New Private Members Bill: Give (Department of) Peace a chance!

[Edward Campbell]

Why even stop there?

Justice, National Defence, Public Safety, Public Works and Government Services, Status of Women, Human Resources and Skills Development, International Cooperation, Foreign Affairs, Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, Treasury Board, Finance, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Agriculture and Agri-Food, Industry, Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Minister of Health, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Atlantic Gateway, Fisheries and Oceans, Environment, Labour, National Revenue, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Veterans Affairs, International Trade, Asia-Pacific Gateway, Natural Resources, Intergovernmental Affairs, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency,La Francophonie, Small Business and Tourism, Americas and Consular Affairs, Western Economic Diversification, Transport, Science and Technology, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, Democratic Reform, Seniors and Sport Canada

Bit of a b***h fitting it onto one side of a standard biz card, much less in French, but pretty unified....

And here it is.

There is an argument to be made that in the 21st century ministers and departments are declining in autonomy and, indeed, importance as control or, at least, coordination from the centre becomes easier.

Of course, the obvious problem is that as you move from coordination to control the centre becomes larger and more complex until, finally, a new, small, high speed, super-centre is needed, creating an even bigger and, perforce, more inept government which needs more and better control ...

 

[Fishbone Jones]

What all this tells me, is that the CPC must be doing a pretty good job, if this is the kind of thing that the Opposition uses to fritter away their valuable alloted time in the Commons.

 

[a_majoor]

And when I am "Minister of Peace" I will have this motto engraved on the building's facing and printed on all the stationary and business cards:​

Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum​

 

[GAP]

Yes I play PACMAN, thank you?

 

[ModlrMike]

Once we've got the Ministry of Peace, we'll only need the Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Love and the Ministry of Plenty to be complete.

Might as well go the whole Orwellian distance.

 

[vonGarvin]

Might as well go the whole Orwellian distance.

If you want my opinion, we are already there.

 

[Jed]

" Kumbaya my love, Kumbaya..."  iper: I could not find a singing around the campfire song icon.

 

[Duckie]

" Kumbaya my love, Kumbaya..."  iper: I could not find a singing around the campfire song icon.

So, you paired the most annoying song ever, with one of the least-liked instruments in the world. Somehow, I think it works better than a campfire song icon.

And by the way, guys. Give Mr. Atamenenko a break! He's clearly doing his part to help the economy, by hoping to reduce the size of the government... by making it... bigger?

 

[Robert0288]

And here I was thinking we are the department of peace....  Through superior firepower of course >

 

[The Bread Guy]

Somebody should take this wretch by the ear and make him watch the Youtube video that features the Dutch CDS on why he chose to pick up the gun rather than the brush or the pen ....

Here it is
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/103582.0.html

 

[The Bread Guy]

A bump with the latest missive from subject MP:

There was a time when we talked about the “two solitudes” in Canada, referring to a divide between French and English Canada.  Although differences still exist between our two founding cultures, they are now more often celebrated than not. 

Over the past few years, however, I have seen “two new solitudes” emerge.  Let’s call them “Neo-Conservative” and “Progressive.” Though we may speak the same language, we really do not understand each other.  I notice this in the House of Commons, particularly.  There are major differences in how these two new solitudes perceive the world and I would like to discuss these over my next two columns.

One solitude sees for Canada a role on the world stage that is a significant shift from the values that our country has traditionally represented. The current Conservative government wants Canada to become a proud military nation that makes major contributions to war efforts in areas such as Afghanistan and Libya. This focus means that our military must be equipped and trained to engage in more combat missions throughout the world, usually at the side of the US in NATO-led missions. The latest military technology, like the F-35 first strike jets, needs to be in place to fit into this version.

The other solitude believes that Canada has lost its leadership role in world peacekeeping and that we should return to our role of working within the United Nations and concentrate on making defence a priority for our armed forces.  This change would require that Canada leave Afghanistan and decline other missions with NATO, an organization originally set up in 1949 to protect Europe from communist aggression.  Canada should play a greater role as a broker in peaceful settlements in the Middle East, Africa and other areas of conflict. Military purchases should provide the equipment to get the job done and keep our troops, and civilians, safe.

This past November I introduced a Private Member's bill to create a federal Department of Peace. Bill C-373 passed first reading in the House of Commons on November 30, 2011.

The work of a Department of Peace would be to strengthen non-military means of peace-making by developing policies and programs that promote national and international conflict prevention, non-violent intervention, mediation and peaceful conflict resolution. Bill C-373 outlines wide-ranging objectives for a Department of Peace that would tackles domestic and international responsibilities in the areas of human security and education.

The notion that there can be peace in the world may be a utopian ideal but each generation owes it to the next to make a dedicated attempt to get as close to it as humanly possible.

castlegarsource.com, 31 May 12

As you can see from the page outlining progress of the Bill through the legislative sausage-making machine here, it's made it no further than introduction.

 

[The Bread Guy]

..... (at least for discussion), thanks to the Canadian Peace Initiatve - more from ceasefire.ca:

.... The Canadian Peace Initiatve will be hosting events on November 2 and 3 in Ottawa, titled “Does Canada need a Department of Peace?”  Steven Staples of the Rideau Institute and Ceasefire.cawill be part of Saturday’s public consultation panel on Bill C-373.

Friday, November 2, 2012 — 6:30 pm to 10 pm

RSVP required for security: Iman Ibrahim 613-276-6764, imanibrahim@rogers.com

Government Conference Centre, 2 Rideau Street (at MacKenzie Ave.), Ottawa, Ontario

6.30 pm — Welcome, Registration and Mingle

7.00 pm — Featured Themes:

● Militarism and the Re-writing of Canadian History, by Dr. Ian McKay, Queens University, and Author of ‘Warrior Nation: Rebranding Canada in an Age of Anxiety.’
● Bill C-373, Federal Department of Peace, by Alex Atamanenko, MP (New Democratic Party, Southern Interior BC). Responses by MPs: Jim Karygiannis (Liberal Party) and Joe Foster (Green Party, Human Rights Critic)

9.30 pm — Closing Remarks



Saturday, November 3, 2012 — 1 pm to 4 pm ($10 suggested donation.)
Public Consultation on the Department of Peace Bill

Saint Paul University, Pavillon Guigues Hall, 2nd Floor Auditorium 203, 223 Main Street, Ottawa, Ontario. (Parking $2)

1 pm – 4 pm — Pose your Questions to a Panel of Commissioners

● Paul Dewar, NDP, Foreign Affairs Critic (Politician)
● Dave Farthing, Director YOUCAN (Youth)
● Steven Staples, President Rideau Institute (Peace Activist)
● Dennis Gruending (Media)
● Nicole Charron (Conflict Resolution) ....

FYI, C-373 Department of Peace Act hasn't made it past First Reading since November 2011, so the "public consultation" appears to be just a public forum.

 

[Danjanou]

Is that where we can have an affair with a foreigner? Sounds like fun as long as she's cute.

Careful Dude remember who used to work in this field 

Yeah I know it was CIDA but close enough

 

[Danjanou]

So here's Mr Happy's website

http://www.alexndp.ca/bio.htm

Aside from the normal granola on it this was surprising

• Served as an interpreter during the Prime Minister’s visit to the Soviet Union in 1989 and for the Canadian Navy trip to Vladivostok in 1990

• Served as an Officer with the Canadian Armed Forces

• An instructor with the Castlegar Karate Club, with a black belt.

 

[ArmyRick]

Minister of Peace  :facepalm: why did people vote this clown in? I mean sweet bean bags man, they could have gotten a donkey and made it their member of Parliament and said donkey would probably do just as well, if not better.

It is really sad and maybe even true. The down side of democracy is collective stupidity can be allowed to run rampant. Now, don't get me wrong, if this joker said the right and convincing things to get elected, so be it, maybe next election, bye bye. Or is this a case of a certain riding always votes a certain poiltical party regardless of how idiotic the candidate is? hmmm, must think on that.

 

[ArmyRick]

I see this guy also has his mitts in agriculture and probably no actual experience to boot. That scares the heck out of me that people like that make rules and govern my way of doing business as a small time farmer.