Aboriginal leaders allege ‘coverup’ in Alberta tarsands project

Original Article and more information

CanWestMike De Souza
Canwest News Service

Friday, February 15, 2008

OTTAWA - Federal and provincial health officials in Alberta are trying to cover up “the most destructive project on Earth,” aboriginal leaders said Friday during the release of a report on the oilsands sector.

Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation accused the federal and provincial health departments of harassing a local physician who has sounded alarm bells about rare cancers striking the community downriver of the oilsands. The departments have both filed complaints in an attempt to get Dr. John O’Connor’s licence revoked, but the locals believe the physician was doing his job.

“I think it seems like one organization drops the issue and another one picks it up to carry on to take his practice away from him,”

Adam told a news conference earlier today.

“If that’s the case of how they do their business, in that sense, we feel that there is a coverup on health issues, and on environmental impacts in our region.”

The report, called Canada’s Toxic Tarsands: The Most Destructive Project on Earth and released by the Environmental Defence organization, accused the federal government of being “missing in action” by failing to enforce federal laws to clean up oil extraction from tarsands in Alberta.

It predicts that Environment Minister John Baird’s new proposal to regulate pollution from industrial facilities would allow greenhouse gas emissions to double to about 80 million tonnes per year by 2020 because of soft targets that only require industry to reduce emissions per unit of production instead of hard caps.

Matt Price, program manager with Environmental Defence, said that, as a result, growing emissions from the oilsands sector would wipe out gains from industries in other provinces such as B.C. or Ontario.

“Politically speaking, the reason we have weak federal standards on climate change is to let the tarsands grow,” said Price. “There’s a tailor-made loophole for the tarsands. Otherwise we would have hard caps on industry all across Canada. So this is why the impacts of the tarsands extend well beyond the borders of Alberta.”

Baird has pledged to reduce Canada’s annual emissions by 150 million tonnes by 2020.

Download a PDF of Environmental Defence’s “Canada’s Toxic Tar Sands: The Most Destructive Project on Earth”

Klusterfuck: Looming water supply crisis

Scientists warn of looming water supply crisis (Jan 31)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080131/ts_afp/usclimateresearchwater_080131203429

They argue that radical water cycle changes will be widespread and that past trends can no longer be relied upon when planning future water management. "Our best current estimates are that water availability will increase substantially in northern Eurasia, Alaska, Canada and some tropical regions, and decrease substantially in southern Europe, the Middle East, southern Africa and southwestern North America," said lead author Christopher Milly, a research hydrologist with the US Geological Survey. More frequent droughts can also be expected in drying areas, he added. "Even with aggressive mitigation, continued warming is very likely given the residence time of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the thermal inertia of the Earth system," the authors concluded. The article says that new models must be used to prepare for floods or droughts, determine the size of water reservoirs and decide how to allocate for residential, industrial and agricultural uses. This is a massive undertaking seeing as annual global investment in water infrastructure is more than 500 billion dollars a year and these are made under outdated assumptions that the water cycle will fluctuate within a relatively narrow historical band. "Historically, looking back at past observations has been a good way to estimate future conditions," Milly said." But climate change magnifies the possibility that the future will bring droughts or floods you never saw in your old measurements. "Climate change has already resulted in changes to rainfall patterns and river flows and created a greater risk of flooding in some areas, the authors wrote. Rising sea levels will "heighten risk of contamination of coastal freshwater supplies" while a "poleward expansion of the subtropic dry zone" is reducing water runoff levels. CLIP

Ban Ki-moon warns that water shortages are increasingly driving conflicts (6 February 2008)

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25527

Many of today's conflicts around the world are being fuelled or exacerbated by water shortages and climate change is only making the situation worse, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the General Assembly today.Briefing an informal Assembly session on the crises in Kenya, Darfur and Chad, as well as his recent trip to Europe and Africa, Mr. Ban noted that he told the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month that "increasingly, fights are erupting over such basic human needs as water or arable land."I find this trend deeply worrying, especially because such shortages are only projected to grow in coming years," he said, adding that water also underpins many of the world's key development challenges - food, the environment, health and economic well-being."Water shortages are at the core of many of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of which is to reduce by half the number of people without safe access to water by 2015. When you consider the health and development challenges facing the poorest of the world's population - diseases like malaria or TB [tuberculosis], rising food prices, environmental degradation - the common denominator often seems to be water."

CONgress moves to seize Control of All US Water

Congress Moves To Seize
Control Of All US Water
From Bathtubs To Baptismal Fonts, Congress Moves
To Give the Corps of Engineers Control Of All U.S. Waters

Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
2-7-8

Issue: Having been slapped down by the U. S. Supreme Court's recent decision that the words "navigable waters" in the Clean Water Act limited federal agencies to regulation of navigable waters only. Democrats and liberal Republicans in Congress are striking back. They are attempting to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 (HR2421 and S1870) that would amend the 1972 Clean Water Act and replace the words "navigable waters" with "waters of the United States." Further, it defines "waters of the United States" with such breathtaking scope that federal agencies would be required to regulate use of every square inch of the U.S., both public and private. The proposed definition states: "The term 'waters of the United States' means all waters subject to ebb and flow of the tides, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes [a flat dried up area, esp. a desert basin.] natural ponds and all impoundment of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution." Obviously, those behind this legislation have only contempt for the Constitution, limited government and private property rights. To understand what the framers of the Constitution intended, one need only look to their writings and the writings of those from whom they took wisdom and direction. A few of thousands of quotes follow: Quote 1: "The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If 'Thou shalt not covet' and 'Thou shalt not steal' were not commandments from Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free." - John Adams, A Defence of the Constitution of the United States against the Attacks of M. Turgot, 1787. Quote 2: "What a man has honestly acquired is absolutely his own, which he may freely give, but cannot be taken from him without his consent." - Samuel Adams, Massachusetts Circular Letter, 1768. Quote 3: ".'tis not without reason that [man] seeks out, and is willing to join in society with others who are already united, or have a mind to unite for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates which I call by the name of property." - John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, 1690 Quote 4: "The property which every man has in his own labor, as it is the foundation of all other property, so it is the most sacred and inviolable." - Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776 Comment 1: Obviously these are foreign concepts to the environmental lobby and their fellow travelers. By Tom Randall Winningreen LLC 3712 N. Broadway - PMB 279 Chicago, IL 60613 Phone: 773-857-5086 e-mail: trandall@winningreen.com>trandall@winningreen.com Wetlands (HR 2421) Bill Gives Corps Control Over Your Property New Wetlands Land Grab Hearing Coming In House. The date has not been finally set yet but send your testimony anyway. Please Fill Out the Wetlands Testimony Questionnaire Below And Forward It To your Congressman and the Committee. Deadline - February 15, 2008. If you get this message after that date, send your testimony anyway as the hearing may be moved to March or April. -----Apology: Yes, this e-mail is too long. But this is such an important issue and affects so many people, we felt we needed not only to explain the issue but also give you the tools to impact your Congressman. Please take the time to read it. It may be one of the most important things you do this year. By sending e-mailing, faxing or mailing the Testimony Questionnaire below, you can have a profound affect on the future of land use in America and you can personally make a difference in how Congress writes the law. Don't miss your chance to affect history. Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 expansion of power. Congress considering expanding the power of the Clean Water Act of 1972 to include all waters of the United States and not limit it to navigable waters as is currently the law under two Supreme Court Decisions. This is a massive threat to all private property in America. It also threatens the use of Federal land. Under the name "clean water" HR 2421 would give the Corps of Engineers and the Federal Government massive additional regulatory powers that supercede local and state government. People may be tempted to jump in favor of "clean water" not realizing they are trading away control over their land. Besides private property, it threatens grazing, forestry, mining and many other uses on Federal land. -----You should send testimony again even if you sent testimony for the previous hearing. This Testimony Questionnaire below has been modified and updated. Below is the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. You must check to see if your Congressman is on this list. If he or she is, you need to be all over your Representative with white hot intensity. Call, Call and call again. Get your friends and neighbors to call. Also E-mail and fax. Your Congressman must feel the pressure and know in no uncertain terms that you oppose HR 2421. If your Congressman is not on the Committee, go ahead and send the Testimony Questionnaire to the Committee Members and your Congressman. Ask your Congressman to write each Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee opposing HR 2421. -----HR 2421 is the biggest threat to private property since CARA and actually affects far more land and people. -----Action Items Below We call HR 2421 the National Wetlands - Land Grab Bill. (It's real name is the Clean Water Restoration Act but it has very little to do with clean water or restoration. It is mostly about land use control and expanding the power and reach of the Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act of 1972. ) What the bill supporters are doing is using the term "Clean Water," which everybody wants, as a tool to pass legislation (HR 2421) that is really about land use control and has little or nothing to do with clean water. It is a huge rural land grab. Their target is land use control over all lands, both urban and rural. What it really does is give the Corps of Engineers control over nearly all private property in America by changing the definition of "wetlands" under the Clean Water Act of 1972 vastly expanding the regulatory reach of the Corps of Engineers over private property. Take the Testimony Questionnaire below, save it to your word processor, edit it to say how you feel, and then e-mail it back to the Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee listed below. Also e-mail it to your own Congressman. This Testimony is for the new hearing now set to take place sometime in the next month but don't delay sending your testimony. -----You may print out a formatted version of the Testimony Questionnaire that is below by going to <http://www.landrights.org/>www.landrights.org. -----Urgent Action Required -----Below we have created a Testimony Questionnaire for you to fill out and send to every e-mail address for Congress we have listed below for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Be sure and send it to your own Congressman as well. You can call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121 to get the e-mail of a Member of his or her staff. The Testimony Questionnaire is designed so you can simply save it into your word processing file, edit it with your comments, and then send it to the Congressmen listed on the Committee using your e-mail program. Be sure to edit out or cut off the parts that are not part of the testimony. We've marked them so read it carefully. -----We agree with all the statements on the Testimony Questionnaire, but you don't have to. You can mark it Agree, Disagree or No Opinion. What is most important is that you fill out the blank space below the Statements with your own personal comments. You may get ideas and draw from the statements we have provided or preferably write your own. But don't fail to fill out the blank space. The Testimony Questionnaire is rated at a much higher value by your Congressman if you write your own personal thoughts in the space provided after the section with the statements with Agree, Disagree, or No Opinion. So please, take the time to either borrow from our statements at the upper part of the Questionnaire or write your own. But write something in that blank space above where we have made a place for you to write your name and address toward the bottom of the Testimony Questionnaire. Please send a copy of your Testimony, no matter how you feel about the issue, to American Land Rights at ccushman@pacifier.com>ccushman@pacifier.com. Write in the Subject line: Copy of Testimony Sent to Congress. Otherwise we won't know whether you sent it to Congress or not. And we would like to know how you feel about the issues. You do not have to send a copy to us. -----Testimony Questionnaire - Please be sure to edit the Testimony Questionnaire so our e-mail information and instructions are removed. -----Committee Vote on the National Wetlands Land Grab Bill, HR 2421, could come as early as February or March. They tried to sneak a vote in November but your e-mails and phone calls stopped them. The official name is the Clean Water Restoration Act but it does virtually nothing for clean water and is mostly about land use control. It would greatly expand the power of and the amount of land affected by 1972 Clean Water Act -----See Action Items Below. -----Updated -- Committee Staff Members do change and we have corrected several additional committee e-mail addresses below. If you find e-mail does not work, call the Congressman's office at (202) 225-3121 and ask for the staff person. Then ask for the correct e-mail. Send us an e-mail telling us about the correction. Edit out all above this line before e-mailing this message. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - Fax, and E-mail Deadline Friday February 15th. Congressional Testimony Questionnaire Testimony For The Record HR 2421 -- Clean Water Restoration Act (National Wetlands Land Use Control Bill) Honorable __________________ US House of Representatives HR 2421, The Clean Water Restoration Act, is really a massive Federal land and water power grab. It will use "wetlands" to take control over every farm, ranch, and piece of private property with any water on it or even if the landowner only engage in activities that might affect water. It expands the authority of the Federal government under the Clean Water Act of 1972 to include all waters of the U.S. and activities affecting these waters. It will give the Corps of Engineers control over most private property. In the words of Reed Hopper of Pacific Legal Foundation, lead attorney in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court victory, "...this bill pushes the limits of federal power to an extreme not matched by any other law, probably in the history of this country." Below are my concerns and testimony regarding HR 2421, the inappropriately named Clean Water Restoration Act. It has little to do with clean water and is mostly about land use control. Please allow this Testimony to be submitted for the record for any additional hearings to be held on HR 2421, the Clean Water Restoration Act. Please consider a photocopy of this document as valid as the original and include my testimony for the official record. Signature ________________________________ Print Your Name ______________________________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dear Private Property and Multiple-Use Advocate: You must send your testimony in immediately. H.R. 2421 may come up for a hearing and possibly a vote in the House in February or March. The Committee Chairman tried to rush a vote in November. It is imperative that you act now. The Clean Water Restoration Act may be the biggest threat to property rights and local control yet. The bill would overturn two U.S. Supreme Court decisions that favored landowners and local government. It would give federal agencies and the Corps of Engineers in particular almost unlimited control over land, water and people. Reed Hopper, lead attorney in the latest Supreme Court victory for landowners said "...this bill pushes the limit of federal power to an extreme not matched by any other law, probably in the history of this country. Jim Burling, senior attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, said "If our constitutional system of limited federal powers means anything, we have to win on this issue." It is important that you fill out the following testimony questionnaire and send it to your Congressman and all those Congressmen on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee listed below. It must be submitted by e-mail or fax by Friday, February 15th. Ask your Congressman to make sure it is put in the record of any upcoming hearing on HR 2421. Please act on this as soon as you get this e-mail message. Do not put it off until tomorrow. Tomorrow may be too late. Supporters of this bill are trying to ram HR 2421 through before people like you know how dangerous it is. Below is a Testimony Questionnaire for you to fill out and e-mail or fax back to your Congressman and the Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the US House of Representatives. Be sure to check to see if your Congressman is on the Transportation Committee. This makes your Testimony even more valuable. -----Alert -- Be aware of the legal concept called "laches" or "sleeping on your rights." You may lose legal rights later if you fail to comment or testify on HR 2421. So at least send this Testimony Questionnaire and possibly a letter opposing HR 2421. It can be as short as one page or longer. In the next section you will see a series of statements about HR 2421 that American Land Rights agrees with but you don't have to. This Testimony Questionnaire is about helping you get your testimony to Congress. Your Congressman and the Members of the Committee want to know what you think. It is critical that you write your responses to the statements with your opinion and not what you think we would want you to write. You are free to disagree with us. You can add comments to each statement or change the statements to fit your preference. You have a chance to change the course of history on the whole "wetlands" or Clean Water Act issue by filling out this Testimony Questionnaire, writing your Congressman's name in the appropriate place, and e-mailing it to all the Members of Congress listed below. We would appreciate it if you would send a copy to American Land Rights with the words "copy sent to Members of Congress in the subject line. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please edit this document in your word processor and e-mail it or print it out and fax it to your Congressman and the other Members of the Transportation Committee listed below. Your personal comments make this document more valuable. So be sure to fill in the blank space with your own personal comments or concerns below where the section is with the Agree-Disagree statements are listed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --1. The jurisdiction of federal agencies under the Clean Water Act of 1972 should remain limited to navigable waters and not expanded to include all waters of the U.S., such as wetlands, sloughs, meadows, intermittent streams, prairie potholes, ponds, playa lakes, mudflats and sandflats. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --2. The definition of wetlands under federal jurisdiction should be limited to those areas that are permanently wet or free flowing. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --3. The Clean Water Act 1972 should not be used as a tool for national land use controls. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --4. The Clean Water Act of 1972 should not be expanded to include activities affecting waters. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --5. The U. S. Supreme Court decisions of 2001 and 2006 that ruled in favor of local government and landowners should not be overturned by the proposed Clean Water Restoration Act (HR 2421). Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --6. Mostly dry land and isolated wetlands should be excluded from federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act of 1972. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --7. The definition of pollutants under the Clean Water Act of 1972 should not include clean fill or natural material of any kind. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --8. The term 'discharge' should not apply to the disturbance of soils or natural materials. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --9. Citizens cited for violation of regulations under the Clean Water Act of 1972 should not face criminal penalties. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --10. National Water Quality goals should be achieved without violating constitutionally protected property rights. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --11. National Water Quality goals are best achieved by local and state governments, rather than by federal agencies. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --12. National Water Quality goals should consider priorities and costs Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --13. National Water Quality goals should consider regional differences in landscapes and other ecological characteristics. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --14. 'Regulatory Takings' that devalue private property should be compensated under provisions of the 5th Amendment. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --15. Access to and use and enjoyment of public lands and waters should be guaranteed under provisions of the Clean Water Act. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --16. 'Environmental' organizations have become too radical and have too much power and influence over federal legislation. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --17. The Clean Water Restoration Act and other environmental legislation is often not about environmental protection, but about control over land, water, and people. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion --18. Please do not give the Corps of Engineers increased power to regulate more private land. Agree...Disagree...No Opinion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (Your written comments here are essential if you want Members of Congress to really pay attention to this document. You are free to use as much space as you need. But please write some comments below before sending this important document to Congress.) Open space for your personal comments. (If needed, use additional sheets or attach a personal letter) To validate your comments please fill in completely (PRINT or TYPE) and be sure to sign. Signature_________________________________ Name____________________________________________ E-Mail___________________________________ Fax ___________________ Phone ____________________ Address_______________________________ Town______________________ State_____ Zip____________ Please do not fail to send this testimony questionnaire even if you receive it late. Deadline for Fax, E-mail Friday, February 15th. However, if you receive this message late, the Committee will usually accept testimony late. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please edit out or cut below this line before sending to your Congressmen and others on the Transportation Committee. -----You can get a formatted version of this Testimony Questionnaire by going to <http://www.landrights.org/>www.landrights.org. -----Background: HR 2421, The Clean Water Restoration Act, what we call the National Wetlands Land Grab Act, is really a massive Federal land and water power grab. It will use the Corps of Engineers regulation of "wetlands" under the 1972 Clean Water Act as the pretext to take control over every farm, ranch, and piece of private property with any water on it or even if you only engage in activities that might affect water. HR 2421 expands the authority of the Federal government under the Clean Water Act of 1972 to include all waters of the U.S. and activities affecting these waters. In the words of Reed Hopper of Pacific Legal Foundation, lead attorney in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court victory, "...this bill pushes the limits of federal power to an extreme not matched by any other law, probably in the history of this country." Original Hearing Date Thursday, December 6, 2007 That hearing was cancelled. Transportation and Infrastructure Committee James Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman Your E-mail and Fax Testimony Deadline is now February 15th. The chief author of HR 2421, titled the Clean Water Restoration Act, is Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN). By Oberstar's own admission, the bill is intended to overturn two U.S. Supreme Court decisions that recently ruled in favor of local government and local landowners on Wetlands issues. In both cases, the high court ruled that the federal government exceeded the authority granted under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, what is commonly called on Wetlands issues the Clean Water Act of 1972. In the latest case, a Michigan landowner faced steep fines and a recommended 5-year jail sentence for moving gravel on his property, located some 20 miles from the nearest navigable water. -----Reasons To Oppose Oberstar's Wetlands Land Grab Bill (HR 2421): -----A. HR 2421 replaces the word 'navigable' waters under the 1972 Clean Water Act with 'waters of the U.S.,' including wetlands, sloughs, ponds, meadows, prairie potholes, sandflats, mudflats, playa lakes, and intermittent streams. This change vastly increases the land area covered by this Wetlands--land use control legislation. -----B. Adds the new language 'activities affecting these waters,' essentially a thinly-disguised attempt at national land use control; -----C. This bill is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Rep. Oberstar is attempting to get his way by using the popular political appeal of the nice sounding term 'clean water' and by using his newly gained power as chairman of a major 'pork committee' to intimidate the bill's opponents, including elected officials in his own state; -----D. The bill is intended to overturn two U.S. Supreme Court wetlands cases (SWANCC, 2001 and Rapanos, 2006) that ruled in favor of landowners and local government; -----E. In the later case, a Michigan landowner faced stiff fines and a possible 5 year prison sentence for moving gravel on his land located 20 miles from the nearest navigable waterway. If you do anything on your land without permission, you could be facing criminal penalties; -----F. The bill is an attempt to control 'non-point sources' of water pollution, essentially any type of significant uses--farming, logging, mining, development of any kind, and even atmospheric deposition; -----G. The bill will be also be used by environmental groups to restrict and prohibit uses of Federal lands and waters, including and especially motorized recreational uses; -----H. The bill will result in endless litigation, unacceptable permitting delays, and will be a severe blow to property rights and local control; -----I. There are serious constitutional concerns with the bill, and states should not relinquish control of natural resources to the federal government; -----J. Many of the 17O co-sponsors of the bill have supported it because of the political appeal of the term "clean water", and because Oberstar's position as chairman of a powerful pork committee to intimidate the bill's opponents by depriving them of funding for projects in their home districts; and -----K. This could be the biggest threat to freedom and property rights ever!! As Jim Burling, senior attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation said recently, "If our constitutional system of limited federal powers means anything, we have to win on this issue." -----L. We all want clean water. HR 2421 does virtually nothing about clean water. People in rural areas may not realize that if HR 2421 passes, they have traded local and state controls for new land use regulations by the Corps of Engineers. That is a bad trade. Action Items: -----1. Check to see if your Congressman is on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee listed below. If so, you need to call, fax and e-mail him or her with white hot intensity over the next two weeks. -----2. Please call, e-mail and fax your member of Congress and ask him or her to oppose HR 2421, this new Federal power grab. You may call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121. Ask him or her to write Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to oppose HR 2421 and send you a copy of their letter. -----3. Our deadline for testimony is February 15th. You must deluge your Member of Congress with calls immediately. Get your friends, neighbors and business associates to call. -----4. Call, fax and e-mail each Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in opposition to HR 2421.. We have provided an updated and corrected staff and e-mail list below. Staff is always changing. If an e-mail does not work, call the staff member to get the current e-mail. Any Congressman can be called at (202) 225-3121. This is a little work and you don't have much time. Failure to defeat HR 2421 would be a disaster for private property rights and you. -----5. Ask any organizations or groups you are part of to fax or e-mail a letter opposing HR 2421. Make sure they send you a copy and if you would, send us a copy too. -----6. You can send testimony for the record to the following addresses. The hearing date is not final yet. Try to get your testimony in by February 15th. This is the best date to get your testimony in. Send your Testimony to both the Majority (Democrats) and Minority (Republicans). -----Reminder -- Be aware of the legal concept called "laches" or "sleeping on your rights." You may lose legal rights later if you fail to comment or testify on HR 2421. So at least send a letter opposing HR 2421. It can be as short as one page or longer. Address your testimony: (Committee Address) Honorable James Oberstar (D-MN) House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee US House of Representatives 2165 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515. (202) 225-4472 Because of the Anthrax postal inspections, mail to Congress can be slowed by several weeks. Mailed testimony will not get there in time. You are safer to fax or e-mail your testimony. The Committee fax number is (202) 226-1270. E-mail: transcomm@mail.house.gov>transcomm@mail.house.gov Be sure to e-mail it to the staff people listed below to make sure they get it in case any e-mail does not work. Call (202) 225-4472 if that e-mail address fails to work. -----7. Call, fax and e-mail James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at his personal office. Honorable James Oberstar, House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. Fax: (202) 225-0699. Send e-mail to Rep. Oberstar care of the following staff persons: bill.richard@mail.house.gov>bill.richard@mail.house.gov john.schadl@mail.house.gov>john.schadl@mail.house.gov; chip.gardiner@mail.house.gov>chip.gardiner@mail.house.gov; meloday.hamoud@mail.house.gov>meloday.hamoud@mail.house.gov; kipp.johnson@mail.house.gov>kipp.johnson@mail.house.gov; jonathan.rucks@mail.house.gov>jonathan.rucks@mail.house.gov. -----8. Call, Fax and e-mail John Mica (R-FL), Ranking Minority Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Because the Committee Chairman, James Oberstar, is also the author of HR 2421 you may not receive favorable treatment of your testimony from him. Also send Rep. Mica a copy of your testimony. Address it: Honorable John Mica (R-FL), Ranking Minority Member, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 2165 Rayburn House Office Building, House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. Minority Phone: (202) 225-9446. Minority Fax: (202) 225-6782. Send e-mail to John Mica and Don Young (R-AK) at the Committee care of: jon.pawlow@mail.house.gov>jon.pawlow@mail.house.gov; geoff.bowman@mail.house.gov>geoff.bowman@mail.house.gov; john.anderson1@mail.house.gov>john.anderson1@mail.house.gov -----9. Send a copy of your testimony to both your Senators. The Senate version is S 1870 and is worded exactly like the HR 2421. It is sponsored by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI). By wording both bills the same, they are looking to ram through this bill fast before you get a chance to get organized. You must forward this e-mail to as many friends and business associates as possible. -----10. Ask organizations or groups in your State to send letters by fax or e-mail opposing HR 2421. Especially those involved in farming, ranching, and anyone who owns private land. Get copies of all the letters or resolutions to all the Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee listed below. Send them to ALRA as well. -----11. Call your local representative of the American Farm Bureau to urge them to go all out against HR 2421. Ask to be put on any special mailing lists the Farm Bureau may be sending out. Send us the contact information, phone number and e-mail of your local American Farm Bureau Representative. Ask for a copy of a letter from the Farm Bureau to Mr. Oberstar opposing HR 2421. -----12. No matter where you live, but especially if you live in Minnesota or better still, in Rep. Oberstar's district, it is critical that you notify organizational leaders as well as average citizens to have them send letters and pass resolutions to Reps. Oberstar and John Mica opposing HR 2421. Also notify your state legislators and local elected officials. You should hold local public meetings and get as many people in your area as possible informed about HR 2421. This is especially true in Minnesota. Of course you should do this in other states as well. There are 300 green groups supporting the HR 2421 and 171 Congressmen are co-sponsoring HR 2421 so far. Oberstar has said publicly that the House will pass the bill. You must help prove him wrong. He is twisting arms by threatening to withhold pork money for local projects, which he controls, from each Members district unless they support his bill. American Land Rights Association is working as a team with the American Property Coalition in Minnesota and many other organizations across America to defeat HR 2421. You can reach the American Property Coalition at donp@americanpropertycoalition.org>donp@americanpropertycoalition.org or mail: Don Parmeter Linda Runbeck American Property Coalition 161 St. Anthony Ave., Ste. 935 St. Paul, MN 55103 (651) 224-6219 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Below is the fax and e-mail list of most of the Members of the Committee. You need to send your e-mail care of one of their staff that we have listed. You may call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121 Chair: Oberstar (D-MN) 42 Democrats Ranking Minority: Mica (R-FL) 33 Republicans House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Minority (Republican) Direct Line: (202) 225-9446 Chief of Minority Staff - James Coon, (202) 225-9446 jim.coon@mail.house.gov--or>jim.coon@mail.house.gov--or ryan.boyce@mail.house.gov>ryan.boyce@mail.house.gov Minority (Republicans) Fax: (202) 226-5435 Republicans: John L Mica (R-FL) Fax (202) 226-0821 Contact: Brian Waldrip - brian.waldrip@mail.house.gov>brian.waldrip@mail.house.gov Don Young (R-AK) Fax (202) 225-0425 Contact: Pamela Day - pamela.day@mail.house.gov>pamela.day@mail.house.gov Thomas Petri (R-WI) Fax (202) 225-2356 Contact: Lindsay Bowers - lindsay.bowers@mail.house.gov>lindsay.bowers@mail.house.gov Howard Coble (R-NC) Fax (202) 225-8611 Contact: John Mautz - john.mautz@mail.house.gov>john.mautz@mail.house.gov John J Duncan Jr. (R-TN) Fax (202) 225-6440 Contact: Ryan Temme - ryan.temme@mail.house.gov>ryan.temme@mail.house.gov Vernon J Ehlers (R-MI) Fax (202) 225-5144 Contact: Matthew Reiffer matt.reiffer@mail.house.gov>-matt.reiffer@mail.house.gov Steven C La Tourette (R-OH) Fax (202) 225-3307 Contact: Tim Lundquist - tim.lundquist@mail.house.gov>tim.lundquist@mail.house.gov Richard Baker (R-LA) Fax (202) 225-7313 Contact: Paul Sawyer - paul.sawyer@mail.house.gov>paul.sawyer@mail.house.gov Frank A LoBiondo (R-NJ) Fax (202) 225-3318 Contact: Geoff Gosselin -Send to: jacob.sciandra@mail.house.gov>jacob.sciandra@mail.house.gov Jerry Moran (R-KS) Fax (202) 225-5124 Contact: Alex Richard - alex.richard@mail.house.gov>alex.richard@mail.house.gov Gary G Miller (R-CA) Fax (202) 226-6962 Contact: Sandra Breitengross - sandra.breitengross@mail.house.gov>sandra.breitengross@mail.house.gov Robin Hayes (R-NC) Fax (202) 225-4036 Contact: Tommy Sevier - tommy.sevier@mail.house.gov>tommy.sevier@mail.house.gov Henry E Brown Jr. (R-SC) Fax (202) 225-3407 Contact: Chris Berardini - chris.berardini@mail.house.gov>chris.berardini@mail.house.gov Timothy V Johnson (R-IL) Fax (202) 226-0791 Contact: Stephen Borg - stephen.borg@mail.house.gov>stephen.borg@mail.house.gov Todd Platts (R-PA) Fax (202) 226-1000 Contact: Joe Thomas - joe.thomas@mail.house.gov>joe.thomas@mail.house.gov Sam Graves (R-Mo) Fax (202) 225-8221 Contact: Paul Sass - paul.sass@mail.house.gov>paul.sass@mail.house.gov Bill Shuster (R-PA) Fax (202) 225-2486 Contact: Stephen Martinko - stephen.martinko@mail.house.gov>stephen.martinko@mail.house.gov John Boozman (R-AR) Fax (202) 225-5713 Contact: Kathee Facchiano - kathee.facchiano@mail.house.gov>kathee.facchiano@mail.house.gov Jim Gerlach (R-PA) Fax (202) 225-8440 Contact: Bill Tighe - bill.tighe@mail.house.gov>bill.tighe@mail.house.gov Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) Fax (202) 226-0346 Contact: Lauren Robitaille - lauren.robitaille@mail.house.gov>lauren.robitaille@mail.house.gov Kenny E Marchant (R-TX) Fax (202) 225-0074 Contact: Ryan Young - ryan.young@mail.house.gov>ryan.young@mail.house.gov Charles W Dent (R-PA) Fax (202) 226-0778 Contact: Pete Richards - pete.Richards@mail.house.gov>pete.Richards@mail.house.gov Ted Poe (R-TX) Fax (202) 225-5547 Contact: Alan Knapp - alan.knapp@mail.house.gov>alan.knapp@mail.house.gov Dave Reichert (R-WA) Fax (202) 225-4282 Contact: Chris Miller - chris.miller@mail.house.gov>chris.miller@mail.house.gov Connie Mack (R-FL) Fax (202) 226-0439 Contact: Francis Gibbs - francis.gibbs@mail.house.gov>francis.gibbs@mail.house.gov John R "Randy" Kuhl Jr. (R-NY) Fax (202) 226-6599 Contact: Meredith Bircher - meredith.bircher@mail.house.gov>meredith.bircher@mail.house.gov Lynn A Westmoreland (R-GA) Fax (202) 225-2515 Contact: Joe Lillis - joe.lillis@mail.house.gov>joe.lillis@mail.house.gov Charles W Boustany Jr. (R-LA) Fax (202) 225-5724 Contact: Terri Fish - terri.fish@mail.house.gov>terri.fish@mail.house.gov Jean Schmidt (R-OH) Fax (202) 225-1992 Contact: Joe Jansen - joe.jansen@mail.house.gov>joe.jansen@mail.house.gov Candice S Miller (R-MI) Fax (202) 226-1169 Contact: Sean Moran - sean.moran@mail.house.gov>sean.moran@mail.house.gov Thelma Drake (R-VA) Fax (202) 225-4218 Contact: Dena Kozanas - dena.kozanas@mail.house.gov>dena.kozanas@mail.house.gov Mary Fallin (R-OK) Fax (202) 226-1463 Contact: Jeff Ringer - jeff.ringer@mail.house.gov>jeff.ringer@mail.house.gov Vern Buchanan (R-FL) Fax (202) 226-0828 Contact: Max Goodman - max.goodman@mail.house.gov>max.goodman@mail.house.gov Democrat Committee Members (We've listed only those we hope may be open minded.) Direct line for Majority (Democrats) (202) 225-4472 Fax: (202) 226-1270 Gene Taylor (D-MS) Fax (202) 225-7074 Contact: Courtney Littig - courtney.littig@mail.house.gov>courtney.littig@mail.house.gov Ellen O Tauscher (D-CA) Fax (202) 225-5914 Contact: Paul Kidwell - paul.kidwell@mail.house.gov>paul.kidwell@mail.house.gov Leonard L Boswell (D-IA) Fax (202) 225-5608 Contact: Susan McAvoy - susan.mcavoy@mail.house.gov>susan.mcavoy@mail.house.gov Tim Holden (D-PA) Fax (202) 226-0996 Contact: Keith J Pemrick - keith.pemrick@mail.house.gov>keith.pemrick@mail.house.gov Brian Baird (D-WA) Fax (202) 225-3478 Contact: Hilary Cain - hilary.cain@mail.house.gov>hilary.cain@mail.house.gov Mike Michaud (D-ME) Fax (202) 225-2943 Contact: Kim thompson - kim.thompson@mail.house.gov>kim.thompson@mail.house.gov Russ Carnahan (D-MO) Fax (202) 225-7452 Contact: Jeremy Haldeman - jeremy.haldeman@mail.house.gov>jeremy.haldeman@mail.house.gov John T Salazar (D-CO) Fax (202) 226-9669 Contact: Eric Wortman - eric.wortman@mail.house.gov>eric.wortman@mail.house.gov Nicholas V Lampson (D-TX) Fax (202) 225-5241 Contact: Dan Easley - dan.easley@mail.house.gov>dan.easley@mail.house.gov Zachary T Space (D-OH) Fax (202) 225-3394 Contact: Aaron Schmidt - aaron.schmidt@mail.house.gov>aaron.schmidt@mail.house.gov Bruce Braley (D-IA) Fax (202) 225-6666 Contact: Mike Goodman - mike.goodman@mail.house.gov>mike.goodman@mail.house.gov Jason Altmire (D-PA) Fax (202) 226-2274 Contact: Erik Komendant - erik.komendant@mail.house.gov>erik.komendant@mail.house.gov Timothy J Walz (DFL-MN) Fax (202) 225-3433 Contact: Meredith Salsbery - meredith.salsbery@mail.house.gov>meredith.salsbery@mail.house.gov Heath Shuler (D-NC) Fax (202) 226-6422 Contact: Sean O'Brien - sean.obrien@mail.house.gov>sean.obrien@mail.house.gov Nick J Rahall (D-WV) - Fax (202) 225-3452 -- Contact: erika.young@mail.house.gov>erika.young@mail.house.gov Jerry F Costello (D-IL) - Fax (202) 225-0285 - Contact: christa.fornarotto@mail.house.gov>christa.fornarotto@mail.house.gov Harry E Mitchell (D-AZ) - Fax (202) 225-3263 - Contact: matthew.weisman@mail.house.gov>matthew.weisman@mail.house.gov Christopher P Carney (D-PA) - Fax (202) 225-9594 - Contact: jeffrey.gabriel@mail.house.gov>jeffrey.gabriel@mail.house.gov Steve Kagen (D-WI) - Fax (202) 225-5729 - Contact: casey.frary@mail.house.gov>casey.frary@mail.house.gov Steve Cohen (D-TN) - Fax (202) 225-5663 - Contact: marilyn.dillihay@mail.house.gov>marilyn.dillihay@mail.house.gov Jerry McNerney (D-CA) - Fax (202) 225-4060 - Contact: nick.holder@mail.house.gov>nick.holder@mail.house.gov Laura Richardson (D-CA) - Fax (202) 225-7924 - Contact: matt.chiller@mail.house.gov>matt.chiller@mail.house.gov You must take urgent action to help stop HR 2421. This bill will have a huge impact on rural America, farming, ranching and private lands. No one who owns private land is safe. Your help is greatly appreciated. Chuck Cushman Executive Director American Land Rights Association (360) 687-3087 ccushman@pacifier.com>ccushman@pacifier.com Please forward this message as widely as possible. This is a historic issue. It is incredibly important for you to forward this message. By forwarding the message, you can help get millions of copies of this critically important e-mail distributed. Thank you in advance for your help.

Disclaimer

Canada loosing water

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, Canada lost control over its energy resources. Now, with “NAFTA-plus”, it could also lose control over its freshwater resources, say experts.

Canada’s water is on the trade negotiating table despite widespread public opposition and assurances by Canadian political leaders, said Adèle Hurley, director of the University of Toronto’s Programme on Water Issues at the Munk Centre for International Studies.

A new report released Sep. 11 by the programme reveals that water transfers from Canada to the United States are emerging as an issue under the auspices of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). The SPP — sometimes called “NAFTA-plus” — is a forum set up in 2005 in Cancún, by the three partners, Canada, United States and Mexico.

Economic integration as envisioned by the powerful but little-known SPP is slowly changing the lives of Canadians, says Andrew Nikiforuk, author of the report “On the Table: Water Energy and North American Integration”.

The SPP is comprised of business leaders and government officials who work behind the scenes and are already responsible for changes to border security, easing of pesticide rules, harmonisation of pipeline regulations and plans to prepare for a potential avian flu outbreak, Nikiforuk writes.

“The SPP is run by corporate leaders; governments are irrelevant,” said Ralph Pentland, a water expert and acting chairman of the Canadian Water Issues Council.

Pentland envisions a future where, in response to ongoing drought problems in the United States, the SPP will make arrangements to dole out millions of dollars of public funds for private companies to build pipelines to transfer water from Canada.

“The SPP is like putting the monkeys in charge of the peanuts,” he told Tierramérica.

Massive water diversions from Canada do not make economic or environmental sense, according to water experts. Far better and cheaper is to improve water efficiency and eliminate waste. The United States and Canada lead the world in water consumption and are extraordinarily wasteful, Pentland says.

Moreover, most of Canada’s water is in the far north, not near its border with the United States. And even the transboundary Great Lakes are at their lowest levels in 100 years due to climate change, notes Nikiforuk.

William Nitze, prominent member of the SPP and chairman of GridPoint Inc., a company that makes energy management systems, is not in favor of bulk water exports.

“Water management has been poor in all three countries,” Nitze said. Canada, for example, favors guidelines over mandatory rules for keeping pollutants out of water. And Mexico needs to double its investment in its water infrastructure, he noted.

Nikiforuk agrees that Canada has mismanaged its water resources. He points out that Canada already ships enormous volumes of water to the United States, in the form its main exports: grain, cattle, hogs, aluminum, automobiles and oil. Each of these requires many tons of water to produce, but the latter is perhaps the most controversial.

Most of Canada’s oil comes from the tar sands, a 125-billion-dollar capital project in the boreal forest of northern Alberta province. One million barrels of oil flow south each day to the U.S. making Canada its largest supplier.

However, it takes three barrels of freshwater to produce one barrel of oil from the tar sands, says Nikiforuk.

The project already consumes 359 million cubic metres of water, enough for a city of two million people in Canada. Ninety percent of the water becomes contaminated and has to be stored in vast tailings impoundments. More than 10 of these exist, covering an area of 50 square km.

Members of the SPP North American Energy Working Group met in Houston, in the southern U.S. state of Texas, in 2006, where they talked about the “pipeline challenge”, a proposed a five-fold increase in production at the tar sands, said Nikiforuk.

“No mention was made of water at the meeting, but there isn’t nearly enough water in the region for this kind of expansion,” he said.

Under NAFTA rules, Canada cannot reduce its energy exports to the United States, according to Gordon Laxer, director of the Parkland Institute, a research network at the University of Alberta.

“The U.S. is the most energy wasteful nation on Earth. And Canada is sacrificing its environment to feed America’s addiction to oil,”

Laxer said in an interview.

“Respected energy analyst Matthew Simmons told me Canada should stop furthering the U.S. addiction to liquid fuels and make it illegal to use fresh water in tar sands,”

said Nikiforuk.

There is ample evidence that environmental standards and stewardship in Canada and Mexico have plummeted since NAFTA went into effect in 1994, and “accelerated trade under the SPP means accelerated environmental abuse,” he said.

U.S. Nuclear Weapons Being “Guarded” by Israel

Publication time: 26 September 2007, 10:27

American supporters of Israel were delighted to learn that an Israeli company, Magal Security Systems-owned in part by the government of Israel-is in charge of security for the most sensitive nuclear power and weapons storage facilities in the United States.

The largest perimeter security company in the world, Magal started out as a division of Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI)-which was owned in part by the government of Israel. In recent years, however, Magal evolved into a publicly-traded company, although IAI (and thus the government of Israel) still holds a substantial share in the highly successful firm.

What all of this means is that the government of Israel will actually have control over the security of America's nuclear weapons.

Supporters of Israel say that this is a splendid idea, since Israel is said to be perhaps America's closest ally on the face of the planet. However, there are some critics who question the propriety of America's super-sensitive nuclear security being in the hands of any foreign nation, particularly Israel which, even today, officially denies that it is engaged in the production of nuclear arms. [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Be that as it may, however, Magal's global interests are quite broad-ranging. Having secured 90 percent of Israel's borders through a wide-ranging array of super-modern "space age" technology, Magal has now branched out internationally.

Not only does Magal provide security for American nuclear facilities, but it also does likewise for most major nuclear facilities in Western Europe and Asia. In addition, the Israeli firm also provides security for Chicago's O'Hare Airport and, for the last fifteen years, has kept watch on the Queen of England's famed Buckingham Palace in London. What's more, Magal provides security for 90% of the American prisons that utilize electronic systems. Magal brags that its other clients around the globe include: borders, airports, industrial sites, communication centers, military installations, correctional facilities, government agencies, VIP estates and residences, commercial buildings and storage yards.

There is hardly a major country or major enterprise that does not have Magal's security specialists keeping a close watch on their activities.

Clearly, Magal is no small enterprise. While 27% of its total sales are in the Israeli market, its largest market is in North America, which currently accounts for 35% of its sales.

However, Magal's American outreach is expected to increase substantially, especially now that firm has set up a Washington, D.C. office which will promote its products to federal agencies and to the members of Congress who provide funding for federally-supervised security projects across the country at all levels: local, state and national. [Think corruption, think graft, think lobbying for WAR ... ]

And with current U.S. Homeland Security Chief, Michael Chertoff, not only a strong supporter of Israel but also the son of a woman who has strong Israeli ties-even including service with El Al, the national airline of Israel-Magal, owned in party by Israeli Aircraft Industries-will be a clear-cut favorite in the eyes of the power brokers in official Washington who have the power to grant lucrative security contracts.

At the moment, Magal has four U.S.-based subsidiaries: two in California, Stellar Security Products, Inc. and Perimeter Products Inc., as well as the New York-based Smart Interactive Systems, Inc., and the Virginia-based Dominion Wireless, Inc.

All told, the Israeli company holds a 40% share in the worldwide market in perimeter intrusion detection systems and is working to expand its business in the protection of oil pipelines. [Really? New ones coming to Canada soon, maybe expanding them in IRAQ .. or not ...!!]

Magal is also said to be quite interested in guarding water lines around the globe, particularly in the United States. In fact, Magal may have an inside shot at getting a monopoly in guarding America's water supplies. [think they were tipped off about the coming water diversion from outta CANADA!!??]

On July 19, the Bush administration's Environmental Protection Agency announced a "partnership" with the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructures to improve what they called "water supply system security in the United States and Israel." Since Magal is so highly respected in Israel, it's an even bet that Magal will soon be guarding the U.S. water supply.

By Michael Collins Piper

Correspondent for American Free Press and author of "The New Jerusalem:Zionist Power in America", "The High Priests of War," and "Final Judgment," which details the Mossad role in the JFK assassination conspiracy.

http://water.ca/future.asp

As global water resources dwindle, the question of whether water is a human right or a commodity is increasingly timely. According to the United Nations, two thirds of the world will face serious water shortages by 2025. Today, 2 in 10 people do not have access to safe drinking water and 5 in 10 to adequate sanitation. Yet, water use increases at twice the rate of human population. With such alarming statistics what can be done to face the increasing threat of water scarcity around the globe?

More Info

Integrated Water Resource Management- Policy Research Initiative, Government of Canada

Running out of Steam? Oil Sands Development and Water Use in the Athabasca River-Watershed: Science and Market based Solutions - The Program on water issues, Munk Center

Is Water a Tradable Commodity? - Policy Research Initiative, Government of Canada

Water In North America: Rising Tensions - The Program on water issues, Munk Center

http://womanatmile0.amfresh.ca

Here is a post from an EXCELLENT Canadian

Blog .. enjoy the Garth Turner comments.

You GO, Garth!

(as anybody with a problem with Harper is a pal o mine)

Questions and Answers with Garth Turner In Victoria

September 8th, 2007 in Federal Conservatives, Federal Liberals, Security Prosperity Partnership, Economy, arctic, Turner, housing, voting sytems, Dion, Vancouver Island, Water, American-Politics, Canadian-Politics, Global Warming, Victoria, income trusts, Quebec, British Columbia, Media |

I posted on Garth Turner’s presentation on Friday morning, but decided to include some of the question and answer discussion threads in a separate post. As audience members posed questions, Garth answered, but he also allowed attendees to contribute and make links to the overall discussion flow. Some of the questions/comments/concerns were similar, so I have compiled the information as main topic areas.

Q: What are your thoughts on foreign ownership?

A: Dion and McCallum have called for a core review of foreign takeovers of Canadian companies worth more than a billion dollars. We believe debating it is the way to go. We have to be careful though because we do not want to discourage foreign investment either. There is a distinction between foreign ownership and investment. We don’t want to restrict investment but we want to ensure foreign governments are not able to buy the entire Canadian steel industry. E.g. Dofasco and Stelco

Q:The US is running short of water and they continue to build/expand in areas with acute water shortages. The Rio Grande has slowed to a trickle at the end. What if SPP puts in the same kind of detrimental regulations like the kind that have eroded Canadian control over our oil industry? We have to sell oil to the Americans now even if we have shortages in our own country (e.g. in the east).

A: The Liberals are trying hard to learn what SPP is all about while Harper is trying hard to say it’s all about the jelly beans. Bottom line, we don’t want water diversions. Water will be worth more than oil in the future. We don’t want this.

Q: In the latest Angus Reid poll, Stephane Dion is still not doing well. We are worried about this.

A: Stephane Dion has tremendously positive qualities. In the Conservative caucus they are not allowed to talk. In the Liberal caucus it’s a free for all of ideas. Why is he not doing better? Remember Harper in his 1st year, or Chretien? It seems people almost want to eat them alive when they first hit that stage. Stephane Dion is working his butt off, visiting 100 ridings in 90 days this summer. I believe Dion will be hugely competitive. We have not released our policies either. We have a new leader since the last election. The Cons have thrown 25 billion more in spending at Canadians and it is not moving their #’s. Harper has no one but himself to blame. The editorials in the Globe and Mail and the Star on the Liberal stance on income trusts is harsh. Don’t listen to them. Income trusts are deeply problematic. Their are 2 ways to look at the issue. The mainstream media doesn’t care about those who lost their shirts in the income trust deception. They think its just a bunch of greedy old people and they don’t care. But they don’t realize that if even half of the 2.2 million people who were affected by Con income trust flip flop move their vote over to the Liberals, that would be a huge positive for us. But they really need to stop looking at it as just a bunch of rich people who lost some money and so who cares? The kids and the grandkids care very much. When asked to prove that their would be a loss why did the media let the Conservatives get away without proving it? Its a complex issue for Canadians to understand, but many have condemned the government for this. Harper and Flaherty thought they could power their way through this, but we are not going to let them.

Q: What do we need to do to change our election system to be more representative?

A: Well only 1/3 of Canadians voted for this government and there is still no collaboration or concession. Our system doesn’t work now. We need to reform how we vote electorally.

Q: I bought Bell Canada Enterprises and Telus. I believed Harper/Flaherty. I trusted them. Just before Halloween the Cons said the IT market was very efficient. Trusts are efficient because it shifts the tax on to the consumer. Why would they do this? Its low. How can we reverse this?

A: We need to demand accountability and the only hope is the next election. If this problem goes past and the Cons are in to 2011, many investments will be worthless. Some will be worthless… but some could still be worthwhile. We have to remember and mobilize. What can you do? The Internet is a great way to get our your message. All MP’s should have interactive blogs.

Audience response: But I get replies from MP’s stating that they would prefer I send a letter if I send an email. An appropriate response to an email is to say “write me a letter”? What is that?

A: Well that is getting rid of you, that’s what it is.

Q: I don’t understand the Liberal 10% solution can you explain?Why do we need any tax on income trust?

A: Well when it is foreign investors, not Canadians, we believe some corralling needs to be done. The Cons have just created a bigger problem and Harper is wrong.

Q: Is it possible for SPP to happen without the say so of Canadians?

A: As a member of parliament I have never been briefed on SPP. No one knows what is on the table after Montebello. It’s possible Stephane Dion may have seen more than I have but I have not heard this. Harper has indicated this will never go to a vote in a parliament. However I don’t believe it can be done without a ramification vote. We should be aware that there is now a broad movement in 15 US states against the SPP. A common currency is unlikely to happen. Do not assume the Liberals know what is in SPP because we actually don’t know. We do not have that information. Stephane Dion may know more but I don’t think we have any sophisticated specifics. We don’t have the info, but we have now published our position on SPP.

Q: I would like to buy an electric car. Why does Canadian regulation not allow us to buy pure electric cars. Must be hybrids?

A: Canada is slow. California is way ahead. People will buy these cars when they become competitive.

Q: Why don’t we help manufacturers to produce these vehicles?

A: I think we need subsidies and government needs to be a partner in this process. It’s hot and we are talking about the end of the world as we know it. Our tax base is stable with the possible exception that we cannot continue to run spending up at this rate at double the rate of inflation. We have to get spending back down and I think we can get back on track. I can’t say for sure that a Liberal government will make these cars affordable, but I will talk with Dion about it.

Q: Garth how would you see this thing? Just how much do do are we in? Given the recession in the US.

A: I don’t think the future needs to be bleak. 13 years ago we had a deficit and massive debt and the Liberals did an excellent job in bringing those numbers down. Demographics are an issue. Government has to be a partner with people to help them help themselves. Right now many Canadians have no pensions. The average Canadian family is spending more than they earn. Housing is the reason and we need to bring mortgage rates and interest rates down and ease the burden on the real estate market. Real estate will not continue to go up over 15 years. The market is overvalued and the market will eventually correct and then real estate will go down. We have the same problem here with housing as in the US. We allow people to buy with 5% down 40 or even 50 year mortgages, also called the a lifetime or a mortgage that will never be paid off.

Q: When will we see the Liberals policies?

A: We have been waiting on releasing our comprehensive policy. We don’t want to give it away. We cant scoop ourselves by giving it away.

Q: You mentioned demographics and not enough young people what about helping people to afford to have families? Then another audience member chimed in stating that he thought it was morally incomprehensible for people to have more children we should be relying solely on immigration.

A: I think it’s pretty harsh to condemn our young people to build lives without families. It’s true our world does not need more people, but Canadians society is desperately short of young people. If we didn’t have immigration bringing in 250,000 per year our population would be decreasing. We know that the first six years are critical. Our future is dependent on early childhood education and child care. We will bring back child care and early learning policy when we form the government. Today Canadians are deciding between buying a house and having kids. Income splitting is one answer to alleviating some of these problems.

Q: What about the Confidence vote? How will that happen?

A: There will be a Throne speech debate and 7 days later a confidence vote. For the Liberals the big issues are the economy, Afghanistan and the environment. The by- elections will take place on the 17th of September and there is a general election in Ontario on the 10th of October. There are a lot of ball in the air right now. It will come down to the Bloc Quebecois.

Q: Flaherty won’t answer our questions. Flaherty’s ministers won’t answer questions. Who runs the government?

A: Well Michael Chong was their first Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Harper never even bothered to inform him in advance that he was orchestrating a vote on the Quebec Nation issue. As a result Michael quit. That says a lot about how things are running right now.

Thanks everyone.

Note: The information in this post is not transcribed from a recording. It’s based on quick note taking on the fly. Therefore it is my interpretation/impression of the Q and A session only. My partner from AM Fresh provided the picture.