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreement) is
signed by Martin (Canada), Bush (US) and Fox (Mexico). Lockheed Martin
plays a large role in the SPP (see 2006 September). Harper replaced
Martin as Prime Minister and in 2006 March: The SPP is confirmed by
Harper, Bush, and Fox.
•
2005 November: Ivan P. Fellegi, Chief Statistician of Canada, “I
would like to emphasize that only 20% of the work for the 2006 Census
will be
contracted out while the remaining 80% is being done by Statistics
Canada. The distribution,
collection, follow-up and storage of questionnaires will be done
strictly by
Statistics Canada … ” . . “ Under the North
American Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization Agreement
regulations that governed this procurement, non-Canadian based firms
were
eligible to submit a bid… “
•
2006 spring: emerging conflict in priorities. Research
organizations support the census because they regularly use StatsCan
data. From Don Roger’s letter to CCPA: “ the privacy
question is a sidebar. The Monitor has remained deafeningly silent on
the moral
contradiction of having Census taxpayers’ money going to the subsidiary
of Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s biggest armaments
manufacturers. The same edition of the Monitor contains an article
about
the 10 Worst Corporations in the World. There is Lockheed Martin,
rubbing
shoulders with the worlds’s worst. …”
“The Smart Border
Plan between the USA and Canada signed by John Manley December 2001 as
Deputy
Prime Minister of Canada and Tom Ridge, the U.S. Homeland Security
Director
which requires the sharing of citizen data, meaning the US Homeland
Security
gets what it wants to know about Canadians. The terms of this agreement
are
being implemented incrementally but quickly without the knowledge or
consent of
Canadians. It is not just covert sharing that is to happen, but overt as
well.
Start with the stealth and then whammy with the fait accompli.(John
Manley
currently is a leading light in the North American Task Force of CEO's
commanding
the creation of the North American Union.) Our census data will be
shared one
way or the other so long as this agenda is permitted.
The Security and
Prosperity Partnership Agreement signed by Martin (Canada), Bush (US)
and Fox
(Mexico) in March 2005 confirmed by Harper, Bush, and Fox in March
2006.
By this agreement the three leaders agreed to implement the grand design
of the
most influential corporations of North America to create a common unit
of North
America sharing data and merging the three countries into one union
without an
overall democratically accountable representative political structure.
They
agreed to expand the Smart Border Plan melding the three countries into
one
corporate/ military union, focusing initially on Canada /US unity. This
means
changing Canadian laws and legal structures to mimic those created by
the US
Congress removing civil liberties (like the security of our census
information.)
The integration
is
proceeding in Canada by subtle but massive bureaucratic restructuring of
our
skin and skeleton, fleshed out by the dismantling of our constitutional
rights
without due process and by deceit. David Emerson has crossed to the
Conservatives to continue that restructuring that he was spearheading
under the
Liberals. Take note of recently changed names of government agencies
that
reflect this transformation. …”
•
2006 May: thousands of people sabotage and do not comply with the
census
because of Lockheed Martin’s involvement and for other reasons.
•
2006: I am back-and-forth in correspondence with Ivan Felligi, Chief
Statistician, repeating that my objection expressed in 2004 is to
Lockheed
Martin’s involvement. He does not address Lockheed Martin’s
public record of court convictions, fines, etc. in his responses other
than to
say that through NAFTA American corporations can submit bids.
•
2006 September: The President of the Americas for Lockheed Martin, Ron
Covais, active on the SPP with Stephen Harper, tells Macleans Magazine
in an
article entitled “Meet NAFTA 2.0” "We've
decided not to recommend any things that would require legislative
changes,
because we won't get anywhere." The main avenue for changes would be
through executive agencies, bureaucrats and regulations, he said,
adding:
"The guidance from the ministers was, 'Tell us what we need to do and
we'll make it happen.'"
•
2006 September 18: the Commissioner of the Inquiry, Justice Dennis
O'Connor, cleared Arar of all terrorism allegations, stating he was "able
to
say categorically that there is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Arar
has
committed any offence or that his activities constitute a threat to the
security of Canada."
Canadian police
forces
contributed to what the Americans did; they are a big part of the
reason
Maher Arar was tortured and held in a Syrian prison for a year and
subsequently
transferred to Guantanamo Bay. Canada is the only nation that has
cooperated
with the Americans in allowing its citizens to remain imprisoned at
Guantanamo.
• 2007 April: Naomi Wolf in the Guardian newspaper (UK). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment
. “ … there is essentially a blueprint for turning an open
society into a dictatorship. That blueprint has been used again and
again in
more and less bloody, more and less terrifying ways. But it is always
effective. It is very difficult and arduous to create and sustain a
democracy -
but history shows that closing one down is much simpler. . . “
(You may want to read the remainder of the article.)
•
2007 August: SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership) Summit
(Corporate
CEO’s including Lockheed Martin, and Government officials). Citizen
protests at Montebello, Quebec against decion-making by unelected
corporate
interests in secret. Police disguised as protestors are
trained and deployed to turn peaceful protests violent. http://youtube.com/watch?v=DCRsj06wT64
Demands for a public
inquiry
. . . I don’t know where it stands. The Government
stone-walled. More than a year later there was word that an inquiry
would be held. I have not seen news that an inquiry ever took
place. Watch the video, it’s an outrage that the Government should
get away with this – that no one has been held to account.
•
2007 June: (The StatsCan mantra when you ask them about the
morality of contracting-out to Lockheed Martin is “Not our
responsibility. The contracts were negotiated by Public
Works.”) Francois Guimont who is well-known to us as head of
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Ag Canada, GMO’s,
Monsanto’s bioteched crops) is moved over to become Deputy Minister
of Public Works and Government Services. See 2008 July. Lockheed
Martin is awarded contracts for the 2011 Census, in spite of all the
opposition
from Canadians to date.
• 2008 February 14: Canada and the U.S. sign the “Troop Exchange
Agreement”. Reported in the U.S. Picked up by Canadian
journalist David Pugliese February 22. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=403d90d6-7a61-41ac-8cef-902a1d14879d
“ … He (Stuart Trew, Council of Canadians) noted that work is
also underway for the two nations to put in place a joint plan to
protect
common infrastructure such as roadways and oil pipelines.”
“Are we going to
see
(U.S.) troops on our soil for minor potential threats to a pipeline or a
road?” he asked.
Trew also noted
the U.S.
military does not allow its soldiers to operate under foreign command so
there
are questions about who controls American forces if they are requested
for
service in Canada. “We don’t know the answers because the
government doesn’t want to even announce the plan,” he said.
But Canada
Command
spokesman Commander David Scanlon said it will be up to civilian
authorities in
both countries on whether military assistance is requested or even used.
He said the
agreement is
“benign” and simply sets the stage for military-to-military
co-operation if the governments approve.
(INSERT: puppet governments will approve.) . . .
If U.S. forces
were to
come into Canada they would be under tactical control of the Canadian
Forces
but still under the command of the U.S. military, Scanlon added.”
•
2008 March: THE AMERICAN MILITARY FUNCTION IS MORE-AND-MORE
"OUT-SOURCED" TO CORPORATIONS LIKE HALLIBURTON. THERE IS LESS
AND LESS ABILITY TO HOLD IT ACCOUNTABLE. IT BYPASSES DEMOCRATIC
PROCESS. REFERENCE GUANTANAMO BAY, ABU GHRAIB AND DIAMONDBACK.
American prisons are also being privatized. See 2008 June, Canada now
has
“compatible doctrine” and “interoperability”.
You will know about
the
contracting-out of military functions through the information coming out
of
Iraq. That means the soldiers are not necessarily Americans.
American tax-payors are paying for a growing army of mercenaries that
come from
poor countries. Information about the operation of "the troops" and
accountability are lost when the security function is no longer carried
out by
the Government.
Similar
"partnerships" are occurring in the American prison system.
I've circulated an email regarding access to information. It contains
the
example of the prison in Oaklahoma: Diamondback Correctional Facility
in
Watonga, OK, a CCA prison that in 2004 held over 1,000 prisoners under a
contract with the Arizona Department of Corrections, and another 800
prisoners
under a contract with the Hawaii Department of Public Safety, but had no
contract
with the State of Oklahoma itself. How can family from Hawaii visit
prisoners, or even know how the prisoners are being treated? There is
NO
access to information through the State of Oaklahoma because they aren’t
using the prison.
The Canadian Bar
Association
has written to the Bush Administration, requesting that Guantanamo Bay
(American Military Prison in Cuba) be shut down because of its complete
disregard for international agreements on the treatment of prisoners.
•
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
“At the most
chaotic
juncture in Iraq's civil war, a new law is unveiled that would allow
Shell and
BP to claim the country's vast oil reserves.”
---------
“Immediately
following September 11, the Bush Administration quietly out-sources the
running
of the "War on Terror" to Halliburton and Blackwater. After a
powerful tsunami devastates the coasts of Southeast Asia, the pristine
beaches
are auctioned off to tourist resorts. New Orleans's residents, still
scattered
from Hurricane Katrina, discover that their public housing, hospitals
and
schools will never be reopened." It seems to me that getting
into bed with Lockheed Martin is part of all this, and not the route to
the
kind of society we want.
•
2008 April: I (Sandra Finley) receive a summons to court. I am
charged under the Statistics Act for failure to fill in a census form.
•
2008 April 15: First day in Court. I enter plea “not
guilty”. Trial date set for January 2009.
•
2008: Todd Stelmach, Kingston ON and Darek Czernewcan then from
Marathon Ontario are also charged with failure to comply. Both were
found
guilty. Coercion is a big factor, especially in Darek’s case, by
the prosecutor: it’s jail time (up to 3 months) and a fine (up to
$500); I’m going for the maximum penalty plus a court order to make you
fill out the form. Todd was eventually fined $300 – see 2009
April. The judge in Darek’s case was lenient (if you disregard the
Charter Right to privacy) – a suspended sentence.
•
2008: Some people, notably from Kingston, begin the protest over
contracting-out of 2011 Census work to Lockheed Martin
•
2008 May 14: (this would be good, if we want a police state.)
“Top police psychologist likens RCMP to Putin's Russia” (Part
of the resistance, people speaking out.) VANCOUVER - Someone else
might have resisted the temptation, especially knowing he might be
blackballed
as a result. But Mike Webster has never operated that way.
And so, when the
respected
police psychologist testified this week at the B.C. public inquiry into
the use
of tasers, he didn't mince words when asked about the Mounties' decision
to zap
an unarmed Robert Dziekanski last October, and more recently, a
penknife-wielding 82-year-old man lying in a hospital bed in Kamloops.
"I'm embarrassed
to
be associated with organizations that taser sick old men in hospital
beds and
confused immigrants who are arriving in the country," said Mr.
Webster, considered one of the top police psychologists in the world.
Even as the words
spilled
from his mouth, Mr. Webster knew they had the potential to cause him
more
trouble with the RCMP. He knew because of a chilling incident late last
year
that still hangs over his association with Canada's national police
force. . . .
"As a
psychologist, I
know it's not healthy for people to live in such an oppressive climate,"
Mr. Webster said. "Being a member of the RCMP today is like being part
of
Putin's Russia; they don't tolerate any opinion that doesn't reflect the
party
line."
A devastating
charge. Mr.
Webster currently has a one-year contract with the Mounties. After it
expires
next April, he has no idea if more work will be offered to him.
"I find it
offensive
that I'm expected to park my morals at the door if I'm going to be part
of the
organization," Mr. Webster said. "If that's what it means, I won't do
it. I just won't."
•
2008 June 19: the “Canada First Defence Strategy” comes
into being. We now have "interoperability" with the American
Military and "compatible doctrine". The decades-long
Canadian dedication to alternatives to "killing wars" is
gone. Had this Strategy been in place in 2003, Canada would have
directly participated in the killing and destruction that is on-going in
Iraq,
for no reason other than American imperialism. And we would have been
saddled with the debt that goes along with war.
The language of the
strategy
leads one to believe that Canadian industries will be the beneficiaries:
"A Military in
Partnership
with Canadian Industry
The Canada First
Defence
Strategy will also have significant benefits for Canadian industry. The
infusion of long-term stable funding it provides will enable industry to
reach
for global excellence and to be better positioned to compete for defence
contracts at home and abroad, thus enabling a pro-active investment in
research
and development and opportunities for domestic and international
spin-offs as
well as potential commercial applications."
Minister
responsible, Peter
Mackay: "... reveals details of $490-billion defence strategy to
modernize military".
But WHO REALLY gets
the
money? (Tax-payors pay it.) The billion-dollar contracts are awarded to
Lockheed Martin. Lockheed then works with Canadian industries (Lockheed
Martin distributes the goodies.): "Under the in-service support
portion, the contractor (Lockheed Martin) will be required to spend in
Canada
75 per cent of the total cost in direct industrial regional benefits –
well above the 60-per-cent ratio negotiated by the previous government
for
purchases of this magnitude." (Source: Michael M Fortier,
Minister of Public Works, Government press release, January 2008.)
Canadian defence
strategy is
to become "compatible" in "doctrine" with the U.S.. The
problem with the "doctrine" of the Bush Administration is that
killing creates hatred. Hatred breeds violence. Violence becomes
terrorism. It is known that dropping bombs on people is
counter-productive. But lucrative for Lockheed Martin.
The killing-combat
model
(doctrine) only escalates problems. It does not mobilize the tremendous
power of people, as Gandhi did. A crowd of thousands, eventually
millions, will overcome the various forms of violence, given time. It is
the
fastest road to peace. The killing ways of "combat" add to the
hatred, prolong the conflict, is transferred from one generation to the
next
and will destroy the earth. In its long history, the killing ways have
never accomplished peace, only destruction. This planet is and has been
our one and only home, folks.
Becoming compatible
with
“the doctrine” of the Bush Administration, its buddies in
Halliburton Corporation, Lockheed Martin, the contracting-out to
mercenaries,
etc., Canada too is setting up to cash in on "combat". Is that
what we want for "defence" strategy - - opportunities to make
money? (Really, it is a transfer of money out of the public purse to
the
military industry that has record profits because of illegal and immoral
war. Those record profits then go into the pockets of the
already-wealthy
who have money to invest, and do so with no conscience.)
The Canada First
Defence
Strategy states: "It will also allow the Government to develop a
stronger, mutually beneficial relationship with industry." The
role of Governments is the relationship with human beings and other
species,
not corporations (“industry”).
The contracting-out
of Census
work and other purchases have nothing to do with the efficiency of
Lockheed
Martin because it is the private sector. It has everything to do with
transnational corporate access to the public purse through Government
contracts
and contacts. How is that accomplished? In the U.S., “Lockheed
Martin spent more on lobbying Congress than any of its competitors,
spending
$9.7 million in 2002. Only General Electric and Philip Morris reported
more
lobbying expenses. In the 2004 election cycle, Lockheed contributed more
than
$1.9 million”.
80% of Lockheed’s
money
comes from the Government of the USA. The biggest chunk of the 80% is
from
military contracts. (It should be noted that Lockheed is diversifying
into other Government service areas. The Canadian census is one
example. Lockheed is also set to perform “data capture” and
other services for the 2011 Census in the United Kingdom. It does the
US
census work. The medical records of Canadian soldiers have already been
mentioned.)
Lockheed Martin is
an obvious
vehicle through which to become interoperable with the U.S. military.
See 2010
June below where Lockheed Martin is moving into Saskatoon with its
unmanned
drone technology.
•
2008, July 21: Lockheed Martin is awarded contracts for the 2011
Canadian
census.
•
2008, August: Lockheed Martin is awarded census contracts in the
UK.
The Office for
National
Statistics today announced the award of the first large contract to
support the
delivery of the 2011 Census for England and Wales. The contract has been
won by
Lockheed Martin UK Ltd.
•
2008: Protests begin in the UK. I contacted some of the
people.
•
2008, through “offset agreements” in the contracts, Lockheed Martin
starts “gifting” tax-payer dollars. The only way that
Lockheed Martin has excess money to dole out (e.g. to Dalhousie
University or
to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology), is if the
government
contracts are exorbitant. Lockheed Martin has a long history of
“procurement fraud” in the U.S.
Lockheed gets the
credit for
the largesse and dictates how the money will be spent. The public
interest is lost to corporate interest.
"Dalhousie
University
is announcing a multi-million dollar research contract with
Lockheed-Martin.
This contract is the result of government policy, which requires a
foreign
company to invest in Canada before it can enter into a government
contract."
Offset agreements
will in
time duplicate the American military-industrial-congressional complex in
Canada. Maybe that has already happened.
•
2008 Oct 1: "the First Brigade of the Third Infantry Division, three
to four thousand soldiers, has been deployed in the United States …"
Americans
are upset because the Posse Comitatus Act (1878) forbids standing
armies on American soil.
•
2008 November 12 - 18: Massive 'Homeland Defense' Joint Exercise Is
Under
Way in the U.S.. Canada is part of this, through NORAD and the other
agreements we now have with the U.S. Canadian commanders play large
supporting roles.
•
2008 November: OTTAWA CITIZEN, "CANADIAN OFFICIALS .. WILL MEET THE
NEW STANDARD" FOR SUPPLYING DATA ON CANADIANS TO THE AMERICANS
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=64f59d78-ce97-48dc-b2fd-381859ce6c84
(I believe
"visa-free
access" is a tactic of attempted intimidation to which Canadians should
not bow.)
“… In
exchange for continued visa-free access to the United States, American officials
are
pressuring the federal government to supply them with more information
on
Canadians, says an influential analyst on Canada-U.S. relations.
"Not only about
(routine)
individuals, but also about people that you may be looking at for
reasons, but
there's no indictment and there's no charge," Christopher Sands
of
the Hudson Institute told a security intelligence conference in Ottawa
yesterday. . Canadian
officials
have said this country will meet the new standard, "plus or
minus a little," by 2011, he said. "But there'll be tremendous
pressure (from the U.S.) to get there faster."
What better vehicle
for the
American military to get information on all Canadians than through the
Census
with Lockheed Martin as the conduit?
Detailed files on
individual
citizens is a characteristic of nazi/fascist/militaristic regimes.
Mechanized
census files were critical to Hitler's extermination of people.
Statistics Canada
is moving more and more in this direction, with the help of Lockheed
Martin and
IBM as a sub-contractor. I recommend you read “IBM and the
Holocaust”. It is dangerous to hand over detailed personal
information to Government. Canadians have a Charter Right to privacy
specifically because of the historical abuses by Governments that
collect data
files on citizens. It is prudent to learn the lessons of history.
•
2008 December: email sent “THE PLAN”, IN THE CANADIAN
CONTEXT. THE KICKER: OIL SECURITY FOR THE USA.
I recommend this
video to
you.
Edwin Black uses
American
daily oil consumption figures to establish the extent and consequences
of
American dependency on oil imports. He makes the point that the
Americans
do not have a plan for a disruption in supply (European countries do).
The role of the Straits of Hormuz in the supply line become abundantly
clear.
He does not mention
the Tar
Sands, nor the fact that Canada is now the number one oil supplier to
the
U.S. I am left with the feeling that the Americans, contrary to
Black’s statements, DO have a strategy for oil security. It lies in
Canada. Uneasiness about that comes with the Troop Exchange Agreement
(Feb 14, 2008) and the new “Canada First Defence
Strategy” (2008 June).
I guess I can CHOOSE
TO KNOW
or choose not to know: we are part of the strategy for oil, water and
electricity security for the U.S. And, regardless of the court case,
Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the Canadian census is problematic,
similar to IBM’s involvement in the data capture and storage functions
in
various countries in Nazi Europe.
Edwin Black at
Western
Automotive Journalists' Symposium video , click on this web link (Be
patient through the introductory comments or bypass them.):
http://video.google.ca/videosearch?hl=en&q=edwin+black&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#
•
2008 early December: I communicate with the Court (Prosecutor) to ensure
that
everything is in order to proceed to trial in early January.
•
2008, December 3: Canada signs international treaty banning cluster
munitions.
“Today
governments
from around the world are signing the most significant disarmament and
humanitarian treaty of the decade, banning the use, production, transfer
and
stockpiling of cluster munitions.”
Lockheed Martin
manufacturers
cluster munitions. The U.S. does not sign the treaty.
“Announcing at
the
last minute it would join the group was Afghanistan, which had earlier
been
seen as bowing to U.S. pressure to refrain.”
Lockheed Martin
subsequently
removes all information and most of the references from its web-site to
its
cluster munitions. They are replaced by a statement that says Lockheed
does not manufacture cluster munitions.
•
2009 January: two days before I am to appear in Court, the Court
determines that “pre-trial” has not been done. (By this time,
and since 2006 I have received numerous communications from StatsCan and
then
from the Canadian Department of Justice to tell me that if I do not
comply with
the census I face jail time and a fine. It is possible that they
thought
I would bow to the coercion, that the trial would not proceed and so
they were
unprepared when I didn’t cave in.)
•
2009 Early: the U.S. Census Bureau (Lockheed Martin with IBM a
sub-contractor, same as in Canada and the UK) hires 100,000 people to
start
doing census work in preparation for the 2010 U.S. census. GPS locator
information is being tied to individual census records. (2010: U.S.
census documents are on the internet. They are almost the same as the
Canadian ones.)
•
2009 January 23: Student protests at the University of New Brunswick,
Lockheed Martin on campus.
The company, a
subsidiary
of the giant U.S. military-equipment maker, cancelled an employer
information
session planned for the campus on Wednesday after a UNB-based social
activist
group expressed opposition to its presence. . . .
•
2009 February 02.
LOCKHEED MARTIN
HIKED
U.S.LOBBYING BY WHOPPING 54% IN 2008
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175029
•
2009 Spring: I appear in Court for “pre-trial”, representing
myself. The trial is re-scheduled to January 2010.
•
2009 April 6: Todd Stelmach found guilty and fined $300.
Good News!
The judge's decision
today
was basically what we were hoping for (next to being found not-guilty,
which
was almost impossible, considering Todd represented himself …): Todd was
found guilty, with the sentence being NO jail time, a 300$ fine, and NO
court-order to fill out the census! … (from Chelsea and Todd
Stelmach)
•
2009 June 15: Brad Wall, Saskatchewan premier, becomes co-spearhead of
the “largest on the planet” Canada-U.S. Western Energy Corridor for
tar sands and nuclear energy.
•
2009 Fall: Found! a local lawyer, Steven Seiferling, who
specialized in Privacy law before returning to Saskatchewan. Although
not
my original objection, the compelling legal argument in my trial is
Privacy of
information. Which is a Charter (constitutional) right in Canada.
I pay Steve to
prepare the
written argument for the Court.
The dilemma for me:
the
winning legal argument is a citizen’s right to privacy of information.
It
is important to fight for and to uphold that right. (We don’t have
that right if it’s taken away and we don’t fight to keep it.)
But the moral argument is as compelling to me. Lockheed Martin has no
place in Canada.
The trial raises the
issue of
our complicity in the enrichment of a corporation that has a long record
of
very serious court convictions. If I was Lockheed Martin Corporation I
would be in jail for life.
In addition,
Lockheed Martin
has been (still is?) a major manufacturer of weapons of mass and
indiscriminate
destruction, land mines and cluster bombs both of which are outlawed by
International Law. They are into unmanned drones which are also weapons
of mass
and indiscriminate destruction and immoral as far as I am concerned.
Lockheed Martin is a
major
contributor to American political campaigns and is well-positioned in
the
Pentagon. There is good reason why the U.S. will not sign onto the
"Laws of War" (International Humanitarian Law).
Canada is signatory
to the
International Laws that prohibit these weapons, and we have our own laws
that
are even more stringent than the International Conventions.
So how is it that we
are
awarding Government contracts collectively worth way more than a billion
dollars to these people? Canadian foreign policy dictates that we are
to
impose sanctions against entities that break International Laws.
The rule of law and
morality
must be enforced. If citizens do not insist upon the rule of law, I
don't
know who will. Unfortunately, I cannot see how the Justice system can
be
used to address the morality of the Government’s actions.
That’s what elections are for, I guess.
•
2010 January 11-12: I represent myself in Court. Section 8 of the
Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms is about freedom from
"unreasonable search and seizure", seemingly unrelated to my case.
However, because of
the
significance of Charter Rights and Freedoms (constitutional), the Courts
have
given broad interpretation to the various Sections. The case law
associated with Section 8 protects “a biographical core of personal
information” such as a person in a free and democratic society would
want
to maintain, and control from dissemination to the state.
With Steven
Seiferling’s written presentation for the Charter Section 8 argument
inhand, and activist lawyer friend, Stefania Fortugno in attendance at
Court, I
am confident.
But “The Court
headed
for an override of my Charter Right to privacy of information. Through
the Crown witness, Anil Arora from StatsCan, the prosecutor laid the
foundation
for the claim that the value to all Canadians of the census work is
greater
than my individual right to privacy of information; however, I didn’t
understand the significance of the testimony. “
Late in the day I
realized
what was happening; I was in trouble because I don’t know the legal
arguments to prevent the Section 1 override of my right to privacy. The
Judge scheduled March 16th for the completion of presentation of
evidence.
I exited the
Courthouse and
went straight to Steven: “here, the case is yours to
handle”.
The combination of
self-representation and then a lawyer have worked pretty well. I was
able
to get statements onto the Court record regarding Lockheed Martin
Corporation. Most lawyers would stick to the central legal argument
(Charter Right to privacy) and not have made statements regarding
Lockheed
Martin.
•
2010, February 24: USING DEFENCE STOCKS TO BOLSTER YOUR INVESTMENT
PORTFOLIO, SPOTLIGHT ON LOCKHEED MARTIN, Globe & Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/e-zines/globe-investor-magazine/using-defence-stocks-to-bolster-your-portfolio/article1478990/?cmpid=1
For me, this
newspaper
article is a tragedy of epic proportions. Not a tragedy of a single
person or family, but of our society. It is bizarre that this can be an
article from a "normal" newspaper, on a normal day, written by a
normal person. It's not normal; it is insanity. Invest your money
in Lockheed Martin; war is a sure bet when the rest of the stock market
is
plummeting. . . . (How different the world would be if
“capital” was invested in enterprise that cared about the
environment and people. That day is coming! See “Agenda for a
New Economy, 2nd Edition” (2010) by David Korten. “From
Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth”, “A Declaration of Independence from
Wall Street”.)
From John Ralston
Saul’s “On Equilibrium”:
. . if
utilitarianism (e.g. making money from war and illegal weapons) is given
leadership in a given area, it will set about demeaning, marginalizing
and
unraveling the non-utilitarian elements (INSERT: like morals) at play.
Why? Because utility is not thought. Nor is it argument. It
does not, in and of itself, have a purpose or a direction. A toilet
would
just as happily dispose of fresh caviar or unwanted goldfish. It will
indifferently send its cargo off through a system of pipes to be
deposited in a
sewage-treatment plant or directly into your drinking-water supply.
That
was the point about the IBM Hollerith punch-card machine, indifferently
an
organizer of death camps and of efficient workplace structures.
Utilitarianism
can only
lead us if it reduces all else to its own narrow truth of utility. The
closest utility can come to a purpose is efficiency and, related to
that,
self-interest. (INSERT: invest in Lockheed Martin because it will make
you money. Never mind about the moral issues.) This can be made
into a seductive proposition, thanks to myriad fast, apparently clear,
short-term answers and concrete illustrations of those answers.
But what makes a
society a
society or a civilization is precisely its more complex, less clear,
more
long-term, non-utilitarian aspects. And so it was a consensus around the
'nature of the other' which solidified the idea of responsible
individualism
and social inclusion, which drove the movement for egalitarian waste
removal
and clean-water supplies. This was an illustration of culture in its
broadest sense. It included what we have always considered to be
culture
- ideas, literature, images, music, architecture, the sciences. Why do
we
think of these as culture? Because they are the repositories and the
mechanisms of thought and argument.
... None of this
is
a comment on whether utility is good or bad. Or waste disposal. Or
trade. (INSERT: or investment in Lockheed Martin) Nor is it a
comment on the necessary function of self-interest. I'm simply pointing
out that these characteristics and functions are not in and of
themselves
rational. They are not equipped to lead society.
Why then are we
so
obsessed by utilitarianism? We have always wanted the comfort of
clarity
and permanent systems. We remain uncomfortable with our own qualities
and
strengths - with complexity and uncertainty. ...
... Rousseau: "As
soon as public service ceases to be the main concern of the citizens and
they
come to prefer to serve the state with their purse rather than their
person,
the state is already close to ruin.”
Norway will not
invest public
money in Lockheed Martin Corporation. Morality enters into their
investment decisions. You invest your money in the kind of economy that
is beneficial to the Earth and its people. It’s a no-brainer.
What has happened to us?
•
2010, March 3: “ . . . Secure Flight, the newest weapon in
the U.S.'s war on terrorism, gives the United States unprecedented power
over
who can board planes that fly over U.S. airspace -even if the flights
originate
and land in Canada.
The program, set
to take
effect globally in December, was created as part of the Intelligence
Reform and
Terrorism Prevention Act, adopted by the U.S. Congress in 2004.
Canada's
Parliament never
adopted or even discussed the Secure Flight program - even though Secure
Flight
transfers the authority to screen passengers, and their personal
information,
from domestic airlines to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The European
Parliament,
on the other hand, has consistently voiced objections to the Secure
Flight plan. .. “
•
2010, March 16: I am back in Court. Presentation of evidence
concluded by Lawyer Steve Seiferling. I am confident: it is the
Government and not me that is breaking the law. They are using the
threat
of jail time and a fine to coerce citizens into handing over a
biographical
core of personal information. Charter Rights prohibit the Government
from
doing this. And they cannot meet the test which would allow them to
override my privacy rights.
The Judge sets the
next court
date, September 9th , to hear the Crown and Defence arguments based on
the
evidence presented.
•
2010 March: The U.S. Census is starting up with a big ad
campaign. There is large opposition because of the privacy
issue. I contact numbers of websites: the Americans appear to be
completely unaware that Lockheed Martin/IBM are essentially the U.S.
Census
Bureau.
•
2010 March 24: Armoured vehicles adopted by B.C. RCMP “The
RCMP said the so-called "Cougars for cops" is a national program, and
residents of other cities can expect to see the vehicles on their
streets too.
“
http://news.ca.msn.com/local/britishcolumbia/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23717966
(This is part of the
“normalization” of a military presence in Canadian
communities. It is not normal at all and should be strenuously
resisted.)
•
2010 March 25: Sweeping New Powers Would Threaten Privacy:
Watchdog BC Government wants to amend law to allow much more collection
and sharing of personal data.
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/03/25/NewPowers/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=290310
•
2010 April 1: Edmonton woman (Susan Crowther) threatened with jail time
and a fine if she doesn’t supply information to Statistics Canada survey
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/04/01/edm-statscan-labour-force-survey-refusal.html
•
2010 April 7: More cameras, guns for Parliament Hill (Instead
of addressing the concerns of citizens, the Government reacts with “more
cameras, more guns”. An ideological reaction.)
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/More+cameras+guns+Parliament+Hill/2771750/story.html
•
2010 April 10. Lockheed Martin sets up in First Nations (Whitecap)
business park outside Saskatoon.
Business park in the
works
http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Business+park+works/2786466/story.html
You will see in the
article
that Whitecap Development Corp (First Nations) south of Saskatoon
“is trying to obtaining licensing rights” for “an unmanned
vehicle for military .. use”. Drones that drop bombs come to
mind. Lockheed Martin is in that business:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2006/LOCKHEEDMARTINSUNMANNEDSYSTEMSTECHN.html
•
2010 June 26: Aerospace Giant Lockheed Martin Donating $3.5
Million Training Package to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of
Technology (SIIT) in Saskatoon
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/Lockheed+Martin+donates+SIIT/3204419/story.html
Also:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lockheed-martin-donates-35-million-canadian-training-package-to-saskatchewan-indian-institute-of-technologies-2010-06-25-90590?reflink=MW_news_stmp
It is not mentioned
what kind
of “aerospace” technology we are talking about. It seems
reasonable to assume that it’s the same being talked about at White
Cap: an unmanned vehicle for military .. use. If you marry the two
articles, add in “aerospace”, it would seem that indeed we are
talking about unmanned drones that drop bombs on real live people, but
ones
that live far away.
First Nations people
should
have training in the jobs of the future: energy conservation,
retrofitting and renewable energy. They should not be held hostage by
the
likes of Lockheed Martin Corporation.
And so, the American
military-industrial-congressional complex is imported by quislings who
rely on
ignorance, into Canada. We now have “inter-operability” with
the Americans, “compatible doctrine” and other goodies like lots of
money to expand the military-industrial economy that is dependent on the
making
of war. Thank-you, Stephen and all our politicians! Where is the
opposition?
And so we in
Saskatchewan are
now part of the unmanned drones launched by computer-game whiz kids from
military installations in the desert in Nevada against targets in Yemen
and
elsewhere. We in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan will play a central role in
the
further development of this latest outrage against humanity. The
tactics
of the Nazis were marginally less immoral.
But it’s not over
yet. We have an action plan to stop Lockheed Martin.
Non-cooperation (non-violent resistance, the weapon of Ghandi) with the
May
2011 Census is one part of it. Everyone spreading this information is
another. See a later email for the next action item.
•
2010 June 29: “The federal government is scrapping the mandatory
long census form in favour of a voluntary survey”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-srap-mandatory-long-form-census/article1623458/
•
2010 June 29: article by Murray Dobbin in the aftermath of the G20
Summit
and protests in Toronto, Is this what a police state looks like?
http://murraydobbin.ca/2010/06/29/is-this-what-a-police-state-looks-like/
•
2010 July: Researchers mount a lobby to maintain the mandatory
requirement of the long form.
•
I and others phone and email some researchers, to explain the role of
Lockheed
Martin Corporation in the census. This factor is largely absent from
the
current public debate. When it does arise, the spin is now that the
Government “bought” software from Lockheed Martin; it is no longer
work that has been “out-sourced” or “contracted
out”.
•
The Government reacts to the social scientists and genealogists by
mounting an
on-line survey to collect feedback from them for Industry Minister, Tony
Clement and Chief Statistician, Munir Sheikh.
Missing is all the
information on the G20 protests which is part of the context of Lockheed
Martin
in Canada – the growing police-state tactics. Sorry I don’t
have time to include it. Nor the opposition to the Arms Bazaar (CANSEC)
in Ottawa.
I hope you are
enjoying the
summer. It is difficult for some: here in Saskatchewan we have had
the most rain in recorded history. It was too wet for some farmers to
get
their crops in.
Still, Life is Good.
Sandra
Infrequently I have
been
accused of undermining a "good" Canada by being critical. And
of undermining our "good" neighbours, the Americans.
My response: If
wrong
is not challenged aggressively, the Americans (and we) live a myth of
democracy, not reality. Failure to identify and address the wrong is
the
surest way for a good system to fail.
By tabling the
problems I am
fulfilling my responsibility as a member of the human species.
I have followed what
Lockheed
Martin is doing. From my perspective it is part of the growing police
state. StatsCan’s reassurances about Lockheed Martin’s
role in the Canadian census fall into the category of the reassurances
given to
Canadians in 1995 that CN would remain Canadian. They even passed
legislation to ensure that CN’s headquarters would remain in
Montreal. Today CN is American-owned. People are naïve if they
think that Lockheed Martin and the Government are to be trusted. It is
only a matter of time before Lockheed will have what it wants. This is
not a good situation for a number of reasons, not the least of which is
that
the American Patriot Act trumps all Canadian laws. Any American
corporation and its subsidiaries that have access to data bases can be
ordered
to hand over the data base information to the American Government (the
Pentagon). No notice is given to the owner of the data base.
This mess over the
census
arises because Public Works Canada and Statistics Canada out-sourced
census
work to Lockheed Martin Corporation which is essentially the American
military/Pentagon.
Lockheed is
responsible for
death and destruction in untold numbers. Why would we allow Lockheed
Martin into our country? Or the American military? Both
should be on trial for murder, along with the Bush Administration.
In spite of all the
protests
over the Government contracts awarded to Lockheed Martin for the 2006
census,
the Government went ahead and gave them contracts for the 2011 census,
too. I don’t buy the argument that “NAFTA made me do
it”, or that Lockheed Martin Canada is not the same as Lockheed Martin
USA. In a democracy I am responsible for the actions of my
Government.
In life, you have to draw your line in the sand. Government contracts
with corporations whose mission is to destroy life are not to be
tolerated.
I doubt that George
Bush’s visit to Saskatoon in October 2009 was without an agenda. In
2009 he visited Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon. Now we have Lockheed
Martin. We also happen to have tar sands, oil, gas, water and
electricity, especially if they are successful in pushing the nuclear
agenda
through. The maps for water diversion show the water being moved
from Lake Athabasca on the Saskatchewan border with the Northwest
Territories,
south along the border with Manitoba and then into a series of dams.
The
holding tanks are the Rafferty-Alameda and Oldman Dams that sit right on
the U.S.
border.
The system of dams
shown on
the map for the water diversion:
-
The Rafferty-Alameda on the border between Saskatchewan and the U.S.
This
dam was pushed through by the Conservative Government of Brian
Mulroney.
At the time, Elizabeth May was a recent graduate from Dalhousie Law
School,
hired by then Minister of Environment, Tom McMillan. Elizabeth quit her
job of Executive Assistant to McMillan because the Government refused to
do the
environmental impact assessments required by the law. The Dam was
just pushed through. The Dam made little sense. The Gardiner
Dam (Lake Diefenbaker) (also on the water diversion map) was
under-subscribed
by two-thirds for irrigation which was its raison d’etre.
(was built for 300,000 irrigable acres. 30 years later only 100,000
acres were irrigated. Why would you build another dam for irrigation?)
-
The Oldman Dam in Alberta just above the U.S. border. A coalition of
citizens fought this dam for 6 years. And won the battle through the
Courts, or so they thought. The Government overrode the Court decision;
the Oldman Dam was built. Again, a decision that didn’t make
sense. But that does make sense in the water diversion scenario.
-
The Meridian Dam on the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan is part
of the
water diversion scheme. We fought it down in about 2000 (didn’t
know anything about the plan to divert water to the U.S., at the time).
We drew on the experience of the people who fought the Oldman Dam and
had the
advantage of being able to get information to people quickly and cheaply
via
email. It was an intensive battle fought over 8 months.
-
The Highgate Dam near North Battleford SK is part of the system of dams
for the
water diversion. A few years ago local people fought that one down, at
least for the time being. We had the network and the experience from
the
Meridian Dam fight to duke it out.
-
Once citizens have information, it is not difficult to fight down these
dams,
only time-consuming. The dams are so obviously large boon-doggles;
tax-payers get fleeced. You don’t even have to know about the
connection to plans for privatization of the water (the opportunity for
“equity interests” in the water is the term used by the promoters
of the dams). The intention is for a group of people to make money by
selling the water, same as oil and gas. They are ignorant of the fact
that we don’t actually have excess water. It is an illusion if you
know the true state. Their schemes will only hasten the depletion here,
as they have done in the U.S. (Reference Scripps Institute of
Oceonography report on the two largest water reservoirs in the U.S.,
Lake Mead
and Lake Powell behind the Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams on the Colorado
River:
50/50 chance that hydro-electric capacity will be gone by 2017 because
of
falling water levels and 50/50 chance that the reservoirs will be
bone-dry by
2021. I talked with lead researcher last summer to see if they are
getting their act together to help avert disaster. He was very
pessimistic. I asked if there are going to be environmental refugees
and
if the population (residential, commercial, irrigation) dependent upon
water
from the Colorado River numbers in the 25 million. His figuring is
same as mine, yes.)
APPENDED
A few years ago my
Mother
happened to watch a supposed-documentary on television. It was a
one-sided promotion of the "Grand Canal" to divert water from James
Bay to the U.S., the preposterous idea I first read about in "To the
Last
Drop" (Michael Keating, 1986) and which I thought had died in the
decades
since Reisman talked about it.
The attached
compendium
addresses the question of whether water is exempt under NAFTA, the
question
being posed to Senator Patricia Carney in the aftermath of Canada
signing the
Free Trade Agreement. (Carney went from the House of Commons as a
Conservative member for B.C. to the Senate. She (trained as an
economist)
was involved in the FTA negotiations. Coincidentally, I knew Pat when
she
had the company "Gemini North" in Yellowknife. The Company did
contract work for the oil and gas companies in the Arctic in the early
1970's.
According to the
sources,
Carney and others believed that water WAS exempt from the terms of the
Free
Trade Agreements. It was in the text during the negotiations, last they
knew. But when the finalized text of the Agreement became available,
when
asked to provide the reference for where the exemption appears, they
were not
able to provide the reference. In the final negotiations, in "the 11th
hour" to reach an agreement, the clause on water disappeared. Is, or
is not, water exempt under the NAFTA regulations? ... There seems to be
consensus: it is exempt until the first shipment of water goes south,
and
then it is covered by the NAFTA rules.
At the time of
reading
"To the Last Drop" we were fighting the Meridian Dam on the South
Sask River. I only came to learn of the Grand Canal and the Rocky
Mountain Trench (proposals to divert water from the northern regions of
Canada
to the U.S.) because of that. Even then I did not appreciate the
geographical significance of Saskatchewan. The Trench is far west in
B.C.; the Canal would be way off in Central Canada. The huge
Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan never crossed my mind.
There is a scheme
for moving
water out of the control of citizens (out of Government). Written
while we were fighting the Highgate Dam:
. . . through a
Federal
Government funding program (The Canada Saskatchewan Water Supply
Expansion
Program), responsibility for process and decisions about the water in
the River
were passed out of Government hands to other interests.
Ralph Goodale was
Minister of
Finance. His good buddy Red Williams was President of Agrivision.
But the money for the feasibility study (between $340,000 and $370,000)
didn't
go directly to Agrivision. Agrivision put on the promotional meeting in
North Battleford to attract local supporters who would then carry the
ball,
through an organization they created - the North Sask River Water
Resource
Committee (NSRWRC).
In the early stages
of the
fight over the Highgate Dam we went to the Government for answers about
lack of
due-process. And were told that the Government WASN'T responsible.
The North Sask River Water Resources Committee was responsible.
Questions
should be directed to them.
I am reminded of the
words of
Red at the Drought-Proofing Conference. He said that decisions around
the
control of water would be moved into "institutions". Simultaneously
he announced the creation of the Saskatchewan Water Council; his friend
Wayne
Clifton (also a member of Agrivision) would be the President of the
SWC.
I interpret the
words and
actions as a response to the fact that the intentions to build dams, for
example, are thwarted by citizen participation in the democratic
process. You
have to find a way to by-pass this obstacle. They almost did. ("The
Government is not responsible for the study of a dam on the North
Saskatchewan
River.") They would have been successful, had it not been for a
group of dedicated local people, supported by others from across Canada
who
came down heavily on the NDP Government of Saskatchewan over the
Highgate Dam
proposal.
In many cases it is
simple
greed, a way to make easy bucks, that people unwittingly become the
quislings
that sell out the country. Sometimes it is ignorance bred of
ideology. In other cases they know exactly what they are doing. In
the name of money.
Lockheed Martin is
the
American military. On moral and legal grounds they are to be
despised. Non-cooperation in everything to do with Lockheed Martin is
called for.
TO:
Media
