Canadian breaking news and politics and hats and general sexiness

[betenoire]

Originally Posted by suebee

I've been really annoyed by the talk of a coalition. My feelings have been "if you didn't get voted into power, then suck it up and be the opposition". But last night's vote will have me re-thinking that position. And I agree with you Bete: the system needs to be re-thought if we are going to have so many parties. But the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim since the party in power would NEVER benefit from it.

I don't think a coalition is a bad thing. I mean, really, it has the potential to represent MORE of the voting public than the party that holds the minority government has. The NDP/Bloc/Lib "coalition" represented the people who had not voted for the stupid Cons - which is the actual majority of Canadians.

When the Cons go on about how scary a coalition in the government is - it's because they hope we don't know how to count.

[EnderD_503]

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Is Mammoliti scared of drag queens?
Toronto Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti says he's sorry if he offends any drag queens, but he'd rather not get "lipstick all over his office."

At city council on May 18, Mammoliti lamented that "For the first time ever, there are more people that go through the mayor's door than we've ever seen before, and I'm saying this in an unbiased way.

"You may not want to admit it, but it's happening every day. People are coming in from the street, knocking on the door, and he is bringing them in to talk to them without an appointment or any of that."

When he finished speaking, Councillor Mike Layton asked Mammoliti about the trio of drag queens that popped into city hall on May 12.

"What drag queens?" Mammoliti asked.

"Did the drag queens come to my office, Councillor Davis?" Mammoliti asked. Councillor Janet Davis said softly into a microphone, "They should have."

"Did they come to my office? I'm glad I wasn't there," he said as snickers and laughter rippled throughout council chambers. "There would have been lipstick everywhere."

At this, other councillors reacted with gasps.

"What? Oh, did I offend the drag queens? I'm sorry if I offended the drag queens," he said.

City-hall watcher Matt Elliott, who captured the clip, says the comments were made during the debate on the advisory committee item. Mammoliti had just moved to refer several motions to the mayor's office and Councillor Gord Perks was questioning him on the wisdom of such a move.

On May 12 drag artists Amber Ellert, Stephanie Stephens and Michelle DuBarry spent the afternoon inviting councillors to the Proud of Toronto International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia event that took place at city hall on May 16.

When they asked to speak to Mayor Rob Ford, the queens were turned away from Ford's office by his assistant, Tom Beyer, who claimed the mayor was "in a meeting."

Source: http://www.xtra.ca/blog/national/pos...y-council.aspx

Mammoliti on Drag Queens: http://fordfortoronto.mattelliott.ca...iti-on-queens/

[EnderD_503]

Well, the bullshit surrounding this year's Pride continues. Yesterday was the 8 hour or so city council meeting that would determine if Pride gets city funding this year or not. They are still saying that they are going to withhold funding until after Pride (which is just stupid) to see if QuAIA participates or not. The problem is they are so fucking vague about QuAIA's participation. They've already said they will not march this year, but now the mayor and Mammoliti are saying that if members of QuAIA show up in any Pride events then funding could be withheld. How do you ban individuals from a public festival? It's so stupid.

The other thing too is that the moderate Jewish community doesn't even appear to be the ones who give a damn about QuAIA. It's radicals like the Jewish Defence League who are calling QuAIA a hate group, despite that the JDL are a hate group themselves and even considered a terrorist group themselves in some nations. At the first or second rally they held in front of Pride headquarters they were yelling homophobic slurs. The JDL themselves are a hate group and its obvious city hall is just trying to use their hatred not only for QuAIA and Palestinians/Arabs but for the gay community as well to further city hall's own homophobic views.

Anyways, here's the article:

2011 city funding for Pride Toronto likely safe
TORONTO NEWS / 'QuAIA better stay away,' says Mammoliti
Andrea Houston / Toronto / Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Funding for Pride Toronto (PT) is conditional and will be determined after this year's parade, councillor Giorgio Mammoliti told media following a city of Toronto executive committee meeting on May 24.

The committee heard from more than 45 speakers, 26 in support of PT, during the eight hour meeting. In the end, no motion was brought forward that would have made funding contingent on a guarantee by PT that the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) take no part in any festival events, anywhere, all week.

A city manager’s report, released in April, confirmed that the phrase "Israeli Aparthied" – and by extension QuAIA's participation in Pride celebrations – does not violate the city's anti-discrimination policy. Those who oppose QuAIA's particiaption have argued from the outset of the controversy that it does and that therefore makes PT inelligible for city funding.

It’s good news for PT. But Ward 27 councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam warns, “Council rules supreme. So at any time there could be a motion on the floor of council for a vote in June without notice. Then we would have to open it up and go through a big debate all over again, this time, without public consultation.... But it seems unlikely because council voted unanimously to receive the report. I was scared because some councillors had their knives out and had made some threats.”

After the vote, Mammoliti told Xtra he still anticipates QuAIA will make an appearance during Pride Week. Even if PT organizers aren't aware, he says, he plans to hold PT responsible.

“QuAIA better stay away," he says. "If they think they can do what they want at the expense of the taxpayer, they’re wrong.The City of Toronto isn’t going to fund an organization that wants to cause trouble. That’s not what the taxpayers want to do.... This councillor will defend the Jewish community and I’ll do it in an aggressive way.”

Mammoliti says the festival won’t get a penny until after the event.

“Some of us will be watching carefully and we’ll determine later whether or not they should get funds,” he says.

In fact, as Wong-Tam says, a majority of councillors would have to vote to claw back PT funding.

QuAIA members have already announced the group will not participate in the 2011 Pride parade. PT co-chair Francisco Alvarez says he believes that QuAIA is sincere and will not participate. But he refuses to provide Mammoliti with the written guarantee he demanded earlier this spring.

“In our view they are trying to make us discriminate against a group,” says Alvarez.

Alvarez told the executive committee that without the city support, PT could face bankruptcy and would most likely have to withdrawl from World Pride scheduled to be held in Toronto in 2014.

“It’s really been rough on everyone, but democracy is not an easy process,” he says.

Many of those who spoke against QuAIA at the meeting said they are Jewish, or were representing Jewish groups. There were several members of the Jewish Defense League, an organization dedicated to "protect Jews from anti-Semitism by whatever means necessary." The group has already promised to protest at the PT offices every Friday until Pride Week.

During the meeting, Mammoliti was joined by mayor Rob Ford and councillors James Pasternak and David Shiner in questioning some who spoke in favour of QuAIA about hate speech.The committee was repeatedly reminded that there is nothing anywhere in Canadian jurisprudence to suggest the phrase constitutes hate speech. Also, the city manager’s report determined it isn’t breaking any city rules.

In fact, free speech, including the aparthied analogy, is protected under Israeli law. And the term and the validity of the analogy has been part of the discourse at all levels – political, acedemic, activist, vernacular – inside and out of Israeli society and around the world for decades.

Still at one point Mammoliti argued that even though the phrase isn’t legally hate speech, it is still “hurtful.”

“I think it’s hate speech. I don’t care what the staff report says,” he said. “We've all suffered from hate. I’m Italian. I’ve been called a wop.”

Towards the end, councillor Peter Milczyn spoke up in favour of free expression at Pride.

“Once you censor one group, one idea, even if you disagree with it violently, it starts a slippery slope. Because what will it be next, the next group?”

In 2010, PT recieved a $123,807 grant and about $250,000 worth of in-kind services from the city, including garbage cleanup and policing. According to a 2009 economic impact study conducted for PT by Enigma Research,
the festival drew $136 million in spending during the 2009 Pride celebration. $94 million of that came from visiting tourists.

“These economic benefits are exceptional,” said Enigma’s Michael Harker in a Pride Toronto press release at the time. “The estimates are considerably higher than we have seen at many similar sized festivals and sporting events throughout North America.”

http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/2...afe-10209.aspx

[Linus]

Who or what is QuAIA?

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by Linus

Who or what is QuAIA?

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid, a Toronto-based group who's aim is solidarity among LGBT Palestinians and who oppose seeing Israel (note the government/military of Israel, not the Jewish people as a group) try to use LGBT issues to justify its violence against Palestinians.

You can check out the group description on their site:
http://queersagainstapartheid.org/who/

[betenoire]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

They've already said they will not march this year, but now the mayor and Mammoliti are saying that if members of QuAIA show up in any Pride events then funding could be withheld. How do you ban individuals from a public festival? It's so stupid.

Stupidest thing I've ever heard of. God, I hate Rob Ford.

(And yes, I have been following this closely)

A big part of Ford's motivation in this is his dislike for our community. But you know what? He should be leaning close and kissing Our Queer Asses considering the amount of money the city makes during Pride Weeks. I mean look at all of the out-of-towners who shack up in Toronto hotels and eat at Toronto restaurants and spend their money in Toronto shops and drink in Toronto bars during Pride week! The tourism revenue around Pride is fucking HUGE and he OWES us.

(By the way, colour me sad that I won't be able to make it back home for Pride this year. I just started a new job and I'm not able to take any vacation days for 6 months. BOO!)

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by betenoire

Stupidest thing I've ever heard of. God, I hate Rob Ford.

(And yes, I have been following this closely)

A big part of Ford's motivation in this is his dislike for our community. But you know what? He should be leaning close and kissing Our Queer Asses considering the amount of money the city makes during Pride Weeks. I mean look at all of the out-of-towners who shack up in Toronto hotels and eat at Toronto restaurants and spend their money in Toronto shops and drink in Toronto bars during Pride week! The tourism revenue around Pride is fucking HUGE and he OWES us.

(By the way, colour me sad that I won't be able to make it back home for Pride this year. I just started a new job and I'm not able to take any vacation days for 6 months. BOO!)

Boo, indeed! That sucks hard that you can't make Pride this year!

I agree, he should be supporting Pride if he gives a shit about bringing money into the city and helping local businesses. He goes on with his "champion of the taxpayer" facade claiming he won't "waste our money" on a parade that supposedly supports a "hate group" (despite that the city's executive council ruled otherwise...), yet if he were really such a "champion" he would realise that the money Pride makes for the city outdoes the funding it receives by leaps and bounds. Either his hatred for our community is so strong that even his greedy ass won't support a festival that is good for the city financially just because he hates queers, or he and his cronies are so clueless on finances that they just don't get it. It could be either one, really, given the financial fiasco that has been "Ford Nation" since he got in.

[foxyshaman]

I did not know that was going on. We had huge opposition with our previous mayor, he could barely say Gay, let alone put any city monies towards Pride activities. The new mayor however loves Pride and heck even goes in the parade. I am heading off tonite for the Queer Film Festival. Which I always enjoy. And then June 10 is our official kick off.

[betenoire]

Originally Posted by EnderD_503

Boo, indeed! That sucks hard that you can't make Pride this year!

2011 has been a real bust for me. I haven't been back home since early January, I just haven't had the time (I need at least 3 days off in a row to make it worth my while, since the train ride is like a 5 hour fiasco.)

Although, to be perfectly honest I don't really enjoy Pride. I do like the Dyke March on Saturday, but that's about it. It woulda been nice to see my sister (and parents) and friends sooner rather than later, though - and Pride is always a really good excuse for me to go home. Next year!

How many more years of Ford do we have? And can we trust the suburbs to not act stupid next election?

[betenoire]

A letter to Canadians from the Honourable Jack Layton

August 20, 2011
Toronto, Ontario

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.

Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.

I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.

I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.

A few additional thoughts:

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.

To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.

To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,
Jack Layton.