As Canadians move into “election-readiness mode”, South Asian Diasporic voters might learn that they have a lot in common with the Green Party of Ontario.

For those of us who go unnoticed on the shores, we are soon to catch the eye of the political tide. To wash away our vote, a wave of political campaigns is headed our way. And heading the wrong way at the 2011 elections will almost certainly inaugurate the end of 2012. In my opinion, it is not even “who” we vote for at the elections that will make the difference: it is “what” we vote for. This, I believe, is the seat of government malfeasance.

For a moment, consider the world for those whose lives have been hit by social injustice, violence, economic inequalities and ecological ignorance: they have not been left with much of a world, have they?

And, before we know it, there will not be much of a world for most of us too.

And this, I must remind you, is not an apocalyptic dance to the tune of Jim Jones.

Pulsating with personal and global responsibility, the Green Party of Ontario (GPO) is readying itself to appeal to the electorate to realize the need for a government that is committed to green values.  Mike Schreiner, GPO leader, recognizes the urgency for this shift and is motivated to realize seats for Green MPPs at Queen’s Park.

“An innovative policy approach and a minority voice are desperately needed at Queen’s Park,” says Griffin Carpenter, GPO member.

And rightfully so.

In May 2010, the Environment Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) announced that Ontario will not meet its greenhouse gas ( GHG ) reduction targets in 2014 and that emissions will rise between 2014 and 2020. This announcement was also coupled with harsh criticism for the Liberal government’s failure to enact a coordinated energy-efficiency and conservation plan.

These failures not only mar any of the successes of the Liberal tenure, but, more importantly, call for an immediate assessment of how core GPO values can alter Ontario’s landscape.

And this is where I come to the question of my editor, Asma Amanat : how green is brown? Are the two compatible?

As I discussed a story on GPO with her, I understood that it is not our business to think for our readers : we are not in the business of buying votes. But we could certainly invite our readers to think, for themselves, about party values in the political scene.  We realized that I must “present an option” rather than “ buy your choice”.

So I shall do just that.

When placed under the microscope, each political party has pros and cons in its genes. However, presenting the green platform would allow the South Asian reader to, hopefully, understand green philosophy with or without casting a GPO vote. At a time when the political circus is far too chaotic to become a part of our already frenzied lives, we decided to view the political as personal and examine how we might already have a green value or two in us that we might want to translate into the political.

I understand that going “green” has, admittedly, grown into a fad. It signifies concern without a signified concerned. This, however, only motivates me to match GPO values with the South Asian values I am aware of in order to realize the power of green.

If you visit GPO’s website ( http://www.gpo.ca), you will come to meet the party’s 10 key values.

Let us question if brown has anything in common green :

1)      Sustainability : if the GPO is concerned with establishing better resources for the future, isn’t this a mantra that brought most, if not all, of our family to this part of the world? Canada is what they did for the kids, no?

2)      Social Justice : if acting locally and globally is the basis of a just society, who better than the Diaspora to champion this cause?

3)      Grassroots Democracy : if people must meet together to discuss change, has this process not been the heart of our various community centres?

4)      Nonviolence : Ahimsa?

5)      Decentralization : if the GPO is committed to lessening the gap between the people and the state, does this not resound with our regular calls for adequate representation?

6)      Community-based Economics : need I explain how brown this is?

7)      Gender Equality/Feminism : Aqsa Parvez?

8)      Diversity : Unity in diversity?

9)      Personal and Global Responsibility : if the GPO studies our footprints on this planet, why not make sure we leave a healthy one?

10)  Ecological Wisdom : what are we doing for our kids?

Green and brown are not as far apart as we think. Now this is not to say that the GPO is your instant choice. But it certainly is a choice that you have been presented with.

Should you consider this choice more seriously, the party is building its team for 2011 and is welcoming students to partake in their internship program and familiarize themselves with the political grid.

For more info on opportunities, drop an email to admin@gpo.ca or call (416) 977-7476.

Author: Ali Abbas

Painting all South Asian or Middle Eastern cultures and religious traditions with the same brush is not only unfair but it’s inaccurate. Just take a critical look the latest stories about “honour killings.”

From left to right: Jawinder “Jassi” Kaur (25), Aqsa Parvez (16), Methal Dayem (22), Lubaina Bhatti Ahmed (39), Sahar Daftary (23), Amandeep Singh Atwal (17), Amina Said (17) and Sarah Said (18), Sandeela Kanwal (25), Surjit Athwal (27), Rukhsana Naz (19), Fadime Sahindal (32), Heshu Yones (16), Anooshe Sediq Ghulam (22), Maja Bradaric (16), Sahjda Bibi (21), Anita Gindha (22), Shafilea Ahmed (16), Gulsum Semin (20), Hatin Surucu (23), Banaz Mahmod (20), Samaira Nazir (25), Sazan Bajez-Abdullah (24), Sabia Rani (19), Ghazala Khan (18), Caneze Riaz (39) and daughters Sayrah (16), Sophia (15), Alicia (10), Hannah (3), Hina Saleem (21), Morsal Obeidi (16), Aasiya Hassan (37), Ayman Udas (30), Du’a Khalil (17), Khatera Sadiqi (20), Lidia Motylska (19), Müjde B. (18), Pela Atroshi (19), Rim Abu Ghanem (19), Sabina Akhtar (26), Uzma Rahan, 32,and sons, Adam (11), and Abbas (8) and daughter, Henna(6), Tulay Goren (15)

Stephen Harper’s Conservatives seem to think that this is a prevalent practice in communities of South Asian or Islamic traditions, but let’s face it – these tragic cases, as sensational as they are, are isolated and are not tradition or something communities tolerate.

Murder is a serious crime and under Canada’s Criminal Code, there is a process to convict and condemn those who are found guilty.

In their July report, the Frontier Centre for Public Policy documented 12 honour killings in Canada since 2002. Yes, even one is too many but why is the Conservative government suddenly worried about 12 dead women, when thousands are killed or go missing every year?

The death of any woman is an honour killing. We just have different names for it or it happens in a different form. But essentially, it’s violence against women, gender-based violence or woman abuse.

Every day, we hear examples of men (husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, boyfriends or partners) who abuse and kill women with whom they have a relationship. The underlying problem is about power and control – issues that the man needs to resolve within himself. And this goes beyond culture and religion.

But if the Conservatives were serious about stopping crimes and violence against women, they should seriously reinvest money and support to women’s groups.

Organizations, such as the national Status of Women Canada, and numerous regional and local women’s shelters and support groups carry out educational and awareness campaigns on the need to end violence against women, including specific programs directed at men to identify their issues.

I wonder if the 12 women killed in the name of honour have restored honour to their family name. I also wonder if it’s honourable to have a member of the family rot in jail on charges of murder or assault. In the end, murder is murder and there is no honour or pride in that.

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq announced the renewed Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI), which features the creation of the CHVI Research and Development Alliance. The Alliance will enable Canada to be a leading contributor to global efforts in developing a safe, effective, affordable and globally accessible HIV vaccine.

“Through the launch of the CHIV Research and Development Alliance, Canada continues to lead the way in the global fight against HIV and AIDS,” said Minister Aglukkaq. The announcement “reflects our Government’s continuing commitment to help find a cure for this devastating virus which crosses borders, cultures, genders and backgrounds.”

The CHVI Research and Development Alliance is a network in Canada that brings together leading researchers from the public and private sectors, as well as the international community, to develop innovative solutions to the challenges facing HIV vaccine development. The Alliance will focus on scientific excellence and a number of significant investments to help researchers get potential HIV vaccines from the lab to internationally recognized clinical trials.

“Canada has the expertise, experience and resources to make a significant contribution to this global effort to develop HIV vaccines,” said Minister Clement. “For one, the Government of Canada is proud to invest in the development of technology, and engage the world-leading capacities of our private sector to help accelerate the development of an HIV vaccine.”

Another important component of the renewed CHVI is the Government of Canada’s investments, through the Canadian International Development Agency, in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in low and middle-income countries. The investment is intended to help deliver improved access, better services and programs, and a higher level of education about HIV with the goal of reducing the number of HIV positive mothers who transfer the virus to their unborn children. This may help pave the way for the introduction and acceptance of an HIV vaccine when it becomes available.

“As the development of an HIV vaccine will take time, it is important to continue to support global HIV prevention to reduce infection rates,” said Minister Oda. “Our investment demonstrates that we are committed to addressing HIV and contributing to solutions globally to slow its spread.”

“We recognize Canada’s significant contribution to the global effort to find a safe and effective HIV vaccine,” said Dr. Stefano Bertozzi, Director of the HIV Global Health Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “This approach marks a significant step forward in the work to find a safe and effective HIV vaccine.”

While the Government of Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation were developing the Alliance, work on the CHVI’s existing programs has continued.

As part of its $60 million commitment to the CHVI, the Canadian International Development Agency’s has committed $16 million over five years to support research teams in Africa. The teams will work to strengthen the capacity of African researchers and institutions to carry out future HIV/AIDS prevention trials in Africa. CIDA is providing this funding to the Global Health Research Initiative, which is providing, in turn, research grants to support seven Canada-Africa research teams over 2009-2014.

Through the CHVI Emerging Team Grant program, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) recently awarded $2 million over five years to two research teams in Canada. This investment will fund collaborative Canadian research in HIV vaccine discovery and social policy, and will help to facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity building in the research field.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat distributed a news release stating that the honorable Stockwell Day, president of the Treasury Board, in consultation with the honorable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism asked for a review of the provisions of the Public Service Employment Act to ensure that while diversity is supported in the public service, that no Canadian is barred from public service opportunities based on race or ethnicity.

“Our government strongly supports the objective of greater diversity in the federal public service. That has been one of my priorities as minister. I’m pleased to say that since coming to office, we have seen a number of visible minority Canadians and Canadians from diverse backgrounds have increased in the federal public service. In my own ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, over 17% of our thousands of employees are from visible minority backgrounds. That exceeds the number of people from visible minority backgrounds in the available workforce. So we have actually exceeded both the government targets and the presence in the overall Canadian workforce of visible minorities.  Also 63% of our employees are female..in promoting greater diversity in the federal public service, we must be sure that we do not exclude people. It must be based on the principle of equality of opportunity, not exclusion on the basis of racial or ethnic grounds.

We can and do advertise government positions in ethnocultural media occasionally  – such as the Canadian Forces and the RCMP and CSIS do in order to draw applications from diverse cultural communities.

If most Canadians get the impression that they are being unfairly discriminated against and not even allowed to apply for jobs in their government, that are funded by their tax dollars, that this will undermine the general positive goal of greater diversity and the reasonable and fair measures that we have undertaken to promote that diversity.

I should also point out that apparently only 1% of the positions offered in the Canadian federal public service have been exclusionary on the basis of race and so in our ministry. There were five such closed exclusive competitions last year and in the broader federal public service, it has been limited to 1% of the – of the job postings that have excluded people on the grounds of race.”

Responding to one question, Minister Kenny said “in my own ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, we have piloted a very successful youth – young newcomer internship program. The young newcomer internship program provides internship opportunities in our ministry for refugees who have arrived in Canada and gone to Canadian universities. Many of these people are then able to go on and get full – full-time employment in our ministry. So we are able to do all of those things without using the unfair, unjust tool of telling Canadians from certain backgrounds that they cannot apply.”

After a few hiccups (breaking down of the bus and rumours about a job at Munk Centre of University of Toronto)along the way since the beginning of his summer long Canada-wide bus tour,  Mr. Michael Ignatieff arrived in Brampton at MP Gurbax Malhi’s home on Saturday afternoon. With the street packed with cars and MP Malhi’s garage and backyard full of men of various ages and a very few women, his home was recognizable from far as Liberal Express, the bus carrying Mr. Ignatieff, his wife and others, was parked right in front of MP Malhi’s home.

MP Ignatieff & his wife with MP Malhi's family

With aroma of desi food in the air and people enjoying themselves in spite of heavy rain drops that dropped from sun-filled-sky from time to time, we saw MP Rob Oliphant (Don Valley West), MP Ruby Dhalla (Brampton Springdale), MP Navdeep Bains (Brampton South), MP Andrew Kania (Brampton West) and MP Gurbax Malhhi of course, among the crowd. MP Malhi’s home seemed like a true reflection of South Asian hospitality.

The Liberal leader met with members of South Asian media in the basement of MP Malhi’s home where a broad range of topics were brought up.

Mr. Ignatieff talked about his trip to seven ridings, how he had come across Harper’s garage (Harper’s garage is a name of a garage), how he had talked to people and flipped hamburgers and engaged people by being among them.

Explaining the reason for taking the bus trip, he said, “It’s the way of showing respect; it’s the way of listening and it’s the way of getting the message across,” he said.

In response to the question by Generation Next, the leader of the official opposition said that he is the only leader who has toured colleges and universities “to get young people back in the politics.” He told us Liberal Express is full of young people. He encouraged youth to not “stand out,” but be part of the political process. He is willing to compete with any other political leader to win over youth votes.

As of now, in Toronto, NDP seems to have a stronghold in University of Toronto. NDP MP Olivia Chow’s staff is seen at almost every gathering in and around UofT. Last year, on Club’s Day at UofT, NDP had the greatest number of student supporters. Many students see NDP’s policies to be student friendly.

Could this change? With Mr. Ignatieff’s experience as a professor, can he convince the youth and get them aboard his bus? Well, we would have to see when the next election comes around. Nonetheless, MP Ignatieff will be touring this Fall to colleges and universities.

Like students’ votes, Liberal Party can work hard to win over women as well. While Ms. Sonia Gandhi, Chairman of ruling Congress Party in India and Ms. Benazir Bhutto, twice elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, are household names, women remain underrepresented in political parties of Canada. Mr. Ignatieff reveres Mrs. Gandhi and Ms. Benazir as “inspiring.” He concedes that “we gotta get more women in politics. No question about it!”

One of the issues common to youth, women, elders and citizenry in general is telephone bills. Pointing to his left pocket while sitting beside MP Malhi, Mr. Ignatieff said we all want something that’s “good on our pocketbooks.” He promised that a Liberal government would ensure “real competition” in telecom industry where telecommunication companies will have a fair play in competition. He noted that a great number of Canadians are still using dial-up internet. But this will change with the Liberal government as it will invest in building telecom infrastructure.

MP Ruby Dhalla had tabled a Bill last year that would allow seniors who have lived in Canada for as little as three years to be eligible for old age security. This Bill however, didn’t have a lot of support from Liberals. MP Ignatieff’s response to lack of Liberal support for the Bill is “Canadians are not ready to go there yet. We can go only as fast as your political party will allow you to go.” But he noted that Canada’s Pension Plan was introduced by Liberals and that it maintains rights of seniors in Canada.

Mr. Ignatieff has criticized Prime Minister Harper for “neglecting” relationship with China and India. Now that Prime Minister Harper has met with Prime Ministers Hu Jintao and Manmohan Singh, he says “I’ve just come back from China, and Chinese leaders there [in China] asked me where was Canada for three years from 2006 – 2009. Harper put that relationship [with China and India] in deep freezer…now that he [Mr. Harper] has woken up, [it’s] good for him and Canada. But we wasted three years.”

“The future of Canada depends on building relationships with India and China. If we don’t [build relationships with China and India] we won’t be able to create jobs for our kids and grandkids. It’s that simple,” he said, resolutely, in response to Generation Next’s question about ties with India and China.

As for the G-20 Summit, he held Prime Minister Harper responsible for holding G-20 Summit in Toronto, saying “the cost [of the summit] went through the roof” and the entire Summit was “badly managed.”

And Mr. Ignatieff will be back in Ontario because “I know where the votes are,” he laughs with others.

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Liberals Can Never Let Down Sikh community – Ignatieff

“When the chips’re down we’re the party of equality, we’re the party of multiculturalism, we’re the party of immigrants.”

MP Ignatieff cherishes Sikh members of Liberal Caucus, and is willing to win over even more members of Sikh community. Acknowledging Sikh community’s services and contribution to Canada for over a century, he said Liberal party has “equality right in the centre” of its values and that Liberal Party will “always keep it in the centre.”

MP Sukh Dhaliwal and MP Andrew Kania had introduced a petition in House of Commons that would have recognized the atrocities of 1984 as “genocide,” however the petition was never read.

At the time Mr. Ignatieff issued a statement “It is used here to provoke a charged, visceral response which will not bring Canadians closer to mutual understanding and closure in regard to these tragic events,” Mr. Ignatieff said in a statement, adding his party would “never stand with those who seek to polarize communities, or aggravate the tensions around long-standing conflicts that divided us in other lands.”

In response to whether this statement would alienate Sikh community with the liberal Party, Mr. Ignatieff retorted “all Canadians need to understand the tragedy that took place in 1984. We’re friends of Sikh community, and when one community is hurt, it hurt all of us.”

He noted the differences within the Sikh community about not agreeing over the catastrophic incident of 1984. “[It’s] a contested truth,” he said adding on that Canadian Sikhs need to come “to shared truth…to make a decision…as a fellow Canadian..I share the feelings” of Sikh community.

However “it’s not up to government of Canada or House of Commons” to “decide such matters,” he added.

Affectionately putting hand over MP Malhi’s back, MP Ignatieff said that MP Malhi knows that “Liberal Party can never let Sikh community down.”

He added that MP Bains is part of Liberal Party because he believes in Liberal values; Dr. Dhalla knows that “when the chips’re down we’re the party of equality, we’re the party of multiculturalism, we’re the party of immigrants.”

Not everyone can pull off false indignation like the Liberal Party of Canada. One moment they claim to be outraged at the latest diversion tactics by Stephen Harper. They demand changes and threaten to vote against the Conservatives. Then, when it comes time to show up in the House of Commons and actually vote – Liberal MPs mysteriously disappear and are absent during crucial votes.

Such was the case with the Conservatives’ omnibus budget bill, C-9. The Liberals kept enough MPs away to ensure the bill passed and the government did not fall, thereby preventing the launch of another election.

Where is the accountability to the Canadians who sent them to Ottawa? More importantly, where is the accountability of the unelected Senate which is supposed to provide “sober second thought”?

Canadians have been deceived by the Liberals and their grandstanding on the C-9 budget bill not once but twice! First by the duly-elected Liberal MPs who just couldn’t bother showing up to vote, especially those 30 who failed to appear on the third reading, ensuring the survival of the government and the delivery of the budget to the Senate. And then again, by the seven Liberal Senators who, on July 12, failed to show up, easily allowing the adoption of the Harper Conservative budget.

The bill contained some very controversial clauses such as plans to give the federal government the ability to sell off Atomic Energy of Canada without parliamentary approval; questioning the future of our country’s postal service and possibly privatizing some aspects of Canada Post; granting the federal environment minister broad new powers to limit the extent of environmental reviews of thousands of major infrastructure and development projects every year, including exempting them from an environmental review process altogether; and all environmental issues related to new nuclear plants and other major power projects would be left to the federal energy board and nuclear safety regulators.

Quote from Liberal Senator Pierrette Ringuettee: “The Liberal senators are not rubber-stampers of the leadership. We have a mandate to do sober second review of legislation for Canadians, and we will fulfill our responsibility…[The C-9 budget bill is] an affront to parliamentary responsibility, accountability and transparency.” (June 8, 2010, Toronto Star)

What an example of Liberal hypocrisy – stamping their feet in protest over what the Conservatives do, but when it comes time to stand and take action, they just sit on their hands or play dead.

The tragedy is that the Liberals had an opportunity to make changes to the bill in the Senate’s Standing Committee on National Finance, but not enough Liberals showed up to support the amendments to split the bill.

Take Michael Ignatieff as another example – he just didn’t feel it was all that important to show up for work this past parliamentary session either – he only bothered to participate in 7.7%, or 2 out of 26 budget votes.

The Liberals aren’t fulfilling their role as the “official opposition” in Parliament – they’ve become the Conservatives’ silent partner and doing their dirty work to make sure Stephen Harper’s agenda is passed.

Author:Rupinder Kaur

While Councillor Georgio Mammoliti had not come to Summer Carnival organized by Delta Family Resource Centre in a high priority neighbourhood of Ward 7 of City Toronto, his opponent Mr. Nick Di Nizio, president of the Humber Sheppard Ratepayers’ Group was there with his daughter.

Mr. Di Nizio met Mr. Mammoliti’s staunch supporter at the Carnival, who admired Mr. Mammoliti’s commitment to the community, yet Mr. Di Nizio insists that there may have been some progress 15 years ago, “but not anymore.”

“The job is not just in the last year of the term, it’s throughout the term,” he says taking a shot at Councillor Mammoliti who has withdrawn from mayoral race.

“[There are] three parks being looked at in our area because of an election year, and there are streets that are being addressed now,” he continues.

His reasons for running for Toronto City Council are simple.

“I want change. We don’t have much representation in Ward 7. We’re not being heard. We’re paying taxes but we’re not being listened to,” he says heatedly.

“ I wanna bring in more control in what’s going on. I’m not gonna be an absentee councillor,” he promises.

Which mayoral candidate is better for Toronto?

In Mr. Di Nizio’s opinion, residents of Ward 7 prefer Mr. Rob Ford “who seems to have the ear of the population” and “some are for Smitherman.”

As far as Mayor Miller’s performance is concerned, he hasn’t done a good job as a Mayor of Toronto.

“He [Mayor Miller] had his inner circle [because] he needs certain votes from incumbent [Councillor Georgio Mammoliti]. If anything he [Mayor Miller] was hindrance to our area.”

He accused Mayor Miller of never responding to letters written by residents of Ward 7 on the need for parks and recreation centres in Ward 7.

Author:Asma Amanat

The Conservative Government’s decision to scrap the decades-old long form for the next census, in favour of a voluntary national survey, is both short-sighted and irresponsible according to Rob Oliphant, Member of Parliament for Don Valley West and Chair of the Liberal’s Multicultural Outreach Working Group.

Of particular concern to Oliphant are new Canadians and ethnic communities, many of whom may be left out. Immigrant settlement organizations and other community groups have unanimously expressed concern about the almost certain under-representation of minority groups if the Conservatives go ahead with their proposal.

Instead of mandatory short and long versions of the Census form being sent to Canadian households, the Conservatives have decided to make the long form, with its detailed questions about language, ethnic background and other data, voluntary. Almost everyone agrees that the voluntary Census will have a low participation rate and will lack statistical validity.

“It is important to consider the broader impact of this decision,” said Mr. Oliphant. “Without reliable census data it will become very difficult to plan for and formulate policies designed to provide these communities with much needed assistance,” Oliphant said.

The changes to the census have been met with widespread opposition from dozens of national organizations, academics, think tanks, and government officials. Their consistent opinion is that the new voluntary system will provide data that is virtually useless.

One of the first to confirm this sentiment was former Chief Statistician of Canada, Ivan Fellegi. “The most vulnerable groups are the least likely to respond. So if you’re interested in data about aboriginal people, if you’re interested in data about recently arrived immigrants, if you’re interested about the poor, the disadvantaged … those are the kind of data that will be threatened,” Fellegi said.

“Canadians are used to the census slogan, ‘Count Yourself In,’” Oliphant concluded.  “Mr. Harper seems to be telling some Canadians to ‘Count Yourself Out.’ Canadians deserve better.”

Do you believe that the government should be asking you what time you leave for work in the morning? Whether your house needs renovations? Or how many bedrooms you have?

What if you discovered that the federal government requires Canadians to divulge this private information under the threat of fines or jail time, only to turn around and sell it to marketing firms looking to sell you their products?

Until recently, this was the case in Canada.

Every five years the federal government conducts a national census. It is made up of two parts – the short-form and the long-form.

The short-form censes is a mandatory eight-question survey. It is sent to all Canadians and asks questions such as the date of birth, gender, marital status and mother tongue.

The long-form censes is a 47-question survey sent to 20 per cent of households. It asks a number of personal and intrusive questions such as the number of bedrooms in your house, and the size of your utility bill.

Until last month, completion of the long-form census was mandatory. Canadians who refused to fill it out risked prosecution.

During the last census the long-form proportion was sent to approximately 2.5 million households. More than 160,000 Canadians refused to fill it out, a five-fold increase over 1981. More than sixty of those who refused were referred by the government for prosecution.

There are some people including the leader of the Liberal party, Micheal Ignatieff, who believe that Canadians should be forced to divulge intimate, private details about their personal lives to the federal government. We disagree.

We believe Canadians should be free to choose whether they share the private details of their lives with federal government. Acting on this belief, the government recently announced that the long-form version of the 2011 Census will be voluntary.

Canadians will still be required to complete the standard short-form census that provides basic, necessary information that every government needs. The only substantive change is that the long-form will now be voluntary.

Statistics Canada will continue to conduct and oversee the census process. And its employees will maintain the same rigorous methods and standards used for all of its surveys.

We believe this new approach strikes a fair and reasonable balance between ensuring the federal government has the basic information every government requires, and protecting the privacy of Canadian citizens.
Author:Tony Clement,Minister of Industry.

“One day, I would like to take out my Canadian flag and wear a Canadian jersey to support a Canadian team in the World Cup,” said New Democrat critic for Sport Glenn Thibeault. “It’s time to invest in the most popular sport in the world here at home.”

During each World Cup, Canadians proudly display flags and colours from various countries to show support for teams that make it to the finals; many are rooting for their country of origin. But many Canadians long for a competitive team of our own.

Currently there are too many structural, financial, organizational and infrastructure problems preventing a Canadian team from participating in the most important sporting event worldwide. Thibeault suggests give coaches more training, provide better infrastructure, improve coordination of competitions and invest more in soccer.

In 2009, the Canadian Soccer Association received $1.76 million from Sport Canada, which was less than the $1.88 million it received in 2008. By contrast, Australia, with a smaller population, invested more than $4 million in Australia’s soccer federation, including more than $1.3 million for college and university programs.

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Governor General Designate David Johnston: the President of University of Waterloo

While he is excited about the new opportunity in his life, Governor General designate David Johnston, the former President of University of Waterloo said there is still “much to do at uWaterloo between now and Oct 1. I want to devote an enormous effort to bring Campaign Waterloo home in splendid fashion.”

David Johnston, Canada's governor general-designate, is shown meeting the Queen alongside Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a dinner held in her honour in Toronto on Monday. (Prime Minister's Office

During his 11-year tenure at the University of Waterloo, David Johnston oversaw unprecedented growth in the university’s reputation, research capacity and leadership capabilities.

Of his many accomplishments, he will be especially remembered for putting the University of Waterloo, and the surrounding region, on the national map as a centre for talent, ideas, and innovation; leading Campaign Waterloo, which raised in excess of $500 million to support the university’s scholarship, students, and key building projects.

In 2007, the City of Waterloo was recognized as the world’s Top Intelligent Community by the Intelligent Communities Forum.

President Johnston’s vision includes a community where universities are innovative leaders, healthy living standards rise, investments in research and development transform, smart infrastructure is       developed, and social innovation is championed.

Mr. Johnston resides outside of Waterloo, Ontario.  He is married to Dr. Sharon Johnston.  They have five children and seven grandchildren.

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Salma Ataullahjan appointed Conservative Senator

Prime Minister Stephen Harper filled a vacancy in the Senate, announcing the appointment of Salma Ataullahjan.

“A professional, artist, parent and strong activist for the South Asian community in the Greater Toronto Area, Ms. Ataullahjan brings a remarkable dedication and energy to her new role as a Senator for the Province of Ontario,” said Prime Minister Harper

Ms. Ataullahjan fills a single vacancy in Ontario.  She has also pledged to support the Government in its efforts to make the Senate more democratic and accountable, including legislation to limit Senate tenure and to allow provinces to elect their Senators.

“In addition to coming from a family of political activists on the Indian Subcontinent, Ms. Ataullahjan’s political and social activism here in Canada has earned her a reputation of one who both stands against violence and stands for peaceful dialogue and consensus building,” said the Prime Minister.  “As our Government continues working to promote safety and security both at home and abroad, I welcome the addition of Ms. Ataullahjan’s skills and experience to the Senate of Canada and look forward to working with her in the months and years ahead.”

Salma Ataullahjan immigrated to Canada from Pakistan 31 years ago, becoming a Canadian citizen in 1989.  After settling in Toronto, she pursued a career in real estate, a profession in which she has worked for the last 21 years.  Born into a family with a long-standing history of political activism, Ms. Ataullahjan has spent many years actively involved in the social and political affairs of her community.

A natural consensus builder, Ms. Ataullahjan has served many organizations including: on the executive of the Pakistani Canadian Professionals and Academics; as Founder and Chairperson of the Parent Council of David Lewis Public School; as a member of the South Asian Regional Council; as a former President and current Vice-President of the Canadian Pashtun Cultural Association; and on the executive of the Toronto chapter of the Citizens Foundation, a charity organization that builds not-for-profit schools in the poorest districts of Pakistan.

Ms. Ataullahjan is an accomplished artist and paints watercolours in her spare time.  She and her husband Saleem have been married for 31 years and have two daughters, Anushka and Shaanzeh.