Speaking Out Against Bill C-51

May 30 was the Third National Day of Action Against Bill C-51. Since it looks like the bill is going to pass the Senate, the emphasis of the protest was to encourage people to vote the Conservatives (who introduced the bill) out in the upcoming federal election. I spoke at the rally on behalf of Independent Jewish Voices.

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My name is Paula Kirman. Take a good look at me: I am a peace activist whose activities trying to advocate for a better world make me potentially a criminal guilty of hate crimes. You see, I am the Alberta representative on the steering committee of Independent Jewish Voices of Canada. We are a grassroots group of Jewish Canadians who believe in working towards a just resolution to the conflict in Israel/Palestine. We are, of course, in favour of legitimate criticism of the government of Israel's actions. Because of this, our spokesperson has said that he believes that he and other members of our organization are under surveillance. But that is not enough for the Harper government.

According to a May 11 CBC News report, the Harper government is planning to use hate crime laws against Canadians who advocate boycotts of Israel in support of the rights of Palestinians. In 2014, hate speech laws were amended by the government to add the category of "national origin" to those protected under the legislation. This was widely seen as laying the groundwork to criminalize criticism of Israel.

The government's need to make such an amendment to advance its efforts to criminalize support for Palestinian rights indicates that it could find no legal basis upon which to accuse Canadians of racial or religious hatred, already protected in hate-speech laws.

In January of this year, Canada's then-foreign affairs minister, John Baird, signed a "memorandum of understanding" with Israeli authorities in Jerusalem, pledging to combat BDS (Boycotts, Divestments, Sanctions), referring to it as a form of “new” anti-Semitism. Even more recently, Conservative Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney has called for "zero tolerance" of criticism of Israel and that Canadian hate laws could be applied to those campaigning for BDS.

We find this ludicrous as BDS is a legitimate, peaceful, and non-violent way to express protest towards the government of Israel. It requires not doing something, not being complicit, and encouraging others to not do something: to not purchase goods from Israel, particularly those produced on disputed or occupied land. This is not much different than when I was in high school and there were boycotts against South Africa, which was still under apartheid. Even Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu has described Israel as an “apartheid state” and has said, “We learned in South Africa that the only way to end apartheid peacefully was to force the powerful to the table through economic pressure.”

IJV supports BDS in cooperation with the United Church's Unsettling Goods campaign, which also supports BDS. How many of you are members of the United Church of Canada? Now you are potentially criminals also, for the same reason.

IJV, in a press release, has asked that the government explain what “zero tolerance” for criticism of Israel actually means. Thus far, we have not gotten a clear response, nor has any other individual or group who have asked a similar question.

Bill C-51 would take the criminalization of dissent even further. Bill C-51 is an assault on our right to freedom of speech, thought, and conscience. Its definition of advocacy or promotion of “terrorism offences in general” is basically whatever Harper wants it to be. It has no defences for legitimate expression of political or religious thought.

It is designed to silence us, to instill fear about speaking out, to be afraid of indefinite detention and arrest without warrant. It creates a police state in Canada where CSIS can be “legally” authorized to conduct black ops and dirty tricks, including entrapment. It invades our privacy and allows CSIS and the RCMP to “share” information - as they did with Maher Arar.

The aim is to silence dissenting voices. I used to consider myself lucky to live in a country like Canada where we could be free to criticize the government without repercussions. Those days are sadly ending. Bill C-51 flies in the face of Canadian values of freedom and diverse opinions. The Conservatives are anti-Canadian – not protesters.

Why are Israel's critics being slammed? I believe this is a political move by Harper in anticipation of an election to try to court the evangelical Christian and right-wing Jewish vote. What can we do? There is an election coming. I've never been one to tell people how to vote, but we need to vote the Conservatives out. The Liberals, who supported Bill C-51, are no better. Vote for a party that will repeal Bill C-51 and, while perhaps not agree with everything each and every one of us may espouse, would at least protect our freedom of speech and expression. Once human rights are taken away, they are difficult to get back.

So, once again, take a good look at me – one of the faces of Harper's enemies - and hear me when I say that we are heading down a slippery slope and we have the power to change things. We did it in Alberta and we can do it federally. We have to.

Bill C-51 and Women's (and Everyone's) Rights

On March 8, International Women's Day, I spoke on behalf of the Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism (ECAWAR) during the IWD Forum here in Edmonton. Much of my short speech focused on Bill C-51, the "Anti-Terrorism Bill," which, if passed, would potentially limit our freedoms as activists to assemble, to criticize the government, or even comment on global issues. The text of my speech is below, as well as a video (the introduction at which I blush).

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International Women’s Day came into being after the Second International Conference of Socialist Women in 1910 in Copenhagen, Denmark, passed a resolution to establish International Women’s Day as a day to agitate for the rights of women to take part in the political affairs of their countries and their rights as workers. It was inspired by the growing struggles of women for their political and economic rights, including the establishment in the U.S. of Women’s National Day in 1909 in honour of the women garment workers’ strikes in 1908. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women's rights and world peace.

At that first conference and since, the demand for peace has been a prominent theme of IWD, along with anti-discrimination, equality, anti-sexism, and anti-violence against women. In the year 2000, the official UN theme was Women United for Peace. The following year, it was Women and Peace: Women Managing Conflicts.

As Canadian women in the peace movement, we still have many things to be concerned about.

We have a federal government which is engaged in war and aggression, trying to impose puppet regimes and so-called “Canadian values” on non-Western countries, often under the guise of supporting the rights of women and girls in those countries, instead of respecting those countries’ rights to self-determination. We say: Not in our Name!

U.S.-NATO wars and intervention have led to literally millions of deaths in the Middle East and elsewhere, including hundreds and thousands of children. They have destabilized countries, led to failed states such as Libya, and contributed to the arming and proliferation of ISIS. The standard definition of insanity is to believe that doing the same thing will have different results. We call for troops out of Iraq and no attack on Syria, for the peaceful resolution of disputes, not war. Canada Needs an Anti-War Government!

Now, we face a serious threat within our own country as activists. Workers’ strike struggles, the fight of First Nations for their rights, minorities, and in particular Muslims are targeted by the impending legislation of Bill C-51 (also known as the “Anti-Terrorism Bill”), which is the Harper government’s response to Canadians’ desire for change.

Bill C-51 makes promotion of terrorism a criminal offence. What does that mean? Consider that the Harper government claims that the Palestinian resistance in the Middle East is terrorism and wants to criminalize any “promotion” of their resistance. Yet thousands upon thousands of Canadians feel duty bound to defend the Palestinians’ right to be and to express their own right to conscience.

Bill C-51 gives sweeping powers to CSIS, which many people say will permit it to operate as a police state without oversight. By claiming not to include strike struggles and political dissent while adding the word “lawful,” C-51 allows all manner of activities to be called “terrorist” - including illegal strikes, marches without a police permit, and acts of civil disobedience. Our march today without a police permit could be included.

Bill C-51 is also a direct assault on the rights of First Nations to defend their lands and it must not be allowed to pass!

We cannot permit such an assault. Let every one of us take an action - participate in a picket or rally; talk to your co-workers, families, other women; call and write your member of Parliament. Join the work to defeat Harper in 2015!

Why Idle No More Works

The Idle No More movement has been making waves in the media since its first day of action on December 10, 2012. Since then, flash mobs, round dances, marches, rallies, and other forms of protests have been springing up all over the country - and beyond. Support for this grassroots, Indigenous movement is coming from our neighbour to the south as well as overseas.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the motivation behind Idle No More, or the tactics being employed, the movement has become an unqualified success. I have attended a number of INM events as an ally and citizen media reporter and witnessed first hand how well-organized and well-attended they are.

As a community organizer in the peace movement, I would dare to say that those of us who are activists have a lot to learn from INM in very practical ways. Here is a list of reasons why INM is working so well - and what we can learn from it.

Organization: The events are well-organized. Speakers are contacted well ahead of time. Events start at the advertised time and end within a reasonable amount of time. Things don't drag on. This is especially important with winter outdoor events.

Social Media Revolution: INM a social media revolution. Facebook and Twitter are being used to their maximum potential to promote events. The crowds are rife with people taking pictures and videos, posting them online afterwards on YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter. If you are online at all, INM cannot be ignored.

Media Connections: There has been lots of media at INM events. This can be attributed to the fact that news of these events get around quickly (see above) and also it is important to have an up to date media list with press releases sent out in a timely fashion. I can't say for sure that this is what has been happening, but the results speak volumes. At first it was like pulling teeth getting media out to INM events- it was almost like there was a media blackout. Now they come out in droves. Yes, a lot of the reporting is a smear campaign, but some of it is balanced, and some even in favour. As well, never discount the importance of citizen media.

Attitude is Everything: The atmosphere at many INM events is welcoming, warm, and inclusive. Organizers take the time to speak with people attending, especially "settlers" and allies from other organizations. A major statement of the INM movement is that Bill c-45 is not just about Aboriginal issues - it affects all Canadians, regardless of race. Hey - clean water is important to me and I am a first generation Canadian.

Momentum: A priority of INM seems to be keeping its issues in the public eye and up for discussion. Organizers are tirelessly planning the next event, event after the drums and cants from the previous ones are still echoing.

Variety: INM events include rallies, speeches, round dances, flash mobs, drumming, singing, chanting, and speakers - sometimes all within the same event. This keeps things from getting dry and losing audience attention.

Leadership: One of the reasons why Occupy fell apart in some places, was the lack of clear leadership. Too many people were going off in different directions or trying to co-opt the movement for their own purposes. While the leadership in INM is not strictly formal, there appears to be groups of organizers regarded as leaders through whom decisions are made concerning event planning. Again, this appears to be a very inclusive process, with people being able to bring concerns and ideas forward.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: While many ethnic and social groups are fragmented by politics, the people involved with INM appear to respect each other - even when they disagree. Case in point: an elder disagreed with the location of a major INM event and expressed why. Although the event took place as planned, it led to dialogue and an understanding of that person's perspective.

Focus: When I attend an INM event, I come away with a clearer idea of what the issues are. Many have dealt with Bill C-45. Some are specifically to support Theresa Spence. These are not rallies for the sake of having rallies. The shorter events, like the flash mob round dances, are more for raising awareness and getting attention.

Idle No More - It Matters on Christmas

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have likely heard of Idle No More. Or, at the very least, heard or seen those words in some context. If you have to ask the question, Idle No More is a movement originating with Canada's Indigenous peoples. It began as a reaction to the passing of Bill C-45 (also known as the "Omnibus Bill") which unilaterally affects Treaty agreements concerning protected water without the Harper government having had any consultations with First Nations.

However, in the rallies and flash mobs that have been springing up all over the country and beyond, Idle No More has gained momentum that is relevant for all Canadians. This isn't just about Aboriginal rights, and it isn't just about Bill C-45 in and of itself. It is about the government being allowed to have a sweeping hand and changing laws without consultation, in effect taking away our democratic rights as a society. In that regard, what affects one group affects us all. One of the central issues to Idle No More is protected water - water is sacred to First Nations, but it is important to all of us. Without water, we cannot survive. As well, Idle No More is relevant to non-Aboriginals because all of us who were born here or are immigrants owe the existence of our country to those who settled the land long before we were here.

When the first Idle No More march and rally took place in Edmonton on December 10, around 2000 people showed up at Churchill Square. The energy was incredible. Unfortunately, an apparent media blackout did not show the rest of the city (and country) just how intense the burgeoning movement was. There was little to no media coverage at all. However, Idle No More in many ways is a social media revolution - people's photos, tweets, Facebook updates, videos on YouTube, and other efforts has made Idle No More go viral and international.

The video above, which I shot at West Edmonton Mall on December 18, was of one of the first round dance flash mobs held in shopping malls across Canada. Within days it already had tens of thousands of viewers and the views continue to grow. People are commenting on it from all over the world. This is something that traditional media simply cannot accomplish.

You may be wondering why I am writing this on Christmas Day. Well, as many of us enjoy a big dinner and sweet treats, Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence is in her fifteenth day of a hunger strike. She wants to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss treaty issues and to negotiate better living conditions for many of the nation's Indigenous population. Senator Patrick Brazeau attempted to meet with her yesterday - showing up unannounced on Christmas Eve after slagging her on national television last week, saying she was not "setting a good example" for Aboriginal youth. If being willing to die for your beliefs is not being a good example, I want to know what is.

Solidarity is now coming in from the United States and around the world. Idle No More is a movement whose time has come. Seeing all of these beautiful Aboriginal people standing up for the land that is rightfully theirs is awesome and inspirational. More and more "migrants" and "settlers" are joining in - after all, this is really about human rights and the environment at its core.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and may the new year bring revolution.

Omar Khadr Repatriated

After ten years, Canada has finally repatriated child soldier Omar Khadr.

Ten years.

A decade.

Canada, known as a haven for compassion and human rights was the only country not to take its own citizen back from Guantanamo.

This isn't about whether or not Khadr is guilty of anything. Courts here are capable of deciding that and deciding what to do about it.

It's about allowing a citizen to remain in a prison that in and of itself is illegal. The use of torture against prisoners is illegal under the Geneva Convention. By allowing Khadr to remain there, Canada was complicit.

For shame.

Those who say that although he was only 15 at the time of his alleged crime (a child under the law) he was old enough to know right from wrong. That he already had a "terrorist" frame of mind because of his upbringing. What do you think ten years in a torture chamber likely did to his way of thinking?

The racist, mean-spirited comments that have been directed towards Khadr. For shame.

Ten years is a long time. The repercussions of this entire fiasco will last much longer.

Torture Does not Fight Terrorism: Rally to Close Guantanamo & Bring Omar Khadr Home

Close Guantanamo & Bring Omar Khadr Home, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

On January 7, a group of students from the local branch of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) organized a peaceful protest outside of the Alberta Legislature, calling for Canada to support closing Guantanamo and bringing child soldier Omar Khadr home.

I took part in a similar rally around two years ago, at Churchill Square.

Like many of the causes with which I am involved, this seems to be one that is very divisive. I am going to list the arguments that I have been encountering, and explain the rationale behind the perspective that Guantanamo should be closed and Omar Khadr should be be brought back to Canada for a fair trial.

Omar Khadr is a terrorist.
When someone is on our side, that person is a war hero; when they are on the other side, that person is a terrorist. One nation's terrorist is another nation's freedom fighter. Omar Khadr was a child soldier in a war (an illegal and unjust war, at that), and in a war, people get killed (which is one reason me and my cohorts protest against it). If Khadr's actions were criminal, he should be tried, then possibly convicted and sentenced. Instead, he has been languishing in a prison for ten years, without a trial.

Excuse me - he pleaded guilty.
What choice did he have? Since his own country, Canada, would not take him back to try him here, it was probably the only way Khadr and his lawyers felt he would ever see the light of day.

His whole family is a bunch of terrorists.
See my original point. Assuming this is true, it only supports the need for Khadr to be tried in Canada as a Canadian. Likely, at his young age he was under the influence of his family for whatever actions he committed.

He was old enough to know what he was doing.
He was a young teenager. Young teens can be open to influence and easily manipulated. A fourteen year old in Canada who commits murder is usually tried as a child (yes, a murder charge can be bumped up to adult court, but even still, he would not have been imprisoned indefinitely and subject to torture).

Do you think the majority of Canadians agree with your view?
I honestly don't know - I have never conducted a poll. However, that is irrelevant. How the nation conducts itself in this situation is the difference between a government that has a foreign policy that simply follows the lead of the US, or one that holds up values of international law and justice. You see, the use of torture against prisoners of war is illegal. It is also ineffective. A person will say anything to make the torture stop. So, a confession acquired through the use of torture is invalid, as far as I am concerned.

As well, Canada is the only country who has not taken back a citizen from Guantanamo. All of the other countries have taken back their nationals and dealt with them on their home turfs. I see no compelling reason why Canada should act any differently.

I know these are controversial issues and I don't expect everyone to agree with me. Nor am I saying that Khadr is innocent of any wrong-doing. What I and my cohorts are saying is that the way the Canadian government has done one of its citizens a disservice and by doing so, has tarnished Canada's image to the world.

Here is my full set of photos from the event.

A video of highlights from most of the speakers:


The short march around the Legislature pool:

Perspective From Afghanistan

The local peace movement, in which I am actively involved, has been calling for Canadian troops to be brought home from Afghanistan pretty much since the war began. We say that Western forces have never been able to impart its values upon this ancient culture, and that we are looking at the country through the ethnocentric view of our own perspective. Further, we consider the current leadership in Afghanistan to be nothing more than a puppet regime featuring an unelected "president" and his warlord buddies.

But what do I know? After all, I have never been to Afghanistan. And neither have the people who constantly criticized my views. I have never even had a conversation with someone from that country.

Until today.

We've been hit with a deep freeze in Edmonton, featuring extremely cold temperatures and snow that comes up to my waist at some points. As a result, I have been taking more taxi cabs than usual. This afternoon, I almost could have made the bus, but opted for the quicker travel time a cab would provide, and hopped into the first one that was lined up outside of the hotel where I was having coffee.

The driver, it turned out after a few minutes of polite conversation, came from Afghanistan with his young family seven years ago. I decided to take a chance, and ask him the question I have always wanted to directly ask someone from over there: what do you think of Canada's involvement in Afghanistan.

His responses filled the rest of our 20 minute journey, and offered some profound insights from someone who knows that country first hand.

"Canada doesn't really have a choice than to be over there, because the US got involved and they are just following along," he said first. That Canada is simply following the US's marching orders is something we peace folks have been saying for a while.

What came next was another eye-opener for those who say we peace people have no clue. "The US does not want peace. No one over there believes that. If you ask an average person over there, most will say they do not want the US there and they do not trust the US. Everything in Afghanistan is about money and nothing happens without the knowledge of outside international forces."

He admitted that he hates the Taliban (in fact, this was the main reason he moved his family to Canada), but that he grieves for everyone who is being killed in Afghanistan be they from the US, Canada, or the Taliban because all of them are pawns by regimes (China, Russia, the US) who are making money off of the war. He also said that he is grateful for the good things being done by Canadian forces, but kept repeating how the "war" is all about money and that he is tired of people who know nothing about Afghanistan and its people saying what should be done over there.

So there you have it: an Afghan ex-pat says that we're there to follow the US under false pretenses, and that the people of Afghanistan do not want foreign occupying forces in their country. I plan to speak to this at the next peace rally. In the meantime: bring the troops home now!

Israeli Apartheid on Trial & Yves Engler

I have posted two recent talks in the Edmonton activist community. The first is Israeli Apartheid on Trial: Pan-Canadian Tour. Emily Schaeffer is an Israeli lawyer representing the Palestinian village of Bil'in. Bil'in has filed a lawsuit in the Quebec Superior Court against two Quebec registered companies: Green Park International and Green Mount International. The companies are accused of illegally constructing residential and non-residential buildings for the Israeli settlement of Mattityahu East on the Bilin's lands. According to the lawsuit, the lands of Bil'in are subject to the rules and obligations of international law because the West Bank is currently under Israeli military occupation. This was filmed June 10, 2009 at Strathcona Baptist Church in Edmonton.



Montreal-based activist and author Yves Engler launches his book The Black Book of Canadian Foriegn Policy in Edmonton on June 18, 2009. The Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy sheds light on many dark corners of Canadian foreign policy: From troops that joined the British in Sudan in 1885 to gunboat diplomacy in the Caribbean and aspirations of Central American empire, to participation in the UN mission that killed Patrice Lumumba in the Congo, to important support for apartheid South Africa, Zionism and the US war in Vietnam, to helping overthrow Salvador Allende and supporting the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, to Haiti, Iraq and Afghanistan today. Engler's work has been praised by Noam Chomsky.

Canada Let In the Wrong George!

Earlier this week, George W. Bush made his first live appearance post-White House, and came to Calgary to speak to an invitation-only, $400 a seat crowd. Hoards of protesters, including people from Edmonton, went there to show their dismay that someone whose administration was responsible for war crimes was even allowed into the country.

Just yesterday was an announcement that British M.P. George Galloway would be denied a visa to enter Canada on the basis that he is a security threat to the country, due to his dealings with Hamas and Hezbollah. Galloway is outspoken in his support of the Palestinian people, and has dealt with their leadership because that was his way of reaching the people, most recently during a convoy of British people who went to Gaza to present humanitarian aid.

Galloway has often been accused of being an anti-Semite, and now he is being called a security threat. This video is my response.