A NATIONAL ISSUE: 2

G20 Security Response worrying for democracy: Rights group

Author: Joanna Smith

Newspaper: The Toronto Star

Date: Oct. 27, 2010

Article: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/882054--g20-security-response-worrying-for-democracy-rights-group

Subject of Article: Democracy in Canada

Thesis: It was a bad choice to arrest many protestors arbitrarily, in even worse conditions.

Evidence: Just because people were letting loose their emotions and thoughts, over a thousand protestors were arrested. Later on, most were let go because there was no evidence found against them in the first place. Conditions in the detention centers were horrifying according to Jacinthe Poisson and Wissam Mansour, and made many lose hope in the democracy of Canada.

Significance: It is not right to arrest people just for expressing themselves with no violence, which they are legally allowed to do according to human rights. Also, there was confiscation of private property (cell phones, eyeglasses, etc.) with no good reason; another violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Conditions were not right for citizens, especially with the very people of the law discriminating against them. This is important because the Canadian police made a mistake, resulting in the loss of faith in the democratic process and so-called equality in Canada.

A LOCAL ISSUE: 2

Muslims urged to vote as block in Markham ward

Author: L.H. Tiffany Hsieh

Newspaper: Markham Economist & Sun

Date: Oct. 21, 2010

Article : http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/890975--muslims-urged-to-vote-as-block-in-markham-ward

 Subject of Article: Markham Election

Thesis: The Muslim community in Markham is targeted and encouraged to get votes.

Evidence: The letter has been circulating the mosque, and trying to get to the Muslim community to vote for Mohammed Rahman, who is of Muslim descent. It is also trying to get them together as a block so that together their votes will be just enough to win.

Significance: The letter is important because it represents the division between the Muslim community and the rest of Markham, and that is not a good thing according to human rights. Race should not matter, and this goes against the meaning of the all-inclusive community Mohammed Rahman is trying to convey. Side-lining Muslims is not the way to go.

AN INTERNATIONAL ISSUE: 2

Campaigning begins for Uganda’s presidential election

Author: Gaaki Kigambo

Newspaper: The Toronto Star

Date: Oct. 27, 2010

 

Subject of Article: Uganda Elections

Thesis: People are becoming increasingly discontent with President Yoweri Museveni’s decisions on their behalf.

Article: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/882091--campaigning-begins-for-uganda-s-presidential-election

Evidence: A bill has been passed that means no unauthorized public gatherings may take place, using violence to enforce it. Museveni also seized a book criticizing his lack of keeping his promises to the people, and makes decisions out of his presidential limits, being corrupted. He also exiled one of the candidates from a rival party, Kizza Besigye.

Significance: This is doing nothing to help win Museveni votes, and with the February 2011 vote quickly approaching, Besigye might have enough evidence to let him win for once. Also, the bill that has been passed is in violation of human rights, not letting individual voices be heard.

AN INTERNATIONAL ISSUE.

The World’s Most Corrupt Countries

Author: Mike Blanchfield

Newspaper: The Toronto Star

Date: Oct. 26, 2010

Subject of Article: Corruption within the Government

Thesis: Canada is giving foreign aid to the second most corrupt country in the world, which only serves the worsen conditions.

Article: see http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/881251--the-world-s-most-corrupt-countries

Evidence: It is stated that “Unstable governments with a history of conflict continue to dominate the bottom rungs of the (index),” and “Corruption nourishes poverty, it seeds violence, it destabilizes countries,” as Huguette Labelle puts it. This is where Afghanistan is on the least-corrupt scale. Its president, Hamid Karzai, admits to receiving money from other countries also, but is not using it to reduce the poverty that plagues his land.

Significance: If the government uses the funds it receives for their own private gain, then none of the issues creating problems for everyone are being solved. These include poverty, to lessen climate change, and also stabilizing financial markets. This article is important because it alerts us Canadians that the taxes we are paying may end up going into the wrong hands.

A LOCAL ISSUE.

Traffic a key issue in Markham election

Author: L.H. Tiffany Hsieh

Newspaper: yorkregion.com/news

Date: September 23, 2010

Article: http://www.yorkregion.com/news/local/article/877383--traffic-a-key-issue-in-markham-election

Subject of Article: Traffic in Markham

Thesis: All candidates want to have something to do with clearing traffic off the roads to win more votes.

Evidence: Candidate Surinder Issar claims not to put up signs on the road due to them blocking the view of the road. Joe Li, Peter Pavlovic, and many others all believe that public transit should be improved, with Li suggesting to make buses come more frequently but also of a smaller capacity. Candidates are willing to increase the tax by about 1% just to pay for the snowplows.

Significance: This issue is important because it will affect us directly no matter who wins the election. Any way the election may go, public transit is sure to be improved. Paying just a little bit more tax is surely worth it to rid ourselves of traffic gridlock, especially in the winter when it is at its worst.

A NATIONAL ISSUE.

All politics, no science, for Harper

Author: Carol Goar

Newspaper: The Toronto Star

Date: February 11, 2008

Subject of Article: Science in the Government

Thesis: The Conservative Party has eliminated the National Science Advisor position in Parliament, making it seem like Conservatives do not care for science.

Article: See http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/301904 for the article.

Evidence: Over the course of a few years, the government has been slowly pushing out the job, until Harper finally cleared it out for good, ridding a talented man of what he excels at. When asked about it, the Conservative Party also stumbled; “Under the science and technology strategy which this government has put forward, there is an intent to focus the science and technology strategy to harness more resources." There is not much more to say, other than that they simply do not support the idea of science being taken seriously.

Significance: We need people like Arthur Carty in our Parliament especially now, where technology is used every day! Otherwise, if there are no experienced scientists to advise decisions the government could be making to attract more interests of the people, then more votes will hardly be attained.