VijaySappani.com

I support being tough on crime, I support strengthening our laws even against young offenders, but to plan life sentences for kids as young as 14 is disturbing and disgusting.   Some one once told me in a golf course on the best way to hold the club.  It is like holding a bird, tight enough to not let it fly, but not too much to kill it. I think Young offenders are the same. We need to tighten the laws, so that law enforcement has the powers to prosecute and prevent serious offenders, but we don’t need to act hysteric to kill the kid’s future. 

At 14, a child’s brain is still developing and sometimes we can not blame the kid of the violent crimes they may be committing. It might be the environment that they are growing and it is our responsibility to transfer and provide them the care to live like normal citizens, not give them a life sentence.

No religion, including the ultra conservative Christianity supports harsh punishment for children, in fact it is exactly the opposite of what Harper is suggesting. No kid before committing a crime thinks about the number of years in Jail, for that matter no criminals does it. Strong legislation’s in other countries including US have not reduced youth crime rates and the approach is very radical with

Tough leigslations are needed for repeat offenders, but first time offenders need to be reprimanding and rehabilitation. Good societies are built with love and care , not jail and cane.

Steve, we need tough laws for youth crime, not vendetta laws with youth crime. They are our children and our future.

The right honorable Stephen Harper is a nice guy. He is. Canadians should make that decision by knowing the facts. Here are some to consider

-Now Magazine compiled some information on Harper that you can read, but here is a section on immigration :

Anti-immigration

• Conservatives’ interim policy document refers darkly to focusing on attracting immigrants who can best integrate into the “Canadian fabric” (read mostly white, mostly Europeans).
• Refused to revoke the nomination of Markham Unionville Conservative candidate Joe Li for referring to immigrants as “garbage.”

-On January 26th 2001, Harper in an interview with Kevin Michael Grace in his own words said “West of Winnipeg, the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettos, and who are not integrated into western Canadian society.”

-A year later Harper in an interview to the same author attacked the refugee screening process as “a boondoggle” that “threatens national security” as well as “the integrity of the immigration system”:

-Harper on Jan. 4, 2006 said “The biggest barrier to new Canadians is the frequent failure of Canada to recognize legitimate foreign credentials.” 

The question is, what has he done since then towards foreign credentials recognition in the last two and half years ?  Here is a reality check on Harper’s immigration policy.

-Harper in April 2006 decided to deport 36 hard working portuguese refugees in the construction industry when there was a shortage of workers and these workers had families in Canada.  He wanted to prove a point that he is tough with illegal workers who overstayed their work permit, but did not want to address the issue of shortage of workers.

- Harper has been adamant on the case of Omar Khadr, the only foreign national in G.bay.

- The new bill c-50 gives the immigration minister the power to choose and deny files at their wish.

They say Harper is a nice guy, but if you are a visible minority; Chinese, south Asian, Japanese or other ethnic origin and are being wooed by Harper, you should know the facts before you cast your ballot.

Vote for your safety, vote for stability, vote for the Liberals.

Harper is playing ethnic politics by apologizing for the Chinese Head tax, but not doing so for the 1914 Komagata incident. One needs to fair in these issues and Harper has LET DOWN THE INDO-CANADIAN COMMUNITY on the Komagata incident.

Indo-Canadians should not get fooled by the hidden Conservative agenda and hold them accountable for their failure to deliver the promise on Komagataincident.  Harper played politics by apologizing in a public event  instead of in the floor of the house.

Gas price is going up 13 cents and Canadians think it is ridiculous. Gas price in Canada is 20 cents more per litre. Which political party do you think benefits from high gas prices? Nothing but, day light robbery.  Gas companies have traditionally funded and bankrolled the Tories . Harper broke promise on green house gases , refused to pay carbon credit for all his travel pollution during election and have done nothing to the escalating gas price in Canada.

Crude prices have dropped but gas prices have shot up at the pump. Why is Harper not fighting for Canadians on it. 

Gas companies blame it on international market price, weather and what not, but this year Exxon Mobilmade a $10billion profit in the first quarter, the biggest ever in US history. Yes, you did read it correct, $10 billion in one quarter!

U.S. gasoline prices hit an all-time high of $4.11 US a gallon in mid-July 2008. That works out to $1.09 a litre. At the same time, the national average in Canada was $1.40 a litre.

So why are the Conservatives not taking the Oil companies to task? Who is profiting from high gas price and who is paid off to stay quiet.

Canadians need to answer that question on October 14th and vote a government in power that will fight big oil companies through policies where polluters pay and those who save gain back.  It is time for the Green Shift.

Harper has missed a great opportunity to engage China at Olympics to improve the now strained Canada- China relations. I am a firm supporter of the human rights of Tibetans and a follower of Dalai Lama for his spiritual, non violent, non separatist fight against Chinese oppression in Tibet.  Dalai Lama supports the Olympics and advocates for a  ‘One China’ policy that gives regional autonomy to Tibet, which is the right thing to do. A china that constitutes, HK, Macau, Tibet, Taiwan is best for all of them and regional and global stability.

Harper is right in holding China accountable for its human rights violations, its arms support to pariah states in Africa and Asia, its illegal support to N.Korea and Pakistan on Nuclear technology, right things to do as the Canadian Prime Minister.

Harper has also failed to support and improve Canada- China bilateral trade and improve relations with our second largest trading partner. Harper should have gone to China for the opening ceremony of Olympics. The only countries that can hold China accountable are the ones that have good relationship with them, it is easier to get results by working with the system than working against the system and Harper lost an opportunity here.

We need to work with China on the positives and engage them on the not so positives through discussions to bring changes in that country and their approach. Harper missed an opportunity that Canada will end up paying for.

Bush did the right thing, something I don’t get to say often. He condemned China for their track on human rights, asked to make amendments to bring improvements and went to China to attend the Olympics.  Bush has clearly expressed his disappointment with China, but also will be there to support China on the Olympics. Among friends we may have difference on many things, but tend to forget those soon,  but if you skip your friends wedding, they will remember it for life and that is what Harper has done to China, boycott them at their greatest moment of glory.

To understand this better, let me give you an example. China and India are long time enemies who had a bitter 1965 war and a cold war ever since. China and India are the two fastest growing economies in the world and competing for new markets and resources around the globe. Dalai Lama and the Tibet government in exile has been in India for decades and China is one of the largest military supporters to India’s arch enemy Pakistan. The odds are that they will always be bitter enemies, but the two countries thought otherwise. China and India have over 1.4 billion people living in poverty between them and the growing economy is helping get millions out of that list.

China and India has decided to put their border dispute into freeze mode, cut down troops at the border, improve bilateral trade that has more than doubled, partner and bid jointly on multiple projects in the international scene and cooperate on Islamic terrorism. Of course they still have difference on many issues that is pushing them to make policy changes like in Burma, Sri Lanka, Africa, Russia but they have also decided to focus on the positives and work on the other ones issue by issue.  The results- India restrains anti-China protests by Tibetans in India and China does not protest when India continues to accept more Tibetan refugees. India agrees to privately discuss about China’s Nuclear proliferation and support to Pakistan and China agrees to not to oppose the India- US Nuclear deal.

Two one time arch enemies have decided to set aside their 90% of differences and focus on the 10% of the positives that has to enabled them to slowly address contentious issues like Tibet and Burma, something that would have never happened if they did not engage on the positives.

Harper has missed that opportunity to engage China, but also has put Canada into a dangerous zone with the fastest growing economic zone in the world, that could hurt Canadian companies expanding to China.

Harper should visit China before the end of his term and talk to Chinese president Hu on the human rights issue in private like Bush and Sarkozy will be doing this weekend in China.