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Canadian Kleptocrats! A deep dive into what we call democracy; are political parties effective vehicles for the representation of societal interests?

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Governments around the world have been facing new challenges from citizens calling into question existing democratic practices and principles, and for good reason. Over the last two years, we have seen a decrease in the confidence we have in our leaders. There are public opinion surveys that reveal growing disenchantment in many countries dating back some thirty years. Canada, subject to many of the same forces driving democratic discontent globally, has not been immune to these trends.

Canadian citizens have opinions toward the basic political structures within which our government operates, attitudes that are equally important barometers of the vitality of a political system. What, for example, do you, the reader, think of our electoral system?

This week I want to introduce information that was revealed to me from documents that many of you as voting citizens are completely unaware of. No worries, I have provided the links at the end of the article so that you can take a look for yourself.

I recently learned about the existence of Mandate Letters that are provided to our Federal Ministers. Mandate Letters are provided by the Prime Minister that outline the objectives that each minister will work to accomplish, as well as the pressing challenges they will address in their role. Before we go any further, it is worth noting that there is no indication that we as Canadian citizens have any input on any of these directives, which begs the question of how exactly are these objectives determined? Are political parties effective vehicles for the representation of societal interests?

It leads me to even more questions that we as Canadian citizens need to consider:

  • Could the average Canadian be considered a key asset of his country?
  • Are we participants or consumers of government programs?
  • Could things be improved by bringing the customers, for lack of a better term, into the loop?

Below are a few highlights from each of the mandate letters. There are several items listed that are worthy of raised eyebrows, investigating further, and deeper discussion at a community level. Topics mentioned often include: vaccination, vaccination mandates, vaccine purchases, proof of vaccination programs, and participation in UN Agenda 2030. Let’s take a look at what is not being reported on mainstream media.

Delivery of the next phase of Smart Cities

Launched in 2020, UN-Habitat’s flagship programme “People-Centered Smart Cities” acknowledges the transformative potential that digital technologies can have for sustainable urban development. Through the People-Centered Smart Cities flagship programme, UN-Habitat provides strategic and technical support on digital transformation to national, regional and local governments.

According to UN-Habitat, digital transformation is now critical to meet the demands of sustainable urban development. In the past decade, internet connectivity has become a requisite for full participation in society, including access to education, affordable housing, and critical government services — yet 3.7 billion people were offline in 2019, along with thousands who were offline when Rogers went down a week and a half ago.

Are we ready for Smart Cities? We have had two severe network disruptions in the last two years. Imagine the impact of this on a Smart City. Something to think about!

Protecting the citizens from foreign interference and disinformation

One of the mandates aims to continue to lead an integrated government response to protect Canada’s democratic institutions, including the federal electoral process, against foreign interference and disinformation. This is to be done by working with domestic and international partners. The minister must lead efforts to consider the interplay between technology and democracy.

Here is the issue with this; who determines what disinformation is? Is it just the few that have not only financial, but political power? Where does that leave you and I? Do we not have valid points that are worthy of consideration? Is it considered disinformation because the information is not coming from their chosen few? Who are they really protecting: themselves or us?

COVID-19 and Vaccine Rollouts

I was not surprised that this encompassed a majority of their mandates. Ministers were urged to work with colleagues, provinces and territories, municipalities, Indigenous communities and other partners to continue the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

Working with colleagues they must continue to ensure sufficient domestic supply of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, evaluate the border posture and ensure surge capacity supports are available to assist provinces and territories.

Ministers are to work with provinces and territories, municipalities, Indigenous organizations, the private sector and other partners to continue to ensure implementation of and adherence to public health measures, and support the availability of rapid tests and self-tests.

They are looking to launch a COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination Fund to support provinces and territories who implement a requirement proof of vaccine credentials in their jurisdiction for non-essential businesses and public spaces.

With the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministers are to work with the Minister of International Development to continue to reinforce international efforts to ensure that people around the world have access to health interventions to fight COVID-19, including vaccines, therapeutics and strengthened health systems.

With the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministers are to work with the Minister of Health to continue to reinforce international efforts to ensure that people around the world have access to health interventions to fight COVID-19, including donating at least 200 million vaccine doses to vulnerable populations around the world through COVAX by the end of 2022, and providing additional funding for enhanced testing and vaccine production capacity in developing countries.

Protecting the rights of Independent Media and Journalists

I found this section interesting. One of the mandates was focused on defending the right to freedom of expression and opposing the mistreatment or arbitrary detention of journalists, including by building on the work of Media Freedom.

The Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) is a cross-regional collaboration with 52 countries. These countries are working together proactively to advocate for media freedom at home and abroad. They advocate for the safety of journalists and media workers and hold to account those who harm them and severely restrict them from doing their job. It does so by:

  • Raising individual cases and situations where individuals practicing journalism, as well as media organizations, have come under threat
  • Making collective statements, to shine a global spotlight on media freedom and the safety of journalists

The mandates also speak of continued efforts with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to develop and introduce legislation as soon as possible to combat serious forms of harmful online content, to protect Canadians, and hold social media platforms and other online services accountable for the content they host. This legislation should be reflective of the feedback received during the recent consultations.

Who have they consulted? We as a larger ethnic media outlet have never been consulted on topics surrounding media, and how it affects the African-Indo-Caribbean community. I am going to leave this one right where it is. Anything else would be subjectively written.

Protecting citizens from Corrupt Officials and Authoritarian Governments

Oh boy! There is so much to say here, that I am going to once again be mindful and just report what is written in the mandates. Ministers are to work with international partners to help establish an International Anti-Corruption Court (cough), to prevent corrupt officials and authoritarian governments from impeding development that should benefit their citizens.

An International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) would fill the crucial enforcement gap in the international framework for combating grand corruption. It would constitute a fair and effective forum for the prosecution and punishment of kleptocrats and their collaborators; deter others tempted to emulate their example; and recover, repatriate, and repurpose ill-gotten gains for the victims of grand corruption.

Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) would require our government to have laws criminalizing varying forms of corruption. However, corrupt government officials – known as kleptocrats – have impunity in their own countries because they control the police, prosecutors, and courts. Sounds familiar.

There is so much that we as citizens do not know. In my research I discovered something promising. Technology now exists for Canadian voters to take control of the political system – an online “Democracy Operating System”

A “Democracy Operating System” (DOS) is an online software platform that allows ordinary Canadian citizens to discuss and vote on issues. It will ultimately take power from the political elite and put it into the hands of voters.

The ultimate goal of a DOS is to give citizens in Canada an organizational tool to take control of an out of control political system. Our current “representative” model of democracy allows a political elite to control Canada. Canada is the most centralized democracy in the world. A DOS is a participatory democratic system that operates on a real-time basis without reliance on a political class. It puts democracy squarely where it belongs – in the hands of the people.

What do you think community; could a Democratic Operating System be the answer to the current convoluted system that we are a part of? I guess only time will tell, but I do hope that this article provides some insight on how much is kept from us, and that something needs to be done build transparency in our great country.

We, as humans are guaranteed certain things in life: stressors, taxes, bills and death are the first thoughts that pop to mind. It is not uncommon that many people find a hard time dealing with these daily life stressors, and at times will find themselves losing control over their lives. Simone Jennifer Smith’s great passion is using the gifts that have been given to her, to help educate her clients on how to live meaningful lives. The Hear to Help Team consists of powerfully motivated individuals, who like Simone, see that there is a need in this world; a need for real connection. As the founder and Director of Hear 2 Help, Simone leads a team that goes out into the community day to day, servicing families with their educational, legal and mental health needs.Her dedication shows in her Toronto Caribbean newspaper articles, and in her role as a host on the TCN TV Network.

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You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest

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BY MICHAEL THOMAS

According to a new peer-reviewed study funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sixty per cent of young people who were hospitalized with Myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine still showed signs of this disease six months after being injected.

Some 307 out of 333 patients they started with had their health data collected from April 2021 to November 2022. The time between injection and follow-up varied, with a median of 178 days, almost six months.

What is worse is the study authors are said to be making fun of the seriousness of the findings. They are calling the results reassuring and describing these cases of Myocarditis as mild.

Who are these study authors? Why are they acting so recklessly? Critics said that some of those study authors who published their report in The Lancet on September 6th, 2024, also have ties to the government and the big drug companies that may have influenced the research.

One such person is lead author Dr Supriya S. Jain, a pediatric cardiologist and researcher at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York. Daniel O’Conner of Trial Site News criticized the FDA as the study’s funder. “The FDA is not keeping up with its tradition of ‘patient safety first,’” he said.

O’Conner said he believes the outcome is much more severe than is reported, and The FDA study authors do not have the urgency they should, given the vulnerabilities of the population.

Chief Scientific Officer of The Children’s Health Defense Brian Hooker agreed, saying he was “disgusted” by the study authors’ downplaying of cardiac harm caused by the COVID-19 mRNA injections. Hooker is quoted as saying, “You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest for the rest of your life.”

Some of the most vital questions here concerning these injected youths, and the injected population is “What happens as they age?” or “Where do they go from here?”

It is important to know that medical researchers have pointed out that studies show Myocarditis can be life-threatening and can also cause critical changes and scarring of the heart.

“I don’t feel that any incidence of vaccine-induced Myocarditis is reassuring,” Heather Ray, a science and research analyst with CHD told a reputable news source. “Additionally, we have all witnessed several anecdotal, or personal reports of individuals who died from vaccine-induced cardiac issues over the past four years.”

Dr Peter McCullough said, as a cardiologist, he was “Greatly concerned,” that COVID-19 vaccine heart damage in most of the young people studied had not resolved at the time of follow-up. McCullough said that he disagreed with the author’s reports calling this finding mild, “Even small areas of damage invisible to cardiac MRI could put vaccine recipients at risk for a future cardiac arrest.”

It is amazing that with all these findings and recommendations to date, COVID mRNA Injections are still very intentionally and maliciously pushed on the population quietly worldwide, this is especially true here in Canada.

It may interest readers to know that the same people behind these mRNA injections in the Western world have decided to look at Africans as lab rats too. The World Health Organization has approved so-called mpox injections for use in adults and said it can be used for: babies, children, teens, and pregnant women in Africa.

Brian Hooker called the WHO’s approval of the shot for infants and children in Africa “A train wreck in the making.”

Recently here in Canada, Global News is now warning that the CDC is telling folks that COVID injections, and heart inflammation issues between injected teens are related. This is something that Toronto Caribbean Newspaper has been warning Canadians about for years now.

Again, Global News has reported, “Myocarditis is noted by the Canadian Pediatric Society as a possible side effect of mRNA injections.” https://old.bitchute.com/video/EFDWj1rHrX6v/

Now more than ever it is vital that folks think for themselves and quit relying on compromised professionals who are in positions of power but are wolves in sheep’s clothing working for Big Pharma.

A rule of thumb is to question everything because history has shown that liars usually suffer from short memory.

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New course launched that counters narratives and understands Black children’s humanity

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The launch of the new course “Black Childhoods in Canada” in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University is positive and encouraging. Details of the launch of this groundbreaking course were revealed in a post by Clara Wong on May 8th, 2024. For many students it will be the first time formally studying Black experiences; encountering Black scholarship, or even being taught by a Black professor. It was introduced in the winter term of 2024 and was one of the first courses in TMU’s Black Studies minor, which is offered by the Faculty of Community Services.

The course is coded as “CLD540” and details of its content are noted.

“An introduction to Black Canadian Studies in the context of childhoods. Childhoods are considered via Black feminism, Black studies, anti-racism, and de-colonial theoretical and practical frameworks and pedagogy. Students engage in a range of textual, experiential and multi-modal learning opportunities.”

Some of the topics covered include:

  • Black acts and media
  • Black Canadian histories
  • Black families and mothering
  • Black girlhood
  • Blackness and disability
  • Blackness and ECEC and education
  • Black play
  • Black queer activism
  • Global anti-Black racism

Professor Rachel Berman was inspired to enlarge the Black studies content in early childhood studies and reached out to her colleague, Janelle Brady to collaborate on the development of the course. This was financed through the Faculty of Community Services Anti-Black Racism Curriculum Development Fund, which ensured that it was ready.

Professor Berman states, “I’m thrilled now to see the course come to life. It’s long overdue. There’s a deficit assumption about Black children-that Black boys make trouble during play, or that Black girls are made to seem more mature than they are. We need to counter those narratives and understand Black children’s humanity.”

Professor Brady notes, “The course doesn’t resolve everything, but it’s a start in breaking the ‘preschool-to-prison’ pipeline for Black children.”

She observed further that the impact of teaching the course has influenced her greatly. She adds, “It motivated me to do even more and seek more resources. There were so many informal discussions among students inside and outside of class. There’s a real hunger for spaces like this. It was inspiring to see how much students are already engaged in anti-Black racism work, and I feel I was learning just as much as they were.”

There are many testimonials from students who have been enrolled in this extraordinary course. Faizi Ali, an undergraduate student in the early childhood studies program states, “Any forum that allows Black students to lift their voice is cause for celebration. The course provides so much space for us to exchange ideas and thoughtful dialogue. I’ve gained many new perspectives and techniques to better support students.”

Magdalena Grammenopoulos, a media production undergraduate student, talked about the insight that left the biggest impression on her from the course. She states, “The concept of Black ‘futurity.’ It’s about imagining a stronger future for Black children through the ways we live day-to-day-ways that counter the stereotypes and discrimination which prevent Black children from living as freely as others. I want to implement futurity by always taking it upon myself to create safer spaces for Black children, whether it be my friends, family, or strangers.”

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“No! You can’t check my phone.” Border officers are not authorized to search your electronic device

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Each year, millions of Canadians travel abroad, and we carry our personal devices (computers, tablets, and smartphones). These devices contain highly sensitive and private information about who you are, reflecting your: lifestyle, beliefs, relationships, finances, and health.

What you may not know is that even though your personal device is very personal, and highly sensitive because of the information on it, section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act allows Canadian Border Officers to search these devices without any reasonable suspicion. This law was recently challenged by two travelers, Jeremy Pike and David Scott, who were charged with possessing and importing child pornography after their devices were searched. Now, although it is a good thing that this type of behaviour was caught, the key question in their appeal is whether this law is constitutional.

On August 12th, 2024, the Court of Appeal for Ontario released its decision in R v. Pike, 2024 ONCA 608, holding that section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act, which authorizes border officers to search electronic devices without any reasonable basis, is unconstitutional because it violates the section 8 Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. CCLA was an intervener in the case.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is a human rights organization committed to defending the: rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada. CCLA is the pre-eminent voice advocating for the rights and freedoms of all Canadians and all persons living in Canada. They are leaders in protecting rights and have earned widespread respect for their principled stand on such issues as: national security, censorship, capital punishment, and police and state accountability with a fearless voice on civil liberties, human rights and democratic freedoms.

Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, made the following statement, “CCLA applauds this important ruling, which makes it clear the border is not a Charter-free zone. As CCLA argued, standardless limitless searches of electronic devices, which contain highly private information, violate the Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.”

I had a chance to review the decision, and I found direct references of CCLA’s submissions at paragraphs:

  • 63: The Crown’s related counterargument that travelers’ “choice” to travel with digital devices merits a lower threshold also fails. Because digital devices are our “constant companion[s]” (Bykovets, at para. 1), travelers need to bring them across borders to work and communicate. As the trial judge ruled, leaving them behind is not a meaningful choice. Neither is declining to leave and re-enter Canada, which, as the intervener Canadian Civil Liberties Association (the “CCLA”) submits, is not merely a choice but a section 6 Charter Just as “Canadians are not required to become digital recluses” to preserve their privacy (R. v. Jones, 2017 SCC 60, [2017] 2 S.C.R. 696, at para. 45), they also should not have to surrender the ability to enter and leave Canada with an indispensable instrument of modern life.
  • 66: The law’s low threshold increases this risk because, as the CCLA submits, low threshold powers are the easiest for officers to wield to target, whether intentionally or not, racialized and disadvantaged people: R. v. Landry. While the law’s good faith purpose test offers some protection against this risk, its subjective nature makes that risk harder to detect because officers do not have to point to objective facts to justify the search and help negate the possibility of discrimination.
  • 73: Simmons held that the state’s interest in suppressing the trafficking of drugs produced in other countries that had to be transported across the physical border to enter Canada justified the strip search law: at pp. 526-529. In contrast, digital contraband, even when downloaded to a device, is usually also stored on external servers and can be electronically transmitted into Canada, a mode of transmission that the Agency admits it has no mandate to control.

(They refer to Professor Steven Penney’s article “Mere Evidence? Why Customs Searches of Digital Devices Violate Section 8 of the Charter” and an article by Professor Robert Diab “Protecting the Right to Privacy in Digital Devices: Reasonable Search on Arrest and at the Border” (2018)

  • 89: Manual searches can still invade large amounts of highly private information and, if officers invest the time, can be almost as revealing as forensic searches. Further, officers could easily use manual searches as a backdoor to gain information that would meet the higher threshold to conduct forensic searches.

They refer to an article by Bingzi Hu, “Border Search in the Digital Era: Refashioning the Routine vs. Nonroutine Distinction for Electronic Device Searches” (2022)

“Parliament must legislate a stringent standard with clear safeguards for the state to search an electronic device at the border. This reflects the fact that electronic devices are a trove of our most personal, intimate, and sensitive information,” shares Shakir.

The pandemic showed how willing our government is to overlook and ignore our rights and freedoms. This is why the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper will always keep you “In the Know,” when it comes to how to truly live as a FREE Canadian.

REFERENCES:

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2024/2024onca608/2024onca608.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2017/2017scc60/2017scc60.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11/latest/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11.html

https://ccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CCLA-Intervener-Factum-R.-v.-Pike-Scott-COA-23-CR-0023-C70656.pdf

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